El Capità: a new beginning

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Carles Puyol is reportedly the number one target for Premier League champions Leicester City who have been looking intensively into signing the former Barcelona defender following his comments about possibly becoming a manager in the future. Marcelino, the Villareal manager, was in the hot seat to take over at the King Power Stadium with Craig Shakespeare, who led Leicester to beat Liverpool 3-1 with a double from Vardy last night, right behind him. The Leicester saga continues and following their incredible win yesterday, it looks like the champions could prove us all wrong yet again and not get relegated and get into a good run of form once again. Will Puyol bring defensive experience and save Leicester? Will Marcelino bring his experience from Spain and save Leicester? Or will Shakespeare be the one to save Leicester after having been with the club for so long? More to come in the following days...
 
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By Andrew Smith
Last updated: 31/03/17, 7:54am

Puyol ditches Leicester and signs with one of the clubs he supports!

View attachment 103177Nope, it's not Barcelona!
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In an incredible turn of events, Barcelona legend Carles Puyol has secured his first job as a manager. Just when he was expected to sign with Premier League champions Leicester after he met with the owners earlier this year, one of the club he has openly supported just announced on Twitter that he would be joining them and signing a two-year contract with the club. Welcome to AC Milan, El Capità!

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Puyol will reportedly earn £18,500 a week, a pretty low salary considering the amount of money he would have been earning at Leicester was about 2 times higher, but it's good to see an ex-footballer choose passion over money, something that a man like Puyol has done consistently over his career as a player as well. The official press-conference is scheduled in a couple of days and will see the Spaniard be officially presented as the AC Milan manager for at least the next two seasons. Milan are currently sitting in 8th in the Serie A after 29 games and assigning Puyol as their new manager comes in very close to the end of the season as Milan will hope to be able to qualify for the Europa League maybe even the Champions League before the end of the season.
 
Last edited:
31.03.2017

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First team 2016/17

Goalkeepers

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Defenders

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Midfielders

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Attackers

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Formation

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So this is the team that I've inherited. I have to say, we have some absolutely incredible young players and a very exciting team. Having always supported AC Milan (except when they played against Barcelona, obviously), this is a true honour for me and I really can't wait to get started with this team, especially when I look at that front 4 and see so much talent. Hopefully the midfielders behind them can hold the fort and the defence can concede as least as possible. The board wants me to play attacking football and I think with this formation, we should definitely be an attacking threat. Now, on to our first game against Pescara away from home!
 
02/04/2017

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Smashing debut for Puyol as AC Milan manager

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AC Milan claimed their first win in over a month during Puyol's managerial debut and it was definitely a game to remember for the Spaniard. Despite finishing the game a man down after captain Montolivo was sent off in the 71st minute, another man who will be remembered in this match is Carlos Bacca who scored his first hat-trick of the season and brings Milan up the 7th place just below the European spots for next year. Having not played in Europe since the 2012/2013 season when they finished 3rd in the league, a European qualification would be huge for the Rossoneri and a huge achievement for Puyol who will have turned Milan's season around. Despite Pescara not being the strongest opponent that Milan could have faced, we definitely saw some very impressive football being played out there and Milan fans can look forward to more of that in the future under new manager Carles Puyol.

Injury news

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A report did come out at the end of the match mentioning that Colombian defender Zapata had gotten an injury which would keep him out for about a month. Puyol did speak about this injury already, mentioning that despite it's never nice to lose a player to injury, he was confident that he had enough quality and depth in the squad to not let that injury impact the team's performances too much, especially considering Zapata is not a starter in the team.
 
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09/04/2017

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First home match for Puyol sees Milan win by 4 goals yet again

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Carlos Bacca was on the scoresheet yet again with the Colombian netting once in a 5-1 victory for Milan over Palermo which brought us back to the good AC Milan days when they were winning Serie A titles. Romagnoli, who has become a key player for Milan in the last year or two, scored and got the man of the match award following a very impressive performance both offensively and defensively. Carles Puyol's 4-2-3-1 system seems to be working perfectly for Milan as the players have completely understood how to play under their new manager just 2 games in and with a huge game against Internazionale at the San Siro in a couple of days, it can only be a good thing. It was the second game in a row where Milan were playing and a red card was given out to a player on the pitch, but luckily for them it was for a Palermo player. Now sitting 6 points behind Lazio who are in 5th place and with 7 games left, the upcoming Milan derby is a must-win for Milan who would absolutely dream of qualifying for Europe next season following a disappointing season.

