Ah, I'd love a Euro spot but 1) We wouldn't have sufficient finances to build a squad for that just yet! Still, we can dream!
Reviving Deportivo La Coruña
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Ah, I'd love a Euro spot but 1) We wouldn't have sufficient finances to build a squad for that just yet! Still, we can dream!
January (2016) - an extremely long but rewarding month
Fixture congestion could not be any realer right now. We played NINE games this month due to the Copa del Rey and catching up on games in hand that we had. Overall, it was an incredible month. Before things start, I'd like to run through some transfers:
Luis Alberto wasn't starting and had become unhappy with his squad status. I terminated his loan as soon as I realised that we were paying a whopping 40k wages just to have him warming the bench. Letting him go freed up the wage bill and allowed us to sign someone on a free. He'll be joining us in the summer...
Fabián is a 26-year-old Mexican AMC/Winger who boasts some excellent stats. I picked him up on a free because we'll be losing Cartabia, Cani and Jonas Gutierrez when the season ends. I won't be renewing the latter two and Cartabia is out of our price range (unfortunately). Fabian will be a starter on the wings who could also cover AMC if needs be. Here are his stats:
He looks quite the player! I love his mental stats too.
Onto the important stuff, the results:
Consider the rotation that had to be done, and where the losses fell, this is one of our finest months since I took over. I won't spoil much here, so let's get into the fun in-depth stuff...
Villarreal are an extremely tough side to contain on FM this year. They are explosive in attack and boast some great depth. Their substitutes could kill almost any opponent. And that happened to us. We took the lead halfway through the second half courtesy of our GOD Oriol Riera. It was a fine headed goal from yet another Cartabia assist. Once Villarreal introduced their substitutes, they killed us for pace and rinsed our full-backs until Baptistão beat our offside trap and squared for Samu to finish in the 92nd minute. Awful feeling to drop points in that manner, but a positive result against Villarreal is something I will not bemoan.
An injury to tell you about...
In a month where we needed as many men as possible, this was not something we wanted to happen. Medunjanin is a fine back-up CM and AMC so he will be sorely missed. An entire month out.
Onto our 5th round Copa del Rey clash vs Las Palmas...
We prevented the away goal and picked up an OK win. I would have wanted more goals but, as is the theme with this save, we take the wins wherever and however we get them. Admittedly, we exploited the fact that Las Palmas were forced to make two substitutions due to injuries and then had a man sent off. This all helped us in scoring the winner. Our youngster, Saúl, made an incredible lung-busting run near the touchline and then whipped in a cross for Jonathan Rodriguez to slice past Varas. It was a deserved goal against a side begging to be scored against. The second-leg should be interesting.
Real Madrid away...
Can't expect much from these games, but I take a lot of pride in the fact that it took Real Madrid 54 minutes to break us down. It was a strong defensive performance for a long while but, in the end, quality is what matters and Ronaldo subsequently put us to the sword.
The second leg against Las Palmas...
Another narrow victory to knock Las Palmas out and put ourselves in the quarter-finals of the tournament. The fairytale dream goes on! Las Palmas were largely dominant, but we had yet another impeccable defensive performance whereby we restricted the opposition to long shots. Deivid scored his first goal from the club, rising tallest in the box to meet a Lucas cross. He has been quite a fantastic signing despite my initial reservations over him. Alex Bergantiños who?!
Who did we draw?
A very tough side. Like Villarreal, they are tough to contain and extremely good at scoring early in the game. We will need to keep concentration levels high for this one.
Now we travel to the Basque country to take on Moyes' boys - the team I made my debut against with a 2-1 win...
Moyes must really hate us. I couldn't help but laugh at this game. We should have been battered. We did nothing for 90 minutes - that is no exaggeration. No highlights fell in our favour and I was already happy with the 0-0 draw - it would mean a clean-sheet and no loss... until Lucas' dazzling run into the box saw him felled by De la Bella in the 93RD MINUTE! Borges, who has missed a penalty already this season, ensured that lightning wouldn't strike twice. He placed the penalty in the bottom left-hand corner and we ran away with the three points. Undeserved, but we'll take it!
The quarter-final 1st leg away at Malaga...
This was a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish. Prior to the game, I convinced myself that a narrow loss would be OK. We can turn it around at home. When we then found ourselves 2-1 down in the 51st minute, after having initially taking the lead through a Jonathan Rodriguez tap-in, I had mentally accepted a narrow loss. What ensued was nothing short of breathtaking. In the 71st minute, Jonas Gutierrez found a cross-field pass on the byline, went on a little run and then squared it to Juan Dominguez who was lurking outside of the box. His first-time shot curled past Ochoa and sent us into delirium. A draw would have been a great result, especially considering the two away goals... but fast-forward 12 minutes and we'd be at it again. And by we, I mean Jonas Gutierrez. Borges punted a ball forward that defied Malaga's defensive line and allowed Jonas to find himself one-on-one with Ochoa. He ran, and ran, and ran until smashing the ball past the Mexican goalkeeper with aplomb. A stunning turn around, a victory and three away goals. The dream is very well alive!
Brought back down to earth away at Valencia...
This was an anti-climax to the ecstasy of Malaga away. We were forced to make some changes due to fitness issues and the performance felt that. Valencia scored one, but had very few clear cut chances too. We were just not at the races in attack despite keeping Los Che at bay. Negredo's constant pressure on our defence led to a goal in the 69th minute... and that was all she wrote!
The second leg... How are your nerves?
As if small, little Deportivo are through to the SEMI FINAL OF THE COPA DEL REY. Lucas practically killed the game off with our earliest goal of the season - a nice way to ensure that Cartabia's gorgeous assist did not go to waste. Malaga did very little to threaten us in the final third. Borges' missed penalty could have cost us, but it didn't so there's no point dwelling on that. We held our ground and now find ourselves 180 minutes away from a place in the final, but who are we up against?
I sighed when I saw that we would be playing against these guys. I won't bother repeating myself, you guys already know how tough they are. I'm not expecting much from this fixture. We've already exceeded expectations massively.
To end the month, a game against Rayo:
A cagey game with only two shots on target between both sides. There is very little to say here, but I suppose another clean-sheet is always welcome!
As the month comes to an end, here is how the league table looks ahead of February:
10th with a game in hand. I am very happy with that. Give me 10th at the end of the season and I will jump for joy. With this budget, we have exceeded expectations beyond belief. But let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet (although let's laugh at Celta who are 14th).
When I sold Luisinho on deadline day and promoted Saul from the academy, I accepted that it was a ballsy choice that could very well backfire. It didn't. Saúl has gone from the kid with potential to undisputed first-choice, rendering veteran Navarro a bit-part player. I love the kid's tenacity - he defends as well as he attacks. Most of our goals that end in headers are usually produced by his crosses. I can see him becoming part of the club's furniture long-term.
Next month we play our two legs against Villarreal, an away trip to the Camp Nou amidst some other league games. Let's see how far we can cope with fixture congestion. 'Til next time! Forza Depor!
Fixture congestion could not be any realer right now. We played NINE games this month due to the Copa del Rey and catching up on games in hand that we had. Overall, it was an incredible month. Before things start, I'd like to run through some transfers:
Luis Alberto wasn't starting and had become unhappy with his squad status. I terminated his loan as soon as I realised that we were paying a whopping 40k wages just to have him warming the bench. Letting him go freed up the wage bill and allowed us to sign someone on a free. He'll be joining us in the summer...
Fabián is a 26-year-old Mexican AMC/Winger who boasts some excellent stats. I picked him up on a free because we'll be losing Cartabia, Cani and Jonas Gutierrez when the season ends. I won't be renewing the latter two and Cartabia is out of our price range (unfortunately). Fabian will be a starter on the wings who could also cover AMC if needs be. Here are his stats:
He looks quite the player! I love his mental stats too.
Onto the important stuff, the results:
Consider the rotation that had to be done, and where the losses fell, this is one of our finest months since I took over. I won't spoil much here, so let's get into the fun in-depth stuff...
