FM22: How to Build Trabzonspor's Tactic Under Abdullah Avcı

FM 22 How Should Trabzonspor's Tactic Be Built? 2022 A. Avcı Model Trabzon

Trabzonspor would be an understatement if we said they were reborn last season after Abdullah Avcı took over the team.

In the season that started with Eddie Newton, after a string of losses brought the team down to the relegation zone, Ahmet Ağaoğlu made a quick decision and ended the coach's tenure, bringing in Abdullah Avcı, who had just left Beşiktaş and carried plenty of question marks but was also the league's most promising coach at the time, kicking off this remarkable season.

With the team sitting near the bottom of the league when he took over and expectations having dropped considerably, it was a little easier for Abdullah Avcı to fit the team into his system (no pressure). When he arrived, the team was among the top 3 teams conceding the most goals in the league; after Abdullah Avcı, the team managed to finish among the top 3 teams conceding the fewest goals in the league.

The coach, who prioritized defense and focused on that side of the game, managed to build a team that conceded few goals, fought hard and played close together. Afterward came the job of enriching the attacking line and making a difference there too. He had at his disposal Nwakaeme, one of the league's best wingers, Abdulkadir Ömür, who had never quite lived up to his potential, and, up front, a Djaniny whose output after Sørloth was anyone's guess. Signing Berat Özdemir and Bakasetas in the mid-season transfer window, followed by Vitor Hugo joining the team before the start of the season, boosted the number of quality players, and Trabzonspor managed to win over everyone, supporter or not, with the transfers it made heading into the 2021-2022 season.

Moving fast as soon as last season ended, the Storm strengthened its squad and gave Abdullah Avcı a great opportunity to play the football he wanted with the signings of;

• Marek Hamsik
• Andreas Cornelius
• Gervinho
• Bruno Peres
• Stefano Denswil
• Manolis Siopis
• Dorukhan Toköz

With a big win in the season's first match and never dropping off that level, the Storm, contrary to what preseason pundits expected, managed to pull well clear of their biggest rivals.

On top of these well-judged, well-timed signings, adding Edin Visca, a player who had stamped his mark on the last 5-6 seasons of the league and a former student of coach Abdullah, in the winter transfer window (Gervinho closed out the season), plus Tymoteusz Puchacz, who added a lot of dynamism to a team that had been struggling at left-back, meant an almost flawless squad had been assembled.

The advanced age of the players brought in also answered the question every big team faces each season, "does it slump after winning the title and hurt the club's finances?", through the many young players signed in the same transfer window and the youngsters Abdullah Avcı brought up from the academy. Having a chairman who, by a wide margin, is the league's best at managing the books and running the finances properly is also a major factor in there being fewer problems down the road.

After these latest signings, Trabzonspor added even more strength to its lineup and continues on its way as a team that has suffered only 1 loss so far this massive season.

One of the biggest stats where Trabzonspor stands out is Passes Per Defensive Action, or PPDA for short. In simple terms, it's the ratio of the number of passes the opposing team makes in their first and second thirds of the pitch to the defensive actions made in that same zone.

In other words, they lead the league in preventing the opponent from stringing passes together.

The team that lets its opponents string together the fewest passes: Trabzonspor

The team that keeps the opponent's expected goals per shot the lowest (8%)

Being in the top three for set-piece defense, and

Having the league's best, in-form goalkeeper.

Looking at the stats, it's genuinely very hard to score against this team, and with such skilled players at the back as well, it becomes even tougher to concede.

We can say these are the biggest factors that make Trabzonspor such an unbeatable team...

What's the Secret Behind Trabzonspor's Success?

When we look at the lineup Trabzonspor fielded against Konyaspor, their rival in this season's title race, we'll also see the reasons behind their success.

Not feeling Hamsik's absence at all, despite him being injured for a long time, and still being able to play the same style of football, is a genuinely great achievement. But what really matters here is that, while playing with a midfield that looks thin with two players who are natural number 10s, they still manage to defend this well and combine their attacking abilities.

They can play similar football with Bakasetas when Hamsik is available, and with Abdulkadir and Bakasetas when he isn't.

