Claudio Marchisio - Managing Empoli

[Klippybo]

FEBRUARY

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Tonelli, Viti, Marchizza, Ricci (Stulac), Gagliardini, Collado, Vignato*, Conceicao (Gomez), Salcedo (Cutrone)

After 2 defeats in a row it was important to get a win here and we did just that thanks to a fine finish from Vignato. Collado missed a first half penalty so it could have been more comfortable.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Viti, Parisi, Ricci (Stulac), Gagliardini, Collado*, Vignato (Burak Ince), Conceicao, Cutrone (Salcedo)

An entertaining game but I am livid that we chucked away the lead in stoppage time. Tbh Napoli fully deserved a point as they were the better side for much of the game. Gagliardini has certainly made an impact as he has 1 goal and 2 assists in his opening 2 games.

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UEFA Europa League 1st Round 1st Leg

Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Adjapong), Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Gagliardini, Collado (Mancuso), Vignato, Conceicao*, Cutrone (Salcedo)

Decent. Conceding the away goal is pretty annoying but I am happy with the win. Conceicao put us in front early on and although we were level at half-time we managed to get back in front when Vignato powered home an effort.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi*, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Stulac), Gagliardini, Collado, Vignato (Burak Ince), Conceicao (Gomez), Cutrone

Meh. My players were tired after their exploits against Besiktas so the performance wasnt really at the expected level. That being said Cutrone had a goal disallowed so we could have won it. We have 1 win in 5 in the league which is a worry.

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UEFA Europa League 1st Round 2nd Leg

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

We traded early goals here and managed to keep them at bay from then on but it was a nervy encounter but all that matters is that we are into the next round. We arent going to win the competition as Man Utd, Juventus, Chelsea and AC Milan are in it as well as my beloved Athletic Bilbao!

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Adjapong), Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Stulac, Gagliardini, Collado (Mancuso), Vignato, Conceicao (Burak Ince), Cutrone*

Neither of my strikers had scored for a while going into this game so it was nice to see Patrick Cutrone pop up with a brace. Collado would have probably taken the penalty but I had already planned to sub him as we won the penalty.

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SUMMARY

An unbeaten month so I am happy. In the league we won 2 and drew 2 so that was decent enough. We are still holding onto a Champions League spot but with 11 games to go anything could happen. We are playing some decent stuff though and the arrival of Gagliardini has certainly improved us.

In the Europa League we knocked out Besiktas 3-2 on aggregate and have a tie with PSV Eindhoven to look forward to in the next round which will be tricky but not impossible.

The youth intake happens next month and apparently I have a golden generation coming in!!!!!

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ALEX COLLADO

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SERIE A

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[Klippybo]

MARCH

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

A superb performance and a brilliant result as we complete the double over Fiorentina. Collado and Vignato got the goals as we eased to victory. I dont know what was up with Vignato early on this season but he has been inspired recently.

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UEFA Europa League 2nd Round 1st Leg

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

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

We were absolutely amazing here as we smashed 5 goals past PSV with Collado banging in a superb hat-trick. We were immense here and the margin of victory means I can rest players in the 2nd leg as surely we will be in the quarter-finals.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Adjapong), Caldara, Luperto*, Marchizza, Ricci, Gagliardini (Viviani), Collado (Mancuso), Vignato, Conceicao, Cutrone

Patrick Cutrone got the only goal of the game as we laboured to victory here against 10 man Cagliari. We have a 4pt lead ahead of 5th place at the minute so it is important that we keep our Champions League spot. 3 clean sheets in a row now in the league which is unheard of.

--

UEFA Europa League 2nd Round 2nd Leg

Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Caldara, Luperto, Parisi, Ricci, Gagliardini (Haas), Mancuso (Bajrami), Vignato, Conceicao (Gomez), Salcedo

Despite this being a nothing game due to our first leg result we still showed a lot of character to come back from 2-0 down to draw the game thanks to 2 goals in the last 10min from Salcedo and Fiamozzi. My beloved Athletic Bilbao lie in wait in the next round.

--

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

This win was all down to my subs as we were a goal down and struggling badly after an hour so I made a triple substitution and it paid off handsomely! Firstly Adjapong cut the ball back for Lamela to equalise on his return from injury and then we got a brilliant winner with a fine team move which resulted in Cutrone finishing across their keeper after Adjapong played him in.

--

SUMMARY

For the 2nd month in a row we go unbeaten so naturally I am delighted with that and the standout performance came in the Europa League when we wiped the floor with PSV Eindhoven by 5 goals to 1. It was a momentous performance from my players and they even had the fight to come back from 2-0 down to draw the 2nd leg 2-2. Athletic Bilbao will be our opponents in the quarter-finals.

We won all 3 league matches to keep ourselves in 4th spot and I have to mention Erik Lamela who came off the bench to level against Sampdoria on his return from injury but then just days later he damaged his spine in training and is out for 6 months and Sevilla have recalled him from his loan spell.

The youth intake was pretty impressive with several players being signed on and this young French lad is the best one I think - just a pity he plays at DMC so I will have to train him to be a CB!

Finally there is takeover news as 2 consortiums are in talks to own the club. One wants to change the manager and one doesnt lol! Currently I am under a transfer embargo so we shall see how that plays out.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
PATRICK CUTRONE

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SERIE A

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[Klippybo]

APRIL

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

This win moves us 8pts clear of 5th placed Atalanta so a Champions League spot is well and truly in our hands. It also is our 5th win in a row in the league.

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UEFA Europa League Quarter-Final 1st Leg

Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Adjapong), Tonelli, Luperto (Caldara), Marchizza, Ricci, Gagliardini, Collado, Vignato, Conceicao, Cutrone (Salcedo)

What a game this was!!!! It was end to end and although we ended up losing the game the 3 away goals gives us something to work with in the 2nd leg. Both sides had goals disallowed and we actually ended the game with 10 men as Collado went off injured and he will be out for a month which is a blow.

--

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

We get a point here thanks to a late goal from Patrick Cutrone which means he has scored in each of our last 4 league fixtures and he now has 15 goals in Serie A this season.

--

UEFA Europa League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg

Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Adjapong), Tonelli (Caldara), Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Gagliardini, Vignato (Mancuso), Salcedo, Conceicao, Cutrone*

We make it into the semis with a 2-0 win here to overturn our first leg defeat. Conceicao and Cutrone scored the goals in the first half and we managed the game well from then on. Chelsea will be our opponents in the semis.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Caldara, Marchizza, Ricci (Bajrami), Gagliardini (Viviani), Vignato, Salcedo (Burak Ince), Conceicao*, Cutrone

Easy. They had a man sent-off early on so we were never in any danger of losing this in truth. Conceicao scored a brace which is nice as he hasnt netted enough in the league this season.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Adjapong), Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Gagliardini, Vignato*, Salcedo (Burak Ince), Conceicao, Cutrone

This was a fans day at the club and apparently it was a success. We were 3-0 up at halftime and cruising but we were sloppy in the 2nd half and conceded 2 goals which was disappoiting.

--

UEFA Europa League Semi-Final 1st Leg

Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Caldara (Viti), Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Stulac), Gagliardini (Haas), Mancuso, Salcedo, Gomez, Cutrone

I am amazed with this result as my depleted side somehow come away with a score draw. We were 2nd best throughout but kept them within touching distance and the key moment came late on when Jota had a penalty saved by Ahamada and then moments later we were level when Cutrone bundled the ball home.

