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Rafaelle D'Aniello - Building a Legacy

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Not a bad looking place for a young Rafaelle to grow up, eh?

Decided to finally do my first story for FM15. I did do a couple of stories on here for FM14 and FM13 however they all focused on a particular club or a club and a nation. However, this story will follow the career of young Samminerese manager Rafaelle D'Aniello.

Who is Rafaelle D'Aniello?

A former Sunday league player armed with just a National C license, he is going to have to fight his way up the footballing ladder to make the sort of impact he dreams of making. I'm not going to set specific goals for the save as I would prefer to just see where the save takes me. I do have an idea of a few countries I would like Rafaelle to manage in which I haven't managed in before though (Brazil, USA and Germany) and I would like to hopefully produce a few decent Samminerese regens on the way through. I'm already 2 and a half seasons into his career and so the next few posts will recap how his career has got on so far.


Next update will cover Rafaelle taking his first step on the managerial ladder, where he will take over a club mid-season...

 
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Season 1 - Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar

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The Situation upon taking the job:

I wasn't planning on making this a story originally so unfortunately I don't have a screenshot. I do remember that the former KA manager had left to take over a Icelandic Premier League team and left KA at the top of the Icelandic first division with a 1 point gap to second and a more comfortable gap to the 3rd place team. Rafaelle took the job after a successful interview and was tasked with the job of getting the club promoted to the Icelandic Premier Division in his first ever managerial job!

Fixtures:

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Rafaelle took the job on the 17th of July and immediately was tasked to take on the team at home to the bottom of the league Vikingur. KA won the game 1-0 employing a tight 4-3-1-2 tactic and this started a strong run of 11 points from Rafaelle's first 5 games in (semi) professional management. Unfortunately, it appeared to be beginners luck as the club only took 3 points from the last 6 league games as the goals started to dry up. What was worse is that the club only need 3 points from the last 3 games to win the league but didn't manage to get any, so how did that leave the league?

League Table:

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Luckily, KA did manage to secure promotion into the Premier League but did get overtook on the last day of the season by IA so Rafaelle did not get a first league winners medal of his career. Much improvement would be needed for the next season in the top flight!

Best 11:

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Midfielder Johan Helgason proved to be the star man for D'Aniello, dictating the play from the shadow striker position. Experienced centre back Porarinsson also proved to be important for D'Aniello as he stumbled over the line for promotion.


Next update will cover D'Aniello's first whole season in management, would he be able to pick up from the terrible end of season form and lead KA to safety in the Icelandic Premier League.
 

Season 2 - Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar

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Transfers:

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Rafaelle was pretty busy in the pre-season building a squad for the Premier League. The main focus was bringing in a couple of players capable of playing on the wings so he could add a new formation with a bit of width, considering his narrow 4-3-1-2 had started to fall apart last season. The main 3 signings are still with the club and therefore are probably screenshot worthy...

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Icelandic Upper League Cup:

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Terrible form but the Upper League Cup is basically just a pre-season tournament for match fitness anyway. There was also a lot of experimenting with tactics as well.


Fixtures:

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A very good season for KA under the stewardship of D'Aniello! Disregarding the poor performance in the Icelandic Cup, the club was fighting at the top end of the league for the majority of the season and never looked in threat of relegation. In fact, the club were embroiled within a title battle before their form dropped dramatically in the last 4 games. So, how did that leave the league table?


League Table:

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A 3rd place finish and a place in the first qualifying round of the Europa League. Overall a successful first whole season for D'Aniello at KA!


Best 11:

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Helgason was key again, but Magnusson added the goals up front that we were missing last year.


Other News:

1) Rafaella was successful in completing his National B coaching license.

2) Rafaelle convinced the KA board to increase the junior coaching, knowing that this could play a big role at this level where young players will generally get the chance to play quite early in their careers.



Next update will be the final catch up season before I move to regular updates for the 4th season. Can Rafaelle lead KA to an even better performance in the Icelandic Premier League and how will he get on in his first taste of European football?

 
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Season 3 - Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar

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Transfers:

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4 pre-season signings with 2 for the first 11 and 2 back up players. 3 more signings were then made during the season off the back of one amazing player sale. Rafaelle somehow managed to sell young winger Kjartansson for £1,200,000 + 50% of the next transfer fee to Norwegian's Stromgodset. He was a good young prospect but was to get that amount of money for a part time player was a fantastic deal which sets the club up financially for years!

