Well this game kicked off in the last 5/10 minutes. We dominated but couldn’t break them down until Vokes headed us in front. When Mounie equalized straight after I though that would be the game over but we got 2 even later goals to win the 3 points.
Well this has brought us crashing back down to Earth. We never in this match and they had over 30 shots by the end of it. We clearly don’t have the quality to compete with Man Utd which is completely expected but I am disappointed that we conceded 3 goals in 5 minutes.
It is nice to follow up the Man Utd result with 3 points and a clean sheet. Wolves are a good team in the Prem so it was good to keep them out and capitalize on a mistake at the back for Maehle to score.
Summary
Due to an international break and the fact that we are out of the cup already, this was a short month where we got 6 points from 9 which I am pleased with. We are in a strong position considering that our target is to just avoid relegation. I am hoping this will improve my reputation so that when I do move on I will be able to move on to a bigger club that are challenging for competitions.
Player of the Month
Josh Tymon
No one massively stood out so I thought I would pick young Tymon who consistently puts in good performances is developing into a very good wing back.
We were never close in this game really. Maehle picked up two yellow cards just minutes apart early in the second half and then it was just waiting for Arsenal to pick us off.
Really disappointed with this because of the goal they scored. Butland passed it straight out to Vardy who tapped into an open goal in a game that was a really tight affair. This is first time I have lost 2 league games in a row.
Stoke 6 (Abraham 1, 86, Grealish 23, Ndiaye 25, Maupay 33, Woods 55)
Tottenham 4 (Eriksen 34, Kane 41pen, Sessegnon 45, Chiesa 59)
What a game. It seemed like every chance was a goal. We went from 4-0 up after 33 mins to it being 4-3 at half time. The scoreline was then always close until Abraham got a late counter goal to wrap up the points. It was really good to break up our losing run especially against a team that I had expected to lose to.
This is a nice solid way to end the month. This is our only clean sheet of the month which is disappointing but when this month had games against Arsenal, Leicester and Tottenham in it, it is understandable.
Summary
A mixed month here where we had some difficult games but still came out of it with 6 points. The only disappointed for me really was the Leicester game where we deserved a point but threw it away at the end. In other news, the Chelsea job has become available and I have applied for it. It is unlikely that I will win the league with Stoke with the one remaining season I have here so I have begun looking for a new job and the Chelsea one stood out for me.
Player of the Month
Badou Ndiaye
While this month has not been the greatest, Ndiaye has been very consistent in the middle of the park. He gives us a lot of energy and while he isn’t the most technical player, he does bring us many other qualities.
A disappointing draw here as we dominated the game but could not break down their stubborn defence. This month brings 7 games and lots of rotation so I was hoping to get all 3 points in a game where I was able to play the regular first team.
Chelsea 0 Stoke 2 (Imbula 42, Afobe 58)
A really nice win here against a Chelsea side that are in freefall. As I said in the last post, I went for the Chelsea job and was offered an interview although in the end I didn’t get the job as they hired Zinedine Zidane instead.
Stoke 1 (Ndiaye 25)
Bournemouth 0
A decent win here with Ndiaye providing the goal and Tymon getting a third MOTM award in a row. He has been incredibly consistent from LB and gets up and down the pitch really well.
I’m not sure how to feel about this result as Liverpool are by far a better team than us so I wasn’t expecting a result here but we actually had enough chances to get a goal or 2 and to sneak a draw.
This game came just 2 days after the Liverpool game so I changed almost the entire starting team and we almost got a point until they got a late goal from Sorloth due to a poor pass back from Gonalons that was intercepted and passed into an open goal.
It hasn’t been the greatest end to the month with two losses and now this draw but with how quick and fast the games come in the Christmas period it is to be expected. I will be hoping that we can back into some good form in the new year.
Summary
It has been a strange month that started well but drifted off at the end. It is also one that is beginning to show the end of my time at Stoke. I went for the Chelsea job but didn’t get it, but I was also offered interviews for a couple of jobs in Germany with Werder Bremen and Stuttgart although I didn’t go for them as I have put my name in the hat for a much bigger team.
