Bojan Krkic was born in Linyola (Catalonia) on 28th August 1990. In just one season, from 2006-07 to 2007-08, this promising young forward has made the leap from Juvenil A to the first team. Along the way he played the second part of the season with Barça B in Second Division B.

Bojan joined Barça in 1999 becoming part of the Benjamí A boys squad. His rise through the ranks of the Barça academy teams was meteoric: Aleví B (2000-01), Aleví A (2001-02), Infantil B (2002-03), Infantil A (2003-04) and Cadet B (2004-05). He started the 2005-06 season with the Cadet A team but was soon promoted up to Juvenil A. The pattern was repeated in the 2006-07 season, which he began with Juvenil A and finished with Barça B.

During his half season with Barça B, he scored 10 goals and became the team’s top scorer.

His big breakthrough came in 2007 when he won the European under-17 Championship with Spain, scoring the winning goal in the final against England (1-0). He also made his first team debut with Barça on 24th April against Al-Ahly in Egypt, scoring Barça’s second goal.

Bojan played the 2007-08 pre-season with the first team. But the Catalan forward missed out on the Asian tour due to his participation at the Under 17 World Cup in Korea. He scored five goals in the tournament, and was the star of a Spain side that finished second, while he was also named third best player of the tournament.

Back in Barcelona, Rijkaard handed the youngster his first chances both in the League and the Champions League. He set two records, becoming both the youngest Barça player ever to make his debut in the Champions league and the youngest player ever to score a league goal for Barça. The first record was achieved on September 19 2007, against Olympique Lyon, when he was 17 years and 22 days; the second was against Villarreal, on October 20 of the same year, when he scored aged just 17 years, 1 month and 22 days.

Full Name: Bojan Krkić
DOB: 28/08/1990 (age 17)
POB: Linyola, Lleida, Spain
Clubs: FC Barcelona (2007-)
Position: Striker
Number: 27
Preferred Foot: Right

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I’ve had several emails from people asking for some tactical advice for Football Manager 2008 (Worldwide Soccer Manager) and have finally got round to sharing some.

The system I’m currently using is with West Brom and is a rather odd 3-3-1-2-1 formation. As odd as it looks it has really helped me punch above my weight in the Premier league with a couple of fantasic wins away Liverpool, Chelsea and Man Utd as well is domination at home.

The main keys to this formation are to have at least one very strong centre back, a strong defensive midfielder and good attacking midfielders. I score most of my goals from my two attacking midfielders with my forward acting not as a target man just more of a pain in the backside, chasing down balls etc…

Much of the this formation it geared up into stiffling the opposition and then hitting them on the break. While you may not finish the season at the highest scorers in the league the way I see it the results are the thing that matter.

As your team progresses you can add quicker and more skillfull players into the same formation and be even more effective. I’ve had this formation for four seasons now the side is getting better and better as the years tick by.

What I end up doing if I’m trying to close out a away game when I’m in the lead is change the tempo to as slow as you can go, passing to short and time wasting to as high as it goes.

To download the tactics go to http://www.niallwalsh.net/wp-content/uploads/3-3-1-2-1.tac

To install simply place the .tac file in My Documents/Sports Interactive/FM 2008/Tactics

I’d be interested to hear how people get on with these.

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For those Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 players out there on the Xbox 360 here is a list of the achievements in the game to help you to get the best possible gamer score.

