Athletic Bilbao - Life After Aduriz

[Klippybo]

LIFE AFTER ADURIZ - ATHLETIC BILBAO

Right here we go. I have had 2 bites at the cherry with Bilbao this year but havent quite done a long save with them for reasons out with my control and possibly in my control lol. With my joint save with Stonecold that kind of killed my Newcastle save so after pondering who to go next I felt I was cheating myself by not doing a proper long term save with my favourite FM team Athletic.

It will be even tougher this time round though as of course the veteran striker, Aritz Aduriz, has retired and as I am using an up-to-date database I am without his services! Not good. I will not be him as manager though. I couldnt be manager of Athletic and not be the god that is Aitor Herrera.

Most of you will know that when managing Athletic I can only sign players of Basque nationality or Spanish players 16 years and younger so it really is a save that rewards top quality youth development or the ability to poach other teams prospects.

The aim of the save is naturally to become not only the most successful team in Spain but also in Europe. There are side goals too. I would like my B team to continually win the 2nd tier in Spain while becoming national team manager is also an aim.

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ATHLETIC BILBAO

Founded - 1898
Nickname - Los Leones (The Lions)
Stadium - San Mames
Capacity - 53,289

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HONOURS​

• La Liga (8): 1929–30, 1930–31, 1933–34, 1935–36, 1942–43, 1955–56, 1982–83, 1983–84
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• Copa del Rey (23): 1903, 1904, 1910, 1911, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1921, 1923, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1943, 1944, 1944–45, 1949–50, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1969, 1972–73, 1983–84
• 
  
• Supercopa de España: 1984, 2015
• 
  
• Copa Eva Duarte: 1950

 

[Klippybo]

PRE-SEASON

So I rocked up in Bilbao with one immediate dilemma - who will play up front and replace Aduriz? Do I put my faith in Asier Villalibre? Put RW Inaki Williams up front but then that would leave me weak at RW or do I scour my limited transfer market and see if there is a stopgap out there? Ultimately my youth intake will be the answer but how long that will take is anyone's guess!

Having had 2 bites of the cherry already at an Athletic save I kinda new who I was going for transfer wise. I had 3 main targets and the rest were all prospects that I could find and thats exactly what happened in the end. I had a transfer budget of £20m and I spent most of that including a load of staff changes as that area had a complete overhaul and I havent done the B or U19 sides yet. I did sign one player who I havent signed before and noticed he did well in previous saves so that will be interesting.

I also spent a shitload of money on renewing player contracts and raising the minimum fee release clauses. I am fairly happy with them all apart from that of Inigo Martinez who has a release clause of £60m.

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PLAYERS OUT

Just the 3! Iago Herrerin my 31y/o backup keeper joined Bordeaux for £9.25m which is a decent deal however I sold Kenan Kodro to Lille for a ridiculously cheap £975,000. Finally Mikel Vesga has left to join Girona for £1.6m - he is a decent player but I needed to sell him to fund my final signing.

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PLAYERS IN

2 names immediately standout here naturally but in all I have signed a few right good players. My first signing was that of Ivan Martinez from Osasuna's C team, Iruna, and I got the 17y/o keeper for a decent price and he will be my backup keeper. He is a great prospect for the future.

Next up is my 2 loan signings from Barcelona. 16y/o players Ansu Fati and Ilaix Moriba both came in on 2 year loans for £9.25m and £4.4m resapectively. To have them getting Basque nationality was imperative and I am delighted to get them signed up. Fati could be a shout as my striker while Moriba will be a backup CM.

My last screenshot is of the player who I have noticed before. Ivan Martin joined from Villarreal for £4m. He looks a top prospect and will start the season with the B team and hopefully he will get them promoted.

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SQUAD

I think I have a decent enough squad to at least qualify for the Europa League next season and even push for a Champions League spot. Defensively we are fine as I have an excellent young keeper in Unai Simon, 2 good full backs in Capa and Yuri while at CB we are really strong with Inigo Martinez, Yeray, Nunez and San Jose.

At CM Benat and Dani Garcia are two good players while I have 2 youngsters in Sancet and Moriba as backup. Raul Garcia will be my AMC and will have to perform and Unai Lopez will be his deputy. On the LW club legend Iker Muniain will own that position but on the RW I am unsure. I will plump for Inaki Williams up front but that leaves me without a good natural RW so Ibai Gomez will get a run. Ansu Fati is a natural LW but will be mainly played as a striker methinks with Villalibre being backup.​

 

[T1LL13]

First time in about 2 years I have logged in and the first thing i see is a classic Klippybo story! didnt expect any of the old names to still be about! Will be following mate!

