pebsykid

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With the appointment of Ryan Kendall as the new manager of the Dragões, excitement around the city of Porto is high. The new manager, chairman and directors have sat down and planned out a new vision for the club. Looking to shed the title of a selling club, Kendall will be looking to build a squad that can contend with the European giants for decades to come. Many great player's have played for the club in the previous decade, as well as in its history, only to be sold for large sums in the proceeding seasons. This is best represented by the European Champion side of Jose Mourinho, a golden era for the club between 2001-2004, which would lose many of its key players in the prime of their careers after winning the Champions League and the departure of the "Special One." Since then, the likes of Hulk, James Rodriguez, Jackson Martinez, Joao Moutinho and other great players leave the club to pursue silverware. Upon smartly investing in young talent in the first couple transfer windows, as well as utilizing the young players currently on the roster, it is the clubs hope that it will no longer have to sell its star players and future prospects, as FC Porto will be regarded in the same category as FC Bayern, Barcelona and Real Madrid, and will have the silverware to justify such high praise.


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With the appointment of a new manager comes a new backroom staff, lets meet two of the most important members who will be aiding me on this journey:


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My number 2. I was looking for an assistant that possessed good tactical knowledge, man management and that could also get a good feel for the squad (judging player ability & potential) and Riekerink fits the bill. It was also important that he had high attributes in 'Working with Youngsters,' a basis that all my staff would be (and will be) hired on. The only fault in him, is that his coaching attributes are very weak, but that was not a high priority, as Id be appointing a slew of new coaches to fill that role.

The second important member is the Head of Youth Development, a vital position for a club that is looking to re-build through its young players.

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With a relatively new stadium (built in 2003), excellent facilities and one of the top youth recruitment systems and academy, I am afforded with the vital tools to succeed in mine, and the clubs goals.

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Now lets take a look at the rest of the coaching staff and their roles:

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Their is still room for improvement in certain facets of training, but a lot of these coaches are young and have room to improve. As the club become bigger and more prosperous, it is my hope that I will be able to bring in more (and larger profile) staff. Currently I am handcuffed with a maximum of 13 "Other FCP Staff," which accounts for physios and coaches.

Transfers
(up until the first match, 17 August 2014)

In:

NameAgeClub (From)Fee
Eder Alvarez Balanta21River Plate€7.5M + 20% of Next Sale
Pione Sisto19FC Midtjylland€6.5M
Emanuel Mammana18River Plate€2.9M + €3.8 over 48 months
Lucas Romero20Velez€8.5M
Raphael Guerreiro20FC Lorient€6.5M + 35% of Next Sale
Carlos19Atletico Mineiro€8M + €10M over 48 months + 15% of Next Sale


Out:

NameAgeClub (To) Fee
Nabil Ghilas24PSV€3.6M
Giannelli Imbula21Paris Saint-Germain€32.5M
Yacine Brahimi24AS Monaco€19.75M
Hector Herrera24Juventus€10M + 20% of Next Sale

First I will comment on the players leaving the club before introducing you to the newest members of the squad. I found it difficult to sell the list of players I had deemed as not needed. The likes of Maxi Pereira and Jose Angel garnered little interest and are now on the B squad. I was however, surprised to receive such a big fee for Imbula. He was a player I considered to be a future piece in the side, and when I saw that PSG was interested, I offered Imbula for €40M expecting them to turn it down and look elsewhere, but instead they came back with another offer and we ended up negotiating for the €32.5 fee. Brahimi was another big transfer in more ways than one. Firstly, the €19.75M was very welcome, allowing me obtain a couple other players that I could not afford and was looking to get next summer. Secondly, him going to Monaco made it so both player's I was pursuing for loan deals were made available (more on that in the next post).

Meet the lads!

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At only 21, Balanta looks a top central defender. I was able to get him for a steal and have a player who should prove to be the backbone of the defense for the next decade.

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When I saw that Sisto had a release clause of ‎€6.5M in his contract, I took advantage and moved swiftly to secure his signature. At only 19, and with lots of room to improve, Sisto posses great physical and technical abilities. As he improves, he should surely terrorize opponents on the wing.

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18 year old Mammana is a player for the future. Even though he will not be an immediate starter for the club, he will feature in cup matches and off the bench. For someone so young, Mammana has very solid attributes in all three facets (technical, mental & physical) and should feature beside Balanta as the starting CB duo in two to three years.