Injury news

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Bad news for Milan ahead of their clash against Inter as Bonaventura, arguably one of their better players this season, will have to stay on the sidelines for about a month following a back injury which he got during the game against Palermo. This might give a chance to Sosa or Honda to come in and try to do a job in his role whilst De Sciglio has also been ruled out for about 4 days, which means he should be available for the big game against Inter.
 
12/04/2017
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Puyol's official press conference at San Siro

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Carles Puyol's press conference had to be moved to yesterday following a huge amount of fans wanting to be able to watch it online and the AC Milan website having to upgrade their system in order to host a livestream of the press conference. After 2 games in charge of his new side, Milan have scored 9 goals and conceded one, making the fans very excited to see more of Puyol in charge. We now move to the San Siro where our journalists managed to ask the Barcelona legend a couple of legends:

"So Carles, you've always said you're an AC Milan fan so to now be able to manage them as your first club is surely an incredible feeling?"

Indeed, it feels great. Barcelona will of course always be the team I support and the team I will dream of managing but Milan comes right after that and to be able to get the job and try to take the club back to their glory days.

"You've already had time to familiarise yourself with the stadium and the facilities here in Milan and with the players as well, what are your thoughts on that?"

To be honest, it's no less than I expected. The stadium and the facilities are world class which you would expect for a club like Milan and overall I've been very impressed. In terms of the players, I think I have a fantastic team at my disposal who are capable of great things if managed by the right player and I definitely believe that I am that man so hopefully we can achieve great things here together. I've had the opportunity to talk to all of them individually as well so it's definitely been a good start to my time here.

"It's fair to say that in terms of results, you've had a great start to your career here! Already 2 wins and 9 goals scored, can Milan fans expect more of that in the future and especially in the game against Inter?"

All I can say for now is that I'm very happy and proud of the way the players have played so far. The game against Inter will be very tough as they're a very good side and I think if anything we're the underdogs in that match so despite our good start to the season, I wouldn't expect a huge victory for us. Inter know what they're doing and considering they were expected to finish 2nd in the league this year, they'll want a win to try and get that spot before the end of the season.
 
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15/04/2017

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Two quick-fire goals for Inter and Milan who draw in derby

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It was another busy day for referees officiating a Milan match as they received 3 yellow cards as well as a red card for Ignazio Abate in the 65th minute, which could have been very costly for the Rossoneri in a huge game where they managed to lead for just 3 minutes before captain Mauro Icardi saved the day for Inter. It was a very intense game and Puyol's first Milan derby and I think it's fair to say that Milan got the better end of the result considering they're lower in the league table and were never expected to do very well against Inter. As the end of the season approaches and Milan are missing the likes of Bonaventura and Poli, two important midfielders for the club, Puyol did announce that he might try to look into some free agents and see if he could bring in a player until the end of the season or the end of next season to build up some depth and get some more quality in the team. Milan's next big game is against Roma in early May as they will now have to face Empoli at home in their next match.
 
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23/04/2017
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Three victories in four games for Puyol

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Milan have continued their fantastic start under Puyol with yet another win and a clean sheet as well, their 2nd in 2 games. Deulofeu, on loan from Everton, was the standout player today as he scored in the first 10 minutes before Bacca scored yet again to make it 2-0 and give Milan the 3 points. This win gets them closer and closer to Atalanta and Inter and Lazio who are all in the European places or very close to them. Up next for the Rossoneri is FC Crotone, a game which Milan are definitely the favourites to win even away from home as they'll try to really put pressure on the top 5 in the league and push for a European spot this season. In this game, it's fair to say that Milan were very good defensively as they allowed Empoli only 6 shots whilst getting 23 attempts on goal for themselves, which also seems to highlight their attacking prowess in Suso, Deulofeu, Bacca and lately Keisuke Honda or Jose Sosa in the attacking midfielder position to replace the injured Bonaventura. Can Milan continue this great run and make it to the Europa League next season? Could they even push for the Champions League? It'll definitely be a close one but considering their good run of form, anything's possible.
 
