Here is a brief FM20 team guide of the Celtic squad. Celtic are the strongest team in the Scottish Premier League and will probably give you guaranteed titles in Football Manager 2020.
Here is a brief FM20 team guide of the Celtic squad, their club structure, relationship any potential managers will have with the board, expectations and possible tactics any FM manager can use.
About the club
Celtic are a football club based out of Glasgow who ply their trade in the Scottish Premiership. They are one of the 2 biggest football clubs in Scotland having won the league title no less than 50 times, the Scottish Cup 39 times and the Scottish League cup 18 times.
However, their greatest achievement is being the first British club to win the European Cup in the 1966-19967 season. They have won the Scottish Premiership 8 times in a row and under the management of Brendan Rogers achieved the treble without a single defeat. Their rivalry with Rangers is legendary with many calling it the “old Firm” and the biggest derby in football history.
Board Expectations
Celtic are in the Europa League after failing in the 3rd qualifying round of the Champion’s League, however, since the game will begin from the start of the season your objective will be to qualify for the Champion’s League. The board requirements should be,
- Win the Scottish Premiership
- Win the Scottish Cup
- Reach the Group stages of the UEFA Champion’s league.
- Win the Betfred Cup.
You will be required to play attacking football as a bonus and this is not a very hard task considering the fact that Celtic are easily the best side in the Scottish League. The transfer and wage budgets will also be amongst the highest in your league as Celtic are head and shoulders above any other team in the league barring Rangers.
The training and youth facilities at Celtic are very good and rank amongst the best in the league. In addition, Celtic also have the best scouts and the biggest capacity stadium in the league.
Squad, Formation and Tactical Style
You will have to deploy 2 completely different styles of football with Celtic as the quality of opponents you’ll be facing with vary drastically between the Scottish League and the Champion’s League. You can deploy a vertical tiki-taka or controlled possession tactic for the Scottish League games but will have to change to a fluid counter-attacking style of football against the much difficult Champion’s League opponents.
A 4-2-3-1 formation is how Celtic line up in real life and it is best if we mimic this approach. This leaves the midfield totally packed enabling the winning of possession high up the field itself and putting pressure on the opponents. Alternatively, you can go for a 4-3-3 formation too but the basic idea behind both the formations is the same with winning back possession and keeping the opponents on the defensive.
A rough example of what your line-up would look like in a 4-2-3-1 formation is as follows;
- Fraser Forster as a regular keeper
- Kristoffer Ajer & Christopher Julien as the 2 centre backs.
- Jeremie Frimpong & Boli Bolingoli- Mbombo as the 2 full-backs, they are generally attacking full-backs and you increase crossing instructions for better results.
- Scott Brown & Callum McGregor as the 2 central midfielders. Both are well experienced and solid midfielders.
- James Forrest & Mohammed Elyounoussi as the 2 wingers, the latter to be played as an inside forward.
- Tom Rogic to be played as an attacking midfielder in a No:10 role.
- Odsonne Edouard as the lone forward to be played in a centre forward role.
Alternatively, when you change to a 4-3-3, you can play Ryan Christie as an inside forward replacing one of your regular wingers.
Key Players
1. Odsonne Edouard
Edouard may be young but he is one of the best strikers in the league. He already scored 15 league goals for Celtic last season and is only improving.
2. Mohammed Elyounoussi
Elyounoussi is probably the best winger in the league and is a constant goal threat from the left.
3. Scott Brown
Brown is one an experienced stalwart at Celtic. His performances and captaincy are crucial for Celtic achieving the desired results.
4. Tom Rogic
Rogic is a big game player, the Australian attacking midfielder can swing the game in your favour against even the most difficult of oppositions.
Weaknesses
- Despite being the best team in the Scottish Premiership, Celtic are a relatively weaker side in European competitions.
- Set Pieces are a definite weakness in the squad with Celtic being guilty of both not scoring and conceding needless goals from set-pieces.
- With the Scottish Premiership being a lower-tier league, bigger European clubs can easily poach away your best prospects.
Potential Transfers (in)
Celtic are not the best squad in the league with respect to squad depth, these players could be welcome additions to the side.
- Alireza Jahanbaksh
- Ashley Barnes
Potential Transfers (Out)
These players may be surplus to requirements at the club or may not be of the expected quality.
- Vakoun Issouf Bayo
- Leigh Griffiths
Young Prospects
There are a few exciting young prospects in the ranks who have the potential to be the best players in the league, they are
- Odsonne Edouard (ST)
- Armstrong Okoflex (AML)
FM20 Team Guide - Celtic
To summarize, Celtic are the strongest team in the Scottish Premier League and will probably give you guaranteed titles, but the real challenge lies in to bring the club into European competitions and challenging some of the best clubs in the world, are you up for it?