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Another player I was able to obtain for what I consider a low fee, especially considering he already looks a top player. Lucas Romero could perhaps be my top transfer. I rate him as my best midfielder (at only 20) and like Balanta for my defense, he will be the backbone of my midfield for the next decade. Romero will be tasked with the less glamouress aspects of the game; marking opposing sides best midfielders, covering lots of distance on the pitch to retain possession and place timely tackles. He also show great promise in the playmaking department and will play a role similar to that of Arutro Vidal with Juventus and now Bayern Munich.

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I was unfamiliar with Raphael Guerreiro until a couple of my scouts I hired brought him to my attention. He was one of my loan targets right away, but FC Lorient wasn't willing to negotiate a loan deal with us. A few days later he became unsettled and demanded a transfer, which was a blessing for us, as we did not need to use up a loan spot and were also able to get him for a bargain. Guerreiro has a tough task ahead of himself, as he is behind Alex Sandro; a player I regard as one of the best LB's in the world, in the depth chart. Even so, Guerreiro has massive potential and it is very possible that he will be the clubs starting LB in 2-3 years.

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Finally we have Carlos, one of the most exciting attacking prospects in the world. He already possess the attributes to be a threat as both a striker and on the wings. Another player with a massive upside, Carlos will only improve and is seen as being able to compete and eventually succeed Vincent Aboubakar as the clubs main striker.

Future Transfers:
(player's coming in after 17 August, 2014)

Gabriel Barbosa
(ST/AMC) - An initial fee of €7.5M, with another €4.2M over 48 months, Barbosa will be joining us on the 30th of August, after he's celebrated his 18th birthday.

Malcom (ST/AMR/AML) - An initial fee of €7M, with another €12.5M over 48 months and 10% of his next sale, Malcom will join the club on 1 July, 2015. Though he turns 18 in January and would thus be able to join us in the Winter window, I felt it was better to let him develop for a season with his current club Corinthians, where he is already pushing for a spot in their starting lineup.

(Next Post: Meet the three young Portuguese players I brought in on loan, a look at the squad depth and the key players, a quick look at the youth squad and also the formations I will be using)
 
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Loans
(I will only be focusing on the players I brought in on loan in this post, as I have 25+ players out on loan and it is not worth the effort!)

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As I eluded to in the previous post, the sale of Brahimi allowed me to obtain two of my top loan targets, as Bernardo Silva was already listed and Marcos Lopes would also be a few days later. These two players were so highly regarded for two reasons, firstly they are young and Portuguese and secondarily, beside having impressive attributes for their age, they are also versatile in the number of positions they can play.Having three aging goalkeepers (36,33 and 32), I wanted to bring in a younger keeper for cup matches and to develop and hopefully purchase down the road as my main keeper. Is Joel Pereira that guy? I am not to sure, but I am willing to gamble on the young Portuguese lad. I was hoping to get some reasonable future fee's on these loans, but either the teams were not interested or wanted an exorbitant amount. I am not sure why, but I was also unable to get these players on 48 month loan deals (the option was greyed out), which was what I was really hoping for.

Squad Depth
(Number in parenthesis is their age)

GK:

Iker Casillas (33)
Helton (36)
Joel Pereira (18)

Defenders:

Alex Sandro (23) - D/WBL
Raphael Guerreiro (20) - D/WBL
Rafa (19) - D/WBL
Maicon (26) - DC
Eder Alvarez Balanta (21) - DC
Bruno Martins Indi (22) - DC
Emanuel Mammana (18) - DC
Diego Reyes (22) - DC
Ivan Marcano (27) - DC
Danilo (23) - D/WBR
Daniel Opare (24) - D/WBR

Midfielders:

Lucas Romero (20) - DM/MC
Danilo Pereira (23) - DM/MC
Sergio Oliveira (22) - DM/MC
Ruben Neves (17) - DM/MC
Bernardo Silva (20) - MC/AMR/C
Andre Andre (25) - MC/AML

Attackers:

Pione Sisto (19) - AMR/L
Marcos Lopes (19) - AML/C
Silvestre Varela (29) - AMR/L
Jesus Corona (21) - AMR/L/C
Juan Fernando Quintero (21) - AMC
Carlos (18) - ST/AML
Vincent Aboubakar (22) - ST
Andre Silva (19) - ST

As you can see I have a very young squad, with the vast majority being 23 and under. I am very happy with the depth of my squad, as it will allow me to do a lot of squad rotation to find out who plays best where.