Player of the Month
Josh Tymon
3 MOTM performances in a row can not go ignored as Tymon put in some great performances at the start of the month. He is going to be a star in the very soon future.
This win takes us into the next round of the FA cup. It was a chaotic game with 8 goals and Leeds missed a penalty as well.
I had started to plan any possible signings for this window when suddenly... Gonzalo Flores leave Stoke City
After 14 months at the club, Gonzalo Flores has decided to leave Stoke City. In his time at the club, Gonzalo managed to take the club from the bottom half of the Championship to Championship winners and then had them challenging for a European place before his abrupt departure. This is his record at the club.
Games 52
Wins 34
Draws 8
Losses 10
It is believed that he already has a job lined up but that will be spoken about in my next post.
Up Next - New club update
Just 24 hours after announcing his departure from Stoke City, Gonzalo Flores has been confirmed as the new manager of Real Madrid. After an interview with the club at the end of December, it has been finalized that Flores will be stepping into possibly the biggest job in world football to try and improve the fortunes at Real Madrid.
Real Madrid currently sit in 5th place in the league and are 11 points behind league leaders Barcelona. It is unlikely that they will challenge for the title this season now but it must be a target to make sure that the club finish second and put as much pressure as possible on Barcelona.
Real Madrid
Founded – 1902
Stadium – Santiago Bernabeu
Capacity – 81044
Nickname – Los Merengues
Current League – La Liga
Trophy Cabinet
I have never seen a trophy cabinet like it. It would take more than one lifetime to try and replicate it.
3 year plan
Year 1 – Finish 2nd
Year 2 – Win league
Year 3 – Win Champions League
If I can stick with this 3 year plan then I should be able to walk into almost any job I want to afterwards and begin to really tick off a lot of the targets from the first post.
Pretty clear first and second choice here. Courtois will be between the sticks for us. Navas is out of contract at the end of this season so I may look to move him out now to bring in some money for him.
Full Backs
No changes to the squad here compared to the start of the game. The only real difference is that Marcelo is starting to get old so Nacho is seen as the better LB. Hakimi and Hernandez will be back from loan next season and will probably be the starting full backs from then on.
Centre Backs
Real quality in this position as Ramos, De Ligt and Varane are 3 world class defenders. De Ligt and Varane are the long term partnership but Ramos will start for now while Varane is out.
Central Midfielders
No changes here either as the central midfielders are still the same. I am starting to see why this team sacked their previous manager and are looking for a new one.
Wingers
The squad has changed a little there with both Mane and Rodrygo coming in to the club. I am not sure how to give all of these guys enough game time and it may end up with people leaving the club.
Strikers
Now I can really see why the club are struggling. Benzema is coming towards the end of his career and Mariano is not good enough for this team. I will definitely need to invest in this position if I want to achieve my targets.
Overview
I assumed the club would have issues as they had sacked their manager during the season but the problems are bigger than I thought. The full backs are not good enough, the central midfield is full of good players but no one that is amazing and the front line has 5/6 top class wingers but no good strikers. Getting the balance in this squad will be the biggest challenge but I even think of bringing players in.
It is going to be one **** of a challenge. I was shocked at getting the job but after getting an interview with Chelsea I thought I might as well go for it and see what happens. I'm just hoping that I don't do so badly that I lower my reputation after being here.
A really nice victory in my first game in charge as we go through to the next round of the cup. I played a 433 with Modric holding in DM but I am still playing around with the tactic and especially with the midfield.
Valencia 1 (Guedes 32) Real Madrid 2 (Rodrygo 43, Vinicius Jr 90)
This result could be very important in terms of us getting into the top 4. Valencia are on of the teams above us so we need to get results like these against those teams to catch them up. I switched to a 424 here and it definitely gave us some attacking threat here.
