Rafaelle D'Aniello - Building a Legacy

Aris are proving to be a perfect example of the "Raffaelle Effect" :p
 

Cruzeiro
May and June - 2021

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Fixtures:

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Ouch. This form was not what Rafaelle wanted heading into the season. The big turning point into the poor form came when his team chucked away a comfortable 2-0 home lead against Paranaense in the last minute to draw 2-2. This was followed by 3 defeats on the bounce and a disgruntled squad due to a combined effect of poor form and one player moaning about his contract. At this point Rafaelle was summoned to a meeting with the board and set a target of 10 points from the next 5 games to save his job. Luckily, the form turned around and they won 4 of the next 5 games and he now has the board back on board.

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League Table:

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Only sitting in 7th but only 5 points behind 3rd. Already out of the title battle due to Corinthians amazing start but hopefully we can get top 4 and qualify for the Libertadores!

Player Stats:

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There are still a few players unhappy and thinking that the club are underperforming, but hopefully a few more wins will turn that around. Conechny has found goals a lot harder to come by compared to the State Championships, but hopefully he has turned the corner and will start banging them in again soon. Midfielders Douglas and Amaya have been the top performers in the league so far.

Other News:

1) Rafaelle led Serbia to a friendly win over Liectenstein and a fantastic comeback 3-2 win away to Wales in a WCQ. This takes his record at Serbia to 8-2-2, yet somehow his job status is very insecure.

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Next update will be the July and August review. Can Rafaelle continue to turn his fortunes around with club and country or will he end up being sacked from both jobs?​
 

Cruzeiro
July + August - 2021

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Fixtures:

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Now that is more like it! Unbeaten in the league with 6 wins and 3 draws in the 9 league games since the last update and Rafaelle managed to lead his team into the Brazilian cup quarter finals with a win over 3rd division side Portuguesa. The club are still conceding quite a few goals but it seems when confidence and morale are good they are able to simply outscore whoever they play. The highlight of the period was definitely the 2-1 win away at leaders Corinthians!

League Table:

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Rafaelle has managed to march his team back up the table into 3rd position. With 16 games to go, the 11 point gap behind leaders Corinthians seems too big a gap to turn around, however 2nd place Santos are only 5 points ahead of Cruzeiro and Raffaelle is targeting a runners up spot.

Player Stats:

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Managed to put just the league stats in this time so they aren't skewed by the State Championships. Centre midfielder Douglas and Cameroon winger Joel have been the two top performers for Rafaelle's side so far, with the 11 goals scored in 21 games from centre midfielder looking even more impressive when you consider he has a finishing stat of 4! Striker Conechny hasn't got as many as Rafaelle would have hoped so far this season, hopefully this will change over the last few months.

Other News:

1) Rafaelle broke the club's transfer record to bring in a very promising defensive midfielder from Santos for £10,000,000. Unfortunately, he didn't realize he would be ineligible for league games this season due to already playing more than 7 league games this season for Santos so he will have to settle for cup games for now. This sale was partly facilitated by the £1,000,000 departure of Sidney.

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Next update will be a September and October review...​
 
Fantastic run in July and August mate. Loving how detailed and easy to read each update is, hence why I asked to use a couple ideas for my story, :p. Look forward to next post.
 
Really nice run mate, hopefully you can make push Corinthians for the title!
 

Cruzeiro
September + October - 2021

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Fixtures:

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The resurgence in form continued throughout the past 2 months for Rafaelle's boys, with 8 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats from 11 league games. If only the form wasn't so poor in the first 2 months of the season, than Cruzeiro would be in a real title challenge! Luckily, they are still in contention to win the Brazilian Cup after progressing past Flamengo in the quarters and winning the first leg of the semi final against Santos 6-2 at home.

League Table:

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9 points behind the leaders Corinthians with 5 games to go, any chance of an unlikely title challenge has now gone. The key in the last 5 games will be to finish in the top 4 and secure continental football for the club next season.