30/04/2017

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Impressive FC Crotone deny Milan chance to close in on Europe

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With Atalanta dropping points as well as Inter, this game against FC Crotone was a huge chance for Milan to make up the point gap between Milan and the top 5 but a brave Crotone side managed to overcome a 2-0 deficit and come back to draw 2-2 in the dying moments of the game. Suso was an impressive player for Milan, once again showcasing the Rossoneri's impressive firepower up front. Conceding twice was a bit of a downside for Puyol who said in his post-match press conference that he really valued clean sheets and he was a bit disappointed his side blew a 2-0 lead but didn't want to be too negative as Milan get ready to face Roma next week and Atalanta the week after, two must-wins for Milan if they were to get European football for next season.
 
06/05/2017

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Stalemate between Roma and Milan in intense match

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Both teams needed a win, and a draw for any of these two sides wasn't good enough. It was a very intense match between Puyol's Milan and Spaletti's Roma but no side came out on top at the San Siro as the legend Francesco Totti scored the opener only for it to be cancelled out by Bacca's 7th goal in as many matches under new manager Puyol. Rudiger put in a fine performance at the back which probably saved Roma from losing 2 points in the title race with Juventus. In terms of the league table though, this draw is probably worse for Milan than it is for Roma as the Rossoneri now have a game in hand over 8th place Fiorentina but are only a point behind before they face Sassuolo tomorrow. Now also sitting 4 points behind Atalanta who they face next week, a Europa League spot seems less and less likely for Puyol's men who haven't won a game since their 2-0 win against Empoli about 2 weeks ago. Will they turn it around and overtake Atalanta and the likes of Inter to take a Europa League spot for next season?
 
13/05/2017

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Two games left and two points away from Europe for Milan

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As we get closer and closer to the end of the season in Italy, Milan keep pushing for a European spot for next season. Now just 2 points away from a Europa League spot in 5th place, the Rossoneri have two matches against two bottom half of the table teams to try and get there. Inter, who are 5th currently, face Lazio in 4th and Udinese in 11th. Those two games are on paper considerably harder for Inter to win than Milan's games are for them to win so it will come right down to the wire to see who gets Europa League football next season. However, there's bad news for Milan as Deulofeu is now injured for the rest of the season after getting shin splints during the game against Atalanta. It'll be hard to replace the Spaniard who scored 4 goals in 10 appearances under Puyol so far and got 2 man of the match awards after a great end to his career here in Milan. Indeed, having renewed his contract with Everton earlier last month, Deulofeu will be returning to the Toffees at the end of the season and will most probably not go out on loan after that and unless Milan are ready to spend the 60 million euros that Everton are requesting, Puyol will have to find a good replacement for the winger next season.
 
21/05/2017
View attachment 102840Milan thrash Bologna to edge even closer to Europa League spots

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For the first time in 3 years, Milan can say they're in with a shout of qualifying for European football. They came pretty close last season finishing in 7th but this huge win against Bologna moves them in 6th, just 2 points behind Lazio. A Carlos Bacca hat-trick confirms his amazing prowess and talent under Puyol whilst Suso, Antonelli and Paletta also joined the party to score goals of their own. This is Puyol's biggest victory as a manager so far and it tells us that he can really create an incredible attack here in Milan. With just one game to go now, can the Barcelona icon bring European football to Milan? We've been saying this over and over for weeks now but it's now come to the last match of the season. Having been knocked out of any cup competitions in Italy and not participating in Europe, a 5th place finish would be the only good thing about Milan's season this year and if Puyol was to achieve that just 2 months after joining the club, the fans would definitely want him to stick around. Milan face Cagliari and Lazio face rock bottom FC Crotone, but we know that the last placed team in the Serie A can really put in a fight against bigger teams as seen in their 2-2 draw with, MILAN. After stealing 2 points away from the Rossoneri, can FC Crotone now do Milan the huge favour of beating Lazio and stealing 3 points away from the Rome-based team to allow Milan in European football if Puyol's side beats Cagliari? That's what we can't wait for next week!
 
