A much more comfortable win against Stade Rennais here keeps us in the race for qualification. Our midfield here were amazing as the controlled the game like they have done so in many other games.
This draw keeps us with a decent chance of qualifying for the knockout round. We are 2 points above Atletico with just one game to go. Unfortunately we have to face Liverpool while they have the much easier game of Stade Rennais.
This was a nice way to end the month as for the first time in a while we got our big win. Everyone put in a great performance with the outfield 10 players all getting an average rating above 7.5.
Summary
A great month for us as we went unbeaten in all competitions and I think for the first time ever, I can say that I did not concede a single goal in a month of football. The defence have done well but it has also been down to the fact that the midfield have dominated every game for us. I went through the 5 games this month and our lowest possession percentage was 59%. We are controlling all of our games and then the CB’s have the speed to stop any counter attacks whenever we do lose the ball.
The 100% record is gone but the unbeaten run is still going. We dominated the game and Ajax only had 1 shot on target but they scored it and we could only score from a penalty, despite having 12 shots on target. The front line have not been the most consistent this season this is why sometimes we have blown teams away and other times it has only been an odd goal to win a game.
A good win by the backup team here as I decided to rotate the team due to us facing Liverpool next. The squad is now so strong in depth that the backup players can compete with and beat most teams in the league now.
A bore draw confirms our qualification for the knockout rounds of the Champions League. We actually had some decent chances of winning this game but eventually there were no goals scored and we qualify for the next round.
The wins keep coming and another clean sheet as well. Angelino did incredibly well to get the MotM award considering he did not score or assist any of the goals.
We go through to the next round with a pretty comfortable victory for the backup players. We conceded a goal which was disappointing but we were never in any worry of not winning the game.
Another strong win. Okafor delivered a great hat-trick with some great goals including his second goal where he dribbled past a couple of defenders and smashed it into the top corner.
The month ends with another good win and another clean sheet. We haven’t always been smashing teams away but we have been incredibly tight at the back all season long in the league. We are now halfway though the season and have conceded only 8 goals after 20 league games.
Summary
Another really strong month as we stay unbeaten in the league, qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League and get through to the next round of the Dutch Cup. We lost our 100% record in the league with our draw with Ajax but we remain unbeaten and the run is now over 50 games in the league.
The second half of the season kicks off with us comfortably getting through to the next round of the cup. It was disappointing to concede so late and lose our clean sheet but the 5 goals and Velasco hat-trick is definitely a nice start to the new year.
We face Ajax next so I decided to keep with the backup players but they could not deliver the win here. Zirkzee missed a 91st minute penalty that could have won us the points but it was not to be.
The rest from the last game certainly helped here as we stole this game late on as they were tiring. We struggled to break them down until Okafor stepped up and got 2 late goals to win the match. I haven’t always been impressed with Okafor but he has really stepped up in the big games this season.
Summary
The start of the new year and gone like the rest of the season has so far as we controlled every game and went unbeaten. Ajax almost broke our unbeaten run but we were able to battle back and get the win against them. The transfer window was pretty quiet overall as we had a couple of backup players leave and we brought in just one signing, but I will talk about all of this in a moment. Next month will bring the Champions League back and that will be getting our main attention as we try to go as far as we can in the competition.
Transfers Out
The first 2 transfers were backups from the B team leaving. They were both never going to get into the first team and just blocking the path for another youngster to step up so I moved them on for decent fees. The next and first big deal was Jack Butland going back to England as Southampton paid £13mil for him. He demanded a move away as he wasn’t playing and I was happy to make a quick profit for him. I can now just promote a youngster from the B team to be the cover for Zoet.
The last deal is also the biggest as Jetro Willems leaves the club again, this time to Inter Milan. The deal is a loan with a mandatory future fee. The deal is £500k a month for the remainder of the season and then the future fee is £20mil. Altogether the deal will bring in around £23 million. Angelino had started to take over Willems in the LB position so it was good timing to move him on and we have made a massive profit compared to the £2.8mil we spent to bring him back to the club.
Transfers In
There was only one transfer in as Dani Ceballos joins us from Real Madrid on a loan deal. Just like Willems’ deal, it includes an obligation to buy for £15.5mil in the summer. We have Guendouzi on loan but he has signed a new deal with Arsenal so he won’t be joining in the summer so I moved for Ceballos to replace him. He should become a very good signing if he settles at the club.
A really poor game where we stole a point from them. This is arguably our worst performance of the season to date and it is worrying that it comes as we are about to go back into the Champions League in a couple of weeks.
