Yeah it's different from last year's.
Did you make any transfers? The default squad is pretty lacking. As we can tell from the weekly BPL matches.
What tactics are you using if I may ask?
From Villans To Heroes
- Thread starter rawket
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Yeah it's different from last year's.
Did you make any transfers? The default squad is pretty lacking. As we can tell from the weekly BPL matches.
What tactics are you using if I may ask?
Hull City 0-3 Aston Villa
After a terrible January where we lost to Newcastle, drew at Swansea, lost again to Man Utd thand yet again to Spurs, morale in the locker room had dipped to Okay and was at risk of falling even further.
Fortunately, we made our presence felt against Hull and grabbed a deserved 3-0 win. We were pushing a lot but still 0-0 at 67 minutes. And then, Grealish received the ball just past the halfway line and cut inside from the left, dribbling for a good distance before spotting Agbonlahor running down the opposite flank. A beautiful through ball across the pitch and between the defence found Gabby, who calmly slotted home the goal, beating McGregor at his near post. It was the kind of goal I was aiming for, except that it was a ground though ball and not a high one lobbed over the defence. It was a tense match with Hull responding instantly and we had to sit back for a while. But at 84 minutes our defence won the ball and immediately sprang a counterattack, with a direct ball from Bacuna picking out Grealish, who dribbled past 2 players before scoring to make it 2-0.
Yes Bacuna. You read that right. I started with Sanchez, Cleverley and Romero but Sanchez was having a below par match and I had decided to sub him for Delph, who just returned from injury. And within 6 minutes Delph sustained an injury again. But a minor one. Didn't want to risk it so I brought on Bacuna. He had a good match.
Benteke rounded off the match by scoring after McGregor failed to catch Agbonlahor's near post header from Hutton's cross. Hutton was running down the right flank and Romero spotted him and played a nice through ball to him. Not a high through ball, but good enough.
Feels great to win again. Only thing was, I'd thought Munir would perform well in the IF role though, but he had a pretty drab match and I had to bring on Gabby. Who scored, so it's all good I guess.
Aston Villa 3-1 Sunderland
Against Sunderland I thought I'd try using Romero in the Regista role. Sanchez has been pretty average anyway. And since Delph had picked up that sprained ankle, and Westwood is still out... Bacuna gets a chance to prove that he should get a run in the side. And with the match against Liverpool just 2 days later, I thought I'd put Lowton at right back and save Hutton for Pool. The two went on to have excellent games. Bacuna scored 7.8 and Lowton 8.4. I let Okore have another game in the side as well, with Balanta only just returning from injury.
We were 2-0 up before the break. Lowton scored from just outside the box with a nice shot into the bottom corner. Munir then found Benteke at the near post with a cross, which the Beast put past Pantilimon. Ricky Alvarez pull one back after half time though, making a run towards the far post and beating Lowton in the air to get on the end of a cross.
Despite his assist, Munir continued to be ineffective out wide and I had to take him off again for Agbonlahor, whom I played as Raumdeuter. Cleverley too was having a pretty bad day and Vlaar was average, so I brought on Sanchez an Balanta.
Gabby scored the winner in the 71st minute. Lowton had intercepted a cross and he immediately picked out Grealish, who headed the ball down to Sanchez. Sanchez found Benteke, who was running through the centre between the two Sunderland CBs. His shot rebounded off Pantilimon but Gabby the Raumdeuter popped out of nowhere to get on the end of that rebound for a goal.
Morale was steadily increasing in the locker room. I felt we threatened pretty well with 25 shots, though our finishing could've been more accurate.
Liverpool 1-0 Aston Villa
Seeing as Lowton and Bacuna had a pretty good game, I picked them. Delph was still out anyway. Neither put in the same stunning performance again, but they had a pretty okay game. Okore also got a chance again ahead of Balanta, but he put in an average game.
We won 90% of our tackles and had 15 shots against a very good Liverpool side. But our shooting let us down and we only had 3 shots on target. Sturridge's goal won it for the Reds. He latched on to a cross at the near post and somehow his shot beat Guzan and Vlaar. Very tight angle, but I guess he's also a very good striker. Wish Benteke could do something like that.
Still, I think our performance wasn't too bad.
Aston Villa 1-2 QPR
We were looking to bounce back from the Liverpool loss but ended up being humiliated by the 19th placed team in the BPL. Bacuna got his third consecutive start. I gave Okore another chance. If he fluffs it, Balanta will return to the XI.
Bacuna got a shot from outside the box, which McCarthy parried. But Grealish reacted quickly and pounced on it for a shot, which should've gone in. But McCarthy again saves the ball with a dive. With the ball sitting on the goal line, Rio Ferdinand beat the onrushing Benteke to it... And put it in his own net.
So we went into the break 1-0 up. But Kranjcar had an excellent free kick over the wall and dipping into the far post. Guzan couldn't reach it. But Bacuna was on the far post. And he let that past him. Disappointing.
It was a tight match from there on. Grealish picked up a minor injury and had to be taken off for Agbonlahor. Okore was having a terrible 6.3 game, so I subbed him for Balanta. QPR was pushing forward for the winner and to add some solidity to the midfield, I made the very hard decision to take off Bacuna and bring on an Anchor Man in Sanchez.
We were holding out pretty well. Then Sanchez got ****** with Kranjcar for holding up the ball and lunged into him from just behind. Instant red, no question. Stupid move, leaving us with 10 men against a QPR side which was pushing forward. And we were out of midfielders and substitutions.
QPR eventually found the winner when Rosenoir hit a cross into the box. Balanta was marking Charlie Austin, but spotted Kranjcar running into the box, so he very intelligently left Austin to nobody and ran off to try and stop Kranjcar, who would never have reached the ball. Vlaar didn't move across to block Austin, who had a free shot against Guzan from around the penalty spot. And he took it.
Sanchez's red aside, we had a decent performance. But we really should've killed the game. Our shots to shots on target ratio improved, but we weren't scoring.
And Munir continues to be ineffective.
Leicester City 3-0 Aston Villa
I had a chat with Munir and told him he needs to play at a higher standard. I think he knows as well. Or at least that bunch of 1s and 0s in the program know it too. Bacuna continues his surprise run in the side since our favourite Colombian Anchor Man decided too give him a chance by getting suspended. Delph had only just returned from injury and, just for more cover, I called up Ajer. Remember the 16 year old kid I bought for £1k? Maybe if the game goes well I'll bring him on for his debut. Or if the game goes wrong. We have a match against Man City in midweek and I'd like my XI to be fresh for that slaughter so I rested some players. Weimann came in for Benteke as a poacher, so we would switch to low crosses. Lowton continues his run in the side as well, keeping Hutton on the bench.
