All Aboard! - The Managerial Rollercoaster
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Spezia Deny the Bianconeri
We took on Filippo Inzaghi's high flying Spezia but failed to take the points back to Turin. Spezia have been achieving above expectations this year and find themselves in 8th place so we knew it was going to be a tough game, they pressed us well and grabbed a deserved equaliser following Balde Keita's opener early on. Spezia did go down to 10-men late on but it was too late to muster up any chances but we'll take a point, it's something to build on after all.
A.C. Milan legend Filippo Inzaghi spent 4 years with the Bianconeri between 1997 and 2001, he since went on to play 11 seasons with the Milan club before entering management.
The 100% Record in Europe Continues
An inspiring performance against Dynamo Kyiv means we now move top of our Champions League group with 9 points from our opening 3 matches. Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne got us off to a great start when the Belgian fired home from 16 yards, a thumping effort than rifled past Koval into the back of the net.
Frenchman Paul Pogba doubled our lead from the penalty spot when Ruediger brought down Lacazette inside the area, a well placed penalty that sent the Ukrainian shot-stopper in the opposite direction.
Cesar Meli was dismissed for a high challenge just before the end of the first half when he scythed down Ricardo Rodriguez down the left flank, Rodriguez is now set to miss the next month with fractured ribs as a result of the fall.
Early into the second half Colombian defender Jeison Murillo put us out of sight with a fantastic finish following an Arturo Vidal corner, a strikers finish as the defender opened his body to guide the ball into the bottom corner, a lovely goal.
Qualification is all but guaranteed!
We get the points...Just.
A very scrappy and undeserving victory but these 3 points could be massive for us, games are never easy to win and we were pushed hard, a couple of lapses in concentration led to goal-scoring chances for our opposition but Keylor Navas was on point to keep it at 1.
De Jager and De Bruyne bagged our two goals with Luca Valzania pulling one back for the hosts, we looked shaky but just about edged our opponents as we looked to keep our title race firing on all cylinders.
Kevin De Bruyne has been fantastic with the Belgian playmaker picking up man of the match awards in both of our previous fixtured, I said at that start of my reign that he was a focal point in our bid to retain top spot and he's certainly proved this to me so far.
Stats don't lie when it comes to De Bruyne's season so far, 7 goals and 7 assists in 12 matches. A perfect start to the season for the former Wolfsburg man.
Disappointed with this result, Fiorentina are a good side but on the day we dominated them. More shots, possession, chances..We were by far the better team but our defensive weaknesses showed twice as we were caught on the break for both of La Viola's goals, the visitors did scored in the 93rd minute through Loic Remy but the linesman came to our rescue.
With Sampdoria winning elsewhere we can't afford to keep dropping points, the Winter window is coming up soon and a new goalkeeper may be the priority for us if we wish to salvage our title race.
More on this game though as I must say Serbian winger Luka Jovic was fantastic on the left hand side, he not only opened the scoring but looked dangerous throughout the full ninety minutes, man of the match for sure.
October 2019
Results
A few dropped points in the league but another promising month, we continue to have a 100% record in the Champions League and look on course for qualification there and we're still maintaining a level of competitiveness in the league..Just need to make sure we hold out for the points in the future.
Table
Champions Sampdoria sit top with a 3 point gap but it's still early days, we're still up there and have a great chance of moving above them in the upcoming weeks. A nice little gap is forming between 5th and 6th which is also good news as it helps cement hopes of maintaining a place in Europe.
Dominant Juventus Take the Spoils
Title chasing Juventus today secured an emphatic 4-2 victory over declining Napoli at the San Paolo. Having fallen three points behind Champions Sampdoria it was vital that Juventus pick up the points in this game, something they succeeded in doing.
Frenchman Paul Pogba opened the scoring after 26 minutes when his 35 yard free-kick flew past Neto in the Napoli goal, a lovely strike from the midfielder as he sent the Bianconeri ahead early on.