Player Stats:

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Joel and Douglas continue to be the men to bag the big goals in the league campaign. It's funny because Joel was a player Rafaelle didn't really think would have much of a future at the club when he took over and now he's one of the first names on the team sheet! Promising centre back Anderson Cleber, signed in the pre-season from Sao Paulo has also made his way into the first 11 and still has plenty of room for improvement. 16 year old wonderkid Andre has been more involved in recent weeks and has 6 league goals in 17 sub appearances.

Other News:

1) One of the pleasures of managing at such a large club in Brazil for Rafaelle has to lie within the youth intakes. 3 or 4 players were signed up from the most recent intake and one in particular looks to have the potential to be special...

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2) Serbia won two routine qualifiers against Lithuania and Finland in September but the results in October weren't so good as they could only manage a draw at home to Wales and a defeat away in France. They should finish in 2nd in their qualifying group but will likely miss out on qualifying. On the plus side Rafaelle's job security has risen from very insecure to just insecure.

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Next update will cover the last 2 months of the season, including (well most likely) a Brazilian Cup final against (again most likely) Vasco...​
 

Cruzeiro
November + December - 2021

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Fixtures:

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3 wins and 2 draws from the last 5 games. If Cruzeiro had managed to defeat Corinthians on the 2nd last day of the season then they would have had a slight chance to win the title on the last day of the season (They would have had to win and Corinthians lose) but they could only manage a 2-2 draw. So where would they end up in the table?

League Table:

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Finishing runners up signified a great turn around from the poor start to the season for Rafaelle's boys. Their total of 77 points would have been enough to win the league in 4 of the last 6 seasons, so they can't be too disappointed. You may also want to keep an eye out for the fella leading the top goalscorers list, as there are rumours he may be playing for a team in blue next season...

Brazilian Cup Final:

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The bad news of this update is that Rafaelle's cup final curse has struck again! After a disappointing 2-2 draw at home in the first leg, Cruzeiro lost the away leg 3-1 and Vasco retained the cup they won the year prior. This leaves Rafaelle's record in matches classified as final's as 1-4, certainly not a record to write home about!

Player Stats:

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Now you have to take into mind these are the overall stats and therefore include the State Championships. Centre midfielder Douglas won both the best player in the First Division and First Division player of the year (Don't ask me what the difference is, I don't have a clue) and Amaya won foreign player of the year.

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Other News:

1) Serbia beat Finland in their last WC Qualifying game to finish 2nd in their group however finished in 7th in the 2nd place table (only top 3 qualifies for World Cup). With over 2 and a half years before the European Championships, Rafaelle decided to resign from his role as Serbia manager to focus solely on club management for a while. His final record as Serbia manager was 11-3-4. If he takes any national jobs in the future, they'll have to be ones where he feels like he can win trophies.

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2) The board has given Rafaelle a transfer budget of £17,000,000 and a spare £120,000 in wages for next season. He may have already spent the majority of the budget on a new star player...

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Next update will be a 2022 season preview with Rafaelle trying to build a squad to compete in 4 different competitions (Libertadores, State Championships, First Division and Brazilian Cup)​
 
I have a sneaky feeling a certain prolific striker may be on the way :p
 
Lippo255 said:
I have a sneaky feeling a certain prolific striker may be on the way :p
Click to expand...

I was going to mention Ewandro, he's very good, hopefully he'll fire you to league and cup glory. I've always thought about managing in Brazil, but feel I'll be put off by the looooooooong seasons. What's it like?
 
AndySams10 said:
I was going to mention Ewandro, he's very good, hopefully he'll fire you to league and cup glory. I've always thought about managing in Brazil, but feel I'll be put off by the looooooooong seasons. What's it like?
Click to expand...

It's not been as bad as I initially worried to be honest, although I wasn't in any continental competitions last season. The State Championships for us are very easy for the most part and so almost feel like pre-season friendlies until the latter stages.
 
Nice end to the season man! Hopefully a better start next time around will give you a chance to win the league.
 

