Reviving Deportivo La Coruña

  • Thread starter Thread starter RCDAguiar
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Great achievement, mate! Congrats.

I say play at least one season to try win ECL. I would say keep at it until you win it or get out at an earlier stage than previous year or repeat stage eliminated for three seasons. Until winning it would not be bad.

But of course, do it if it's still fun for you.
 
Really, really pleased for you mate!

Should you ever get bored, you could always resurrect another former giant on that file, seems like you have the knack for it.
 
Death Ball said:
Great achievement, mate! Congrats.

I say play at least one season to try win ECL. I would say keep at it until you win it or get out at an earlier stage than previous year or repeat stage eliminated for three seasons. Until winning it would not be bad.

But of course, do it if it's still fun for you.
Click to expand...

Thanks for reading! I'll definitely keep the save going.
 
Godfish93 said:
Really, really pleased for you mate!

Should you ever get bored, you could always resurrect another former giant on that file, seems like you have the knack for it.
Click to expand...

Cheers, that's definitely something I'm looking to do further down the line!
 
Congrats on the league win mate, amazing achievement! Would definitely like to see this continue whilst it's still challenging, it hasn't gotten to the stage of the league being a foregone conclusion yet :)
 
PatrickLFC said:
Congrats on the league win mate, amazing achievement! Would definitely like to see this continue whilst it's still challenging, it hasn't gotten to the stage of the league being a foregone conclusion yet :)
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Thanks for being a constant presence on this thread! I'll definitely continue!
 
Pre-season, signings and more (6th season, 2020)

Pre-season, signings and more (6th season, 2020)

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6th season. You guys asked for more and I'm more than happy to continue. This pre-season is one where we've had the most money but, yet again, a release clause for one of our talents was triggered. Let's see how this pre-season panned out, shall we?

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He's 31, but he's our skipper. His contract was up in a year so renewing it was a no-brainer. He was happy to take more of a rotation role, which delighted me. I love Lucas and how, even at the age of 31, he is still producing and playing at a high level. I want him to retire here.


Another 31-year-old, but another absolute star. Arribas has been outstanding in the six seasons I've been around. Now at 31, he is beginning to decline. I want him to take more of a rotation role, much like Lucas, this upcoming year. He was happy to commit to that, too.

In terms of signings, we made quite a few. Firstly, though, I want to look at the departures this summer. There were a few:


I didn't expect this one as Zelalem was a tad underwhelming last season, but AC Milan swept in and triggered his 20m Euro release clause. I don't think we'll miss Zelalem. They money was excellent for a player whom we signed on a free.


I wanted to refresh that left-wing and Tadic was the victim of this. He was very good last season, rotating with Abel Hernandez on the left. I was wary of taking on an ageing squad going into this new season, particularly with the renewals of Arribas and Lucas so I had to let go of Tadic. I wanted someone younger, better and likelier to play more often. 5.25m for the Serbian is very good money indeed, especially when you factor in that we transferred him on a free.


We sold Vergara for 2m. Again, decent money for a rotation player and someone whom we paid nothing for. Vergara had one really good month and a handful of poor ones. Much like Tadic, we want someone better who can become an undisputed first-choice almost immediately. Vergara bites the dust. Probably my poorest signing as Depor manager.


THE SIGNINGS
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Let's just say that we had a stupendous pre-season for signings. We went all-out for one player, picked up an incredible bargain and also looked to build for the future.


Juan Iturbe, who I'm sure you'll all be familiar with, is Tadic's replacement. He's much better, younger and best of all... WE SIGNED HIM ON A FREE TRANSFER. I cannot wait to see how good this guy is in game. He could elevate our attacking play a couple of notches more. Highly technical, great on either flank... you just know this guy will be a star. FREE TRANSFER!


