Malmo FF - A Swedish Adventure

Looking good mate. Reckon you should get past the Cypriots without too many problems. Top of the league heading into the home stretch. What more could you ask for?
 
Lippo255 said:
Looking good mate. Reckon you should get past the Cypriots without too many problems. Top of the league heading into the home stretch. What more could you ask for?
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Yeah I hope so but they're a pretty consistent fixture in the group stages of the CL so I can't be too sure. Yeah it's certainly more than I could have hoped for considering our inconsistent start!
 
Transfer Update...

Magnus Eriksson spoke to me about wanting to join Sunderland, but fortunately he, like Forsberg, was convinced by the old “first team football” argument.


Transfer deadline day:
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I accepted loan offers for no less than 12 players! The most prominent of which include Kiese Thelin, Wernersson and Palander.


Interesting pre-match press conference as I was asked about my good mate Peter.

I chose the last response

Simply for the lols you understand though - I know good old Pete won't take it to heart, he knows me well enough that he understands my sense of humour :p
 
Swedish Premier Division - Game 19 - IFK Göteborg (Home)


Key match here against a strong IFK Göteborg side who beat us in the reverse fixture. A win here would really show the rest of the competition that we mean business!

In the 4th minute Ricardinho took a throw in to Possebon just outside the top left corner of the box. Rodrigo turned and passed into the box, into the path of Simon Thern, who ran at it and… left it! He completely fooled two defenders, and the ball continued to Forsberg who struck it just before it reached the penalty spot, and beat the keeper! The assist will go to Possebon but Simon Thern deserves credit for that!

Within a minute, we were pegged back - Thern brought down a player just outside the box, and Olsen saved the ensuing free kick, but was helpless to prevent the rebound being slotted home.

In the 8th minute, fortune favoured our opponents, as their corner was headed into the post. The rebound fell to the same player, whose shot hit our defender, but rebounded straight into another of theirs, before trickling over the line. A very frustrating goal to concede, and suddenly we’re behind!

Nothing much happened until just before half time. Lepiller collected a headed clearance from an opposition free kick and raced to halfway with it. He then lofted a pass across field to Forsberg, who took it towards the box, stepped inside his player, but shot high and wide.

5 seconds into the second half, Rosenberg tackled their centre back, and immediately took a shot despite having a clear path forward to the box. The keeper didn’t have to move to catch his shot - it wasn’t even a lob! Incredibly poor decision making!

Within 10 minutes, I had made all three substitutions, with first Adu replacing Moussi, before Eriksson and Eagles came on for Rosenberg and Lepiller.

And it was Forsberg, restored to his preferred left wing, whose long range effort in the 57th minute forced their keeper into a full stretch save to his left. Fortunately for us, Eagles was there to make full use of the rebound and tie the game.

Just 3 minutes later, we fell behind to a brilliant goal from their striker Engvall. A hollywood ball over the top found him on the left edge of our box. With a man on either side, he managed to halt his momentum before going over the back line and lose his two markers. Then he bent a lovely finish around Olsen into the bottom right corner. Even I had to applaud that effort - though it didn’t mean I enjoyed it!

Sadly, we toiled for 30 minutes but could not find another breakthrough.

IFK Göteborg do the double over us this season, and once again, just as I am starting to gain some confidence in my team, we come up with a shocker. We were dominant in stats, the referee was apparently against us and the post match report says we were “unlucky in defeat”, but the truth is that 18 year old striker Gustav Engvall was simply too good for our defence today. Fortunately for us, Elfsborg lost again and Helsingborg were held to a scoreless draw, so we stay on top of the pile, with a game in hand on Elfsborg and two on Helsingborg. Our cup tie is up next, and is a chance for our youngsters and backups to show the senior team how it’s done.


POM: Gustav Engvall (8.8, 2G, 1A)

Best Malmö Player: Simon Thern (7.5, 0G, 0A)
 
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I see you loaned out Isaac Kiese-Thelin, SI must've underrated him by quite a bit since he's irl a national team player and was sold to Bordeaux for £3M.
 
I've just played my cup game against a lower ranked Swedish team winning 6-0. Am top of the league by 4pts but Elfsborg have 2 games in hand. Sadly my depleted squad didn't manage to get past Legia in the champions league losing 4-2 on agg. Good luck again against APOEL


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S23YME said:
I've just played my cup game against a lower ranked Swedish team winning 6-0. Am top of the league by 4pts but Elfsborg have 2 games in hand. Sadly my depleted squad didn't manage to get past Legia in the champions league losing 4-2 on agg. Good luck again against APOEL


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You're doing well! Shame about the loss to Legia though :(
 
Forsberg asked about a new contract, but with two and a half years left, I told him he had plenty of time remaining, and he understood where I was coming from, which was pleasing.


Swedish Cup - Second Round - Götene (Home)
So for the cup match against Götene, I decided to try a new formation - in truth, the main reason was to fit certain players who I wanted to give a chance into the side, such as Neri. They are a non league side so I expect nothing less than a comfortable win here.

