Thanks for the constant support, man! Glad you enjoy it!Absolutely on fire! One of my favourite stories at the moment, so glad to see it's still going strong!
Reviving Deportivo La Coruña
- Thread starter RCDAguiar
- Start date
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I just read it from the very beginning and what can I say? Fantastic story, can't wait to see the end of this season! Keep it up, great job and great club to manage. BTW I like how you trying to keep things realistic
Cheers, dude! Appreciate that. Yeah, I like to keep things as realistic as possible from transfers all the way down to friendlies!
May 2018 - Europa League Final Push
For the first time in this thread, I will NOT show you the results overview. This is so that nothing is spoiled and you can enjoy the emotions that follow. We start off at home to Monaco in the 2nd leg of the Europa League semi-final:
WE ARE THROUGH TO THE FINAL!!!!!!!!!! What a game and performance. I still can't believe it. I was wholly expecting that Monaco attack to dismantle us immediately in this 2nd leg, but we killed them off in the opening 25 minutes with ease. Baptistão scored yet another Europa League goal - perhaps the most important one of this entire run - after he tapped in Labyad's gorgeous cut-back. The Moroccan wing-wizard then struck a strong volley courtesy of San Emeterio's cross. A huge 22 minutes that put the game beyond Monaco. Even with Falcao's late goal, we were already home and dry. Borges did his customary penalty miss in Shelvey's absence. But that doesn't matter... we're in the final!!
We draw...
Spurs. Ooft. This will be our toughest game yet. Just looking at their team, they have a bunch of top class players. We haven't been in a prestigious final since 2002.
Real Madrid at home, 3 days after that win vs Monaco...
View attachment 194105
Wow. Back-to-back results against huge sides. We seriously need to talk about Lucas. He ALWAYS scores against Real Madrid. They must despise him. He equalised the game after Ronaldo's goal, won the penalty that Shelvey converted and had his shot hit Navas' back and go in. All three of our huge goals courtesy of his excellence. Ronaldo's brace was not enough to bury us. A huge 3 points to secure a top 4 finish!
Atleti away, final game of the season...
No beautiful end to our league season, but I wanted to rest a few players for the upcoming final. The majority of our key players didn't start and we were duly battered. I honestly could not care less. Our sights are set on that Europa League trophy after previously securing a top 4 finish. On a sidenote, Bicho scored his first goal for the club after almost 50 appearances. His contract is up in the summer and I will NOT be renewing it. He is too far below our level, unfortunately.
The league table:
What a season! Back-to-back 3rd place finishes and above Real Madrid again! We only lost 3 times all season which is hugely impressive for a club that relies most only free transfers and loans. We're finally getting some stability and I think we could start pushing for more amazing things in the near-future.
EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL!
I feel as though our hearts have been crushed into tiny little pieces. Spurs toyed with us and made us look like an inferior club all-round. We were powerless when they attacked and then struggled to break them down in the final third. They have such a good side. Still, I can't help but think how different the game would have been if Baptistão hadn't hit the post in the 5th minute. This one hurts. We were never supposed to go this far, but we did. I felt as though this could have ended the trophy drought and given us something concrete to build upon. It was not to be - and I don't know when we'll make a European final again. A sour way to end the season, but I can't help but feel proud of this team. We finished 3rd and got to a European final, all on a shoestring budget. We've improved massively.
We win the Biggest Overachievers award in the Europa League!
Arribas makes La Liga team of the season. Props to him - yet again outstanding at the heart of our defence. He deserves to be amongst some of these big names.
The most money we've had yet! Our debt is finally starting to reach a healthy state.
View attachment 194098
Arribas leads the list for most key tackles in the Europa League.
View attachment 194097
Arribas and Insua also lead the list for most key tackles in La Liga. Those two are an impenetrable pair.
View attachment 194096
Youngster, Saul, leads the list for most tackles per game in La Liga. Our defenders are stars!
View attachment 194095
Fabian, Saul and Corredera ALSO lead the list for most distance covered in the Europa League.