100 Matches (25) - Play 100 matches.
100 Wins (20) - Win 100 matches.
Ace Striker (30) - Score an average of 2 goals in the last 5 games. Can only be achieved after playing 20 games.
Attacking Midfielder (30) - Get your succesive pass ratio to 85% in the last 10 matches. Can only be achieved after playing 100 games.
Brick Wall (30) - Keep 100 clean sheets.
England League Dominated (25) - Defeat all England League teams.
Eredivisie Dominated (25) - Defeat all Eredivisie teams.
First Glory (10) - Achieved with your first victory.
FK Goal (50) - Score a direct free kick in a Xbox LIVE Ranked match.
Gentleman (25) - Get your foul per match ratio below 1 in the last 10 matches
Goal Getter (25) - Score 100 goals.
Hat-trick Hunter (15) - Achieved after scoring 5 hat-tricks.
Hat-trick Hunter (Xbox LIVE ) (50) - Score a hat-trick in a Xbox LIVE Ranked Match.
High Win Ratio (100) - Win 75% of your last 20 Xbox LIVE Ranked matches
Liga Espanola Dominated (25) - Defeat all Liga Espanola teams.
Ligue 1 Dominated (25) - Defeat all Ligue 1 teams.
Long Ranger (30) - Score from a distance greater than 35 meter.
National Teams Dominated (40) - Defeat all national teams.
Owner (25) - Ball possesion must be above 60% in the last 10 matches.
PK Master (20) - Win at least 10 penalty shootouts following regulation time.
Serie A Dominated (25) - Defeat all Serie A teams.
Silver Service (25) - Make 100 assists.
Sniper (40) - Get your succesive shot ratio to 70% in the last 10 matches. Can only be achieved after playing 100 games.
Super Striker (40) - Score an average of 2+ goals in the last 5 games. Can only be achieved after playing 100 games.
Ultimate Player (100) - Unlocked when you have played 500 matches, scored 1000 goals and won all leagues and cups.
Winning Streak (50) - Win 10 consecutive games.
Winning Streak (Xbox LIVE) (70) - Win 5 successive Ranked Matches on Xbox LIVE.
World Traveller (20) - Play a game in every stadium in the game.

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A few people have been in touch looking for good cheap players in Football Manager 2008 for teams lower down the leagues and without too much cash. Well I’ll start the ball rolling with some players for under 100k. Don’t expect these players to do the business for the likes if Liverpool and Real Madrid but lower down the divisions and in the right term they could be great!

Name: Peter Winn
Age: 18
Position: AML ST
Club: Scunthorpe
Value: 24k
Work permit: No

Name: Fabrice Fernandes
Age: 27
Position: AMRL
Club: Free
Value: Free
Work permit: No

Name: Bogdan Stancu
Age: 20
Club: Unirea Urziceni
Position: ST
Value: 50k
Work permit: No

Name:Mohammad Tadayon
Age:23
Position:ST
Club:Linkoping
Value:1k
Work permit: No

Name: Patrik Lomski
Age: 18
Position: AM/ST
Club: Turun Palloseura
Value: Free
Work permit: No

Name: Owen Price
Age: 20
Position: AMR,ST
Value: Free
Work permit: No

Name: Scott Donnelly
Age: 19
Position: AMRC
Value: Free
Work permit: No

Name: Oscar Carmelo Sanchez
Age: 36 (few years left in the tank)
Position: SW, DC
Club: Bolivar
Value: 7k
Work permit: Yes

Name: Marian Ognyanov
Age: 18
Position: AMLC
Club: Levski
Value: Free
Work permit: No

Name: Alex Fernandez
Age: 20
Position: Striker
Club: Coslada
Value: free (get there quick)
Work permit: No

Name: Sean Evans
Age: 19
Position: D/AML
Club: Man Utd
Value: 35k
Work permit: No

Name: Rhys Day
Age: 24
Position: DC
Club: Aldershot
Value: 30k
Work permit: No

Feel free to submit your own to give people the best selection we can and follow the format:

Name:
Age:
Position:
Club:
Value:
Work permit:

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Lets have a little look at yet another of our crop of wonderkids in Football Manager 2008 and this time it’ll be Juventus’ little attacking midfield sensation Sebastian Giovinco.

Giovinco a 21 year old forward for the Juventus primavera squad has made some headlines over the last twelve months and his performances have lead to the “next Del Piero” comparisons which have also been put upon past primavera stars Davide Chiumiento, Michele Paolucci, Rey Volpato, and recently Raffaele Palladino. Chiumiento being the most highly rated out of the group.

Giovinco impressed many at the Copa Carnevale tournament last season scoring twice against Palermo and then again against Malaysian. The young forward seems to have an easier path to Juventus first team football then past primavera strikers, due to the new UEFA regulations mandating home grown talent. Giovinco has impressive skills, excellent speed and finishing abilities which of course encouraged the Del Piero comparisons. The only knock is his size and very small frame but still only 21 has time to develop. He is also a staple in the Italian Under 21 team, he has excelled in the primavera squad and is getting recognition from abroad.