Real Hispalis 0 Real Madrid 2 (Mane 13, Rodrygo 49)
The first leg of the quarter final in the Spanish Cup ends in victory as we run out winners away from home. This game was the Mane show as he scored, assisted and got a straight red for a terrible 2 footed challenge and still picked up the MOTM award.
This was a very frustrating game. We had over 30 shots on goal but couldn’t score a single and then they countered us late on and scored with their only shot on target. Sevilla are one of the 4 teams above us and to lose here puts us in a very tough position to break into the top 4.
Real Madrid 1 (Vinicius Jr 24) Real Hispalis 0
Real Madrid win 3-0 on aggregate
Courtois, Odriozola, De Ligt (Vallejo), Varane, Marcelo, Kovacic, Casemiro, Bale (Mariano), Rodriguez, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo
I decided to rotate the squad here and thankfully the squad got the win. We are now through to the semi finals where we will face Sevilla who just beat us in the league.
Real Madrid 3 (Bale 41, Modric 84, Ceballos 90) Alaves 1 (Guidetti 3)
Another nice victory here takes us above Valencia by just goal difference as break back into the top 4. It was two late goals that gave us the points here after they had taken a very early lead.
Real Madrid 2 (Mariano 57, Vinicius Jr 62) Sevilla 2 (Sarabia 52, Ben Yedder 67)
A disappointing first leg here as we draw with Sevilla. They are clearly a team in good form and it is going to be hard to beat them in the second leg and also get above them in the league.
Summary
It has been a pretty strong start to my time at Real Madrid with the exception of playing against Sevilla. The squad is clearly very capable as it is Real Madrid but they are not as good as they should be. We do not seem to control games and we really lack a finisher up top.
Transfers
I was given only £15 million to spend in January as the club spent a lot last summer so I haven’t brought anyone into the club. I have however been able to move a couple of players on. Lucas Silva was the first to leave for £2.8 million to FLA. He was nowhere near the first team so I was happy to move him on. I then moved on Keylor Navas £5 million to Roma. He was a decent choice but he was out of contract at the end of this season so to get that much for him is pleasing. The last one to leave is James Rodriguez who is off to Seattle for £12 million. I was looking for a lot more for him but he is also out of contract at the end of the season so I am pleased to bring in some money before losing him for nothing in the summer.
Player of the Month
Vinicius Jr
He hasn’t played in every game this month due to me rotating things around but every time he has played he has played well.
A terrible result here. We were cut open so many times here and they could have scored a lot more. I am still not sure on the tactic or the personal and no one here did themselves any real justice.
Sevilla 0 Real Madrid 2 (Mane 59, Odriozola 90+2)
Courtois, Varane, De Ligt, Ramos, Carvajal (Odriozola), Casemiro, Kroos (Modric), Marcelo, Bale, Benzema, Mane
A really nice result here in the first leg of the cup. I switched to a 343 tactic here as I had such poor results against Sevilla before and it seemed to work. I’m not sure it will be our long term tactic though as we only scored from counter attacks.
Girona 0 Real Madrid 0
Courtois, Carvajal, Varane, De Ligt (Mariano), Ramos, Marcelo, Casemiro (Kovacic), Kroos, Modric (Asensio), Bale, Mane
Another poor away game here. I went with a 532 and that clearly didn’t work for us. It made us tighter at the back but we never really cut them open which we should do as Girona are not the greatest team in the league.
Another change in tactic to a 4231. This has been one of the more successful ones so far. We controlled a lot of the game and cut them open. The only disappointment was that we didn’t really do much in the second half. We did already have a 2 goal lead though.
Real Madrid 2 (Bale 23, Mane 82) PSG 3 (Mbappe 50, 52, Milenkovic 90)
This leaves us in a really difficult position. To both lose at home and concede 3 goals is really disappointing and we are now looking like we are going straight out of the Champions League. It will take one **** of a performance to get into the quarter-finals.