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Icelandic Upper League Cup:

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Not quite as bad as last year but not enough wins considering a lot of the opposition were first division teams!

Fixtures:

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A better run in the cup as Rafaella led his team into the quarter finals but was very disappointed to go out to a 1st division side. In the league it was much of the same as last season however the bad form came in the middle of the season when KA went on a mini run in the Europa League...

League Table:

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1 more point than the previous season, but we were never really in a title battle this year at any point. Another season in the Europa League qualifiers await...

Europa League:

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By far the biggest moment in D'Aniello's career so far, knocking out ex European Cup winners Red Star on away goals in front of 42,000 fans in Serbia in the first qualifying round of the Europa League! Unfortunately, KA went on to get knocked out by Albanian side Kukesi in the next round but the win against Red Star will always be remembered as the first big moment in D'Aniello's career!

Best 11:

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You'll notice another change of formation from D'Aniello as he settled upon a narrow 4-1-2-1-2 formation. Helgason was brilliant once again and Magnusson and Zekovic contributed the majority of the goals!

Other News:


1) Rafaelle is currently studying for his National A license.

2)
The KA were reluctant to Rafaelle's suggestion to turn the club professional despite having over £1,000,000 in the bank.


Next update will look at the pre-season of Rafaelle's 4th season as a manager, covering the Icelandic League Cup performance as well. We'll also take a look at the tactics employed by D'Aniello and the current squad and facilities at KA.


 
Just noticed the 2 spelling errors in the thread title. Deciding to write this at half 2 in the morning probably wasn't the best idea. XD Anyone know how to change a thread title?
 
Always enjoy your stories mate can't wait to read more!
 
Really nice start man, hopefully you can push on and win a title! Love this type of story :)
 
Always enjoy your stories mate can't wait to read more!

Cheers mate, hopefully will be an interesting career!

Really nice start man, hopefully you can push on and win a title! Love this type of story :)

Thanks mate, as I said in the OP I never normally do this type of save as I can never walk away from a club when I'm starting to or have built something so I may need help with when it's time to move clubs!
 

Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar - Club Overview

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Facilities:

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When Rafaelle arrived at the club he was very happy that the club had good training and youth facilities. In his 2 and a half year spell at the club he has managed to convince the board to improve the junior coaching numerous times to the point where it is now at an exceptional level and the club really reaped the rewards with a fantastic youth intake last season.

Finances:

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The club is in a very healthy state financially after the Kjartansson sale last season. Rafaelle can also cash in the 50% of his next sale at any point for for £430,000 if he chooses to do so.

Boardroom:

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The club is well under the set wage budget and the board are very happy with the performance of D'Aniello so far!

Squad:

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A decent mix of youth and experience. Rafaelle is hoping he now has a squad capable of battling for the Icelandic Premier League title!

Manager Profile:

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Rafaelle hasn't quite achieved his A license yet but is keen to work on getting as many of his qualifications as quickly as possible. Speaks 3 languages with Italian, English and Icelandic all fluent. Best stats are in player knowledge, fitness coaching and motivating.

Tactics:

Main - 4-1-2-1-2 (Narrow)

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This is used in the majority of games. Rafaelle is a big fan of using false 9 strikers with a shadow striker in behind in order to create confusion in opposition back 4's with knowing who to mark. In the first couple of years at the club, D'Aniello was using a more counter attacking, direct style but has since switched to more controlled short passing game and it seems to be more successful.

Backup - 4-2-3-1

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Only really used when Rafaelle feels he needs to stretch a game out with wingers. Not too different to the other tactic in terms of mentality or instruction, more just a change of shape!


Next update will be the pre-season review with the League Cup added in! One question, should I keep writing it in the 3rd person or should I just write it as if I was the manager?

 
I like the 3rd person!

looking forward to see the first sammarinese regen produced at your club :)
 

Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar - Season 4 Preview

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Transfers:

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No significant departures from the club but Rafaelle did bring 3 players into the club. A centre back came in for 80k from Fylkir to be first choice, a centre midfielder came in for a free to battle for a first team place and he brought in a keeper on loan to play back up to the 1st choice...