 

[Klippybo]

AUGUST

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri*, Dani Garcia (Moriba), Benat, Gomez, Unai Lopez, Muniain (Fati), Williams (Villalibre)

A decent start to the season and we deserved a bigger scoring margin. Ibai Gomez netted the winner while Inaki Williams had a goal disallowed. Ilaix Moriba became the clubs youngest ever appearance maker here.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Moriba), Benat*, Gomez (Villalibre), Unai Lopez, Muniain (Fati), Williams

This was almost identical to our opening game - we won 1-0, completely dominated and Inaki Williams had a goal disallowed! We were superb though and had over 20 shots on goal while Alaves only mustered 1.

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SUMMARY

Just a short post as I only had 2 games in August but everything went well as we won both our opening games by a goal to nil. Performance levels were high and I am generally pleased but tougher opponents will be upcoming as we have Real Madrid next month.

I made no other transfers during the month as I have no money!!!

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LIGA SANTANDER

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TRANSFERS

As you can see I was by far the most active team. Nothing really of note apart from Barcelona signing Cavani on a free transfer!​

 

[Klippybo]

SEPTEMBER

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri (Balenziaga), Dani Garcia, Benat, Gomez*, Unai Lopez (Raul Garcia), Muniain, Williams (Fati)

We seem to like to dominate games and only win 1-0 but I am not complaining, We didnt get a disallowed goal through Inaki Williams here though as we did in our previous 2 games.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa (Nunez), Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Moriba), Benat, Gomez*, Raul Garcia, Muniain, Williams

Despite this being our biggest win of the season so far it was actually our poorest performance - not that we were poor! Williams scored with a great finish to get his 1st of the season while Muniain got his 1st of the season with a superb individual effort. Conceding a goal was a bit annoying though. Capa got injured and will be out for just over a month.

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Lineup - Simon, Nunez, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Moriba), Benat, Gomez, Raul Garcia*, Muniain (Cordoba), Williams (Fati)

The run continues with a fantastic away victory over Sevilla. A penalty from Raul Garcia was enough for us to win the match and we even had a goal disallowed from Ibai Gomez however Sevilla can count themselves unlucky not to at least get a point from this match.

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Lineup - Simon, Lekue, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Moriba), Benat, Gomez*, Unai Lopez (Cordoba), Muniain, Williams

Very nice. Our 100% record continues as we easily best Getafe. Ibai Gomez, despite being a natural left winger, is on fire on the right wing and got another 2 goals here.

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Lineup - Simon, Nunez, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri (Balenziaga), Dani Garcia (Sancet), Moriba, Williams, Raul Garcia, Muniain, Fati (Villalibre)

Ouch. I expected to lose but to lose by 4 goals to nil is not good enough. We were nowhere near the required level and Real Madrid certainly brought us down to earth with a large thud. We have to bounce back.

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SUMMARY

We continued our strong start to the season by winning our first 4 fixtures of the month to make it 6 out of 6 for the season but we were handed a hiding from Real Madrid in our last match which certainly burst our bubble however I should concentrate on the positives! The away victory over Sevilla was especially pleasing and the form of Ibai Gomez has been superb albeit very surprising.

We are currently 2nd in the table - 3pts behind Barcelona who have a 100% record - and we have some kind fixtures coming up so I am feeling confident that we can put down a solid platform for European qualification.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
IBAI GOMEZ

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LIGA SANTANDER

​

 

[Klippybo]

OCTOBER

Lineup - Simon, Lekue, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Moriba), Benat*, Gomez, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain, Williams

We get back to winning ways here. Williams netted twice as he is getting more used to his forward role while Benat was the creator in chief with 2 assists. Bit annoying that we conceded late on though.