--

SUMMARY

Our strong form continues as we end the month 3rd in the table thanks to an eleven game unbeaten run in the league. Lazio were defeated and we drew with AC Milan before we had 2 easier matches against Sassuolo and Verona. A top four place is all but secure but we still have to keep on going as if we have a slump in form Atalanta could catch us and we are due to play them on the last day.

In the Europa League we played out a 7 goal thriller as we lost 4-3 to Athletic Bilbao but we won the 2nd leg 2-0 to set up a tie against Chelsea and there we went to Stamford Bridge and somehow escaped with a 2-2 draw with Cutrone scoring a stoppage time equaliser.

As for the takeover bids the consortiums apparently didnt have enough funds to buy the club so the deal fell through.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
FRANCISCO CONCEICAO

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SERIE A

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[Klippybo]

MAY

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Tonelli (Garcia), Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci (Stulac), Gagliardini, Vignato, Salcedo (Collado), Conceicao*, Cutrone

The only thing notable about this game was the debut of Pierre Garcia who at 15 years and 182 days not only becomes our youngest ever player but also the youngest ever player to appear in Serie A.

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UEFA Europa League Semi-Final 2nd Leg

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

WE ARE IN THE FINAL!!!!!

What an achievement!!! This was a nervy affair but we went ahead when Cutrone scored however the lead was short lived as Kyle Walker soon equalised for them. Then on the hour mark Cutrone struck again and we managed to hold on to win through. Man Utd will be our opponents in the final after they defeated Juventus.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto*, Parisi, Stulac, Gagliardini, Vignato, Salcedo (Burak Ince), Conceicao (Collado), Cutrone (Pulvirenti)

We were excellent here as we easily beat struggling Spezia. Cutrone tucked a penalty away and then late on recent youth recruit Alfio Pulvirenti scored a debut goal and Vignato scored a 3rd.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Luperto, Marchizza, Ricci, Gagliardini, Vignato (Collado), Salcedo (Burak Ince), Conceicao, Cutrone (Pulvirenti)

Pathetic. The scoreline wasnt at all deserved but they blew us away in the first half. Statistically we were the better side but they got the goals and we didnt.

We drop down to 4th position and if Atalanta beat us on the final day of the season we will miss out on the Champions League which would be a travesty tbh. Inter are away to Cagliari.

--

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

We just needed to avoid defeat to seal a Champions League spot for next season and we did just that as we shared 6 goals with Atalanta. Perversely I would have preferred to have finished 5th if we were certain to win the Europa League but that is far from certain!

--

UEFA Europa League Final

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

This is a tough one to take. Make no mistake they battered us and could have hit double figures but Ahamada was in inspired form and when Collado headed us in front I thought we might just nick it but Rashford levelled and then Sancho broke free in stoppage time to score their winner. Heartbreaking.

--

SUMMARY

We stumbled over the line at the end of the season didnt we?! In the league a draw against Bologna and a defeat to Udinese meant that we had a Champions League spot showdown against Atalanta and thankfully we drew to claim 4th spot.

In the Europa League we defeated Chelsea 2-1 to reach the final but we came unstuck against Man Utd who scored 2 late goals, including a stoppage time winner, to defeat us. They deserved to win it but it would have been amazing to claim the Europa League as my first trophy at the club.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ALI AHAMADA

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SERIE A

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[Klippybo]

END OF SEASON REVIEW

We had another terrific season. Sure we dropped a place in the league but our campaigns in Europe played a part in that no doubt as we excelled on the continent that really brought the club forward.

We had such a tricky start to the league campaign as we didnt win in our first 4 games and had 1 win in 6 but then again we had faced Juventus, Roma, Napoli and Inter Milan. That being said we had only lost 1. We then had a 6 game win streak which propelled us up the table and we would keep picking up points fairly regulary. Then from February we kicked on again and had a 13 game unbeaten run but despite having an 8pt lead over 5th place with a month to go we still had a nervy match against Atalanta to determine who clinched the final Champions League spot and it went to us after a 3-3 draw.

Inter Milan knocked us out of the Coppa Italia in the semis which wasnt a surprise as the fixture came in January when we were really struggling for form and with player injuries.

In the Champions League we didnt disgrace ourselves apart from getting a 5-1 hiding against Man City. We beat Olympiakos and also drew with them and against Bayern we lost 2-1 to a late goal away and then at home we conceded a stoppage time equaliser. We thumped Man City 3-0 in the last game but it was 3rd place for us.

That put us down to the Europa League and we pulled up trees there. Besiktas were knocked out and then we faced PSV and we demolished them 5-1 to put us into the quarter-finals. Athletic Bilbao were up next and although we lost 4-3 at the San Mames we turned it around in the 2nd leg to go through 5-4 on aggregate. Chelsea were our opponents in the semis and after a miraculous 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge we managed to defeat them 2-1 at home in the 2nd leg to send us into the final.

Alas despite taking the lead against Man Utd against the run of play we fell to 2 late goals with Jadon Sancho scoring the winner so there was to be no European glory.

--

SERIE A

--

FIRST TEAM SQUAD

Goalkeepers - Ali Ahamada has proven to be a real bargain as my free signing played in every match for us amassing 55 appearances in all. At 30y/o he is coming into his prime too!

Defenders - It was the same back 4 as last season and overall they did fine. Tonelli's legs are getting a bit slower with his age I suppose but he did well while Luperto impressed as his partner. Fiamozzi and Marchizza were solid enough while my loan signing Claud Adjapong got plenty of opportunities and he impressed although none of my other backups really shone.

Midfielders - Samuele Ricci started the season on fire as he was scoring goals and proving to be a key player but his form dropped in the 2nd half of the season. Leo Stulac was his partner for the first half of the season and was average and then in January I brought in Roberto Gagliardini and after an impressive start his form also dipped. Haas, Viviani and Bajrami all got opportunities but neither of them took their chance in all honesty.

On the RW I had brought in Erik Lamela and although his performances were largely disappointing he scored 9 goals which was not bad considering he only played half a season due to injury and he was eventually recalled by Sevilla. Alex Collado took his place and after a sticky start he came onto his own and especially impressed in Europe as his 7 goals meant he was the Europa Leagues top scorer which was the most and he ended up with 16 goals overall.

Emanuel Vignato also disappointed a little but he managed to hit a dozen goals while Francisco Conceicao also got into double figures and he led the way for assists too.

Forwards - Patrick Cutrone had a slow start but eventually got firing again and he ended up with 27 goals and he finished 3rd in the Serie A scoring charts with 19. Eddie Salcedo actually made the better impression at the start of the season as he scored in his first 4 appearances but his form really did drop and although he was mainly played as a sub or as an AMC.

My Player of the Season - Ali Ahamada
My Young Player of the Season - Francisco Conceicao
Must Do Better - Samuele Ricci
Donkey of the Season - Mattia Viviani

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SUMMER PLANS

I have actually been given a decent amount of money to spend! £30m!!!!!!! Now that is a pittance for the big boys but for me it means that I can begin to get a couple of serious deals done. I am going into this summer with a completely open mind regarding player recruitment and although I have a healthy budget I will still have to box clever.​

 

[Klippybo]

PRE-SEASON POST

This summer was a bit shorter due to the World Cup being held in Qatar at winter time. Despite that I feel I have done a lot of work both in recruiting players and overhauling my youth team staff but I still feel that we are a player or two short yet.

