PSV - Boeren Revolt

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Welcome

After pouring a lot of time into my usual Birmingham save and getting the team to the point of winning the Premier League title, I decided to take a break from that save and have a go with another club that I like to do a career with.

PSV are a club I managed around 10 years ago during an attempt to complete the Pentagon challenge and I immediately loved the Dutch league. There is enough competition at the top to keep it interesting and a lack funds means you are regularly dipping into your youth team to promote the next big thing to eventually sell off for a big profit.

The aim of the save is very simple, to dominate Dutch and eventually world football, with the added target of trying to sign and promote as many Dutch players as possible and eventually lead the national team as well.​

 

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Settling In

Club Vision

The first thing to look at is the club’s vision and to see how realistic the board are.

The club culture should easily be achieved as using the youth system is a must in this league and I always try to play attacking football so that one shouldn’t be an issue either.

In the first season I have the target of qualifying for the Europa League which means that they want me to finish in the top 3 at least which is definitely achievable, and I thought the target would be higher than that to be honest. The toughest challenge for the first season will be to get through to the group stages of the Champions League. We need to get through 2 or 3 rounds of qualifying and that could be tough depending on how the draw for each round goes.

Squad Overview

I haven’t managed PSV for a few seasons now and the squad has clearly changed in that time so the first thing to do is to look at who are the key players, the stars of the future and any possible deadwood to try and offload.

Key Players

Steven Bergwijn

The first one is arguably the best player in the squad on current ability but he won’t be getting played in his most natural position. Bergwijn prefers to play on the left wing but in order to fit other key players in the team, Bergwijn will most likely be playing on the right side.

Bruma

Bruma is the reason Bergwijn won’t be playing in his natural position. The big summer signing from Leipzig will take up the left wing and will hopefully deliver considering the money spent on him and the wage he is being paid.

Denzel Dumfries

The last key player is the right back Dumfries who should get plenty of assists this season from putting crosses for the attacking line. He has a great attribute spread and the work rate and stamina that is needed to play that position.

Stars of the Future

Donyell Malen

With so many members of the squad being so young, it was hard to pick out stars for the future but the first one is Malen who is only 1 year younger than Bergwijn. Malen will be competing with Lammers for the striker position as I only plan on playing 1 up top.

Mohamed Ihattaren

Not the most physical player, but for such a young age, Ihattaren has great technical and mental stats. It is likely that he will start the season as the starting number 10 and if he can deliver then he will have a great career ahead of him.

Jordan Teze

The last one in this section will start as the backup right back to Dumfries but he should get plenty of chances to develop into what I think will be a very good attacking full back.

Possible Deadwood

Lars Unnerstall

Unnerstall has the quality to be a starting keeper for us but he is unfortunate that we have Zoet in front of him and the club have just signed Ruiter to be his backup. With how much Unnerstall is currently worth, I will be looking to move him out immediately to try and make a healthy amount of money from him.

Kostas Mitroglou

Mitroglou has pretty much everything going against him. His age means he is only going to get worse. He is very slow and I prefer a striker with pace. I have two very good young options ahead of him in Malen and Lammers, and finally because he is only on loan I know he won’t be a long term option for us as well.

Ryan Thomas

Thomas suffers from the options that are in front of him. Gutierrez, Rosario, Hendrix and Sadilek are all ahead of him in midfield so if a good deal can be made, Thomas will be sold with the money being reinvested into some younger players for the future.​

 

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Pre-Season

As I am writing this, the transfer window is not officially closed so something else could happen, but it is very unlikely as all positions covered in the squad now. The starting budget was £13 Million but in the end I actually made more money than spent.

Players Out

Of course, most of these were made in the summer before I joined but I did have a couple of players leave as I decided to sell Lars Unnerstall in a deal worth up to £4.3mil and Ryan Thomas left for £4.5mil. Both were on the deadwood list and we were able to raise a lot of money from players that were always going to backup options at best.

Players In

The main position that needed improvement was CB to find a suitable partner for Baumgartl and we were able to get my first target as Rick Van Drongelen joins the club for just £3.5mil. He is a big improvement on the other options and will go straight into the starting team. My next signing could be an amazing player for the future as we were able to snap up Naci Unuvar from rivals Ajax for just £775k. He had not yet signed his professional deal with them and I was able to bring him in a very small fee. The last signing was made by the DoF and he will never be more than a B team player at best.