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Upper League Cup:

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A much better performance in the League Cup from Rafaelle's team this year, winning 4, drawing 2 and losing 1 in the group stage to finish 2nd in their group and progress into the knockout rounds. Unfortunately, they would exit in the 1/4 final in a narrow 1-0 defeat against last year's Premier League runners up in a terrible, scrappy game. As said previously though, Rafaelle treats this as nothing more than a pre-season tournament so he's not too disappointed.

League Preview:

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Both the media and the bookies have D'Aniello's KA side down to finish 4th in the league but D'Aniello is hoping for a title challenge this year! A lot will come down to luck with injuries as the quality of backup in the squad is a big drop from the first 11.

Other News:

1)
Promising left back from last years youth intake Stefansson broke his leg and was ruled out for 5 months, of which he still has 2-3 months of recovery time left. It's a big shame as Rafaelle was planning on breaking him into the first 11 this year to help him reach his potential as quickly as possible!

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2)
Rafaelle completed his national A license and is already studying for a continental C license.

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Next update will cover the first 2 months of the season and may include KA's Europa League 1st qualifying round appearance depending on when the fixtures fall.
 

Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar
May and June 2017

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Fixtures:

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A very decent start to the season for D'Aniello's boys, winning 6 and drawing 2 of their first 8 games and going unbeaten in the league. KA are becoming well known within Icelandic football for dominating possession with their games, however are nowhere near as solid at the back as Rafaelle would like, keeping just 1 clean sheet in the league so far! Highlight so far was beating league leaders and title competitors KR 2-1 at home. Main low point was going out of the cup 3-0 to a first division side, although Rafaelle is said to be focussing solely in the league this season.

League Table:

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Unfortunately for Rafaelle his KA side is not top of the league as they trail KR, who have won 7 and lost one (against KA). Looks like it may be a very hard fought battle for the Icelandic title this season!

Player Stats:

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The front 3 at the head of D'Aniello's diamond have been the top performers for KA so far this season, with Alti Sigurjonsson especially taking to his new role as the shadow striker very well. Zekovic and Magnusson are both having their best ever seasons in a KA shirt and are hitting the back of the net on a regular basis!

Other News:

1)
D'Aniello decided to cash in on the 50% of Kjartansson's next sale clause for £596,000 as the club seem to be losing quite a bit of money despite being well under the set wage budget. The price of the clause jumped after he was promoted to their first team and only time will tell whether Rafaelle made the right choice to cash in on it or whether he should have left it run.

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2)
Icelandic Premier League jumped 6 places in the competition rankings to 49th and KA jumped up 275 places to 459th in the club rankings.

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3)
KA have been drawn against Swedish side Hammarby in the Europa League 1st knockout round.

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Next update will cover the months of July, which will include the Europa League tie against Hammarby. Can KA maintain a title challenge against 27 time Icelandic champions KR or will they start to crumble as the season hots up?
 

Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar

July 2017

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Fixtures:

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This month was not as good as the two previous for Rafaelle, but they weren't as bad as it may initially look. Two of the defeats came in games KA were expected to lose against Hammarby in the Europa League and to be honest KA put in a great account of themselves in both games. In the league it was 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats, but on the positive side they did manage to keep 3 clean sheets and KR also dropped points throughout the month.

League Table:

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Despite a slight dip in form, KA have actually risen to the top of the league and sit 5 points ahead of 2nd placed KR, albeit KR have a game in hand. Rafaelle takes his side to KR in the next game in what will be a massive game in the title race!

Player Stats:

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Helgasson has picked up his form a bit but has now got an injury and will miss a few weeks, as has 2nd top scorer Zekovic. Rafaelle is going to be relying on Magnusson even more for goals up top now...

Other News:

1)
Rafaelle has completed his continental C license and has already convinced the board to pay for him to study for his continental B license.

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2)
Rafaelle has signed a 1 year contract extension with the club till the end of the 2018 season.

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3)
Another very nice youth intake for KA, with one player in particular looking like he'll be a fantastic player not only for the future but has leading Premier League ability as it stands at 16!

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Next update will go over the last 2 months of the season, can D'Aniello secure his first ever league title as a manager?

