“El Huracán Renace” The Core Menotti Philosophy in FM Terms

Menotti’s football can be expressed in FM as a “Control through possession with creative expression” system with:

• High line & high press, but not “gegenpressing” chaos, rather intelligent space control. Press with player instructions rather than team.
  
• Structured attacking shape (4-3-3 / 4-1-2-3 DM Wide).
  
• Creative freedom in the final third.
  
• Short passing, patient buildup and positional rotations.
  
• Collective work rate out of possession.

Think: Pep Guardiola’s positional framework, but with South American flair and improvisation.

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Base Formation

Formation: 4-1-2-3 DM Wide

Variants

• Against deep blocks → change to 4-2-3-1 with an AMC (to mirror the old “enganche” role).
• To protect a lead → drop mentality to keep structure.

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Team Instructions (the Menotti DNA)

Mentality

• Cautious — to ensure not reckless but proactive and dominant.

In Possession

• Attacking Width: Fairly Wide → stretch teams horizontally.
• Approach Play: Bypass Press.
• Passing Directness: Shorter Passing.
• Tempo: Slightly Lower → patient, rhythmic buildup.
• Final Third: Work Ball into Box, Be More Expressive.
• Crosses: Low
• Dribbling: Allow Creative Freedom
• Transition Play: Hold Shape or Counter depending on opponent. Menotti’s teams didn’t always go direct after winning it.

In Transition

• When Possession Lost: Attacking players Counter-Press (to shrink the field).
• When Possession Won: Standard.
• Goalkeeper Distribution: Short Kicks to CBs

Out of Possession

• Defensive Line: Much Higher Line of Engagement.
• Pressing Intensity: Counter Press
• Defensive Width: Standard or Force Outside.
• Tackling: Stay on Feet.
• Trigger Press: Standard (not maxed out, pressing intelligently, not frantically).

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Player Roles & Descriptions

Position	FM Role	Key Attributes	Role identity
GK	Sweeper Keeper	First Touch, Passing, Composure, Positioning	Carries out build-up from back, sweeps behind high line
RB	Wing-Back	Stamina, Crossing, Work Rate	Provides overlaps, width, and recycling options
RCB	Central Defender	Passing, Decisions, Composure	Initiates buildup, steps up in line
LCB	Central Defender	Anticipation, Pace, Positioning	Covers high line, intercepts danger
LB	Wing-Back	Pace, Technique, Off the Ball	Provides attacking width and overlaps
DM (“5”)	Deep-Lying Playmaker	Passing, Vision, Positioning, Composure	Dictates tempo, shields defence (your Américo Gallego)
RCM	Central Midfielder	Late runs, Off the Ball, Finishing	Box-arriver, creates overloads
LCM	Playmaker	Vision, Technique, Dribbling	Links play, combines wide and central zones
RW	Inverted Winger	Dribbling, Flair, Finishing	Cuts inside, creative threat
LW	Inverted Forward	Crossing, Work Rate, Teamwork	Provides width, balances attack
ST	Deep Lying Forward	Movement, Link-up, Finishing	Drifts, links midfield, finishes chances

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Player Recruitment (Menotti-style Squad Building)

Menotti’s teams were defined by balance artistry mixed with industry.

Type	Traits	Example Player Profile
Creative nucleus (“10”)	Vision, flair, balance, freedom	Your Brindisi / Ardiles-type
Intelligent “5” (pivot)	Tactical awareness, passing, patience	A metronomic deep playmaker
High-IQ defenders	Positioning, composure, anticipation	Read the game more than they chase it
Expressive wide forwards	Dribbling, off-the-ball movement	Capable of interchanging roles
Workhorse midfielders	Stamina, teamwork, off-the-ball	Allow creatives to roam
Strong leader at the back	Aggression, Determination, Leadership	Commanding centre-back à la Passarella

Personality Filters (FM “Personality” Attribute)

• Professional, Model Citizen, Resolute, or Fairly Determined for spine.
• Flair + Composure + Off the Ball for creative types.
• Avoid Low Determination

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Training & Tactical Familiarity

• Teamwork, Technical & Tactical sessions — focus on transitions and positional play.
• Attacking movement and Possession are key.
• Use Match Preparation → Att. Movement to enhance fluid rotations.
• Mentoring groups to mix leaders with creatives.

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Match Day Adaptations

• If facing a low block → Adjust tempo slightly.
• If facing counter-heavy teams → Drop line slightly, keep high possession, slow tempo.
• If you lose control → switch DM to more defensive role and wingers to track to stabilize.

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Optional Philosophical Tweaks (Modern Adaptation)

If we want to modernize Menotti’s ideas:

• We could deploy a DM Box to Box Midfielder to mimic the forward-running 8.
• Switch to Attacking Midfielder (Support) in 4-2-3-1 for creative link play.
• Maintain “Be More Expressive” and “Short Passing” at all times — they’re the heart of Menottismo.

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Menottismo 2.0 — A Modern Blueprint

As we are building a team today explicitly in the spirit of Menotti, here’s how I’m planning to adapt his blueprint:

• Formation: 4-1-2-3 in possession, morphing to 4-3-3 or 4-1-4-1 out of possession.
• In Possession:
  • Build from back, short passing, guard possession, then break lines.
  • Fullbacks/wing-backs push high or invert depending on overloads.
  • Midfield triangulation, creative 8/10 roaming, late arrivals into box.
  • Penalise stagnant possession — add dribble-forward instructions, overload one flank and invert.
• Out of Possession:
  • High line of engagement, pressing with triggers (press when winger receives, double pivot pressed).
  • Offside trap used intelligently.
  • Compactness central, force play wide, use fullbacks/wing-backs’ recovery speed.
• Player Profiles:
  • Deep pivot: intelligent, technically strong, calm in possession.
  • Two midfielders ahead: one box-to-box, one advanced creative.
  • Wingers/forwards: high creativity, movement, interchangeability.
  • Fullbacks: high stamina, crossing, combination with wingers.
  • Center-backs: one aggressive stopper, one cover, both comfortable on ball.
  • Keeper: sweeper-keeper style, good distribution.
• Philosophy & Culture:
  • Build identity: “we play to create and dominate, not just to avoid losing”.
  • Train pressing triggers, transitional recovery, positional play, overloads.
  • Recruitment: buy technically gifted, intelligent, creative, willing to work. Also buy book-ends: defenders/midfielders who accept structure and pressing demands.
• Modern tweaks:
  • Use data to define pressing zones, recovery runs, wide-channel vulnerability mitigation.
  • Use hybrid formations: when opponent sits deep, morph to 3-2-5/2-3-5 in possession to overload.
  • In transitions, ensure when losing possession deep you drop into a compact 4-4-2 rather than leaving too many gaps (this is an evolution from Menotti’s more attacking risk).

Summary

Category	FM Setting
Formation	4-1-2-3 DM Wide
Mentality	Cautious
Tempo	Much Lower
Passing	Shorter
Width	Wider
Defensive Line	Much Higher
Defensive Line Behaviour	Step Up More
GK Distribution	Short to CBs/FBs
Creative Freedom	Be More Expressive
Final Third	Work Ball Into Box