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[HashtagDutch]

Yes!! I'm happy to see someone taking on PSV, and this is great start. Love updates that are thoughtful and full of screen caps. I've been wanting to start a PSV save. back in the CM days, I'd always take over PSV...I need to get back into that tradition. Good luck!

 

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July

With the Champions League qualifying rounds and the Johan Cruijff Schaal game to play, we ended up having 3 competitive games mixed in with our friendlies in July.

Zoet, Dumfries, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Lato, Rosario, Hendrix, Bergwijn, Pereiro, Bruma (Gakpo), Malen (Lammers)

We dominated the game in terms of chances with 37 shots on goal but only put 10 of them on target and could only score through a penalty. A lot of finishing training is needed I think.

Zoet, Dumfries (Teze), Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Viergever, Rosario, Hendrix, Bergwijn, Pereiro (Schwaab), Bruma (Lammers), Malen

We were never really close to winning this game to be honest. The late goal from Malen flattered us as after Van Drongelen got sent off, we never looked like scoring.

Zoet, Dumfries, Schwaab, Van Drongelen, Boscagli, Hendrix, Gutierrez, Doan, Pereiro, Afellay, Lammers

A solid but unspectacular result gets us through to the next qualifying round. We have been drawn against Club Brugge in the next round which will be a tough but winnable challenge,

Summary

We are through to the next qualifying round of the Champions League which is pleasing but the loss to Ajax shows that we are probably not going to be able to compete with them this season. Next month will bring the start of the season and we will see if we are able to qualify for the Champions League group stages.

Fixtures

 

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Yes!! I'm happy to see someone taking on PSV, and this is great start. Love updates that are thoughtful and full of screen caps. I've been wanting to start a PSV save. back in the CM days, I'd always take over PSV...I need to get back into that tradition. Good luck!

I'm pleased you like the updates. When I decided to start a career with PSV I looked online for other stories with them but was surprised to see there isn't much about them. I imagine a lot of people just look at Ajax when it comes to Dutch football.

 

[HashtagDutch]

I'm pleased you like the updates. When I decided to start a career with PSV I looked online for other stories with them but was surprised to see there isn't much about them. I imagine a lot of people just look at Ajax when it comes to Dutch football.

Yeah, it's basically all Ajax whenever I see a Dutch save.

Looking forward to seeing who you sign for PSV.

 

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August

Zoet, Dumfries (Teze), Baumgartl, Hendrix, Viergever, Rosario, Gutierrez (Sadilek), Bergwijn, Pereiro, Bruma, Lammers

This was a great start to the season as we scored plenty of goals. 31 shots and 62% possession is a good indicator that things could go well this season.

Zoet, Dumfries, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Viergever, Rosario, Hendrix, Bergwijn, Ihatteren (Pereiro), Gakpo, Lammers (Malen)

We have a lot of work to do to try and get through to the next round. If it wasn’t for a great performance from Zoet, this game could have been much worse as they dominated us from start to finish. We were ripped open so often that I think the tactic still needs a lot of work.

Zoet, Dumfries, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Viergever, Rosario, Gutierrez, Bergwijn (Doan), Pereiro (Ihatteren), Bruma, Lammers

A bore draw where the MoTM award went to my keeper so there was very little quality on the pitch.

Zoet, Dumfries (Teze), Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Viergever (Lato), Hendrix, Pereiro, Gutierrez, Bergwijn, Bruma (Malen), Lammers

This was an incredible comeback as we stormed into a 2-goal lead to balance the game with the 3rd goal coming not too long after that. When they scored in the 81st minute, I thought we had thrown it away but Pereiro stepped up in the 90th minute to take us through to the next qualifying round where we will face Dynamo Kyiv.

Zoet, Teze (Schwaab), Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Boscagli, Hendrix, Ihatteren, Gutierrez (Sadilek), Doan, Bruma (Gakpo), Malen

A solid win where we never really looked like conceding. Doan got his first two goals for the club which was pleasing as he looks a good talent.

Zoet, Teze, Baumgartl (Schwaab), Van Drongelen, Boscagli (Lato), Hendrix, Pereiro, Gutierrez, Doan, Bergwijn, Lammers (Malen)

Another poor performance away from home leaves us with having a lot to do in the second leg again. We were able to come back from 2-0 down so hopefully we can do it from just 2-1 now.

