This is it – the final chapter of the 2024 Fuller FM Cup, where my finest Football Manager teams have been battling it out for supremacy.
Last time out, we played through the Group Stage – reducing our original line-up of eight teams to just four. The remaining quartet will now contest the Semi Finals, and the two winners will then play for ALL the marbles in the Final.
Whoever wins the trophy, let’s hope the celebrations don’t go quite as badly as when Real Madrid won the Copa del Rey in 2011. (I’m glad I didn’t hire Sergio Ramos to move my stuff into my new home!)
SEMI FINALS
The Group Stage has now concluded, and Basel, Lyn, Millwall and Sporting CP have all been sent on their way back home. Now we are left with just four teams – all of whom can realistically dream of lifting the Fuller FM Cup.
Fiorentina were the champions of the first Fuller FM Cup in 2019, albeit they only had to get past Shrewsbury Town and Lyn to win it. If the Italians can get past Arsenal’s homegrown heroes and go all the way, it would be a much more impressive achievement.
La Viola managed to top Group A ahead of my ‘unbeatable’ Rennes team from FM21. Rennes must now take on the winners of Group B – Real Betis, who have battled to three victories and will want to keep up their perfect record.
Both Semi Finals will be played at neutral venues. Fiorentina and Arsenal will travel to Switzerland to face off at St Jakob-Park – the home of the now-vanquished 2021 champions Basel.
Meanwhile, Betis and Rennes will play their last-four clash at the 3,000-capacity Estadi Nacional in… [checks notes] Andorra. That’s odd, but it’s halfway between Spain and France, so… I guess that’s fine?
Real Betis vs Rennes
The (ahem) huge crowd in Andorra witnessed a positive start from Rennes, whose pace and skill stretched the Betis defence early on. That was especially clear in the 7th minute, when Nicolas Pépé drove in a 20-yard bullet to give the Bretons the lead!
Shortly after Pépé’s early opener, both teams displayed the world-class possession skills we’ve come to expect on Football Manager 2024:
Anyway, Rennes scored again from some much more fluid passing in the 14th minute. After a couple of first-time passes from left-back Faitout Maouassa and playmaker Dominik Szoboszlai, the ball found its way to Serhou Guirassy, who fired home from a tight angle. 2-0, and Betis were already getting battered!
While Los Béticos did have more of the ball in the first half, they just couldn’t get any attacks going – and certainly not after winger Rodri picked up a knock. By contrast, Rennes were in total control, with only a fantastic Marco Carnesecchi save stopping Nikola Milenković from making it 3-0 before half-time.
Once again, Nabil Fekir held the key to Betis’ hopes. His skill and off-the-ball movement won him a penalty off Maouassa three minutes into the second half. Sergio Canales‘ cool penalty sent Edouard Mendy the wrong way, and the Spaniards were back in with a shout!
As Real Betis steadily grew into the game, Mendy needed to make a couple of big saves to keep Rennes’ advantage intact. Those stops would prove vital in the 69th minute, when Guirassy struck again. Though Betis right-back Khellven muscled the ball off Firas Ben Belgacem, he could only knock it on to Guirassy, leaving an easy finish just outside the six-yard box.
There was no way back for Betis from 3-1 down. Rennes’ relentless attacks had ground them down, and the unbeatables were now 90 minutes away from adding another trophy to their cabinet!
Fiorentina vs Arsenal
Meanwhile in Switzerland, Fiorentina were determined to cause an upset against the pre-tournament favourites. Almamy Touré presented Arsenal with their first scare in the 8th minute, when the Malian right-back’s drive required a catch from Aaron Ramsdale.
La Viola’s hopes were raised when Eddie Nketiah wasted a couple of early sitters and Gunners playmaker Martin Ødegaard took a bang to his knee. Then, about five minutes before half-time, Federico Chiesa found an unmarked Touré making a run into the Arsenal area. Touré let rip, Ramsdale flapped, and Fiorentina were 1-0 up!