Apart from all this speculation, the forward is being held in high regards and may pass Palladino in the ranks if he continues his impressive form. In the Moggi era a player like this was sure to be loaned out and left to rot (Chiumiento, Guzman, Masiello, Volpato, Sculli). Hopefully with the new management and new regulations Giovinco along with other primavera starlets will be able to stick with the bianconeri.

Full Name: Sebastian Giovinco
DOB: 26/01/1987 (age 21)
POB: Turin, Italy
Clubs: Juventus (2006-), Empoli (2007-2008)*
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Striker
Number: 21
Preferred Foot: Right

*on loan

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We’ll have a quick look today at attacking midfielder/forward Henri Saivet who for me is probably the best wonderkid in Football Manager 2008.

While he can technically be picked up for free at the start of the game I have found it pretty difficult to do so and have usually had to pay around £5 million to from his French club Girondins Bordeaux. Either way, when you do pick him up he goes from strength to strength.

Saivet was promoted from the FC Girondins Bordeaux new youth training centre to the first team squad on his 16th birthday making him the youngest professional player in history of the the club. Coach Philipe Lucas, in an interview on the evaluation of 18 years has certified that “Henry is a player who plays with a pleasure and a rare opportunism.” As for Patrick Battiston, he confirmed that “the speed of the game and his technique were the strengths of a game brought forward.”

Full Name: Henri Saivet
DOB: 26/10/1990 (age 17)
POB: Dakar
Clubs: Girondins Bordeaux (2006-)
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Striker
Number: 25
Preferred Foot: Right

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This is number three in our series looking at the wonderkids of Football Manager 2008 and how they are getting on in real life.

Attacking midfielder Lulinha really goes on to get things in Football Manager 2008 and can be picked up for less than £1 million if you get in there early enough… He really is a must and doesn’t have issues signing for Championship sides, the greats have to start somewhere!

Lulinha was born in Maua, a Brazilian village in the State of São Paulo on 10/04/90. He started as a futsal player before joining the Corinthians youth system at the age of 8. A prolific attacking midfielder, he helped the Brazilian national team to win the 2007 U-17 South-American Championship, scoring 12 goals in 7 matches. In 2007 he played in the Pan American Games and scored 3 goals in 3 games.

There is much speculation involving Lulinha’s transfer to Europe, but at the end of 2007 he signed a new contract with his club Corinthians, committing himself to the club until 2012. Corinthian President Andres Sanchez added “to take him off Corinthians, the interested club would have to pay 35 million Euro (£24million), and the player has 25 per cent of his rights”. E

Full Name: Luiz Marcelo Morais dos Reis
DOB: 10/04/1990 (age 17)
POB: Maua, SP, Brazil
Clubs: Corinthians (2007-)
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Number: 19
Preferred Foot: Right

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This is number two in our series looking at the wonderkids of Football Manager 2008 and how they are getting on in real life.

By far and away the best young goalkeeper in the game and a sure fire wonderkid we are going to have a quick look at Oscar Ustari.

Ustari played in children’s league in his native Argentina with Club Atlético Rivadavia before moving to Independiente at age 14. He first shot to prominence as part of a strong Argentinian side at the World Under-17 Championship in 2003 and made his professional debut in the Argentine first division in 2005, later going on to be the goalkeeper for the Argentina Under-20 team that won the 2005 Football World Youth Championship, which took place in the Netherlands (Holland).

On May 15, 2006 he was named by coach José Pekerman as a squad member of the Argentine team for the 2006 World Cup.

On January 4, 2007 reports emerged claiming he has been signed by FC Barcelona on a pre-contract deal due to begin in July 2007, with the fee believed to be in the region of £7 million. As it turns out it was in fact Getafe CF secured his services on July 4, for a fee of £4.5 million.

Full Name: Oscar Alfredo Ustari
DOB: 03/07/1986 (age 21)
POB: América, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Clubs: Independiente (2005-2007), Getafe CF (2007-)
Position: Goalkeeper
Number: 25
Preferred Foot: Right

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In the first of a series we are going to look at the wonderkids of Football Manager 2008 and how they are getting on in real life.

The first one is the defensive midfield sensation that is Éver Banega who starts the game at Boca Juniors and can be picked up for around £2.5 million if you get him early enough and is worth every penny.

