Back to Spurs - Under New Zealand Management

[dazdazdaz]

wow didnt know its possible to get him that good what position do u play him and what roles and duties ?

 

[undertheray]

wow didnt know its possible to get him that good what position do u play him and what roles and duties ?

I played him at the AMR position with Tottenham, as an Inside Forward, and as a Poacher in a front three. I play him on the right side of the field, so he cuts inside and is on his good side to shoot.

His movement is class and when combined in a fluid system he shows his stuff, appearing at the right place at the right time.

 

[dazdazdaz]

oh will sign him then thanks pal lookin forward to your next updayr

 

[toddzy]

Cracking story mate good luck with Los Che! Epic Dos Santos Signing like hehe!

 

[undertheray]

Cracking story mate good luck with Los Che! Epic Dos Santos Signing like hehe!

Cheers mate, thanks for the support!


SEPTEMBER

The preseason friendly results were positive, as I got a look at the squad and saw our strengths and weaknesses.

At Maritimo 1-0 WIN
At Alcoyano 3-0 WIN
At Alicante 1-1 DRAW
At Valladoid "B" 3-0 WIN
Vs Pumas 4-2 WIN
Vs Sporting 4-1 WIN

A solid preseason, considering my completely new backroom staff members were still adjusting, and the players themselves were still adjusting to me as a manager and my style.

In the transfer market, there was a clearout of players, as I looked to establish my mark upon the team. (Note: Only the transfers after the 24th of July were executed by me). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to sell all the people I wanted to fund acquisitions, instead only profiting on the sales of Danny Simpson for €975k and Facundo Roncaglia for €2.8m. Also David Silva was sent on loan for a fee of €1.1m to Las Palmas. We only signed one player, the €50m acquisition of Spurs legend Giovani dos Santos.

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In terms of tactics, I implemented the same fluid 3-4-3 formation I had been using at Spurs, and hoped that the style of play could be suited to the players. I am dangerously weak at the central defender position, and will need to be wary of having 3 comparatively poor players on the pitch.


And so my first La Liga match in charge of Valencia was here! We traveled to Anoeta to play Real Sociedad. I took 25mins for the first goal of my tenure to be scored, and it was fitting that Giovani dos Santos got the honors, coolly converting from the penalty spot. Unfortunately things looked to be going bad, when Mikel San Jose equalized in the 40th minute, and they took the lead on halftime. Coming out firing right away, Yacouba Keita scored in the 49th minute, and just seconds later, Rafinha saw red for a second yellow, as our opponents were reduced to ten men. The 58th minute saw dos Santos score his second after a lightning fast counter attack, and 23 minutes from time Keita sealed match, and a 4-2 win. A great way to start my tenure!
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Our first home match followed, with the Nuevo Mestalla crowd anticipating a good match against Murcia. Jozy Altidore scored his first goal of the season, and Giovani dos Sanots added his third in the second half, as we cruised to a 2-0 win after a better all round performance.
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​

Next up was our La Liga match away against Villarreal, considered to be our toughest test so far. We looked to make a fantastic start, with Keita putting us ahead after just three minutes, but the hosts struck right back, with a goal from Guilherme in the 9th minute. Juan Angel Albin got the go-ahead-goal for Villarreal in the 22nd minute, and they never looked back, holding us out for the rest of the game to hand us our first defeat, 2-1.
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Champions League football was next, and our first game was against FC Twente. (Incredibly, I have been drawn against Tottenham in the group! Will be an interesting game for sure). A brace of goals from either sides striker earned a 2-2 draw, with Jonathas looking like a good, strong target man to fill in for Altidore when needed.
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Elche was our next opponent in the La Liga, as we took them on at home. Altidore scored an opening goal, but some poor defending let them equalize and we were unable to retake the advantage, finishing a 1-1 draw. Our defending has been poor at best, and we need to take serious action.
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I decided our tactics were not working, we just didn't have the quality of players to effectively play the back three with libero that I desired, so I switched to a 4-3-3. This will take advantage of our best defenders - fullbacks - and limit the amount of poor quality centre-backs we have on the pitch.
We will rely on them for width, but our top young player is a left back and I believe his contribution could be vital in the later stages of the season.