Real Madrid 3 (Bale 27, Rodrygo 39, Casemiro 85) Getafe 0
Courtois, Carvajal (Odriozola), Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Kroos, Casemiro, Bale (Mariano), Ceballos, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo
A really nice victory here. It is always nice to have game wrapped up in the first half and then be able to take a couple of players off the pitch. I am definitely happier with a 4231 tactic with this squad at the moment.
Tenerife 1 (Ivi 35) Real Madrid 3 (Benzema 71, Vinicius Jr 81)
Courtois, Carvajal, De Ligt, Varane, Nacho, Kroos, Casemiro, Bale (Vinicius Jr), Asensio (Ceballos), Mane (Mariano), Benzema
Another good game here. We finally seem to be improving in front of goal as we are scoring a lot more. A lot of that is coming through Mane who got 2 assists here.
Summary
Not the most consistent month here. I have changed the tactics a lot to try and find something that works and I think I have finally found that with a 4231, although I am still changing player roles and personnel. The result against PSG leaves us looking for a very unlikely victory in Paris and the main focus will probably now need to be the league.
Player of the Month
Sadio Mane
A really consistent month for him here as he keeps providing a threat regardless of where I play him. He also gets assists often.
Another poor result. We looked as though we were starting to come together but again we looked poor in front of goal. There will be a big look for a striker that can regularly score goals in the summer.
It is nice to get back to winning ways before a big game against PSG in the week. Mane provided the goal here and he has been one of the only consistent players so far along with De Ligt.
PSG 1 (Cavani 79) Real Madrid 4 (Vinicius Jr 12, Asensio 45+2pen, Mane 66, Benzema 73)
Real Madrid win 6-4 on aggregate
What a comeback. I didn’t think we would have the quality to overturn the first leg but the team showed here that we do have the quality to beat some of the best teams in Europe. We now have the challenge of facing Barcelona in the next round.
Real Madrid 1 (Mane 10) Malaga 0
Courtois, Odriozola, De Ligt, Ramos, Nacho, Kovacic, Casemiro (Kroos), Mane, Asensio (Ceballos), Vinicius Jr (Mariano), Rodrygo
Another tight victory here in the league. We are creating a lot of chances in games but just struggling to put them away. The amount of times I see shots from inside the box go straight at the keeper is frustrating me immensely.
Real Madrid 6 (Mane 4, 11, Nacho 16, Bale 24, Asensio 48, 79) Atletico Madrid 1 (Griezmann 43)
Courtois, Odriozola, De Ligt, Ramos, Nacho, Kroos, Casemiro, Mane, Asensio, Vinicius Jr, Bale
WHAT A RESULT. With the amount of chances we had been creating in games, I felt as though a result like this was going to come but I never thought it would be against Atletico Madrid. This gives us a great chance of finishing in the top 4 and maybe take some positives from this season.
Villarreal 2 (Trigueros 11, Leao 55) Real Madrid 3 (Bale 47, 72, Asensio 82)
Courtois, Odriozola (Carvajal), De Ligt, Varane, Nacho, Kroos, Casemiro (Kovacic), Mane, Asensio, Vinicius Jr (Rodrygo), Bale
Maybe not as emphatic as the Atletico game but still an important 3 points. Bale stole the show up top and that may end up being his position for now as we don’t seem to have anyone who can consistently score goals.
Summary
An almost perfect month here with the only time we didn’t win being against Espanyol at the start of it. The stand out game has to be the comeback against PSG that sees us through to the quarter-finals of the Champions league, although the Atletico game was a bigger score line. Next month brings a stunning week of games where we play Barcelona twice in the Champions League and also face them in the league in the game between. That week could define our season.
Player of the Month
Marco Asensio
Asensio has been the creative flair in the team this month as he gave some glorious performances with the one against Atletico ranking the best.
Another disappointing start to the month here. It looked as though we were going to push into the top 4 but we are now back out of it. Ibai Gomez scored with a great free kick and we just couldn’t respond to it.