Annoyingly just before the season started I had agreed to sign a top player on loan but then another takeover bid came in so the deal got cancelled so to say I am a bit ****** off is an understatement! If it happened 2 days later the deal would have been done but I will see if I can resurrect the deal after it all plays out.

Overall I think I have strengthened the side fairly well and feel that while we are a bit of a way off a title challenge I certainly feel that we are a side that can further establish itself in the top 4 and also challenge for the Europa League - not that I want to be in it lol.

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PLAYERS OUT

I got rid of a few squad players but nobody important. Nicolas Haas joined Torino for £2.3m, Leonardo Mancuso joined Venezia for £2m and Giovanni Crociata went to Spezia for £1.1m. None of those ever really had a proper run in the side.

One player who did have a run in the side who is gone is Ibai Gomez who joined Verona for £725,000. At 32y/o he was declining in his abilities and while he wasnt anything special he certainly played an important part in our first season.

Some players who were in my first team squad have departed on loan like Burak Ince, Fabian Parisi and Mattia Viti while Viviani keeps refusing loan deals away.

--

PLAYERS IN

Firstly 2 of my loan players from last season are back (Cutrone and Conceicao were signed on 2 year loans so they are still here anyway) with one returning permanently and another coming back on loan. Claud Adjapong is the one signed on permanently as he joins us from Sassuolo for £2.5m. He did a decent job covering for Fiamozzi last season and tbh he has probably overtaken him ability wise.

Alex Collado is the player returning on loan. I couldnt not go back in for him after a 16 goal season and while I am yet to be convinced that he is my best RW he is certainly going to compete for the position.

My most expensive summer signing to date was that of Daniele Rugani who joins us from Krasnodar for £12.5m. Not only will he instantly be my best CB but he is also a home grown player grown by the club which is an extra added bonus. I expect big things from him and he will be one of my key players for the next couple of years.

I went back to my Red Star Belgrade save to sign my next player. I paid Federico Dimarco from Fiorentina for £7.25m and he will be my new left back. He was immense for me in my previous save and if he can contribute half as much as he did then then we have a top player on our hands!

I needed another RW so I splashed out £4.3m to sign Roma's Carles Perez. He is not a world beater but he is quick and technically gifted plus he can also play at AMC so he should be a decent signing.

Juan Manuel Gutierrez is my new striker to compete with Cutrone. He joined us for £3m and he should develop into a top player. He can finish and is super quick so I expect him to do well here.

Ronaldo Camara is my next signing to unveil and we have got a bargain here as we brought him in on a free transfer. He can play at CM or AMC and he will surely develop into a top, top player. To get such a talented 19y/o on a free transfer is a real coup.

I signed 3 Scandinavian regens but only one is getting a grand reveal. Kjetil Gundersen joins us from Molde for £4m. He is just 17y/o but I am sure that he will soon become a first team regular and tbh he is close to starting this season tbh!!!!

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SEASON AIMS

Having qualified for the Champions League in our last 2 seasons that is the minimum aim for me if not the board. Last summer we barely strengthened the squad but this summer I feel we have moved up a level and if I can manage to bring in 1 or maybe 2 more players then we should be in for a good season.
​

 

[Klippybo]

JULY/AUGUST

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Rugani, Luperto (Caldara), Dimarco, Ricci, Camara, Perez (Gundersen), Vignato, Collado*, Cutrone (Gutierrez)

A fine start to the season!!! We fell behind after only 4min but Claud Adjapong soon had us level and Ronaldo Camara had us ahead at half-time with a debut goal. Samuele Ricci then blasted in a 3rd and although they pulled a goal back we still managed to get a 4th through Vignato and Gutierrez had a debut goal disallowed which was a shame.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong (Fiamozzi), Rugani, Luperto, Dimarco, Ricci, Camara, Collado, Vignato, Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Cutrone (Gutierrez)

This was a thrilling match and our old achilles heel came back to haunt us as once again we conceded a late goal to deny us victroy. We were 2-0 down on 45min but somehow we found ourselves 2-2 at half-time with Camara scoring again and Dimarco rifling in a free-kick. Collado put us in front but we were pegged back in the last minute.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Rugani, Luperto, Dimarco, Ricci, Camara, Collado (Conceicao), Vignato, Vinicius Junior, Cutrone*

We were superb here as we put 4 past newly promoted Torino. Patrick Cutrone helped himself to a hat-trick as he got off the mark for the season and Vignato chipped in with another. We are certainly scoring plenty at the start of this season!!!

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Rugani (Caldara), Luperto (Tonelli), Dimarco, Ricci, Camara, Collado, Vignato, Vinicius Junior*, Cutrone (Gutierrez)

Ronaldo Camara has hit the ground running as his equaliser is already his 3rd goal of the season and Vinicius Junior opened his account for us to get the winner.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong (Fiamozzi), Rugani, Luperto, Dimarco, Ricci (Gundersen*), Camara, Collado, Vignato, Vinicius Junior, Cutrone (Gutierrez)

It is not acceptable that we didnt win this match. We battered Fiorentina here and deservedly took the lead when Gundersen fired in a screamer to put us ahead late on but Fiorentina somehow levelled when Dimarco scored an own goal as yet again we conceded a late goal which is infuriating.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Rugani, Luperto, Dimarco, Ricci (Gundersen), Camara, Collado, Vignato (Perez), Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Cutrone*

Patrick Cutrone scored a brace here and also had a late goal disallowed which denied him his hat-trick which is a shame as that would have meant he would have had 6 goals thanks to 2 hat-tricks lol.

--

SUMMARY

We have had an excellent start to the season! We kicked off in July with 2 tough fixtures but we put 4 past Roma as we beat them and then played out a 3-3 draw against AC Milan. Into August we went and we won 3 out of 4 with us firing in 4 again past Torino but in our draw against Fiorentina we scored a late winner only for it to be cancelled out by a last minute own goal.

In the Champions League we have a half decent draw as we will be up against Liverpool, FC Porto and Rangers.

The takeover attempt was quick to collapse so I went back in for the player whose deal got cancelled so in came Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid on loan. He will be my new left winger which is a bit harsh on Conceicao but he is a level above and he will play a big part this season.

Finally the board have agreed to expand the stadium slightly and also invest in the youth facilities so we are still progressing well as a club.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
FEDERICO DIMARCO

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SERIE A

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[Klippybo]

SEPTEMBER

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong (Fiamozzi), Rugani, Luperto, Dimarco, Ricci, Camara, Collado*, Vignato (Perez), Vinicius Junior, Cutrone (Gutierrez)

A free-kick from Alex Collado was enough for us to defeat Cagliari to maintain our unbeaten record in the league.

--

UEFA Champions League Group B

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Rugani, Luperto, Dimarco (Marchizza), Ricci (Gundersen), Camara, Collado (Conceicao), Perez, Vinicius Junior, Cutrone

Pathetic. Sure I expected to get beat but we didnt turn up and not a single player apart from Ahamada came out with any credit. Collado was disgustingly bad but there were a few others who werent much better.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong (Fiamozzi), Rugani, Luperto, Dimarco, Ricci (Stulac), Camara, Collado*, Vignato (Perez), Vinicius Junior, Cutrone

Easy. Patrick Cutrone has scored 7 league goals this season by scoring a hat-trick and now 2 braces. Collado scored for the 2nd game in a row and Vinicius Junior looked lively too so thats a good sign.

