Claudio Marchisio - Managing Empoli

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Claudio Marchisio - Managing Empoli

Having had a few weeks out of the game I have decided to dip my toe back into a save and this time I have decided to manage in Italy as Claudio Marchisio, the recently retired Italy international. I will be managing Empoli - a side newly promoted to Serie A but who have never won a major trophy and have only been in Serie A for 13 seasons in all so I have a low starting point.

As a player Marchisio was a central midfielder who spent most of his career at Juventus who he supported. In all he made 389 apps for Juventus, scoring 37 goals in all competitions and while at the club he won 7 league titles, 1 Serie B title, 3 Supercoppas and 4 Coppa Italias. When he left he joined Zenit St.Petersburg in Russia and he won the league title there in his one season at the club. Earlier in his career however he had a loan spell at Empoli so it is a return to the club that gave him his first chance in Serie A.

Internationally he won 55 caps for Italy, scoring 5 goals.

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EMPOLI

Founded
- 1920
Nickname - Gil Azzurri (The Blues)
Ground - Stadio Carlo Castellani
Capacity - 16,284

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The aim of the save is to establish Empoli as a regular side in Serie A and progress towards European qualification and of course winning trophies! With the big guns of the 2 Milan sides, Juventus, Roma, Lazio, Napoli and Atalanta I dont envisage that things will be done quickly!​
 
SEASON BY SEASON RECORD

SEASONSERIE ACOPPA ITALIASUPERCOPPAUEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUEUEFA EUROPA LEAGUEUEFA SUPER CUPFIFA CLUB WORLD CUP
2020-213rd1st Round-----
2021-224thQuarter-Final-Group StageRunners-Up--
2022-233rdQuarter-Final-1st Round---
2023-24WINNERSWINNERS-Group StageWINNERS--
2024-25WINNERSWINNERSWINNERSQuarter-Finals-WINNERS-
2025-26WINNERSWINNERSWINNERS1st Round---
2026-27WINNERSWINNERSWINNERSWINNERS---
2027-28--
2028-29
 
Last edited:
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PRE-SEASON

So I arrived at the club with very little knowledge of the club and its history. I remembered that Luca Toni had a fine spell here and thats about it! When I looked at the squad I did recognise a few names such as Patrick Cutrone and Andrea Pinamonti - 2 strikers on loan from Wolves and Inter Milan respectively. Liam Henderson, a former Celtic player is in the squad and I am also familiar with Luperto and Tonelli. The rest however I have no clue about.

I was given £1.5m to spend by the board so I knew I had to spend that wisely. With me using an updated database I am unsure who is still available on free transfers and so I checked that market and of course the loan market.

In assessing the squad I realised that to play my favoured formation I would need to sign some attacking midfielders as there was a distinct lack of quality as well as depth there in all 3 AM positions. I had plenty of CBs and CMs but overall the quality of the squad is good enough to work with but nowhere near good enough to be challenging for Europe.

The board expect us to battle bravely against relegation this season and I cant really argue with that although I am actually hoping to get a mid table finish. This year on FM21 I have managed off the top of my head Aberdeen, Newcastle, Lyon, Red Star Belgrade (loved that save), Athletic Bilbao, did the Champions League challenge and had a few short term failure saves so this one will be different methinks.

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PLAYERS OUT

Not a lot! 5 players for just under £300,000 lol. Thats it.

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PLAYERS IN

As I said earlier, I was hunting in the bargain basement area. I arranged a loan deal for a young player but didnt realise that he wasnt joining until January which was a bit of a blow. In the end I brought in 3 free transfers and one of them I didnt really need positionally!!!!

That man was Ali Ahamada. The Comoros international is a goalkeeper who I have noticed before starting the game on a free but I have never felt that he could do a job for me in any of my other saves but now I have him. He has some standout abilities as a keeper although his high eccentricity rating is a concern but overall I am pleased with the signing.
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Next in the door was Mattia Viviani who somehow found himself released by Brescia. He is a cracking young player and will hopefully kick on and develop into a top player.
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Finally my last signing thus far was a player who I know a lot about from my Athletic Bilbao saves - Ibai Gomez. The winger can play on either side of the pitch and he immediately becomes one of my key players. He will take free kicks and corners so I expect him to contribute not only goals but also a healthy tally of assists.
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SQUAD

I am content. Another central attacking midfielder and a winger would be nice but numbers wise I have plenty although in the full back positions we do lack depth and will be playing a natural CB at LB which could be a problem. I have so many decent CBs and a lack of quality at LB that both Luperto and Marchizza are arguably better than my one natural LB.

Ahamada will be my keeper but he is currently injured which is a blow. I will start with Fiamozzi at RB, Marchizza LB with a central defensive partnership of Tonelli and Luperto but that could all change as with Romagnoli (not the AC Milan one unfortunately) not in the starting XI I will judge by form.

At CM I have so many options but will start out with Leo Stulac and Samuele Ricci. Ricci has just turned 19 and is a top young player so it is imperative that we keep hold of him and develop him properly. Ibai Gomez will play on the LW wing, Leonardo Mancuso will be on the RW and I think I will start with 21/yo Nedim Bajrami as my AMC but while he looks like a decent young player I fear that he may not be good enough to start every week in Serie A.

Up front Cutrone and Pinamonti will battle it out for the strikers spot but my 3rd choice striker - La Mantia - looks like a decent player but his opportunities will be limited.​
 
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Andrea Pinamonti


SEPTEMBER

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Lineup
- Vicario, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci (Haas), Stulac (Bandinelli), Mancuso (Di Francesco), Bajrami, Gomez, Cutrone

On one hand I am disappointed not to win a home match against a side likely to finish between 8th-14th but individually they are far better than us so I am content with a point. We took the lead when Cutrone crashed in a shot in off the bar but we couldnt hold onto the lead as Berardi deservedly equalised for Sassuolo. We improved in the 2nd half but overall a draw is a fair result I think.


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Lineup - Vicario, Fiamozzi, Tonelli (Romagnoli), Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Viviani), Stulac*, Mancuso, Bajrami, Di Francesco, Cutrone (Pinamonti)

WOW!!!! Venezia, like ourselves, are newly promoted to Serie A but we wiped the floor with them here as we crashed in 5 goals. Perversely the key moment was arguably a disallowed goal by Cutrone as if that had been given his rating would have been higher and I wouldnt have taken him off but off he came and Pinamonti duly scored with his 1st touch and also grabbed another!