View attachment 194094
Nice to see everyone finally warm to Corredera's quality. He was phenomenal this year and cemented himself as our best midfielder. Sad to see Shelvey return to Swansea as the fans clearly loved him (as did I). We can't afford to bring him back. Lucas' free-kick vs Sevilla won goal of the season.
Baptistão just short of 20 goals, which is great considering how our system is based around sharing the load. San Emeterio was flawless for another season, getting the highest average rating AND most assists. Kid is unreal. Deivid now back-to-back seasons with the best pass completion. So dependable and consistent.
View attachment 194092
San Emeterio - yet again - wins the YPOTY award ahead of two FM wonderkids. Great to see. I feel like I've unearthed a gem! I haven't see anyone talk about him on forums or anything. He's amazing!
Like fine wine, Arribas has aged beautifully. He is now one of the best defenders in the league and just phenomenal for us. Insua has also improved hugely with Arribas tutoring him. I'm dreading the day he dips in quality, but enjoying it for now. Another top year from Arribas.
14 assists in all competitions aged 22. He ran a midfield that lost just 3 times in the league, outshining class players like Shelvey and Borges. Corredera was unreal and I cannot wait to see how he progresses. I hate tooting my own horn, but before I arrived he was just an OK central midfielder in the academy. I took a plunge and sold a few players just to bring him through. My faith in him as been repaid tenfold.
Leo scored 19 goals and almost all of them were important. I can't look past that hat-trick vs Sevilla, or that beauty vs Monaco to secure us the final. It's going to be tough to keep him around. He has a 30m release clause and we cannot afford a contract renewal (he wants 130k a week).
San Emeterio with back-to-back POTS awards. He deserves it. Honestly, look at how young he is: he already has 30+ assists in two seasons here at Depor. There's a reason I keep renewing his contract: Bayern and Benfica keep sniffing around his 14m release clause. We'll likely have to renew him in the summer again, too. He's simply the best player I have used on FM16.
And so ends our 3rd season. We finished 3rd again, reached the Europa League final and just continued to ruin everyone's party. I have high hopes for the 4th season. Maybe we can finally win a trophy? Thanks to all of you for your comments, likes and views. I'm having a blast writing this save out. Next time we talk, I will update you on pre-season and our new signings/outings. Forza Depor!
For the first time in this thread, I will NOT show you the results overview. This is so that nothing is spoiled and you can enjoy the emotions that follow. We start off at home to Monaco in the 2nd leg of the Europa League semi-final:
WE ARE THROUGH TO THE FINAL!!!!!!!!!! What a game and performance. I still can't believe it. I was wholly expecting that Monaco attack to dismantle us immediately in this 2nd leg, but we killed them off in the opening 25 minutes with ease. Baptistão scored yet another Europa League goal - perhaps the most important one of this entire run - after he tapped in Labyad's gorgeous cut-back. The Moroccan wing-wizard then struck a strong volley courtesy of San Emeterio's cross. A huge 22 minutes that put the game beyond Monaco. Even with Falcao's late goal, we were already home and dry. Borges did his customary penalty miss in Shelvey's absence. But that doesn't matter... we're in the final!!
We draw...
Spurs. Ooft. This will be our toughest game yet. Just looking at their team, they have a bunch of top class players. We haven't been in a prestigious final since 2002.
Real Madrid at home, 3 days after that win vs Monaco...
View attachment 194105
Wow. Back-to-back results against huge sides. We seriously need to talk about Lucas. He ALWAYS scores against Real Madrid. They must despise him. He equalised the game after Ronaldo's goal, won the penalty that Shelvey converted and had his shot hit Navas' back and go in. All three of our huge goals courtesy of his excellence. Ronaldo's brace was not enough to bury us. A huge 3 points to secure a top 4 finish!
Atleti away, final game of the season...
No beautiful end to our league season, but I wanted to rest a few players for the upcoming final. The majority of our key players didn't start and we were duly battered. I honestly could not care less. Our sights are set on that Europa League trophy after previously securing a top 4 finish. On a sidenote, Bicho scored his first goal for the club after almost 50 appearances. His contract is up in the summer and I will NOT be renewing it. He is too far below our level, unfortunately.