Key Players

Pertaining to the defense, I will be relying on the leadership and experience of Maicon. Danilo and Alex Sandro will also be key members of the club, as I regard both as worldclass in their respective positions. Iker Casillas in goal is another player that I deem as a key member of the squad. It is from these players and their defensive abilities, that I believe will be instrumental in the success of the club.Then their is Vincent Aboubakar. I can see us heavily relying on him in the goal scoring department and even though I said that defense will be the most important facet of our success, I believe Aboubakar will (and has to) be our most important player.

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I also want to highlight Ruben Neves, a 17 year old who will be seeing a lot of first team football and who I regard as the future of our midfield and also the future captain of the club.

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Formations

These are the two formations with my predicted starting XI for Match Day 1 (17 August) that I will be starting out with. I will be tweaking them as I go and at some point; most likely around January, I will incorporate a third.

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Note:
Once Gabriel Barbosa arrives at the end of August, he will be taking the spot of Pione Sisto in the second tactic.
 
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August 2014 (Season 1)

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17 August

Premeira Liga Matchday 1 (Away - Belenenses)

Lineups:

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Result:

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What a start to the season. Aboubakar with a brace before halftime and Andre Andre ensured the victory with his 58th minute goal. Quintero was vital for us, as he set up 2 goals and was the focal point of our attack.

MOTM - Vincent Aboubakar


24 August

Premeira Liga Matchday 2 (Home - Maritimo)

Lineups:

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Result:

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Another brilliant match from Aboubakar. Him and Quintero are linking up fantastically and Sisto also put in a great effort, providing 2 assists. Glad to see that the team was able to maintain another clean sheet as well.

MOTM - Vincent Aboubakar


30 August

Premeira Liga Matchday 3 (Away - Rio Ave)

Lineups:
(I forgot to take a screenshot before the match, so this is from the postmatch analysis which doesnt show the subs)

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Result:

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Our defense was airtight ocne again, with the opponent being very limited in their chances. Varela at AMR was immense, recording one goal and 3 assists, as the attacking four looked as if they have been playing together for years. I moved Pisto to the AMC role early on in the match and he repaid that move with two goals. Bruno Indi made his debut, covering for an injured Alex Sandro admirably.

I am very happy with how the team has played thusfar, considering they are not very familiar with the tactics and are still working on squad harmony/cohesion.

MOTM - Silvestre Varela


News

Two big announcements regarding transfers. With Oliveira and Pereira beginning the season with injuries, it illustrated that another body at central midfield would be needed for the grind of a long season. I was able to acquire Gaston Gil Romero, but to get favorable terms, had to loan him back to his current club Estudiantes (LP) until 31 December, 2014.The figures for this transfer break down as such; €4.2M upfront and another €3M over 48 months, along with 20% of his next sale going to Estudiantes (LP).

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The second announcement is that I and the club would like to welcome the newest member of FC Porto, Gabriel Barbosa, who arrived at the end of the month.

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Player of the Month

Vincent Aboubakar: 3 matches, 5 goals, 1 assist and a 9.07 rating

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September 2014 (Season 1)

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Champions League Draw: Group Stage

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We have been given a favorable draw in my opinion. Atletico Madrid will be a great test for our young squad and Galatasaray are no slouches either. I predict and will be happy with finishing second in this group to qualify for the knockout stages.


12 September

Premeira Liga Matchday 4 (Away - Braga)

Lineups:

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Result:

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Another excellent all around performance by the team. Conceded our first goal of the campaign and it could have easily been two, if not for an excellent Iker Casillas penalty save. Our defense fell apart in the last 10 minutes, something I am not pleased with and will be addressing.

MOTM -
Juan Fernando Quintero

The big news from this match though was
Vincent Aboubakar picking up a knock and having to leave in the 30th minute. The post-match physio report was not a good one, as he will miss a month at minimum with an ankle sprain.

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17 September

Champions League Group F (Away - Galatasaray)

Lineups:

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Results:

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Our first foray in Europe was not a terrible match, despite the result. We were unable to create many chances, but on a positive note, neither were they. This was also good experience for a young squad who have not played many, if any European matches. We also got very lucky as both
Varela and Quintero picked up knocks and could not continue, but did not have any significant long term injuries (Varela is only out for 8 days and Quintero none).

MOTM -Danilo


21 September

Premeira Liga Matchday 5 (Home - Vit. Guimaraes)

Lineups:

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Result:

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We played with our second tactic for the first time and the result was good, as the squad were able to play as well with this tactic as our primary one. Corona and Gabriel Barbosa scored their first goals for the club, congrats to the lads!