Things got worse for the Partenopei after 31 minutes when Brazilian full-back Alex Telles sliced his clearance past his goalkeeper following a cross from the left hand side, a disastrous moment for the former Galatasaray man.
Argentinian veteran Carlos Tevez made it three on the stroke of the hour when he picked the ball up from De Bruyne on the edge of the box before placing the ball into the bottom right hand corner, a great finish and a goal that almost put the Bianconeri out of sight.
José Callejon pulled two back for the home side as the score was pulled back to 3-2, a few lapses in concentration from the Juventus defence but it was a defender who put the game to bed, Leonardo Bonucci headed home Pogba's corner to make it 4-2 to the travelling side.
Silvan Widmer also saw red in the 90th minute to add more misery for the home-side as they finished the game a man down.
Statistics don't lie as the Turin club dominated their Naples based opponents, a very good performance from Paul Clement's men as they pile the pressure on Sampdoria.
Paul Pogba's stunning free-kick gave the travelling fans something to cheer from, a goal of the season contender from 35 yards!
Paul Clement expressed his delight at the victory in an interview that followed the match.
Another Champions League victory away in Ukraine that means we've secured Champions League qualification..We look pretty set to win the group as well with only a point needed to 100% guarantee the top spot.
Delighted with our performance throughout the group, we weren't handed the toughest of groups but we've done well to avoid complacency and hopefully can crack on and progress further in the Champions League.
The Bianconeri Train Rolls On...
Another dominant performance against Atalanta as we continue to put pressure on Sampdoria, they were beaten by Hellas Verona at the weekend so this victory puts us back at the top of the table and I have to say we look unbeatable at the moment! José Luis Gayá bagged his first goal in a Juventus shirt which is always great to see, hopefully it's the first of many!
An interesting top 4 to say the least with our local rivals Torino in 4th!
Despite being 35 Carlos Tevez has proved in recent weeks that he's still ruthless in front of goal!
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How are things in England without me?
Just a little blast from the past here, if you've read my story from the start you'll remember that Sunderland suffered back to back relegations during my time at Newcastle before being taken over by a rich business tycoon (Where they managed to spend £40m in League One...), well they've now come flying back to the top tier after 3-4 years or so and they're back with a bang!
You'll also have noticed that Newcastle and Tottenham have gone downhill without me..Early days but if it stays that way I'll have a bit more pleasure in my own managerial ability!
Crazy to see Sunderland, Fulham and Notts in the top-half of the table. Can certainly imagine it feeling like a sweet victory to see your previously managed club go down like that.
Seems you are going strong with Juve as well. You should pick up that Scudetto this season
Seems you are going strong with Juve as well. You should pick up that Scudetto this season
Pretty crazy! Surprising how much some of the relegated teams can afford!
Thanks for the kind words man! Means a lot to me that other people enjoy it as much as I do. Still tweaking presentation but I'll sort it out eventually, hoping this can last me up until FM16.
who are you playing as now?
Crazy to see Sunderland, Fulham and Notts in the top-half of the table. Can certainly imagine it feeling like a sweet victory to see your previously managed club go down like that.
Seems you are going strong with Juve as well. You should pick up that Scudetto this season
yeah it is surprising, still early days but those teams have started really well!
I know playing as Juventus is nothing special but it's been enjoyable so far and I'm hoping to finally pick up some trophies. It's a save about Paul Clement's road to glory after all!
Sam91
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Finally settled as Horsham FC, loved lower league this year. Managed to get 3 promotions to the Vanarama Conference but lost in the Play Off semi final last season. Struggling with finances though, making the save so interesting mind!!Thanks for the kind words man! Means a lot to me that other people enjoy it as much as I do. Still tweaking presentation but I'll sort it out eventually, hoping this can last me up until FM16.
who are you playing as now?
Wow, props to you! Must have been like reading a short novel...But yeah that was my main reason behind moving abroad, after failing in England twice it seemed silly to stay there..Who knows where it'll go next!