We threatened a lot in the first half but didn't net any goals. Then in the second half came the goal I had been trying to get my team to score for half a season. Lowton intercepts a cross, and picks out Munir who was waiting to spring a run off the shoulder of the defenders. The high through ball finds him with plenty of space and he takes the shot to score the goal. I've attached a screenie too!
Beautiful!
The second goal came 2 minutes later when Cissokho's low cross found Gabby, who had come on for the ineffective Grealish. He took a shot which rebounded off Schmeichel back to him. It was a very tight angle, shooting almost from the byline but he scored.
Then Munir had an amazing long shot from outside the box after Delph, who had come on for Cleverley so he would be fit against City, had knocked it down for him. 3-0 up with the match won I took off Munir (whom I was always going to anyway, but subbing him on a hat trick makes me a jerk) and brought on Ajer. Bacuna moved to the right wing while Delph and Romero took the CM spots and Ajer sat back and anchored the midfield. He had a pretty okay game, making some neat passes. But certainly not Premier League level yet.
It was a comfortable win, and we kept a clean sheet. I think morale is good going into the City match. It probably won't be for long, City are a strong side and they've had a good run of games this month.
On a side note, February is when Russia has its Youth Intake. And I already have my scouts looking at some players. Among them is a 15 year old right back on a youth contract. The compensation fee is pretty cheap, but my budget is still in the red (didn't sell anyone in the Jan window) so it'll have to wait.
After a terrible January where we lost to Newcastle, drew at Swansea, lost again to Man Utd thand yet again to Spurs, morale in the locker room had dipped to Okay and was at risk of falling even further.
Fortunately, we made our presence felt against Hull and grabbed a deserved 3-0 win. We were pushing a lot but still 0-0 at 67 minutes. And then, Grealish received the ball just past the halfway line and cut inside from the left, dribbling for a good distance before spotting Agbonlahor running down the opposite flank. A beautiful through ball across the pitch and between the defence found Gabby, who calmly slotted home the goal, beating McGregor at his near post. It was the kind of goal I was aiming for, except that it was a ground though ball and not a high one lobbed over the defence. It was a tense match with Hull responding instantly and we had to sit back for a while. But at 84 minutes our defence won the ball and immediately sprang a counterattack, with a direct ball from Bacuna picking out Grealish, who dribbled past 2 players before scoring to make it 2-0.
Yes Bacuna. You read that right. I started with Sanchez, Cleverley and Romero but Sanchez was having a below par match and I had decided to sub him for Delph, who just returned from injury. And within 6 minutes Delph sustained an injury again. But a minor one. Didn't want to risk it so I brought on Bacuna. He had a good match.
Benteke rounded off the match by scoring after McGregor failed to catch Agbonlahor's near post header from Hutton's cross. Hutton was running down the right flank and Romero spotted him and played a nice through ball to him. Not a high through ball, but good enough.
Feels great to win again. Only thing was, I'd thought Munir would perform well in the IF role though, but he had a pretty drab match and I had to bring on Gabby. Who scored, so it's all good I guess.
Aston Villa 3-1 Sunderland
Against Sunderland I thought I'd try using Romero in the Regista role. Sanchez has been pretty average anyway. And since Delph had picked up that sprained ankle, and Westwood is still out... Bacuna gets a chance to prove that he should get a run in the side. And with the match against Liverpool just 2 days later, I thought I'd put Lowton at right back and save Hutton for Pool. The two went on to have excellent games. Bacuna scored 7.8 and Lowton 8.4. I let Okore have another game in the side as well, with Balanta only just returning from injury.
We were 2-0 up before the break. Lowton scored from just outside the box with a nice shot into the bottom corner. Munir then found Benteke at the near post with a cross, which the Beast put past Pantilimon. Ricky Alvarez pull one back after half time though, making a run towards the far post and beating Lowton in the air to get on the end of a cross.
Despite his assist, Munir continued to be ineffective out wide and I had to take him off again for Agbonlahor, whom I played as Raumdeuter. Cleverley too was having a pretty bad day and Vlaar was average, so I brought on Sanchez an Balanta.
Gabby scored the winner in the 71st minute. Lowton had intercepted a cross and he immediately picked out Grealish, who headed the ball down to Sanchez. Sanchez found Benteke, who was running through the centre between the two Sunderland CBs. His shot rebounded off Pantilimon but Gabby the Raumdeuter popped out of nowhere to get on the end of that rebound for a goal.
Morale was steadily increasing in the locker room. I felt we threatened pretty well with 25 shots, though our finishing could've been more accurate.
Liverpool 1-0 Aston Villa
Seeing as Lowton and Bacuna had a pretty good game, I picked them. Delph was still out anyway. Neither put in the same stunning performance again, but they had a pretty okay game. Okore also got a chance again ahead of Balanta, but he put in an average game.
We won 90% of our tackles and had 15 shots against a very good Liverpool side. But our shooting let us down and we only had 3 shots on target. Sturridge's goal won it for the Reds. He latched on to a cross at the near post and somehow his shot beat Guzan and Vlaar. Very tight angle, but I guess he's also a very good striker. Wish Benteke could do something like that.
Still, I think our performance wasn't too bad.
Aston Villa 1-2 QPR
We were looking to bounce back from the Liverpool loss but ended up being humiliated by the 19th placed team in the BPL. Bacuna got his third consecutive start. I gave Okore another chance. If he fluffs it, Balanta will return to the XI.
Bacuna got a shot from outside the box, which McCarthy parried. But Grealish reacted quickly and pounced on it for a shot, which should've gone in. But McCarthy again saves the ball with a dive. With the ball sitting on the goal line, Rio Ferdinand beat the onrushing Benteke to it... And put it in his own net.
So we went into the break 1-0 up. But Kranjcar had an excellent free kick over the wall and dipping into the far post. Guzan couldn't reach it. But Bacuna was on the far post. And he let that past him. Disappointing.
It was a tight match from there on. Grealish picked up a minor injury and had to be taken off for Agbonlahor. Okore was having a terrible 6.3 game, so I subbed him for Balanta. QPR was pushing forward for the winner and to add some solidity to the midfield, I made the very hard decision to take off Bacuna and bring on an Anchor Man in Sanchez.
We were holding out pretty well. Then Sanchez got ****** with Kranjcar for holding up the ball and lunged into him from just behind. Instant red, no question. Stupid move, leaving us with 10 men against a QPR side which was pushing forward. And we were out of midfielders and substitutions.