Leo Stulac was the star man as my Slovenian midfielder assisted 3 goals in a tremendous individual performance.


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Coppa Italia 2nd Qualifying Round
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Lineup
- Vicario, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto (Romagnoli), Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci, Stulac, Mancuso*, Bajrami (Giovinco), Di Francesco, Pinamonti

Ternana are a Serie B side but I still put out a full strength side as I am still learning about my players. Mancuso struck twice and Pinamonti netted again while Sebastian Giovinco came off the bench to make his 2nd debut for the club.


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SUMMARY

Not a bad start to the season. The Sassuolo game was a fact finding mission essentially and we emerged with a point but then we went away from home to thrash Venezia 5-1 which has really boosted my players confidence as well as myself so I am happy with how things are looking. We also won in the Coppa Italia against Ternana which sets us up with a tie against Sampdoria in the next round.

I am still learning about my players and their capabilities and my judgement hasnt really changed although Crutone and Pinamonti are certainly going to be having a battle for the striker position.

I did make another signing for the first team as I desperately searched for a AMC. I thought I had Curtis Jones from Liverpool in the bag on loan but he joined Hertha Berlin instead so I then made the move to bring in Sebastian Giovinco on a free. He actually spent a solitary year on loan at Empoli alongside Marchisio back in the day and although he is 33y/o he should be a key player.
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I have promised him that I will improve the squad in defence and also the coaches but I have no intentions at all in doing that as he is only signed on until the end of the season.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ANDREA PINAMONTI
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SERIE A

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Riccardo Fiamozzi


OCTOBER

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Lineup
- Vicario, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci (Zurkowski), Stulac*, Mancuso, Bajrami, Di Francesco (Gomez), Pinamonti (Cutrone)

This was a boring game but it had one moment of quality when Leo Stulac crashed in a 30 yard shot into the top corner and that was enough for us to claim all 3pts.


--

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Lineup - Vicario, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac*, Mancuso, Giovinco (Bajrami), Gomez (Di Francesco), Pinamonti (Cutrone)

Gutted!!!!!!!!! I would have taken a draw before the match but to be 2-0 up heading into stoppage time and still not win the match is simply not acceptable.


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Lineup - Vicario, Fiamozzi (Stojanovic), Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Bajrami), Stulac (Haas), Mancuso, Giovinco (Viviani), Gomez*, Cutrone (Pinamonti)

This was the first match of our double header against Sampdoria and while we won the game we almost threw it away again as they had a last minute goal disallowed. Samuele Ricci scored his first senior goal here while Ibai Gomez scored his first goals for the club.


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Coppa Italia 3rd Qualifying Round
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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi*, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Haas (Viviani), Stulac (Henderson), Mancuso, Giovinco (Bajrami), Gomez (Di Francesco), Cutrone (Pinamonti)

A fine result as we progress into the next qualifying round. Bajrami scored the winner in the 3rd minute of stoppage time to send us through. It was a boring match though with hardly any chances created.


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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Stojanovic), Tonelli (Romagnoli), Luperto*, Marchizza, Ricci (Haas), Stulac (Bajrami), Mancuso, Giovinco, Gomez (Di Francesco), Cutrone

We were moments away from a famous away victory here but unfortunately Petar Stojanovic shoved Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the back to give them a penalty which Olivier Giroud tucked away. I couldnt really argue with the result as they battered us in truth.


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SUMMARY

2 months into the save and we are still unbeaten!!!! This month we got great away draws against Roma and AC Milan although really we should have won those matches as we conceded last minute equalisers in both matches. Other than that we edged out Udinese and then beat Sampdoria at home and then away in the cup when it was then our turn to celebrate a last minute goal.

We will play Verona in the next round of the cup and that will also be back to back matches against the same opposition so lets hope that is a good sign!

The transfer window closed without us making any further deals.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
RICCARDO FIAMOZZI
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SERIE A
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Patrick Cutrone


NOVEMBER

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Lineup - Ahamada*, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac, Mancuso, Giovinco, Gomez (Di Francesco), Cutrone

We extend our unbeaten run with victory here. Patrick Cutrone struck just minutes after they were reduced to 10 men.


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Lineup - Vicario, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci (Bajrami), Stulac (Haas), Mancuso (Di Francesco), Giovinco, Gomez, Cutrone*

WE GO TOP OF SERIE A!!!!!

A stunning away victory. We fell behind early on but Patrick Cutrone scored a wonderful equaliser to haul us level pretty quickly. Giovinco had us in front just before half-time and Cutrone struck again immediately after the break and we were in control. Muriel struck again for them late on and they actually looked likely to level but thankfully Luperto headed in a clinching 4th goal.


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Coppa Italia 4th Qualifying Round
verona.png


Lineup
- Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto*, Marchizza, Ricci (Zurkowski), Stulac (Bandinelli), Mancuso (Di Francesco), Giovinco (Bajrami), Gomez, Cutrone

Cutrone is at it again as his early goal proves to be enough for us to reach the first round proper.


--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Stojanovic), Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza*, Ricci, Bajrami (Zurkowski), Mancuso, Giovinco (Bandinelli), Gomez (Di Francesco), Cutrone

Another goal for Cutrone as we get back to back wins against Verona. They offered very little so it was a comfortable win. Unfortunately Giovinco picked up an injury and he will be out for around a month.


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SUMMARY

Our dream start to the season continued this month as not only did we win every fixture this month to remain unbeaten but we are actually top of the league!!!! The big guns are however circling beneath us so we shall enjoy it while it lasts. Patrick Cutrone scored in all 4 matches and he is keeping Pinamonti out of the team accordingly. We are certainly developing him well for Wolves!!!!!!

In the Coppa Italia we edged out Verona and have been drawn away to Napoli in the next round so that will be tough.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
PATRICK CUTRONE
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SERIE A
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Samuele Ricci


DECEMBER

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Lineup
- Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Viviani), Stulac, Mancuso, Bajrami (Zurkowski), Gomez (Di Francesco), Cutrone*

The run continues as does Patrick Cutrone's fine scoring run as he has now scored in each of our last 5 league games - netting 7 goals in that period. Having said that he missed several chances to get his hat-trick and he hit the crossbar a few times too.


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Lineup - Vicario, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci, Stulac (Haas), Mancuso, Bajrami (Zurkowski), Gomez*, Cutrone (Pinamonti)

Another win and another Cutrone goal. I decided to give Pinamonti 20min off the bench in place of Cutrone and he duly popped up with a goal. Franck Ribery had a last minute goal disallowed for them so we managed to keep a clean sheet.