Vergara's replacement and also the guy who relegates Arribas to 3rd choice. He has better stats than both and is perfect at the age of 26. Experienced, yet still young. He looks superb and will refresh a defence that was world class last season. High expectations placed on his shoulders, especially when you consider the fact we broke our transfer record for him:


20.5m - never thought I'd be able to spend that much on this Depor save... but here we are! Lindelöf is someone I'm expecting to bring even more solidity to our defence. Both he and Insua are 26. Could they become the perfect CB partnership? I'm look for Lindelöf to make us more resolute in Europe. Arribas often dips in the Champions League.


Zelalem's replacement. Only 18, but look at those stats! Our first (purchased) regen and the 2nd Uruguayan in this squad. I'm looking for Correa to quickly become a regular in our midfield. He may even be loaned out in January if I find him to be too raw, but I doubt that will happen. We may very well be fielding a dreamy midfield trio of Corredera-Correa-Pereira very soon. And all three of them are young, too. I love all the alternatives we can build off of this signing. A bargain at just 7.5m.



Additionally, we sold 2nd choice right-back Roberto Correa to balance out the budget. I promoted last season's academy regen, Nestor Pillado, to the first-team. He looks like a talent. All in all, we had a net spend of just 2m which I'm extremely happy with. We may have spent quite a bit but we also sold quite well.

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Squad depth looking good. Nice to have a 3rd choice striker alternative in Iturbe in case we get a double injury up-top.


Pre-season was short because we went on the Korean tour and then took part in the two-legged Spanish Super Cup (which we will talk about in the next update). For those unaware, the Super Cup is a prestigious trophy in Spain. It's the same premise as the English community shield - domestic cup winner vs league winner - but it is far more important to the sides involved. We take on Atletico. Can we make it a 2nd trophy in my tenure? Tune in next month to find out! FORZA DEPOR!
 
Great job on winning a title(i was busy,so i am a bit late).Shame u sold Tadic,as he is one of my favourite players irl,but Iturbe seems great. :D
 
Batajakiller said:
Great job on winning a title(i was busy,so i am a bit late).Shame u sold Tadic,as he is one of my favourite players irl,but Iturbe seems great. :D
Click to expand...

Thank you! I loved Tadic and, if we had not won the league, I may have held onto him for another year. He never once performed poorly for a prolonged time, but I just wanted an upgrade!
 
Congratulations on winning the league, truly an amazing achievement! Some nice transfers as well, Iturbe especially looks really impressive.
 
August 2020 - A new season, new targets

August 2020 - A new season, new targets

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Our 6th season is underway. My targets this year: challenge for the title, win the Copa del Rey. Anything else is a pleasant, pleasant bonus. Europe is perhaps still beyond us but we'll throw our all at it. There's also the Spanish Super Cup which would be a nice little trophy to kick-start our season with.

The results:


Atleti galore! A loss, a win and a draw. A bit of a rocky start to the season but let's dive straight into these games.

Atleti away 1st leg Spanish Super Cup...


Tired players after a short pre-season meant that this game was bound to be a tough one. Having said that, a 1-0 loss isn't all that bad away from home. We can easily turn it around in the 2nd leg. I would have liked to have seen us attack with more fluidity, but it was a really disjointed performance from both sides. Atleti just took their chance late on. It does make our chances of winning the Super Cup a tad tougher, but I'm adamant we can overturn the deficit at the Riazor.

Athletic Bilbao away...


An excellent result to open our league campaign as current title holders! This was a display of determination and fight. Hard work and persistence. Athletic scored early on and defended their lead successfully for a very long time. We struggled to break them down and looked like creating zilch chances. All it took was Abel Hernandez swapping positions with Seferovic for our equaliser to arrive, one minute after the Swiss forward had been substituted. San Emeterio's venomous cross found Abel lurking in the box... the Uruguayan headed the ball with ease to tie the game up. It all looked destined for a draw, with both sides tentatively battling it out in midfield for possession. Until Labyad, who had come on in the 78th minute for Halilovic, pumped the ball long in the 93rd minute. It deceived Athletic's defensive line and Lucas latched onto it. The 31-year-old captain found himself one-on-one and duly finished for 2-1 and our first 3 points of many this season. Great way to start the campaign!

Atleti at home (league)...