What Are the Biggest Factors That Set Trabzonspor Apart From the 3 Big Clubs? (Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş)

Trabzonspor's biggest advantage is having a chairman who makes the right decisions and acts patiently. In a club facing pressure similar to, and in some ways even greater than, that at Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş, Ahmet Ağaoğlu's success in making patient signings, making quick decisions and firmly standing behind those decisions is one of the biggest reasons behind this widening gap. Another reason behind this season's gap is that, after Abdullah Avcı arrived, players suited to the style of play he wanted were quickly identified, signed and worked into the system together during preseason camp. Building a team that knows what it's doing, adapts its shape to the opponent and can show something different every match, being able to bring in the right coach, and making few mistakes in the transfer market are also among the important factors.

How Should Trabzonspor's Tactic Be Built in FM 22?

First off, the coach in charge of this team isn't working from a single fixed template and setup — he prepares different analyses for every match and keeps developing himself, so rather than saying "this is exactly the tactic he plays," it'll be easier to explain what's in his head through a template.

Starting with Trabzonspor's most important traits;

1. They're a defense-first passing team,
2. Not a full pressing team, but they close down the center very well,
3. They're the team that concedes the fewest goals from set attacks, and
4. They're a team that can defend very well while playing with two number 10s

At first glance, these are the 4 most obvious traits worth mentioning. Let's also look a bit at the actions taken during the game.

A team that sits back at a low tempo in possession, has the whole team drop behind the ball the moment they lose it, and defends with compact lines of 3.

In attack, even though the right-backs Peres or Dorukhan have better playmaking traits, since there's a ball-juggling player like Nwakaeme on the left wing that you'd want to build play through, the left-back Puchacz instead acts as a player who helps with buildup on forward runs and covers the back as a third defender when defending. In attacks built from the left wing, once the opposing defense has shifted over to their right, they run set plays that open up space for a player like Visca on the opposite wing to look for a goal — this group of players doesn't look easy to stop at all.

As you can see in the image, the wing where Nwakaeme is has more space and that side is left to him. With help from the midfield and forwards, they try to play a game weighted toward the left wing. Aside from that, since they close down the center so well, with the group of players who like to play narrow on the balls they win or in set attacks, they try to find gaps in the opposing defense with short, accurate passes and put pressure on them. When you have players with these kinds of abilities, and factor in how well they combine with each other, the result is a very compact team.

How Is Trabzonspor's Tactic Built in FM 22?

As mentioned above, playing a formation where Nwakaeme is alone on the wing and the midfield keeps things compact around that area seems like the smartest approach. At least one of your center-backs (you can set both as ball-playing at Trabzonspor) should be made a ball-playing defender, paired with a no-nonsense center-back next to him. We need to set up a system where the right-back contributes a lot to attack and plays almost like a midfielder. One of the central midfielders (in real life, Bakasetas or Hamsik) should be given a roaming playmaker role so that the team's link-up play runs through him. The attacking midfielder should also be given a number 10 role so he can play more freely and aim to find space to receive the ball unmarked. (If things aren't going well, the first change should be made to the number 10)

Up front, your striker should be given an attack-minded role suited to his type. If he's great in the air, pick an advanced forward; if he's more creative, go with a deep-lying forward, whichever suits you...

Football Manager 2022 (FM22) Trabzonspor in Possession

Keeping attacking width narrow is very important when in possession. You should adopt a buildup approach with short passing, low tempo, and playing the ball from the playmaker or from the defense into the playmaker. Since the team's set-piece takers are very good, it's important to try to win set pieces. If you have a squad like this, you should play more creatively and press up against the opposing defense.

Football Manager 2022 (FM22) Trabzonspor in Transition

Even though they run clear counter-presses against some teams in transition (the Alanya match is a great example of this), this can change a bit depending on the opponent's tactics. If there's a team that builds up very well from the back, a counter-press can be tried in that match to disrupt them, but on average, dropping back into shape and a "maintain shape" mentality once the ball is won suits Trabzonspor better.

Football Manager 2022 (FM22) Trabzonspor Out of Possession

When the opponent has the ball, the press intensity is again around average, and rather than diving in to win the ball back, you should try to win it back in a more compact shape. You should close down the center very well to force the opponent out wide and make them try crosses.

Getting the team used to this tactic and settling into a structure might seem hard at first, but once it clicks, it's a very compact team that always knows what it's doing. We're waiting to hear from readers who try the tactic in the comments.

It's a shame on us that we hadn't published a single Trabzonspor article since the start of the season, and we hope you're happy with our overall Trabzonspor and FM 22 tactical template article.

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