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Lineup - Simon, Lekue (Capa), Yeray, Martinez, Yuri*, Moriba (Sancet), Benat, Gomez, Raul Garcia, Muniain, Williams (Fati)

Another victory. Our 2 goals were both stunning long range strikes. Firstly Ibai Gomez crashed in a free-kick before Ilaix Moriba thundered in a first time shot from 25 yards.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba*, Benat (Dani Garcia), Gomez, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain (Cordoba), Williams

Not the greatest of performances but we won against our fellow Basque rivals and thats the main thing. Inaki Williams bundled in the only goal of the game and he also had a late effort ruled out for offside too.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa (Lekue), Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba*, Benat (Dani Garcia), Gomez, Raul Garcia, Muniain, Williams (Fati)

Derby day joy!!!! We beat our bitter rivals here with goals from my wingers Gomez and Muniain. 16y/o Ilaix Moriba put in another top notch performance here.

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SUMMARY

Our tremendous start to the season continued this month as we won all 4 of our games including 2 derby matches against Osasuna and Real Sociedad. We are playing really well and sit in 2nd position with a 4pt lead over Real Madrid - I will make the most of it while it lasts!!!

Ilaix Moriba forced himself into the first team and was superb this month with a goal, an assist and a couple of MOM awards while Ibai Gomez continues to impress also.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ILAIX MORIBA

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LIGA SANTANDER

​

 

[Klippybo]

NOVEMBER

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Benat (Dani Garcia), Gomez, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain (Cordoba), Williams

Our first draw of the season. Real Betis recently appointed former Athletic coach - Marcelo Bielsa - as their new manager and his side managed to contain us here. A pretty boring match all told.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Dani Garcia (Sancet), Gomez, Raul Garcia, Muniain (Fati), Williams*

A tremendous away result. Ander Capa got us under way as he rifled in from a Raul Garcia pass and it was he who assisted Williams for the 2nd goal. Our 3rd came from WIlliams but this time the assist was Capa's lol. Those 3 players were key in all 3 goals.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba*, Dani Garcia (Sancet), Gomez, Raul Garcia, Muniain (Cordoba), Williams

Another 2 goals for Williams and another stand out performance from Moriba. We are really playing well at the moment.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba*, Benat (Dani Garcia), Gomez (Fati), Raul Garcia, Muniain (Cordoba), Williams

A very good result. We got off to a perfect start when Moriba fired in from long range in the 1st minute but we conceded an equaliser midway through the 1st half when Morata pounced. They had a late goal disallowed so I am happy with this point.

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SUMMARY

Another strong month. We kicked off the month with a boring 0-0 draw against Betis but we bounced back with 2 tremendous 3-0 victories over Espanyol and Celta Vigo before getting a fine 1-1 draw away to Atletico Madrid.

Moriba is still setting the league alight. His performances are that of an experienced player and not a 16y/o rookie. It is just as well that I agreed a 2 year loan for him and Fati as it gives me a bit more time to save money to attempt to buy them. That being said Fati hasnt set the world alight so far!

Off the field Nunez and Cordoba are unhappy about their playing time which is a minor negative and I rejected an £18.75m bid for Cordoba from Sampdoria but on a more positive note my board have agreed to buy the stadium and also improve the training and youth facilities.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ILAIX MORIBA

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LIGA SANTANDER

​

 

[Klippybo]

DECEMBER

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Nunez, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Benat*, Williams (Larrazabal), Raul Garcia, Muniain (Cordoba), Fati (Villalibre)

I am quite ****** off that we didnt manage to hold on to the win here having taken the lead late on when Moriba scored from distance. Amazingly when Leganes took the lead it was only the 2nd time we had fallen behind all season!

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Lineup - Simon, Capa (Lekue), Yeray, Martinez, Yuri (Nunez), Moriba, Benat*, Gomez, Raul Garcia, Muniain (Fati), Williams

A great result as we thump Villarreal. Gomez set us on our way before Moriba scored for the 4th game in a row with another effort from outside the area. Yuri got his 1st of the season and Williams netted his 10th of the season to score our 4th of the game. A great performance.

Villarreal sacked their manager after this game.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Benat*, Gomez (Fati), Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain (Cordoba), Williams

For the 3rd game in a row Benat ran the show as we edge out Valencia. Williams put us in front and when Benat converted a late penalty it was all over however they pulled a goal back and had a last minute equaliser disallowed.

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Copa del Rey 3rd Round

Lineup - Simon, Lekue, Nunez, San Jose, Balenziaga, Dani Garcia (Vencedor), Sancet, Larrazabal, Unai Lopez (Guruzeta), Cordoba*, Fati (Villalibre)

I have never heard of Celtiga but I would happily play them again as my backups smashed 10 goals past them. Larrazabal, Nunez and Cordoba hit doubles and even Unai Vencedor got a goal - he was only on the bench to make up the numbers originally! Inigo Cordoba was the main man with 2 goals and 3 assists.