 

Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar

August and September 2017

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Fixtures:

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The two month period started with a heartbreaking 1-1 draw away to title rivals KR. On paper it may not seem a bad result, but going into the last 10 minutes KA were 1-0 up against 10 men and it was only an absolutely terrible defensive error which gave KR the chance to equalize. Despite this, KA managed to keep their place at the top of the league until they lost their 3rd last game of the season when they lost 2-1 at home to Fylkir and dropped to 2nd behind KR. The 2nd last game saw a very tight 1-0 win away at the then 3rd place Breidablik which left KA trailing KR by 1 point on the final day. KA had a home game against a team in the bottom half whereas KR were away to 3rd place Valur, who also had a chance to win the league if KA lost and they won. KA took care of business comfortably 3-0 and Valur won 3-2 away at KR to give Rafaelle his first league title in his managerial career!

League Table:

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In the end KA only managed an extra 5 points from their total last season but it was enough to win the title.

Player Stats:

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Magnusson was outstanding up top for KA, with 21 goals and 8 assists in 32 appearances and is now being chased by numerous top flight clubs in Belgium and 1 in Austria. A few Norwegian clubs appear to be tracking some of the other players as well and it seems Rafaelle will have a battle to keep some of his best players if he decides to stay on for another season at KA...

Other News:

1)
Rafaelle's job security at KA is said to be untouchable but he does seem to have a very different idea as to how the club should move forward compared to the board. Rafaelle thinks the club should turn professional in order to be able to move forward and assert their dominance on Icelandic football whereas the board would prefer to stay in their comfort zone as a semi-pro club.

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I'm not sure what the next update will be as ultimately Rafaelle is undecided as to whether he will be staying at KA for another year or whether he is going to look for a new job...
 

D'Aniello Appointed as Aris Manager
23rd February - 2018

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The Situation:

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Predicted to finish second in the 2nd tier of Greek football after getting relegated last season, Aris are currently languishing down in 11th position in the league and are on a run of collecting just 3 points from their last 10 games without a single victory! D'Aniello has been tasked with getting the club a top 10 finish and it's a task he feels he should be capable of carrying out with the squad at his disposal.

The Squad:

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The squad is still full of a lot of Superleague players, but the quality of backup on nearly every area of the squad is not good enough. However, if D'Aniello can keep his first 11 fit then he should be able to meet his objectives.

The Club:

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The facilities of the club are pretty average but they do have a nice 22,000 seater stadium and most importantly they are obviously a fully professional club. The finances are looking terrible and it seems Rafaelle will have to blood youngsters in his time at the club.

Other News:

1)
Before leaving KA, Rafaelle completed his Continental B license and managed to convince the board at KA to pay for his Continental A license. KA shouldn't feel to bad though as they got paid 20k for Rafaelle's services from Aris.

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Since there isn't much to play for this season, the next update will cover the last 3 months of the season. Will Rafaelle be able to replicate his success from Iceland in Greece or will things start to go wrong in his managerial career...
 
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Aris
February, March and April 2018/ End of Season Review

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Fixtures:

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Taking over a team who had only took 3 points from their previous 10 games, Rafaelle was able to turn their form around pretty well with 5 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses for Aris in the 11 games he was in charge for towards the end of the season. Pretty decent form for a team who were getting used to a new tactic and a squad which was not Rafaelle's own, which gives him confident that they can push for promotion to the Superleague next season with the right additions...

Player Stats:

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The main issue Rafaelle has identified with the squad is the lack of a true goalscorer, with two players tied for top spot with 12 goals and the next highest after that has just 4. This issue may have already been sorted in the early pre-season, but that is something for the pre-season update...

League Table:

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The top half finish set for Rafaelle when he took the job was achieved as Aris finished in 9th place. The middle of the league was incredibly congested though and at one point Aris were as low as 16th.

Other News:

1)
The board has agreed to Rafaelle's suggestion of getting a senior affiliate to sign a few players on loan and have started a search.

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2) Rafaelle is planning a big clear out of the squad over the summer as the squad is currently far too large and players are eating up parts of the wage budget which could be spent better elsewhere.

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Next update will be a 2018/2019 season preview, can Rafaelle put together a squad capable of challenging for promotion back to the top flight?
 
Just noticed the 2 spelling errors in the thread title. Deciding to write this at half 2 in the morning probably wasn't the best idea. XD Anyone know how to change a thread title?

Just edit the opening post, hit "go advanced" & you should be able to change the title :)

Just caught this by the way, very interesting. Will definitely follow!
 
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