Barcelona 1 (Arthur 3) Real Madrid 2 (De Ligt 18, Mane 78)
This is the first of three games against Barcelona and we take an important lead into the second leg of the Champions League quart-finals. When they scored after just 3 minutes I was worried we could be on the end of a hammering but we turned it around and now look to be in a good position to get through.
Real Madrid 4 (Kroos 11, Rodrygo 25, Bale 32, 81) Barcelona 0
What a result. When this team delivers they really do deliver. We limited Barcelona to just 1 shot on target for the whole game. The only worry from this is that they had rested a few players so they are clearly going to come at us with everything in the second leg of the Champions League.
Real Madrid 2 (Mane 60, Vinicius Jr 76) Barcelona 2 (Dembele 7, Arthur 25)
Real Madrid win 4-3 on aggregate
PHEW. After a quick start, they were looking like they were going through. After having a big go at them at half time however, we turned it around and then held on for the win. We now have the challenge of facing Man City in the semi-final which will be yet another hard challenge.
Vigo 0
Real Madrid 3 (Benzema 32, Mane 53, Ceballos 87)
A really nice win here as we rested a few players due to their tiredness from facing Barcelona. The team is definitely looking a lot more settled but this is starting to cause some issues for the players that are not playing.
Real Madrid 4 (Vinicius Jr 52, De Ligt 68, Nacho 84, Ceballos 88) Levante 2 (Vukcevic 82, Morutan 85)
Courtois, Carvajal, De Ligt, Varane, Nacho, Kovacic (Ceballos), Casemiro, Mane, Asensio (Marcelo), Vinicius Jr, Bale
What a weird game. I don’t remember there being a single chance in the first half but the game still ended as a 6 goal thriller. They kept coming at us and thankfully we were able to keep catching them on the counter so that they couldn’t get back in the game.
With the first leg against Man City coming up, I decided to rotate the squad and it did not work out. This is a big indicator for me that the squad does not have the depth to challenge on multiple fronts. It will hopefully be a very busy summer of restructuring for the squad, if I am given the money to do so.
Real Madrid 5 (Rodrygo 27, 51, 90+1, Bale 29, 45+1) Man City 1 (Stones 72)
What a result. The Leganes result is definitely worth it after this result. We were so ruthless in front of goal. Rodrygo was amazing as he got a hat trick and assisted one of Bale’s goals as well. Rodrygo is quickly becoming a key player for us on the left wing as he is a constant threat.
Summary
Overall I am pretty pleased with this month. The league has taken a bit of a hit due to losses to Bilbao and Leganes but we still sit 4th due to the fact that Sevilla have really struggled this month. The Champions League has been a real highlight as we knocked out league leaders Barcelona and then have a commanding lead over Man City. Next month brings the end of the season with 3 more league games, the Spanish Cup final against Atletico Madrid and the second leg against Man City with a possible final if we can see it through.
Player of the Month
Matthijs De Ligt
De Ligt has been solid at the back for a while now and this month he has excelled. He has delivered a couple of goals and plenty of good performances.
Another poor result here leaves our chances of finishing in the top 4 by a thread. I rested the team again with the second leg against Man City coming up and we needed a late goal by Rodrygo to ****** a point. The last two games of the season are against Valencia and Sevilla and we will probably need to go unbeaten in these games to get into the top 4.
Man City 4 (Fernandinho 4, Aguero 11, 68, Walker 67) Real Madrid 1 (Bale 30)
Real Madrid win 6-5 on aggregate
Wow wow wow. We almost through it away here. They threw everything at us from minute one and we held on for a very tight victory. Odriozola got sent off with 10 minutes left to just give me even more of a scare. We now face the challenge of Liverpool in the final.
Real Madrid 1 (Mane 60)
Valencia 2 (Guedes 39, Gameiro 71)
A devastating result here. We were never in the race really as they seemed to create chance after chance. We now go into our final game against Sevilla having to win to sneak into the top 4.