Amazingly this wasnt the biggest win of the round. Some other teams won 10-0, 12-0 and Levante even won 13-0!!!!

Mikel San Jose will join Wolves in January so this was his last appearance for the club.

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SUMMARY

A near perfect month. If we hadn't conceded late on against Leganes to deny us victory we would have won all of our matches but I have to be happy with how things panned out as we went on to thump Villarreal 4-1 and then edge out Valencia before my backups got a run out and hit Celtiga for 10 in the Copa del Rey.

My backups will get another run out in the cup as we have been drawn against Ferrol in the next round so my first team players will get a small rest. In the league we are miles behind Barcelona but still sit in 2nd place, 4pts ahead of Real Madrid and miraculously Levante!!!!

I dont envisage much happening in January. I will need to sign a replacement for San Jose or promote a youngster but I dont have much money so we shall see what happens.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
BENAT

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LIGA SANTANDER

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[Klippybo]

JANUARY

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia, Benat (Sancet), Gomez (Villalibre), Raul Garcia, Muniain (Cordoba), Williams

If I was seriously thinking about winning the league I would have been ****** off with this result but I am not so I am pleased with this result. We fell behind but Ibai Gomez levelled for us and it is a good point.

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Copa del Rey 2nd Round

Lineup - Simon, Lekue, Yeray, Nunez, Balenziaga, Dani Garcia*, Sancet (Vencedor), Larrazabal, Unai Lopez (Guruzeta), Cordoba, Fati (Villalibre)

Through we go but I am disappointed not to have scored more having scored 3 goals in the first 17 minutes.

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Lineup - Simon, Nunez, Yeray, Martinez, Balenziaga, Dani Garcia (Sancet), Moriba, Gomez (Villalibre), Raul Garcia, Fati (Cordoba), Williams*

A fine victory - especially considering I was missing several players through injury and suspension. Inaki Williams got a double and Asier Villalibre came off the bench to score his first league goal of the season.

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Lineup - Simon, Nunez (Lekue), Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Sancet), Moriba, Gomez, Raul Garcia, Fati (Villalibre), WIlliams

What a thrilling encounter this was!!! We edged out Real Madrid in a crazy match. We took the lead twice and got pegged back twice however Ilaix Moriba bundled home the winner with 8min to go and we held on. Real Madrid had all the possession but we were far more dominant in attack and gained revenge for the 4-0 thumping they handed us earlier in the season.

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Copa del Rey 3rd Round

Lineup - Simon, Nunez, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Sancet), Moriba*, Gomez, Raul Garcia, Fati (Cordoba), Williams (Villalibre)

Not our best performance but we won and progress through to the next round and thats the main thing.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa (Lekue), Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Benat*, Gomez (Villalibre), Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Fati, Williams

A game of two halves. We were excellent in the first half and raced into a 3 goal lead and although they managed to pull a goal back before half-time I was still confident that we would win however they quickly levelled things up and I was fuming but fortunately we were awarded a penalty and Benat struck it home to win us the match.

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Copa del Rey 4th Round

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Dani Garcia (Sancet), Gomez*, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Cordoba, Williams (Villalibre)

This wasnt as comfortable as the scoreline suggests. We were 2-0 up and even missed a penalty through Raul Garcia but they pulled a goal back and missed a few chances to equalise before Gomez settled things from the penalty spot.

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SUMMARY

As ever January was a manic month with 7 games squeezed into it and the fact that we emerged unbeaten despite coming up against Barcelona and Real Madrid speaks volumes to how well we are playing. In the league we drew with Barcelona and therefor becoming one of only 2 teams that have taken something off them this season and followed that up with wins over Mallorca, Real Madrid and Granada with the victory over Real Madrid being the highlight of the month as we edged them out 3-2. All of this means we are still in 2nd place - 7pts behind Barcelona but 8pts clear of Levante in 3rd.

In the Copa del Rey we knocked out Ferrol, Leganes and Real Valladolid to set up a quarter-final tie against Real Madrid at the San Mames. I should also mention that my B side are 5pts clear at the top of their league and I hope they get promoted as it is vital that they get promoted to the Segunda Division so my younger players have a higher level of football to play to help their development.