--

UEFA Champions League Group B

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong (Fiamozzi), Rugani, Luperto (Marchizza), Dimarco, Ricci, Camara (Gundersen), Collado, Vignato, Vinicius Junior, Cutrone*

It was imperative that we didnt lose this game after we lost out to Liverpool so I am naturally pleased that we got the win. Ronaldo Camara had a 3rd minute goal disallowed but Cutrone scored the winner after he latched onto a brilliant pass by Vignato.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Rugani, Luperto, Dimarco*, Ricci (Gundersen), Camara, Collado (Conceicao), Vignato, Vinicius Junior, Cutrone (Gutierrez)

A decent result. We fell behind and seen a Collado goal disallowed but by 70min we were ahead as Dimarco assisted Vinicius Junior for 2 goals but surprise surprise we conceded a late goal which sees us drop 2pts.

--

UEFA Champions League Group B

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Rugani, Luperto, Dimarco (Marchizza), Ricci, Camara, Collado, Vignato, Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Cutrone*

As you may know that as an Aberdeen fan I naturally cant stand Rangers so to wipe the floor with them here brings a smile to my face. We now have 5 goals in this seasons Champions League and Cutrone has 4 of them.

--

SUMMARY

We end this month still unbeaten domestically this season as we won twice and drew with Atalanta so after 9 games of the season we are in 3rd place and it is just ourselves and Inter who are unbeaten but Inter spent a staggering £312m in the summer!!!! We are still progressing as a club and also individually and that all bodes well for the future. Baby steps.

In the Champions League Liverpool easily beat us 3-1 as we didnt turn up and were easily swotted aside but we went on to edge out FC Porto 1-0 at home and then easily beat Rangers so we are on course for qualifying for the knockout rounds.

We have been drawn against Bologna in the Coppa Italia and next month is the last month before we take a 2 month break for the World Cup!

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
PATRICK CUTRONE

--

SERIE A

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[Klippybo]

OCTOBER-JANUARY

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Rugani (Caldara), Luperto, Dimarco, Ricci, Camara (Bajrami), Collado*, Vignato, Vinicius Junior, Gutierrez (Pulvirenti)

Goals galore here!!! We romped into a 4 goal lead within 18min but then took our foot off the pedal and despite Ricci scoring a screamer they scored 3 to give themselves a sense of respectability. I rested Cutrone and we still managed to score 5 but his replacement, Gutierrez, had a poor game.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Rugani (Marchizza), Luperto, Dimarco, Ricci (Stulac), Gundersen (Bajrami), Collado, Vignato, Vinicius Junior, Cutrone

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

WHAT A RESULT!!!!!!

We beat moneybags Inter Milan in a thrilling encounter. Cutrone had us 2 up and they pulled a goal back but on the stroke of half-time Adjapong struck a 3rd for us. We kept going forward and played so well which was proved that despite a defeat, their keeper got the MOM award. They did pull a goal back and then Cutrone missed a penalty to deny him his hat-trick but we held on for a momentous victory.

--

UEFA Champions League Group B

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong (Fiamozzi), Rugani, Luperto, Dimarco, Ricci, Gundersen, Collado, Vignato, Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Cutrone (Gutierrez)

I am not happy with this result as we battered Rangers yet we didnt take our chances and that combined with defensive sloppiness cost us. We are still 4pts clear of 3rd place though.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Rugani, Luperto, Dimarco, Ricci (Gundersen), Camara, Collado, Vignato (Perez), Vinicius Junior, Cutrone (Gutierrez)

Our first defeat of the league season and it is totally undeserved as we were the better side which is some accomplishment away to Juventus but we came unstuck thanks to a Luperto own goal and a free kick from Ziyech late on. Juventus now leap above us in the table.

--

UEFA Champions League Group B

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong (Fiamozzi), Rugani, Luperto, Dimarco, Ricci, Camara (Gundersen), Collado, Vignato, Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Cutrone*

We certainly dont do boring!!!! We get a fantastic victory against Liverpool here as we edge out a 7 goal thriller which qualifies us into the knockout rounds of the Champions League. We probably wont top the group but we are on 10pts so my players have done very well.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Rugani, Luperto, Dimarco*, Ricci (Gundersen), Camara (Viviani), Collado, Vignato, Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Cutrone

Tremendous!!!! We put Napoli to the sword and thumped them by 4 goals to 1 and we played some terrific stuff. We were 3-0 up at half-time and cruising and the only disappointment was that Vinicius Junior went off injured and will be out for over a month but in effect he will only miss 1 game!

--

UEFA Champions League Group B

Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi (Berardi), Caldara, Tonelli (Garcia), Marchizza, Stulac, Gundersen, Perez, Bajrami, Conceicao, Gutierrez (Pulvirenti)

With us already knowing that 2nd place was ours I played my backups here and they were ******* rubbish. Would I have been better playing my first team and possibly getting a result and therefore earning some prize money? Anyways we were shocking.

This match was played in early November so we now have a break until January.

--

SUMMARY

So much news to tell you about!!!!!

Firstly events on the field. We had 4 league games and won 3 and lost 1 but our wins were superb as we crashed in 5 past Sampdoria, put 3 past Inter (who had only conceded 2 previously) and hit Napoli for 4 but we lost 2-0 to Juventus in a game which we were the better side so somehow we have seen ourselves drop down a spot in the table!

In Europe we beat Liverpool 4-3 at home but then played my backups against FC Porto and we were easily beaten but 2nd place was secured and we will play Man Utd in the next round.

Now for off the field news............

We have new owners!!!!!!! 2 consortiums went in for the club. One promised a new stadium but that one fell through but the other consortium won the day and while not being a tycoon he promised to make a difference to the club. He pumped £11m into the bank balance, improved the training facilities, increased the wage budget and then bid over £65m for 2 players - Pedro Goncalves of Sporting Lisbon and Hicham Boudaoui of Nice but I thankfully was able to pull out of those deals.

No doubt those 2 players would have walked into my first team but I want to be in control of the signings and dont want to go from £55m in the bank to being in deficit.

Could be interesting in the future!

Incidentally Holland beat France 2-0 in the World Cup final.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
PATRICK CUTRONE

--

SERIE A

​

 

[Klippybo]

JANUARY

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong (Fiamozzi), Rugani, Luperto, Dimarco, Ricci, Camara (Collado), Perez (Conceicao), Vignato, Vinicius Junior, Cutrone*

I am not happy with our comeback match at all! We were 2-0 up and cruising but we let things slip in the 2nd half and only managed to get a draw against a Bologna side battling against relegation.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Rugani (Garcia), Luperto, Dimarco, Ricci, Camara, Perez (Collado), Vignato, Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Cutrone*

Cutrone scores another double as we easily beat Parma and he now has 20 goals for the season. I had planned on getting him on a pre-contract but he has extended his contract with Wolves the ******!

--

Coppa Italia 1st Round

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Rugani, Luperto (Garcia), Dimarco, Ricci, Camara (Bajrami), Perez, Vignato, Vinicius Junior (Collado), Cutrone*

Yet another double for Cutrone!!!! He is on fire and his goals here send us into a quarter-final tie against Roma.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong (Fiamozzi), Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco, Ricci, Camara, Perez (Collado), Vignato, Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Cutrone

This win for Lazio puts them top of the league and although they scored 4 and it looks like a thumping we were actually by far the better side. We fell behind but were leading at half-time but in the 2nd half we collapsed defensively and conceded 3 much to my annoyance.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong (Fiamozzi), Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco*, Ricci, Camara (Gundersen), Perez (Collado), Vignato, Vinicius Junior, Cutrone

Venezia came into this match bottom of the table and having lost each of their last 6 matches and although the scoreline was narrow here this was a comfortable victory for us with yet another double scored by Patrick Cutrone.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Luperto, Dimarco, Ricci (Gundersen), Camara, Collado (Conceicao), Vignato (Perez), Vinicius Junior, Cutrone

I am ******* livid with this result. For the 2nd time this month we have thrown away a comfortable 2 goal lead to draw a game against a side in the bottom 5 of the table and it is just not on!