Villarreal are an extremely tough side to contain on FM this year. They are explosive in attack and boast some great depth. Their substitutes could kill almost any opponent. And that happened to us. We took the lead halfway through the second half courtesy of our GOD Oriol Riera. It was a fine headed goal from yet another Cartabia assist. Once Villarreal introduced their substitutes, they killed us for pace and rinsed our full-backs until Baptistão beat our offside trap and squared for Samu to finish in the 92nd minute. Awful feeling to drop points in that manner, but a positive result against Villarreal is something I will not bemoan.
An injury to tell you about...
In a month where we needed as many men as possible, this was not something we wanted to happen. Medunjanin is a fine back-up CM and AMC so he will be sorely missed. An entire month out.
Onto our 5th round Copa del Rey clash vs Las Palmas...
We prevented the away goal and picked up an OK win. I would have wanted more goals but, as is the theme with this save, we take the wins wherever and however we get them. Admittedly, we exploited the fact that Las Palmas were forced to make two substitutions due to injuries and then had a man sent off. This all helped us in scoring the winner. Our youngster, Saúl, made an incredible lung-busting run near the touchline and then whipped in a cross for Jonathan Rodriguez to slice past Varas. It was a deserved goal against a side begging to be scored against. The second-leg should be interesting.
Real Madrid away...
Can't expect much from these games, but I take a lot of pride in the fact that it took Real Madrid 54 minutes to break us down. It was a strong defensive performance for a long while but, in the end, quality is what matters and Ronaldo subsequently put us to the sword.
The second leg against Las Palmas...
Another narrow victory to knock Las Palmas out and put ourselves in the quarter-finals of the tournament. The fairytale dream goes on! Las Palmas were largely dominant, but we had yet another impeccable defensive performance whereby we restricted the opposition to long shots. Deivid scored his first goal from the club, rising tallest in the box to meet a Lucas cross. He has been quite a fantastic signing despite my initial reservations over him. Alex Bergantiños who?!
Who did we draw?
A very tough side. Like Villarreal, they are tough to contain and extremely good at scoring early in the game. We will need to keep concentration levels high for this one.
Now we travel to the Basque country to take on Moyes' boys - the team I made my debut against with a 2-1 win...
Moyes must really hate us. I couldn't help but laugh at this game. We should have been battered. We did nothing for 90 minutes - that is no exaggeration. No highlights fell in our favour and I was already happy with the 0-0 draw - it would mean a clean-sheet and no loss... until Lucas' dazzling run into the box saw him felled by De la Bella in the 93RD MINUTE! Borges, who has missed a penalty already this season, ensured that lightning wouldn't strike twice. He placed the penalty in the bottom left-hand corner and we ran away with the three points. Undeserved, but we'll take it!
The quarter-final 1st leg away at Malaga...
This was a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish. Prior to the game, I convinced myself that a narrow loss would be OK. We can turn it around at home. When we then found ourselves 2-1 down in the 51st minute, after having initially taking the lead through a Jonathan Rodriguez tap-in, I had mentally accepted a narrow loss. What ensued was nothing short of breathtaking. In the 71st minute, Jonas Gutierrez found a cross-field pass on the byline, went on a little run and then squared it to Juan Dominguez who was lurking outside of the box. His first-time shot curled past Ochoa and sent us into delirium. A draw would have been a great result, especially considering the two away goals... but fast-forward 12 minutes and we'd be at it again. And by we, I mean Jonas Gutierrez. Borges punted a ball forward that defied Malaga's defensive line and allowed Jonas to find himself one-on-one with Ochoa. He ran, and ran, and ran until smashing the ball past the Mexican goalkeeper with aplomb. A stunning turn around, a victory and three away goals. The dream is very well alive!
Brought back down to earth away at Valencia...
This was an anti-climax to the ecstasy of Malaga away. We were forced to make some changes due to fitness issues and the performance felt that. Valencia scored one, but had very few clear cut chances too. We were just not at the races in attack despite keeping Los Che at bay. Negredo's constant pressure on our defence led to a goal in the 69th minute... and that was all she wrote!
The second leg... How are your nerves?
As if small, little Deportivo are through to the SEMI FINAL OF THE COPA DEL REY. Lucas practically killed the game off with our earliest goal of the season - a nice way to ensure that Cartabia's gorgeous assist did not go to waste. Malaga did very little to threaten us in the final third. Borges' missed penalty could have cost us, but it didn't so there's no point dwelling on that. We held our ground and now find ourselves 180 minutes away from a place in the final, but who are we up against?
I sighed when I saw that we would be playing against these guys. I won't bother repeating myself, you guys already know how tough they are. I'm not expecting much from this fixture. We've already exceeded expectations massively.
To end the month, a game against Rayo:
A cagey game with only two shots on target between both sides. There is very little to say here, but I suppose another clean-sheet is always welcome!
As the month comes to an end, here is how the league table looks ahead of February:
10th with a game in hand. I am very happy with that. Give me 10th at the end of the season and I will jump for joy. With this budget, we have exceeded expectations beyond belief. But let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet (although let's laugh at Celta who are 14th).
When I sold Luisinho on deadline day and promoted Saul from the academy, I accepted that it was a ballsy choice that could very well backfire. It didn't. Saúl has gone from the kid with potential to undisputed first-choice, rendering veteran Navarro a bit-part player. I love the kid's tenacity - he defends as well as he attacks. Most of our goals that end in headers are usually produced by his crosses. I can see him becoming part of the club's furniture long-term.
Next month we play our two legs against Villarreal, an away trip to the Camp Nou amidst some other league games. Let's see how far we can cope with fixture congestion. 'Til next time! Forza Depor!
PatrickLFC
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Great month there, well done!
Cheers! Didn't quite expect to do as well as I did considering the overcrowding of fixtures! Thanks for reading.
February (2016) - Do we make it to the Copa del Rey final?
Another month awash with tough fixtures, a lot of rotation and some very good/very poor results. Here they are:
I don't want to say much, so let's just dive straight into the games...
Our first leg ended in a narrow defeat. Villarreal, as I have professed before, are one of the toughest sides to break down and contain in Spain. This game showed that perfectly. We did very little to trouble them while they kept knocking on our door. It took them 73 minutes, but they finally scored: Adrian - who used to play for Depor - went on an incredible solo run and punted the ball past Fabri. A narrow defeat at El Madrigal isn't bad, nor was our performance terrible. I believed we could turn it around at home.
Sporting Gijon away...
After Ruben Perez scored early on, amidst all of our missed chances, I started to convince myself that this was going to be the month where we plummet and fall down the table. It was a valid thought - rotation was catching up with us and squad morale had descended due to an altercation between myself and Cani over regular game time. But all it took was a marvellous free-kick from our Argentinian wonderkid to level things in the 64th minute - that moment of magic restored our hope. Another Argentinian stepped up to turn the game around and win it for us. His name? Jonas Gutierrez. This man has scored a few important goals throughout this season and is seriously making me consider giving him a contract extension (expires in the summer). He went on as a substitute in the 71st minute and took just 5 minutes to latch onto a long ball from Borges and deliver us the three points.
The dreaded second leg...
This game was insane. Villarreal obliterated our defence like no other side has done this season. It's ridiculously tough to lose out on a spot in the final after being so **** close. We overachieved, sure, but I had begun to convince myself that we would go on and reach the final; end our trophy drought. It was not to be. Every time Villarreal scored, we plucked one back. Until we could no longer. Bakambu's hat-trick buried us - he's already scored four times against us this season. I take only one positive from this: we will no longer have an overload of fixtures. One game a week - just the way we like it.
Betis at home...
If I tried to tell you about this game, I would just be typing for the sake of it. I can't even remember a standout highlight. No team created a clear-cut chance whatsoever. It was to be expected with all the changes I made, so it's less of a disappointing result and more of an inevitability.
Espanyol away...
They were bottom of the league - we simply had to bury them. It was far from convincing, but two first-half goals dented Espanyol's confidence going forward and practically sealed the deal with just 28 minutes played. Both Riera and Lopo scored from set-pieces taken by Cartabia. Identical headers. 3 points. The only negative here was Lopo's injury, which leaves us with only two natural centre-backs for the coming 4 weeks:
Barcelona away...
