FIFA 06: The Rise of Amiens SC, Issue 2
May 18 '07 (Updated Jun 08 '07)
The Bottom Line After four matches in two weeks, Amiens SC is heading into Week 18. This issue, we have an interview with the manager, as well as team news.
Note: To find out more about FIFA 06 for the PC, please see http://www.epinions.com/content_267262135940.
December 10, 2006
Jacques Leroi here. I am the beat writer for Amiens SC, the club I supported as a boy in northern France. I consider myself fortunate to follow my boyhood team as they experience success in Ligue 1 after years of languishing in Ligue 2. As beat writer, I will provide you, the Amiens SC fan, with insights on the club and its players as the season progresses.
As Ligue 1's Week 17 draws to a close, we find Amiens SC at the top of the table with a 13-3-1 record, ahead of giants Lyon by two points. Over the last four matches, Amiens has won two league matches against Sochaux and Guingamp and defeated AS Monaco in the 2nd round of the French Cup. However, Amiens suffered a late equalizer at the hands of Celtic in UEFA group action to come away with a 1-1 draw and only two points from three games in that competition.
Interview with Guus Hiddink:
Recently, I interviewed Amiens SC coach, Guus Hiddink, regarding their recent form, as well as an interesting goalkeeping dilemma that has arisen in the past month. (Note: Guus Hiddink is the name I gave to the manager of Amiens SC when I started this Manager Mode campaign.)
Leroi (JL): Guus Hiddink, it is an honor to finally get to speak to you directly.
Hiddink (GH): Thank you.
JL: Mr. Hiddink, let's start with Amiens' current league form. In the last seven Ligue 1 games, Amiens has been 7-0, gaining 21 of a possible 21 points. How do you account for such success for this newly-promoted side?
GH: Good coaching, of course (laughs). Seriously, I think that switching our formation from a 4-1-2-1-2 to a 3-5-2 has proven influential, considering the personnel here at Amiens. From last season to the start of this season, I favored a back-four; but, I found that playing Roche, Pressley, and Sami in their natural center back positions have yielded good results in defense. Also, Linderoth and Johnsen have done really well as cover for the defense. When Pressley or Sami go out to play the wings, both midfielders have done well to cover the middle. Roche has also been the rock I needed him to be.
JL: Let's talk about Roche. Many pundits have noted his marked improvement in the last few weeks.
GH: Roche has been immense for us. He not only mans the central center back berth well, but he also carries the ball out of defense. In our most recent game again Guingamp, which we won 2-0, Roche was the impetus behind a couple of our counterattacks.
JL: Linderoth has also been great coming out of the defensive half.
GH: Too true. Tobias sometimes appears out of nowhere the latch onto a ball outside the opponent's box. With time, his shots will be pivotal to our success.
JL: What about your current goalkeeper situation? Over the past four weeks, you've scouted two goalkeepers: Mullen and Heyshan. Tell me about them.
GH: We scouted Mullen a couple of weeks ago, and he acquitted himself well against Lyon and then Sochaux. He's young and can improve.
JL: But the situation has been complicated with Seyhan.
GH: Ah, yes. We brought Seyhan into the first team after witnessing his outstanding form in youth fooball. That boy is going to be immense between the posts. In two games, he has two clean sheets.
JL: Now, though, you have four goalkeepers: Merville, Daguet, Mullen, and then the newcomer Seyhan. How do you resolve this controversy?
GH: We're currently testing them all. You will see my preference as the season wears on. Needless to say, I cannot have four goalkeepers on the team. We will assess our options once the transfer window opens in January.
JL: Speaking of transfers, what roles are you looking to improve in the transfer window?
GH: Hmm... That's tough. I really like our starting 11, but I think that getting another class striker and another good defender would be good moves to advance us.
JL: Are there any players in which you are interested?
GH: (smiles) Of course! I should show you my wish list!
JL: Like who?
GH: (ponders if it is timely to leak any information) Ronaldinho, Ferdinand, Ricardo Carvalho... the like.
JL: (laughs) Seriously.
GH: Well, my staff and I are watching certain players. We will be focusing on unearthing hidden treasures in the transfer market. Since Amiens is not as prestigious as a Monaco or a Lyon, we have had difficulty attracting talent, though Linderoth has been a special addition this season.