Tuscan joy didn’t last very long. Ødegaard shrugged off his knee knock to get Arsenal back in contention just seconds into stoppage time, flicking in an excellent cross from Kieran Tierney. Even more amazingly, Tierney’s left leg DIDN’T fall off in the process of making that assist!
A tremendous match was nicely poised at 1-1 heading into the second half. It was Arsenal who started brighter, with Nketiah finally finding the net from a Bukayo Saka through-ball in the 51st minute. Unfortunately for Eddie, the offside flag had come to Fiorentina’s rescue.
While Nketiah was having a nightmare in front of goal, it was a different matter for another Hale End hero. On 63 minutes, Ødegaard spread the ball out right to midfield all-rounder Yunus Musah, whose low strike from 25 yards out caught Alban Lafont off his guard! Arsenal had turned it around and led 2-1…
…for three minutes. Jordan Veretout‘s introduction after that goal proved an inspired substitution for Fiorentina. The French midfielder found space in the Gunners’ box and thundered in a Touré cross to restore parity!
Two minutes later, though, Arsenal were back ahead. Fikayo Tomori had been like a human shield in their box throughout this match – and the powerful centre-back proved he could also be a lethal finisher when he nodded Musah’s cross home!
After three goals in the space of about five minutes, it was now 3-2 to the Gunners! What would happen next?
How about another Fiorentina goal in the 74th minute? After Tierney upended winger Patrick Roberts just outside Arsenal’s penalty area, the Viola captain took full advantage. A magnificent Chiesa free-kick found its way into the top corner, and it was now 3-3!!!
And then, in the 78th minute, it all went wrong for Fiorentina again. Saka’s cross came off left-back Cristiano Biraghi in the Viola box, and when centre-half Belaïd Nemdil missed ANOTHER interception, Arsenal’s star striker made sure he would be punished. Patience had paid off for Nketiah – and surely now the Gunners were heading into the Final?
By the 83rd minute, Arsenal had put the result beyond doubt. Lafont messed up a goal kick, allowing Musah to make a simple interception and set up another goal – this time for substitute Folarin Balogun. While Arsenal were celebrating a 5-3 win and a place in the Final, Fiorentina were asking why their defence had caved in again – just like in Malmö.
FINAL
Rennes vs Arsenal
And so, after 14 matches, we had the Fuller FM Cup Final that many people perhaps expected. Rennes’ unbeatables from FM21 would now take on Arsenal’s homegrown stars from FM22 at the greatest football stadium on Earth… the Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels. And it was raining.
Not even 90 seconds after kick-off, Rennes fans were singing in the rain, as the in-form Guirassy headed Maouassa’s left-wing cross beyond Ramsdale. To the Gunners’ relief, though, the French-born striker had just strayed offside.
‘Les Rouge et Noirs’ continued to pile the pressure on their opponents, with Arsenal’s defenders – particularly Takehiro Tomiyasu – having to make vital blocks and interceptions to keep them at bay. The Gunners did produce a few sporadic counter-attacks, but nothing to seriously worry Mendy in the Rennes goal.
Until the 32nd minute. Upon receiving a free-kick from Musah, Tierney calmly squared the ball left to Flo Balogun, who found just enough space to drive a 20-yarder through the Rennes defence and beyond Mendy’s reach! Having come into the starting line-up at the expense of Emile Smith Rowe, the American had fired Arsenal into the lead in the Cup Final!
For all their early dominance (10 shots, 1.92 xG, 60% possession), Rennes found themselves trailing at the break. They also had to make a change up front, as Guirassy was struggling with a knock. Would Amine Gouiri be able to make an impact off the bench?
You bet! About 40 seconds after the restart, the rapid winger latched onto an incisive ball from midfield general (and Phoebe Bridgers’ birthday twin) Tiémoué Bakayoko. Gouiri slipped the ball first-time to Szoboszlai, who tapped it home to get Rennes’ second period off to the perfect start!
