by @AFMOldTimer
If you have ever read @AFMOldTimer’s Football Manager blog, you will know that there are few who delve into the world of metrics analysis and statistical detail better than he when it comes to breaking down a quality FM save - picking his FM20 Player of the Year must surely have been an easy task, right?
This year I had avoided playing as Liverpool in the beta as I considered it too easy, much like Liverpool found it themselves in the Premier League last season. However, when looking for a save to pass the time, I decided to look at how Liverpool could go about recruiting players that fit their model of picking up undervalued players and that fit into their system/style of playing. With an ageing midfield including James Milner (33), Henderson (29) and Wijnaldum (28), and not a massive amount of back up to them in terms of potential younger/youth prospect (Curtis Jones wasn’t top six Premier League quality in my save), I looked for signings that I thought could be a good fit for the club.
Step forward Lorenzo Pellegrini.
Pellegrini, 23, had a £26m release clause in his contract at Roma at the start of the save, and with a reasonable transfer budget to begin with, I leapt at picking him up for such a figure given his mental and technical attributes. His player traits of “tries killer balls often” combined with his vision, passing and technical ability make him an incredible playmaker in the central midfield strata.
Given his age and his work rate, teamwork and reasonable natural fitness and anticipation, I thought he would be a good replacement for Milner after his contract expired at the end of the first season. Since I didn’t foresee him being given many minutes in the first season, I loaned him straight back to Roma, confident that he’d play regular minutes for them.
He can engage in the press and help to win the ball back high up the pitch, and then progress the ball forward quickly with precise through balls to the forwards who are breaking at speed beyond the defence.
Yet, despite his natural playmaking abilities, he does not play in either the deep-lying nor advanced playmaker role within the tactic I’ve set up for Liverpool. Instead, he plays in the carrielo role on the left-hand side of a central midfield pairing, alongside a ball winning midfielder on support and a defensive midfield player set to defend. He has no specific player instructions beyond those assigned to the role, but the team play in an attacking mentality, pressing high and hard.
What really sets him apart from others in this magnificent Liverpool squad though is his set piece taking. His capability to whip in corners and wide set pieces onto the head of either Virgil van Dijk, Ben Godfrey, Joe Gomez or Nikola Milenkovic is remarkable. He has so far contributed 111 assists and 44 goals across all competitions – 155 goal contributions in 273 appearances (including substitute appearances).
Those goal contributions include these screamers in a hattrick against Atletico Madrid in the First Round Knockout of the Champions League in the 2020-21 season. This hattrick, along with a goal from fellow countryman and Roma import, Nicolò Zaniolo, turned around a 3-1 loss in the first leg at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano.
His first goal in the rematch at Anfield was an absolute net buster from the edge of the 18-yard box after a knock down from Firmino inside the first thirty seconds, to set Anfield believing, hoping and absolutely rocking – at least in my mind!
The second goal was no less impressive – an incredible strike from even further out than the first on the 53rd minute following a first-half goal in injury time by Morata, to bring the score back to 4-4 on aggregate and the scores level on away goals.
With the scores tied, cometh the hour, cometh the man. An 87th minute free kick from all of 30 plus yards out and Pellegrini sealed his hattrick and place in my FM heart for FM20.
His professional mentality makes him a good tutor, if not spectacular with only 15 determination, but he has developed his attributes over the duration of the save and become one of the first names on the team sheet over his natural successor, Jude Bellingham, who he has held back from some considerable minutes.
He has been the mainstay in the transition from Henderson, Milner, Fabinho and Wijnaldum to a midfield of Kana, Camavinga and the aforementioned Bellingham, changing from the young upstart to the elder statesman in the side. He has been wanted by both PSG and Real Madrid but offers have been rejected given his level of import to the side. The world-class midfielder has won four Premier Leagues and four Champions League titles so far in his six years at Liverpool and is fighting to retain the Premier League half-way through his seventh.
In terms of personal honours, he’s won the Ballon d’Or, The Best FIFA Men’s Player and World Player of the Year honours twice across both 2023 and 2024, alongside the Adidas™️ Golden Ball award in 2022 following Italy’s second place finish at the World Cup.
Now aged 30, he’s starting to kick up a bit of a fuss about not playing as much as he believes that he should – but I’m trying to think long-term and want to provide Bellingham with the chance to shine and reduce Pellegrini’s playing time as result. Time will tell if he decides to move on, but I won’t begrudge him the chance given his output for the side.
Thanks for reading,
Enjoyed this? You ain’t seen nothing yet - be sure to check out @AFMOldTimer’s excellent Football Manager blog for a vast selection of save series, metrics analysis, top quality graphics and tactical tips/insights.
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