A loss is a loss, sure, but I take a lot of pride in saying that we kept the league leaders at bay for the majority of the game. They barely had any shots and did zilch with possession. We defended excellently. To pull of a result like this, away from home in your first season with a small side, is quite impressive. Saul was, yet again, amazing. But still, we lost at the end of the day.
Granada at home...
Another boring 0-0 draw at home. But in this one we actually had a clear cut chance. It fell to Riera, who was one-on-one, and the striker decided to pass the ball into the goalkeeper's arms. We have drawn far too many games this season. It is concerning because they typically come against sides we should be beating. Imagine if we had won this game and the Betis one - we would skyrocket up the table. I suppose it's better for morale to avoid defeat, but drawing games is a vicious and comfortable cycle that is hard to break out of. I'll be working hard to develop a way of killing games off late on.
The league table:
All in all, it was an OK month. Those two draws, if they had been wins, could have taken us up to 6th. Just saying. But the real killer was that Copa del Rey semi-final tie. I really wanted us to reach the final. Still, give me a 9th place finish at the end of the season and I'll bite your arm off. We have overachieved massively!
This guy has been our best player of the season thus far. He has heaps of assists and regularly grabs games by the scruff of the neck. When we need a moment of individual brilliance, he is always there. Whenever we score, rest assured he has played a huge part in it. I wish he was ours; Valencia will never let him join us permanently - nor do we have the money. And this form has ensured that he will not be returning on loan again - Valencia will want him for the first-team.
Next month we have some important league games and a chance to correct the repetitive draws. March will be crucial in figuring out whether we will finish above mid table or sit comfortably there. Either way, I can't see this season ending in disappointment. 'Til next time! Forza Depor!
Another month awash with tough fixtures, a lot of rotation and some very good/very poor results. Here they are:
I don't want to say much, so let's just dive straight into the games...
Our first leg ended in a narrow defeat. Villarreal, as I have professed before, are one of the toughest sides to break down and contain in Spain. This game showed that perfectly. We did very little to trouble them while they kept knocking on our door. It took them 73 minutes, but they finally scored: Adrian - who used to play for Depor - went on an incredible solo run and punted the ball past Fabri. A narrow defeat at El Madrigal isn't bad, nor was our performance terrible. I believed we could turn it around at home.
Sporting Gijon away...
After Ruben Perez scored early on, amidst all of our missed chances, I started to convince myself that this was going to be the month where we plummet and fall down the table. It was a valid thought - rotation was catching up with us and squad morale had descended due to an altercation between myself and Cani over regular game time. But all it took was a marvellous free-kick from our Argentinian wonderkid to level things in the 64th minute - that moment of magic restored our hope. Another Argentinian stepped up to turn the game around and win it for us. His name? Jonas Gutierrez. This man has scored a few important goals throughout this season and is seriously making me consider giving him a contract extension (expires in the summer). He went on as a substitute in the 71st minute and took just 5 minutes to latch onto a long ball from Borges and deliver us the three points.
The dreaded second leg...
This game was insane. Villarreal obliterated our defence like no other side has done this season. It's ridiculously tough to lose out on a spot in the final after being so **** close. We overachieved, sure, but I had begun to convince myself that we would go on and reach the final; end our trophy drought. It was not to be. Every time Villarreal scored, we plucked one back. Until we could no longer. Bakambu's hat-trick buried us - he's already scored four times against us this season. I take only one positive from this: we will no longer have an overload of fixtures. One game a week - just the way we like it.
Betis at home...
If I tried to tell you about this game, I would just be typing for the sake of it. I can't even remember a standout highlight. No team created a clear-cut chance whatsoever. It was to be expected with all the changes I made, so it's less of a disappointing result and more of an inevitability.
Espanyol away...
They were bottom of the league - we simply had to bury them. It was far from convincing, but two first-half goals dented Espanyol's confidence going forward and practically sealed the deal with just 28 minutes played. Both Riera and Lopo scored from set-pieces taken by Cartabia. Identical headers. 3 points. The only negative here was Lopo's injury, which leaves us with only two natural centre-backs for the coming 4 weeks:
Barcelona away...
A loss is a loss, sure, but I take a lot of pride in saying that we kept the league leaders at bay for the majority of the game. They barely had any shots and did zilch with possession. We defended excellently. To pull of a result like this, away from home in your first season with a small side, is quite impressive. Saul was, yet again, amazing. But still, we lost at the end of the day.
Granada at home...
Another boring 0-0 draw at home. But in this one we actually had a clear cut chance. It fell to Riera, who was one-on-one, and the striker decided to pass the ball into the goalkeeper's arms. We have drawn far too many games this season. It is concerning because they typically come against sides we should be beating. Imagine if we had won this game and the Betis one - we would skyrocket up the table. I suppose it's better for morale to avoid defeat, but drawing games is a vicious and comfortable cycle that is hard to break out of. I'll be working hard to develop a way of killing games off late on.
The league table:
All in all, it was an OK month. Those two draws, if they had been wins, could have taken us up to 6th. Just saying. But the real killer was that Copa del Rey semi-final tie. I really wanted us to reach the final. Still, give me a 9th place finish at the end of the season and I'll bite your arm off. We have overachieved massively!
This guy has been our best player of the season thus far. He has heaps of assists and regularly grabs games by the scruff of the neck. When we need a moment of individual brilliance, he is always there. Whenever we score, rest assured he has played a huge part in it. I wish he was ours; Valencia will never let him join us permanently - nor do we have the money. And this form has ensured that he will not be returning on loan again - Valencia will want him for the first-team.
Next month we have some important league games and a chance to correct the repetitive draws. March will be crucial in figuring out whether we will finish above mid table or sit comfortably there. Either way, I can't see this season ending in disappointment. 'Til next time! Forza Depor!
March 2016 - an unbelievable comeback!
March was a very impressive month where we extended our unbeaten run in the league and produced one of our finest results of the season... but we were also dealt a blow:
As you can see, we got two stunning results against tough opposition. Let's dive right into things:
This was an incredible comeback, but there is one later on that tops it (somehow!). Athletic did what many teams against us do - have a high amount of shots but all from long range or subsequently blocked. Their goal came from a free-kick and, in fairness, we were creating nothing in the meantime. All it took was one substitution to change things: Jonathan Rodriguez in the 75th minute. The Uruguayan won a penalty that Borges would go on to convert and then collected a one-two from Lucas to put us 2-1 up. All within 5 minutes of coming on. He was a real game changer. Another 3 points in the bag!
Malaga away...
A turgid game in which both sides did very little. One moment of magic allowed us to ensure a draw, though: Medunjanin played a gorgeous cross-field pass from 40 yards to Riera who smashed it on the volley first-time past Ochoa. It was a goal that deserved all three points, until Malaga's substitutes ran riot on our defence with raw pace and quick movement of the ball. A draw was fair on paper.
Atletico Madrid away...
Yeah, this somehow happened. I still couldn't quite believe it - but it wasn't by accident that we overturned a three goal deficit in 45 minutes. Once the half-time whistle went, Atleti were 3-0 up courtesy of a Jackson Martinez hat-trick. We had created nothing and were at their mercy. I went balls out and changed to an overload mentality with route one football activated. It worked a treat. Arribas scored from a corner after Laure's mis-kick allowed the ball to fall into his path. 14 minutes later, it was a corner again that brought us within sight of a glorious draw. Sidnei knocked down a corner-kick to Medunjanin who smashed a volley in off the crossbar. As the clock ran down, I thought it was going to be a valiant half without a third goal... until super subs Jonas Gutierrez and Cani linked up inside the box to bamboozle Atleti's defence and calmly round the 'keeper for 3-3. I went crazy, the players went crazy - it was in this game where I decided we CAN push for bigger things. We have been sitting near the European spots for the last few months, so why not have a genuine go at it? It may backfire, but I'm tired of sitting back and accepting mid-table just because that's our target!
Levante at home...