Sevilla 0 Real Madrid 4 (Bale 2, 63, Rodrygo 29, 45+3)
Courtois, Odriozola, De Ligt, Varane, Nacho, Kovacic, Casemiro, Mane (Vinicius Jr), Asensio, Rodrygo, Bale
I wasn’t sure what to do after this game. This result means that we now finish joint on points with Sevilla and above them in 4th due to our better results again them, but no Real Madrid team should celebrate scraping a 4th place finish. The downside here is that Mane picked up an injury and will be out for the Spanish Cup final and possibly the Champions League final.
Atletico Madrid 1 (Morata 21) Real Madrid 2 (Rodrygo 37, Vinicius Jr 65)
Courtois, Odriozola, De Ligt, Varane, Nacho, Kovacic (Kroos), Casemiro (Ceballos), Vinicius Jr (Mariano), Asensio, Rodrygo, Bale
The Spanish Cup is ours. It has been a hard 5 months at the club but we at least will finish the season with one trophy. Even though we fell behind, we looked to be the dominate team throughout the whole game and by the end we could have won by even more.
Real Madrid 0 Liverpool 5 (Son 3, 56, Salah 19, 22, 61)
I have no words for this result. They had 22 shots to our 4, 10 on target to our 1. Their lowest average rating was 7.6 (Alisson), our highest was 6.6 (Kroos). We have had some amazing results in the Champions League this year but this result is clearly the worst result of my time at Real Madrid and I can’t remember a worse result as manager of Stoke either.
Summary
I can still only think of the Champions League final. The game was on the last day of the month so it is still very fresh in my head. Liverpool were so much better than us that I don’t know how we are going to challenge for the Champions League.
Player of the Month
Rodrygo
I was almost tempted to not give anyone the player of the month but it would be unfair on Rodrygo who, even in the games we didn’t win, has put in some good performances this month.
League Table
It has been a weird 5/6 months at the club. I feel as though I have steadied the ship somewhat but in doing so I have upset some of the big names of club (Ramos and Marcelo). This summer will be more about moving out this types of players rather than who is coming in as they are ruining the morale of everyone at the club.
I was very impressed with how we did in the Champions League until the final where we were ripped apart by Liverpool. We haven’t been the greatest defensively in general and this game showed just how poor we can be at the back. I am thinking about playing with the formation again to try and help with this.
I didn’t make any signings in January as I used this season to judge the players I already have. I now have a good idea of who I want to keep around and who I want to move on. Expect to see some big names leave and probably only 2/3 signings.
Final League Table
Squad Overview
Goalkeepers – Courtois is the clear first choice and didn’t really ever let me down. He will stay as the number one with Luca Zidane being the backup.
Defence – The partnership of De Ligt and Varane was very good and without them, many games could have been big losses. The disappointing part has been the full backs but that will change when Hakimi and Hernandez both come back from their loans. They will go straight into the starting team.
Midfield – I was pleased with Kovacic and Asensio in midfield although the overall balance of the midfield was never correct. We were too attack minded and left ourselves open at the back. I am thinking of switching tactic to play a DM to help with this.
Attack – Mane was great on the right wing until his injury and Rodrygo has made himself a starter on the left wing. I haven’t found any striker at the club that can start for us next season so this will be a big position to look at and try and improve on.
Pre-season turned out to be much busier than I thought as I moved plenty of players out but ended up bringing 6 players in. This gives the club a very new feel to it and hopefully we can now look more like my own side and not just one I have inherited.
Transfers out
There have been some big players leave the club as I looked to lower the age of the squad and to bring in players that suit my style. The first player to leave was Karim Benzema who goes to Arsenal for £44mil. No striker really delivered for me so I was happy to get so much money for him considering he is 32 years old.
The next big move was the sale of Sergio Ramos to Tottenham for £35mil. He was not needed and he was someone trying to lead a mutiny against me so I was happy to get rid and make so much money from a 34 year old. His partner in crime, Marcelo, also left to Juventus for the same fee. I had one of these coming to me almost every week to talk about why they weren’t playing and why they were unhappy with my management so I am glad they are both gone.