MOTM -Danilo


27 September

Premeira Liga Matchday 6 (Home - Sporting Lisbon)

Lineups:

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Result:

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Massive match against one of our top competitors in the league. Going with this formation was a bit of a gamble, as our primary one has been so effective, but I am still feeling out the squad and tactics at this stage of the season. Up 1-0 at halftime, I switched to the 4-2-3-1 for the second half and it was a great tactical move, as we were able to score twice to add to our lead and be more effectual in the defensive aspect of the match.

MOTM - Danilo


30 September

Champions League Group F (Home - APOEL)

Lineups:

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Result:

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Pereira, Guerreiro and Helton got their first starts for the club. Pretty dull match, took a lot of tactical moves of swapping players arond to finally get a spark out of the offense at the hour mark. Defense was phenomenal though, holding APOEL to zero shots on target.

MOTM - Juan Fernando Quintero


Player of the Month


Lucas Romero
: 5 matches, 1 goal, 2 assists, 7.92 rating.
(It was close between him and Danilo, who had 3 MOTM performances this month, but I went with Romero as he was more consistent and was excellent in his role as a ball winning midfielder, illustrated by a whopping 16 tackles won performance against Galatasaray)

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October 2014 (Season 1)

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4 October

Premeira Liga Matchday 7 (Away - Vit. Setubal)

Lineups:

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Result:

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Marcos Lopes got his first start in this match, but had to be substituted at half after picking up a knock. The absence of Aboubakar was apparent in this match, as we lacked his lethal finishing in and around the box. Once again, we can attribute our win to bossing the midfield and our defense, which I am running out of superlatives in which to describe them!

MOTM
-Alex Sandro


13 October

No matches for the club on this day, but we suffered two significant injuries from players on international duty.

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Losing our starting LB for 3 weeks is a blow, but it will also afford
Raphael Guerreiro an opportunity to get a good run of matches to showcase his talents and potentially challenge for the starting job. Gutted for Neves, as he is on the cusp of being a starter (and only at 17!), but the length of this injury could seriously hinder his progress as a footballer, for this season anyways.


18 October

Taca de Portugal 3rd Round (Home - Pedras Salgadas)

Lineups:

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Result:

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First cup match of the campaign, giving a chance for a lot of the substitutes and younger players to get some vital playing time and to show me what they bring to the table. This was a very solid team performance, with
Oliveira, Corona, Opare and Pereira all getting their first starts. Oliveira was excellent, bossing the midfield and Barbosa showed off his finishing skills, leaving the fans and I even more excited for the future.

MOTM -
Gabriel Barbosa


21 October

Champions League Group F (Home - Atletico Madrid)

Lineups:

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Result:

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Biggest match of the campaign to date, which also marked the return of
Jackson Martinez to Port. Up 1-0 from an early Barbosa strike, my nerves were high in the 52nd minute, with Balanta being sent off after receiving a second yellow. I thought we had pulled off a heroic win, battling one of the top clubs with only twn men, when Torres silented myself and the crowd with a late equalizers in the 94th minute.

MOTM -
Diego Godin (At. Madrid)


26 October

Premeira Liga Matchday 8 (Home - Unlao Madeira)

Lineups:

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Result:

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Was excited before the match to see how the Carlos-Aboubakar-Barbosa attacking trio would perform together, and I was not dissapointed. Carlos and Aboubakar both scored and Barbosa chipped in with two assits. This was perhaps the best overall team performance to date, giving me confidence that I now have two tactics that have been successful thusfar.

MOTM - Lucas Romero



Player of the Month

Gabriel Barboa: 4 matches, 4 goals, assists, 7.8 rating.

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November 2014 (Season 1)

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1 November

Premeira Liga Matchday 9 (Home - Estoril)

Lineups:

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Result:

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Aboubakar is back to the form we saw at the start of the season. He was an absolute beast, with Estoril having no answer to stopping him. Marcos Lopes would also put in a solid effort, playing in some excellent crosses from the left.

MOTM - Vincent Aboubakar


5 November

Champions League Group F (Away - Atletico Madrid)

Lineups:

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Result:

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Having only tied Atletico Madrid at home, facing them away was a massive challenge for the club and would be a great indicator to where we stand among the elite clubs in Europe. It did not help that we would be missing one of our stars of the season so far in
Balanta due to suspension, though Alex Sandro was fit again and provides a massive boost. What can I say really, what a result! Did not expect to pull out a win and in such dominating fashion. A truly brilliant team effort all around, a rising theme so far this season.