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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi*, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci, Stulac (Haas), Mancuso, Bajrami (Zurkowski), Gomez, Cutrone (Pinamonti)

Meh. We fail to score for the first time this season but thankfully we kept a 2nd successive clean sheet to get a point.

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Stojanovic), Tonelli (Romagnoli), Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac, Mancuso, Bajrami (Zurkowski), Gomez, Cutrone

This is definitely 2pts dropped. We went 2-0 up early on thanks to a double from Ibai Gomez but inexplicably we threw the lead away and were losing late on until Mancuso popped up with an equaliser. We had 20 shots to their 6 so we really should have won this match.


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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Stojanovic), Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Bandinelli), Stulac (Haas), Mancuso (Henderson), Bajrami, Gomez (Haas), Cutrone

It had to come eventually. Our final game of the calendar year and we taste defeat for the first time. To be fair Lazio were so dominant and fully deserved their win so I have no complaints. We havent won in our last 3 league games however and have dropped 7pts accordingly.


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SUMMARY

This month was a difficult one. It started well as we beat Fiorentina 2-1 away before defeating Salernitana but then we got 2 disappointing draws before losing to Lazio in our final game of the month and year. We end the year top of the league but Inter Milan have a game in hand but to be honest the title race is not something that we are seriously considering.

Next month will be even tougher as we have so many games including fixtures against Inter, Juventus and Napoli while we will also face the latter in the Coppa Italia.

Off the field the board agreed to a load of things to improve the club as we have improved the training facilities, youth facilities, junior coaching and also increased the wage and transfer budget but considering I was spending more than my buget already it isnt a huge amount.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
IBAI GOMEZ
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SERIE A
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Sebastiano Luperto


JANUARY

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Lineup
- Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Stojanovic), Tonelli, Luperto*, Marchizza, Ricci (Haas), Stulac (Viviani), Mancuso, Bajrami (Giovinco), Gomez, Cutrone (Pinamonti)

4 games without a win which is a huge worry considering who we are playing in the next couple of games. Luperto equalised for us with a scrappy goal after their keeper made a mistake but we never looked like winning.

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Stojanovic), Tonelli, Luperto*, Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci, Stulac, Mancuso, Bajrami (Giovinco), Gomez (Conceicao), Cutrone

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT A ******* RESULT!!!!!

Going into this game without a win in 4 I didnt think we had a hope in **** in us getting a result and while we were outplayed we defended well and took the lead through a Cutrone header and we managed to hold on to it. A massive victory.

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Romagnoli*, Luperto, Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci, Stulac (Haas), Mancuso, Bajrami (Giovinco), Gomez (Conceicao), Cutrone (Pinamonti)

Another stonking result. No way on earth did I think that we would get 2 clean sheets against Inter and Juventus but we have done and earned 4pts in the process. Make no mistake we fully deserved a draw here.

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Coppa Italia 1st Round
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Lineup
- Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Stojanovic), Tonelli, Luperto (Romagnoli), Marchizza, Ricci (Bandinelli), Haas, Mancuso, Giovinco, Gomez (Conceicao), Cutrone

We crash out of the cup despite battling hard against Napoli here. If you offered me 2 goals before the match I would have snapped your hand off but alas defensively we were not good enough.


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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Viti, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Haas, Mancuso*, Giovinco, Vignato (Gomez), Cutrone

A great result and performance as we smash 4 goals past Bologna. We scored 2 screamers when Fiomazzi crashed in a powerful shot into the top corner from a tight angle and although they levelled it at half time we blew them away with 3 goals in 12min which included a great goal from Haas as he chipped their keeper from 20 yards. Viti and Vignato made their debuts here with Vignato's being against the club I just signed him from - and he was **** lol.


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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Stojanovic), Viti, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Haas), Stulac, Mancuso (Di Francesco), Vignato (Bajrami), Gomez (Conceicao), Cutrone

We come unstuck in the snow in Sassuolo as we conceded 4 goals. We didnt deal with the conditions at all and tbh they could have scored 6 or 7. This is our 2nd defeat in the league this season.


--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Stojanovic, Tonelli (Goldaniga), Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Viviani), Stulac, Mancuso (Conceicao), Giovinco (Vignato), Gomez*, Cutrone (Pinamonti)

We stormed to victory here as we score 4 again. Gomez scored a double - he has 6 in all this season and it has been with him getting 3 doubles - while Goldaniga came off the bench to grab a debut goal and Stojanovic was also a surprise scorer.


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SUMMARY

Lots of happenings this month!!! On the pitch we got some memorable results as we beat Inter Milan 1-0 away and then held Juventus to a no score draw while we also smashed in 4 goals past Bologna and Venezia. It wasnt all good though as we were knocked out of the Coppa Italia by Napoli and Sassuolo hit us for 4 in a league defeat. We end the month top of the table still but if you take a closer look at the table I would expect us to be overtaken by the 5 sides directly below us and who knows if Napoli can put a run together but in all honesty it looks like European football for next season is well and truly on the cards!

There was a bit of transfer business. Outgoing was Simone Romagnoli to Al-Ain for £1.8m, Liam Henderson to Benevento for £1.2m and Ardian Ismajli to Werder Bremen for £1m. I also sold 2 of my backup keepers for small fees.

Incoming was a loan player who I thought I was getting in September but because he wasnt 18 he didnt come in until January. Francisco Conceicao joined us from FC Porto and he is a terrific prospect. If I owned him outright I would start him every week but he will be cover really.
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I paid £4.1m to bring in 20y/o attacking midfielder Emanuel Vignato from Bologna. He is definitely one for the future and I hope he will develop into a top player. I now have to find out whether he is better on the LW or as an AMC.
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Finally I paid £1.3m (£1.6m) for Edoardo Goldaniga from Sassuolo to cover in central defence. He scored on his debut but he is a backup player really.
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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
SEBASTIANO LUPERTO
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SERIE A
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Leo Stulac


FEBRUARY

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Lineup
- Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Stojanovic), Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Haas), Stulac, Mancuso (Conceicao), Giovinco (Vignato*), Gomez, Cutrone (Pinamonti)

For an hour of this match we were hopeless and we could have been out of it but we dug in and got an equaliser before Vignato struck the winner late on as he got his first goal for the club. An excellent victory.