QPR eventually found the winner when Rosenoir hit a cross into the box. Balanta was marking Charlie Austin, but spotted Kranjcar running into the box, so he very intelligently left Austin to nobody and ran off to try and stop Kranjcar, who would never have reached the ball. Vlaar didn't move across to block Austin, who had a free shot against Guzan from around the penalty spot. And he took it.
Sanchez's red aside, we had a decent performance. But we really should've killed the game. Our shots to shots on target ratio improved, but we weren't scoring.
And Munir continues to be ineffective.
Leicester City 3-0 Aston Villa
I had a chat with Munir and told him he needs to play at a higher standard. I think he knows as well. Or at least that bunch of 1s and 0s in the program know it too. Bacuna continues his surprise run in the side since our favourite Colombian Anchor Man decided too give him a chance by getting suspended. Delph had only just returned from injury and, just for more cover, I called up Ajer. Remember the 16 year old kid I bought for £1k? Maybe if the game goes well I'll bring him on for his debut. Or if the game goes wrong. We have a match against Man City in midweek and I'd like my XI to be fresh for that slaughter so I rested some players. Weimann came in for Benteke as a poacher, so we would switch to low crosses. Lowton continues his run in the side as well, keeping Hutton on the bench.
We threatened a lot in the first half but didn't net any goals. Then in the second half came the goal I had been trying to get my team to score for half a season. Lowton intercepts a cross, and picks out Munir who was waiting to spring a run off the shoulder of the defenders. The high through ball finds him with plenty of space and he takes the shot to score the goal. I've attached a screenie too!
Beautiful!
The second goal came 2 minutes later when Cissokho's low cross found Gabby, who had come on for the ineffective Grealish. He took a shot which rebounded off Schmeichel back to him. It was a very tight angle, shooting almost from the byline but he scored.
Then Munir had an amazing long shot from outside the box after Delph, who had come on for Cleverley so he would be fit against City, had knocked it down for him. 3-0 up with the match won I took off Munir (whom I was always going to anyway, but subbing him on a hat trick makes me a jerk) and brought on Ajer. Bacuna moved to the right wing while Delph and Romero took the CM spots and Ajer sat back and anchored the midfield. He had a pretty okay game, making some neat passes. But certainly not Premier League level yet.
It was a comfortable win, and we kept a clean sheet. I think morale is good going into the City match. It probably won't be for long, City are a strong side and they've had a good run of games this month.
On a side note, February is when Russia has its Youth Intake. And I already have my scouts looking at some players. Among them is a 15 year old right back on a youth contract. The compensation fee is pretty cheap, but my budget is still in the red (didn't sell anyone in the Jan window) so it'll have to wait.
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Yeah it's different from last year's.
Did you make any transfers? The default squad is pretty lacking. As we can tell from the weekly BPL matches.
What tactics are you using if I may ask?
Didn't make any transfers, as it was my first go, I thought I'd see how I do with the existing squad, apparently no better than Lambert...
I was using 4-3-3 DM Wide or 4-2-1-2-1, with two holding mids and one more advanced, for defensive games.
Just upgraded my PC, so lost all my existing saved games, not that I'm too upset, given how things went. So I'm gona give Villa another chance.
What role are you playing Benteke? I can't seem to get the best of of any of my target men (Benteke, Kozak or Stracqualursi)
Benteke has been a little inconsistent and I've played him in multiple roles. I've settled for Advanced Forward Attack for now. As Target Man I also didn't feel he offered much. This is likely more due to the 4-3-3 formation though, as there isn't a specific player such as an AM in 4-2-3-1 or a second striker in 4-4-2 who will pick off his scraps and knock downs.
You can try a false nine. May be more suitable if you had a capable AM playing in a 4-2-3-1, but if your IFs (or Raumdeuters) do their job it could work. He has some decent ability in helping build up play. But you'll still need someone to finish. Others have suggested Complete Forward Support, which hasn't really worked for me but might for you.
Haven't really used Kozak and intend to sell him. Came back from injury to get some more injuries and didn't really have a chance at starting. From what I can tell, he has good aerial ability but that's about it.
Yeah, also thought playing an AM behind Benteke would help. Just started a new save, will hopefully be able to get the best out of him with some tinkering.
All the best mate!
You might want to find someone better than N'Zogbia and Cole for AM.
Same to you.All the best mate!
You might want to find someone better than N'Zogbia and Cole for AM.
Fortunately I managed to sell N'Zogbia for 5.9M!
Not bad! Is it in installments?
4.7m upfront and 1.2m over 12 months. Also sold Bent for 1.4m, however still paying a portion of both of their wages.
Wow that's very good! I had a £6 million offer from Palace. But it was £1.8 million upfront and £4.2 over 48 months. Which in retrospect was probably a terrible deal. You can find some very solid players with that amount of cash.
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I could yeah.
Trying something a bit different though, due to the large squad I have already, including reserves, and the fact I am unable to sell/loan the majority of these, I am going to get through the 1st season largely on the existing squad. A lot of players contracts come to an end at the end of the season, which will be an ideal time to rebuild the team.
Yeah that would be a cool challenge.
Regarding reserves and youths, I was considering taking over the u21 team come end of season. I feel like the AI manages the team pretty poorly for matches etc. Taking over would mean I get more control over who plays and how we play the reserve games. At the moment I can only pick a XI under the u21 tactics. After that, it's all up to Cowans, and it's been pretty bad. Any thoughts?
Would certainly take up a lot more time, though I agree with you regarding poor team management. Not sure if its just cowans who is poor, or if its a general issue. I set some of my first team players to be available for 20 or 45 minutes, however they go on to play the whole match as there were no reserves included in the squad.
So if you are willing to go the extra mile, I think it would definitely pay off
So if you are willing to go the extra mile, I think it would definitely pay off
Aston Villa 3-1 Man City
Scout report highlights their consistent use of a 4-4-2 and so I decided to stick to the 4-3-3 and hopefully gain from that extra man in the midfield. Turns out they decided to switch their tactics and employed a 4-3-2-1. This allowed Grealish and Munir to raid the flanks throughout the first half, putting us 3-0 up way before half time, when they switched back to the 4-4-2.
Munir received the ball from Hutton's throw in, spotted Benteke just outside the box and laid a pass for the Belgian who fired a shot at goal, only to be denied by Hart. But Vlaar reacted quickly to score from the rebound and put us in the lead. Munir then scored from a free kick, shooting in off the bar and we were magically 2-0 up against a very strong City. Our opponents responded by taking the game into our half, but in the 27th minute we won the ball back outside our box and Benteke led the counterattack, laying a pass to Cleverley who found Munir in the channels. Munir passed back to Benteke who was running through the centre and it was 3-0 for us. All in 27 minutes.