Regarding transfers I loaned in 2 16y/o players to give them Basque nationality, one from Sevilla and one from Barcelona but they wont feature in the first team. Outgoing is Mikel San Jose who joined Wolves for an initial £4.5m which could rise to £6.75m. He wasnt getting a game for me and at 30y/o I was happy to let him go.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
IBAI GOMEZ

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LIGA SANTANDER

​

 

[Klippybo]

JANUARY

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Benat, Gomez, Raul Garcia, Muniain (Fati), Williams*

Fantastic. We trounce our Basque rivals 5-0 and it could have been more. Williams and Moriba were excellent while Ansu Fati scored a stunning goal after coming off the bench.

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Copa del Rey Quarter-Final

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Nunez, Martinez, Yuri (Lekue), Moriba, Benat, Gomez, Raul Garcia, Muniain (Cordoba), Williams (Fati)

I cant fault my players here. They gave me everything and fully deserved to win but somehow we lost 1-0. We just couldnt convert any of our chances while they nicked a goal and so we are out of the cup.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray*, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia, Benat, Williams, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain (Cordoba), Villalibre (Guruzeta)

WHAT A WIN!!!!

This was the same as our cup match against Real Madrid except this time we were outplayed and were extremely fortunate to win. Barcelona played well but we got a fortuitous own goal and managed to win to reduce their lead at the top to 2pts. The fact we did this without Moriba and Fati who couldnt play against their parent club makes it even more special.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray (Nunez), Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Benat, Gomez, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Fati (Cordoba), Williams

Pathetic. Sure Levante have been excellent and sit comfortably in 3rd place but for us to get humiliated by them at home just days after beating Barcelona in the Nou Camp is atrocious. Raul Garcia had a goal disallowed shortly after they scored their 3rd but that wouldnt have made a huge difference.

We had gone 17 league games unbeaten but that run was ended here.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa (Lekue), Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Benat, Gomez (Fati), Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain, Williams*

I told my players I wanted a much better performance after the Levante debacle and they duly responded as they hit 7 past hapless Alaves and we had 6 at half-time. Williams and Muniain both got hat-tricks however Capa and Gomez picked up injuries and will be out for around a month each.

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SUMMARY

Its difficult to judge this month. On one hand we thrashed Osasuna and Alaves and inflicted Barcelona's first defeat of the season as we rocked up at the Nou Camp and won 1-0 but on the other hand we were knocked out of the Copa del Rey against Real Madrid despite being the better side and were humiliated 4-1 at home by Levante which was just not acceptable.

I suppose if I look at the bigger picture we have narrowed the gap to Barcelona down to 3pts and have the better head to head record but its the cup exit and the Levante match that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

I also have injury problems as not only did Capa and Gomez suffer injuries against Alaves but during the week in training my goalkeeper Unai Simon picked up an injury and will be out for a little while so my young keeper - Ivan Martinez will get a chance to showcase his abilities.

The all important youth intake is next month.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
INAKI WILLIAMS

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LIGA SANTANDER

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[Klippybo]

MARCH

Lineup - Ivan Martinez, Lekue (De Marcos), Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Benat (Dani Garcia), Williams, Raul Garcia, Muniain (Cordoba), Fati

Remember Oscar De Marcos? The right back finally made his first appearance for me as he has recovered from his long term injury. Ivan Martinez made his debut and performed well but all in all we couldnt win and a draw was the right result.

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Lineup - Ivan Martinez, Lekue, Yeray, Vivian, Yuri, Moriba, Benat, Williams, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain (Cordoba), Fati (Villalibre)

Another horror show for us at the San Mames as we lose our 2nd home game in a row. We created enough chances to win but wasted them time after time while Leganes took advantage of our makeshift defence and our inability to take the chances that we created.

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Lineup - Ivan Martinez, Lekue, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Benat, Williams (Larrazabal), Raul Garcia, Muniain (Cordoba), Fati (Villalibre*)

A great win and we did it the hard way as we were down to 10 men when I had made my subs and Moriba then went off injured but Asier Villalibre scored with the last kick of the match to give us all 3pts.

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Lineup - Ivan Martinez, Capa (De Marcos), Nunez, Vivian, Yuri, Moriba, Benat, Gomez (Villalibre), Raul Garcia, Muniain (Fati), Williams

Another awful result. Despite the score line however on the balance of play we deserved at least a draw but not for the first time this month our opponents took advantage of a makeshift defence.