Zoet, Dumfries, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Lato, Hendrix (Rosario), Ihatteren, Gutierrez (Sadilek), Bergwijn (Afellay), Bruma, Malen

Bruma put in a great performance in the first half to get his hat trick and from there we just controlled the game. We are looking great at home at the moment.

Zoet, Dumfries (Teze), Baumgartl, Viergever, Lato, Hendrix, Pereiro (Rosario), Gutierrez, Bergwijn, Bruma, Malen

Another comeback at home and another MoTM performance from Bruma. He was the big signing in the summer for club so I was hoping he would step up on the big occasions and he has done so here to take us through to the group stages.

Summary

It has been a busy month as we had 8 games to play while still trying to find a tactic to use and build up the players fitness. The league has gone well with us only dropping points against FC Twente but it has been Europe where all the fun has come. We lost both away legs but won both home legs by a big enough margin to get through both rounds and are now in the Champions League group stages and have a group of Liverpool, Shakhtar and Ferencvarosi.

League Table

Fixtures

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September

Zoet, Dumfries (Teze), Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Lato, Hendrix, Pereiro, Gutierrez, Bergwijn, Bruma (Gakpo), Malen

This was a great comeback after going 1-0 down to an early goal. 3 of the goals came in the last 10 minutes to make it look much more comfortable than it actually was.

Zoet, Dumfries (Teze), Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Lato, Hendrix, Pereiro, Gutierrez (Rosario), Bergwijn (Afellay), Bruma, Lammers

This game was the best performance I have seen so far this season, especially from Pereiro. He got 4 goals and all of them were good finishes as 2 were from out of the box, 1 was rolled into the bottom corner and the goal for his hat trick was a good header that looped into the far corner.

Zoet, Dumfries, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Viergever, Hendrix (Boscagli), Pereiro, Gutierrez, Bergwijn, Bruma, Lammers (Doan)

We were right in this game for the first half with them only having the lead through two mistakes from Hendrix and Zoet for their goals. The second half however was a different story and they battered us. There is no shame in losing at Anfield but the way we collapsed was disappointing.

Zoet, Teze, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Lato, Hendrix, Pereiro (Ihatteren), Gutierrez, Bergwijn, Gakpo, Lammers (Doan)

We weren’t quite there today but we were able to get the three points anyway.

Zoet, Dumfries, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Lato, Hendrix, Pereiro, Gutierrez, Bergwijn (Doan), Bruma (Lammers), Malen

A vital win here against our title rivals puts us in the prime seat at this early stage of the season. Ziyech getting sent off certainly helped us but it still took some quality from Pereiro to open the scoring with a great free kick, the 3rd or 4th he has scored this season already.

Summary

This month has been a big success, if you ignore the Liverpool result, as we have now settled on a tactic and most of the starting XI is now settled as well with the only positions I’m not certain about being LB and the striker. The win against Ajax means we have a bit of a gap at the top already, but the season is long and we will face a lot of fixture congestion in the next couple of months with the Champions League games coming quick and fast.

League Table

Fixtures

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October

Zoet, Dumfries (Schwaab), Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Lato, Hendrix, Pereiro, Gutierrez (Rosario), Bergwijn (Doan), Bruma, Malen

The games against Shakhtar are going to be the big deciding games on whether we are able to get through to the next and I am disappointed that we could only get a draw against them at home. The game away from home will be a big challenge.

Zoet, Dumfries (Teze), Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Lato, Hendrix, Pereiro, Gutierrez, Doan, Bruma (Ihatteren) (Rosario), Malen

The substitution isn’t a typo. Ihatteren came on for Bruma and then picked up an injury around 5 minutes later so had to come back off. The actual game was over by half time as we were 2-0 up at half time and 3-0 not long after the break.

Zoet, Dumfries, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Lato, Hendrix, Pereiro, Gutierrez, Bergwijn, Bruma (Afellay), Malen (Lammers)

Not much to say really. Solid win while not being spectacular.

Zoet, Dumfries, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Lato, Hendrix, Pereiro, Gutierrez, Bergwijn, Bruma (Lammers), Malen

We got extremely lucky here as we got two late goals including a last minute penalty to get the win. The fact that we struggled to get the win at home has me worried for the away leg.