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco, Ricci, Camara (Gundersen), Collado, Vignato (Bajrami), Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Cutrone

**** RIGHT OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a sore fist now after punching the kitchen table very, very, hard. After throwing away a 2 goal lead in our last match my players decided to go one better and throw away a 3 goal lead here. An absolute ******* joke.

Heads will roll for this.

6pts this month needlessly thrown away. Add those 6pts onto our tally and we would be 2nd but as it is we are 5th, 3pts off Lazio in 4th who have a game in hand.

--

Coppa Italia Quarter-Final

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong (Fiamozzi), Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco, Ricci, Camara (Gundersen), Collado, Vignato (Bajrami), Vinicius Junior, Cutrone

Pathetic. Disgusting. Time for a formation change.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Luperto, Marchizza (Chirio), Garcia, Ricci, Camara (Gundersen), Vignato (Collado), Vinicius Junior, Cutrone

I am not going to judge my new formation on the strength of a match away to Roma when we are in a terrible run of form. How we scored 3 is beyond me as they should have had 20.

--

SUMMARY

This was a month from ****. It was really atrocious. We started as we meant to go on as we threw away a 2 goal lead against Bologna to draw and then later on in the month we did the same against Udinese and in our very next game we threw away a 3 goal lead against Genoa which is just embarrassing. We did pick up wins against Parma and Venezia while Bologna were defeated in the cup but we were then knocked out by Roma and they also beat us in the league as did their city rivals Lazio.

We have 3 wins in 9 in the league and at the moment look like we are going to struggle for the Champions League which considering our start is quite a drop! With that I have decided to change formation for the rest of the season. In a bold move I am getting rid of my AMC and going to change that into a DMC and 16y/o youth graduate Pierre Garcia is going into the side. It will hopefully shore us up defensively as this month alone in the league we scored 17 but also conceded the same amount!!!!!

Regarding transfers I sold Mattia Caldara to Sampdoria for £3.5m and also stalwart Lorenzo Tonelli to Genoa for £1.1m. Leo Stulac joined Changchun for £850,000 while the hapless Carles Perez joined Venezia on loan and that deal will be made permanent in the summer - good riddance to him!!!!!!

Incoming on deadline day to cover the new DMC in my formation is Barcelona midfielder Jandro Orellana on loan. He is decent and a cheap short term option in this mini experiment.

We did manage to pull off a great coup by signing Zinho Vanheusden from Inter Milan for £4.3m. I didnt really need a CB but to bring him in at such a cheap price was too good a deal to turn down and he will slot in alongside Rugani in the centr of my defence.

I also arranged a cracking deal for a pre-contract signing and also a non-eu signing for next season which I am excited about but that is for the future!!!!!

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
PATRICK CUTRONE

--

SERIE A

​

 

[Klippybo]

FEBRUARY

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden*, Rugani, Dimarco, Garcia (Orellana), Ricci, Camara (Gundersen), Vignato, Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Cutrone

This makes a nice change as we spring the comeback as we bounce back from 2-0 down to salvage a point. We now are without a win in 4 league games. Cutrone scored his 30th goal of the season and he has scored in his last 9 league games which is pretty astonishing.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani (Luperto), Dimarco*, Garcia (Orellana), Ricci, Camara, Vignato, Vinicius Junior, Cutrone

We get back to winning ways which I am thankful for but I am annoyed that we didnt keep a clean sheet tbh. Cutrone's run of goals in the league ends but he did assist the 2nd goal.

--

UEFA Champions League 1st Round 1st Leg

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong (Fiamozzi), Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco, Garcia, Ricci, Camara, Vignato, Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Cutrone (Gutierrez)

We arent going through then!!!! So much for my new formation helping us defensively! That being said they have loads of world class attackers but I expect better.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco (Marchizza), Garcia, Ricci, Camara*, Vignato (Collado), Vinicius Junior, Cutrone (Gutierrez)

I would have been raging had we not won this game but Vinicius Junior popped up with a winner 4 minutes into stoppage time just 2min after they got an undeserved equaliser. Thank god!!!!!

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco, Garcia, Ricci, Camara*, Vignato (Collado), Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Cutrone (Gutierrez)

I am delighted with this victory as to win away to Fiorentina and keeping an all to rare clean sheet to boost is quite an accomplishment given our recent run of form. Vinicius Junior put us ahead and he has scored in our last 3 league games and then in the last minute Gutierrez scored the clincher to finally get his first goal for the club.

--

SUMMARY

This month was far better! Domestically it was fantastic as we drew against AC Milan, coming back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2, before winning our next 3 games including a great away victory over Fiorentina to haul us back into contention for a Champions League spot. Vinicius Junior was in fine scoring form and Ronaldo Camara picked up his form too.

In the Champions League we arent going to reach the quarter-finals as Man Utd humiliated us 6-2 at home to all but eliminate us from the tournament.

We go into next month high on confidence and we have another golden generation coming through in our youth ranks apparently!!!!

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
RONALDO CAMARA

--

SERIE A

​

 

[Klippybo]

MARCH

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco, Garcia, Ricci (Viviani), Camara, Vignato, Vinicius Junior, Cutrone*

Sassuolo came into this game having lost all of their last 7 games and we made it 8 here. Cutrone scored a superb hat-trick but it was Ronaldo Camara who scored the best goal as he fired in from 25 yards.

--

UEFA Champions League 1st Round 2nd Leg

Lineup - Ahamada, Fiamozzi, Vanheusden, Luperto, Marchizza, Orellana (Viviani), Bajrami (Garcia), Gundersen, Collado, Conceicao, Gutierrez (Pulvirenti)

With us all but out I played my backups here and tbh it went better than expected although a 10-4 aggregate defeat isnt something to be proud of. Marchizza scored his first goal for the club here and it was a screamer from 30 yards!

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani (Luperto), Dimarco (Marchizza), Garcia, Ricci (Gundersen), Camara, Vignato, Vinicius Junior, Cutrone*

This makes it 5 wins in a row now in the league as we seem to have hit top form and are now used to this formation. Cutrone scored both the goals to make it 5 in 2 league games and 35 in all competitions this season.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Luperto, Dimarco*, Garcia, Ricci, Camara, Vignato (Collado), Vinicius Junior, Cutrone (Gutierrez)

You would think that this would have been a good day for Samuele Ricci as he scored 2 goals in our 3-1 victory but not so. He didnt get the MOM award and he was taken off injured and will be out for a month!!! 6 wins in a row now in the league.

--

SUMMARY

We just had the 4 games this month but we won all 3 of our league games so naturally I am dleighted with that as it means we are in 4th spot on merit and now we have to keep it. To be fair we are within 8pts of top spot and while that is an unrealistic dream at the minute it goes to show that if we hadnt given away all those comfortbale leads in January the gap would have been just 2pts and we would be right in the mix for the title.