After that, it was pretty much holding City back as they continued to push but we stayed strong and defended well. We were really pinned back in the final 10 minutes, and they eventually got the goal they deserved after Romero misplaced a pass straight to Navas who cut inside from the left, sparked a series of tricky one-twos (maybe threes) before Silva cut a low cross into the six yard box for Jovetic to score unmarked.
West Ham 2-3 Aston Villa
All was good after the City match and I had intended to field more or less the same side, but use a 4-2-3-1 to try and spread ourselves across the pitch, because of West Ham's notoriously solid 4-5-1 and their strong midfield. It didn't work out though, as you can see below. Usually when I try to be clever, things don't work out.
Cissokho then had to twist his knee in training, leaving us without a proper full back of sorts. Enda Stevens doesn't cut it and has been poor even for the reserves. So in steps Balanta to fill that role, while Vlaar and Okore form the centre of defence.
We started the match well, testing Adrian with a few shots. But we went missing for a few minutes, and let in two goals from the Hammers.
Ravel Morrison's pass to Zarate outside the box found the West Ham striker, who had a VERY weak shot that rolled into the net. Guzan literally walked over to where the ball was going in, then dived the other way. And did some breakdancing on the pitch. If you need proof that the ME is terrible, here it is.
Then 2 minutes later we had a 6v6 in our box, plus 2 more West Ham players on the edge while Benteke, Munir, Grealish and Agbonlahor all decided to hang around the halfway line and watch. Eventually a short pass from Valencia to Downing found the former Villa man and he put it past Guzan calmly to make it 2-0. Pretty frustrating.
But then, Munir made a pass through the centre to Benteke, who had plenty of space between West Ham's CB and LB, and the Belgian fired from all 25 yards out into the top corner past Adrian. Pure inspiration this fellow. Now I can no longer watch my opponents score wondershots and whine, "Why can't Benteke do this?".
Westwood, who had just returned from injury (like, just) was having a bad day, misplacing passes and whatnot so at half time I had to sub him for Delph, who would hopefully bring some much-needed dynamism to the midfield which was being dominated so badly. The match continued to drag on at 2-1, with both sides missing chances to change the scoreline. Benteke had a header called for offside.
Our equalizer finally came though, and from an unlikely player. Grealish's corner picked out Agbonlahor at the edge of the box, who probably intended a volley but was quickly closed down so he laid a pass to... Okore. He let off a shot through the crowd and past the keeper, making it 2-2 for us.
Minus that assist though, Agbonlahor was as usual unremarkable and quiet. West Ham switched to a 4-1-2-1-2 and began pushing up. In response to their 4 CMs, I took off Gabby for Bacuna and changed to the usual 4-3-3, exploiting their wings. Can't recall why I picked Bacuna instead of Cleverley though.
I would have taken the draw in all honesty. I had underestimated West Ham, who were really good that day. But we managed to end the match with a 3rd goal to mark a magnificent (or lucky) comeback. There was a throw in, there was a scuffle, there was Munir picking up the ball and passing it out to Lowton, then there was a Vlaar shot, a Romero shot. Both which didn't go in. And then, there was the shot from Eder Alvarez Balanta, from almost the exact same position as Okore earlier on. Our third goal, and a signal to shut up shop and hold out against West Ham who were pouring men forward. Benteke picked up an injury in the 77th minute though, and having used up all 3 subs we were forced to defend with 10 men for the last 15 minutes.
We managed to contain them though and picked up the three vital points, which kept us competing with Liverpool and Man City for 5th place. Who'd have thought, Villa fighting for a Euro spot. Lol.
Aston Villa 0-1 Stoke
So our luck had run out and the match didn't go as well. Cissokho was still out and so Balanta stayed at left back. Hutton was poor the last game and was subbed for Lowton whose crosses at least threaten somewhat, so he's back in the team again. Despite still being transfer listed.
Stoke played 4-5-1 as well, but with an AM in Charlie Adam. I thought I'd try to exploit the gap between their defence and midfield and so used the 4-2-3-1 again. But again, my ideas always fail.
Stoke went ahead early with Mame Diouf losing Vlaar and scoring a header. But after that it was a poor match throughout, with both sides taking shots and missing them. It got so desperate I had to bring on Kozak (also just back from injury) for his 7th sub appearance for the quiet Benteke. Agbonlahor too was terrible, as he's largely been throughout the season thus far. I can't believe I'm paying him £55,000 a week. If it weren't because Villa lacked good wingers I'd have sold him. And I just might, come end of season. If anyone will pay for him. I fear the fan base retaliation though, even though I'm pretty sure irl we won't be that upset if the club sold him.
Best part was after the match, the fans blamed me for negative tactics when there was very clearly only one side on the pitch trying to make things happen in the second half. And I'm pretty sure it wasn't Stoke. Perhaps it's because we had 17 fouls?
So that concludes the month of March, which was more about scouting regens than anything. I've got a few shortlisted but I can't make my move as I'm still in the red. There are rumours of another takeover attempt though. Hopefully it will go better than the last.
In other news, I present to you
Henry Smith
Groomed right here at the club, and looks set to have a bright 5★ future. Reports didn't suggest he was the "best of his generation" though. But good fullbacks are hard to find in this save.
Also, Villa is brimming with young talent. A clean sweep of the first three spots.
Aston Villa is now Munir's favourite club despite only hanging around for little more than 2 months. He loves the fans, they love him. But he'll dump us and get together with his ex when the season ends. Sad but inevitable.
Scout report highlights their consistent use of a 4-4-2 and so I decided to stick to the 4-3-3 and hopefully gain from that extra man in the midfield. Turns out they decided to switch their tactics and employed a 4-3-2-1. This allowed Grealish and Munir to raid the flanks throughout the first half, putting us 3-0 up way before half time, when they switched back to the 4-4-2.
Munir received the ball from Hutton's throw in, spotted Benteke just outside the box and laid a pass for the Belgian who fired a shot at goal, only to be denied by Hart. But Vlaar reacted quickly to score from the rebound and put us in the lead. Munir then scored from a free kick, shooting in off the bar and we were magically 2-0 up against a very strong City. Our opponents responded by taking the game into our half, but in the 27th minute we won the ball back outside our box and Benteke led the counterattack, laying a pass to Cleverley who found Munir in the channels. Munir passed back to Benteke who was running through the centre and it was 3-0 for us. All in 27 minutes.
