Atl?tico Madrid - Los Rojiblancos (The Red and Whites)

[CFCLedge]

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An incredible, yet somewhat heartbreaking season for Los Colchoneros has come to an end. Their brilliant La Liga title would have only been eclipsed by stopping Real Madrid's quest for La Decima; a late Ramos header seconds from time, with goals from Bale, Marcelo & Ronaldo in extra time giving Real their holy grail.

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In this story I aim to re-live that incredible season; hopefully matching, or even eclipsing the achievements of Diego Simeone's Madrid. With a small transfer budget, but a talented and ambitious squad, it's going going to be one **** of a ride.

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To begin with our squad looks okay, but we will have to rely heavily on our two superstar players; being the goal
machine Diego Costa, and the brilliantly gifted Koke. (Please note that I cleared the squad of players out on loan, and anyone who wasn't good enough before taking this screenshot).


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The man everyone is talking about right now. Strong, clever & with one **** of a mean streak; Diego Costa will be our main man this year, and we will look to him to carry the team goal scoring wise. A big ask, but he is more then capable. Chelsea were sniffing around him in-game, much like in real life, but we managed to hang onto Costa as we cannot afford to lose him!


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Another player who has jumped into the lime light this year is Koke. Passionate, hard working & technically gifted, he will be the driving force in our midfield, linking midfield to attack. Alongside Costa, their link up will be crucial to our efforts this season.

Thanks to our minimal transfer budget, I decided not to make any signings this window, so I am putting all my faith into this squad of players. As a foot-note, I don't bother​ with friendlies so we will be jumping straight into the regular season. Enjoy the show!​

 

[CFCLedge]

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So our first season starts in August, with 5 competitive games this month kicking off our campaign.
League games against Sevilla (A), Rayo (H) & Real Sociedad (A), alongside the Spanish Super Cup double header against Barcelona give me a great chance to see our squad in action.

17th August 2013
LIGA BBVA


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A fantastic start to our league campaign sees us keep both a clean sheet and play some brilliant football on the way to a 3-0 victory. 3 first half goals secured the win, with Courtois never looking troubled throughout the encounter. Sevilla were admittedly poor, but a resounding win on match day one was very satisfying.

21st August 2013
Super Cup Final First Leg

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A hard result to take in the Super Cup, we led by 2 goals just before half time before a Bartra header put Barca back in the tie. I thought we would manage to hang onto a one goal advantage to take to Camp Nou, but a late Messi wonder goal brought us back down to earth.

25th August 2013
LIGA BBVA



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A lack of creativity from our midfield led to this game being very frustrating to watch. Rayo soaked up our pressure and we were lucky to come away from this one with 3 points. Diego Costa grabbed another goal adding to his tally, but I was left to wonder where these goals would come from against the bigger teams.

28th August 2013
Spanish Super Cup Second Leg

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Two stunning individual goals from Messi and Yarmolenko helped Barca to the Super Cup. After going a goal behind I feared the worst, but David Villa's equaliser gave us hope. In the end, Barca ran out comfortable winners, and left me to ponder whether our team would be good enough to challenge the big guns in both the league and Champions League.

31st August 2013
LIGA BBVA

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A trip to Sociedad completed our month, in which we won all 3 league games. Goals from Turan and Costa settled this match, with Sociadad's Markel making the last 15 minutes a bit more interesting. Costa has now scored in 3 LIGA BBVA games in a row, and is proving why he is wanted by a lot of high profile clubs.

August 2013

So as August comes to an end, we are left to reflect on a fantastic start to our league campaign. 3 wins out of 3 with 2 great performances amongst them. I was disappointed to lose the Super Cup, but it was a lesson that will no doubt help further down the line.

(I would love to upload a shot of the league table, but I actually had a big session and am playing catch up. If there is a way I could view a league table as at end of August ect please let me know!)
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[Revotsew]

Best of luck, i'll definitely be keeping an eye on this!

 

[CFCLedge]

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With our players returning from International Duty, we looked forward to a September that not only saw us return to LIGA BBVA action, but start our Champions League Campaign. Dortmund, SLB & FC Kobenhavn stand between us, and the knock-out rounds. Our league campaign continued with home ties against Almeria & Osasuna, alongside trips to Valladolid and arch rival Read Madrid.

14th September 2013
LIGA BBVA


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This home win took us to 4 in a row, with a convincing team performance to match. More goals from Costa ensured our win, but in reality the margin of victory should have been much more. Our team looks to be working well in the tactic, but our defence is looking a bit shaky which is worrying.

17th September 2013
Champions League Group A



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Our Champions League group opener saw us travel to Germany, a match would would test our players in an environment most of them are not used to. Dortmund were certainly the better team, but our defence preparation paid off; with this scoreless draw being a satisfactory result. We knew our home games would be key moving forward.

21st September 2013
LIGA BBVA

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Returning to LIGA BBVA action, we travelled to Valladolid looking to extend our impressive league form. An emphatic victory followed, with a total team performance sending Valladolid packing. 2 more goals from Costa, plus goals from midfield general Koke & playmaker Turan sealed our victory.

26th September 2013
LIGA BBVA


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Continuing our fantastic league form, our home victory against was another pleasing win to add to the collection. 2 fantastic goals from Villa & Costa, followed by a header from commanding centre back Alderweireld, coupled with a clean sheet send us home very happy.

29th September 2013
LIGA BBVA

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The biggest test of our season so far ended in disappointment, as we returned from the Santiago Bernabeu empty handed. Ronaldo had a fantastic game, scoring and assisting in the other goal. A consolation goal from Godin flattered us in the scoreline; I wondered if we would be able to compete with the likes of Real & Barca come crunch time in the season.