(Game Note: In FIFA 06, there are three things that determine how easily a club can purchase a player: the manager's prestige, the manager's staff negotiator's rating, and the club's prestige rating. The first two ratings are viewable in the FIFA 06 interface, but the team's prestige is not. Remember: the team's overall rating [measured out of five stars] does not necessarily affect the team's prestige. However, it seems like victories and cups directly affect a club's prestige. If a gamer has good ratings in two of the three aforementioned attributes, then the club has a good chance of purchasing top talent.)
JL: Let's talk about Popovic.
GH: Josef has been a great find for us! He was languishing on some Brazilian youth side when Yves, my scout, faxed me a report about him. Yves said that this boy had the balance of a Robinho, but the heading ability of a Mario Jardel, the great striker for Porto several years ago. Brazilians aren't often known for their heading, but Josef is a great header of the ball.
JL: Over the last several games, Popovic has seemed to develop a better understanding with Lee Miller, your Irish striker.
GH: Yes, I've noticed that. I think that both of them took it upon themselves to spend more time together off the pitch, going to the movies, playing poker with teammates, and the like. Players develop better understanding of each other on the pitch by bonding off the pitch. I expect great things from that partnership.
JL: Miller is a natural goal-poacher. Against Guingamp, he had a classic goal off a Popovic rebound when he slid onto the rebound and angled it past the keeper.
GH: Yes, that's been Miller's stock-in-trade, but that's a wonderful thing. Every team needs a man who cleans up the rebounds and jumps on half-chances. Miller has great timing for such things; when I watch him, I'm almost reminded of a young Gary Lineker. Of course, I must say that Miller does have a great shot and has nice pace, but he's been unbelievable scoring off misses.
JL: Now, the UEFA group game against Celtic: what are your thoughts on that?
GH: (exhales) That was a tough one. Celtic also play a 3-5-2, so the midfield was heavily contested all game. We finally broke through with a goal in the 83rd minute, but to suffer an equalizer in stoppage was heartbreaking. We just have to press on, though.
JL: The next UEFA group game is against small side Yverdon. Any thoughts?
GH: Not yet. My staff is currently reviewing game video of them. They are a small side, but small sides are dangerous. We lost a couple of games in Ligue 2 against quote-unquote "weaker" teams, so we have to avoid falling into the trap of playing under the level we are capable of playing it.
JL: Last question: So far, what has been the strength of Amiens SC?
GH: That's a tough question. Um... I would say that Namouchi's linking play has been our greatest strength. He orchestrates so many attacks and still tracks back to play defense. Tunisia would be wise to make him their captain, as he is ours. My Salgados have also done much unsung work on the flanks.
JL: Thank you for your time, Mr. Hiddink. I look forward to meeting again.
GH: Thank you.
Team News
* Last week, Amiens SC's management awarded a fine gold watch to Guus Hiddink for his team's outstanding performance in recent weeks. The players, though quiet with their comments, showed some consternation at the announcement. However, they begrudgingly acknowledged the fine tactics of their manager.
"The manager has done great things to turn this club around. I suppose if a watch is the least that can be given to him, then I'm for it," said David De Freitas, midfielder.
* Amiens players and management have downplayed the training ground row between Buron and Colleau. After a tasty tackle from Colleau, Buron stood face-to-face with Colleau. Words were exchanged, but no blows resulted.
"Tempers can flare among the reserves at times. That frustration is natural for competitive men who desire to play every match," commented Hamed Namouchi. "When I played at Rangers, I rarely got a whiff of fresh air and had to struggle just to get into the match. But, we're all professionals and we need to behave as such."
* Goalkeeper Merville was spotted last weekend, wearing a clown suit and performing before children in an Amiens park. Merville fervently denied his side-job, stating that he keeps his clowning on the pitch.
"I think he's found his true vocation," commented an anonymous Amiens player.
* Lamine Djaballah expressed some displeasure at not getting regular chances to start.
"I can't understand it. I have been a consistent scorer, and was a good scorer last year," Djaballah said.
Pundits have attributed Djaballah's lack of pace and natural predatory ability to his lack of recent starts.
* Rumors abound regarding Amiens and the upcoming transfer window. Some sources link Englishman Matthew Taylor and German Robert Huth to the French club. One well-placed source also observed managerial interest in South Korean Ahn Jung-Hwan and Japan striker Naohiro Takahara. Thus far, Amiens' PR staff have denied these rumors.
Note: To view Issue 3, please see http://www.epinions.com/content_5022589060.
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