After that, it was pretty much holding City back as they continued to push but we stayed strong and defended well. We were really pinned back in the final 10 minutes, and they eventually got the goal they deserved after Romero misplaced a pass straight to Navas who cut inside from the left, sparked a series of tricky one-twos (maybe threes) before Silva cut a low cross into the six yard box for Jovetic to score unmarked.
West Ham 2-3 Aston Villa
All was good after the City match and I had intended to field more or less the same side, but use a 4-2-3-1 to try and spread ourselves across the pitch, because of West Ham's notoriously solid 4-5-1 and their strong midfield. It didn't work out though, as you can see below. Usually when I try to be clever, things don't work out.
Cissokho then had to twist his knee in training, leaving us without a proper full back of sorts. Enda Stevens doesn't cut it and has been poor even for the reserves. So in steps Balanta to fill that role, while Vlaar and Okore form the centre of defence.
We started the match well, testing Adrian with a few shots. But we went missing for a few minutes, and let in two goals from the Hammers.
Ravel Morrison's pass to Zarate outside the box found the West Ham striker, who had a VERY weak shot that rolled into the net. Guzan literally walked over to where the ball was going in, then dived the other way. And did some breakdancing on the pitch. If you need proof that the ME is terrible, here it is.
Then 2 minutes later we had a 6v6 in our box, plus 2 more West Ham players on the edge while Benteke, Munir, Grealish and Agbonlahor all decided to hang around the halfway line and watch. Eventually a short pass from Valencia to Downing found the former Villa man and he put it past Guzan calmly to make it 2-0. Pretty frustrating.
But then, Munir made a pass through the centre to Benteke, who had plenty of space between West Ham's CB and LB, and the Belgian fired from all 25 yards out into the top corner past Adrian. Pure inspiration this fellow. Now I can no longer watch my opponents score wondershots and whine, "Why can't Benteke do this?".
Westwood, who had just returned from injury (like, just) was having a bad day, misplacing passes and whatnot so at half time I had to sub him for Delph, who would hopefully bring some much-needed dynamism to the midfield which was being dominated so badly. The match continued to drag on at 2-1, with both sides missing chances to change the scoreline. Benteke had a header called for offside.
Our equalizer finally came though, and from an unlikely player. Grealish's corner picked out Agbonlahor at the edge of the box, who probably intended a volley but was quickly closed down so he laid a pass to... Okore. He let off a shot through the crowd and past the keeper, making it 2-2 for us.
Minus that assist though, Agbonlahor was as usual unremarkable and quiet. West Ham switched to a 4-1-2-1-2 and began pushing up. In response to their 4 CMs, I took off Gabby for Bacuna and changed to the usual 4-3-3, exploiting their wings. Can't recall why I picked Bacuna instead of Cleverley though.
I would have taken the draw in all honesty. I had underestimated West Ham, who were really good that day. But we managed to end the match with a 3rd goal to mark a magnificent (or lucky) comeback. There was a throw in, there was a scuffle, there was Munir picking up the ball and passing it out to Lowton, then there was a Vlaar shot, a Romero shot. Both which didn't go in. And then, there was the shot from Eder Alvarez Balanta, from almost the exact same position as Okore earlier on. Our third goal, and a signal to shut up shop and hold out against West Ham who were pouring men forward. Benteke picked up an injury in the 77th minute though, and having used up all 3 subs we were forced to defend with 10 men for the last 15 minutes.
We managed to contain them though and picked up the three vital points, which kept us competing with Liverpool and Man City for 5th place. Who'd have thought, Villa fighting for a Euro spot. Lol.
Aston Villa 0-1 Stoke
So our luck had run out and the match didn't go as well. Cissokho was still out and so Balanta stayed at left back. Hutton was poor the last game and was subbed for Lowton whose crosses at least threaten somewhat, so he's back in the team again. Despite still being transfer listed.
Stoke played 4-5-1 as well, but with an AM in Charlie Adam. I thought I'd try to exploit the gap between their defence and midfield and so used the 4-2-3-1 again. But again, my ideas always fail.
Stoke went ahead early with Mame Diouf losing Vlaar and scoring a header. But after that it was a poor match throughout, with both sides taking shots and missing them. It got so desperate I had to bring on Kozak (also just back from injury) for his 7th sub appearance for the quiet Benteke. Agbonlahor too was terrible, as he's largely been throughout the season thus far. I can't believe I'm paying him £55,000 a week. If it weren't because Villa lacked good wingers I'd have sold him. And I just might, come end of season. If anyone will pay for him. I fear the fan base retaliation though, even though I'm pretty sure irl we won't be that upset if the club sold him.
Best part was after the match, the fans blamed me for negative tactics when there was very clearly only one side on the pitch trying to make things happen in the second half. And I'm pretty sure it wasn't Stoke. Perhaps it's because we had 17 fouls?
So that concludes the month of March, which was more about scouting regens than anything. I've got a few shortlisted but I can't make my move as I'm still in the red. There are rumours of another takeover attempt though. Hopefully it will go better than the last.
In other news, I present to you
Henry Smith
Groomed right here at the club, and looks set to have a bright 5★ future. Reports didn't suggest he was the "best of his generation" though. But good fullbacks are hard to find in this save.
Also, Villa is brimming with young talent. A clean sweep of the first three spots.
Aston Villa is now Munir's favourite club despite only hanging around for little more than 2 months. He loves the fans, they love him. But he'll dump us and get together with his ex when the season ends. Sad but inevitable.
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Zlatan Lumic
Member
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- Jun 2, 2014
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My good sire you are an absolute saint.
I love this club (I'm Spaniard, yet my heart is Villan), but playing with Villa in this installment is downright unbearable. Lerner seems more keen in destroying the club than on saving it (the constant takeover attempts (and transfer embargo) make almost impossible to move through transfer windows properly, he always complains about how the team plays even if the boys outperform everything and flat out refuses even the most sensible and logical requests... How on Earth a Premier League team does not need a feeder team on Netherlands or Belgium to work its way around work permits? I mean... come on Lerner...¬¬) and some players on the club are downright dickish (Benteke constantly crying about wanting to leave yet playing like ****, Guzan wanting to have a wage more proper for a club like Tottenham than Aston Villa, Hutton refusing my requests because of yeah (he refuse to help me convince Marco Asensio to move to Villa Park, he refuesed to tutor Seanna Foster...)).
The only way I can play with Villa on this game without having an ulcer is by using the editor first.
...Yet you're able to play with all of that just fine... Sir, you just earned my respect and admiration.
Anyway... enough ranting for now ^^
You're doing a terrific job with the boys this year, the team is currently 7th (when the media considers it relegation fodder and when controlled by the CPU it always relegates on the first year) and getting some good results along the way: beating City, Chelsea, Liverpool... twice. Impressive.
