Operation Newcastle

The 2017/18 Squad Review
Note all players have FM screenshot hot linked (imgur).
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Goalkeepers:
View attachment 135059 Predrag Rajkovic
View attachment 135057 Fraser Forster
View attachment 135058 Rob Elliot

Very happy with my goalkeepers. Predrag Rajkovic was actually surprisingly good last season and he will only improve with time. He's simply hugely talented. Newcomer Frasfer Forster gives us a much better backup goalie.

Defenders:
View attachment 135054 Jorge
View attachment 135053 Chancel Mbemba
View attachment 135055 Daryl Janmaat
View attachment 135056 Lucas
View attachment 135056 Arthur Masuaku
View attachment 135057 Jamaal Lascelles
View attachment 135057 Ryan Shawcross
View attachment 135057 Kieran Trippier

The defender part of the squad is very healthy. We got just the right amount of players, and they all can do a good job. But obviously we got some world-class defenders in Jorge, Mbemba and Jamaat. Lucas is very talented and while Lascelles doesn't have much more development left in him he's always delivered so far. We got great backup for our backs with Tripper and Masuaku as well.

Midfielders:
View attachment 135049 Hirving Lozano
View attachment 135055 Georginio Wijnaldum
View attachment 135052 Julian Brandt
View attachment 135051 Nicola Sansone
View attachment 135052 Mario Götze
View attachment 135056 Moussa Sissoko
View attachment 135055 Marco van Ginkel
View attachment 135056 Florian Thauvin
View attachment 135055 Tonny Trindade de Vilhena
View attachment 135055 Vurnon Anita
View attachment 135057 Jack Colback

We also got a very healthy pool of midfielders. Lozano looks like he could already be a beast. Brandt is class and both these two are so young. I might just have already gotten wingers who could keep their first team places for a long time. We also got quality players like Sansone and Thauvin as the main backup and rotation for the wingers both solid. In midfield central we got Wijanldum and Sissoko pairing as usual both are quality, and Marco van Ginkel is a high tier backup. Anita and Colback are still around too help fill out the squad for a long season and they are decent enough. Then we got the advanced central with Mario Götze now leading the charge with a young talented Tonny Vilhena as first backup. Can't really complain that I lack players in the midfield.

Strikers:
View attachment 135054 Luís Henrique
View attachment 135059 Aleksandar Mitrovic
View attachment 135052 Donis Avdijaj

We mainly have 3 strikers but if we get into troubles we also have some others like Sansone and Götze that could help if needed. But these 3 should be enough and what a bunch of talented young strikers as well. While i find Luis Henrique to be the one with the most potential currently I however feel Mitrovic is still the number one choice. Donis Avdijaj haven't been as promising as his age and stats suggested, but he still have time to make more steps.

The Formation
View attachment 135048

We roll out with the same tactic we had last season. We have done a couple of small adjustment here and there on the tactic and instructions. But mainly it is the same as the last season. We have a solid defense with a good young goalkeeper and our midfield is solid with a class striker above them. I could tell you guys the bigger team instructions and such but It would just be easier too show you guys. Now keep in mind we don't always deploy with the mentality of Attacking when facing the best opponents we often deploy Counter and on some difficult matches versus sides we know won't push up Standard (Like away versus a good counter side like Leicester City).

View attachment 135047

In addition of this I also run instructions directly on the players. The main idea is too play fast paced football were we look to get forward and get our shot off to create chances while deploying a high work rate, and doing our best too win back the ball or stress the opponent enough for our line to fall back. The reason I play with full width is quite simple while it might make contact between the players a bit more difficult. This does allow for snappier attempts at counter attacks as well for our full backs to come up easier with the high tempo.​
 
Premier League 2017/18 Preview:
View attachment 134869'​
Compared to last season we have moved up in our suggested final placement from 9th to 7th. With our overall odds for winning the Premier League with 51.00 last time out, and this season we moved up to 34.00 odds. Personally I'm happy too see the upgrade as I find this to be fitting. Because we are defiantly stronger this term around. Personally I think we will be fighting for Champions League qualification yet again. We didn't do any of the bigger transfers but we did do of the bigger sales with Zeca. While profiles like Anthony Martial, Gabriel Barbosa and N'Golo Kante moved out of the Premier League others like Maruo Icardi, Alvaro Morta and Lacazette took the trip in. Also while not a big money transfer Mario Götze is without a doubt a big profile in. Looking to be a big relegation battle if we are to believe the bookmakers with Crystal Palace, Norwich, Derby, West Brom, Burnley and Nottingham Forest with the odds of 2001.00 rating.
Manchester City are this years big favorites ticking in at 2.50 to win the league with the other two with 0.25 rating more before a bigger margin coming too the 4th placement Liverpool. Manchester City didn't lose any players but brought in some big ones in Alvaro Morata and William Carvalho who will bolster a already highly competitive league. At the helm is still Josep Guardiola who will have to face super high expectations.