Other big deals include the sales of Georginio Wijnaldum (£30mi), Alvaro Odriozola (£20mil), Mariano (£12mil), Borja Mayoral (£9mil) and Ignacio Camacho (£9mil). Wijnaldum had a deal agreed before I joined the club so he had to go. The others were all deals that I made and none of these players were going to be involved much so I was happy to take the money and invest it in other players.
We also had a few other players leave for small fees or on loan including Vallejo (£2.4mil), Modric (Free), Valverde (Loan) and Vinicius Jr (Loan).
Transfers In
So to the interesting bit and I have brought in 6 players that I hope will give us the chance to challenge for the league and the Champions League. My first signing was a free transfer that I agreed to last season and that is Mario Mandzukic. He may be 34 years old now but he still has great attributes and should be a perfect impact sub when he is called upon.
The next signing was for a starting striker as I brought in Luka Jovic from Benfica for £22mil. I have spent a lot of time looking around for strikers and he looks like one of the most accomplished finishers available. I did go for Mauro Icardi first but Inter were looking for well over £100mil so I turned that down.
The next one is a player that I didn’t actually need but I felt as though I should take advantage of his buyout clause. Cristian Pavon joins from Villarreal for £33mil. He is valued at £50mil so to get him for so cheap is great and he should be a great player to call upon when I rest Mane or if I want to move Mane to the other wing.
The signing was the biggest fee as I signed Saul from Barcelona for £67mil. He was transfer listed at Barcelona so I moved in for him and he agreed to join. I have switched to a 433 tactic with a DM and 2 CM’s so I need plenty of midfielders and Saul should quickly become a starter in this team.
The last big signing is for LB Ferland Mendy from Benfica for £47.5mil. While Nacho did okay at LB, I wanted a more attacking full back and Mendy fits this perfectly. Nacho will now provide a lot of cover across the defense when needed.
The last signing was for a youngster called Juan Berrera from Junior for £650k. He looks like a potential star and will probably get some game time this season in the cup before he eventually develops into a great player after I leave.
After a disappointing summer in the European Championships where they failed to get through their group against Belgium, Switzerland and Georgia, I have now taken the reins at Netherlands. I will be staying as the Real Madrid manager while I do this and I hope it will help boost my reputation on a world wide stage. The squad is very good, especially at CB with Van Dijk and De Ligt but it is very light up top with the highest rated striker being Memphis Depay who is not a natural striker and more of wide man.
My first challenge will be in the Nations League where we are in a group with Slovakia and Norway. It should be a group we can finish top of and earn promotion to division A but we will need to make sure we hit the ground running as my first game as manager is away to Slovakia.
A disappointing start to the season here as we lose in the Super Cup. We had more control in the game compared to games last year which was good to see but we lacked the finishing touch.
Real Madrid 3 (Jovic 20, Saul 47, Rodrygo 53) Alaves 0
Courtois, Hakimi, De Ligt, Varane, Mendy, Kroos, Kovacic (Asensio), Saul, Mane (Pavon), Rodrygo, Jovic
A really nice start to the season here as we dominated the entire game. Jovic did really well up top as he worked the lines and stretched the defence constantly. Alaves didn’t have a shot on target until the 85th minute and that was from 20/25 yards.
A much tighter game here but we came out on top and leave with the 3 points. Mendy was very good at LB as he gave us width and put in some very good crosses with one providing the assist for Mane’s winner.
Summary
A short start to the season here and while the result against Barcelona was disappointing the performances in all 3 games have been very good and I hope to see this build throughout the season. Next month brings my first games with Netherlands and the start of the Champions League so it will be a busy month with plenty of games.
Player of the Month
Ferland Mendy
It was a short month but Mendy has shown his quality already. He can deliver a deadly cross and has the energy to get up and down the wing for 90 minutes,
It has been a while since I have been on this file. This is due to me running a chairman game so I won’t be able to regularly get onto this save file. I am still interested in this game but updates will not be as regular as they used to be.