Ruiter, Teze, Schwaab, Viergever, Boscagli, Rosario, Ihatteren, Sadilek, Doan, Gakpo, Lammers

We are through to the next round of the cup as the backups give a solid performance for us. I am pleased to be able to give them game time as some of them are lacking match fitness.

Summary

An unbeaten month is always a good thing but our performances this month have not been as good as September. We don’t seem to have too many issues with scoring goals but we can’t consistently keep clean sheets which is the next thing to work on. Some of the starting XI are wanting big moves away while some of the backup players want to move for regular football so we have a lot of personnel issues to try and sort out.

League Table

Fixtures

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November

Zoet, Dumfries, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Lato, Hendrix, Pereiro (Ihatteren), Gutierrez, Bergwijn, Bruma, Malen

Another very nice win to start the month as we coast through to another 3 points. The team is definitely starting to get on a good run of form that I hope translate to a big point gap at the top of the table.

Zoet, Teze, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Lato, Hendrix, Pereiro, Gutierrez, Doan (Ihatteren), Bergwijn, Malen (Lammers)

A very poor result as we have really struggled in Europe this season. For us to have a decent chance of getting through to the next round, we needed to get maximum points here but were unable to do so.

Zoet, Teze, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Boscagli, Hendrix (Rosario), Ihatteren, Gutierrez (Sadilek), Bergwijn (Afellay), Bruma, Lammers

Another strong win in the league. Our form has started to attract interest in our players with Hendrix and Bergwijn having some major interest from Europe’s most elite teams.

Zoet, Dumfries (Teze), Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Boscagli, Hendrix (Rosario), Pereiro, Gutierrez, Bergwijn (Ihatteren), Bruma, Malen

The front line all got a goal each here as we carry on with our good form in the league. I am pleased to see Van Drongelen get a MoTM award as he has been great for us this season and deserves some recognition.

Zoet, Teze, Schwaab, Viergever, Lato, Rosario, Ihattaren, Sadilek, Doan, Gakpo, Malen (Lammers)

I wasn’t confident of getting a result so to be completely honest I decided to focus more on giving the first team a rest and getting the backups a bit of match fitness. The backups didn’t play too badly actually and were able to create a few chances as well.

Summary

Another very good month domestically as we won all 3 league games without conceding a single goal. It has been the opposite in Europe though as we were comfortably beaten by Liverpool and could only struggle to a draw against Ferencvarosi. We have one more game left in Europe which is against Shakhtar and we need to win the game to get through to the knockout rounds.

League Table

Fixtures

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December

Zoet, Teze (Schwaab), Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Lato (Viergever), Hendrix, Pereiro (Ihattaren), Gutierrez, Bergwijn, Bruma, Malen

A really nice start to the month as our good league form continues.

Zoet, Dumfries, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Lato, Hendrix, Pereiro, Gutierrez, Bergwijn (Doan), Bruma, Malen

We can almost see the title already after this result. Our gap over Ajax is growing while we still have a game in hand over them as well.

Zoet, Dumfries (Teze), Baumgarl, Van Drongelen, Lato, Hendrix, Pereiro, Gutierrez, Bergwijn (Lammers), Bruma, Malen

What a great performance and this result means we qualify for the first knockout round of the Champions League. I was lacking confidence before the game but we battered them and could have scored even more. Our reward for finishing 2nd behind Liverpool is a knockout tie against Real Madrid.

Zoet, Teze, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Boscagli, Hendrix, Pereiro, Gutierrez, Bergwijn (Doan), Bruma, Malen (Lammers)

A poor performance here costs us 2 more points as we just couldn’t score the 2nd goal needed to win the game.

Ruiter, Teze, Schwaab, Viergever, Lato, Rosario, Ihattaren, Sadilek, Doan, Gakpo, Lammers

A terrible result as we go crashing out of the cup to a 2nd division team and lose the chance of winning the domestic cup. I had hoped that the backup team was good enough to see this game through but this may show that we need to improve the depth of the squad.

Zoet, Dumfries, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Boscagli (Lato), Rosario, Pereiro, Gutierrez, Bergwijn (Doan), Bruma, Malen

Another game where we don’t win which makes it a run of 3 games without a win. We never really looked like scoring here and I am just hoping that it was a bit of tiredness as we now get to the winter break.