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SUMMARY

This month was truly awful as we played 4 games and lost half of them, drew one and somehow managed to beat Atletico Madrid but even then it was 1-0 with a goal from the last kick of the game. Injuries really affected us especially in the defensive areas however right through the team individual performances werent good enough and I give my young keeper Ivan Martinez the player of the month award as he was the only one that put in soild acceptable performances in all the games despite conceding 6 goals.

Our unlikely league challenge is all but over as Barcelona have a 6pt lead although they did just lose 4-1 to Atletico Madrid. I will keep plugging away but performances really need to improve. As for Real Madrid - they sacked Zinedine Zidane!

The youth intake was pretty average tbh which was disappointing.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
IVAN MARTINEZ

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LIGA SANTANDER

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[Klippybo]

APRIL

Lineup - Simon, Capa (De Marcos), Nunez, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba (Dani Garcia), Benat, Gomez (Fati), Raul Garcia, Muniain*, Williams

A good win thanks to Muniain's last minute goal but we laboured to victory here. If it wasnt for last minute winners against Atletico Madrid and Celta Vigo we would only have 1 win in 7 which shows how much our form has dropped off.

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Lineup - Simon*, Capa, Nunez, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Benat (Dani Garcia), Gomez, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain, Williams (Villalibre)

Another narrow win as we beat our bitter rivals thanks to a goal from Iker Muniain. He later got sent-off and then Sociedad piled on the pressure but Unai Simon performed miracles to keep them out and we held on to win and go top of the league - albeit because Barcelona play later.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri (De Marcos), Moriba*, Benat, Gomez, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Fati (Cordoba), Williams

Another poor home result as we fall to Real Betis. Once again we were the better side but we spurned chance after chance and got hit on the counter attack. We are really struggling to score goals just now as we have only scored 5 goals in our last 7 matches which is just not good enough for a title chasing side.

To add insult to injury (but really the other way round lol), Yuri got injured and will miss the remainder of the season.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Balenziaga (Lekue), Moriba, Benat, Gomez, Unai Lopez (Dani Garcia), Muniain (Fati), Williams*

Another late goal spared our blushes here as we struggled to a victory here. Inaki Williams netted a brace and with the victory it secures Champions League football for next season.

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SUMMARY

This month was another struggle. We might have won 3 out of 4 games but we played very poorly and were lucky to get as many points as we did. Naturally the derby win over Real Sociedad was the high point and we managed to secure Champions League football next season but our performances yet again have been well below par.

Even more infuriatingly I am livid with my transfer budget for next season as I have been given only £2m!!!! Naturally I wasnt expecting £40-50m but I expected at least £15-20m to give me something to work with but I am going to have to work wonders in the market in the summer now - not that there are many targets for me to go for!!!

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
UNAI SIMON

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LIGA SANTANDER

​

 

[Klippybo]

MAY

Lineup - Simon, Lekue, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Benat (Dani Garcia), Gomez, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain, Williams

I just want the season to end tbh. We fell behind here but did well to bounce back and lead but we conceded an equaliser and despite dominating we missed chance after chance after chance. We have nothing to play for but I am not accepting the current level of performances.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Benat (Dani Garcia), Gomez (Fati), Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain*, Williams

Nothing to see here pretty much. Well I say that but Getafe had a first minute goal disallowed and we did end up winning thanks to Muniain's 10th goal of the season but it was a boring match.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa (Lekue), Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Benat, Gomez, Raul Garcia, Muniain (Fati), Williams*

Our first good performance in arguably 3 months. This was more like it as Inaki Williams takes his tally of goals up to 26 (all in the league) and Raul Garcia converted a penalty to get his 5th of the season.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Moriba, Dani Garcia, Gomez (Larrazabal), Raul Garcia, Muniain (Fati), Williams (Guruzeta)

A nothing match. Pleased that we didnt lose but we could have done better.

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SUMMARY

Our season petered out to the finish in truth as we had nothing to play for apart from pride. We didnt lose a game this month but there was certainly a sense of my players being on their summer holidays. Not much else to say really regarding the first team!

My B team though won their league by an astonishing 20pts so they qualify for the promotion play-offs and will play Real Madrid's B team in the semis.