Cruzeiro
January + February - 2022

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Transfers:

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A net spend of £20,000,000 was made by Rafaelle as he looks to add the quality needed to challenge on all 4 fronts. The big sale was of star right back Gaston Crea for what was a disappointing fee of £12,500,000 to Barcelona. Unfortunately, Crea only had a year left at the club and was unhappy and refusing a new contract, so Rafaelle had to get what money he could. Other notable sales include centre back Rabello and backup striker Ramiro Costa for a combined £3,500,00.

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Now onto the exciting part, the incomings. The first deal Rafaelle arranged was to bring in last season's top scorer in the Brazilian League, Ewandro, for a club record fee of £11,500,000. A quality striker whose only downfall is a lack of aerial ability, Rafaelle is hoping he will be the man to fire his side to the league title! After that he went about replacing Crea by bringing in another Argentinian right back called Marcelo Diaz for £7,500,000 from Belgrano. He has explosive pace and very good potential, however will start the season as backup to fellow 21 year old right back Marcos. Finally, Rafaelle decided that breaking the transfer record just once in the window wasn't quite enough and so decided to go back to Vasco to spend £20,000,000 on 20 year old wonderkid centre back Milagres. A monster at 196cm, he should be able dominate a lot of strikers here in Brazil and whilst the transfer fee is high, the club should be able to make a profit on him in the future if they play their cards right.

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Fixtures:

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As expected in the State Championships, with the big result being the 1-0 home win over rivals Atletico Mineiro. The big news here though was the successful return to the Copa Libertadores for Cruzeiro. Firstly, they Ecuadorian side Liga de Quito 5-1 at home before beating Argentinians San Lorenzo 3-1 away in what is most likely the hardest group game on paper.

Copa Libertadores Group:

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I don't envisage any problems with qualifying from this group to be honest. In fact, with the next two games against Universidad who are bottom of the table, Raffaele will be hoping to secure their passage into the next round sooner than later.

Other News:

1) The club completed the purchase of their stadium, meaning they will now receive the entirety of the gate receipts as opposed to the 50% they used to get.

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Next update will go over the months of March and April, can Rafaelle lead his side to another State Championship to his collection and progress his team into the 2nd round of the Copa Libertadores?

​
 

Cruzeiro
March + April - 2022

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Fixtures:

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Rafaelle's side have settled very quickly into top form this season. They completed a 100% record in the group stages of the State Championships before progressing past 2nd division side Boa in the semi finals, despite a shock 1-0 defeat in the away leg. Cruzeiro met their arch rivals Atletico Mineiro on the final and Rafaelle guided his team to the second straight Minas State Championship under his reign with a comfortable 3-0 aggregate win! In the Libertadores, the again had a 100% record in the group stage and made their way through the 2nd round, beating Colombian side Atletico Nacional 7-2 on aggregate.

Copa Libertadores:

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4 Brazilian and 4 Argentinian sides in the quarters. Rafaelle's side will meet Argentinian giants Boca Juniors and Rafaelle will be expecting a tight tie, but it is one he expects to get through. Another Argentinian side in River Plate or Argentinos Jrs await the winners in the semi finals.

Player Stats:

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Star signing Ewandro has had just the initial impact Rafaelle hoped and he is expecting him to continue it into the league season. Youth academy graduate wonderkid Andre has been heavily involved in the squad so far this season and Rafaelle is hoping this will be a real breakout season for the lad.

Other News:

1) I suppose the worst part of this update is the fact that star midfielder Douglas broke his foot in the 2 leg of the Copa Libertadores 2nd round game and will miss the next 4 months! Hopefully others can step up in his absence and maybe this will actually act to aid the development of Andre with more first team opportunities.

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2) Rafaelle's ex club Aris had a better season than last year and only missed out on the European places playoff on head to head record. They also made it to the Greek cup semi final, so it appears that Rafaelle's work there has not gone completely to waste. His other ex club KA had a decent season as well, finishing runners up in the league and winning the Icelandic Cup.