The league table:
What a season! Back-to-back 3rd place finishes and above Real Madrid again! We only lost 3 times all season which is hugely impressive for a club that relies most only free transfers and loans. We're finally getting some stability and I think we could start pushing for more amazing things in the near-future.
EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL!
I feel as though our hearts have been crushed into tiny little pieces. Spurs toyed with us and made us look like an inferior club all-round. We were powerless when they attacked and then struggled to break them down in the final third. They have such a good side. Still, I can't help but think how different the game would have been if Baptistão hadn't hit the post in the 5th minute. This one hurts. We were never supposed to go this far, but we did. I felt as though this could have ended the trophy drought and given us something concrete to build upon. It was not to be - and I don't know when we'll make a European final again. A sour way to end the season, but I can't help but feel proud of this team. We finished 3rd and got to a European final, all on a shoestring budget. We've improved massively.
We win the Biggest Overachievers award in the Europa League!
Arribas makes La Liga team of the season. Props to him - yet again outstanding at the heart of our defence. He deserves to be amongst some of these big names.
The most money we've had yet! Our debt is finally starting to reach a healthy state.
View attachment 194098
Arribas leads the list for most key tackles in the Europa League.
View attachment 194097
Arribas and Insua also lead the list for most key tackles in La Liga. Those two are an impenetrable pair.
View attachment 194096
Youngster, Saul, leads the list for most tackles per game in La Liga. Our defenders are stars!
View attachment 194095
Fabian, Saul and Corredera ALSO lead the list for most distance covered in the Europa League.
View attachment 194094
Nice to see everyone finally warm to Corredera's quality. He was phenomenal this year and cemented himself as our best midfielder. Sad to see Shelvey return to Swansea as the fans clearly loved him (as did I). We can't afford to bring him back. Lucas' free-kick vs Sevilla won goal of the season.
Baptistão just short of 20 goals, which is great considering how our system is based around sharing the load. San Emeterio was flawless for another season, getting the highest average rating AND most assists. Kid is unreal. Deivid now back-to-back seasons with the best pass completion. So dependable and consistent.
View attachment 194092
San Emeterio - yet again - wins the YPOTY award ahead of two FM wonderkids. Great to see. I feel like I've unearthed a gem! I haven't see anyone talk about him on forums or anything. He's amazing!
Like fine wine, Arribas has aged beautifully. He is now one of the best defenders in the league and just phenomenal for us. Insua has also improved hugely with Arribas tutoring him. I'm dreading the day he dips in quality, but enjoying it for now. Another top year from Arribas.
14 assists in all competitions aged 22. He ran a midfield that lost just 3 times in the league, outshining class players like Shelvey and Borges. Corredera was unreal and I cannot wait to see how he progresses. I hate tooting my own horn, but before I arrived he was just an OK central midfielder in the academy. I took a plunge and sold a few players just to bring him through. My faith in him as been repaid tenfold.
Leo scored 19 goals and almost all of them were important. I can't look past that hat-trick vs Sevilla, or that beauty vs Monaco to secure us the final. It's going to be tough to keep him around. He has a 30m release clause and we cannot afford a contract renewal (he wants 130k a week).
San Emeterio with back-to-back POTS awards. He deserves it. Honestly, look at how young he is: he already has 30+ assists in two seasons here at Depor. There's a reason I keep renewing his contract: Bayern and Benfica keep sniffing around his 14m release clause. We'll likely have to renew him in the summer again, too. He's simply the best player I have used on FM16.
And so ends our 3rd season. We finished 3rd again, reached the Europa League final and just continued to ruin everyone's party. I have high hopes for the 4th season. Maybe we can finally win a trophy? Thanks to all of you for your comments, likes and views. I'm having a blast writing this save out. Next time we talk, I will update you on pre-season and our new signings/outings. Forza Depor!
It was always going to be tough vs Spurs and it was but it's a huge overachievement with that side anyway! Congrats on your season, you're making progression year after year.
As for your gem RB, I believe I've heard about San Emeterio brothers. Check out his brother Fede! I don't know if he's any good on FM though.