A much stronger performance here as we go through to the semi-finals of the Dutch cup. I haven’t used him too much this season but Velasco has looked good on the wings. He has popped up with a few goals and did so again here.
A much tighter win but as we face Porto next, I decided to play the backup team in the league. The hope now is that the first team are fresh and fit for the Champions League game.
A really good result at home here gives us a great chance of going through to the next round. We got off to a flyer thanks to Isak and then doubled the lead late on. As long as we can keep it tight in the second leg then we should be going through to the quarter-finals.
A tighter win ends the month as we continue to build our lead at the top of the table. We face Ajax in the Dutch Cup in our next game which is why our backups played here again. There will probably be a lot of rotation from now until the end of the season.
Summary
Another month ends and another month we go unbeaten. The league is all but wrapped up and we could confirm the title mathematically just next month. We beat PEC Zwolle to get through to the semi-finals of the Dutch Cup, and most importantly we have given ourselves a great chance of going through to the next round of the Champions League after beating Porto 2-0 at home in the first leg.
It was a really close game but eventually we qualified for the final of the Dutch Cup. It took a penalty given in extra time to get us the win but it was a deserved win as we dominated the game.
Feyenoord are having a good season and are fighting with Ajax for second place so the match was always going to be a tight one and thankfully we got the win. This was the biggest threat to our unbeaten season going so we now have a really good chance of repeating that feat.
We have our second leg against Porto next so again I played the backup team in a league game and they delivered another win for us.
Zoet, Dumfries (Kana), Vallejo, Van Drongelen, Leysen, Belmonte (Hendrix), Almendra, Gutierrez, Pereiro (Velasco), Okafor, David
We were really poor after taking an early lead and thankfully our result in the first leg means we drag ourselves through to the next round on virtue of away goals. Our reward for getting through is a quarter-final tie with Man City which will be a massive test for us.
Zoet, Dumfries, Baumgartl, Van Drongelen, Angelino, Belmonte, Ceballos, Gutierrez, Pereiro, Okafor, David
CHAMPIONS!!! This was a very comfortable victory that wrapped up the title mathematically for us. The day was especially good for us as the B team also wrapped up the second division title as well. It seems as though we have everything wrapped up domestically.
Summary
The month overall has been very positive with the only black spot being the loss to Porto, although our first leg result got us through in the end. The league is now officially wrapped up although really it was over a long time ago, and we are through to the final of the Dutch Cup thanks to our extra time win over Ajax. Next month will bring plenty of games as we have 4 league games, the Dutch Cup final and at least 2 Champions League games against Man City and maybe more if we are able to beat them.
I’m pretty pleased with this result considering the facts that we were away from home and our defence was ripped apart with Dumfries being suspended and Van Drongelen being injured. We will need to score a few goals at home to give ourselves a chance of going through.
A really good win by the backup team here. A couple of these guys (Kana, Vallejo and Velasco) are performing so consistently now that they are looking to break into the first team.
What a result. We absolutely battered them. We were 2-0 up when they scored which meant they were going through on away goals but then we kept on going and got 2 more goals to seal a pretty comfortable victory. Our reward for such a good performance is a semi-final tie against Real Madrid.
We win the Dutch Cup. The match was very one-sided but we just couldn’t put them away like we have done to a lot of teams in the league. Pereiro missed a penalty that would have made it much more comfortable but in the end it didn’t matter as the 1 goal was enough to see us lift this trophy again.
The ‘B team’ coming out again can only mean that we face Real Madrid but again they did perfectly well and if it wasn’t for a late goal from them, then the win would have looked very comfortable.
What a comeback to keep us in this tie. After Reguilon scored their second goal, I thought the tie was most likely over but we dug in and Belmonte stepped up when it mattered most to not only get us one goal back but to also assist the second that means we are technically ahead in the tie on away goals.
Another strong win for the backups ends a very successful month for us. Velasco again delivered for us and has done so now so regularly that I subbed him straight after his goal to make sure he is fit to have a role against Real Madrid if it is needed.
Summary
What a month and the only place to start is in the Champions League. Our first leg against Man City didn’t go too well as we lost 1-0 but in the second leg we absolutely battered them smashed 4 past them to qualify for the next round. We then also played the first leg against Real Madrid and a produced a great final 5 minutes to ****** 2 goals and put ourselves in a great position to make the final which would be against Man Utd or Liverpool (who have won the Champions League 3 years in a row now). We also won the Dutch Cup but that was much more of a formality after beating our hardest team, Ajax, in the semi-finals.