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Next update will be a May and June review, can Cruzeiro continue their early season from into the league and will they continue to progress in the Libertadores? As a side note, are people interested in me putting in little bits about Rafaelle's ex clubs like this or should I not bother?​
 

Cruzeiro
May and June - 2022

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Fixtures:

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Unfortunately the form at the start of the league season has been disappointing. Just 12 points were taken from the first 7 games as they suffered 3 2-1 defeats, all in games where Cruzeiro were the better team! The worst news though is that Boca knocked Cruzeiro out of the Libertadores in the quarter finals. It looked like the 10 men of Cruzeiro were heading into the semi finals on away goals as they led 1-0 in the second leg, however Boca scored a 92nd minute winner after a late injury meant Cruzeiro were reduced further in numbers to 9 men. Although the form doesn't look great, Rafaelle feels his side have had a large share of poor luck, especially considering he has been missing 3 key players to the World Cup for the last 2 games as well as both of his first choice centre midfielders being injured long term.

League Table:

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Luckily for Rafaelle, no team has exactly set the world alight so far this season and so they are only 4 points off the top despite being down in 2nd place. Interesting to note that Ewandro, who was brought in for his goalscoring exploits last season, is top of the assist ratings!

Player Stats:

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Ewandro is proving his worth so far, with 4 league goals and 6 assists in 5 league starts!

Other News:

1) Joining fellow first choice centre midfielder on the injury list is Alejandro Amaya, who has been ruled out for a torn calf muscle received in training.

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2) Fan favourite Joel came to Raffaele in June and asked to leave the club. Fearing he was fighting a losing battle, Rafaelle made the decision to sell him Zenit for £10,500,000. Luckily, he feels as though he has already replaced him with a better player as he raided Palmeiras to take a winger for just £1,500,000 whose contract was running out and is rated by the coaching staff as a world class player! With the injuries to Douglas and Amaya though, he is said to be in the market for a new centre midfielder as well.

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Next update will be a July and August review, can Rafaelle lead his team towards the top of Brazilian football or will Cruzeiro continue to falter?..
​
 
Hope your league form picks up mate. Great signing in Reinaldo, looks to have potential to be a top player.
 
Hopefully your league form will pick up a bit, quality business though, that winger looks class!
 
AndySams10 said:
Hope your league form picks up mate. Great signing in Reinaldo, looks to have potential to be a top player.
Click to expand...

Cheers mate.

Yeah, my coaches all rate him better than Joel so it should prove to be a good bit of business but only time will tell though!

Timmzeh said:
Hopefully your league form will pick up a bit, quality business though, that winger looks class!
Click to expand...

Cheers mate, the two injuries to our first choice centre midfielders has hit us hard but the positive side is that it means our wonderkid Andre is getting loads of game time which is really helping his development.
 

Cruzeiro
July + August - 2022

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Fixtures:

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A great run of form for Rafaelle's team over the last 2 months, going unbeaten and drawing only the 3 games. The highlights were the wins over title rivals Santos and Fluminense, whereas the only real low point was chucking away a 2-0 home lead against 19th placed Ceara in a game where star striker Ewandro fractured his ribs and will miss all of September!

League Table:

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2 points clear of 2nd and 3rd at the top with a game in hand, Cruzeiro sit in a good position at the half way point in the league. There is still a lot of football to be played though and with the games coming thick and fast due to it being a World Cup year, it may be hard for any team to put together a run of form which will open up any significant gap at the top.

Player Stats:

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As you can see, Ewandro has been fantastic in the league for Cruzeiro this year and leads the team in term of goals and assists. World Class midfielder Douglas is finally back from injury and has started fantastically since returning.

Other News:

1) Backup striker Conechny was moaning about a lack of first team football and so Rafaelle thought it best to sell him for squad morale, getting £10,000,000 off of Gremio for his services which is a £3,000,000 profit on what he came in for 2 years prior. He was replaced by another Argentinian striker and yet another signing from Vasco, Juan Bautiste Cejas for £5,000,000. Rafaelle also realised he could not play Reinaldo, the signing in the last update, as he had already played 7 league games for another team this year. So, he decided to bring in Wellington Nem on loan until the end of the season to cover on that right wing. He also brought in centre midfielder Valoy on loan to cover the injury problems in midfield.

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Next update will be a September and October review, can Rafaelle's team continue to march on at the top of Brazilian football or will his team start to drop off with the fixture congestion catching up with them?​
 
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