Summary

In terms of results, this is arguably our worst month as we drew two league games and went out of the cup. However, we were able to beat Ajax in the league and also got a vital win against Shakhtar to get through to the next round of the Champions League. Next month brings only 3 league games as the winter break runs until the 18th but the big challenge will be to keep the squad together as a few first team players are wanted by big teams around Europe and China.

League Table

Fixtures

 

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January

Zoet, Atal (Boscagli), Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Dumfries, Hendrix, Pereiro (Ihattaren), Gutierrez, Bergwijn (Doan), Bruma, Malen

It is a nice start to the new year as we pick up another 3 points. Atal had a strong debut for the club and creating plenty of chances from the right wing before being subbed.

Zoet, Atal, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Dumfries, Hendrix, Pereiro, Gutierrez (Sadilek), Bergwijn, Bruma (Gakpo), Malen

A really strong performance here and it was great to see the team score plenty of goals again.

Zoet, Atal, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Dumfries (Boscagli), Belmonte, Pereiro, Gutierrez, Bergwijn (Doan), Bruma (Lammers), Malen

A poor end to the month as we couldn’t score against AZ and by the end of the game, we were holding on and pretty lucky to get a draw.

Summary

It has been a decent start to the second half of the season as we win two and draw against a team that are doing well this season. The major focus on this month was the transfer window as there were deals done and deals that fell through which cost us significant funds.

Transfers Out

We had three players leave this month, with the biggest one coming on deadline day. Ibrahim Afellay had a pre-arranged deal to leave the club, He was brought in to the club in the summer to be an experienced head but he wanted to leave for more football so I was happy to take the fee we got for him. Nick Viergever is similar as he wanted to leave for more football as well and after a few bids from Premier League clubs, he moved to Burnley in a deal worth up to £8mil with £5mil of it up front.

The last deal was the big one though as, on deadline day, Juventus came in with a £20mil bid for Jorrit Hendrix. I negotiated the fee up to a possible £31mil and they immediately accepted it and he was on his way. Hendrix has possibly been our best player in the holding midfield role but he only had 18 months left on his deal and he was refusing to sign a new deal so the money we got for him was great.

Transfers In

The first deal was a pre-arranged deal as Tomas Belmonte joins us from Lanus for £700k. He is a good all-round midfield that can play in the holding role or in a central role. The original plan was to have him serve as backup to Hendrix and eventually take over the position but with Hendrix leaving to Juventus, Belmonte will be getting plenty of first team football straight away.

The next deal was for Youcef Atal from OGC Nice for £13.5mil. It may seem as though we don’t need another right back as we have Dumfries but I only went to sign Atal after accepting a £27mil offer from Bayern Munich for Dumfries. Stupidly I decided to bring in Atal before the Dumfries deal was done and then Dumfries turned Bayern down and is now staying at the club. I have decided to push Dumfries to the LB position to try and fit them both into the starting XI.

The last signing was made on deadline day and only made after Hendrix left. Agustin Almendra joins for £5mil from Boca Juniors. After Hendrix left I wanted some more depth in midfield and Almendra gives us that. I wanted to sign Wouter Burger from Feyenoord but they were asking for far too much money so Almendra is a decent looking other option.

League Table

Fixtures

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February

Zoet, Atal (Boscagli), Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Dumfries, Belmonte, Pereiro (Ihattaren), Gutierrez, Bergwijn, Bruma, Malen

A pretty poor start to the month in reality as we never really got going and also Pereiro picked up an injury that will keep him out of the team for the month. It will be a good chance for both Ihattaren and Almendra to impress.

Zoet, Dumfries (Teze), Baumgartl, Rosario, Boscagli, Belmonte (Lato), Ihattaren, Gutierrez, Bergwijn, Bruma, Malen

A good win here with Malen getting two goals. He hasn’t scored as many as I would like for the main striker of the team but he is still very young and has time to improve.

Zoet, Atal, Rosario, Van Drongelen, Dumfries, Belmonte (Almendra), Ihattaren, Gutierrez, Bergwijn, Bruma, Malen (Lammers)

We win 2-0 again with Ihattaren getting his first goal for the club and getting the MotM award as well. Lets hope this is the start of him developing into a starting player.

Zoet, Atal, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen (Schwaab), Dumfries, Belmonte, Ihattaren, Gutierrez, Bergwijn (Doan), Bruma (Lammers), Malen

Our 3rd 2-0 win in a row and Ihattaren scores again. We are almost there with winning the title and we could possibly start looking at going the entire season unbeaten.

