meguel

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THE GREAT CATALUNYA ADVENTURE
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Welcome to my 3rd story this year where I will be managing Barcelona - with a twist. I shall be starting as the manager of FC Barca "B" and working my way up to a position as the manager of the current best team in the world: FC Barcelona. This won't be as ambitious as my attempt and the San Marino challenge but will hopefully last longer then my attempt at Monaco, which didn't last very long.

The aim of this "challenge" is to win the treble with Barcelona whilst retaining the World and European cup with Spain, which I estimate will take around 5-6 seasons.

So stay tuned to see my progression through this save; the next post will be an overview of the squad, preseason friendlies and tactics.



 
TACTICS AND TRANSFERS UPDATES
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The first choice squad for the season (barring any more departures, of course). Dongou and Samper have been promoted from the u19 side and will be playing a big part in this season so as to get some first team experience because I think they have potential to be important players in the Barcelona first team in the future. Nieto starts out wide due to the injury to Isaac Cuenca.

Oier will begin the season in goal however there's a choice of 6 goalkeepers I can chose from this season including one with 4.5 potential ability starts so he may well get playing time. Another more senior member of the squad is Jonathon Dos Santos who is eating up the wage budget costing the club 17.5k per week; for a non starter his position in the squad may have to be removed and he could potentially be promoted to the senior squad for Tata to deal with.

The board forced the sale of Sergi Gomez so Patric starts with Costa at CB whilst the rest of the transfers and squad report can be found below:
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The preseason friendly results; as usual my assistant took care of these games and other then the two games against local teams the results weren't too impressive. Not reading too much into these games however, as these games only really serve a purpose of improving fitness and tactical knowledge.

The next update will show results from the remainder of August and September.

 
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER UPDATE
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Alaves 2 - 1 Barcelona "B"
Dongou

What looked like a great start to my managerial career with a 13th second goal my Dongou breaking a club and league record for the fastest goal ended in misery as we lost from two scrappy goals. The winner came 2 minutes into added time

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Barcelona "B" 2 - 1 Tenerife
Samper

A first win for club in a game we were expected to win well but in the end we struggled to win at all. An own goal late into the second half gifted us the 3 points.

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Barcelona "B" 0 - 1 Recreativo
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Despite losing this game we dominated throughout and the boys should never have been in a losing position. Nontheless a terrific longshot from a Recrativo player gave them the win.

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Hospitalet 1 - 3 Barcelona "B"
Kiko, Costa

We went a goal down to a superb Hospitalet freekick which whistled into the net from 35 yards out. At halftime I rallied the troops and we went out and claimed an impressive win over Hospitalet. It's also worth noting that I switched up the tactics here until the side is proficient in Tiki Taka.

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Zaragoza 0 - 0 Barcelona "B"
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Barcelona "B" 1 - 0 Sabadell SAD
Bedia

A goal from the more experienced Bedia claimed us a win which propelled us up the table to end the month in 10th place.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH(S)
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Kiko Femenia

A good month for the young winger, easily the standout performer in a month where we struggled to get on our feet.


 
OCTOBER UPDATE
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Barcelona "B" 2 - 4 Ponferradina
Bagnack, Ca

Frustrating result. Started the game with the Tiki Taka tactic and found ourselves 2 down in 30 minutes, swapped it for the more robust tactic and got it to 2-2 in ten minutes. Second half we fell apart and conceded another two, the first of which was a penalty which I criticized after the match.

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Girona 0 - 0 Barcelona "B"
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We had an offside goal ruled out, but other then that a dull draw.

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Mirandes 2 - 2 Barcelona "B"
Nieto, Dongou

Fantastic first half performance against the league leaders as we scored two early goals to put ourselves in a dominant position. Half time came and dressing room confusion occurred resulting in the dropping of the two points.

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Barcelona "B" 1 - 2 Numancia
Dongou

Poor performance and to top it off we lost the squads only striker (because the management at the first team refuse to let me handle transfers), Dongou, and the promising RB/CB Ie.

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SUMMARY
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14th place... 9 places below expectation. Form will need to pick up - that's for sure - but I'm sure that'll come with time as we cement the fundamentals with the tactical knowledge. For the month itself although we failed to pick up a win we did get a big point against Mirandes.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
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Agostinho Ca

In a month of mediocrity, this lad stood out with some great performances.


 
NOVEMBER
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Las Palmas 4 - 2 Barcelona "B"
Ca, Sandro

Very poor performance. We lead then gave away 2 stupid goals, followed by a 3rd not so bad goal, by which point it was too late.

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Barcelona "B" 0 - 2 Cordoba
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Back up left back was awful, cost us a goal. Even with Dongou and Sandro we couldn't get a goal.

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Lugo 0 - 1 Barcelona "B"
Dongou

A surprise win that came out of nowhere. We had one shot on target and they had ten. No one is performing.

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Barcelona "B" 1 - 2 Guadalajara

Dongou

Kiko missed a penalty in the last minute that would have leveled the scores, the press seemed to think I'd get sacked after a poor performance, thankfully that hasn't happened yet.