Real Madrid 4 (Jovic 6, 63, Mendy 32, Bale 61) Sevilla 0
Courtois, Hakimi, De Ligt, Varane, Mendy, Kroos, Casemiro (Ceballos), Saul, Mane (Pavon), Bale (Mandzukic), Jovic
A really nice win here. Last season, Sevilla were a team we struggled against so to get such a comfortable result here shows the progress we are making.
Ajax 1 (Lammers 32) Real Madrid 2 (Jovic 43, Mandzukic 90+2)
Courtois, Hakimi (Carvajal), De Ligt, Varane, Mendy (Hernandez), Kroos, Kovacic, Saul (Ceballos), Pavon, Mandzukic, Jovic
A very tight win here. Mandzukic was great on the left wing. It may not be the prettiest thing but we created a lot of chances from hitting a long ball to him and him dominating their RB in the air.
Espanyol 1 (Iglesias 45) Real Madrid 2 (Mandzukic 69pen, 82)
We got a little lucky here to be honest. We were by far the better team but didn’t look like scoring until Mandzukic came on. He ended up getting both goals and winning MOTM after spending just 25mins on the pitch.
Real Madrid 2 (Pavon 53, Mane 70) Leganes 0
With games coming thick and fast, I decided to rotate the team a little here and thankfully the team still delivered. The depth we have in the squad now should take us far in all competitions.
Very similar to the Leganes game here. Rotated around a little but still managed to get the 3 points comfortably. I’m only slightly disappointed we couldn’t turn it into more goals after getting 2 goals in the first 25 minutes.
This is a disappointing result at home as we should have won but we couldn’t break down their stubborn defence.
Summary
It was almost a perfect month until the draw with Napoli. The team are really gelling together, and the tactic is working nicely. One thing I have been really pleased with compared to last season is our defence as we look much stronger at the back. The full backs are also providing us with width up top as well which is why the wide men are getting into the box and providing some goals for us.
Player of the Month
Raphael Varane
I was tempted to give this to Mandzukic for his key performances in a couple of games but Varane has been great in every game he has played in.
I am very pleased with this win. Villarreal are a good team in the league and we took 3 points away from them. I was very pleased Hakimi who kept on delivering dangerous balls from the right wing.
Tenerife 0 Real Madrid 3 (Jovic 16, Saul 25, Kovacic 50pen)
A nice easy win here but the big news here is that this game marks my 100th game in management which is the first target from my original post that I have met.
Real Madrid 5 (Mandzukic 10, Hernandez 19, Asensio 21, 39, 80pen) Standard 0
Courtois, Carvajal, De Ligt, Nacho, Hernandez, Casemiro, Ceballos, Asensio (Saul), Bale, Rodrygo, Mandzukic
A really nice win here to get back to winning games in the Champions League. The Asensio hat trick was clearly a highlight but the overall performance of the midfield was great as we dominated the entire game.
Real Madrid 3 (Kovacic 20, Mane 41, Rodrygo 45) Malaga 0
Just as I start to compliment the team, we lose in the first leg of the cup. I rotated the squad here to rest some tiring legs but I was still hoping for more. Ceballos getting sent off after just 15 minutes didn’t help things either.
Real Madrid 8 (Bale 8pen, 11, 51, Mane 13, Jovic 18, 58, Kovacic 30, Dmitrovic 90+2og) Eibar 0
What a way to end the month. With the attacking threat we have in this team, I have been expecting a result like this to come and it was Eibar who were on the end of it. Bale was great with his hat trick but everyone put in an incredible performance
Summary
A very good month here with the only game we didn’t win being the first leg of the cup game where we rotated the squad and had an early sending off. The next month brings a real challenge in the league as we face Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
Player of the month
Mateo Kovacic
A few players have impressed but Kovacic has been very consistent in the middle and been involved in a lot of good things this month.
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