We crashed out of Europe against Man Utd unsurprisingly and in the youth intake I was a tad disappointed given that it was billed as a golden generation for the club but there was one decent central midfielder.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
SAMUELE RICCI

--

SERIE A

​

 

[Klippybo]

APRIL

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco (Marchizza), Garcia, Collado, Camara, Vignato (Conceicao), Vinicius Junior, Cutrone (Gutierrez*)

7 wins in a row!!!!! This game burst into life in the final 20min. Gutierrez came off the bench to put us ahead and when Vinicius Junior made it 2-0 it was game over but we did what we do best and threw it away in stoppage time but thankfully Gutierrez chipped their keeper in the 93rd minute for a sensational winner. Gutierrez has struggled this season so it was a magical moment for him.

--

Lineup - Lukov, Fiamozzi, Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco (Marchizza), Garcia, Collado (Gundersen), Camara, Vignato, Vinicius Junior, Cutrone (Gutierrez)

After 7 wins in a row we fall to defeat here. Gutierrez came off the bench to equalise but we soon conceded again and we couldnt get back into it. Ahamada was injured so Lukov made his debut in goal here.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco, Garcia, Collado (Gundersen), Camara, Vignato, Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Cutrone (Gutierrez)

You have got to be ******* kidding me. When Gutierrez came off the bench to score on the 85th minute to put us 2 up it was game over. You know what happened next. A ******* joke.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco, Garcia (Orellana), Collado (Ricci), Camara, Vignato, Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Gutierrez

Meh. Victory was never likely and although I dropped Cutrone for Gutierrez and was rewarded with a stunning goal we fell to defeat and are now without a win in 3 league games.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco, Garcia, Ricci (Gundersen), Camara (Collado), Vignato, Vinicius Junior, Gutierrez (Cutrone)

Yet another late goal conceded sends us to defeat. We did deserve to lose and thought we had escaped with a point but it was not to be. Both sides had goals disallowed - Cutrone for us.

3 defeats in 4 and no wins in 4...........

--

SUMMARY

This month was a bad one for sure as we were made to pay for throwing away leads and conceding late goals which is so infuriating!!!! We beat Atalanta despite getting clawed back from 2 down and then we disappointingly lost to Sampdoria which put us into the next 3 fixtures against the top 3 in the league behind the 8 ball. Against Lazio we were 2-0 up with 1min to go and ended up drawing and then we followed that up by losing to Inter Milan and Juventus with Juventus scoring a last minute winner.

Sure the fixtures were tough but we should have at least 10-12 more points than we do have. Our next match is away to Napoli so the fixture list is still tough but it does then ease a bit thankfully.

We finally saw the emergence of Gutierrez this month as he came off the bench to score 4 goals in 3 games which rewarded him with a start against Inter and he scored a screamer. I will need a new striker next season so he is playing for his future here.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
JUAN MANUEL GUTIERREZ

--

SERIE A

​

 

[Klippybo]

MAY

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco (Marchizza), Garcia, Ricci, Camara, Vignato (Collado), Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Gutierrez

4 defeats in 5 now and no win in 5. Sure we have had some horrible fixtures but we need to pick things up and pick things up quick! We have now dropped out of a Champions League spot.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Marchizza, Garcia (Orellana), Ricci, Camara (Gundersen), Vignato, Vinicius Junior (Conceicao), Gutierrez*

We needed this win badly and we got it thanks to 2 fine finishes from Gutierrez. Cutrone is the top scorer in the country but he is getting kept out of the side which is pretty ridiculous! I am almost as pleased with the clean sheet as I am with the victory lol.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Marchizza, Garcia (Orellana), Ricci, Camara (Gundersen), Vignato, Vinicius Junior, Gutierrez (Cutrone*)

When my former on loan player, Eddie Salcedo, scored in the 89th minute to put them ahead I was raging but at least for once we rescued a point from a certain defeat when Cutrone netted in stoppage time. Still a disappointing result though and it harms our Champions League chances.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Marchizza, Garcia (Viviani), Ricci (Gundersen), Camara (Bajrami), Vignato, Vinicius Junior, Gutierrez*

Gutierrez scored a superb hat-trick to down Venezia here and although Lazio lost, Roma won so with 2 games to play we are 2pts behind the Rome clubs for a Champions League spot.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Marchizza (Luperto), Viviani, Ricci (Bajrami), Camara*, Vignato (Collado), Vinicius Junior, Gutierrez

Our away form has been pretty poor so this is a good win and to make it even better Lazio lost so we are now back in the Champions League spots. All we have to do is win our final league game to be sure of it.

--

Lineup - Ahamada, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Marchizza (Luperto), Viviani, Ricci (Gundersen), Camara, Vignato*, Vinicius Junior, Gutierrez (Cutrone)

We get the win to secure Champions League football and not only that, due to Roma's defeat, we finish 3rd in the table!!!! Part of me thinks we deserve this but another part of me wonders how we managed it lol. Patrick Cutrone came off the bench to get the winner so if this is his last game for us it is a fitting end.

--

SUMMARY

We lost the opening game of the month to Napoli but thankfully we recovered to win 4 and draw 1 of our last 5 league games which in the end was good enough for a Champions League spot but it was a close run thing. It wasnt pretty though as all the victories were close run things apart from the 3-0 win over Venezia when Gutierrez scored a hat-trick so in a perverse way I was pleased to see that my team was able to grind out the results.

Off the pitch I changed my assistant manager and it is none other than Hansi Flick the current Germany manager in real life. Hopefully he will improve the coaching side and help us in game regarding opposition instructions and in game changes. Also my board have decided to lay plans to build a new stadium thus cancelling the move to expand our current 16,000 stadium.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
EMANUEL VIGNATO

--

SERIE A

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[Klippybo]

END OF SEASON POST

Another season has gone by and it was much like the others as we finished 3rd in the league to get a Champions League spot, did nothing in the Coppa Italia and in the Champions League we got to the 1st knockout round. We finished 14pts off the top and it really should have been closer as we threw so many 2 or 3 goal leads away so while we have never been close to winning the title we are just missing something to take the next leap.

Defensively we certainly need to improve. I changed my formation slightly to be a bit more careful but it made no difference as we still conceded far too many goals as 59 conceded for a 3rd placed side is not good enough but we were top scorers with 88 and in Patrick Cutrone we had the European Golden Boot winner.

We were pretty consistent all the way through the season except we had 2 horror months in January and in April where our form just bottomed out and naturally we threw away several leads and conceded so many late goals.

We reached the Coppa Italia quarter finals before being dumped out by Roma and in the Champions League we finished 2nd in our group before we got thumped 10-4 on aggregate by Man Utd who eventually finished as runners-up.

--

SERIE A

--

FIRST TEAM SQUAD

Goalkeepers - Ali Ahamada played all but 1 match but he dipped in form and tbh I think his time at the club is up as I can remember a few mistakes which proved to be costly. Martin Lukov stood in for the 1 game but I think I am going to get rid of him too tbh lol.

Defenders - Claud Adjapong turned his loan deal into a permanent one and he held down the RB spot and overall he did quite well and scored 3 goals which is not too bad. My left back was Federico Dimarco and he was superb with 4 goals and an astonishing 17 assists! He popped up with the odd free-kick goal and he has proved to be a snip at £7.25m.

At CB I started the season with a pairing of Rugani and Luperto and both underperformed slightly tbh and in January I strengthened that area with Zinho Vanheusden and he was superb. We are very strong at CB tbh as we also have Marchizza who was used as a backup LB and before they were sold on mid season was Tonelli and Caldara.