--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli (Goldaniga), Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac (Bajrami), Mancuso (Di Francesco), Vignato*, Gomez (Conceicao), Cutrone (Pinamonti)

For the 2nd game running Vignato scored an 85th minute goal and this time it was an equaliser as we fought back from 2-0 down to salvage a point.


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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac, Mancuso (Di Francesco), Vignato, Gomez (Conceicao), Pinamonti (La Mantia)

A bad day at the office. We took the lead twice against a struggling Roma side and our first was comical as their keeper kicked the ball off Ricci and it rebounded into the net. I made subs at 2-1 and then went to make others at 2-2 but Stulac - one of the players who was coming off duly got sent-off and all my plans went up in smoke and they managed to grab the winner in stoppage time infuriatingly.

Roma have had a shocking season and are slightly above the relegation zone. THey sacked Jose Mourinho and have appointed Zinedine Zidane.

--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Viviani (Bandinelli), Mancuso (Di Francesco), Vignato (Zurowski), Gomez (Conceicao), Pinamonti (Giovinco)

Sampdoria are battling against relegation so this was a poo result and to be honest the performance was pathetic. Going forward especially things werent working and we missed Cutrone terribly but nobody played well in truth.

--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Stojanovic), Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Viviani), Stulac, Mancuso (Di Francesco), Vignato (Giovinco), Conceicao, Pinamonti*

Just when I thought that the wheels were about to fall off we pull off an amazing result! Pinamonti scored a double with 2 lethal finishes and we put our recent woes behind us to get a huge 3pts.

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SUMMARY

We had an indifferent month here as we got great wins over Napoli and AC Milan and came back from 2-0 down to salvage a point against Udinese however we lost to Roma thanks to a stoppage time goal and then put in a horror show against Sampdoria. We are still sitting pretty in the league however as we lie in 2nd place and are somehow the top goalscorers in the division but as I keep on saying - the big boys are circling underneath us. We have held them off for a few months now (apart from Inter Milan) and the question is whether or not we can continue to do so.

Youth intake is coming next month but I dont expect much.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
EMANUEL VIGNATO
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--

SERIE A
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Lorenzo Tonelli


MARCH

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Lineup
- Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli*, Luperto, Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci, Stulac (Viviani), Mancuso (Di Francesco), Vignato, Conceicao (Giovinco), Pinamonti

Torino are in the bottom 3 so this is definitely 2pts dropped - especially since they only had 1 shot on target. Pinamonti scored again though so Cutrone may struggle to get back into the side when he returns from injury if he keeps it going.


--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Stojanovic (Fiamozzi), Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci (Haas), Stulac, Mancuso (Di Francesco), Vignato*, Conceicao, Pinamonti (Cutrone)

We move 5pts clear of Atalanta with this victory as Vignato struck the only goal of the game. They probably deserved a point in all honesty but we dug in and managed to keep a clean sheet to confirm the victory.


--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli (Goldaniga), Luperto, Marchizza, Haas (Viviani), Stulac (Bajrami), Di Francesco, Vignato, Conceicao (Giovinco), Pinamonti (Cutrone*)

Yet again a stoppage time goal causes us heartbreak but this one is worse as we took the lead 3min into stoppage time and still managed to somehow **** things up!

--

SUMMARY


We only had 3 games this month and we emerged from those fixtures unbeaten but it still could have gone better. We drew twice in games that we should have won but at the same time we got a hard earned victory over Atalanta which helped keep us in a Champions League place.

It is quite weird that we go into the final months 2pts behind top spot but not thinking about winning the title at all! European football is the aim and if it is the Champions League then that would be a game changer considering the finances that involves but the fixture list in May is really tough so we shall see what happens.

As for the youth intake I signed up 5 players with one looking not to bad but we shall see what happens with them.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
LORENZO TONELLI
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--

SERIE A
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Leonardo Mancuso


APRIL

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Lineup
- Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Goldaniga (Viti), Marchizza, Ricci*, Stulac (Bajrami), Mancuso (Di Francesco), Vignato, Conceicao (Gomez), Cutrone

A fine win which keeps our unlikely title challenge alive. Ricci scored the opener from distance and Cutrone smashed in a 2nd just before I was going to take him off as he was **** but that goal saved himself.


--

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Lineup - Vicario, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci, Stulac (Haas), Mancuso (Di Francesco), Vignato (Giovinco), Conceicao (Gomez), Cutrone

Considering Salernitana are all but doomed for relegation this is definitely 2pts dropped. We went from 2-1 up with 20min to go to being 3-2 down with just under a quarter of an hour left. Di Francesco thankfully levelled for us in the last minute.


--

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Lineup - Vicario, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto*, Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci, Stulac, Mancuso, Vignato, Gomez (Conceicao), Cutrone (Pinamonti)

Amazingly this is the first time we have been awarded this season and Mancuso tucked it away to give us a win as we go back on top of the table.


--

spezia.png


Lineup - Vicario, Fiamozzi (Stojanovic), Tonelli (Goldaniga), Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Bajrami), Stulac (Viviani), Mancuso, Vignato, Gomez (Conceicao*), Cutrone

WHAT A MATCH THIS WAS!!!!!

We fell behind 4 times in this match but still came away with a victory and this unlikely title challenge carries on going from strength to strength. We even got a nother penalty!

--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci (Viviani), Stulac (Bajrami), Mancuso (Gomez), Vignato, Conceicao (Giovinco), Cutrone (Pinamonti)

A disappointing defeat as Lazio do the double over us. Cutrone had an equaliser disallowed but on the other hand they had one chalked off too. Somehow I was allowed to make 6 subs in this game which was weird.


--

SUMMARY

With 5 games to go we are unbelievably top of the league!!!!! Absolutely incredible. We won 3 matches this month with the 6-4 victory over Spezia being the highlight and Fiorentina were also beaten. Alas we dropped points against Salernitana and Lazio defeated us in our final game of the month but we are still on top.

Looking at our upcoming fixtures a title victory is very unlikely as we are due to play Inter Milan, Juventus and Napoli one after the other but we have taken 7pts off them already this season so you never know but tbh we could finish anywhere between 1st and 6th. Crazy.

I agreed to sell a couple of players at the end of the season - mainly backups - so I managed to cobble together enough funds to make the loan moves of Luperto and Marchizza permanent so they have been rewarded for their strong seasons. Dont have a clue how much I will have to spend next season mind you and there is a major overhaul required too!

