Luis Garcia - The New Manager On The Block

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Before todays game, we paraded our 4 new signings on the pitch. Tah, Cornelius and Vrsaljko all started, and they were joined by recently confirmed loanee signing Sergi Roberto. Roberto had had a rough spell in Portugal, and when we came knocking, he eagerly accepted. Being a former Barca grad, I know what they are capable of, and he must have talent to have made it this far.

19 minutes into his debut, Roberto proved that. A simple tap in from some delightful build up play saw us took the lead. Basanta hammered home a header to double the advantage, but what happened in the 81st minute stunned the Artemio Franchi.

Borini received the ball roughly 35 yards out, with two defenders around him, on the right. He looked up, and curled a beauty into the top corner. No stopping that one, and we went 3-0 up.

Tah looked assured at the back, and marshalled our defence wonderfully, and we looked vastly better than the side that played just before Christmas. Hopefully, this continues for a while.​
 
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I couldn't resist. Paul had been such a big part of my team at Rennes, and I had been working hard on a deal to try and bring him to the club for 3 weeks. He should make the left side of midfield his own, and I'm delighted to see him back under my management again. Even better news, he joins in time for our next match later in the day, so the fans will get to see him in action quickly.​
 
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We may have lost, but I'm incredibly proud at the performance. We gave no quarter against Roma, and despite conceding early, we didn't back down. Wolski paid back my faith in him with a fine finish, and he could have had more.

The performance today reminded me of ones I'd seen at Stade Rennais during the early parts of the year. It was a determined display, with everyone chipping in, and there was no player that could be accused of not taking part. In the last two, it has been encouraging here, and I'm pleased that my decision to take over has been correct so far.​
 
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Pato returns to Italy. It is a slight risk on 61k a week, but so is every player. With the added bonus of not having to pay a transfer fee, I'm confident that a return to Italy will see a return to his best for the 27 year old.

With Cornelius and Pato over Rossi and Gomez, I've assembled a better, cheaper strike force, and one that is more likely to fit within my desired tactic. We do still have 14m in the bank (outgoings to be discussed at the end of the window), so should I need to, I can get a new player in. But I'm happy with the current blend of the squad for now, so I won't be spending for the sake of it.​
 
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An even game like that should not have yielded that scoreline. A lot of the blame can be pinned on Basanta, the majority in fact. His recklessness cost us two penalties and parity on the pitch. There was no going back after.

Basanta received a 2 week fine, for which he acknowledged the reasoning behind, whilst I go back to the drawing board before we play Juventus next weekend.​
 
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I'm actually very surprised this deal was a possibility. Not that I'm complaining of course. Jakub is a quality player, and is easily our best right sided midfielder. If he plays only half as well as he did for Dortmund during his heyday, then we have secured a very good signing.

Blaszczykowski will also provide a direct replacement for Borini on the right wing, with the Italian striker set to leave for CSKA Moscow after the Juve match.​
 
awesome story mate...
loving it even more!

Fiorentina is really nice... at changes in backroom staff?
or any plans to bring any old club favorites?

also, any decent youth prospects at the club?

KIU!
 
Nice story mate, i will follow !

And really good signings, can't wait to see Ntep performences. Good luck
 
TomasVZ said:
Nice story mate, i will follow !

And really good signings, can't wait to see Ntep performences. Good luck
Click to expand...

Thanks! If he does as well as he did at Rennes, I'll be satisfied

xtremeRED said:
awesome story mate...
loving it even more!

Fiorentina is really nice... at changes in backroom staff?
or any plans to bring any old club favorites?

also, any decent youth prospects at the club?

KIU!
Click to expand...

Thanks! I had a look at a couple of ex-Liverpool players for around the time of Garcia, but apart from Reina, nothing doing as yet. In terms of youth prospects, there isn't much on offer, but I am looking at bringing one or two in that I highlighted last season when I had a quick look. Backroom will remain the same until the end of the season, when I have time to put my own face on it.
 
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At 3-0 down, I thought that was game over. Not so. Juventus had the much better play in the first 20 minutes or so, and they capitalised, as they went 3-0 up after 32. We hit back before the break though, Ntep reacting quickest to a parried shot by Buffon.

We continued to press after the break, and Albertazzi's goal came from yet another well rehearsed set play. Blaszczykowski pulled us level with a solid finish on debut, then it was all backs to the wall for 10 minutes as Juventus searched desperately for a winner. They didn't get it, and we took a deserved point from the encounter.​
 
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Bayern relented and let us have Reina early. He'll be battling with Neto for the number one jersey. We now have two quality keepers at our disposal, and our back 5 looks even stronger than it did previously.​
 
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We make use of our feeder club Atletico National to bring in Sinisterra. The Colombian prospect looks to have significant talent, and for only 500k we can afford to take a punt on him. He may get some time in the team later this year, but it depends on how we do in the league before then.​
 
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Much of the pre-match focus was on me rejecting the AC Milan job, and I was happy to prove to the press that I made the right choice. With a more defensive set up than in recent matches based on the 4-1-4-1 AC Milan were going for, we countered with pace, Ntep and Wolski destroying the wings. A satisfying result, and it also sees us move up the table as well, as we try to put daylight between us and the drop. ​
 
I have enjoyed this but disappointed it didn't follow a real strong sense of story like your Lincoln story was setting up to do, but definitely understand that it can be time consuming! Will continue to follow obviously and congratulations on the win against AC Milan, big one!

What is the table looking like?
 
CantGetEnoughOfJelavic said:
I have enjoyed this but disappointed it didn't follow a real strong sense of story like your Lincoln story was setting up to do, but definitely understand that it can be time consuming! Will continue to follow obviously and congratulations on the win against AC Milan, big one!