Zoet, Atal (Teze), Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Lato, Belmonte, Almendra, Gutierrez (Sadilek), Bergwijn, Bruma, Lammers

This was a really weird game as went behind due to a penalty, drew level only to have a player sent off the minute later. We then pushed into a big lead before they had a man sent off and in the end it was a comfortable win.

Zoet, Atal, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Dumfries, Belmonte, Almendra (Ihattaren), Gutierrez, Bergwijn (Lammers), Bruma, Malen

I am so frustrated with this result. They were 2-0 up in the first 10 minutes but both of their goals came from defensive mistakes. The comeback in the second half means we have a slim chance of progressing through but it is more likely they will build on their lead to go through pretty comfortably.

Zoet, Dumfries, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Boscagli (Teze), Rosario, Almendra (Pereiro), Gutierrez, Doan, Bruma, Malen

We finish the month with a dominating performance but could only score 1 goal. We had 22 shots and 71% possession but couldn’t break them down until Bruma scored a rebound after a good strike from Doan.

Summary

We won every game in the league this month to further tighten our grip on the title. It was a busy month as we played 7 games in the shortest month of the year. For comparison, we only have 4 matches scheduled in the month of March. Some of the younger players have really stepped up this month as well as Atal, Belmonte, Ihattaren and Almendra have all impressed in the game time they have got.

League Table

Fixtures

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March

Zoet, Atal, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Dumfries, Belmonte (Rosario), Pereiro, Gutierrez, Bergwijn, Bruma, Malen (Lammers)

A poor start to the month as we struggle to a draw. The midfield are still controlling games but the front line are not as free flowing as they were earlier on in the season.

Zoet, Atal, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Dumfries, Belmonte, Pereiro (Ihattaren), Gutierrez, Bergwijn, Bruma (Doan), Malen (Lammers)

Another draw and Ajax are closing the gap on us now. I can pretty much copy my comment from before where our midfield can dominate the game but the front line are not scoring.

Zoet, Atal, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Dumfries (Lato), Belmonte, Ihattaren, Gutierrez, Bergwijn, Bruma (Lammers), Malen

It was always going to be a massive challenge but I am pleased with how we performed over the two legs. We were never close to going through but we were never blown away either. Hopefully we can go a step further next season.

Zoet, Atal (Teze), Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Dumfries (Boscagli), Belmonte, Almendra, Gutierrez, Doan, Bruma (Lammers), Malen

Malen finally delivers with a hat trick and also missed a penalty to make it 4 as well. After the game, a message came up saying he hadn’t scored since 5th Feb which I was surprised by. Hopefully this now starts a goalscoring run to see out the end of the season.

Summary

It hasn’t been the best month as we only won one game and in the league and went out of the Champions League. The focus is now entirely on the league and we can hopefully see out the season by winning the title and possibly doing it by remaining unbeaten. The biggest challenge to us not remaining unbeaten is probably the next game as we face Feyernoord away from home.

League Table

Fixtures

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April

Zoet, Atal (Schwaab), Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Boscagli, Belmonte, Pereiro, Gutierrez (Ihattaren), Doan (Bergwijn), Bruma, Malen

I warned it could happen and it did. The invincible season is over as Feyernoord score 4 against us. They were quick out of the box and were 2-0 up before we knew it. After we pulled it back to 3-2 we had a few chances to get an equalizer but they eventually caught us on the counter and now the only thing left to do is wrap up the title and start building for the new season.

Zoet, Atal, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Dumfries, Belmonte, Pereiro, Gutierrez, Doan (Almendra), Bruma, Malen (Gakpo)

This solid win at home that takes us just one game away from winning the title. I thought we had threw this game away when they equalized in the 87th minute but Van Drongelen’s late header means we have one hand on the league title.

Zoet, Atal, Baumgartl (Schwaab), Van Drongelen, Boscagli, Rosario, Ihattaren, Almendra (Sadliek), Bergwijn (Gakpo), Bruma, Malen

CHAMPIONS!!! All we needed was a win but Malen made sure it was a rout. A first half hat-trick wrapped up the title while the 4th goal was the icing on the cake that now takes Malen to the top of our goalscoring charts.