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
RICCARDO FIAMOZZI
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--

SERIE A
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MAY

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Lineup
- Ahamada*, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Bajrami), Stulac (Viviani), Mancuso (Di Francesco), Vignato (Giovinco), Gomez (Conceicao), Cutrone

If we keep winning nobody will catch us but tbh Genoa could feel a little hard done by as they played quite well and created the better chances. Ahamada had a fine game in goal though and we were ruthless with what little chances that we did create.

Now for the tough 3 fixtures....................


--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli (Goldaniga), Luperto, Parisi, Ricci, Stulac, Mancuso (Di Francesco), Vignato (Viviani), Gomez (Conceicao), Cutrone (Pinamonti)

Inter wiped the floor with us here to move 2pts clear at the top of the table. We were already a goal down when Ricci got sent-off and despite them scoring immediately after that I think we did well to keep them down to just 3 goals. Disappointing.


--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Stojanovic, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza (Parisi), Bajrami (Haas), Stulac (Viviani), Mancuso, Vignato (Giovinco), Gomez (Conceicao), Cutrone

Well that didnt go according to plan as we get another 3-0 hiding. We were never in this match and the season is rapidly falling apart. We wont be winning the league now and might struggle to get into the Champions League. Napoli up next........

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--

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Lineup
- Ahamada, Fiomazzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Bajrami (Viviani), Mancuso (Di Francesco), Vignato, Gomez (Conceicao), Cutrone*

Patrick Cutrone is our hero as he smashed in 4 goals as we defeat Napoli to make sure that they cant catch us. We were stunning in the first half as we were 4-1 up at half-time and we shared a goal each in the 2nd half.

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Now we go into the final game of the season against Bologna needing something from the game to secure Champions League football but AC Milan are playing Lazio so one of the teams is definitely dropping points. As for the head to head record we have the advantage over AC Milan and Atalanta.

--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Stojanovic), Tonelli (Goldaniga), Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Haas), Stulac, Mancuso, Vignato*, Gomez (Conceicao), Cutrone

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sure I am disappointed that we threw away a 3-1 lead to draw the game as we would have finished in 2nd place had we kept our lead but other results went our way and we secured a 3rd place finish. Lazio thumped AC Milan 6-1 to jump up from 5th to 2nd while Juventus lost 2-0 at home to Udinese.

--

SUMMARY

The season has ended and I am chuffed to bits. Sure we didnt manage to win the title but we did manage to secure a 3rd place finish to earn us Champions League football and hopefully the financial rewards that that will bring will help propel the club forward.

It was a close run thing though as Inter and Juventus humped us and it was all unravelling but an inspiring performance from Patrick Cutrone against Napoli when he scored 4 of our 5 goals really boosted our chances and in the final day we drew 3-3 away with Bologna which was an entertaining way to end the season.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
PATRICK CUTRONE
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--

SERIE A
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END OF SEASON REVIEW


Well what a season that was!!!! When I started the season I was thinking a mid-table finish would be a success but in the end we smashed it and finished 3rd and were top of the table with just a couple of games to go! It really is an astounding achievement. We were the top scorers in the division by 1 goal although defensively we could do much better and towards the end of the season particularly we were very sloppy.

As a newly promoted club we had a fantastic start as we went 13 games unbeaten in the league right from the get go. We were then fairly consistent throughout and always managed to pick up a win or two fairly regularly. We beat eventual champions Inter Milan 1-0 away, AC Milan 2-0 at home, Atalanta 4-2 & 1-0 and also Napoli 2-1 & 5-2 with the latter being a crucial result.

Napoli however ended our dreams in the Coppa Italia as they beat us 3-2. We did well to get there after eliminating Ternana, Sampdoria and Verona but we didnt disgrace ourselves at all.

--

SERIE A

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--

FIRST TEAM SQUAD

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Goalkeepers - Ali Ahamada was one of my first signings and my No.1 keeper had a fine season. He was injury prone and missed 11 games overall but that didnt prove to be too costly. Guglielmo Vicario was his backup and he did well when called upon but he is on loan and will be returning to his parent club in the summer.

Defenders
- My back four were pretty consistent both in form and in the amount of games that they played. Fiamozzi was my RB and he stood out while Marchizzi was played slightly out of position at LB and although he wasnt amazing I have arranged to sign him permanently although maybe I should have kept the £4m having seen my transfer budget for next season.

Sebastiano Luperto was arguably my best performer of the season as he topped the average ratings and I have moved to bring him to the club permanently also while his CB partner Tonelli also did well. My backups hardly featured to be honest and mostly played from the bench.

Midfielders - I put my faith in young Samuele Ricci and he had a decent enough season although he needs to improve and to continue to develop. Stulac was his midfield partner and while he started the season on fire he tailed off in the 2nd half of the season frustratingly. Bajrami started a fair few games while Haas and Viviani were my main backups.

Sebastian Giovinco was brought in on a free to be my AMC but he soon got injured and then fell out of form so I shelled out £4.1m to bring in Emanuel Vignato from Bologna and he was decent and scored 7 goals for us in the 2nd half of the season. Ibai Gomez was brought in from Athletic Bilbao to play on the LW and he was average while Mancuso was my RW and he wasnt much better. Young Francisco Conceicao came in on loan from FC Porto and the teenager did alright with a few standout performances.

Forwards - Patrick Cutrone was the star man as he scored 27 goals in all competitions. His 4 goal haul against Napoli on the penultimate game of the season was key to our success and he really shone and I will try and get him back for next season. Andrea Pinamonti was his backup and while he rarely featured but did have his moment in the sun when he scored both of our goals in a 2-0 win over AC Milan.

My Player of the Season
- Patrick Cutrone
My Young Player of the Season - Emanuel Vignato
Must Do Better - Ibai Gomez
Donkey of the Season - Andrea La Mantia

--

SUMMER PLANS

This is not going to be fun. Despite qualifying for the Champions League and getting TV money I have only been given around £6m to strengthen the squad but considering Cutrone, Conceicao and 3 or 4 others are having their loan periods finishing then I really have a lot of work to do.

Lots of bargains to be hunted methinks!!!!​
 
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PRE-SEASON

This summer has been extremely problematic and it is all down to the updated database as because I had no money and was looking for bargains there was no free agents worth signing as they all found clubs in real life! With that I had to wheel and deal and use the loan market to get players in.

