Rafaelle D'Aniello - Building a Legacy


Cruzeiro
September + October - 2022

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Fixtures:

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It's been a very busy 2 months for Rafaelle, with fixtures coming thick and fast for Cruzeiro in both the league and in the cup.The results on the whole have been very positive, with just 1 loss over the 2 months and a 2-0 lead to take into the home leg of the Brazilian Cup semi final. The 2-0 win away at Internacional at the start of September could turn out to be a very important result, as they are proving to be the closest challengers in the title challenge!

League Table:

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Top of the league by 8 points with 7 games to go, Cruzeiro will be heavy favourites to lift the league title. However, with the history of Rafaelle's sides faltering late on in competitions, he'll surely not be celebrating until the title is mathematically secure!

Player Stats:

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The signings of Wellington Nem and Cejas have proved to be inspired bits of business by Raffaele as Cejas stepped up to the plate brilliant when Ewandro missed around 5 weeks and has 12 goals in 14 starts and 9 sub appearances. Welly Nem has notched up 13 goals and 3 assists in 18 league starts from the right wing this season since joining on loan, and Rafaelle may look at trying to get him back next year if he is still at the club.

Other News:

1) The youth intake was pretty sub-par by Brazilian standards however there was one amazing looking prospect to come out of it.

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2) Rafaelle's ex club KA managed to regain their Finnish league title which they last won 3 years ago.

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Next update will cover the last 2 months of the season, can Rafaelle lead his team to a domestic treble or will one of his teams falter late on in a competition yet again?..​
 
Good luck for the last couple of months mate. Hope to be reading about a league title being won!!
 

Cruzeiro
November + December - 2022

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Fixtures:

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With the title on the line, Rafaelle's Cruzeiro side showed no signs of slipping up heading into November as 3 straight wins left them with the chance of winning the Brazilian league with a win over Figueirense. They actually went 1-0 down in the game with just 10 men, but goals from Cejas and long serving centre midfielder Douglas gave Cruzeiro the win and their 5th Brazilian championship (their first under Rafaelle). Rafaelle chose to take a well deserved holiday back home to Serrevalle for the last 3 games of the season and his assistant manager led the side to 2 wins and a loss in his absense.

League Table:

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A new league record of 87 points was set by Rafaelle's team, a very strong effort considering that they spent a large chunk of the season missing both first choice centre midfielders. Another highlight for Cruzeiro fans is that their main rivals got relegated back down to the 2nd division...

Brazilian Cup Final:

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The final of the Brazilian Cup is a 2 legged affair and Cruzeiro headed to Vasco in the first leg to face the team they have raided numerous times this season to steal their best players. It looked like Rafaelle would be taking his team back home with a 1-0 lead in the 2nd leg however Vasco managed to grab a late equalizer. Into the 2nd leg and it was 2 of the ex Vasco boys who gave Cruzeiro the 3-0 victory as a goal from centre back Milagres before half time and 2 goals from striker Ewandro just after half time completed a domestic treble from Cruzeiro.

Best 11:

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Rafaelle heaped a lot of faith into the signing of Ewandro from Vasco and the faith was certainly repaid. Welly Nem was a great loan signing for the 2nd half of the league signing and both centre midfielders put in big contributions after returning from their respective injuries...

Other News:

1) Cruzeiro featured heavily in the end of season awards, with Ewandro winning both league best player and player of the season (still don't know what the difference is between the two), Cejas won best foreign player, Andre won young player of the year and Rafaelle won manager of the year.

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2) Promising first choice 21 year old left winger Augusto refused numerous attempts from Rafaelle to extend his contract and so left at the end of December. Luckily, after being persuaded that he could become a club legend at the club after being released, Rafaelle was able to bring him back, albeit on vastly higher wages.

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3) If it was ever in doubt before, the Brazilian domestic treble has secured Rafaelle's place in history as the best Samminerese manager of all time! Ok... he doesn't have the strongest of competition but it's a nice accolade to have regardless.

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Next update will be a January and February review. Will Rafaelle stay at Cruzeiro and have another go at winning the Copa Libertadores or will he head back to Europe to ply his trade in a country he has not previously managed in?​
 
Well done Rafaelle, League & Cup!

Not to mention becoming the greatest Samminerese manager of all time! Some stiff competition there! :P
 
Lippo255 said:
Well done Rafaelle, League & Cup!

Not to mention becoming the greatest Samminerese manager of all time! Some stiff competition there! :P
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Cheers mate.

Rafaelle was very honoured to jump above such greats as Floriano Sperindio and Pierangelo Manzaroli in the Hall of Fame!
 
Congratulations mate. Good work, interested to see what Rafaelle does next!
 
What are people's opinions on what Rafaelle should do next?

He's won everything he can domestically in Brazil but hasn't yet won the Copa Libertadores. Should he stay at Cruzeiro and try to win the Libertadores (and if he's successful stay on until the end of the season to play the Club World Championship) or should he be looking for his next move now if an interesting proposition comes up?

Currently the only league loaded which he would be interested in moving to is Germany, however in June in game we're adding the English, French and Spanish leagues which should open up a few more potential vacancies.
 
Safc-mad-scotty said:
What are people's opinions on what Rafaelle should do next?

He's won everything he can domestically in Brazil but hasn't yet won the Copa Libertadores. Should he stay at Cruzeiro and try to win the Libertadores (and if he's successful stay on until the end of the season to play the Club World Championship) or should he be looking for his next move now if an interesting proposition comes up?