A brace from Keita and another from Altidore before halftime saw us cruise our next La Liga game verse Athletic, with Los Che is truly dominant form. An unlikely rebound cause the only goal to be scored, where a freak deflection left our keeper Renan no chance to finish a 3-1 victory.
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The Nuevo Mestalla hosted our next La Liga game, against Recreativo. It was 1-1 at halftime thanks to Kalonas scoring a penalty and dos Santos missing one, but three superb second half goals saw us show our attacking potential in a dominant 4-1 victory. This result gets us high on confidence coming up to next months first game - against Spurs.
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The first month had some mixed results, but a swift formation change set the team on track, as we got better consistency in our performances towards the end of the month. The opening game of October is our Champions League Group G match against my old club, Tottenham Hotspur, and it is shaping up to be a huge game - Spurs are undefeated this season since my departure. Hopefully I can get a result in my return to White Hart Lane, and hopefully I am well received by the fans!

 

[dazdazdaz]

nice update pal kutgw

 

[Jasonlfc96]

nice update and good luck with valencia

 

[hellroker]

Whats the age of David Silva that you had to send him on loan??? lol

 

[dazdazdaz]

he is 32pal

 

[The Shots]

Hi, I saw this story a while ago, and ignored, as you were a newb to the saite. now I have just read through, and you have done quite well! Nice story, and I wish you good luck at Valencia

 

[undertheray]

Hi, I saw this story a while ago, and ignored, as you were a newb to the saite. now I have just read through, and you have done quite well! Nice story, and I wish you good luck at Valencia

Haha thanks for taking the time to read!


OCTOBER

First match of the month: Tottenham vs Valencia in the Champions League Group Stages at White Hart Lane. There was a fair bit of nerves, as I did not want to suffer defeat to my former club! The match got off to a great start, as in the 2nd minute dos Santos played Keita in, who ran down the right, skipped passed Evans and crossed to a completely unmarked Arda Turan who headed home the first goal of the match! This ignited the match, with Renan making two outstanding saves, before Rodwell rattled the crossbar. It only took until the 14th minute however, as Afellay's great run combined with poor marking saw him clean through on goal, and he calmly finished to equalize. Dzeko then rattled the crossbar, and just before halftime Keita was denied by Ochoa one on one.
The second half continued with much action, and in the 75th minute Altidore low drive was parried by Ochoa, right into the path of dos Santos who smacked the rebound off the crossbar! But then in the 79th minute, Arda Turan collected the ball outside the box from a corner, and smashed it on goal. Ochoa parried the effort, but it rebounded of Rodwell into the corner for a Valencia lead! Right off the kickoff, Renan made a huge save as Tottenham poured forward in search of an equaliser, which they achieved in the 86th minute as Dzeko pounced on a rebound to head home the goal, finishing the game 2-2!
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After this epic Spurs game, we traveled back to Spain to take on Sevilla (managed by Xavi) in La Liga. A brace from Scottish striker Graeme Blair sunk us before halftime, and a late consolation goal from Keita saw us slump to 3-1 losers.
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Hoping to pick it up at home in the La Liga against Espanyol, a goal apiece from Keita and dos Santos saw us trump the visitors 2-0 in a solid performance.
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Still in the La Liga, and we were in Madrid to play Atletico, hoping for a result. We wouldn't get one however, as a truly awful performance saw us spanked 3-0, and we will need to pick ourselves up from this and fight on.
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Our first Champions League Group stage win followed, as we defeated Red Bull Salzburg at home 4-1, thanks to good finishing from Muller, who slammed home a brace, with Mata adding a nice late goal to boost our goal difference.
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An away La Liga match against Sporting followed, where we were disappointed to find ourselves down two-nil at halftime. However, dos Santos and Keita led a second half fightback, as we salvaged a 2-2 draw from the fixture.
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Final match of the month was the first leg of our Spanish Cup Fourth Round tie against Badajoz. A comfortable 2-0 win that the lads never looked like losing, with Lago Junior and Cesar Silva providing the breakthrough.
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A decent month from our perspective, and we are starting to look better as a team. We need to get our act together against the big teams though, and we severely need a decent centre-back!!