I did manage to move on some players but most of the money that I had was already spent towards the end of last season. Despite getting nearly £50m in TV money and another £13m coming our way soon for the Champions League participation but alas the board were unwilling to give me more cash. Hopefully by the time January comes along things will have changed.

--

PLAYERS OUT

Squad players from last season, Bandinelli (£975,000), La Mantia (£900,000) and Giovinco (free) were moved on while players that were out on loan, Pirrello (£1.2m), Simic (£600,000) and Moreo (£500,000) were also moved on.

5 other players from the U20 squad were sold on for a couple of hundred grand and that was it.

Also of course Cutrone, Conceicao, Stojanovic, Vicario, Zurkowski and Pinamonti all had their loan deals end so they all had to be replaced!

--

PLAYERS IN

Firstly the 2 that I had already agreed to sign. Luperto (Napoli £4.4m) and Marchizza (Sassuolo £4.3m) both opted to stay permanently at the club and with that most of my transfer budget was gone. An error maybe?
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2 more familiar faces that definitely wasnt an error was the return on loan of Patrick Cutrone and Francisco Conceicao. Whats more they have rejoined us on 2 year loans and in the case of Cutrone that will take him up to the end of his current contract.
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Now for some new players but the first one you will know all about as Erik Lamela has joined us on loan from Sevilla for the season. I hope he will prove to be a standout player and he will more than likely play on the RW.
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Also joining from Spain on loan is Alex Collado from Barcelona. I needed a versatile attacking midfielder and he fits the bill perfectly and adds a bit of extra quality to my squad.
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A £1.6m loan fee was paid to Inter Milan to bring in Eddie Salcedo. He is a terrific young player and will provide cover up front in both the striker position and at AMC.
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I needed a new RB so I went to Sassuolo and brought in Claud Adjapong on loan for £900,000. He is pretty quick and looks solid enough and should prove to give Fiamozzi a run for his money in the first team.
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Finally I was desperately searching for a new backup keeper and found one who was out of contract. Martin Lukov, a Bulgarian international, was playing out in Saudi Arabia and came in on a free. He isnt anything special but needs must.
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--

AIMS FOR THE SEASON


I always want to improve but it will be tough. Was last season a one off? Do we have a squad capable of fighting both domestically and on the continent? Will the bigger teams be better this term? All these questions will be answered soon enough.

A top half finish would be the aim and maybe sneak into a European place would be a bonus but the board still expect us to battle against relegation. I will plump for top 10 and hopefully give a decent account for ourselves in the Champions League so we can get more money.
 
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AUGUST

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Lineup
- Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci, Stulac, Lamela (Collado), Vignato, Conceicao (Gomez), Cutrone

This is an encouraging start to the season as we get a hard fought draw against Juventus. We traded own goals and Ricci fired us ahead at half-time only for Weston McKennie - who scored the own goal in our favour - to equalise soon after the break. We missed a few decent chances to win the game but I am delighted with a point.


--

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Lineup
- Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac, Lamela, Vignato (Collado), Conceicao (Gomez), Cutrone (Salcedo*)

This is definitely 2pts dropped as we were by far the better team but they scored with their only shots on goal while we had to get a late equaliser from the debutant Eddie Salcedo as his shot came off both posts. With Inter, Roma and Napoli to play next month it is certainly going to be a tough start!!!!


--

SUMMARY

Difficult to judge this month as we got a great draw at home to Juventus before disappointingly dropping points against Genoa when we were by far the better team. We have a horrendous month upcoming fixture wise so this really could be a chastening start to the season.

I made no more moves in the transfer market as I had no money left in my transfer budget despite having a bank balance of £35m which I am a bit ****** off about. They better loosen those purse strings in January!!!!!

In the Champions League we were given a tough draw alongside Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Olympiakos so we will be aiming for 3rd place and battle it out with the Greek side for that more than likely.
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Here is the first page of the summer transfers in Italy.
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SEPTEMBER

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Lineup
- Ahamada, Adjapong, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac (Haas), Lamela, Vignato, Conceicao (Gomez), Cutrone (Salcedo)

This is beginning to be a tad worrying as we have no wins in our opening 3 league games. We were shocking for 72min and then all of a sudden we kicked into gear and pulled 2 goals back and almost equalised. Lamela has been shocking so far while Conceicao and Cutrone like the rest of my side are struggling. Defensively we are shocking.


--

UEFA Champions League Group D
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Lineup
- Ahamada, Adjapong, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Haas), Stulac, Lamela (Mancuso), Vignato (Collado), Conceicao, Salcedo*

Much better! To be honest they had an early goal disallowed which woke us up and from then on we dominated and deserved far more than the 1 goal that we did get. Salcedo now has 3 goals in 3 games.


--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci, Stulac, Lamela, Vignato (Collado), Conceicao (Gomez), Salcedo

A good result but it still means we are without a win in 4 league matches. When Salcedo put us 3-1 up at half-time with a goal against his parent club I was in dreamland but my striker who I had on loan last season, Pinamonti, pulled one back and they duly got their equaliser. They also had a goal disallowed.

If you had told me at the start of the season that we would have scored 9 goals in our opening 4 league fixtures and not have a win on board I would have thought you were mad but as I have said time and time again we are shocking at the back.


--

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Lineup
- Ahamada, Adjapong, Tonelli, Luperto (Goldaniga), Marchizza, Ricci (Viviani), Stulac* (Haas), Lamela, Vignato, Conceicao, Salcedo

We get our first win of the season at the 5th time of asking but the late goal that we conceded which denied us a clean sheet really ****** me off. Lamela got his first goal for us while Eddie Salcedo just cant stop scoring!


--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac, Lamela (Mancuso), Vignato (Collado), Conceicao (Gomez), Salcedo

WHAT A COMEBACK!!!!!

We had a 1st minute goal from Tonelli disallowed and for the rest of the first half we were pathetic and should have been 4 or 5 down as we couldnt handle Osimhen however we were a different side in the 2nd half and hauled ourselves level thanks to goals from Stulac and Ricci and we looked like the side that was going to win it but alas we just couldnt find the winner.

--

UEFA Champions League Group D
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Lineup
- Ahamada, Adjapong, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac (Haas), Lamela (Mancuso), Vignato, Conceicao, Salcedo (Cutrone)

The scoreline shows that we got an absolute hiding but we actually competed quite well its just that MY ****** DEFENSE CANT ******* DEFEND!!!!!!!!!!