We are through to the final. Another amazing win at home seals our path to face Man Utd. I have to talk about Belmonte though who in the first leg dragged us back into the tie with a goal and an assist and then in this game he was sent off for a last-ditch foul that now means he misses the final. It will be a big loss for him to not be there but thankfully we have Hendrix or Kana who can step up in that position.
We finish the season with another win although we were made to work hard for it. Nothing was working for us until Kana stepped up and scored a contender for goal of the season with a 30 yard free kick.
CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!!! What a game and what a result. They dominated the first half and it should have been more than 1-0. The second half was all ours though as Zirkzee and Velasco came on and changed the entire game. Zirkzee should have won us the game in normal time as he scored in the 70th minute and then missed a penalty in the 75th.
In extra time, they did their extra sub and then immediately had a player go off injured so I tried to push for the winner but it didn’t happen and we went to penalties. Zirkzee stepped up for another penalty and missed again but it didn’t matter as eventually Van Drongelen took our 6th penalty to win us the match and the biggest trophy in European football.
Summary
Well only thing to talk about really as against all of the odds, we win the Champions League. We beat Porto, Man City, Real Madrid and then Man Utd to lift the trophy so we definitely didn’t get there through an easy route. Our performance against Real Madrid this month was great as they barely had a chance all game and even at just 1-0 I never felt like we were going to lose that game. I will talk about the Champions League a lot more in the end of season post.
Another season ends and it has to be our biggest success as we take the big title of the Champions League while holding on to the domestic title and cup as well. The Champions League run was incredible as we almost went out at the group stages but once we got through we never looked back. The 2nd leg against Man City was definitely the highlight as we turned the tie around and smashed in 4 goals against them.
We also won the league and the Dutch Cup again but to be honest these have become routine now, especially the league where over 34 games there is no team that can match us. We could lose the cup like we did in the first season where the kids struggled against another division team but the depth of the squad is so good now that I don’t see that happening.
End of Season Awards
The team of the year have a couple of surprises as players from the backup team make the team of the year. The defence and the midfield are exactly what I thought they would be but the front line is very different. Pereiro is replaced by Velasco which is slightly surprising although Velasco has been key to the back up team. Zirkzee is also in there ahead of Isak which is a bigger surprise as I have been impressed with Isak while I thought Zirkzee was a bit more hit and miss.
Angelino deservedly wins player of the season as he has been in great form for us. He got 17 assists for us which is 6 more than second highest Dumfries and no one else made double figures. He also chipped in with 3 goals which is better than a lot of the central midfielders we have as well. Belmonte definitely deserved the young player of the season award as he has controlled so many games for us and was the single most important person on making sure we beat Real Madrid in the semi-final of the Champions League.
Squad Overview
Goalkeepers – No real change here as Butland came and went quickly to make a quick buck and Bajic stepped up in the second half of the season to play a few games to give Zoet a rest.
Defenders – Atal left at the start of the season and then Willems left in January so the full back positions saw a little change but the defence were still very tight. Dumfries stepped back into the right back position really well to the point that bigger clubs are looking at him again and Angelino has been a revelation at left back and the biggest clubs in world football are wanting to sign him.
Midfielders – Both Belmonte and Gutierrez had great seasons again while Almendra did really well to step in and replace Ihattaren. Hendrix, Kana, Guendouzi and Ceballos made sure that we had quality depth in this position as well so we could rotate and rest when needed.
Forwards – Malen leaving was probably the biggest loss for us as both Isak and Zirkzee didn’t have incredible seasons for us. Thankfully the wide men really provided, especially Okafor who scored over 20 goals and Velasco who scored 12 from 13 starts and 14 sub appearances.
I have decided to bring this story to an end. To be completely honest, I had always planned for this story to only last until the winter update came out and it has fallen well that the update has come out around the same time that we have won pretty much everything we could.
There is nowhere else to go with PSV after winning the Champions League as well as both domestic trophies other than maybe carrying on to try and win the new style Club World Cup but I am not too fussed about that competition. I may come back to the file and play it myself but I don’t see any reason carrying on with the story anymore.
As I said before, I only planned on this lasting until the winter update as I already know what I want to do next. I will be going back to my beloved Birmingham City to try and take them to the top again but I will adding extra conditions to the story to make it a harder challenge. Once I have set up the new game I will start a new thread for it.
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