Summary

So the title is now won but we also lost our unbeaten record in the league. I never thought we would be able to go the whole season unbeatable but to get so close to doing so and then losing it is a disappointment. With the remaining games now not meaning much, I plan on giving some of the backup/younger players a game before the season ends just to see how they do.

League Table

Fixtures

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May

Zoet, Atal (Teze), Schwaab, Van Drongelen, Lato, Rosario, Pereiro, Gutierrez, Doan (Sadliek), Bergwijn (Gakpo), Malen

A strong win here with Malen adding a couple more goals to his tally. After his big drought during February, he has really kicked on scored plenty of goals in the last few months to take himself to be the clubs and the leagues top goalscorer.

Zoet, Teze, Schwaab, Van Drongelen, Dumfries, Rosario, Ihattaren, Sadliek, Doan, Unuvar, Malen

Not the best way to finish the season but it was a game to give some of the squad a match and I also gave Naci Unuvar his debut for the club. This loss means we finished the season with 2 losses out of 34 games and a total of 84 points.

Summary

The last month was pretty much a couple of friendly games as we had nothing riding on them. The positive of this month is that Malen chipped in with a couple more goals which means he finishes the season as top goalscorer with 20 goals in the league. My next post will review the season and set out some plans for the summer as well.

League Table

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End of Season Post

The first season is over and it has been a great debut season as we win the league after leading it for pretty much the entire season. In Europe, we struggled at the start and looked likely to go out in the qualifying round after losing 2-0 to Club Brugge in the first leg but, after pulling that back, we then got all the way to the first knockout round and went out to Real Madrid.

The only real disappointment is in the cup as we went out very early on went the backup players could not deliver. Due to this, the plan for the summer is to improve the depth of the squad so that we can compete on multiple fronts at the same time. There was a heavy reliance on some players this season and I want to try and avoid that in the next one. We have been given a budget of £23mil for the new season so we have the budget to change things as well.

End of Season Awards

Some surprises in the end of season awards here and I will start with the team of the season. Doan hasn’t done too badly but how he is in the team of the season over Bergwijn I will never know. The other surprise is with Boscagli at LB. That position has been a hard one to sort out this season but I would not have put Boscagli there over Lato or Dumfries and have Atal at RB.

I am pleased to see Gutierrez being recognized as the fans player of the season as he has been the unsung hero of the team. He doesn’t get the most goals or assists but he has been key in us controlling games, especially in the second half of the season after Hendrix’s sale.

Squad Overview

Goalkeepers – Zoet is the clear number one and played the most games for the club this season. INo one is currently interested in signing him and as Zoet still have 3 years on his contract, I can’t see anything changing.

Defenders – Baumgartl and Van Drongelen were the starting partnership, but to be honest there was very little competition for them. Having more competition at CB is something I hope to address in the summer. RB is probably our strongest position with Atal, Dumfries and Teze to play there. LB is our weakest though and the main position I want to strengthen.

Midfielders – Belmonte settled into the DM role very quickly and with Rosario there as well, that position looks settled. Gutierrez, Pereiro, Almendra and Ihattaren all compete for the 2 CM positions and it should be a tighter battle as Almendra and Ihattaren get better with age. There shouldn’t be a need to improve much here unless someone is sold.

Forwards – Bruma and Bergwijn starred on the wings and were involved in everything. They are seen as the two star players of the squad so I was expecting that from them. Bruma is unhappy and Bergwijn is wanted by other clubs so there could be changes on the wings this summer. The competition between Malen and Lammers was tight for the first half of the season but Malen then started to pull away and is the clear first choice. He finished the season with a very strong run of form to make sure he holds that position for next season.
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Pre-Season

As I am writing this, it is just before the first game of the season so the window is still open and things could happen before it closes.

Players Out

So the two big deals are obvious here as both Steven Bergwijn and Pablo Rosario left to join the Premier League. Bergwijn was the biggest deal of the summer and not done until pretty late as well. There were a few offers for him earlier in the window, but he had no interest in leaving. Then Tottenham came in and he wanted to join them, so I negotiated for a deal worth up to £40mil and they immediately accepted.

Rosario was one of the first transfers agreed in the summer. He wanted to leave and, as I had a replacement lined up, I was happy to take almost £17mil for a player that was nothing more than a backup option last season. The other deals were all players that were either out on loan last season or people I pushed out of the B team in order to make sure that the youth prospects got regular game time.