--

SUMMARY

I dont think I have had a start to the season as crazy as this one. On one hand in the league we have lost only once and we have played Inter, Juventus, Roma and Napoli but we have also only won 1 match. We have scored and conceded 13 goals each which is good and pathetic anthen we come to the individual players.

Lamela, Vignato and Conceicao have been nothing short of a disgrace. Vignato ended last season on fire so I was expecting big things but he hasnt contributed at all. Lamela has been a big disappointment and maybe Conceicao isnt ready for regular starts.

In Europe we beat Olympiakos but then crashed to a 5-1 defeat against Man City which was tough to take considering we actually played quite well.

I am longing to get some money to improve the squad but it just isnt happening. When I look at my team I dont own any player that I can build my team around except maybe Ricci. We are beginning to see that last years positive season was probably a one off.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
EDDIE SALCEDO
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--

SERIE A
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OCTOBER

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Lineup
- Ahamada, Adjapong* (Fiamozzi), Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac (Bajrami), Lamela, Vignato, Conceicao, Salcedo (Cutrone)

Our 2nd win this season in the league and it was almost identical. We absolutely battered Parma but couldnt keep a clean sheet which takes a real shine off the win. I spoke to Conceicao, Lamela and Vignato before the game and they put in a much improved performance while Ricci scored a wonder goal to get his 4th of the season - he only managed to get 3 last term!


--

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Lineup
- Ahamada, Adjapong, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac (Crociata), Lamela* (Mancuso), Vignato, Conceicao (Collado), Cutrone

A stunning victory as we hit Benevento for 5 but yet again we still await our first clean sheet in Serie A. Ricci got his 5th goal of the season to get us underway, Cutrone scored a brace, Vignato finally contributed something but it was Lamela who starred with a goal and 2 assists.


--

UEFA Champions League Group D
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Lineup
- Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Adjapong), Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac, Lamela (Collado), Vignato, Conceicao, Cutrone (Mancuso)

Despite defeat here I am proud of my players performance as we dug in and kept the scoreline narrow despite coming under intense pressure. Alas we conceded late on to lose but we are still 2nd in the group as Bayern somehow lost to Olympiakos.


--

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Lineup - Ahamada*, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Haas), Stulac (Bajrami), Lamela, Vignato (Collado), Conceicao, Cutrone

WE GET A CLEAN SHEET IN THE LEAGUE!!!!!!!!!

I am delighted with this result as Fiorentina came into the game top of the league and unbeaten but we got the win here thanks to goals from Cutrone and Collado and a great goalkeeping performance from Ahamada.

3 wins in a row now in the league.


--

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Lineup
- Ahamada, Adjapong, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Viviani), Stulac (Haas), Lamela, Vignato*, Collado (Gomez), Cutrone

4 wins in a row! Vignato has finally found his best form as he scored both of our goals in this match. They had a goal disallowed and probably deserved a draw tbh.


--

SUMMARY

This was a near perfect month for us. Our form picked up big time as we won all 4 league fixtures including a 5-1 away victory over Benevento and also a win over Fiorentina who were top of the table and unbeaten. After a sticky start with only 1 win in 6 and not winning any of our first 4 we have now got a record of 1 defeat in 10!!!!

I think that the one on one conversations that I had with the previously disappointing Vignato, Lamela and Conceicao has been a key reason to our upturn in fortunes as all 3 have picked up their form and are now contributing goals and assists. The easier fixture list also helped,

We did lose to Bayern Munich in the Champions League but even then we put in a good performance so confidence is high right now.

The board have also stepped up to the plate as not only did they agree to invest in the youth coaching and recruitment but they handed me a £5m bonus for my transfer budget. Not a lot but loads considering I had absolutely nothing to spend!

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
EMANUEL VIGNATO
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--

SERIE A
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NOVEMBER

UEFA Champions League Group D
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Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac, Lamela (Mancuso), Vignato, Conceicao (Collado), Cutrone (Salcedo)

Heartbreaking.

We were seconds away from an infamous victory after Eddie Salcedo came off the bench to put us ahead but we conceded in the 2nd minute of stoppage time to draw. Our next match against Olympiakos is huge now and will probably decide 3rd place.


--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli*, Luperto, Marchizza (Parisi), Haas, Bajrami (Viviani), Lamela, Vignato (Collado), Conceicao, Cutrone

Another league win as we make it 5 in a row. Cutrone and Lamela were the goalscorers as our resurgence continues! Collado got injured here and will be out for about a month.

--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Adjapong), Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci, Stulac, Lamela*, Vignato, Conceicao, Cutrone (Salcedo)

This is an unbelievable result as we make it 6 wins in a row. We only had 3 shots on target but we found the net with all of them. Lazio did the double over us last season which makes the win extra special.


--

UEFA Champions League Group D
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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Haas (Bajrami), Stulac, Lamela*, Vignato (Mancuso), Conceicao, Cutrone (Salcedo)

This is a poor result as we threw away a 2 goal lead. We head into the final match 2pts behind Bayern but 1pt ahead of Olympiakos so we can finish anywhere from 2nd to 4th. Lamela's first goal was a strike from 50 yards as he latched onto a keepers throw.


--

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Lineup - Ahamada*, Fiamozzi, Goldaniga, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac (Haas), Lamela, Vignato, Conceicao (Gomez), Cutrone (Salcedo)

Although our win streak is over I am overjoyed with the clean sheet against especially against a good side in AC Milan. They were the better side and Ahamada had to make some good saves and he deservedly won the MOM award.


--

SUMMARY

We had an unbeaten month here so that is good although out of 5 games 3 were draws. In the league we beat Sampdoria before getting a brilliant away win over Lazio and then we ended the month with a scoreless draw against AC Milan which sees us end the month in 4th place so I am happy with that.

In Europe we drew with Bayern but we were leading heading into stoppage time so it could have been a victory and it was the same kinda story away to Olympiakos where we threw away a 2 goal lead to draw but we should still qualify for at least the Europa League to see us have European football after Christmas.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ERIK LAMELA
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--

SERIE A
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DECEMBER

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Bajrami), Stulac, Lamela (Mancuso), Vignato (Salcedo), Conceicao, Cutrone

I didnt see this result coming as lowly Verona end our 10 game unbeaten run in the league. Lamela was horrific but tbh apart from Cutrone nobody else really played well. Very disappointing.