As for your gem RB, I believe I've heard about San Emeterio brothers. Check out his brother Fede! I don't know if he's any good on FM though.
fishyfootball1
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Wow great story man! Just caught up now, great read. I expect your upward trajectory to continue next season.
Thank you for the kind words
TheAverageOne
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Great job this season ! Looking forward how you will use the transfer budget - go for a bigger player spending a chunk of it or distribute it evenly ?
Likelihood is I will distribute it evenly. We have to increase the quality of our depth and replace some departures! Thanks for reading
2018 pre-season - signings & results
Ah, our fourth summer. It seems like every summer we have improved and therefore have a bit more money to play around with. This summer, though, was a turbulent one. We had some outings, contract extensions etc. Let's just start with some of the contract renewals.
View attachment 192706
We renewed Saúl for two reasons: he gave us another great season and Wolfsburg were close to triggering his release clause. We couldn't let him go. He gladly renewed and took on a 15m release clause (previously 7).
Bayern enquired and Benfica bid for our player of the last two seasons. No way in **** is he going anywhere.
He renewed. It had to be done. His clause is now in the 20m range. He's now one of the highest earners at the club. Well deserved. As we grow, he continues to shine.
This is our academy centre-back, Quique Fornos. When I first joined, I had a chance to sell him to Villarreal for 700k. I turned it down and have been loaning him out since. I have now promoted him to the first-team where he will be 4th choice centre-back in order to evaluate his quality.
We also got the kid to renew.
I turned down an international job! Rarely ever get these offers!
And now, a huge sale. One that I could not prevent. One that seriously saddened me:
Yeah, I know. It hurts. It hurts SO f**king bad. We've been trying to renew Leo for 12 months now but could not afford the 140k asking price of his. And it bit us in the backside. Tottenham swept in and triggered his 30m release clause - 50% of which went to the player... and the board retained a good sum of it due to debt, too. I was left quite penniless and without my star striker. Fair to say we tripled what we paid but that does not heal the wounds. We will struggle without him - a man who single-handedly took us to the Europa League final. It's a shame he couldn't play a big part in our future. I wish him the best of luck. If only we'd had enough money to keep him around.
Our record transfer fee. I suppose that's cool...
Alas, he was replaced!
14m for Seferovic. Quite a hefty sum, but he is best as a complete forward which is our desired role. He's also not too bad - but certainly not Leo!
I hope he fits in well and makes us forget about Leo. Stats make him well poised to succeed, I hope.
Borré returned to Atletico and I could not be bothered to loan him in again. I wanted someone who would belong to us, so I picked this 2nd choice striker up on a free...
Not bad at all. Again, he plays best as a complete forward. As a second choice, he's quite a strong addition to the side. Worst case scenario: we sell him on for a decent amount of profit. I expect him to surprise me, though.
View attachment 192686
Borges was ageing, past his prime and no longer shining for us. He also wanted to remain as a first-team player when I simply could not offer him that. We picked up 1.8m for a guy who was nearing contract expiration, so I can't complain. We needed fresh faces in an ageing midfield, so we were able to acquire this guy on a free:
Andreas Pereira on a free. He is supremely gifted and has all the tools to succeed. Already better (on paper) than Borges AND significantly younger. Cannot wait to see how he integrates into our midfield three. Worth noting that he can play behind the striker or on either flank, too. Very useful for squad depth.
Another midfield outing and for good money, too. Juan Dominguez is no longer good enough for us. His stats are poor, he contributes little and has regressed. I respect him because he came through the academy, etc. But I couldn't keep him around any longer. Espanyol offered 1.7m and we ran away with it. Good money for a bit-part player.
His replacement:
Juan Dominguez's replacement: younger, better and signed with his money. Not bad at all. He's happy to play as part of a rotation system.
As you can see, he has quite a few standout stats. For 1.4m, I can't complain. A solid capture.