Midfielders - Samuele Ricci kept his place in the side and was average but Ronaldo Camara came into the side and was superb and with 7 goals he did quite well. Gundersen is a top prospect and needs more starts while Viviani and Bajrami basically made token sub appearances.

Vinicius Junior was my LW and while he scored 11 goals he was a tad disappointing in all honesty while Francisco Conceicao hardly got a look in and was basically a sub which was disappointing and he will go back to FC Porto in the summer but I wish him well. On the other side we had Alex Collado back on loan but he didnt hit the heights of the previous year and then after our horrid spell in January I made a tactical change.

Vignato was playing as a AMC and 4 goals is pathetic from him but 17 assists is fantastic but when I changed formation he was moved out to the RW and I then employed a DMC and I took a risk to put in 16y/o rookie Pierre Garcia. He struggled tbh but he kicked on in his development hugely and now I have a decision to make - keep the new formation or go back to what I know and train Garcia up as a CB.....

Forwards - Patrick Cutrone was on fire and he won the European Golden Boot but he hardly played in the final couple of months! He scored 38 goals in all competitions and he will go back to Wolves after 3 seasons on loan here with our best wishes. Juan Manuel Gutierrez really struggled for 6 months or so and then all of a sudden he was on fire and he couldnt stop scoring and he ended up with 11 goals which is not too shabby. He will be kept on next season now as I was thinking of loaning him out.

My Player of the Season - Federico Dimarco
My Young Player of the Season - Ronaldo Camara
Must Do Better - Daniele Rugani
Donkey of the Season - Nedim Bajrami

--

PRE-SEASON AIMS

I have 1 player coming in who I am extremely excited about that is pre-arranged and with around £35-40m to spend I have room to make a few changes and several are required to be made. Conceicao, Cutrone, Vinicius Junior, Collado and Orellana will all be leaving and I cant see any of them coming back so that is 5 players that are needing to be replaced before I chop and change my first team squad with permanent signings!!!!​

 

[ShayanBakhtiari]

I've signed Ibai Gomez for my team LOSC Lille as a backup winger in January. In my second season, both of my first team wingers injured right at the beginning of the league. And Ibai really saved me to keep going and fighting for top of the table ! He's a fine player.

 

[Klippybo]

View attachment 563705

PRE-SEASON POST

To say I have been busy is a bit of a understatement! I have signed 20 players at a cost of £49m and going the other way is 18 players for £28.5m and that includes loan deals. I broke the clubs transfe record to sign a player and tbh I am delighted with how the squad has taken shape. My only worry is that with about a dozen new players for the first team squad it may take a while for my players to gel.

I have also decided to go back to my original formation so young Pierre Garcia will not be a first choice player anymore and will be a backup CB to get some experience.

Here are the players we are saying farewell to.....

--

PLAYERS OUT

The most expensive sale was that of Riccardo Marchizza to Juventus for an initial £15m which could rise to £17.5m. That is a great bit of business for us as he was my backup LB and barely played last season and in all made 108 appearances, scoring 1 goal.

Nedim Bajrami (59 apps, 4 goals) was sold to Anderlecht for £3.6m and the useless Carles Perez joined Venezia for £3m which was part of the loan deal. I sold a young player for £1.9m and several other people who havent featured in the first team.

Ali Ahamada has gone though. My keeper joined Lorient for a cut price £625,000. He made 133 appearances for the club and he was a great free transfer signing. Viviani was sold to Benevento while Fiamozzi has joined them on loan. Fabiano Parisi has joined Genoa on loan while Martin Lukov also left.

Finally all of my on loan players from last season have gone back to their parent clubs.

--

PLAYERS IN

Where to start? lol

How about the 2 deals I had pre-arranged? The one I am most excited of was the pre-contract signing of Ryan Gravenberch from Ajax. The 21y/o is a top player who can play naturally at CM or AMC and to get him on a free is a real coup. He should develop into a world class player.

Next up is a pint sized Brazilian full back called Jorge. I had my eye on this lad for a while and made the move when Flamengo lowered their price. I paid £5.5m for him and the 18y/o has a bright future ahead of him but he will find it tough trying to edge Federico Dimarco out of the team!

We managed to replace the departing Patrick Cutrone with a fellow Italian international striker in Moise Kean who Juventus had transfer listed for £5.25m for some reason so I snapped him up quickly. To get a current, young, Italian international for much cheapness is a great piece of business and I expect big things from him.

He wasnt the only bargain Italian international that I brought in! Sassuolo got relegated so I had a peek at their squad and discovered that they were somehow willing to part with Domenico Berardi for just £3.9m! He will play RW for me and being one of my more experienced players he will have a key role within the squad.

I needed 2 new keepers and they were both Italian too although not internationals. I shelled out £9m to Sampdoria for Emil Audero and then chucked AC Milan £425,000 for Alessandro Plizzari. Naturally Audero will be first choice and at 26y/o he is a decent age and has the best years of his career ahead of him.

2 wingers for you now. Both are Portuguese and one is someone who is a familiar face. Rony Lopes joins us from Napoli for £4.9m and there is another loan spell for Francisco Conceicao! He will have a 4th year at the club and while he barely featured last season my budget was running out so I brought him back to the club.

While I am unveiling signings in pairs here is 2 free transfers from Barcelona. Pere Mateos will challenge for the RB spot and Pep Monino has been loaned out to Eibar. Both are 19y/o regens and have bright futures ahead of them.

Now for a huge free transfer signing as Dani Ceballos joined us from Real Madrid. I wasnt aware he was available on a free but I stumbled across him on a random player search and jumped at the chance to sign the classy midfielder.

Still not finished yet! While I signed a few youngsters for the reserves and youth team I have 2 more first teamers to unveil. The first one is Marcel Wenig who joins us from Bayern Munich for £1.9m. To get a wonderkid so cheaply is pretty rare and he will compete for the attacking midfield places.

Finally our new club record signing!!!!! With Kean signed up and with Gutierrez also in the squad I felt that I needed another striker (tbh I completely forgot about Berardi lol) and I moved for a Czech wonderkid. I splashed out £13m on 17y/o Lukas Palinek from Slavia Prague and he looks like he could become a super player. Despite being my club record signing he wont be first choice but he will get game time. The fact that he already has 2 international caps says it all at such a young age.

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SQUAD/SEASON AIMS

No doubt my squad is far, far stronger but as I said with so many new faces it could take a while to get into our stride. We have a new keeper, an entirely new midfield and a new strikeforce!!! When I say an entirely new midfield Camara and VIgnato are still going to be playing but in different roles as I will start out with Ceballos and Gravenberch at CM, Camara at AMC, Vignato on the left and Berardi on the right.

As for season aims a top 4 finish is a must and while Europe will take care of itself I want to do better in the Coppa Italia and maybe reach the semis for the first time.​

 

[Klippybo]

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

Lineup - Audero, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco (Jorge), Ceballos, Gravenberch, Berardi (Rony Lopes), Camara*, Vignato, Kean (Palinek)

Who said it would take time for my new players to gel? We were superb here and Ronaldo Camara led us to victory with a stunning goal and an assist for Vignato. I handed out 7 debuts here. This was our only match in August.