Besides the team is moving really well on the transfer windows, this team will have a bright future if things keep up like this... despite having Lerner as a chairman.
Keep it up, Europe is not a wacky dream anymore... it's in your reach.
I love this club (I'm Spaniard, yet my heart is Villan), but playing with Villa in this installment is downright unbearable. Lerner seems more keen in destroying the club than on saving it (the constant takeover attempts (and transfer embargo) make almost impossible to move through transfer windows properly, he always complains about how the team plays even if the boys outperform everything and flat out refuses even the most sensible and logical requests... How on Earth a Premier League team does not need a feeder team on Netherlands or Belgium to work its way around work permits? I mean... come on Lerner...¬¬) and some players on the club are downright dickish (Benteke constantly crying about wanting to leave yet playing like ****, Guzan wanting to have a wage more proper for a club like Tottenham than Aston Villa, Hutton refusing my requests because of yeah (he refuse to help me convince Marco Asensio to move to Villa Park, he refuesed to tutor Seanna Foster...)).
The only way I can play with Villa on this game without having an ulcer is by using the editor first.
...Yet you're able to play with all of that just fine... Sir, you just earned my respect and admiration.
Anyway... enough ranting for now ^^
You're doing a terrific job with the boys this year, the team is currently 7th (when the media considers it relegation fodder and when controlled by the CPU it always relegates on the first year) and getting some good results along the way: beating City, Chelsea, Liverpool... twice. Impressive.
Besides the team is moving really well on the transfer windows, this team will have a bright future if things keep up like this... despite having Lerner as a chairman.
Keep it up, Europe is not a wacky dream anymore... it's in your reach.
Thanks mate. I'm hoping he will develop into a real solid full back for us. Could potentially be the one to solve our left back problem too! I'm working on his strength now, plus training him to be better at left back, where I will probably use him should I land this particular Russian right back regen I'm tracking.
But it could take 3 seasons before he's ready. And I haven't really contemplated the long-term situation for this save.
Thank you sir. I find the immense praise which you heap upon a humble soul like I most flattering. I can say with utmost certainty that I appreciate the adulation, but it would be most presumptuous of me to accept such claims of sainthood, for I am but an ordinary person with a computer and a run of good fortune.
Sorry, couldn't resist after your first line.
I'll admit I've achieved a lot getting Villa to seventh place in the league, but I know of others who've done much better. Also note I got kicked out of the cups in the early stages.
I can totally empathise with the problems that come with playing Villa. It was a major shock for me as well to find out Villa doesn't have any feeder clubs at all, not for work permits, to increase scouting knowledge or just to loan players. How is this even possible for a club of Villa's stature! Sure feeder clubs demand fees, but it's really peanuts in a multimillion dollar club. And I've heard it's been increasingly difficult to secure feeder clubs in recent games. Outside of the game though, the club need to do some serious rethinking. If the game data is anything to go by, our youth recruitment isn't that fantastic either. Some investment is desperately needed, and hopefully we do eventually get a successful takeover irl.
Finances are tight at Villa but I think this year's game is taking it too far. Lerner has so far rejected almost all my requests, such as to increase staff salaries or the wage budget. Only thing that went through was % transfer revenue iirc. I can't offer my staff decent salaries. I think they're all on 2,000 p/w or so and the only reason they've signed is because of bonuses and the 1 year contract. Which expires soon.
Speaking of contracts and Guzan, I'm glad you pointed it out. I forgot to renew Guzan's contract during the season when I had the chance.
Or at least I think I had the chance. His demands are huge, and right now due to the host of incoming transfers (I think) I can only offer him max 100p/w. He's probably going to leave on a free at this rate.I dare say that it is precisely because of my relative success in the transfer window that the club is where it is. I think this save is pretty good proof that the current crop of players we have at the club just doesn't cut it. Especially the forwards, whom I have ranted about countless times in this thread. Save a few key players, half the squad isn't up to standard, the other half is inconsistent. My tactics evidently aren't great; it's the sheer talent of Romero etc. who are carrying the team. Which is one reason why I always inquire about transfers made when discussing Villa saves.
I'm into the final stretch of the season with just 7 games to go. I'll be meeting Arsenal, West Brom, Chelsea, Everton, Newcastle, Burnley and Southampton in that order. It'll be tricky and realistically it would be very difficult to overtake Man City, who have a string of matches against easier opposition. Liverpool will face some big teams though so fingers crossed.
In any case I'm pretty pleased with the season so far and would settle for seventh. I presume that means will get a better transfer kitty from Old Scrooge next season.
All the best to you. You are most welcomed to stick around and discuss tactics and whatnot. Or simply rant about the club. That felt good.
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Okay so we're looking at one of the longest posts on this thread. Feel free to take regular eye breaks. It is most important to maintain good eye care.
Here we go:
Picking up from where I left off in the previous post, Aston Villa were sitting comfortably (somewhat) in 7th place. Not too shabby for a side tipped for 15th place and a season-long relegation fight. I was on course to fulfill the ridiculous expectations which I had pitched to the chairman at the beginning of the season - Continental qualification. 7th place would see the club entering the Third Qualifying Round of the Europa League. If I wanted a guaranteed spot, 5th or 6th place is in order. I just need to overtake Man City or Liverpool (or both). Pretty simple.
Villa's Schedule
[A] Arsenal
[H] West Brom
[A] Chelsea
[H] Everton
[A] Newcastle
[H] Burnley
[A] Southampton
Arsenal and Chelsea will be tough games that we'll probably lose, West Brom did manage to beat us 2-0 the previous time, Everton have a very strong and capable side (we lost the previous meeting too), and Newcastle and Southampton aren't pushovers. Although you'd be surprised to hear Southampton are rock bottom (or 19th, I forgot) and facing inevitable relegation despite their team boasting Schneiderlin, Clyne, Ward-Prowse, Rodriguez, Wanyama, Pelle and loanees like Markovic and Alderweireld.
So perhaps it's less simple. Especially considering that City have a run against weaker opposition like West Ham, Leicester, Sunderland and Hull, although their schedule is interjected with Champions League semi-finals (yes, they got that far) and they have a match against Liverpool. While 5th place may require some sheer luck, 6th place is pretty realistic, considering that Liverpool have to face City, Arsenal, Everton and Chelsea.
Every match from here on will be a fight to the last minute, and I hope to achieve some good results and maximize my points.