I think I'll remember this game more for the injury than the fact it was the most shots we've had in one game this season. Cartabia - who has been our absolute key player this season - scored a world class free-kick only to pick up an injury early in the second half. I was praying that it wasn't serious. Without him, could we even push for a European spot? Cani sealed the three points coming on as a late substitute, again.
Bad news...
We won't see Cartabia until the penultimate game of the season. A depressing notion when you consider how important he has been. In fact, just take a look at these stats:
That's right. Fede leads the league for most assists. More than any Real Madrid or Barcelona star. And more than any Valencia player. But that's not all:
He is tied with Cristiano Ronaldo for most Player of the Match awards. That's how important he has been.
On a lighter note, here is the best youngster from youth intake day:
Nice hair...
The league table:
8th with 8 games to go. 3 points off European qualification. Am I right for dreaming big?
Medunjanin was fantastic this month. He scored a crucial goal and produced the greatest assist of the season. I'm still unsure whether or not I like him, but he seems to be playing quite well right now. He has stepped up in 2016.
Next month we play Celta Vigo in the derby and will continue to fight for a European spot. 'Til next time! Forza Depor!
March was a very impressive month where we extended our unbeaten run in the league and produced one of our finest results of the season... but we were also dealt a blow:
As you can see, we got two stunning results against tough opposition. Let's dive right into things:
This was an incredible comeback, but there is one later on that tops it (somehow!). Athletic did what many teams against us do - have a high amount of shots but all from long range or subsequently blocked. Their goal came from a free-kick and, in fairness, we were creating nothing in the meantime. All it took was one substitution to change things: Jonathan Rodriguez in the 75th minute. The Uruguayan won a penalty that Borges would go on to convert and then collected a one-two from Lucas to put us 2-1 up. All within 5 minutes of coming on. He was a real game changer. Another 3 points in the bag!
Malaga away...
A turgid game in which both sides did very little. One moment of magic allowed us to ensure a draw, though: Medunjanin played a gorgeous cross-field pass from 40 yards to Riera who smashed it on the volley first-time past Ochoa. It was a goal that deserved all three points, until Malaga's substitutes ran riot on our defence with raw pace and quick movement of the ball. A draw was fair on paper.
Atletico Madrid away...
Yeah, this somehow happened. I still couldn't quite believe it - but it wasn't by accident that we overturned a three goal deficit in 45 minutes. Once the half-time whistle went, Atleti were 3-0 up courtesy of a Jackson Martinez hat-trick. We had created nothing and were at their mercy. I went balls out and changed to an overload mentality with route one football activated. It worked a treat. Arribas scored from a corner after Laure's mis-kick allowed the ball to fall into his path. 14 minutes later, it was a corner again that brought us within sight of a glorious draw. Sidnei knocked down a corner-kick to Medunjanin who smashed a volley in off the crossbar. As the clock ran down, I thought it was going to be a valiant half without a third goal... until super subs Jonas Gutierrez and Cani linked up inside the box to bamboozle Atleti's defence and calmly round the 'keeper for 3-3. I went crazy, the players went crazy - it was in this game where I decided we CAN push for bigger things. We have been sitting near the European spots for the last few months, so why not have a genuine go at it? It may backfire, but I'm tired of sitting back and accepting mid-table just because that's our target!
Levante at home...
I think I'll remember this game more for the injury than the fact it was the most shots we've had in one game this season. Cartabia - who has been our absolute key player this season - scored a world class free-kick only to pick up an injury early in the second half. I was praying that it wasn't serious. Without him, could we even push for a European spot? Cani sealed the three points coming on as a late substitute, again.
Bad news...
We won't see Cartabia until the penultimate game of the season. A depressing notion when you consider how important he has been. In fact, just take a look at these stats:
That's right. Fede leads the league for most assists. More than any Real Madrid or Barcelona star. And more than any Valencia player. But that's not all:
He is tied with Cristiano Ronaldo for most Player of the Match awards. That's how important he has been.
On a lighter note, here is the best youngster from youth intake day:
Nice hair...
The league table:
8th with 8 games to go. 3 points off European qualification. Am I right for dreaming big?
Medunjanin was fantastic this month. He scored a crucial goal and produced the greatest assist of the season. I'm still unsure whether or not I like him, but he seems to be playing quite well right now. He has stepped up in 2016.
Next month we play Celta Vigo in the derby and will continue to fight for a European spot. 'Til next time! Forza Depor!
MrWisdoman
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Nice update hopefully you can get the European spot
April 2016 - Derby day and the hunt for a European spot
Another positive month from us. Cartabia has been missed, but not as sorely as I had expected. Here are the results:
A loss where it was expected but two huge victories in the hunt for a Europa League spot. The final game, in particular, was very important. Let's take a look at the DERBY:
Two shots, two goals - and one of the goals was not from a shot of our own! We lucked our way to the three points, but this was a largely boring derby with very little action. Cabral's own-goal gave us a the lead early on as he turned in a Jonathan Rodriguez cross. The Uruguayan then charged into the box and won a penalty late in second half which was calmly tucked away by our Bosnian maestro, Medunjanin. Celta's late goal forced us to contain for the final minutes of the game but it was worth it. 3 points again. This is a cycle worth getting used to. I have won both Galician derbies this season and, as long as I remain manager, my long term target is to never lose to Celta.
Sidnei picked up an injury which leaves us with just two natural centre-backs for the final few games of the season:
Las Palmas at home...
To drop points at home to Las Palmas was infuriating, especially after we took the lead so early on. Jonathan Rodriguez kept up his stellar form with a tap-in. After that, two goals in either half for Las Palmas had us on the brink of defeat... until Pedro Mosquera smashed a volley from outside of the box in the 80th minute. An emphatic equaliser which keeps the unbeaten run alive, but an unimpressive performance overall. Another draw.
Sevilla away...
A phenomenal result against a direct rival for that 6th place. This was a must-win if we wanted to gain ground on those around us - and we did exactly that! In fact, I can't remember the last time we had more possession than the opposition away from home. We have a fantastic record away from home, too. Anyhow, Jonathan Rodriguez made it three games in a row where he contributed directly to a positive result. One goal in either half - both identical shots from tight angles - added up to three points. We're starting to seriously believe that this 6th place is ours.
Unbeatable Depor?
Barcelona at home...
We held them for 45 minutes. That's about the only positive thing. They derailed our defence in the second half and we simply had no reply. A bit of a setback for us, but we had to bounce back against Eibar...
We had just one shot on target all game, were largely dominated in terms of highlights and had no standout performance. All it took was one cross into the box from Borges in the 86th minute for Eibar defender Pantic to put past his own goalkeeper. Own-goals have directly contributed to six points for us this month. And we'll take it, as unconvincing as it is!
The league table:
There we are in sixth place, soon to drop down to 7th if Villarreal win (we have head to head over Athletic Bilbao). 3 games to go - one of those including our bogey team, Villarreal, which will definitely decide that 6th place that we're yearning for.
Jona played a crucial part in keeping our European dreams alive. He scored and assisted regularly when we most needed him to. It's a shame that Benfica will endeavour to hold onto him at the end of the season. He will have a great career. He's currently our top scorer for the season.
Next month is our final one in this first season. We play Villarreal and Real Madrid. I feel as though a loss in the last three games will see us miss out on 6th place. We will have to throw everything at this and hope for the best. 'Til next time! Forza Depor
Another positive month from us. Cartabia has been missed, but not as sorely as I had expected. Here are the results:
A loss where it was expected but two huge victories in the hunt for a Europa League spot. The final game, in particular, was very important. Let's take a look at the DERBY:
Two shots, two goals - and one of the goals was not from a shot of our own! We lucked our way to the three points, but this was a largely boring derby with very little action. Cabral's own-goal gave us a the lead early on as he turned in a Jonathan Rodriguez cross. The Uruguayan then charged into the box and won a penalty late in second half which was calmly tucked away by our Bosnian maestro, Medunjanin. Celta's late goal forced us to contain for the final minutes of the game but it was worth it. 3 points again. This is a cycle worth getting used to. I have won both Galician derbies this season and, as long as I remain manager, my long term target is to never lose to Celta.
Sidnei picked up an injury which leaves us with just two natural centre-backs for the final few games of the season:
Las Palmas at home...