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Lineup - Audero, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco (Jorge), Ceballos, Gravenberch, Berardi, Camara, Vignato (Rony Lopes), Kean (Gutierrez)

This was a tough match and a draw was probably a fair result although they did have a late goal disallowed. Kean and Berardi werent fully fit but Berardi still managed to last the full 90min and he opened his account for the club in the first half.

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Lineup - Audero, Adjapong (Mateos), Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco (Jorge), Ceballos, Gravenberch, Berardi, Wenig (Ricci), Vignato, Kean

We dominated the game but never looked convincing. Individually the performances wasnt up to scratch and I dont know what has happened to Dimarco but he has been shocking!

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UEFA Champions League Group H

Lineup - Audero, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco, Ceballos, Gravenberch (Ricci), Berardi (Rony Lopes), Wenig (Conceicao), Vignato, Kean

Meh. Victory was never really on the cards here however we were actually the better side! Moise Kean scored against his old club to open his account for us which is pleasing.

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Lineup - Audero, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani (Luperto), Dimarco, Ceballos*, Gravenberch, Berardi, Wenig, Vignato (Conceicao), Kean (Palinek)

We were totally dominant here and fully deserved our 3-0 victory. Berardi struck twice as he continues his good start and Dani Ceballos scored a screamer too. Moise Kean has been struggling in the league so far which is disappointing.

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Lineup - Audero, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani (Luperto), Dimarco, Ceballos, Ricci (Gundersen), Berardi, Gravenberch, Vignato (Rony Lopes), Kean*

Moise Kean has been playing in his preferred role as a pressing forward but I decided to play him as I prefer to play my striker as an advanced forward and he was rewarded with a goal and the MOM award.

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Lineup - Audero, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani (Luperto), Dimarco, Ceballos, Gravenberch, Berardi, Camara (Wenig), Vignato (Rony Lopes*), Kean

A goal and an assist for Moise Kean here as we come from behind to defeat Sampdoria. We were pretty poor for the first hour and were a goal down but Kean levelled and he set up Rony Lopes for the winner as he dinked the ball over their keeper.

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SUMMARY

We have had a decent start to the season. We opened the season by getting a fantastic 2-0 away victory over Napoli but they are currently bottom of the table so maybe it wasnt such an achievement. We drew our next 2 league games but won our following 3 so we are in a healthy place in the league.

In the Champions League we lost 3-2 at home to PSG despite having the better of the game but in all honesty 3rd place is the best that we will get as alongside PSG we have Real Madrid and Dinamo Zagreb.

Regarding the transfer window there were no more changes although I did reject a £15.75m bid for Samuele Ricci from Lazio. I appointed a few more new coaches including Shay Given as a goalkeeping coach and thats about that!

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
DOMENICO BERARDI

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SERIE A

​

 

[Klippybo]

OCTOBER

UEFA Champions League Group H

Lineup - Audero, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco (Jorge), Ceballos, Gravenberch (Ricci), Berardi (Rony Lopes), Camara, Vignato, Kean

We were taught a lesson here. They were all over us and could have scored much more but they settled for 3. Ronaldo Camara pulled one back with a screamer and it was funny to see my former loanee, Vinicius Junior, get sent-off late on.

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Lineup - Audero, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Dimarco, Ceballos, Gravenberch, Berardi, Camara (Ricci), Vignato (Rony Lopes), Kean (Gutierrez)

We arguably deserved a point on how the game went but a wonder goal from Tammy Abraham (he loves scoring against us) and a defensive lapse cost us.

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Lineup - Audero, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Jorge (Dimarco), Ceballos, Gravenberch (Ricci), Berardi, Camara*, Vignato, Kean (Palinek)

Vignato to the rescue!!! We should have had the game killed off long before then and when they equalised I was fuming but then we got the winner when Vignato headed in a Dimarco corner.

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UEFA Champions League Group H

Lineup - Audero, Adjapong, Vanheusden (Luperto), Rugani, Jorge, Ceballos, Gravenberch, Berardi*, Camara, Vignato, Kean

It was imperative that we won this match to stake our claim for 3rd place at least and we did just that. Kean scored a much needed double and Ronaldo Camara popped up with another goal.

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Lineup - Audero, Adjapong (Mateos), Vanheusden, Rugani, Jorge, Ceballos, Gravenberch (Gundersen), Berardi (Rony Lopes), Camara, Vignato, Kean

I am happy with this point for sure even though we were the better side. Vignato put us ahead with an incredible strike but we were pegged back when Boga broke free to score.

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SUMMARY

We had some tough fixtures this month as we had Real Madrid, Roma and AC Milan all away from home. In the end we lost 2 of those fixtures and drew the other so while it wasnt great it wasnt a disaster either. The month would have been a total blow out however had Vignato not scored a stoppage time winner in the league game against Torino!

In the Champions League if we beat Dinamo Zagreb at home 3rd place in the group is all but ours and then it is all about how we do against PSG and Real Madrid in the final 2 games.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
RONALDO CAMARA

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SERIE A

​

 

[Klippybo]

NOVEMBER

Lineup - Audero, Mateos, Vanheusden (Garcia), Rugani, Jorge, Ceballos, Gravenberch, Berardi, Camara, Vignato, Kean*

A comfortable win. Moise Kean scored twice to double his tally for the league this season - lets hope he will now go on a scoring run!

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UEFA Champions League Group H

Lineup - Audero, Mateos, Vanheusden, Rugani, Jorge*, Ceballos (Ricci), Gravenberch, Berardi (Rony Lopes), Camara, Vignato, Kean (Gutierrez)

This was a lot tougher than expected as we missed a load of chances to kill the game off. Vignato ended up scoring the only goal of the game and the win pretty much means that we will have European football of some sort after Christmas. We are actually 2nd in the group but we have 2 tough fixtures upcoming.

--

Lineup - Audero*, Mateos, Vanheusden, Rugani, Jorge, Ceballos (Ricci), Gravenberch (Gundersen), Berardi, Camara (Conceicao), Vignato, Kean

We werent at our best here but we got the win thanks to a stunning effort from Vignato. Audero made some key saves and fully deserves his MOM award.

--

Lineup - Audero, Mateos (Adjapong), Vanheusden (Garcia), Rugani, Jorge, Ceballos, Gravenberch (Gundersen), Berardi, Camara*, Vignato, Kean

We were excellent here and fully deserved the margin of victory even though it took them to have a man sent-off and 2 late goals to get there. Vignato was superb and he linked up well with Moise Kean throughout.

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UEFA Champions League Group H

Lineup - Audero, Adjapong, Vanheusden, Rugani, Jorge (Dimarco), Ceballos, Gravenberch, Berardi (Rony Lopes), Camara, Vignato (Conceicao), Kean

We gave it our best shot here and actually had a late equaliser disallowed unfortunately but alas it was not to be. If we are to progress into the next round we have to beat Real Madrid and hope that PSG lose to Dinamo.

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SUMMARY

We had an excellent month with only a defeat against PSG being the only blot on the copybook. We won all 3 league games to push ourselves up to 2nd place but we are still 6pts behind Roma who have had an amazing start to the season themselves. Despite the good form I am still not happy with several individuals. Gravenberch has been pretty shocking tbh, Ceballos has been disappointing and so has Vanheusden.

Emanuel Vignato has really come on leaps and bounds and with 8 goals has already doubled his tally from last season!

The board have also increased my wage budget a fair bit and now all of a sudden I have £14m to spend! That is naturally encouraging but I am not sure who to spend it on lol.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
MOISE KEAN

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SERIE A

​