Currently the only league loaded which he would be interested in moving to is Germany, however in June in game we're adding the English, French and Spanish leagues which should open up a few more potential vacancies.
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I think maybe look for an interesting challenge, where Rafaelle can build something special with a team that hasn't had much success of late and needs freshening up.
 
Nice season man! I think a move back to Europe would be good, you have accomplished pretty much everything in Brazil. :)
 

Cruzeiro
Pre-Season, State Championship + Copa Libertadores (So Far) - 2023

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Transfers:

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Nothing too major on the transfer front. We covered in the previous update the release and re-signing of winger Augusto. The only other 2 incoming were a new backup defensive midfielder and backup left back for a combined £10,000,000, with no major outgoings...

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State Championships:

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A 3rd straight State Championship for Cruzeiro under Rafaelle's reign. The only negative was the 3-1 defeat away to rivals Mineiro in the group stages but they more than made up for it by the 3-0 aggregate win over them in the final.

Copa Libertadores:

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The Copa Libertadores group stages proved to be nearly as easy as the State Championships for Cruzeiro with 26 goals scored in 4 games and just 1 conceded, with 6 wins from 6. The 2nd round proved to be a little more difficult as Cruzeiro lost 2-1 away to San Lorenzo but managed to sneak a 2-0 home win to advance into the quarter finals, where they will meet Belgrano.

Other News:

1) Rafaelle has been closely watching the goings on in the German job market, with one potential job very much catching his eye. However, with Cruzeiro now in the quarters of the Copa Libertadores it is unlikely he will apply for any other jobs until they have either won the competition or been knocked out. Also, by the time that comes around there will be a few more nations loaded into the game and therefore potential jobs available.

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2) On the front of one of Rafaelle's old clubs Aris, they only managed a 7th placed finish, but did reach the Greek Cup semi final. Unfortunately, it seems the club has not really built upon the foundations laid by Rafaelle but they are in a far better situation than when he took over.

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To be honest I'm not sure when the next update will be as this is going to be Rafaelle's last season at Cruzeiro and I'm not really too fussed about the league or cup.​
 

Cruzeiro
The Season so far - 2023

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Copa Libertadores:

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The one missing trophy from Rafaelle's collection in Brazil is now in the bag. After progressing past another Argentinian side in Belgrano in the quarters, Cruzeiro then beat Chapecoense in the quarters 5-0 on aggregate to set up an all Brazilian final against Vasco. A late equalizer from Vasco meant they could only manage a 1-1 draw away from home, but a comfortable 2-0 win in the home leg saw Cruzeiro crowned champions of South America for just a 3rd time. This also gives Rafaelle the chance to manage in the Club World Championship for the 1st time in his career...

Fixtures:

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The league form did take a bit of a hit during the knockout stages of the Libertadores to be honest (In reality I've been instant resulting all non-continental games), however the consistency in the past month or so has been brilliant and propelled Cruzeiro to the top of the league table and into the quarter finals of the Brazilian Cup.

League Table:

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Top by 4 points with 11 games to go, it looks as if Rafaelle's team is set to retain their league title...

Other News:

1) Rafaelle received a couple of interesting offers for job interviews whilst the Copa Libertadores was being played that he decided to reject such was his desire to win his first continental trophy.

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2) However, in the past week or so he was invited for a job interview which went very well and now has a big decision to make as to whether he jumps ship to the Premier League or whether he will stay and try to win another Brazilian league title and have a go at winning the Club World Championship...

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Next update will either be an end of season update or a new job update...

​
 
Think you should either go to Sunderland or Leverksuen because they seem to be Long term projects.
 
I'd take it mate, Rafaelle would be in his element. Able to further build his legacy, sign young players and aim to win the league with a side that needs developing. (H)
 

D'Aniello Appointed Sunderland Manager
October 2023 - The Situation

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League Table/Fixtures:

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Well, this doesn't look like a great situation to inherit. 6 losses from 6 games and out of the Capital One Cup in the 3rd round. There must be a few thinking, why would Rafaelle leave pretty much a guaranteed title to battle relegation with Sunderland. However, Rafaelle was getting to the stage in his career where he felt like he wanted to build his own club rather than rely on an already strong team in Cruzeiro to achieve his success.The board has set Rafaelle the target of finishing midtable so he has quite the task to turn things around given Sunderland's start to the season...

The Club:

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With no major trophy since the famous FA Cup win as a 3rd division side in 1973, Rafaelle's long term goal at Sunderland will be to give the trophy room at the Stadium of Light a sever makeover by adding a few new trophies. Obviously the club has a 49000 seater stadium and strong facilities which should allow young players to develop well at the club.

The Squad:

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The squad Rafaelle has inherited doesn't look to bad to be honest. One positive is the fact that there appears to be quite a few players in the squad who came through the club's academy, unlike in real life. Long serving players Liam Bridcutt, Jack Rodwell, Connor Wickham and Patrick Van Aanholt have all been at the club a long time and will be expected to help Rafaelle bed in as he learns to speak English. Here are a few of the better players Rafaelle has inherited in his squad...

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Next update will be an October and November review, can Rafaelle turn around Sunderland's fortunes and start to get a few points on the board?​
 
MashedPotato said:
Will you be looking to bring any Cruzeiro talent
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Funny you should mention that as I've just out in an offer for one player...

But initially I think it may be hard to attract the players I would want from Cruzeiro due to our league position. I've just realized that a 30 year old Connor Wickham is on £105,000 a week so that is something I need to be looking at!
 
Looks like a reasonable squad, they finished mid table last season so Rafaelle should be able to catapult them higher!
 
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