Éver came through the youth ranks at Boca Juniors and it was not until he moved to the first team that he won international recognition, thanks to his fantastic passing average and a collection of great performances in the local league.

He made his professional debut in the 4-0 victory against Banfield on February 10, 2007. Just a few matches after making his debut he was a key player in the Boca side and was a firm fan favorite with his tireless running in midfield and tough tackling.

After making only 27 appearances for Boca Spanish side Valencia had seen enough of the young Argentinean and decided to stump up £13 million pounds to sign him in in January 2008.

Full Name: Éver Maximiliano David Banega
DOB: 29/06/1988 (age 19)
POB: Rosario, Argentina
Clubs: Boca Juniors (2000-2007), Valencia CF (2008-)
Position: Midfielder
Height: 1.74m
Number: 11
Preferred Foot: Left

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I don’t know about you but the little hints and tips that pop up while the game is loading etc appear a little too quick for me so here is a selection of some of the better ones:

• The shooting training category covers a player’s finishing, long shots and composure.
• The set-pieces training category covers a player’s crossing, corners, free kicks, penalty taking and long throws.
• Players will naturally develop their mental attributes through experience as they get older.
• When training players for lower league clubs, it would be important to focus more on the physical aspects such as pace and stamina.
• Youth team coaches only train youth players, they do not work with or train senior players.
• Goalkeeping coaches work with and train both senior and youth goalkeepers.
• Fitness coaches work with the senior and youth players, but only deal with the physical aspects of training.
• First-team coaches only work with and train the senior players, they do not work with or train youth players.
• When consulting your Groundsman over pitch dimensions, it is important to keep in mind how your team plays.
• Having a wide pitch may suit teams that play with wingers whereas it may have a detrimental effect on a team that plays narrow and through the middle.
• When watching a match you can keep an eye on the opposing team’s formation and changes made during the game by selecting ‘Formations’ from the ‘tree’ menu in the side-bar.
• When using the ‘Use Playmaker’ tactic, your players will generally look to try and pass the ball to the person you’ve assigned to that role.
• A playmaker is someone who generally looks to receive the ball and dictate play.
• A target man is someone who will look to bring others into play via flick-ons or holding up the ball.
• If you find you’re leaving too much space behind your defence, try setting your centre-backs mentality to ‘Ultra Defensive’ or using a deeper defensive line.
• Pace, acceleration, dribbling, technique, finishing and off the ball are just some of the important characteristics that make for a good pacey striker.
• Jumping, heading, strength and off the ball are just some of the important characteristics that make for a good target man.
• The ratings for reflexes, handling, communication, jumping and positioning are generally a good indicator for how good a goalkeeper is.
• If you’re looking for a good wing-back pay special attention to an individual’s positioning, tackling, stamina, pace and acceleration.
• Positioning, tackling, pace and anticipation are just some of the important characteristics that make for a good full-back.
• When choosing your captain, the most important attribute to consider is his influence.
• When signing scouts from a foreign country, your team will benefit from the scout’s knowledge of players from that nation.
• Scouting a player more than once will increase the likelihood of the scout finding out more about his strengths and weaknesses.
• The more scouting knowledge your club has, the more players will appear on the player search screen.
• Assigning a scout to ‘Scout Next Opposition’ and to a country/region in another continent will result in that scout spending a lot of time travelling rather than actually scouting players
• Your club’s level of scouting knowledge can be increased by either signing scouts who already have a large knowledge base, acquiring an affiliate club or by sending your existing scouts out to investigate new territories.
• Scouting your next opposition will give you an insight into their tactics and key players and help you plan your tactical approach for the game.
• Be more generous with your praise for good performances when playing away from home.
• Be less harsh with your criticism for poor performances when playing away from home.
• Be more demanding of your players when playing at home, where your fans will be expectant of you to push on to try to get the right result.
• Team talks can be very useful for morale, but don’t always follow the same route. Constantly saying the same thing to your players may have less of an affect in the long-run.
• Ignoring your players at half-time is generally a bad idea, but on rare occasions leaving them to stew over their performance may result in a better second period.
• Keep your players happy. Praising wins keeps morale up and provides greater impetus for the team to string good performances together.

I’ll maybe post some more later in the week.

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