--

UEFA Champions League Group D
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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Adjapong), Tonelli (Goldaniga), Luperto, Marchizza, Bajrami, Haas, Lamela, Collado, Conceicao (Gomez), Cutrone*

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

If I didnt see our previous result coming I couldnt have dreamed of this result! We absolutely thrashed Man City here as we pummelled them 3-0 and it could have been more as Haas had a goal disallowed harshly. Olympiakos however lost to Bayern so we end the group in 3rd place. If we hadnt conceded the last minute equaliser against Bayern I think we would have qualified in 2nd place.
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What made the result all the more remarkable was the fact I was forced to rest Ricci, Stulac and Vignato!

--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Bajrami, Haas, Lamela (Mancuso), Collado, Conceicao (Gomez), Cutrone (Salcedo*)

We werent at our best here at all and were fortunate to win. Even our goal was lucky as Salcedo took advantage of a defensive mix up to tap the ball into an empty goal from 20 yards. They had a goal disallowed earlier too.


--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto*, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac, Lamela, Vignato (Collado), Conceicao, Cutrone (Salcedo)

This was a good performance as we dominated throughout and fully deserved our 3 goal victory. Back to back clean sheets in the league - whatever next???


--

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Haas), Stulac, Lamela (Collado), Vignato, Conceicao, Cutrone (Salcedo)

We end the year on a sour note as we lose this match thanks to a stoppage time goal. We were the better side and thought that we had rescued a point when Vignato scored but they ended up winning it. We play them in the Coppa Italia next month so have a chance to get revenge.


--

SUMMARY

We suffered 2 poor defeats this month against Verona and Sassuolo but we also won 2 league games and in the Champions League we got a magnificent 3-0 win over Man City so its been a mixed month. The league defeats really annoyed me though as we should have at least have got a point in both of the matches so to lose out was disappointing.

Our win over Man City gave us a shout of qualifying for the next stage but Bayern Munich also won so we drop into the Europa League and will face Besiktas.

There was bad news at the end of the month when Erik Lamela suffered an injury in training and will be out for 2-3 months so that is a big blow and could affect our upcoming transfer window.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
SEBASTIANO LUPERTO
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--

SERIE A
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JANUARY

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli (Viti), Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac (Viviani), Collado (Mancuso), Vignato, Conceicao, Cutrone*

After 3 games without a goal I had meant to play Eddie Salcedo up front but I forgot so Patrick Cutrone kept his place and fired in a superb hat-trick to win us the match.

--

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Lineup - Ahamada*, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac (Haas), Collado, Salcedo (Bajrami), Conceicao (Gomez), Cutrone

This is a really good point as we played the last 15min with 10 men and we actually dominated that spell. Conceicao and Cutrone got injured and both will be out for around about a month just as we head into our toughest run of fixtures.

--

Coppa Italia 1st Round
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Lineup
- Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto*, Parisi, Ricci (Viviani), Stulac (Haas), Collado (Cataldo), Bajrami (Crociata), Gomez, Salcedo

A 1-0 victory over Sassuolo in the cup might not seem like a big result but this is right up with the Man City game. We were missing 6 players including my 4 first choice attacking players and even one of the backups so to come through with the win is very pleasing. Cataldo is a 16y/o player who came through last seasons youth intake so it was nice to see him make his debut and he becomes the clubs youngest ever player.

--

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Lineup - Ahamada*, Fiamozzi (Adjapong), Tonelli, Caldara (Viti), Marchizza (Parisi), Ricci, Stulac, Collado, Bajrami, Vignato, Salcedo

Forget about what I said about the last match. This trumps it by 100!!!!!! We were still missing several players so when we fell behind early on it wasnt a surprise however Tonelli levelled and then we battered them for 10min. Despite that we still fell behind but it didnt dampen our spirits as we carried on dominating and were back in front before half-time.

We got a penalty in the 2nd half which Collado tucked away and even then we kept on attacking and going forward. We were terrific!!!!!

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Coppa Italia Quarter-Final
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Lineup
- Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Adjapong), Tonelli, Caldara, Marchizza, Ricci (Haas), Stulac, Collado, Bajrami, Vignato (Gomez), Salcedo

We were all out of miracles. We were awful as Inter dominated from start to finish and tbh they could have scored 5 or 6. Disappointed but not unexpected.

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Viti, Marchizza, Ricci (Viviani), Stulac (Haas), Collado (Mancuso), Bajrami*, Vignato, Salcedo

We put our cup defeat behind us to win here. Vignato and Bajrami struck the goals and we always looked comfortable even when they pulled a goal back.

-

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Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong (Fiamozzi), Tonelli, Viti, Marchizza, Ricci, Stulac (Haas), Collado (Mancuso), Bajrami, Vignato, Salcedo

Roma do the double over us as we lose here but my players are shattered and we have so many injuries so I am not that surprised. Inter Milan up next so it could be a similar outcome.

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Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Adjapong), Tonelli, Viti, Parisi, Viviani, Haas, Collado, Bajrami, Vignato (Mancuso), Salcedo (Cutrone)

If you look at my lineup you will see how depleted my squad is so to come away with a 2-1 defeat despite being 2nd best for 90min is actually quite an achievement. We were terrible and they should have scored 6 or 7 but we kept it respectable.

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SUMMARY

We started this month pretty well but towards the end we began to struggle as injuries began to mount up and with the sheer amount of games being played my players fitness levels began to drop. The highlight of the month was our terrific 4-2 away victory over Juventus where my depleted side put on a storming performance to beat the league leaders. Unfortunately we lost our last 2 league fixtures which sees us lie in 5th place in the table which is acceptable.

In the Coppa Italia we beat Sassuolo but were chucked out by Inter Milan.

As for the transfer window I sold Edoardo Goldaniga to Salernitana for £1.5m and that was my only exit. Incoming in his place is Mattia Caldara from AC Milan for £2.8m. He is a decent centre half and will push Tonelli and Luperto for a first team spot.
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Then on transfer deadline day I brought in 2 players. Burak Ince was the first one and he joins us for £1m. The 18y/o attacking midfielder is a decent prospect and hopefully we can develop him into a top player and at the very least sell him on for a sizable profit.
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Then incoming on loan was Roberto Gagliardini from Spurs. I felt that we were lacking a bit of quality in central midfield and he will certainly bring that. We can buy him for £21m but that isnt likely to happen!
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Finally I was offered the chance to become the manager of AC Milan. I accepted the interview but not the job when it was offered to me.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ALI AHAMADA
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SERIE A
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