Arsenal didn’t like that one bit. They attacked Rennes for the next five minutes, with only Mendy’s fingertips stopping Saka from heading them back into the lead.
Then, midway through the second half, a former Gooner came back to haunt them. Nicolas Pépé – the man who ALMOST won the 2023 Champions League for Arsenal – effortlessly dribbled past Tierney and into the penalty box, where he lashed in an unstoppable left-footed shot! From 1-0 behind, Rennes had turned the game around!
Arsenal were particularly aggrieved at this, as an injured Ødegaard was writhing in pain while Rennes continued their counter-attack (a bit ironic, don’tcha think?). The Norwegian was still in agony when his team-mates resumed play…
…but he seemed to recover pretty quickly. It’s a miracle!
Arsenal would definitely need a miracle after Rennes struck again on 73 minutes. Pépé’s masterclass continued with an excellent assist for Ben Belgacem, who notched their third goal of the night – and his third of the tournament.
In the end, Rennes’ devastating creativity and ruthlessness had made the difference. They had proved once again why they were ‘Les Imbattables’, as Abi Xalonso led her team to a magnificent 3-1 comeback victory!
Now all there was left to do was for Rennes to receive the Fuller FM Cup… which looked like a kid’s first attempt at drawing the World Cup trophy. And it levitated out of Eduardo Camavinga‘s hands after the Rennes captain hoisted it into the air. Ah, whatever.
Vive la France!
TOURNAMENT SUMMARY
This has been an extraordinary Fuller FM Cup – with 59 goals being scored in just 15 games! Personally, I’d say that’s more to do with the sub-standard goalkeeping on FM24 rather than any particularly impressive attacking play, but I’m sure the neutrals loved it!
Ultimately, it’s hard to dispute that Rennes were the best and most consistent team in this tournament. Six of their champions made it into the tournament’s Best XI, with the other Semi Finalists being represented by one or two players apiece.
Thanks to his four goals in Fiorentina’s first two games, Mario Mandžukić came away with the Golden Boot – and a few odd glances from people wondering why he now looks like Tim Curry. His Viola team-mate Almamy Touré finished on a league-high three assists, sharing that honour with Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney.
But having lost two Champions League Finals on Fuller FM with Rennes and Arsenal, this was Nicolas Pépé’s long-awaited crowning glory. Rennes’ Ivorian forward got five goal contributions and finished with an average rating of 7.68. Pépé was voted Player of the Tournament ahead of Touré and Martin Ødegaard, and his prize was this…
…photograph of motorcar.
AND FINALLY…
And so this brings a definitive end to my time with Football Manager 2024. Some of you will know I’ve had a difficult relationship with this game, even before the Wieczysta Kraków fiasco in March, but I’m glad I could finish this cycle on a fun and positive note.
As some of you may be aware, I have very recently moved house. I actually played through the Fuller FM Cup (and indeed wrote most of this series) during my final week or so at my old place, though I polished some things up once I was settled in New Fuller FM HQ.
Versus Mode was designed with multiplayer in mind, but even a lone wolf like myself can get a kick out of it. The ability to export your old teams from previous saves into a mini-tournament – and then watch them play each other – is so cool.
Which makes it so sad that Miles Jacobson has announced Versus Mode WILL NOT be on Football Manager 25. Admittedly, it was not the most popular game mode (only being used by 0.5% of FM’s player base), but I hope it will return one day – even if it has to be radically different.
Until then, the Fuller FM Cup will stand proudly (and non-existently) in the trophy cabinet at Roazhon Park. Congratulations once again to Stade Rennais – the greatest team that Fuller FM has ever seen.
I hope you’ve enjoyed following this year’s Fuller FM Cup. I’ll be back soon with my thoughts on the latest Football Manager 25 development update. Maybe I’ll post some content from other football management games as well.
Thanks for reading.
Fuller FM 
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