End of season post to follow.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
RAUL GARCIA

​

 

[chrisbarber149]

what skin is this i love it ....and nice to see ya doing the business with bilbao

 

[Klippybo]

SEASON REVIEW

On one hand this was a magnificent season as we finished 2nd in the league which was beyond our expectations but it could have been so much better. In the league we lost some matches against weaker sides inexplicably and although Barcelona won the league with a couple of games to go we really could have won it in hindsight. Then in the Copa del Rey we reached the quarter-finals before Real Madrid beat us 1-0 despite us dominating the match.

On the whole the season was a success and I would have taken our results at the start of the season however our form at the end of the season was not good enough. We did grind out some good results but the performances werent acceptable.

In the league we won our opening 6 matches, lost 1 and then went 17 unbeaten as we were chasing down Barcelona. At times we briefly topped the league but our form in the last few months saw us dwindle away. We lost 4-1 at home to Levante, Leganes also beat us at home, Villarreal defeated us 3-0 away while Betis also beat us at home as our league title challenge faded away. In the end we finished 8pts behind Barcelona but 7pts ahead of Real Madrid.

In the Copa del Rey we smashed 10 past Celtiga before knocking out Ferrol, Leganes and Real Valladolid before Real Madrid beat us at the San Mames despite us being by far the better side and it turned out to be a missed opportunity as Sevilla ended up beating Valencia in the final.

Off the field we have bought the stadium and improved the facilites and I have built a solid platform for us to build on but with limited funds it will be hard to repeat our success.

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LIGA SANTANDER

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SQUAD

Goalkeepers - Unai Simon did well and only missed 4 matches. His MOM performance in the win against Atletico Madrid was his highlight of the season as he returned from injury to effectively win us the match. Youngster Ivan Martinez played 4 games during our toughest time of the season but no blame was placed on him and he did ok,

Defenders - My defence was solid enough and my first choice defenders performed well. My backups got plenty of chances to shine as Balenziaga, Nunez and Lekue got games although I must admit that the sale of San Jose and not replacing him ended up haunting us as we hit our rocky patch as our defenders got injured.

Midfielders - In central midfield Benat did OK while Dani Garcia started the season as first choice but was soon usurped by Ilaix Moriba and the teenager was magnificent in the first half of the season. He rattled in 8 goals although his form in the 2nd half of the season dropped off.

On the wings Ibai Gomez was playing in an unnatural position on the RW and started the season on fire and in the end he netted 13 times. Like the rest of the side his form dropped off in the 2nd half of the season while Iker Muniain on the LW was actually pretty solid as he socred 10 goals. His hat-trick in the 7-2 win over Alaves was his highlight of the season.

At AMC Raul Garcia scored 6 goals and got the most assists but I expect more from my AMC. Unai Lopez featured sparingly as his backup while Ansu Fati was mainly used as a sub but played a part and scored a few goals.

Forwards - Inaki Williams who is a natural RW was immense at centre forward as he scored 26 goals. He finished as the leagues top scorer and has set the standard for upcoming seasons. Ansu Fati and Asier Villalibre played 2nd fiddle behind Williams with the highlight of Villalibre's season being the winner against Atletico Madrid with the last kick of the game.

Player of the Season - Inaki Williams
Young Player of the Season - Ilaix Moriba
Must Improve - Inigo Lekue
Donkey of the Year - Inigo Cordoba

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SUMMER PLANS

I had hoped that I would have enough money to bring in one of either Fati or Moriba permanently but that isnt going to happen. I will look to sell some of my older players and I may even weaken my first team but I have to put my faith in my youngsters and trust them to make it.

As an aside my B team knocked out Real Madrid's B team and will face Barcelona B in the next round of play-offs for promotion.
​

 

[Klippybo]

what skin is this i love it ....and nice to see ya doing the business with bilbao

FMNation - FMNATION skin 2.5

base skin : gunzo skin This material is the property of FMNATION. I hope you enjoy the game.

fm-base.co.uk

 

[Klippybo]

PRE-SEASON

There were a few changes during the summer as I made an effort to move on my older players and bring in some younger players however in reality I have made my squad weaker than last seasons but hopefully it will work out long term. I do have some unhappy members of my squad though as some Chinese clubs bid for Unai Nunez, Yuri and Ander Capa and while in the case of Yuri and Capa I could easily have accepted the deals the fact that I had no replacements lined up scuppered those deals.

I managed to up my transfer budget to around £20m but in the end I hardly spent any of it as the best Basque players are either at Real Sociedad or not interested or just way out of my price range.