No, this is not the 2nd leg. That will be played next month. This was the frustrating league encounter against Atleti. We found ourselves 1-0 down early on, but it took just 3 minutes to level the game. Seferovic's curled finish after Lucas' lay-off was beautifully timed. We grew in the game and looked extremely ruthless in the final third. Shortly after the 2nd half resumed, Abel Hernandez glided from the left-hand side to receive another Lucas pass for 2-1. A great turnaround and morale boost ahead of the 2nd leg... until we decided to concede 7 minutes from the final whistle. A poor lapse in concentration from new boy Lindelöf allowed Bacca to ghost in behind the defence and score. 2-2 - a disappointing share of the points considering our utter dominance in the final third. Gutted. Still, we can attempt to put them to the sword for a third time when we play them next month in the Super Cup 2nd leg.

Champions League opponents?


Our 1st time as the #1 seed in the Champions League. We were drawn against Bayern, yet again, but the rest of the group seems beatable. Lyon may be a potential banana slip but, as long as we take them seriously, we should be fine. Be'er-Sheva are the token *rotate every single player and you'll still win this one* team. I'm happy with the group for sure.

League table...


5th. Long gone are the days when we were happy with that, eh? As a side note, it's really cool to see Real Unión in La Liga. They're one of the most prestigious and oldest Spanish clubs who fell from grace quite a while ago and have been tumbling in the 3rd-4th tier ever since. At least in the game they're back. But I don't suspect they'll last at all.


PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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He may be 31 but, make no mistake about it, Lucas is still a highly productive player for this club. I want him to retire here not only because this is his boyhood club, but because he brings this certain determination and ability to turn games on their respective heads. Our captain scored the late winner against Athletic and assisted both goals in the draw against Atleti. That is a masterful level of productivity and importance to the side.

Tune in next month for a heap of games, including two Champions League clashes, the 2nd leg for the Super Cup final and four league ties. It's a long, long September ahead of us. Thanks for reading... FORZA DEPOR!
 
September 2020 - All we do is win, win, win

September 2020 - All we do is win, win, win

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I love the constant flow of green. 7 games, 7 wins and MORE SILVERWARE!

Atletico Madrid at home, 2nd leg...


WE WIN OUR 2ND TROPHY IN MY TENURE! 2 IN THE SPACE OF MERE MONTHS! This was a pure, uncensored beating of Atletico. We were dominant in attack from start to finish, completely overturning the 1-0 deficit from the first leg. Iturbe smashed in his first goal for the club with an early header. 2 minutes had gone by and we had levelled the tie. The rest is history. Abel Hernandez tapped in a Seferovic cross and Seferovic tapped in a Hernandez cross for two goals in two minutes. Easy as you like, the trophy is coming home. Abel stroked in a penalty late on to round off this emphatic victory. A giant clean-sheet against one of the toughest teams in the league. Abel was otherworldly.


Beautiful bit of silverware! Now we just need to knock down the Copa and Champions League for a clean sweep! The quadruple is on ;)


I was offered a renewal almost immediately after that result. A nice little 5 year deal.

Villarreal away...


Another dominant display, but the difference is we squandered many chances. Profligacy in the final third almost hurt us. Iturbe opened the scoring with a sublime finish following Saúl's cross. Halilovic then doubled the score when Pereira laid off a simple pass that the Croatian rifled in from range. Yet, after those two goals, we failed to put any more shots on target. We kept shooting wide and missing easy chances. Villarreal scored early in the 2nd half but, thankfully, our defensive performance was strong enough to keep us afloat.

Lyon away...


A very, very strong performance. I love a 1-0 away win. We defend extremely well against a refined Lyon attack. In the final third, we were quite toothless. It took Abel Hernandez coming on in the 2nd half for Seferovic for our winning goal to arrive. With 12 minutes to go, and the game headed for a goalless draw, the Uruguayan stepped up yet again with a big one-on-one finish to secure a victory in our first Champions League game of the season. Our 2nd clean-sheet of the month. Abel's 3rd goal.