Villa 0-3 Arsenal
Not the start I had in mind, and a very poor match for us. Terribly one sided and we were completed dominated by Arsenal from start to finish. Wilshere's cross found Oxlade-Chamberlain in the box and although his shot was blocked, Podolski who was next to him fired home the rebound. Then, another Oxlade-Chamberlain shot was blocked, but this time it bounced off Vlaar and into the net past a very stunned Guzan who barely moved. To round off, Cleverley appeared to trip Walcott in the box, leaving Arteta to slot the penalty past Guzan and score Arsenal's third goal.
We had a few shots, but none really threatened and Munir was wasting chances by putting them so wide from so far out it's impossible to tell he's going to be one of the next big names in football. It was an expected loss, but this was pretty humiliating.
Consortium Targets Aston Villa Takeover
The rumours have it that the takeover is led by a former player. I fear he may be poorer than Lerner. Hope this doesn't drag too long and we can get a new chairman who's willing to invest. But a part of me wants this to fail so I can get a chance at a foreign tycoon takeover.
Aston Villa 2-0 West Brom
Against West Brom we were better. Luis Enrique was pestering me about Munir not playing as ST as much as he'd like so I took the opportunity to drop Benteke, whose recent run of form has been less than average and played Munir upfront. I picked a midfield trio of Delph, Cleverley and Romero and they managed well against their opposite numbers.
Grealish swung in a corner to the near post on 49 minutes and Balanta was there with a strong header, which came off Myhill. But he was the quickest to react and scrambled the ball into the net. My goals rarely come from corners (probably because I don't have any set piece specialist) so this was nice.
It was a tough match and at times West Brom looked like equalising. Especially after I was forced to bring off Romero, Delph and Agbonlahor when they picked up minor injuries from tackles. But we finished them off when Lowton intercepted a cross, hit a high through ball to Munir who cut inside and passed to Benteke. West Brom's Mulumbu put in a fine tackle against him, but the ball rolled into the penalty box and into the path of Grealish's diagonal run from the left flank. He calmly placed the ball into the back of the net.
Chelsea 4-0 Aston Villa
Similar to the Arsenal match, another defeat and a terrible performance to go with it. We held Chelsea back pretty well, until the inevitable goal came. After 31 minutes, Hazard's shot in the six yard box was palmed away by Guzan into the path of Cuadrado who finished it. We had a few shots, so a comeback was possible with a good counterattack. Especially since Chelsea were pouring players forward and weren't playing a DM.
But Chelsea made it 2-0 when Remy's cross found Diego Costa running into the box and he beat Balanta, Lowton and Vlaar to it to score a powerful header. Then Balanta decided to ignore short passing options and misplace his pass straight to Terry, who hit a direct ball to Hazard and he crossed for Costa to score another header from the near post. To cap off a miserable display, Oscar connected with Hazard's corner, but his shot came off Grealish at the near post and bounced into the path of Remy who made no mistake and scored Chelsea's fourth.
I had played Munir upfront again as a trequartista, hoping he would exploit the gap between Chelsea's midfield and defence, given that they didn't play a DM. And his pace and running would threaten Terry and Cahill, who are both somewhat slow. Didn't work out too well. At least I'm still on track to finish 7th. I think.
Breakthrough In Talks
And the next day I get a personal message from Mr Henry Jenkins. Who says he had plans to appoint Sam Allardyce as manager (WTF?) but will give me a chance. Seriously? I'm taking this club to Europe man. Also, my 1 year contract is expiring very soon.
Additionally, he has pumped £4.9 million into the club, and the board is calculating a new transfer budget.
£4.9 million. My greatest fear is being realised. The new chairman is worse than Lerner.
Note: My transfer budget is still -£338k.
Aston Villa 1-0 Everton
Not much to say here. I started Bacuna again, who netter the winner and only goal of the match after receiving a cross from Agbonlahor inside the box. An otherwise drab match and I had to switch to very defensive tactics towards the end to see out our 1-0 lead.
Another 3 points for us. And a dilemma over Bacuna's future.
Newcastle 0-3 Aston Villa
We had a solid showing against Newcastle. Benteke was starting again after being relegated to a substitute role in the past few games. He put in a poor performance as expected.
We opened the scoring with Delph taking a shot from the edge of the box, which came off the crowd and to Munir, who let off another shot, which came off the crowd and to Delph again who fired yet another shot and into the back of the net. 3 times the charm.
Then it was about holding Newcastle back for 64 minutes before Romero's close range header from Cissokho's cross sealed it for us. Kozak also made a substitute appearance after returning from yet another injury. He had a shot from the edge of the box into the top corner, capping a fine display from us.
Still intend to sell him though.
Aston Villa 1-0 Burnley
This was a pretty poor game to be honest. We had 20 shots, but only 5 on target and were set to draw with Burnley if not for Benteke's 6th minute strike from Grealish's cross. This is terrible for a side that will play in the Europa League next season and I'll have to make some serious changes to our strike force.
Cissokho had to be taken off with a gashed leg though, and will be out for 2 weeks. This forced me to bring on Okore, which means he is only one game away from us having to pay FC Nordsjælland £525k. Which, if you recall, I don't have.
Southampton 2-4 Aston Villa
Pretty impressive scoring from my side. But the match was handled by my Assistant Manager. Because, well, everyone deserves a chance to excel.
Okay, I got bored and wanted to end the season quick.
Benteke performed so much better, scoring a hat trick. A hat trick!
With 15 points from the last 7 games, the club manages to climb above Liverpool into 6th place, winning a place in next season's Europa League, as well as £15.86 million in prize money. We could have gotten a million more if we had pipped City to 5th, but that was always going to be impossible. Besides, I'm very satisfied with where the club has finished.
But most importantly, now that the season is over, my favourite part of the game kicks in:
SQUAD OVERHAUL!
Oh wait. I'm still in debt.
Here we go:
Picking up from where I left off in the previous post, Aston Villa were sitting comfortably (somewhat) in 7th place. Not too shabby for a side tipped for 15th place and a season-long relegation fight. I was on course to fulfill the ridiculous expectations which I had pitched to the chairman at the beginning of the season - Continental qualification. 7th place would see the club entering the Third Qualifying Round of the Europa League. If I wanted a guaranteed spot, 5th or 6th place is in order. I just need to overtake Man City or Liverpool (or both). Pretty simple.
Villa's Schedule
[A] Arsenal
[H] West Brom
[A] Chelsea
[H] Everton
[A] Newcastle
[H] Burnley
[A] Southampton
Arsenal and Chelsea will be tough games that we'll probably lose, West Brom did manage to beat us 2-0 the previous time, Everton have a very strong and capable side (we lost the previous meeting too), and Newcastle and Southampton aren't pushovers. Although you'd be surprised to hear Southampton are rock bottom (or 19th, I forgot) and facing inevitable relegation despite their team boasting Schneiderlin, Clyne, Ward-Prowse, Rodriguez, Wanyama, Pelle and loanees like Markovic and Alderweireld.
