This is post one of a wider series. A series for FM24.
“Modern football has no soul. She is a shell of her former self. Viktoria Köln is the antidote.“
In-game date: 26 July 2023
Enzo Scutari cuts an iconic silhouette as he stands in the middle of the pitch at the Sportpark Höhenberg. The philosophical economist has recently taken the manager’s job at beleaguered third tier German side Viktoria Köln and is studiously watching his players train in a late evening session during pre-season. With his tailored blazer hugging his slim shoulders and signature thin frame glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, the Italian chaotically vacillates between a still elegance and furious gesticulation. His limited German is tested as he roars at his players for more intensity and quicker movement in between periods of quiet observation.
“Schneller!” booms across the pitch and echoes into the empty stands, more than once. His angrier words are spat out in his native Italian tongue.
It’s a dark yet humid evening and tempers are frayed. Experienced fan favourite Moritz Fritz, 30, who plays in central defence and has clocked up over 100 appearances for the club, is the main target of his wildly protean, 41-year old manager’s tirade.
“Halt die klappe!” The German defender snaps back at his new boss with equal venom.
Fritz is no pushover. To him, Viktoria Köln are his club, and to hell with this flash Italian.
The Enzo Scutari who took over a toiling Sampdoria a few years back, before he ultimately turned them into a profitable, well-oiled machine who lifted their first Scudetto in almost 40 years would have taken Fritz head-on. Much like he invariably did any obnoxious journalist with probing questions in the face of a defeat. He often still does, but not tonight. This slightly older, more mature Scutari instead favoured a different tact.
Days later…
“De-stemming is a critical part of the process.” says Scutari to Fritz as he is sat across a table from him; smoking a thin cigar, occasionally glancing down at his 1970s yellow gold Omega De Ville, tucked slightly under the left cuff of a crisp white shirt. We are in Brindisi, Scutari’s birthplace in southern Italy, outside Masseria Li Veli, a beautiful old farm converted to a vineyard in the late 1990s.
Moritz Fritz nods, though slightly confused as to why Scutari has flown him out to Brindisi for this private conversation.
“Many people think the grape itself is the key factor in a beautiful wine, but in fact it’s how it is treated and how it behaves as a result. If you carefully de-stem the grapes, the wine is not bitter. If you crush and ferment them properly, the result can be truly special. Do you understand, Moritz? Please, drink.”
Scutari takes another puff of his cigar, leaning back in the chair, his eyes squinting slightly from the early evening southern Italian sun.
Fritz clears his throat, “I think so, yes.”
Scutari continues. “Do you know why I took this job, Moritz?” His posture stiffens.
“By day, I work with the ball, trying to direct her like a conductor in an orchestra. By night I dream about her. It is my obsession. Galeano taught us that the ball is fickle. She often refuses to enter the goal, changing her mind in mid-flight. She is easily offended, unhappy to be angrily kicked. Instead you must caress her correctly. She is loyal to those who treat her in the right way. It is my job to ensure that you and your colleagues do so. That is my purpose.”
Scutari leans back again, taking a lengthy sip from a large glass of Primitivo, deep in colour, rich in aroma and made from the grapes on the vines growing mere feet away from where the Viktoria Köln captain and his manager are sat. The Italian is pleased with himself as his words hang in the air.
“Too long this club has languished in the shadows, though we are no elite superpower. Poverty isn’t a lack of character. This is why we must stick together, Moritz.”
Enzo Scutari leans forward again, beckoning Fritz closer to him across the table. “Financial issues are not my concern. We need harmony and fortitude in the face of adversity. We need discipline and fearlessness. But above all, we need joy. What are we if incapable of joy?”
Moritz Fritz breaks eye contact for just a moment, but cannot look away for long.
Scutari continues, “Modern football has no soul. She is a shell of her former self. Viktoria Köln is the antidote. A beautiful club. It’s your club and it deserves to survive. We are free of the shackles of the money in football. That is how I see it. We can be free to play football in a way full of expression and pleasure. Let’s embrace the forbidden adventure of freedom.”
“This is why I took this job. It’s also why I need to know that you are on the team. Mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Until the end.”
Moritz Fritz shifts nervously in his chair, taking a deep breath and looking down at his shoes.
Perhaps it was the fair share of rich red wine he consumed or the scent of his manager’s cigar. Perhaps it was being removed from the powder keg of Cologne to be captivated by the beautiful scenery of Brindisi.
Whatever it was, it worked.
There is a long and difficult journey ahead, but the key actors have committed to taking their place on the stage. Scutari and Fritz stand, shaking hands. A bond is born.
Welcome to Germany.
In this series I’ll continue with the tried and tested approach of a little bit of narrative followed by an informal look at exactly how the FM save is going in the second half of posts. This is my first story post since I wrapped up the FM23 Magari series, back in March 2023. Thanks for tuning in.
First up, let’s evaluate what Scutari has inherited here at Viktoria Köln.
A club worth around £4million, with an 8,300 capacity (3,000 seated) stadium rented from the local council, adequate facilities all round, and £560,000 in the bank. The weekly salary budget is £50,500, of which we are currently spending £49,250. We’ll get our first transfer budget nearer to Christmas. I’m not expecting a lot.
Media expectations have us finishing 14th, but given that none of the Reserve clubs connected to Stuttgart, Dortmund or Hannover are eligible for promotion, that effectively grades our quality as three places lower than this. This should be an uphill struggle from the start.
I’ve been trying to fill the gaps in the staff, but sadly we have not been allowed to hire a specialised Set Piece Coach, meaning that it falls to our Head of Youth Development, Christopher John (Set Piece attribute 6) to figure out the best plan. Not ideal.
Though we do have some star power on the training pitch. Enzo Scutari’s first order of business was to bring in an Assistant Manager, and it’s only one of the greatest midfielders of all time.
Squad-wise, I am pleasantly surprised at some of the quality we have here and the spread of experience fits the mould for a club who require the potential of youth combined with the resilience of maturity.
In terms of first team quality, our best playmaking option is 20-year old Florian Engelhardt, who isn’t brilliant, and our best goalkeeper is 33 year-old Kevin Rauhut. Both of these players need upgraded from, but one who doesn’t is Lex-Tyger ‘La Tigre’ Lobinger, whose physicality I believe will be a powerful asset at this level.
The initial system will be a Cautious 4-4-2. Assessing the strengths of our opposition in the 3.Liga, I reckon our beloved Viktoria Köln will regularly be the underdogs. Therefore, Enzo Scutari’s initial tactical approach will be a counter-attacking system, relying on defensive rigidity, with the back four protected by the experienced head of Bryan Henning, and El Tigre and his strike partner Serhat-Semih Güler largely supported by the technically-gifted but physically lacking Tunisian wide man Suheyel Najar, who will look to provide overloads near the edge of the opposition box. Time will tell if this approach is the right one.
Last but certainly not least, putting aside our pressing priority to stay up in 3.Liga in this first season, we seemingly have some decent potential at Under 19 level. Nothing to write home about in terms of current ability, but a number of youngsters perhaps with a decent ceiling who may help us in future. Remember that those star ratings are relative to our lowly division, and reflect the opinion of not the most gifted of staff.
That wraps up the introduction!
In the next post we’ll see Enzo Scutari at his forthright best, at home in a press conference. I’ll also cover how the first half of season one has gone, and any early plans for Scutari’s first transfer window.
Thanks for reading.
FM Stag