Cordoba at home...


Another big, big attacking performance. Córdoba took a shock lead in the 10th minute after some poor defending, but what happened next was an utter decimation of the Andalusian club. Halilovic equalised 14 minutes later with an easy finish following Pereira's inch-perfect through ball. It took until the 63rd minute for us to pull away from Cordoba. Corredera latched onto another great Pereira pass, slotting the ball past the goalkeeper with ease. Juan Iturbe scored yet another header from a Saúl cross to put the game beyond Córdoba. Seconds from the whistle blowing, Abel Hernandez added insult to injury when he met regen right-back Nestor Pillado's cross with an unbelievable scissor kick. Perfect, mouthwatering attacking performance.

Malaga at home...


Another Andalusian club, another clean-sheet, another victory. Lucas scored yet again in one of his sporadic appearances as a rotation option. The veteran captain tapped in a San Emeterio cross to open the scoring. The first-half ended with Malaga having 0 shots. Alen Halilovic scored a stunning volley from Pereira's lofted pass to double our score. The final whistle blew, Malaga registered 0 shots in 90 minutes. A brutal defensive performance from our players. We could have scored more but Malaga were happy to sit deep all game long.

Osasuna away...


If this month has proven anything, it's that we love an early goal. And we love killing teams off early. All it took was the opening 5 minutes for the team to go 2-0 up. Corredera finished from a tight angle after yet another Pereira assist. Iturbe then tapped into an open goal after a Seferovic shot had rebounded into his path. The Swiss forward, with all but 20 minutes played, downed Osasuna with a simple header following Iturbe's cross. We then sat back, saw the game out and made sure Osasuna's goal in the 2nd half would be a mere consolation. We preserved energy and stamina very well. Another win!

Be'er Sheva at home...


Early goals, eh? 4 goals in 32 minutes saw Be'er Sheva more than finished before the half-time whistle had blown. Lucas was glorious in perhaps one of his finest games for the club. The winger assisted Hernandez's opening goal, Halilovic's long-range strike and Hernandez's easy finish for the hat-trick. In between those goals, Lucas grabbed a goal himself when he tapped in one of Hernandez's failed shots. The Uruguayan striker, by the way, sealed a hat-trick and made it 7 goals in 7 games. A stupendous rate for a 30-year-old. We have one **** of an attack force right now. A great mixture of youth and pure experience. Another clean-sheet and a perfect way to end the month!

League and CL tables:


All's well!



PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Hernandez scored 7 in 7. Whether it was a winning goal (Lyon away) or part of a thumping (Be'er Sheva and Atletico), he was constantly putting the ball in the back of the net with the utmost consistency. He's completely outshone Seferovic this month. Headers, calm one-on-one goals... he's done it all. He may very well be one of my favourite players on this save.

Next month, more games! We play Bayern, Celta in the derby and Real Madrid. Huge games, but I'm backing us to the do the business. Thanks for reading! Forza Depor!
 
October 2020 - Three huge games

October 2020 - Three huge games

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Three huge games and a positive all-round month, starting away at Real Oviedo:


Quite a disappointing performance despite the win. Oviedo actually had a strong grasp on the game and, if not for Fabricio's scintillating saves, may very well have drawn this game. As per usual, we opened the game strongly when Abel Hernandez picked up a deep cross from Iturbe, in the 4th minute, to drive past Mustafa Budak in the Oviedo goal. The Argentine winger then netted a goal of his own, waltzing past two players and rifling a shot from a tight angle. This goal was important as Oviedo had equalised a few minutes earlier. Early in the second-half, Iturbe sealed the game with an OUTRAGEOUS free-kick. 3-1, 3 points. Onto the next one.

Real Madrid at home...


We made Real Madrid look like a mid-table side. They rarely threatened out tight-knit defence, struggled to win the ball off our midfielders and did not cope one bit with our explosive attack. It took just 31 minutes to strike two past the prestigious club: Seferovic and Abel Hernandez both scored headers assisted by Saúl and Lucas respectively. We then proceeded to slow the game down and rest on our laurels, but Halilovic had other plans. 6 minutes after coming on, the Croatian picked up a pass from fellow substitute, Espinosa, and larruped a long range strike with almighty power. It was the perfect way to end a perfect performance. One of the finest in my tenure.