To drop points at home to Las Palmas was infuriating, especially after we took the lead so early on. Jonathan Rodriguez kept up his stellar form with a tap-in. After that, two goals in either half for Las Palmas had us on the brink of defeat... until Pedro Mosquera smashed a volley from outside of the box in the 80th minute. An emphatic equaliser which keeps the unbeaten run alive, but an unimpressive performance overall. Another draw.
Sevilla away...
A phenomenal result against a direct rival for that 6th place. This was a must-win if we wanted to gain ground on those around us - and we did exactly that! In fact, I can't remember the last time we had more possession than the opposition away from home. We have a fantastic record away from home, too. Anyhow, Jonathan Rodriguez made it three games in a row where he contributed directly to a positive result. One goal in either half - both identical shots from tight angles - added up to three points. We're starting to seriously believe that this 6th place is ours.
Unbeatable Depor?
Barcelona at home...
We held them for 45 minutes. That's about the only positive thing. They derailed our defence in the second half and we simply had no reply. A bit of a setback for us, but we had to bounce back against Eibar...
We had just one shot on target all game, were largely dominated in terms of highlights and had no standout performance. All it took was one cross into the box from Borges in the 86th minute for Eibar defender Pantic to put past his own goalkeeper. Own-goals have directly contributed to six points for us this month. And we'll take it, as unconvincing as it is!
The league table:
There we are in sixth place, soon to drop down to 7th if Villarreal win (we have head to head over Athletic Bilbao). 3 games to go - one of those including our bogey team, Villarreal, which will definitely decide that 6th place that we're yearning for.
Jona played a crucial part in keeping our European dreams alive. He scored and assisted regularly when we most needed him to. It's a shame that Benfica will endeavour to hold onto him at the end of the season. He will have a great career. He's currently our top scorer for the season.
Next month is our final one in this first season. We play Villarreal and Real Madrid. I feel as though a loss in the last three games will see us miss out on 6th place. We will have to throw everything at this and hope for the best. 'Til next time! Forza Depor
Squeaky *** time!
May 2016 - the final month. Did we finish 6th?
Our most important month of the season without a doubt. However it ended did not matter - we have overachieved wildly beyond expectations. But what do the results say?
Positive results in the final three games of the season. But two draws. Is that enough for European football? Keep reading to find out! We beat our bogey side and Europa-chasing rivals, Villarreal, and then capped off a beautiful season with a draw vs Real Madrid. Let's start with Getafe...
Right when we need to win, we fell short. Against a side nowhere near us in quality or league standings. Arribas' third own-goal of the season left us with a tough hurdle to jump - one which we tripped over massively. We created nothing from open play - reinforced by our goal which was scored directly from a free-kick by Cani, four minutes before picking up an injury. It was enough to rescue a draw, but we should have won.
Villarreal away...
Revenge is sweet. We leap-frogged the side that robbed us of a Copa del Rey final... and we may have robbed them of the final Europa League spot. We did the swarming this time round, focusing on expansive and explosive play from wide areas. Fitting that our two goals, either side of Villarreal's, came from our two wingers. Jonas scored a simple tap-in after Jonathan Rodriguez squared the ball to him. Lucas' finish was one from long range. A goal worthy of winning any game and achieving Europa League football, some would say... But even with this win, we required Real Sociedad to lose on the final day otherwise we would have to get something out of Real Madrid...
In true Depor fashion, trust us to turn in our best performance of the season on the final day. We absolutely hammered Real Madrid, dominating a large majority of the highlights. Ronaldo's early goal had me convinced that we would be praying for a Real Sociedad loss, but Lucas had other ideas. The man from A Coruña, the man who has supported the club since he was a child, the man who loves scoring important goals BURIES two past Real Madrid in either half. Both goals were superbly taken - we were on the verge of defeating one of the giants... Until Ronaldo leaped above Navarro to equalise in injury time. Mixed feelings here - do we celebrate the result or do we wait for confirmation of 6th place...? How are your nerves?!
Against all the odds, DEPOR ARE BACK IN EUROPE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2009! We started off wanting a comfortable mid-table finish without any worries and ended up with European football on our hands as well as a Copa semi-final. Not too shabby of a first season, eh?
Most improved:
Very well deserved.
Deivid had been a gamble, admittedly. But he had a great season and the fans love him! A coup from us.
No thank you. Nothing will tempt me away from Depor.
Hard to argue with this.
Saul went from a kid in the academy to the #1 player for tackles-per-game in La Liga. A beautiful rise to success for our prodigious left-back.
Lucas runs more than anyone else in La Liga and I'm not surprised. He works his behind off EVERY game.
Yay, money!
Mosquera had a fantastic month. He has struggled to break into the side this season due to the insane amount of depth in midfield, but every chance he gets is always complimented with a top performance. I will endeavour to utilise him more next season.
Fede was outstanding and one of the main reasons for our overachievement this season. He created more chances than any other player and assisted more too. He was, quite simply, our best player by a country mile. I can't ever recall him going through a poor patch. It is a **** shame that he does not belong to us; but he will always be part of the history of my era as Depor manager. I wish him well at Valencia.
Top scorer: Jonathan Rodriguez (12 goals)
Best defender: Saul
Best midfielder: Deivid
Best attacker: Fede Cartabia
Underperformer of the year: Fernando Navarro
Well, that was one **** of a season. I did not expect to have achieved this much or to even be writing this. This is a slow save that will take patient rebuilding of a once prestigious club in financial ruins. But this is a great confidence boost for everyone at the club and it really makes me believe that we can create something big once again. It sounds cheesy, but I am devoted and ridiculously attached to this save. I hope that this season has entertained you - I appreciate all your comments, likes and views. Next update, we will look at our transfers and pre-season results in preparation for the 2016/17 season. We have 7 first-team players departing that will need replacing. Issue is, our budget is low. Let's see how we combat that. 'Til next time! Forza Depor!
Our most important month of the season without a doubt. However it ended did not matter - we have overachieved wildly beyond expectations. But what do the results say?
Positive results in the final three games of the season. But two draws. Is that enough for European football? Keep reading to find out! We beat our bogey side and Europa-chasing rivals, Villarreal, and then capped off a beautiful season with a draw vs Real Madrid. Let's start with Getafe...
Right when we need to win, we fell short. Against a side nowhere near us in quality or league standings. Arribas' third own-goal of the season left us with a tough hurdle to jump - one which we tripped over massively. We created nothing from open play - reinforced by our goal which was scored directly from a free-kick by Cani, four minutes before picking up an injury. It was enough to rescue a draw, but we should have won.
Villarreal away...
Revenge is sweet. We leap-frogged the side that robbed us of a Copa del Rey final... and we may have robbed them of the final Europa League spot. We did the swarming this time round, focusing on expansive and explosive play from wide areas. Fitting that our two goals, either side of Villarreal's, came from our two wingers. Jonas scored a simple tap-in after Jonathan Rodriguez squared the ball to him. Lucas' finish was one from long range. A goal worthy of winning any game and achieving Europa League football, some would say... But even with this win, we required Real Sociedad to lose on the final day otherwise we would have to get something out of Real Madrid...
In true Depor fashion, trust us to turn in our best performance of the season on the final day. We absolutely hammered Real Madrid, dominating a large majority of the highlights. Ronaldo's early goal had me convinced that we would be praying for a Real Sociedad loss, but Lucas had other ideas. The man from A Coruña, the man who has supported the club since he was a child, the man who loves scoring important goals BURIES two past Real Madrid in either half. Both goals were superbly taken - we were on the verge of defeating one of the giants... Until Ronaldo leaped above Navarro to equalise in injury time. Mixed feelings here - do we celebrate the result or do we wait for confirmation of 6th place...? How are your nerves?!
Against all the odds, DEPOR ARE BACK IN EUROPE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2009! We started off wanting a comfortable mid-table finish without any worries and ended up with European football on our hands as well as a Copa semi-final. Not too shabby of a first season, eh?
Most improved:
Very well deserved.
Deivid had been a gamble, admittedly. But he had a great season and the fans love him! A coup from us.