Players In

The biggest transfer of the window is also the biggest risk as I signed Wouter Burger from league rivals Feyernoord for £12.5mil. After the sale of Bergwijn, I decided to move Pereiro on to the RW and invest the cash in a CM for the future. Gutierrez, Ihattaren and Almendra will provide stiff competition but, over the season, he should plenty of game time to develop and improve.

The next deal is the reason I was happy to sell Rosario. For roughly half the money I sold Rosario for, I was able to bring in Marco Kana from Anderlecht. He looks a real talent already and at just 17 he has plenty of time to improve. He will compete with Belmonte for the DM position in the team.

The third and final major signing will hopefully sort out the LB position as I brought Jetro Willems back to the club. I was looking for a LB for most of last season and eventually I settled on Willems. He has all the attributes I would want in a wing back and he should settle in quickly. I am hoping he can be as effective on the left wing as Atal was in the second half of the season on the right wing.

The final 2 signings are for the B team as we signed Lazaro and Winther for small fees. They both look like good talents and were recommended to me by my scouts. If they can develop over the next season or 2, then they could break into the first team squad or maybe be sold off for a profit.

Current Squad

GK – Zoet, Ruiter
RB – Atal, Dumfries
CB – Baumgartl, Luckassen
CB – Van Drongelen, Schwaab
LB – Willems, Boscagli
DM – Belmonte, Kana
CM – Ihattaren, Burger
CM – Gutierrez, Almendra
RW – Pereiro, Doan
LW – Bruma, Gakpo
ST – Malen, Romero
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August

Zoet, Atal, Luckassen, Van Drongelen, Willems, Kana, Ihattaren, Gutierrez, Pereiro (Gakpo), Bruma, Malen (Romero)

Not a sensational performance but this time round we win the trophy. Last year, we lost 2-1 in this fixture so the fact that we were able to hold them out and win on penalties is pleasing. We were also without a few first team players (Belmonte, Almendra and Baumgartl) due to injury and the Olympics which made it a bit harder.

Zoet, Atal, Baumgartl (Schwaab), Luckassen, Willems, Kana, Ihattaren, Gutierrez (Burger), Pereiro, Bruma, Malen

A great start to the season as Pereiro settles into his new position very quickly. He had plenty of other chances as well and should have had a double hat-trick by the end of the game.

Zoet, Atal (Dumfries), Baumgartl (Luckassen), Van Drongelen, Willems (Boscagli), Kana, Ihattaren, Gutierrez, Pereiro, Bruma, Malen

Another good scoreline here as we scored plenty of goals, and this time kept a clean sheet as well. The only downside of this game was Baumgarl picked up an injury that will keep him out for a month or so.

Zoet, Atal (Dumfries), Luckassen, Van Drongelen, Willems, Kana (Almendra), Ihattaren, Gutierrez, Pereiro, Bruma, Malen

The goals are flying in at the start of this season. The sale of Bergwijn may be the best thing that has happened to us as it has let Pereiro and Ihattaren fit into the team and they were both on form here.

Zoet, Atal, Luckassen, Van Drongelen, Willems, Almendra, Ihattaren, Gutierrez, Pereiro (Doan), Bruma, Malen (Romero)

A much tighter game here and I was pleased to get the winner late on. Bruma has now scored in 3 games in a row as he has had a consistent start to the season.

Zoet, Atal, Luckassen, Van Drongelen, Willems (Boscagli), Almendra, Ihattaren, Gutierrez, Pereiro, Bruma, Malen

We get back on the goalscoring path here as we fired in 3 first half goals to win the game. Pereiro may not have scored here but he assisted all 3 goals to put in another MotM performance.

Summary

It has been the perfect start to the season with 5 wins out of 5 in the league and us winning the Johan Cruijff Schaal against Ajax. The downside of the month has been the injuries as Baumgartl and Belmonte picked up injuries for just over a month each and Schwaab also picked up a knock to leave us a bit light at the back. In the Champions League, we were 3rd seeds so a tough group was expected and we got drawn against Man City, Atletico Madrid and Olympiakos. A drop into the Europa league seems likely here.

Transfers

We ended up bringing in 2 new faces this month as we signed both Bruno Amione and Stefan Bajic. Both players will spend the season in the B team, although Amione has a good chance of stepping up in January if a CB is sold.

League Table

Fixtures

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