Bayern at home...


A really disappointing result, especially as we had taken the lead early. Abel Hernandez deceiving Bayern's high line in the 8th minute made it seem like we were going to steamroll another big opponent, but it simply wasn't to be. This tight game was decided by who took their chances better. Bayern's 3 shots on target counting for two goals, our 4 counted for just one. It wasn't enough, but we matched them on performance level which is always a huge positive. Our first loss of the season (if you disregard the Super Cup as a seasonal trophy rather than pre-season).

Valencia away...


Two tough games back-to-back, but I'm delighted it didn't end in two defeats. Ideally, I would have liked a win here, but Valencia are our bogey team. We simply struggle to beat them most seasons. They attack well and defend well, knowing just how to exploit our frailties. If not for Arribas' sumptuous header from a set-piece, we would have lost this. We created absolutely nothing from open play. All of our shots on target were Iturbe trying his absolutely socks off to find a winner late on.

Celta at home...


It's always great to bounce back from two poor results, but it's even better when that win comes against your eternal rivals. This was a ridiculously tight and even game with both sides on their job, defensively speaking. Captain Lucas stepped up. As always. I love starting him in the derby because 1) he has a superb record against Celta and 2) he's a local guy and knows the fixture better than anyone else. It paid off. In the 3rd minute, the 31-year-old ghosted behind Celta's defence, after a poor back-pass, and finished with ease one-on-one. A fine way to put this month back on track. A delightful victory, as ever.

Real Union away...


Real Union are bad. Like seriously bad. Think Derby when they were in the Premier League a few years ago. There is no way these guys are going to get 20+ points this season. If we had not been so **** wasteful, the scoreline could have been double figures. Halilovic and Iturbe both scored identical tap-ins from Antonio Luna's glorious crosses. Lucas cemented the three points late on when Seferovic laid him off from just outside the box. But it could have been so much more goals. And don't even ask me how we conceded. We just switched off. I'm actually disappointed that we didn't hammer them, but there's always the 2nd game!

League and CL tables:


2nd and 2nd. Consistency? We're praying for better. We're still unbeaten in the league!


We found out our opponents for the Copa:


Easy. The token side to rotate your entire XI against when fixtures start pouring in.

Next month, we take on Bayern again as well as FC Barcelona. It will be a big month because we also take on Lyon, meaning Champions League progression is up for grabs! 'Til then, Forza Depor!
 
Just read through it all mate, awesome story! One of the best I have seen on here this year. Congrats on the title! KIU.
 
November 2020 - Do we make it out of the CL group?


November 2020 - Do we make it out of the CL group?

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Some big results and victories, but we have to start with the poor result first: Bayern away...

Back-to-back losses against Bayern. This time, though, we did not match them one bit. If not for Fabricio, they could have scored a handful. We threatened little, failed to regularly win back possession and just looked utterly incapable of performing to the level which we should have. I was mightily disappointed with the players. This could very well have thrown our Champions League qualification out of the window, but what it most certainly did is cement the fact that we cannot finish 1st... meaning our opponents, if we qualify, are likely to be an extremely tough side.

Rayo at home...



A very nice way to bounce back after the disappointment had in Europe. This was only a few days later, so I didn't expect the performance level to be high. In fact, we weren't even that good! It was just a case of being clinical and we were rewarded for just that. Abel Hernandez scored a hat-trick, despite starting on the wing. His finishing was explosive and accurate throughout, burying his 3 shots of the game past the goalkeeper. Two nice headers and a fantastic, powerful penalty. Captain Lucas scored in between the Uruguayan's party to cement a thrashing of Rayo. 3 points to put that Bayern game behind us.

Almeria away...