As you guys know, Shelvey returned back to Swansea. I tried, but we simply couldn't afford to bring him back. I then tried for this young kid and eventually got him on loan despite trying for a permanent deal:
Gedion Zelalem. The supremely talented American midfielder. He keeps turning down contracts at Arsenal and has one year left on his deal. My hoping is that he keeps turning them down until January where I can just snap him up on a free. He seems destined for superstardom.
I'm so excited to see how he does. Only a loan, sure, but I have a strong feeling he could be ours permanently within months. I now have a midfield stacked with quality and experience: Corredera, Zelalem, Pereira, Mosquera & Deivid. Not too shabby! We've cut out the ageing, deadwood and kept the consistent performers + youth.
We made just one other signing in attack. Bicho departed (contract mutually terminated) and I wanted to add some experience to my current crop of wingers: Lucas, Fabian and Labyad. We ended up with this talented man on a free:
Tadic is an experienced and gifted creator/scorer from wide areas. He should be an instant success and give us some good years. It was ballsy to go for an ageing player but he was the best free agent available to us and ready to make an instant impact.
The other two signings were the ones you would have seen in January: right-back Correa (Laure departed on a free this summer) and Vergara (Sidnei returned to Benfica). Here is a full list of the ins and outs:
Eight signings + heaps of departures (mainly loans and contract expiries). Overall, we spent a lot less than we recouped which will help pay off debts and balance the wage bill. I'm happy overall but afraid we will struggle in attack without our talisman Baptistão.
Lastly, this is how pre-season went:
As always, we played our local sides to keep things realistic. Nothing new here.
And you're all caught up! On the next update, we'll look at the first month of the new season and find out our Champions League group. Let me know what you thought of the overall transfer dealings. Thanks, as ever, for reading and FORZA DEPOR!
Ah, our fourth summer. It seems like every summer we have improved and therefore have a bit more money to play around with. This summer, though, was a turbulent one. We had some outings, contract extensions etc. Let's just start with some of the contract renewals.
View attachment 192706
We renewed Saúl for two reasons: he gave us another great season and Wolfsburg were close to triggering his release clause. We couldn't let him go. He gladly renewed and took on a 15m release clause (previously 7).
Bayern enquired and Benfica bid for our player of the last two seasons. No way in **** is he going anywhere.
He renewed. It had to be done. His clause is now in the 20m range. He's now one of the highest earners at the club. Well deserved. As we grow, he continues to shine.
This is our academy centre-back, Quique Fornos. When I first joined, I had a chance to sell him to Villarreal for 700k. I turned it down and have been loaning him out since. I have now promoted him to the first-team where he will be 4th choice centre-back in order to evaluate his quality.
We also got the kid to renew.
I turned down an international job! Rarely ever get these offers!
And now, a huge sale. One that I could not prevent. One that seriously saddened me:
Yeah, I know. It hurts. It hurts SO f**king bad. We've been trying to renew Leo for 12 months now but could not afford the 140k asking price of his. And it bit us in the backside. Tottenham swept in and triggered his 30m release clause - 50% of which went to the player... and the board retained a good sum of it due to debt, too. I was left quite penniless and without my star striker. Fair to say we tripled what we paid but that does not heal the wounds. We will struggle without him - a man who single-handedly took us to the Europa League final. It's a shame he couldn't play a big part in our future. I wish him the best of luck. If only we'd had enough money to keep him around.
Our record transfer fee. I suppose that's cool...
Alas, he was replaced!
14m for Seferovic. Quite a hefty sum, but he is best as a complete forward which is our desired role. He's also not too bad - but certainly not Leo!
I hope he fits in well and makes us forget about Leo. Stats make him well poised to succeed, I hope.
Borré returned to Atletico and I could not be bothered to loan him in again. I wanted someone who would belong to us, so I picked this 2nd choice striker up on a free...
Not bad at all. Again, he plays best as a complete forward. As a second choice, he's quite a strong addition to the side. Worst case scenario: we sell him on for a decent amount of profit. I expect him to surprise me, though.