MOTM -
Juan Fernando Quintero



9 November

Premeira Liga Matchday 10 (Away - Boavista)

Lineups:

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Result:

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Another fantastic result and dominant performance on the road. Aboubakar added another two goals to his account, now having a healthy lead among the leagues top goalscorers. Pereira was excellent as well, showing with his play on the pitch that he is capable of being a starting central midfielder for the club.

MOTM -
Danilo Pereira



22 November

Taca de Portugal 4th Round (Away - Atletico CP)

Lineup:

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Result:

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Despite winning this match, we played very poorly. We also had three players pickup knocks in this match;
Corona, Silva and Carlos. Bringing on Sisto at the start of extra time proved to be pivotal, as he scored the winner soon after, in the 107th minute.

MOTM -
Alex Sandro



25 November

Champions League Group F (Home - Galatasaray)

Lineups:

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Result:

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Glad to have Casillas back, though Helton and Joel Pereira were both solid in his absence. Went with the 4-3-3 in this match, still tweaking the tactic, changing the striker roles for this match, as I try to find the perfect combination for these three. This setup seemed to have worked, as not only the strikers, but the midfield and defence played great and most importantly, we have maintained another clean sheet.

MOTM - Juan Fernando Quintero



29 November

Premeira Liga Matchday 11 (Away - P. Ferreira)

Lineups:

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Result:

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At this rate, I can just begin copy-pasting the same opening sentence; "Great result, excellent team effort all around" haha. But, I don't want to get too overconfindent this early in the season, as this run of form surely cannot continue and I can't be complacent, so have to continue to find ways to refine the tactics.

MOTM -
Juan Fernando Quintero



Player of the Month

Juan Fernando Quintero
: 5 matches, 2 goals, 6 assists, 9.0 rating.

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December 2014 (Season 1)

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3 December

Premeira Liga Matchday 12 (Home - P. Moreirense)

Lineups:

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Result:

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More tinkering with the 4-3-3, and despite the positive result, I feel their is still some work to do to improve upon it. Aboubakar with a brace before half is what we are starting to expect from the lad, he has become the key player we needed him to be, in order to be successful this season.

MOTM - Juan Fernando Quintero


6 December

Premeira Liga Matchday 13 (Away - Benfica)

Lineups:

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Battle of Unbeaten Teams:

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Result:


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I am beyond pleased with this result. Not just because it was a win against one of our rivals and greatest competition in the league, but it was how we did it. We dominated every facet of this match, holding Benfica to only one shots against, while putting 5 past them. This game solidifies that FC Porto is back as the dominant club in Portugal, after a few years of being in the backseat to Benfica.

MOTM -
Vincenet Aboubakar



10 December

Champions League Group F (Away - APOEL)

Lineups:

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Result:

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Pathetic. Despite holding them to zero shots on target and having 18 ourselves, we were unable to convert any of those into goals. Our European form will have to drastically improve if we want to advance in this competition.

MOTM -
Jordi Codina (APOEL)



13 December

Taca de Portugal 5th Round (Home - Portimonense)

Lineups:

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Result:

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That is better.

MOTM -
Diego Reyes



15 December

'Leading Producers of Elite Footballers'

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Goal is to top this list in the coming years, which should be very doable as we are currently 4th.



19 December

Champions League Draw (First Knockout Round)

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We drew Sevilla. I am happy with that, as I feel it's a very manageable matchup for us. It will still be a test for our inexperience and young squad, but should result in us going through to the next round



21 December

Premeira Liga Matchday 14 (Away - Tondela)

Lineups:

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Result:

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Experimented by playing Raphael Guerreiro at AML and he was looking dangerous early on, but unfortunately had to be subbed off in the 26th minute after picking up a knock. Quintero, our best player to this point, ensured our victory by making it 2-0, in the 53rd minute.

MOTM - Alex Sandro



28 December

League Cup 3rd Phase Group A (Home - Freamunde)

Lineups:

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Result:

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What a way to end 2014, with our biggest win, a great feeling going into the new year. It was good to have
Barbosa and Neves back, after being injured and who both featured in the match after coming off the bench in the 2nd half. Carlos was fantastic, netting a hattrick and helping out with an assist.

MOTM -
Carlos



League Table & Player Stats

(Realized that I have forgot to do this up until now and this will be a feature of the monthly updates from now on.)

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Player of the Month

Vincent Aboubakar: 3 matches, 5 goals, 2 assists, 8.6 rating.
(...and then I forget to screenshot his form for th month, typical!)


 
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