View attachment 20776
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 10, 2019
Well, I can say that the mood for this game was tense. Honestly, it felt like this game was like watching my boyhood club in the Champions League final. Some of you will know what I'm talking about, that feeling you have when your team is in a must win game, it's not even enjoyable. You just want the game to be over and your team not to lose.
I'm a Sporting fan, and when we play Benfica (like we did twice last week) I love and hate those games, but I don't enjoy them, it's too tense, there's too much on the line if you lose.
This game was like that. Multiplied by 1,000.
The Match
First 10 minutes
Gremio had us under pressure right from the off but we soaked it up well and even caught them on the break a few times. The majority of the first 10 minutes were in our own end but the chances were about even.
We even had the better chances if I'm honest. Their keeper Marcelo Grohe made two world class saves in the first 10 minutes, it easily could have been 2-0 to the good guys.
10th-20th minute
We turned up the pressure a little bit and I saw Lou get a littled worried as William Pottker broke free a couple times only to be stopped by Grohe. I thought I had a sure goal only for Grohe to make an incredible diving save. Things were looking good here as we were knocking on the door, just needed a break.
20th-30th minute
The tide started to shift back to Gremio. Lou made some sort of adjustment that I couldn't immediately determine and then they came at us. Corner after corner, breaking in on goal time and again. Then in the 27th minute off a corner, the ball fell to Luan who skillfully sent it back across to the big central defender Geromel who headed in it, 1-0 to Gremio!
View attachment 20774
Right after the goal they came for us again, it was all I could do to keep the ball out of our end. Luan and Everton are just a class above the rest and you could tell here. They broke in again on 35 minutes and it was Everton converting a lovely pass from Luan, 2-0 Gremio!
I paused to make some changes, but only faked it, I pretended to make a few adjustments to make Lou think I had figured something out.
Fortunately, we came right back after the goal and scored off a corner to cut the lead in half, 2-1!
View attachment 20772
Halftime score: Gremio 2, Internacional 1
I made changes at halftime, two subs. I really felt that I was outclassed in the first half. This whole season I felt that I needed to trust my tactic, as I really thought I found a good one, but in 45 minutes of play I realised that I had been found out. Perhaps making no adjustments to my formation over the past two months had given Lou a huge advantage.
Second half
The second half had just as many goals as the first half, unfortunately, I didn't get any of them. I had planned on giving a minute by minute of the game, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. It wasn't just the goals, but it was the sheer amount of chances they had. I was thoroughly outclassed. I even pulled a striker off for a central defender and went with a back 5 just to try and stop the bleeding.
But they just...
View attachment 20760 3-1!
kept...
View attachment 20759 4-1!
scoring!
View attachment 20758 5-1
The humiliation was complete.
I've been playing Football Manager since FM08, and I can honestly say that this was the worst defeat I've ever suffered.
It's not the biggest defeat, I've lost by larger margins than this, but those defeats were expected. Like a guiding a
3rd tier side into the Nou Camp for a Copa del Rey match. This was different.
I went into this match actually expecting to win! Yes, there have been bigger defeats but this was, by far, the most shocking. And it came with the soundtrack of laughing. Brothers laughing. The worst kind.
The important thing is that I took it on the chin and didn't make any excuses. If I make excuses here it opens it up for them to make excuses when I win. No, I'll take this like a man.
I couldn't wait to get them out of my house, though. I needed a good cry! lol
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 10, 2019
Well, I can say that the mood for this game was tense. Honestly, it felt like this game was like watching my boyhood club in the Champions League final. Some of you will know what I'm talking about, that feeling you have when your team is in a must win game, it's not even enjoyable. You just want the game to be over and your team not to lose.
I'm a Sporting fan, and when we play Benfica (like we did twice last week) I love and hate those games, but I don't enjoy them, it's too tense, there's too much on the line if you lose.
This game was like that. Multiplied by 1,000.
The Match
First 10 minutes
Gremio had us under pressure right from the off but we soaked it up well and even caught them on the break a few times. The majority of the first 10 minutes were in our own end but the chances were about even.
We even had the better chances if I'm honest. Their keeper Marcelo Grohe made two world class saves in the first 10 minutes, it easily could have been 2-0 to the good guys.
10th-20th minute
We turned up the pressure a little bit and I saw Lou get a littled worried as William Pottker broke free a couple times only to be stopped by Grohe. I thought I had a sure goal only for Grohe to make an incredible diving save. Things were looking good here as we were knocking on the door, just needed a break.
20th-30th minute
The tide started to shift back to Gremio. Lou made some sort of adjustment that I couldn't immediately determine and then they came at us. Corner after corner, breaking in on goal time and again. Then in the 27th minute off a corner, the ball fell to Luan who skillfully sent it back across to the big central defender Geromel who headed in it, 1-0 to Gremio!
View attachment 20774
Right after the goal they came for us again, it was all I could do to keep the ball out of our end. Luan and Everton are just a class above the rest and you could tell here. They broke in again on 35 minutes and it was Everton converting a lovely pass from Luan, 2-0 Gremio!
I paused to make some changes, but only faked it, I pretended to make a few adjustments to make Lou think I had figured something out.
Fortunately, we came right back after the goal and scored off a corner to cut the lead in half, 2-1!
View attachment 20772
Halftime score: Gremio 2, Internacional 1
I made changes at halftime, two subs. I really felt that I was outclassed in the first half. This whole season I felt that I needed to trust my tactic, as I really thought I found a good one, but in 45 minutes of play I realised that I had been found out. Perhaps making no adjustments to my formation over the past two months had given Lou a huge advantage.
Second half
The second half had just as many goals as the first half, unfortunately, I didn't get any of them. I had planned on giving a minute by minute of the game, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. It wasn't just the goals, but it was the sheer amount of chances they had. I was thoroughly outclassed. I even pulled a striker off for a central defender and went with a back 5 just to try and stop the bleeding.
But they just...
View attachment 20760 3-1!
kept...
View attachment 20759 4-1!
scoring!
View attachment 20758 5-1
The humiliation was complete.
I've been playing Football Manager since FM08, and I can honestly say that this was the worst defeat I've ever suffered.
It's not the biggest defeat, I've lost by larger margins than this, but those defeats were expected. Like a guiding a
3rd tier side into the Nou Camp for a Copa del Rey match. This was different.
I went into this match actually expecting to win! Yes, there have been bigger defeats but this was, by far, the most shocking. And it came with the soundtrack of laughing. Brothers laughing. The worst kind.
The important thing is that I took it on the chin and didn't make any excuses. If I make excuses here it opens it up for them to make excuses when I win. No, I'll take this like a man.
I couldn't wait to get them out of my house, though. I needed a good cry! lol
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