Another drubbing. We're seriously walking the league this season. Nobody can hold a candle to our excellence in the final third. I love that this team was so cheap to assemble too. It's the absolute unity of the side that makes us so **** good. We found ourselves 4-0 up after 32 minutes, not for the first time this season. Hernandez did his usual thing of scoring early when he headed in a gorgeous Saúl cross. Iturbe then scored one of his textbook long-rangers when youth starlet, Gonzalo Correa, laid off a pass in his direction. Hernandez was felled inside the box on the 25th minute and proceeded to bury his 2nd consecutive penalty. Unfortunately, he didn't make it consecutive hat-tricks! Halilovic killed the game off when he tapped in a rebound from Hernandez's shot. To add insult to injury, and the 5th goal of the game, Victor Lindelöf scored his first Deportivo goal from a Halilovic corner. Sadly, the Swedish centre-back failed to keep a clean-sheet when Almería scored a consolation from a free-kick. Still, two impeccable attacking displays in two games. I'm loving it! Iturbe-Hernandez-Halilovic is a devastating forward line.

Lyon at home...


Another 1-0 win against Lyon, another late goal to cement the victory. This was a tight game with both sides defending excellently. But all it took was one lung-busting run from Saúl, beating two players in the process, who unleashed a beautiful cross for the tiny Argentine winger to head past Lopes in the Lyon goal. Funnily enough, this must be the 4th header Iturbe has scored this season. His height is deceptive as he leaps quite well to meet aerial balls. This was a huge win for the team yet again, but did it secure progression to the knockout stages?


Of course it did! Another season that we make it out of our group! This one was tough, but we did it with a game to spare meaning that we can happily field a sub-par team against Be'er-Sheva. I'm praying that we avoid one of the giants in the round of 16.

Barcelona at home...


What an excellent way to end the month! We've beaten both Real Madrid and Barcelona comfortably already this season, not even conceding a goal against them in the two games! This was a mauling that could, and should, have been more than two goals. Youngster Gonzalo Correa, who is already proving to be one of the best signings I've made for this club, scored his first Deportivo goal when he volleyed in a Halilovic free-kick early on. Iturbe, who had been pretty sub-par all game, decided to smash in a free-kick just before I substituted him. 2-0 with the highest of comfort. Despite the fact that this month started poorly, every other result after that Bayern game was just mesmerising. I'm loving this season so, so much. We're turning into a powerhouse club.

League and CL tables:


Already 4 points clear at the top of La Liga. We'll take that!


PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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I can't look past Hernandez. I never expected him to be quite good, let alone f**king amazing! He's turned into a prolific forward, whether that is up-front or on the left, and pretty much relegated Seferovic to second choice. This season is his and I wouldn't be surprised if he broke the 30 goal mark. If he does, he would be the first player to do so in my six years at the club! 5 goals and 1 assist in 5 games is ridiculously consistent.

Next month, is a very relaxed one. We play 3rd tier side Alcoyano twice in the Copa, Be'er Sheva in the pointless Champions League game and then some mediocre league games. But you have to tune in because we find out who we'll face in the CL knockout stages and Copa del Rey (providing we qualify). Until then, FORZA DEPOR!
 
December 2020 - Calm before the storm...?

December 2020 - Calm before the storm...?

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This was a smooth and calm month. Almost too quiet! It's pretty much the only month of relaxation that we'll get all season. And it starts away at Be'er-Sheva:


Pretty much rotated the entire side. Seferovic is still struggling to score. He's had a woeful start to the season. Luckily, Lucas is aged like fine wine. He may not play as regularly as he did 2-3 years ago, but he still produces when called upon. His late goal sealed the victory after Moroccan playmaker, Labyad, opened the scoring early on with a fine finish.

Who did we draw in the Champions League knockout stages?


This will be very, very tough. Chelsea have one of the best regens in the entire game (Rui Pedro). We were always going to draw the short straw due to that second place finish though.

Sevilla away...


Very ineffective attacking performance but it was hard to get anything out of the side after most of these players were rotated back in. Iturbe's injury in the 11th minute damaged our chances of creating regularly and thus we had to settle for a 0-0 draw. Seferovic missed an open goal by hitting the post. A chance which could have gotten us the three points.