So perhaps it's less simple. Especially considering that City have a run against weaker opposition like West Ham, Leicester, Sunderland and Hull, although their schedule is interjected with Champions League semi-finals (yes, they got that far) and they have a match against Liverpool. While 5th place may require some sheer luck, 6th place is pretty realistic, considering that Liverpool have to face City, Arsenal, Everton and Chelsea.
Every match from here on will be a fight to the last minute, and I hope to achieve some good results and maximize my points.
Villa 0-3 Arsenal
Not the start I had in mind, and a very poor match for us. Terribly one sided and we were completed dominated by Arsenal from start to finish. Wilshere's cross found Oxlade-Chamberlain in the box and although his shot was blocked, Podolski who was next to him fired home the rebound. Then, another Oxlade-Chamberlain shot was blocked, but this time it bounced off Vlaar and into the net past a very stunned Guzan who barely moved. To round off, Cleverley appeared to trip Walcott in the box, leaving Arteta to slot the penalty past Guzan and score Arsenal's third goal.
We had a few shots, but none really threatened and Munir was wasting chances by putting them so wide from so far out it's impossible to tell he's going to be one of the next big names in football. It was an expected loss, but this was pretty humiliating.
Consortium Targets Aston Villa Takeover
The rumours have it that the takeover is led by a former player. I fear he may be poorer than Lerner. Hope this doesn't drag too long and we can get a new chairman who's willing to invest. But a part of me wants this to fail so I can get a chance at a foreign tycoon takeover.
Aston Villa 2-0 West Brom
Against West Brom we were better. Luis Enrique was pestering me about Munir not playing as ST as much as he'd like so I took the opportunity to drop Benteke, whose recent run of form has been less than average and played Munir upfront. I picked a midfield trio of Delph, Cleverley and Romero and they managed well against their opposite numbers.
Grealish swung in a corner to the near post on 49 minutes and Balanta was there with a strong header, which came off Myhill. But he was the quickest to react and scrambled the ball into the net. My goals rarely come from corners (probably because I don't have any set piece specialist) so this was nice.
It was a tough match and at times West Brom looked like equalising. Especially after I was forced to bring off Romero, Delph and Agbonlahor when they picked up minor injuries from tackles. But we finished them off when Lowton intercepted a cross, hit a high through ball to Munir who cut inside and passed to Benteke. West Brom's Mulumbu put in a fine tackle against him, but the ball rolled into the penalty box and into the path of Grealish's diagonal run from the left flank. He calmly placed the ball into the back of the net.
Chelsea 4-0 Aston Villa
Similar to the Arsenal match, another defeat and a terrible performance to go with it. We held Chelsea back pretty well, until the inevitable goal came. After 31 minutes, Hazard's shot in the six yard box was palmed away by Guzan into the path of Cuadrado who finished it. We had a few shots, so a comeback was possible with a good counterattack. Especially since Chelsea were pouring players forward and weren't playing a DM.
But Chelsea made it 2-0 when Remy's cross found Diego Costa running into the box and he beat Balanta, Lowton and Vlaar to it to score a powerful header. Then Balanta decided to ignore short passing options and misplace his pass straight to Terry, who hit a direct ball to Hazard and he crossed for Costa to score another header from the near post. To cap off a miserable display, Oscar connected with Hazard's corner, but his shot came off Grealish at the near post and bounced into the path of Remy who made no mistake and scored Chelsea's fourth.
I had played Munir upfront again as a trequartista, hoping he would exploit the gap between Chelsea's midfield and defence, given that they didn't play a DM. And his pace and running would threaten Terry and Cahill, who are both somewhat slow. Didn't work out too well. At least I'm still on track to finish 7th. I think.
Breakthrough In Talks
And the next day I get a personal message from Mr Henry Jenkins. Who says he had plans to appoint Sam Allardyce as manager (WTF?) but will give me a chance. Seriously? I'm taking this club to Europe man. Also, my 1 year contract is expiring very soon.
Additionally, he has pumped £4.9 million into the club, and the board is calculating a new transfer budget.
£4.9 million. My greatest fear is being realised. The new chairman is worse than Lerner.
Note: My transfer budget is still -£338k.
Aston Villa 1-0 Everton
Not much to say here. I started Bacuna again, who netter the winner and only goal of the match after receiving a cross from Agbonlahor inside the box. An otherwise drab match and I had to switch to very defensive tactics towards the end to see out our 1-0 lead.
Another 3 points for us. And a dilemma over Bacuna's future.
Newcastle 0-3 Aston Villa
We had a solid showing against Newcastle. Benteke was starting again after being relegated to a substitute role in the past few games. He put in a poor performance as expected.
We opened the scoring with Delph taking a shot from the edge of the box, which came off the crowd and to Munir, who let off another shot, which came off the crowd and to Delph again who fired yet another shot and into the back of the net. 3 times the charm.
Then it was about holding Newcastle back for 64 minutes before Romero's close range header from Cissokho's cross sealed it for us. Kozak also made a substitute appearance after returning from yet another injury. He had a shot from the edge of the box into the top corner, capping a fine display from us.
Still intend to sell him though.
Aston Villa 1-0 Burnley
This was a pretty poor game to be honest. We had 20 shots, but only 5 on target and were set to draw with Burnley if not for Benteke's 6th minute strike from Grealish's cross. This is terrible for a side that will play in the Europa League next season and I'll have to make some serious changes to our strike force.
Cissokho had to be taken off with a gashed leg though, and will be out for 2 weeks. This forced me to bring on Okore, which means he is only one game away from us having to pay FC Nordsjælland £525k. Which, if you recall, I don't have.
Southampton 2-4 Aston Villa
Pretty impressive scoring from my side. But the match was handled by my Assistant Manager. Because, well, everyone deserves a chance to excel.
Okay, I got bored and wanted to end the season quick.
Benteke performed so much better, scoring a hat trick. A hat trick!
With 15 points from the last 7 games, the club manages to climb above Liverpool into 6th place, winning a place in next season's Europa League, as well as £15.86 million in prize money. We could have gotten a million more if we had pipped City to 5th, but that was always going to be impossible. Besides, I'm very satisfied with where the club has finished.
But most importantly, now that the season is over, my favourite part of the game kicks in:
SQUAD OVERHAUL!
Oh wait. I'm still in debt.
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Cheers mate! If only the real life were that easy.
Best of luck with your new Brighton save.