View attachment 192686
Borges was ageing, past his prime and no longer shining for us. He also wanted to remain as a first-team player when I simply could not offer him that. We picked up 1.8m for a guy who was nearing contract expiration, so I can't complain. We needed fresh faces in an ageing midfield, so we were able to acquire this guy on a free:
Andreas Pereira on a free. He is supremely gifted and has all the tools to succeed. Already better (on paper) than Borges AND significantly younger. Cannot wait to see how he integrates into our midfield three. Worth noting that he can play behind the striker or on either flank, too. Very useful for squad depth.
Another midfield outing and for good money, too. Juan Dominguez is no longer good enough for us. His stats are poor, he contributes little and has regressed. I respect him because he came through the academy, etc. But I couldn't keep him around any longer. Espanyol offered 1.7m and we ran away with it. Good money for a bit-part player.
His replacement:
Juan Dominguez's replacement: younger, better and signed with his money. Not bad at all. He's happy to play as part of a rotation system.
As you can see, he has quite a few standout stats. For 1.4m, I can't complain. A solid capture.
As you guys know, Shelvey returned back to Swansea. I tried, but we simply couldn't afford to bring him back. I then tried for this young kid and eventually got him on loan despite trying for a permanent deal:
Gedion Zelalem. The supremely talented American midfielder. He keeps turning down contracts at Arsenal and has one year left on his deal. My hoping is that he keeps turning them down until January where I can just snap him up on a free. He seems destined for superstardom.
I'm so excited to see how he does. Only a loan, sure, but I have a strong feeling he could be ours permanently within months. I now have a midfield stacked with quality and experience: Corredera, Zelalem, Pereira, Mosquera & Deivid. Not too shabby! We've cut out the ageing, deadwood and kept the consistent performers + youth.
We made just one other signing in attack. Bicho departed (contract mutually terminated) and I wanted to add some experience to my current crop of wingers: Lucas, Fabian and Labyad. We ended up with this talented man on a free:
Tadic is an experienced and gifted creator/scorer from wide areas. He should be an instant success and give us some good years. It was ballsy to go for an ageing player but he was the best free agent available to us and ready to make an instant impact.
The other two signings were the ones you would have seen in January: right-back Correa (Laure departed on a free this summer) and Vergara (Sidnei returned to Benfica). Here is a full list of the ins and outs:
Eight signings + heaps of departures (mainly loans and contract expiries). Overall, we spent a lot less than we recouped which will help pay off debts and balance the wage bill. I'm happy overall but afraid we will struggle in attack without our talisman Baptistão.
Lastly, this is how pre-season went:
As always, we played our local sides to keep things realistic. Nothing new here.
And you're all caught up! On the next update, we'll look at the first month of the new season and find out our Champions League group. Let me know what you thought of the overall transfer dealings. Thanks, as ever, for reading and FORZA DEPOR!
PoetryInMotion
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Some decent signings there.
Thanks!
TheOtherSpecialOne
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Just caught up and I must say that you have done some amazing work so far, tough losing against Tottenham in the final of the Europa League but the fact that you even managed to reach the final is very impressive. Seferovic is a very good player so I do believe that he should be able to fill the void that Baptistao left.
As I have been with a lot of the stories on this forum, a silent reader, I thought it was time to comment!
Very impressed with the work you're doing at Deportivo, and you really have a good layout to your story. Its a shame that you've lost your top striker, but the signings you have made should hopefully let you carry on the good work that has been done so far.
Very impressed with the work you're doing at Deportivo, and you really have a good layout to your story. Its a shame that you've lost your top striker, but the signings you have made should hopefully let you carry on the good work that has been done so far.
Thanks! I hope Seferović smashes it for us. Leo was something else! Fingers crossed
Thank you, man. Appreciate the kind words and glad you've enjoyed reading. I can only hope that we'll rally around losing Leo and improve as a squad to make up for the lack of goals we'll inevitably suffer!
I hope Seferovic will perform well for you, unfortunately he's not that good as LeoThat American guy looks classy!
Thanks for reading! Zelalem looks great. Hope he fits in as well as I am expecting him to!