What is the table looking like?
Click to expand...

I enjoyed the Lincoln one, but this one didn't quite lend itself as well to that type of story. I've got a bit more time on my hands now though, so I can start to flesh this one out a lot more

With regards to the table, I'm going to put that up with the end of January stuff, as I have a few things I want to cover at that point.
 
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It's this kind of match that really tests my managerial credentials. Don't get me wrong, the 4 points we took from Juve and AC Milan are satisfying, but they are the so-called big clubs. Anything we get there is a bonus. We went to Udine knowing that they are similar to us in terms of quality.

The match itself was an entertaining one. Udinese scored early on, and what followed can only be described as a siege. The "Siege of Udine" lasted 22 minutes, as we battered the goal, before Ntep finally smashed home. Goals for Cornelius and Torje within 2 minutes of each other saw the scores at 2-2 at half time. Cornelius' goal was his first for the Viola, hopefully of many as he leads our new look line.

After his sending off against Genoa, Basanta knew that he had a lot of work to do if he was to stay in the team. The header from a set piece does go some way to restoring my faith in him, but not fully, especially not with Murillo to join, and my new Colombian CB nipping at his heels.

Either way, we then managed to hold on to the three points after a late burst by Udinese. It was much needed, and we've started to put together a mini run of results now. The only way is up.​
 

So, with the window ended, lets examine what happened with the Viola revolving door...

INS


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I'm pretty satisfied with the players we brought in. Vrsaljko and Tah were victims of joining bigger clubs too young, and we were happy to give them a way out, and a way back into football.

Ntep was very much a personal signing. I know what he is capable of, and I knew we needed a left winger. I was originally going to try and avoid bringing in players from Rennes, but I'd rather he was in my team than against me. With "Jakub" on the other wing, I'm pretty confident with the levels of experience and pace now down the flanks.

Pato and Cornelius up front should provide me with two different options. Cornelius is more capable of holding the ball up, whereas Pato is more of a finisher. They both cost very little as well, so it hasn't hurt the coffers much.

I'm also delighted to see my old mate Pepe again. Don't get me wrong, Neto is a very solid keeper. But he does have to take some of the blame for the team being so far down the league. Reina gives me an alternative, and one with tonnes of experience to boot.

OUTS


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Given the amount of incoming players, there had to be outgoings as well. For the most part, we got decent money as well.

Gomez and Rossi were earmarked for departure as soon as I joined. Their wages were unacceptable given their performances, and the fact that it could be redirected across the team. That logic followed across most departures, with club legend Manuel Pasqual also falling victim to wage clearance.

Badelj wasn't really someone I was keen to see depart. The reality was though that he wouldn't fit within the formation I was looking at, and therefore he was better seeking football elsewhere.

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Interestingly, we were the most active club this window. The Viola Revolution has well and truly begun, and this is only the first step. Our next job is to get the best out the newbies, and propel ourselves up the league.

Speaking of the league, this is the new state of play..

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It looks better than it did when I joined. We are starting to close back in on the pack in front of us, and if we can break into that, then we may have a chance of achieving something meaningful this season. It is a big if though, and a lot will depend on the next set of fixtures...

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It isn't unreasonable to expect us to win all four games. Spezia, Atalanta and Chievo are all down here with us. Sassuolo are a surprise package this year, but their luck will run out eventually. We'll have home advantage, and hopefully be in a run of form, so an expectation of a win would not unfair. That's the theory anyway, it could all turn out very differently.

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With a quiet week in the offing, I decided that it was high time I went to watch the U20s. Paolo Riela, my assistant, had been pushing me to watch them for a while now, and tonight was their big night - the U20s Cup Quarter Final with Inter Milan. With the first team resting up ready for Spezia at the weekend, I wandered down to the ground.

I hadn't actually told the lads I'd be there, and I got the sense when they saw me tucked away in the stand that they knew that this was a chance to impress. Should they do well, the promised land of the Artemio Franchi could await them.

The game itself was a feisty affair, with tackles flying in left, right and centre. The efficient nature of our performance shone through though, and it was the lads in purple celebrating come the final whistle. Tronco and Tacconi had performed well, and had led the team well, and I made a mental note that I would ask my coaches to keep a close eye on them. They may not been the greatest players technically, but they looked determined to make an impact.

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By the time kickoff arrived, I was in a bad mood. This was partly down to forgetting my umbrella; I'd been outside five minutes in which my suit had displayed all the necessary qualities of a sponge. What had really set me off was the result of the early game:

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It put unnecessary pressure on us. Not least because we played Atalanta next, but they were three clear of us again in the league. The lads were focused on the job at hand, but I was apprehensive.

As it turned out, I had no need to be. Spezia are well entrenched in the relegation mire, and from today's performance, it was very easy to understand why. We ran through them time and again, as Jakub and Ntep put on an exhibition in wing play.

Cornelius was the first beneficiary, as he hammered home a powerful shot in the 12th minute. It was a stunning strike, and there was no stopping it from the keeper. We didn't lift up the pressure though, and Ntep's headed finish was just reward for a top notch performance.

Jakub's goal was also deserved, but incredibly bizarre. Having received the ball on the right, he made to cross the ball in. Once in the air though, it hung there for ages. Some might say it was "still in the air" (Kudos to you if you get the reference). After what seemed like an eternity, it dinked the post, and trickled over the line to make it 3-0 after 37. Unfortunately, Jakub went off 4 minutes later, replaced by Bernadeschi. His fate is as yet unknown.

The rest of the game became very attritional, as we set up to retain our lead. Pepe picked up his first clean sheet for the club, and another commanding performance from Roncaglia and Tah at the back fills me with some hope. We are well and truly on the up.

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