28/05/2017
View attachment 102837AC Milan qualify for the Europa League after final day drama in Serie A!

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What an end to the season in Italy! The biggest story of the day was of course AC Milan going after European football as Juventus had already won the league and it was a battle for top 5 at that point in the season. Lazio were playing Crotone and thanks to an 87th minute goal from Acosty for the home side, the already-relegated team won against a shocked Lazio who slid down to 6th place with Milan jumping ahead of them and into the Europa League alongside city rivals Inter, thanks to goals from Honda and Bacca. Puyol, who finishes the season undefeated as Milan manager, was in charge for 9 games and won 6 and drew 3, scoring 26 goals and conceding just 5, an incredible record and impact considering he had so little time to bring some positives for Milan this season. For Milan fans, a little heartbreak would be to see Honda play his last ever game in a Milan shirt as the Japanese playmaker's contract expires at the end of June and he's likely to join Olympique Lyonnais, who has been in talks with for a couple of weeks now. They'll still be incredibly happy considering they managed to get in the Europa League for next season and should look forward to some great additions to the team next year with a nice transfer budget to build a team that can compete for the league title in the future. We've received confirmation that free agent Lassana Diarra, who left Marseille halfway through his second season in Marseille, will be joining Milan on the 1st of July as Puyol brings some experience and depth to his side which already looks a lot better with the addition of Diarra in the side. Who else will the Spanish legend bring in next season? With Deulofeu gone back to Everton and Honda leaving on a free, he already has the option to bring in a new winger and attacking midfielder to replace them. On top of that, the likes of PSG, Manchester United and Tottenham have all declared their interest in star striker Carlos Bacca, so Puyol will have to try and convince his scoring machine to stay with the club for a couple more seasons if he wants as successful a season next year.
 
Congrats on pipping Lazio to the last Europa League place. Will we be expecting much in the line of signings over the summer?
 
issteo said:
Congrats on pipping Lazio to the last Europa League place. Will we be expecting much in the line of signings over the summer?
Click to expand...
Thanks! Well, the transfer budget when I arrived at the club was about £15 million or 18 million euros so I don't really know what kind of a budget the board will give me next season but one thing I tend to do in my FM saves that I don't necessarily want to do here is I sign wayyyyy too many players and then half of the squad is ****** off that I signed a player in their position so to answer your question: expect some signings, but only in areas where I really need them!
 
07/06/2017AC Milan fans will be delighted as Carlos Bacca has signed a new 3-year deal with the club worth about 32 million euros as he rejected some of Europe's elite in PSG, Manchester United and Tottenham in order to stay at the San Siro. The Colombian scored 11 goals in 10 matches with Puyol in charge and he announced that Puyol being the manager was the main reason why he decided to stay at the club as he admires the former Spanish defender. Considering his amazing contribution up front last season, Puyol can be very happy to have secured a new deal for his star striker as he can now spend his transfer budget on other positions and not have to worry about losing his main striker.
 
04/07/2017
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Puyol clears house as he plans to bring in a couple of new faces at the San Siro

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As Puyol prepares his Milan side for the start of the 2017/18 season, the Spaniard has already started to sell a couple of players to build up enough of a budget to bring in some big names at the San Siro. In terms of departures, Marco Storari and Keisuke Honda have both already left the club following their contract expiry, which means Puyol will already have to find a new attacking midfielder as well as a new backup goalkeeper who can come in for Donnarumma in case of injury. Here's a list of the players sold by Milan so far, just 4 days after the start of the transfer window:

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Andrea Poli is the most shocking transfer out so far considering his relationship with the fans but having been out due to injury for most of last season and the arrival of Lassana Diarra, Puyol seemed to think that Poli wouldn't get any game time in his side. Lapadula has also left due to Niang's return from his loan at Watford and Zapata has left for Russia as he also wasn't getting enough game time. With rumours that Jose Sosa and Leonel Vangioni are also leaving the club, it seems like a lot of departures but not a lot of arrivals. However, there have been articles in Italian newspapers coming out suggesting that Milan are looking into the likes of Balde Keita from Lazio, Alejandro Gomez from Atalanta, Andre Belotti of Torino and a couple of other targets to bring in as well as Pau Lopez of Espanyol, who didn't play a single game during his loan to Tottenham last season. More to come in the next few weeks for Milan in the transfer window as fans eagerly wait to see who will join their club and fight for a Champions League spot next season.
 