August 2018 - Our 4th season is underway
Feels like only yesterday I was starting this save with a bunch of journeymen and loanees. We've come so far in 4 seasons. This year, my aim is for us to finish top 3. I just want to get consistency under our belts before we aim for higher. Plus, this is our first season with more than 3-4 recruits. We have eight! It may take a while for them to bed in, especially our midfield without some of the usual experienced heads. Anyhow, let's take a look at this month's results:
An unbeaten start to the new season, although it's the first time we've failed to win on opening day since I arrived. Before we dive into the game-to-game recaps, our Champions League group is in:
We've yet to have an easy group in the Champions League and I'd say this is our toughest. All three of these sides are European regulars; we're tipped as the underdogs of the group. I'm not expecting much at all. I'd be happy with 6 points...
Granada away...
A poor result to kick things off, but Haris Seferovic scored on his debut at least! That has helped build my confidence going into this season without the mighty Leo Baptistão. We had six debutants (4 starters, 2 subs) so perhaps the draw was to be expected. We created little but defended quite well, as ever. Nice to see San Emeterio pick up his first assist of the season already... the little monster!
Elche at home...
Ah, this was a satisfying result! Our first home game of the season, 3 points in the bag. Two identical goals: San Emeterio hugging the byline, whips in a cross and Tadic volleys home. Tadic's brace on his home debut has already made him a likeable figure amongst the new boys. This exactly what I signed him for: produce goals and assists right off the bat. He's 29, enjoying his better years in terms of G+A and is in great form. We picked him up at the perfect time (and on a free!). Can't complain! A good way to end the month.
League table:
Well, let's just hope we don't finish 6th this season...!
It just had to be our main man; our key player. While we were too busy licking our wounds over Leo's departure, he took both games by the scruff of the neck and produced 3 assists. Productive and decisive as ever. I just hope we can keep him around for a long time. We won't be able to swat the likes of Bayern Munich away for much longer. He may get his 5th contract renewal in 3 seasons at some point this year.
Thanks for reading a short - but I hope sweet - update on my Depor save. Next month, we face off against Olympiacos and Celta. It should make for an entertaining update. 'Til then! Forza Depor!
Feels like only yesterday I was starting this save with a bunch of journeymen and loanees. We've come so far in 4 seasons. This year, my aim is for us to finish top 3. I just want to get consistency under our belts before we aim for higher. Plus, this is our first season with more than 3-4 recruits. We have eight! It may take a while for them to bed in, especially our midfield without some of the usual experienced heads. Anyhow, let's take a look at this month's results:
An unbeaten start to the new season, although it's the first time we've failed to win on opening day since I arrived. Before we dive into the game-to-game recaps, our Champions League group is in:
We've yet to have an easy group in the Champions League and I'd say this is our toughest. All three of these sides are European regulars; we're tipped as the underdogs of the group. I'm not expecting much at all. I'd be happy with 6 points...
Granada away...
A poor result to kick things off, but Haris Seferovic scored on his debut at least! That has helped build my confidence going into this season without the mighty Leo Baptistão. We had six debutants (4 starters, 2 subs) so perhaps the draw was to be expected. We created little but defended quite well, as ever. Nice to see San Emeterio pick up his first assist of the season already... the little monster!
Elche at home...
Ah, this was a satisfying result! Our first home game of the season, 3 points in the bag. Two identical goals: San Emeterio hugging the byline, whips in a cross and Tadic volleys home. Tadic's brace on his home debut has already made him a likeable figure amongst the new boys. This exactly what I signed him for: produce goals and assists right off the bat. He's 29, enjoying his better years in terms of G+A and is in great form. We picked him up at the perfect time (and on a free!). Can't complain! A good way to end the month.
League table:
Well, let's just hope we don't finish 6th this season...!
It just had to be our main man; our key player. While we were too busy licking our wounds over Leo's departure, he took both games by the scruff of the neck and produced 3 assists. Productive and decisive as ever. I just hope we can keep him around for a long time. We won't be able to swat the likes of Bayern Munich away for much longer. He may get his 5th contract renewal in 3 seasons at some point this year.
Thanks for reading a short - but I hope sweet - update on my Depor save. Next month, we face off against Olympiacos and Celta. It should make for an entertaining update. 'Til then! Forza Depor!