No thank you. Nothing will tempt me away from Depor.
Hard to argue with this.
Saul went from a kid in the academy to the #1 player for tackles-per-game in La Liga. A beautiful rise to success for our prodigious left-back.
Lucas runs more than anyone else in La Liga and I'm not surprised. He works his behind off EVERY game.
Yay, money!
Mosquera had a fantastic month. He has struggled to break into the side this season due to the insane amount of depth in midfield, but every chance he gets is always complimented with a top performance. I will endeavour to utilise him more next season.
Fede was outstanding and one of the main reasons for our overachievement this season. He created more chances than any other player and assisted more too. He was, quite simply, our best player by a country mile. I can't ever recall him going through a poor patch. It is a **** shame that he does not belong to us; but he will always be part of the history of my era as Depor manager. I wish him well at Valencia.
Top scorer: Jonathan Rodriguez (12 goals)
Best defender: Saul
Best midfielder: Deivid
Best attacker: Fede Cartabia
Underperformer of the year: Fernando Navarro
Well, that was one **** of a season. I did not expect to have achieved this much or to even be writing this. This is a slow save that will take patient rebuilding of a once prestigious club in financial ruins. But this is a great confidence boost for everyone at the club and it really makes me believe that we can create something big once again. It sounds cheesy, but I am devoted and ridiculously attached to this save. I hope that this season has entertained you - I appreciate all your comments, likes and views. Next update, we will look at our transfers and pre-season results in preparation for the 2016/17 season. We have 7 first-team players departing that will need replacing. Issue is, our budget is low. Let's see how we combat that. 'Til next time! Forza Depor!
Yup! Absolutely delighted!
Summer of 2016 - transfers, pre-season and more!
We lost seven players this summer due to contract expiry/end of loans. Some of these players were hugely important last year (Jonathan and Fede), while others had some important moments (Cani and Jonas). Here is our transfer budget and how we invested it etc.
A measly 4m after achieving European football is hugely disappointing, but such is the financial state of our club. The board have said they are delighted with how I'm working the funds, so I will endeavour to never spend over the budget. Due to this, I have integrated some academy kids into the first team. Here they are:
Pablo Insua's stats are superb - he will turn into something special. He's a local kid who had a great season 2 years ago in real life but was then loaned out to Leganes. On the game, I'm expecting him to shine. Maybe we can get a huge fee for him in the future IF our debt is still high. Next up...
Much like Insua, there are some great stats here. It helps that the role he is most natural in is the one we require our strikes to play. Fernandez, with some close development, could become a fairly solid striker for us. I like him. Another local kid.
We signed this kid from Barça B in the 2015/16 season (in real life). I'm training him to play as a winger because that is his natural role. As a central midfielder, he may struggle for minutes. We have an overflow of midfielders at the club. He could phase out Medunjanin, though. We'll have to wait and see. Lastly...
Bicho is extremely technically gifted. He will cover the wings and AMC this season. I love his flair - he could produce moments of magic similar to that of Cartabia last year.
Those are the youngsters I promoted. With a lack of funds, it's hard to sign the players I want; it's fun to utilise these talented kids. And talented they most definitely are.
Anyhow, I suppose you're all interested to see who we signed etc?
As you can see, our entire transfer budget went on one player, the rest were freebies and loanees. It's a necessary evil until we can kick up more funds. We let go of many non-talents in the academy and somehow I picked up 15k for Jonas despite his contract expiring 3 weeks after Velez signing him. I'm not complaining! The players to depart us were as follows:
Cani (AMC, winger)
Gutierrez (Winger)
Fajr (AMC/MC)
Cartabia (Winger)
Juanfran (right-back)
Lopo (Centre-back)
Jonathan (striker)
Three retirements.
We needed to invest in wide areas, hence my promotion of Bicho. Right-back is also a huge necessity because Laure is not even competent for La Liga level. Centre-back saw us promote Insua to alleviate the pressure of Lopo leaving. Luis Fernandez covers the void of Jonathan, too. But the real signings, here they are:
Sidnei is an OK defender. He was underwhelming in patches last season, but my thought process is that Insua will edge him out as the season grows old while he becomes back-up. It's another loan move from him (three yrs in a row), so it's nice to have a familiar face around.
Borja San Emeterio:
Our entire transfer budget went on this kid. I want us to build for the future in order to prevent always having to loan in veterans. For 3.3m, we have attained a phenomenal right-back with the potential to be something special. Look at those stats! He's better than Laure in every single regard. And I am super excited to see what he turns into.
Sebas...
I've been wanting to use Sebas on this year's FM for a while now. I'm glad to have picked him up on loan from Villarreal. He is supremely talented and boasts some excellent stats. His preferred role is one that we utilise every game so he will slot in perfectly. I'm excited to see what he can produce.
Adel Taarabt...
I wanted someone who could cover our lack of depth on the wings while also being accomplished in other positions. Taarabt fit the bill. He has outstanding stats in the AMC department but also as an inside forward on the right (I am training him to play there). My thought process is that he will perfectly recreate the ingenuity, flair and creativity that left us when Cartabia returned to Valencia. For a loan, there's very little risk attached - I'm sure he'll come great.
Rafael Borre...
I won't lie: Borre was not my first choice. In fact, he was somewhat of a panic purchase. Every player we put a loan bid in for ended up declining us (despite the club accepting). We tried for Origi, Ghilas, Kalinic and a load of others. Still, Borre looks great and is another youngster who we will be integrating into the side.
Lastly...
He needs no introduction. We picked him up in January, he joins us now. You guys know all about him (pardon the old screen shot).
In regards to depth, here is what the squad now looks like:
I am very happy with this. A full, 25-man squad. We will need strong depth to rotate due to Europa, Copa del Rey and of course the league.
Tactic:
The system that delivered us a lot of successes last season. With a strong right-back and better attack, I can see us scoring regularly and from different sources. I want us to control games more often this season, so here are the team instructions:
Fairly standard stuff.
We renewed Borges' contract which was expiring in a year. Glad to keep him around, especially on those low wages.
Pre-season looked a little something like this:
I did not play any tough teams - I know we get more money from those games, but I wanted to keep it realistic. Every season we play most of our friendlies around the city, giving the smaller and local clubs some exposure. I wanted to replicate that.
Now, you're all caught up ahead of the 2016/17 season! Let me know what you thought of the signings and if there are any questions regarding the players and/or tactics. My targets for this season are simple: top 8 finish (our squad may be too young to attain Europa again), quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey and knockout stages of the Europa. 'Til next time! Forza Depor!
We lost seven players this summer due to contract expiry/end of loans. Some of these players were hugely important last year (Jonathan and Fede), while others had some important moments (Cani and Jonas). Here is our transfer budget and how we invested it etc.
A measly 4m after achieving European football is hugely disappointing, but such is the financial state of our club. The board have said they are delighted with how I'm working the funds, so I will endeavour to never spend over the budget. Due to this, I have integrated some academy kids into the first team. Here they are:
Pablo Insua's stats are superb - he will turn into something special. He's a local kid who had a great season 2 years ago in real life but was then loaned out to Leganes. On the game, I'm expecting him to shine. Maybe we can get a huge fee for him in the future IF our debt is still high. Next up...
Much like Insua, there are some great stats here. It helps that the role he is most natural in is the one we require our strikes to play. Fernandez, with some close development, could become a fairly solid striker for us. I like him. Another local kid.
We signed this kid from Barça B in the 2015/16 season (in real life). I'm training him to play as a winger because that is his natural role. As a central midfielder, he may struggle for minutes. We have an overflow of midfielders at the club. He could phase out Medunjanin, though. We'll have to wait and see. Lastly...
Bicho is extremely technically gifted. He will cover the wings and AMC this season. I love his flair - he could produce moments of magic similar to that of Cartabia last year.
Those are the youngsters I promoted. With a lack of funds, it's hard to sign the players I want; it's fun to utilise these talented kids. And talented they most definitely are.
Anyhow, I suppose you're all interested to see who we signed etc?