 

[Gaffer]

I just finished reading these 6 pages. Great stuff You have another follower

 

[TheRealMourinho]

count me in!
abit of a man crush on Giovani Dos Santos

 

[*James*]

Fantastic story mate, keep it up!

 

[Gaffer]

count me in!
abit of a man crush on Giovani Dos Santos

Love it (K)

 

[dazdazdaz]

yeah its a reall good story pal that keita sounds quality
kutgw

 

[undertheray]

I just finished reading these 6 pages. Great stuff You have another follower

Good to hear! Glad to see it is worth reading

count me in!
abit of a man crush on Giovani Dos Santos

Tell me about it, the kid is class. <3 Gio <3

Fantastic story mate, keep it up!

Cheers mate!

yeah its a reall good story pal that keita sounds quality
kutgw

He is a terrific finisher, just wish he had better passing ability, but you don't notice it!


NOVEMBER

Opening the month was an absolute domination of Almeria at home in the La Liga, with a record setting result. Big striker Jonathas got a hat trick, Arda Turan netted three also, Keita got one, dos Santos scored from the spot and Cesar Silva rocketed in a ninth in a 9-0 rout. Terrific attacking performance, and gives us great belief in the quality of our players.
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Our next Champions League Group G match was away against Red Bull Salzburg, and we didn't have any problems, with Dele Adeleye, Altidore and Perotti all scoring in a simple 3-0 that moves us into an almost-secure position in the group.
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Back to the Nuevo Mestalla for another La Liga game, this time playing host to Las Palmas (where David Silva is on loan, but is ineligible.) We held a lead at halftime thanks to Jonathas and dos Santos, but Pablo Garcia equalized 8 minutes past the hour. It took a late goal from Giovani dos Santos to secure the three points, with another late impact from the terrific Mexican in a 3-2 win.
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The home leg of our Spanish Cup Fourth Round clash against Badajoz was next, and we didn't look remotely threatened - dominating our weaker opposition with a 6-0 win, advancing through to the next round 8-0 on aggregate.
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Nuevo Mestalla played host to Racing in the La Liga next, and an excellent defensive performance held them out - while Altidore netted the only goal of the match in a 1-0 victory. Very impressed with our defensive performance, and Remi Pillot has been outstanding in goal since I decided to replace Renan after poor performance.
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Another 1-0 result followed, and despite dominating the game our luck just wouldn't go, and we were held scoreless for most of the game against Valladoid in La Liga. That is, until Tinga decided to unleash a bending shot on goal that gave the keeper no chance, and Los Che a 1-0 victory.
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Our fifth Champions League Group G match was against FC Twente, and we managed to secure qualification (along with Spurs) with a 3-0 victory thanks to a brace from Juan Manuel Mata and Christian Ansaldi adding another.
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With one game to play, against Spurs to decide first place in the group, this is what the Champions League Group G looks like:

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And here is an update of the La Liga table going into December, and we are in a comfortable position, definitely set up to make a run at the premium team in this league - Atletico Madrid.

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And here is a look at my personal player of the month, Remi Pillot. The French goalkeeper looked condemned to be backup to Renan, but after poor performance from the Brazilian, Pillot came into the line up and has impressed me no end. He is underrated and works well with the defense, making some big saves when the scores are close. His aerial ability is excellent and you can trust him to make the collection on a dangerous cross. Definitely gives me a sense of stability in the goalkeepers positon.

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Terrific month of results, and with Real Madrid first up next month we look to continue our top form. I feel the team is gelling under my management, and I now have a good idea of who is in my first team lineup - while also managing a good rotation to keep players fresh. Adeleye has stepped up to be a solid defender, with my top rated defender - Serbian 22 year old Kocic - is injured yet again. He has failed to make a contribution this season, and is spending a majority of the time injured. I had expectations of this lad, and I may just sell him to bring in a tougher player who can actually take the field.


​

 

[dazdazdaz]

i think i have asked u this before mate but cant find it how do u play dos santos in a front 3 i have just bought him for roma

 

[undertheray]

i think i have asked u this before mate but cant find it how do u play dos santos in a front 3 i have just bought him for roma

In a front three play him on the right side as a Poacher or an Inside Forward.