The best thing about the summer though was the fact that my B team - managed by club legend Joseba Etxeberria - won promotion to the Segunda Division. They beat both Real Madrid B and Barcelona B in the play-offs to gain promotion and now its imperative that they consolidate themselves in the 2nd tier so my youngsters have a much higher level of football to play at for my B side as they come up through the ranks.

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PLAYERS OUT

There are a couple of loans too but so far thats everything apart from the 30 odd players that I released. As you can see just about all of my players aged 30 or over have moved on. Raul Garcia and Benat were first team picks last season so they will be difficult to replace while De Marcos and Balenziaga were backups. Cristian Ganea is a decent enough player but I already had a left back coming in.

I dont envisage anyone else leaving in the transfer window in truth but you can never say never!

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PLAYERS IN

Juan Perez is a keeper who was signed to strengthen the B team while Llabres and Albert Garcia as regens so in reality I only signed 3 players for the first team squad.

Firstly Kevin Rodrigues was signed from our rivals Real Sociedad (while he was out on loan) and will be my backup left-back. The Portuguese international is an upgrade on Balenziaga and who knows - he could even usurp Yuri in the future.

Pablo Hervias was signed for £1m to be my backup right winger. I relegated Larrazabal to the B side to help them out in the Segunda Division and after loaning out Miguel Rodriguez I needed to bring in someone. He is pretty quick and technically good but is no world beater I suppose.

Finally I needed another CB and although I have a few prospects in Dani Vivian, Jorge Herrondo and Rodri I wanted them to learn their trade with the B side for a while so incoming from Osasuna is Unai Garcia on a free transfer. I dont envisage him to get too much game time but with Champions League football around the corner maybe he will play.

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SQUAD MOVES AND SEASON PLANS

Regarding the first team Dani Garcia will play as a first pick to replace Benat while Unai Lopez will be my new AMC. Other than that the first XI remains the same. Larrazabal and Guruzeta have been moved down to the B team to help them out while Peru Nolaskoain has returned from his loan spell and will be in and around the first team squad and Ivan Martin has been promoted from the B team to be cover for AMC. He isnt really ready for it but needs must.

My aim for this season is once again to qualify for the Champions League and after that anything else is a bonus. Hopefully in the Champions League we can be competitive but that all depends on the draw.​

 

[Klippybo]

William Barnes
1914-16 & 1920-21
P38 W27 D5 L6
WIN% 71

Barnes was Athletic's first manager and won 3 Copa del Rey trophies while in charge. The Londoner didnt manage anybody else apart from Athletic.


AUGUST

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Rodrigues, Dani Garcia (Sancet), Moriba, Gomez (Fati), Unai Lopez (Ivan Martin), Muniain, Williams*

A fantastic start to the season as we get a huge win against Atletico Madrid who are now managed by Pep Guardiola. They had a goal disallowed early on but Williams struck twice and we were looking good. They pulled a goal back but Oihan Sancet sealed things late on with a goal from outside the area.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Rodrigues (Yuri), Dani Garcia, Moriba, Gomez, Unai Lopez (Ivan Martin), Muniain (Fati), Williams

I dont like Levante. They thumped us 4-1 in our last meeting and they deny us victory here. I am just glad that we levelled the scoreline late on when Fati netted.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa*, Yeray, Martinez, Rodrigues, Dani Garcia (Sancet), Moriba, Gomez (Fati), Unai Lopez, Muniain (Cordoba), Williams

A comfortable win. I was just about to take Gomez off as he had an injury when we were awarded a penalty which he duly tucked away. Fati came off the bench to be our supersub for the 2nd game in a row.

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SUMMARY

We have enjoyed a decent start to the new season as we beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on the opening day and although Levante got a draw against us we responded by beating Osasuna 3-0 so its all good. Unai Lopez hasnt really impressed at AMC though so that is a worry especially since I dont really have anybody as backup as I promoted Ivan Martin but he is not ready yet.

In the Champions League we have been given a fairly kind draw as we will pit our wits against Man City, Club Brugge and FC Kobenhavn so I fancy our chances in getting through that group.

Regarding the transfer window I spent £2.5m on Sevilla winger Carlos Alvarez. I had him on loan last season and my scouts were still raving about him so I stumped up the cash and put him into my B team which he isnt too happy about!

Several of my youngsters was attracting interest while PSG bid £20m for Yeray but I wasnt interested in any of those deals.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
INAKI WILLIAMS

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LIGA SANTANDER

​