Alcoyano away, 1st leg...


Rotated yet again. I'm honestly just messing about this month with the teams. We missed heaps of chances against an awful third division side and looked to be heading toward a disappointing 1st leg result. Abel Hernandez replaced the underwhelming Haris Seferovic and scored the winner late on - a fine, fine finish from Labyad's long-range pass. We'll take the victory despite the wasteful performance.

Real Sociedad at home...


I rotated the stars back in much less than last time, so the performance here was actually a tad better. But still, this was a breathtaking performance because Real Sociedad were the superior side. They scored early on and proceeded to dominate us in possession. We struggled to break them down. With 10 minutes to go, it looked like we were headed toward our first league loss... until Iturbe came on and floated a gorgeous corner toward Lindelöf, whose emphatic header glanced past Kivrak for 1-1. I was willing to take the draw. Until, once again, Abel Hernandez stepped up against all the odds. When nobody else looked willing to find a winner, he did. I keep starting Seferovic so that he regains form, but he continues to misfire while Hernandez constantly gets the business done. This time, with one minute left on the clock, Hernandez breaks the opposition's defence line, meets Lucas' deft pass and slams the ball past Kivrak. 2 goals, 9 minutes. All on the brink of full-time. This side has cojones!

Alcoyano at home...


Easy. Job well done. Off to the next round we go. 33 shots and 4 goals. It could have been a lot more, but this was just so much fun to watch. My players were playing as though they were on the training ground. It all started when Halilovic slammed in a 30-yarder in the 11th minute to open the scoring. It was a beautiful goal, one he has been scoring quite regularly since arriving. Seferovic then (finally) scored a header from Iturbe's stunning cross. Halilovic decided to add another to his tally in the second-half, easily tapping in a low Iturbe cross. On came 16-year-old Nestor Pillado at right-back and, within 7 minutes of being on the field, he delivered the most glorious deep cross to Seferovic who scored a bicycle kick. I don't know what was better: the actual finish or the cross. Regardless, it was a beautiful goal. That wrapped it up nicely. 4-0 and onto the next one!



Seferovic went 13 matches without a goal. Godawful. Glad he's got that monkey off his back.

We ended up drawing...



Wow. We drew our rivals, Celta Vigo. I can't wait to dump them out of the cup. I will take a lot of pleasure in doing so. In all seriousness, a tough two-legged tie beckons. They will be as up for it as we are. But we want that trophy. Nobody can stand in our way!

Mallorca at home...


A very dominant and calm display to end the month with. Very happy with that. Saúl was the mastermind behind the explosive attacking performance, assisting both early goals in between Mallorca's consolation. Both his crosses were perfect for Corredera and Correa to simply tap in. Nothing special there. Seferovic added a third in the 60th minute when Halilovic played him in, one-on-one. The Swiss forward applied a strong finish that cemented victory. An own-goal saw us gain our 4th of the game, embarrassing Mallorca in the process.

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WHAT? SO MUCH MONEY?!?!?! WE ARE FINALLY OUT OF DEBT!!!

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League and CL table:


Just three points short of that top spot. We would have been given a very accessible team (Zenit) too!


Almost halfway through the season and 4 points clear. Look at Celta struggling in 14th!



PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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This kid was so impressive. Is he the next academy boy to make his way into the first-team? You know I love the local lads! Pillado assisted against Alcoyano in the first leg, kept a clean-sheet against them in both legs as well as a clean-sheet in his first Champions League appearance for the club. His average rating was always above 7.5. He looks like a promising player that certainly fits the mould of San Emeterio. A great back-up for now! Still only 16 years of age. Ridiculous stuff!

Next month, tune in as we take on: Celta twice in the cup and, if we go through, our next opponents twice too! It's going to be a month that will, at the very least, have six fixtures with a view to increase to 9. Who knows, we may even make a signing! Til then, FORZA DEPOR!
 
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