DECEMBER

A tremendous match to start the month, as the Nuevo Mestalla played host to the famous Real Madrid, in a match I wanted to win to prove our quality as a La Liga club. From kick off, it was all Real Madrid, as they dominated possession and barraged our goal with crosses and shots. However, French goalkeeper Remi Pillot stood tall, parrying shot after shot and catching cross after cross. We eventually managed to control some possession, but didn't get much of a sniff on goal, as Real had us pinned back. The second half proved to be more even, as we came out feeling good in a scoreless game, and Pillot was big once again, making more crucial saves. Eventually a great attacking move was only stopped illegally, and Giovani dos Santos stepped up to drill home the penalty in the 77th minute. We now had a grip on the game, and confirmed the result in the 83rd minute, when Juan Manuel Mata collected the ball outside the box from a corner, and ripped an absolutely unstoppable screamer into the top left corner to give us a prized 2-0 victory.
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Eight days of rest followed, before we lined up against Betis in the La Liga - a relatively weaker team compared to our next two opponents, and with a congested fixture list coming up we had our first team front 4 on the bench. A cool performance with goals from Altidore and Perotti and a brace from Mata secured the 4-1 result.
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Then another hotly anticipated match, as Tottenham traveled to the Nuevo Mestalla to battle for first place in Group G, on the last match day. A tight start to the match, with neither team able to break the deadlock before halftime, although both teams came close. Cesar Silva was first to strike, firing in from long range in the 58th minute, and we held the lead until the 78th minute when a fine run from Jack Rodwell left our defense carved wide open, and he duly equalised with a good finish. Top class goalkeeping at both ends made it seem like this one was destined to remain one a piece, but Altidore coming off the bench had other ideas, taking the lead in the 85th minute. However, just like the last game, Edin Dzeko had other ideas - driving Spurs forward to net the equaliser in the 90th minute for another exciting 2-2 draw. The result means we qualify top of the group based on goals scored.
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The imposing Barcelona traveled to Nuevo Mestalla for our next La Liga match, and this one was looking to be a tough encounter. Remi Pillot was once again the hero in the first half, making countless top drawer saves to keep us in the game, none more superb than his excellent save from Mesut Ozil's penalty. Still scoreless at halftime, thanks to Pillot, I motivated the troops and sent them out with the belief they could win this game. And they responding, with renewed energy to drive at the Barcelona defense as we tried to get the opening goal. This effort paid off, as Giovani dos Santos made a dangerous run with the ball into the box, and looked to turn on goal, only to be illegally dragged down by Goni. dos Santos calmly stepped up and fired a perfect penalty into the bottom corner to give us the lead. Just four minutes later, however, Sergio Busquets run from deep in midfield overloaded the centre of defense, and he latched onto a good pass to slot home for the equaliser. Once again a draw looked on the cards, but was not to be - as in the second minute of stoppage time Altidore won a header to Tinga, who played perfect defence splitting pass to dos Santos racing in on goal. The Mexican had his shot superbly parried by the Barca keeper, but the rebound fell into the path of Jonathas who fired home from just outside the box! A thrilling 2-1 win, with players and fans alike delighted.
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It was a bit of a Pyrrhic victory, as we lost Taras Yurchuk (2-3weeks), Juan Manuel Mata(2weeks) and Perotti(10days) to injuries, and actually finished the match with 10 men due to Mata's injury, but we fought hard to win.


Final match of the year was against a tough Getafe away in the La Liga. They proved to be resolute opposition, and goals from Keita and dos Santos were not enough to win, as we drew 2-2, but ended the year on a high after a great month of results.
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Here is the Group G table, showing how we edged Tottenham for first place:

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And here is the draw for the knockout stages, we have been drawn against Porto:
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And a wrap up of the La Liga at the conclusion of 2018. Second place is good, and we need to catch high flying Atletico who have built a solid lead, but I think we can break down.
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In transfer market news, I have made three signings, due to arrive on the 2nd of January.
First is young Belgium goalkeeper Job Delfosse for €90k. He is in as a future prospect and will go straight to the U19 squad.

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Next is 31 year old Argentine defender Matias Cahais for €900k from Porto, who will bring instant veteran stability to a shaky back-line and save me a few goals and points later in the season.