September 2013



All in all, September was another pleasing month for me. In our first 7 LIGA BBVA games, we won 6, only losing to Madrid away, which was expected. Diego Costa has already totalled 8 league goals, looking like scoring every time he was in-front of goal.

Our league position of 2nd reflected our good form, with the draw against Dortmund giving us a good platform to build on in the champions league. Onto October!

(I am actually in March 2014, so I can't upload league tables at the end of the month ECT. I couldn't keep my hands of this save, but when March comes around I'll be able to show the tables and more news stories)​

 

[CFCLedge]

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A promising September, only dampened by our loss at the hands of Real Madrid, set us up nicely for the month of October. Matches against Celta & Real Betis, along with trips to Espanyol & Granada, gave us a chance to cement our position amongst the top teams. We also turned our attention back to the Champions League, where FC Kobenhavn & SLB awaited us.


2nd October 2013
Champions League Group A


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The Champions League returned to the Vincente Calderon, with visitors FC Kobenhavn returning to action after an impressive 1-1 draw against SLB. It was to be our night though, as we ran out comfortable 4-0 winners. A brace from both Villa & Diego secured the win. With Deigo's good form, I was finding it hard to choose between him and Turan in the Central attacking midfield position.

5th October 2013
LIGA BBVA



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We bounced back to winning ways in the league against Celta; another brace from Costa helping us to a good victory. It was pleasing to watch, and it also saw the emergence of a new key player in my team, Sosa. The Argentine winger is becoming a key piece in my puzzle, creating most of Costa's goals. This brace took Costa's tally to 10 for the league campaign.

19th October 2013
LIGA BBVA



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A disappointing performance but a win nevertheless. We didn't look like losing the game, but we didn't look like winning it either. Costa, who else, opened the scoring, but we had to rely on a superb second half from Diego for the victory. The Brazilian maestro scored the goal that put us back into the lead, before turning provider for Insua.

23rd October 2013
Champions League Group A

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We travelled to Portugal looking to bring home 3 points, taking our total over the first 3 games to 7 points. A horrific start saw us go 2-0 down in just over 10 minutes. I gave the boys a real grilling at half time and they responded magnificently, albeit it leaving it very late to equalise through Gabi, and then go onto win the match by 2 goals. Our captain Gabi pulled us through and earned his place ahead of Raul Garcia for the upcoming fixtures.

27th October 2013
LIGA BBVA

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Returning once again to league action, a comfortable victory against Betis saw us rise to the top of the league table for the first time. Diego Costa's 11th and 12th LIGA BBVA goals of the season alongside a stunning freekick from Insua brought the win. The only down side was the comical own goal from Godin, which I hope will not happen in any important matches!

30th October 2013
LIGA BBVA

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The last game of October was a bit of a poor performance. Granada only had two shots all game, while we amassed 21. A solo effort from Diego sent us home with 3 points, and I was not in the mood for negative thoughts as this win clinched a perfect month for us.

October 2013

A fantastic month from us, with 6 wins in 6 games seeing us rise to the top of LIGA BBVA. The 2 Champions League wins meant we knew a win in our next game would see us all but qualify for the knock-out rounds. Costa, Sosa & Diego are proving our key players so far; I want to see more from Koke but I am not sure I have found the right role for him just yet.


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[CFCLedge]

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The games keep on coming thick and fast, with action in the Champions League, as well as the LIGA BBVA campaign. 2 home games against SLB & Dortmund in the CL would decide if we progress to the knock-out stages. We also looked to continue our impressive league form, with games against Athletic (H), Villarreal (A), Getafe (H) & Elche (A).


2nd November 2013
LIGA BBVA

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Coming off the back of a perfect October, this was a disappointing result to take. We were lucky to come away with a point, as Athletic dominated the match, we had their wasteful finishing to thank. Costa saved us again, but no one put in a performance worthy of a mention. This was also the first points we had dropped at home all season in the league.

5th November 2013
Champions League Group A

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This win all but secured our progression to the CL knock-out rounds. In a game we dominated, Diego once again shone in the AMC role, dictating all our attacks and getting on the score sheet. It was one of those games where I just sat back and watched the magic.

9th November 2013
LIGA BBVA

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A return to league action, and another promising 3 points. We are now starting to build a lot of momentum approaching Christmas, and the team is really starting to gel. Diego starred for the second game in a row, creating one and scoring another on the way to a MOTM performance.

23rd November 2013
LIGA BBVA

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2 more points dropped at home, with visitors Getafe somehow going home with an undeserved point. We hit the woodwork 5 times in the match, but in general our defence was poor. Sosa performed well for us but it isn't the front line I am worried about. Our defence was leaking to many goals for my liking, and this is something I planned to work on over the course of the next few weeks.

27th November 2013
Champions League Group A

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Our Penultimate CL game was against Dortmund. After all but securing qualification, I wanted to ensure we ended the group top, to avoid the bigger teams in the last 16. A goal from Diego Costa looked to be the decider, but another horrendous defensive mistake cost us all 3 points.

30th November 2013
LIGA BBVA

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A trip to Elche rounded off an average month. Elche are one of the worst teams in LIGA BBVA so this result was expected. I was still disappointed to concede a goal, but a emphatic victory was still welcome. A brilliant brace from Adrian was the highlight. I gave Costa a rest as he needed it, and his replacement delivered. It was good to see Koke on the score sheet as I changed his role and the results were positive.

November 2013

A so-so month for us. I was disappointed with dropped points at home in 2 games we should really be winning. But we are now 12 games unbeaten in all competitions and boast the most goals scored, and 3rd least conceded. With only 5 games in December, including the return of the Spanish Cup, we now need to push on and make top spot in the league our own.



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