EXPECTATIONS
I didn't know what to expect in Leighton Baines first season. Was the hype about him being a future superstar manager true? At the very least, I am expecting a quarter-final appearance in either FA or Capital One Cups. Let's see what happens!
TRANSFERS
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Summary: In his first year, Baines didn't bring in many players. The first player he brought in was Lars Erik Sylthe: a regen from Norway. He is a 22 year old centre-back who had an above average match rating. I see him as a rotation player. Next was Uhuru Fontaine: a regen from France. He is a 23 year old full back that played a rotation role in his first year and will probably stay in that role. The final player is the cheapest at 450K and probably the most exciting of the three. His name is Steff Bailey. He is an 18 year old central midfielder from Scotland with world-class potential. Let's see how he develops!
FRIENDLIES
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YOUTH INTAKE
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Summary: This year, the youth intake is pretty weak. Our best player is Joe Price. He was born and raised in Liverpool, England. He has potential to be a decent rotational player.
SEASON RESULTS
CAPITAL ONE CUP:
View attachment 227443As always, we started in the 3rd round. We had a huge challenge early on in London giants: Arsenal. The match was at home so we had an advantage. We took that advantage by winning 2-1.
View attachment 227442Leighton Baines told the guys to not get too ahead of themselves. Take it one game at a time. Don't worry about expectations or predictions, just play.. That helped them beat Middlesbrough 4-1 at the Den.
View attachment 227441The next round was the quarter-final. We were drawn at home against Welsh-side Cardiff. We were confident. We had momentum and the crowd was behind us. But it wasn't enough.. we lost 2-1. It was a good run.
FA CUP:
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Leighton Baines first Mereyside Darby as a manager comes in the FA Cup at Anfield. We wanted this game because of our recent success or lack there of in the FA Cup and simply because it's Liverpool. The match ended in a 3-3 draw. We were happy with that. It meant that we were going back home for the replay.
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The replay was at home at Walton Park. The goals came fast.. in the 5th and 10th minutes respesctively. After that, it was all Liverpool... 3-1 loss for Everton. Some day we will win the FA Cup.. someday.
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE:
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Summary: WOW!! We have won the Barclays Premier League for the second time! In his first season as manager, Leighton Baines has guided Everton to a Premier League championship.. and look at the difference in points! A twenty point-differential, which means we had the title locked down from day one. What a way to start your career as manager.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:
View attachment 227433Due to us finishing in 4th place last season, we had to go through the Playoff to reach the group stage. We were drawn against Rubin.. We destroyed them over two legs, 7-1. We had a chip on our shoulder. We were too good to be placed in the playoff.View attachment 227436When I saw this group, I got extremely excited. We finally got the respect we deserved, we were a 1st seed... and we took advantage of it. We won our group with 5 wins and only one loss. The only other time you see that is in the preseason..
View attachment 227435After dominating our group, we were drawn against Portuguese-side Benfica. We were happy with this draw. we would have been like PSG-Barca: Giant vs Giant.. The first leg was away. We lost 2-1... Things were not looking good. It was looking like every other year when we lose to the underdog. But we roared back in the second leg winning 2-0 with both goals from club legend Memphis Depay. On to the quarter-final!!
View attachment 227432In the quarter-final, we were confident and rejuvenated from our second half comeback against Benfica. This round we didn't receive such a generous draw.. We got FC Bayern Munich. Was our amazing run over? Let's find out. The first leg was at home.. From the beginning, you could tell this one was ours. We destroyed them 3-0 with goals from Volland, Gomes, and Depay. In the second leg, we drew 1-1.. Wow. From the playoff to the semi-final.
View attachment 227431There were four teams left.. we were one of them. We were drawn against Spanish-giants: Atletico Madrid. The first leg was in Madrid. The sun was down, but it was still hot.. Spain, I guess. The first half was dry. In the second half, Volland scored in the 51st minute giving us a coveted away goal. They answered back in the 57th from Gabbiadini. They had momentum for a while, but in the 75th minute off a bad pass, Depay put it in the back of the net. We won 2-1. The second leg finish with the same 2-1 result.. but this time it was in there favor, which means penalties. We won 3-1 on penalties and we were through to the UEFA Champions League final.. what a match.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
The match was against fellow English-side Spurs. The final was in Wembley Stadium, in London.. where do Tottenham play again? Oh yeah.
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WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!!!!!!
BEST ELEVEN
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TROPHY CASE
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AROUND EUROPE
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