How good is this then!? Glad I've caught up on it early!
 
14/07/2017
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Just under €20 million spent and 5 new arrivals for Milan

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After a couple of AC Milan fans were worried about the amount of departures at the club, Puyol has just changed their minds completely with 5 new arrivals and just €18.5 million spent, leaving them with a €1 million profit for this summer transfer window. This is a great achievement for a club who has been struggling in the league over the last few years and couldn't attract big names but with a name such as Puyol's now in charge, players are more eager to come and join him at Milan. Before we go through the new arrivals at the club, there have been 2 more departures which seemed pretty surprising to a lot of fans: Jose Sosa has left for the former Premier League champions and current Europa League holders Leicester for €1.5 million and Leonel Vangioni has followed his Argentine team-mate to the Premier League in a move to Stoke City for €3 million. The left back's move had some fans worried as it now means that Milan are left with Antonelli as their only proper left-back and De Sciglio being able to play there too but clearly, Puyol has a plan in mind. Now, who have Milan signed exactly and where did those €18.5 million go? Let's show you!

With Diego Lopez leaving AC Milan after returning from his loan from Espanyol, this left the Rossoneri with Donnarumma as their main goalkeeper and that's it. Pau Lopez spent a season on loan at Tottenham last season but failed to play a single game in London and could look to really kickstart his career here in Milan as Puyol announced that he'd use Lopez in most cup games and some European games with Donnarumma playing in every other game. With two keepers in the squad, this gives Milan a lot more breathing room if Donnarumma was to get injured.

Iker Muniain - left/central attacking midfielder (free)

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One young promising Spanish winger out, another in for Milan! Bilbao released Muniain earlier this summer as Real Betis and Sevilla were on his tracks hoping to sign him but it's Puyol's Milan who managed to snap up the 24-year old for €0 and considering his market value is over €30 million, that's one **** of a deal for the Rossoneri. Milan's lineup is now looking younger and stronger and it looks like Milan fans can really get excited for the season to come now.

Wissam Ben Yedder - striker/attacking central midfielder (€5 million)

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The French striker who single-handedly kept Toulouse in Ligue 1 back in 2015/16 which earned him a €9 million move to Sevilla in La Liga but he failed to make a single appearance for the Spanish side which surprised a lot of football fans around Europe. After being transfer-listed, Ben Yedder has now moved to Milan for €5 million to replace Lapadula, who left the club for Sassuolo. Ben Yedder can both play as a striker and an attacking midfielder which provides even more quality up front for the Rossoneri. He adds to the versatility in Milan's offensive force already with Niang, Muniain, Bonaventura and the last new signing for AC Milan.

Hakim Ziyech - attacking midfielder (€12.5 million)

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The most expensive transfer of this window for Milan was Moroccan Hakim Ziyech from Ajax for €12.5 million. With 2 goals and 3 assists last season, his stats don't seem that great but the attacking midfielder can play as a right winger, a left winger and a central attacking midfielder as well as a central midfielder, making him the most versatile player in this Milan side by far. He adds some experience and great ability up front to an already stacked up Milan team who could prove to be one of the most dangerous attacking sides in the league and maybe even the Europa League with that attacking power. According to reports, Puyol was given about €40 million including the player sales that were finished before the opening of the transfer window, which should leave him now with about €20 million to spend. Will he spend more money on some new players? Or keep that money for the January transfer window? Let us know! With that, we've decided to try and make up a starting 11 for Milan this season as well as an alternative starting 11:

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A variation of the 4-2-2-2 to get Bacca and Ben Yedder to partner up in attack

View attachment 102682The 4-2-3-1 that Milan have been rocking last season along with some of the new players/alternatives
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