Their city rival Manchester United is the next big challenger to the league. United let go of Anthony Martial to Dortmund. But they did bring in some good players in two Juventus stars Kingsley Coman and Mario Mandzukic with some infusion from Spain with Hugo Mallo. Jose Mourinho is still the manager of United and despite losing Martial still have a great squad to achieve success. The ever great David De Gea, highly talented french stopper Aymeric Laporte and forward potential from Memphis Depay and Andriy Yarmolenko.

Arsenal are the last in the top 3 favorites and the Gunners had a surprisingly good transfer window with only the players of note moving out being Jack Wilshere and Szczesny who both struggled for the Gunners in the past. But coming in and bolstering the squad with superstar Oscar and well rounded young midfielder Jorrit Hendrix. Rafa Benitez is still at the helm of the team and is still looking for his first silverware in the club.
 
August 2017/18: Best time of the year!
View attachment 134865

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We are at that best time of the year. The time when the transfer window gets overshadowed by the fact the start of the worlds biggest leagues are here! We start the game with Swansea away before we fave Leicester at home. Before closing the month out with a trip to London to face West Ham, before hosting London based team Chelsea at St. James' Park. Happy to finally be underway with a new season after a long window fending off poachers for Mbemba and Janmaat. It's going to be great too see how my new signings will do in particular Lozano and Götze.

We faced Welsh based side Swansea as our opener in a very early BPL start at the 5/8/2017. Both teams struggle to get going showing clear signs of season start jet lag. However things picks up majorly in the second half with our Donis Avdijaj not just finding the lead but also doubling it. We keep on scoring and it's newcomer Hirving Lozano who finds his first goal with a great run tapping in a hard low back post cross. Aleksandar Mitrovic then makes it 4-0 with a power header leaving Fabianski chance less. The Swansea fans at least get something to comfort their pain when Lovren fights a corner kick into the goal.
The next match is a screamer versus Leicester City who takes the lead off a set-piece with Huth trough a header. Luckily Avdijaj is at the right place at the right time for a tap in making it 1-1 just moments later. Things calm down before big man Djordjevic gets Leicester 1 up again. This time Julian Brandt finds the equalizer. The second half becomes a goal show with Lucas scoring off a set-piece to give us the lead for the first time. Pione Sisto is unlucky and in his attempt to stop a cross scores the cross himself. Mitrovic then finds 5-2 at the first post before Nicola Sansone closes the game out at 6-2.
This is a game to forget. We get destroyed by former Newcastle player Remy Cabella who stuns us after just 3 minutes of play. Things doesn't improve and we find ourselves down 4-0 before we even find a goal. In a game with mainly negatives we still had some positives. Lozano showes is up for playing in the Premier League. Aleksandar Mitrovic was also in good form and seemed too just need some more help to get on the score sheet.
After getting shocked by London side West Ham I didn't feel good going into the game versus Chelsea. But we were able to hit the reset button, and we were ready to handle the what Chelsea could muster. Julian Brandt gets us 1-0 after just 3 minutes of play, and we are off to a flying start. A man in great form of late Donis Avdijaj gets up 2-0 before the second half. Later on Alexandre Lacazette finds a goal but Chelsea never gets a equalizer and we defend our home holding on to all 3 points!
Despite taking on a huge 4-1 loss to West Ham we should still be very happy with our performance this month. Taking 9 points with the matches we had is quite solid as I personally would be happy taking away 7 points I shouldn't complain. No team is off to a perfect start but the 3 favorites and West Ham are s till undefeated. It's wierd to see how slow Liverpool and Chelsea are off their marks with Chelsea now even finding a win yet. And Liverpool losing 3 games.

Next month will be a exciting one with our first 2 matches in the Champions League! We got handed a group of Dnipro, Galatasaray and FC Porto. We are meeting Dnipro first away in Ukraine with Galatasaray meeting us in the second. Domestically we take on Arsenal, Southampton, Liverpool and Manchester City in the BPL and Sheffield United in the Capital One Cup.


Awards
Player of the Month - Young player of the month - Manager
View attachment 134855

Newcastle Inform Players
View attachment 134851View attachment 134852​
Donis Avdijaj was in impeccable form for the start of the new season. The German both scored and created goals playing in the AMC position because Tonny Vilhena was injured and Mario Götze wasn't picked up before deadline day of the transfer window. Well done by Avdijaj! His best partner was fellow countryman Julian Brandt who was explosive going forward both scoring goals and even assisting Avdijaj.
 
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