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Finally, I couldn't resist purchasing midfielder wonderkid Ian Adam from Spurs for a bargain price of €6.25m. This is a ludicrously low price for such a talented player already, and one that will surely go on to become one of the best in the world. Very pleased to have signed this player.

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No other transfer targets are on the horizon, as I happy with the quality and depth of the squad, my belief is we can achieve a lot more than is expected of us this season.
​

 

[undertheray]

JANUARY 2019


The first match of 2019 was at Nuevo Mestalla in the La Liga against Zaragoza. An extremely difficult game, as we showed the heavy rust that comes after 15 days without football. We found ourselves struggling all match, but FINALLY a late break through came in the 85th minute, when Yohan Cabaye powered in the winning goal from outside the area. A 1-0 win to start the year, marred unfortunately with Giovani dos Santos picking up a sprained ankle, and being ruled out for three weeks.
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Our Spanish Cup Fifth Round fixture against Espanyol was next, with the first leg played away. It seemed we had found our feet finally in 2019, as we scored three times, and some strong defensive play reduced their chances, as we took a nice 3-0 win and a solid advantage into the second leg.
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Real Sociedad at home in the La Liga was our next fixture, and despite Matias Suarez scoring the opening goal for the visitors, we struck back before halftime with the immense Keita netting in the 40th minute. New signing Ian Adam scored another, before Jozy Altidore put the game well and truly out of reach with a third in the 88th minute to seal a 3-1 win.
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The return leg of our Spanish Cup Fifth Round match up was at home for us, and we had a solid three goal base to play with. We aimed to control the possession, and the game, and largely achieved that, limiting their opportunities while taking whatever we could get from long range. Even though Espanyol scored the only goal of the match, we took out the tie 3-1 on aggregate and are through to the next round against Sevilla.
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For the next fixture, in the La Liga, we traveled to take on seventh placed Murcia. We came out looking fantastic, with Keita netting in the opening minute, and he went on to complete his hat trick in under 20 minutes. Arda Turan netted another before half time, and we added two more between Ian Adam and Dele Adeleye in the second half to cap a magnificent 6-0 thumping.
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Our Spanish Cup Quarterfinal against the Xavi-managed Sevilla was up next, and the first leg was hosted by Sevilla. A fairly even game, and we can have no complaints about the 2-2 final scoreline, with us holding the away goals advantage into the second leg. Mata and Perotti scored for Los Che.
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Another La Liga victory was next, this time at home against Villarreal. Cabaye, Turan and Keita all scored in a match we dominated, and will be disappointed to concede with a late free kick that bent wickedly around the wall, literally the last play of the match.
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The Spanish Cup Quarterfinal return leg was host by Valencia, as we went out looking to control our opponents. We got off to a great start, with an own goal followed by Perotti's penalty giving us a two goal lead, before Graeme Blair scored one of his own from the spot to reduce the deficit to one. Remi Pillot had a HUGE game, and was deservedly awarded man of the match for his heroic efforts, and is proving to be ultra-reliable between the posts for us this season. World Footballer of the Year Tom Halmes was sent off in the 65th minute for a second yellow card after a clumsy foul, and we soon changed the shape to a 4-1-4-1 to effectively neutralized any Sevilla attacks and close out the game 2-1 (4-3) on aggregate and advance to the Semi Finals!
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The only transfer news to report is that my Ivorian centre forward Lago Junior has been receiving interest from numerous clubs, with offers worth considering, around the €4m mark, but these have not come to anything and he will be staying at the club.

A great start to the year results wise, and we hope to pile the pressure on league leaders Atletico Madrid in the coming La Liga games. Key games next month are the Spanish Cup Semi Final against Villarreal, and the Champions League 1st knockout round tie against Porto.

In squad news, I have left my top rated defender - Radomir Kocic - out of the squad registration for La Liga, in short because he has not been performing anywhere near my expectations and Matias Cahais is a better option in his place.
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Remi Pillot continues to be HUGE in goal for us, and makes countless saves that keep us in games and ahead. For a rated two star keeper, playing like a five star keeper is a fantastic way to keep yourself in the first team. Hugely impressed with the performances, and he has been the player of the season so far for us.