As you can see, our entire transfer budget went on one player, the rest were freebies and loanees. It's a necessary evil until we can kick up more funds. We let go of many non-talents in the academy and somehow I picked up 15k for Jonas despite his contract expiring 3 weeks after Velez signing him. I'm not complaining! The players to depart us were as follows:
Cani (AMC, winger)
Gutierrez (Winger)
Fajr (AMC/MC)
Cartabia (Winger)
Juanfran (right-back)
Lopo (Centre-back)
Jonathan (striker)
Three retirements.
We needed to invest in wide areas, hence my promotion of Bicho. Right-back is also a huge necessity because Laure is not even competent for La Liga level. Centre-back saw us promote Insua to alleviate the pressure of Lopo leaving. Luis Fernandez covers the void of Jonathan, too. But the real signings, here they are:
Sidnei is an OK defender. He was underwhelming in patches last season, but my thought process is that Insua will edge him out as the season grows old while he becomes back-up. It's another loan move from him (three yrs in a row), so it's nice to have a familiar face around.
Borja San Emeterio:
Our entire transfer budget went on this kid. I want us to build for the future in order to prevent always having to loan in veterans. For 3.3m, we have attained a phenomenal right-back with the potential to be something special. Look at those stats! He's better than Laure in every single regard. And I am super excited to see what he turns into.
Sebas...
I've been wanting to use Sebas on this year's FM for a while now. I'm glad to have picked him up on loan from Villarreal. He is supremely talented and boasts some excellent stats. His preferred role is one that we utilise every game so he will slot in perfectly. I'm excited to see what he can produce.
Adel Taarabt...
I wanted someone who could cover our lack of depth on the wings while also being accomplished in other positions. Taarabt fit the bill. He has outstanding stats in the AMC department but also as an inside forward on the right (I am training him to play there). My thought process is that he will perfectly recreate the ingenuity, flair and creativity that left us when Cartabia returned to Valencia. For a loan, there's very little risk attached - I'm sure he'll come great.
Rafael Borre...
I won't lie: Borre was not my first choice. In fact, he was somewhat of a panic purchase. Every player we put a loan bid in for ended up declining us (despite the club accepting). We tried for Origi, Ghilas, Kalinic and a load of others. Still, Borre looks great and is another youngster who we will be integrating into the side.
Lastly...
He needs no introduction. We picked him up in January, he joins us now. You guys know all about him (pardon the old screen shot).
In regards to depth, here is what the squad now looks like:
I am very happy with this. A full, 25-man squad. We will need strong depth to rotate due to Europa, Copa del Rey and of course the league.
Tactic:
The system that delivered us a lot of successes last season. With a strong right-back and better attack, I can see us scoring regularly and from different sources. I want us to control games more often this season, so here are the team instructions:
Fairly standard stuff.
We renewed Borges' contract which was expiring in a year. Glad to keep him around, especially on those low wages.
Pre-season looked a little something like this:
I did not play any tough teams - I know we get more money from those games, but I wanted to keep it realistic. Every season we play most of our friendlies around the city, giving the smaller and local clubs some exposure. I wanted to replicate that.
Now, you're all caught up ahead of the 2016/17 season! Let me know what you thought of the signings and if there are any questions regarding the players and/or tactics. My targets for this season are simple: top 8 finish (our squad may be too young to attain Europa again), quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey and knockout stages of the Europa. 'Til next time! Forza Depor!
I think (I'm realistic person) you're going to struggle in middle season because Europa League and your calendar is full.. Yes you have 25-man squad but yours best depth players isn't maybe enough to get you and Depor again in Europa. Still I hope you and Depor do good job and get into Europa again and prove that I'm wrong.. 
I think (I'm realistic person) you're going to struggle in middle season because Europa League and your calendar is full.. Yes you have 25-man squad but yours best depth players isn't maybe enough to get you and Depor again in Europa. Still I hope you and Depor do good job and get into Europa again and prove that I'm wrong..
I agree with you 100%. But our squad was worse in the first season and we overachieved. I don't want to underestimate my boys again haha!
Yeah you have better squad now but how much deportivo reputation did go up? Cause that effect to AI game are they parking the bus or attacking.. And I'm not so sure can your team unlock bus defence just yet.
SiempreMadridista
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Quite the challenge you're up for! Gonna be tough to match the team both in Europe and La Liga, hopefully the playing schedule will be kind to you. Guessing Copa del Rey might not be off big relevance? Bicho seems to have a bright future.
Not the biggest warchest to sign new players for, but some good steals with the loans and a great signing in San Emetorio.
Not the biggest warchest to sign new players for, but some good steals with the loans and a great signing in San Emetorio.
Thanks! And yeah, I'd say Copa doesn't matter but it would be nice to have another run. Quite excited to see how Bicho develops.
August 2016 - the start of our 2nd season
Ah, the second season is underway! A chance to allow our new players to gel in preparation for three competitions. I'm really looking forward to seeing how we cope; it could be a disastrous year but I'm choosing to remain confident. We played just two games this month, but also found out who we will be sharing a group with in the Europa League. Let's find out, shall we?
Pretty tough group. Wolfsburg and Dynamo Kyiv have a much higher reputation and pedigree than us, so we are most definitely the underdogs. AA Gent should be easy to overcome at home, but we will need to be sturdy away from home to even think of progressing. If we can beat Gent twice and steal a victory at home vs one of the other two, it could very well be that we triumph overall. But I'm not holding my breath. Just being in Europe is a great experience.
Great money to pay off club debt:
This month's results:
We haven't forgotten how to draw, it seems...! Things will be tough at the start of the season - I'm expecting plenty of dropped points against lesser opposition. Let's look at the win first:
Despite getting hammered on possession, it was the same story as last season: soak up opposition pressure, reduce them to long shots and then kill them on the counter. Lucas scored our first goal of the season after latching on to a sumptuous Adel Taarabt through ball. Two other debutants then combined to double our lead in the final minutes: youngster Sebas hoofed a ball forward that deceived Betis' defence, allowing for Borré to run clean through on goal and finish. It was a bright attacking performance where three new signings were heavily involved in the positive outcome.
Valladolid away..
A largely disappointing performance against a newly promoted side in Real Valladolid. Things were even, and we had more shots on target, but we just couldn't knock down their defensive wall after going a goal down in the 15th minute. We kept knocking all the way up until the 88th minute when Adel Taarabt scored a magnificent goal from 30-yards out. A moment of pure individualistic magic that clawed us back in the game. In the 93rd minute, Borré fired our only clear cut chance of the game over the bar. A sour end to a poor game. Taarabt is on fire, though.
The league table:
End the season now?
We made a sale...
One of our talented regens had his release clause of 600k activated by Villarreal. When they first bid for him, I rejected it. He then refused to sign a new contract (my idea was to bump up the clause) and then, on deadline day, Villarreal swept him and took him away. We may rue it in the long run, but it's decent money to clear a bit of the debt lingering right now.
The Moroccan magician will be a star for us - you just know it. He has captured that flair and creativity that Cartabia added to the squad last season and is already loved by the fans. It's great that he can play wide and AMC. We just have to pray he does not pick up any injuries because his importance is already being felt on the pitch.
A short month, but I am excited to see how this season goes. As I said earlier, it could very well be a disaster. September should be a telling month: we play our first Europa League game as well as Real Madrid. 'Til then! Forza Depor!
Ah, the second season is underway! A chance to allow our new players to gel in preparation for three competitions. I'm really looking forward to seeing how we cope; it could be a disastrous year but I'm choosing to remain confident. We played just two games this month, but also found out who we will be sharing a group with in the Europa League. Let's find out, shall we?
Pretty tough group. Wolfsburg and Dynamo Kyiv have a much higher reputation and pedigree than us, so we are most definitely the underdogs. AA Gent should be easy to overcome at home, but we will need to be sturdy away from home to even think of progressing. If we can beat Gent twice and steal a victory at home vs one of the other two, it could very well be that we triumph overall. But I'm not holding my breath. Just being in Europe is a great experience.