Within the first 25 seconds, Eriksson dribbled across to the left side of the box and lobbed a cross in to Mehmeti at the 6 yard box, who controlled the ball but was taken out - or so I thought, as the referee waved play on.

In the 5th minute, Gustafson sent a ball wide for Mater, who crossed for Eriksson, whose shot hit the post. The ball ended up being worked around and back out to Atouba on the left, whose cross found Eriksson but the header was wide.

In the 10th minute, we got on the board through youngster Gianluca Neri! Gustafson played the ball to Eriksson at the top left corner of the box, who skipped gracefully past a slide tackle* and slotted a square ball to the Italian, who first timed it straight over the keeper.

* Some say the defender is still sliding…but personally, I think he would have hit the dugouts by now :p

3 minutes later it was 2-0, as Mater’s cross found Mehmeti at the near post for a waist high horizontal volley.

2 minutes later, Eriksson got on the board with a near post header via an Atouba cross. We were cruising!

Eriksson doubled his personal tally 2 minutes later with a grass cutter across the keeper following a one-two with Atouba.

Sadly, in the 28th minute, poor Magnus picked up a knock and I saw no sense in risking him. Simon Thern replaced him and we reverted to our normal formation.

In the 38th, Mehmeti had an open goal from half way following a corner free kick from their keeper, but his shot flew well wide.

In the 57th minute, 40 minutes after our fourth, Mehmeti finally made it 5 following an incisive Possebon pass.

In the 65th, Adu chased the rebound from Thern’s left wing corner and passed it back to Simon, who dribbled just inside the box and curled a shot into the far top corner for our 6th.

Anton Kralj made his debut when he replaced Possebon in the 73rd minute. Ricardinho for Atouba for the final few minutes was the last change, as we saw out an easy win.

An excellent performance from the players, admittedly against poor opposition, but you can only play what is in front of you. The only starter with a rating below 8 was keeper Olsen with 7.8. Substitute Thern also got 8.3, and Mehmeti, Neri, Atouba, Mater and Eriksson (in just 28 minutes!) all surpassed 9.


POM: Agon Mehmeti (9.4, 2G, 0A)
 
Guessing that "defender" (if you can call him that) slide straight into the nearest bar after that drubbing :p
 
Just won the league with a points total of 70 nearest challengers were Elfsborg with 62pts


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S23YME said:
Just won the league with a points total of 70 nearest challengers were Elfsborg with 62pts


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Congrats! That's impressive!

I think my league form may suffer because I'm guaranteed to make the group stage of either CL or EL, but hopefully it will be worth it! We have lots of games to make up already so I can see us having a game every 3 days for a few weeks!
 
We have a gruelling schedule ahead - in four days we play APOEL, 3 days later is Elfsborg, and 3 days after that is APOEL again. 3 vital games in the stretch of 9 days!

Atouba complained about a lack of first team football so I promised him some games


Champions Playoff - First Leg - APOEL (Away)


Today’s team selection keeps in mind the upcoming match against Elfsborg. Hopefully we can dominate this first leg, thus allowing me to play a strong side against our domestic rivals without having to rest them for the second leg.

It was the Cypriots, however, who crafted the first chance, with their striker ballooning over the bar in the 6th minute.

In the 21st minute, Lepiller drifted a corner in and Rodrigo Possebon rose highest to head the ball home for his first Malmö goal!

APOEL continued to pressure us however, and equalised 5 minutes later through Tiago Gomes from just inside the box.

In the 39th minute we should have gone ahead, but Eriksson’s header from Mater’s cross hit the upright and bounced clear.

In the second half, Eriksson lovely through ball in the 49th minute was wasted by Eagles, who hit the keeper. Forsberg replaced him almost immediately.

In the 53rd, Forsberg was involved in the buildup, as Thern laid off to Possebon for an ambitious long shot. He struck it well and hit the crossbar, and Eriksson was first to the rebound and put it away!

Shortly afterwards, Adu and Gustafson replaced Moussi and Thern.

A 69th minute corner almost brought our 3rd, as Possebon cushioned a header to Gustafson, who laid off to Eriksson for a vicious shot destined for the top left, but their keeper made an unbelievable flying save.

4 minutes later, Lepiller made a run to the baseline and cut back for Eriksson, who laid off to Gustafson just behind him. Simon’s shot struck a defender and rebounded to Eriksson, whose shot hit the keeper, but he was first to the loose ball and finished it for his second of the night.

Less than a minute later, we scored again! The ball was worked down the left, and Eriksson had a shot from an angle. The keeper made the save, but it rebounded out to his left, and Forsberg was there to volley home the rebound!

In the 90th minute, a free kick fell to Gustafson for a shot, but their keeper held it. A few players seemed to think the ball crossed the line, but the referee was having none of it.

All in all, a brilliant performance, with Possebon and Eriksson, who had a 6.2 rating at half time, the stand out performers. We are almost guaranteed a group stage place at this stage, which, if achieved, will mean I have reached my goal for this seasons Champions League!


MOM: Magnus Eriksson (9.2, 2G, 1A)

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