Great money to pay off club debt:
This month's results:
We haven't forgotten how to draw, it seems...! Things will be tough at the start of the season - I'm expecting plenty of dropped points against lesser opposition. Let's look at the win first:
Despite getting hammered on possession, it was the same story as last season: soak up opposition pressure, reduce them to long shots and then kill them on the counter. Lucas scored our first goal of the season after latching on to a sumptuous Adel Taarabt through ball. Two other debutants then combined to double our lead in the final minutes: youngster Sebas hoofed a ball forward that deceived Betis' defence, allowing for Borré to run clean through on goal and finish. It was a bright attacking performance where three new signings were heavily involved in the positive outcome.
Valladolid away..
A largely disappointing performance against a newly promoted side in Real Valladolid. Things were even, and we had more shots on target, but we just couldn't knock down their defensive wall after going a goal down in the 15th minute. We kept knocking all the way up until the 88th minute when Adel Taarabt scored a magnificent goal from 30-yards out. A moment of pure individualistic magic that clawed us back in the game. In the 93rd minute, Borré fired our only clear cut chance of the game over the bar. A sour end to a poor game. Taarabt is on fire, though.
The league table:
End the season now?
We made a sale...
One of our talented regens had his release clause of 600k activated by Villarreal. When they first bid for him, I rejected it. He then refused to sign a new contract (my idea was to bump up the clause) and then, on deadline day, Villarreal swept him and took him away. We may rue it in the long run, but it's decent money to clear a bit of the debt lingering right now.
The Moroccan magician will be a star for us - you just know it. He has captured that flair and creativity that Cartabia added to the squad last season and is already loved by the fans. It's great that he can play wide and AMC. We just have to pray he does not pick up any injuries because his importance is already being felt on the pitch.
A short month, but I am excited to see how this season goes. As I said earlier, it could very well be a disaster. September should be a telling month: we play our first Europa League game as well as Real Madrid. 'Til then! Forza Depor!
September 2016 - draw, draw, draw...
Our first month balancing European football and the league was an interesting one to say the least. Our results were either really bad or really good.
A draw-heavy month in the league where we should have been picking up three points. I realised Europa League is going to be tougher than expected so even that narrow win vs Gent is a huge positive to come away with. Also, there is a particular league performance I was happy with: 0-0 vs Real Madrid. I decided to give our young centre-back Pablo Insua a prolonged run in the team. Let's look at the games in-depth:
Not the greatest performance, but we were testing a new counter-attack formation as it seems like this year is going to be a bit of a struggle to attack/control in. Our youth sensation, Saul, scored a stunning volley from a Marco Fabian lay-off to deliver us the three points in this stale game.
Our first Europa League game...
This was always going to be tough - Wolfsburg are the biggest team in the group. Ginczek ran riot against us as we struggled to cope with the overlapping runs from their full-backs. I was happy with the amount of shots on target we had, though, but this was certainly not a game I was expecting to come out of with a positive mindset - or result, for that matter.
Getafe away...
Another shocking performance. Getafe's goal was through an Arribas own-goal and they had just one shot on target. It took us 77 minutes to get a goal and, even then, it came courtesy of a penalty. San Emeterio was the brightest spark in this game, though, constantly looking to create chances with his deadly crossing. He won the penalty, too. Overall, a shoddy performance. We're struggling to be consistent due to European demands.
Real Madrid at home:
We managed to hold Real Madrid to a draw - that counts as a victory, right? A nice clean-sheet to pick up and boost the morale of my defence. We restricted Real Madrid to blocked shots and frustrated them with a very aggressive, foul-heavy style of play. It worked. I'll take that point! We're now unbeaten vs Real Madrid in the last two meetings with them. Pedro Mosquera was outstanding in that defensive-midfield role, winning heaps of tackles.
Levante away...
Another ******* draw. This is becoming frustrating, especially as we are playing horrendously and it takes an overload mentality to claw us back into the game. Rafael Borré scored our equaliser with an incredible mazy run after coming on as a substitute. It's commendable that keep coming back, but poor that we always concede early on and struggle to beat the opposition.
Gent at home...
Our first European win since 2007! A poor attacking performance overall, but I can't complain after the succession of draws. I brought on Oriol Riera as a second-half substitute and, while his performance was horrible, he found a way to break down a tight Gent defence with three minutes remaining on the clock. San Emeterio's cross was gorgeous, allowing the towering striker to calmly slot the ball into an empty goal. 3 points on the board in Europe!
A new contract...
Saul deserved a wage bump after his impeccable performances last season and already this. He did not ask for much and I went out of my own way to renew his contract. He will be a key component of our future along with San Emeterio on the other flank. It's good to have promising youth in defence.
League and Euro tables...
Unbeaten in the league, but more draws than wins is a tad worrying - especially when you consider the opposition.
San Emeterio made two assists and created chances when nobody else was. He also played a part in two clean-sheets. I cannot wait to see how he develops. 19-years of age and shining in a team with veterans.
Next month, we face off against Barcelona. Things haven't been going too well for us and it is a tad demoralising, but balancing these competitions was never going to be an easy feat. 'Til next time! Forza Depor!
Our first month balancing European football and the league was an interesting one to say the least. Our results were either really bad or really good.
A draw-heavy month in the league where we should have been picking up three points. I realised Europa League is going to be tougher than expected so even that narrow win vs Gent is a huge positive to come away with. Also, there is a particular league performance I was happy with: 0-0 vs Real Madrid. I decided to give our young centre-back Pablo Insua a prolonged run in the team. Let's look at the games in-depth:
Not the greatest performance, but we were testing a new counter-attack formation as it seems like this year is going to be a bit of a struggle to attack/control in. Our youth sensation, Saul, scored a stunning volley from a Marco Fabian lay-off to deliver us the three points in this stale game.
Our first Europa League game...
This was always going to be tough - Wolfsburg are the biggest team in the group. Ginczek ran riot against us as we struggled to cope with the overlapping runs from their full-backs. I was happy with the amount of shots on target we had, though, but this was certainly not a game I was expecting to come out of with a positive mindset - or result, for that matter.
Getafe away...
Another shocking performance. Getafe's goal was through an Arribas own-goal and they had just one shot on target. It took us 77 minutes to get a goal and, even then, it came courtesy of a penalty. San Emeterio was the brightest spark in this game, though, constantly looking to create chances with his deadly crossing. He won the penalty, too. Overall, a shoddy performance. We're struggling to be consistent due to European demands.
Real Madrid at home:
We managed to hold Real Madrid to a draw - that counts as a victory, right? A nice clean-sheet to pick up and boost the morale of my defence. We restricted Real Madrid to blocked shots and frustrated them with a very aggressive, foul-heavy style of play. It worked. I'll take that point! We're now unbeaten vs Real Madrid in the last two meetings with them. Pedro Mosquera was outstanding in that defensive-midfield role, winning heaps of tackles.
Levante away...
Another ******* draw. This is becoming frustrating, especially as we are playing horrendously and it takes an overload mentality to claw us back into the game. Rafael Borré scored our equaliser with an incredible mazy run after coming on as a substitute. It's commendable that keep coming back, but poor that we always concede early on and struggle to beat the opposition.
Gent at home...
Our first European win since 2007! A poor attacking performance overall, but I can't complain after the succession of draws. I brought on Oriol Riera as a second-half substitute and, while his performance was horrible, he found a way to break down a tight Gent defence with three minutes remaining on the clock. San Emeterio's cross was gorgeous, allowing the towering striker to calmly slot the ball into an empty goal. 3 points on the board in Europe!
A new contract...
Saul deserved a wage bump after his impeccable performances last season and already this. He did not ask for much and I went out of my own way to renew his contract. He will be a key component of our future along with San Emeterio on the other flank. It's good to have promising youth in defence.
League and Euro tables...
Unbeaten in the league, but more draws than wins is a tad worrying - especially when you consider the opposition.
San Emeterio made two assists and created chances when nobody else was. He also played a part in two clean-sheets. I cannot wait to see how he develops. 19-years of age and shining in a team with veterans.
Next month, we face off against Barcelona. Things haven't been going too well for us and it is a tad demoralising, but balancing these competitions was never going to be an easy feat. 'Til next time! Forza Depor!