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SUMMARY

Right, seeing as this month was horrific there isn't much I can say. Hopefully we can put this behind us and move forward although I can't say I expect such a thing to happen. The media expect a sacking by Christmas and I can't say I don't think that'll happen on current form. If I do get the sack then I'll continue this story, depending on the job offers that I receive.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH

No one deserves it.

 
Ooof rough start. Team meeting and change of tactics I think mate. Always tough managing a B team.
 
Ooof rough start. Team meeting and change of tactics I think mate. Always tough managing a B team.

Haha, tried these things mate. Last team meeting no one wanted to know and I've been through 3 tactics already :/.

Big problem is the big players for the team get sold off for peanuts because they'll never be good enough for the first team.

EDIT: Seem to have actually picked up a result for a change.
 
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Augustino Ca done well very for my Leeds team. Apart from that I haven't got any experience with the rest of your team. Looks like you could be in for a rough ride though.
 
Augustino Ca done well very for my Leeds team. Apart from that I haven't got any experience with the rest of your team. Looks like you could be in for a rough ride though.

Yes, he's been a great player for me, probably the best.
 
DECEMBER
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Sporting 2 - 1 Barcelona "B"
Dongou

Poor, as usual. Dongou getting his usual goal.

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Barcelona "B" 3 - 1 Alcorcon
Espinosa x2 (1 pen), Dongou

An impressive win to end our bad run of form in the league. Things are looking up?

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Mallorca 2 - 1 Barcelona "B"
Bedia

A respectable loss against top of the table Mallorca.

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SUMMARY
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All in all, one of the better months. Although that isn't saying much. Dongou has found his shooting boots in the league and the team seems to be finally finding it's feet and hopefully the new year will bring better performances.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
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Jean-Marie Dongou

Impressive month from the youngster with 2 goals in 3 games and one of the seasons better performers.
 
Haha, tried these things mate. Last team meeting no one wanted to know and I've been through 3 tactics already :/.

Big problem is the big players for the team get sold off for peanuts because they'll never be good enough for the first team.

EDIT: Seem to have actually picked up a result for a change.
Whats your rep set at?
 
THE NEW YEAR
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Barcelona "B" 0 - 0 Deportivo
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Not a bad draw against 3rd place Deportivo

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Castilla 5 - 3 Barcelona "B"
Espinosa, Dongou, OG

I went out to prove a point and attempt to win the El Classico mini by a big margin but ultimately came up short as two own goals condemned us to a loss.

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SUMMARY
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This loss leaves us 18th, but that doesn't matter because as you can probably see - this happened:

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Yes, I got sacked. But I got past Christmas - which is more then I personally expected. And then this happened:

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That's right, the team that got me sacked as a manager came back to me and said "do you know what? I think we'll get him".

So my question to you dear readers is do I take the Castilla job and try and do what I wanted to do with Barcelona on the dark side, or do I go and get a job with a different club - salvage my reputation and return to Barca in the future?
 
Sucks to see that but good luck at Castilla. Maybe one day you'll become the manager of the REAL thing.
 
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TAKA APPOINTED RIVER BOSS
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After being unemployed for just over a month and applying for a wide range of jobs including Torino, Catania and Everton I found myself with the amazing position of being able to manage the Argentinian giants River Plate. Hopefully this job will get me back on track and I get get back to Europe with my reputation restored.

Tactically, I'm starting with the same approach I took at Barca "B". Hopefully it yields better results this time.

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MARCH UPDATE
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River Plate 1 - 1 Estudiantes
Maidana

A late goal from CB Maidana salvaged points against rivals Estudiantes. With the mindset of the team going into this game I think it should be considered a good result.

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River Plate 2 - 0 Tigres
Luna x2

First win of my River reign and takes us away from the drop (which if I understand correctly is based on season averages?). Either way it puts us closer to the top of the table.

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Arsenal di Sarandi 1 - 1 River Plate
Rojas

We dominated throughout however a goal early in the second half meant we had to take a more aggressive position with a change in formation, giving us a draw against the team directly above us in the table. Wantaway winger Rojas impressed.

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SUMMARY

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I'm still unbeaten as manager of River so that's all good but the medias prediction of a 2nd place finish is looking unlikely. Questions have been raised with squad harmony with myself also as numerous players are still happy courtesy of the outgoing manager.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
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Gabriel Mercado

The RB has been impressive this month, averaging a rating of above 7.0. Unfortunately he suffered a serious injury in the final game, meaning he'll be out for approximately 3 months.

 
APRIL UPDATE
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YOUTH INTAKE
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Some gems as shown above, Rendon has even been called up to play for the senior squad as early as a week after signing a contract with the club. Due to poor finances at River these lads will most likely be the core of the future squad. Boca seem to have had the best of the youth intakes with three amazing regens and if I get a budget next season I'll be sure to try and poach a player or two.

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Boca 1 - 2 River Plate

Luna x2 (one pen)

A fantastic result against league leaders Boca in the world renowned Superclasico. We never trailed and young Rendon was forced into making him debut just days after signing and provided the assist for the first goal. In the 89th minute a penalty shout was given and Luna stepped up to convert.

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River Plate 4 - 0 Argentinos
Fabbro x3, Luna

The superclasico win definitely gave us convidence going forward as we annihilated one of the leagues best defenses at home. Tricky winger Fabbro played a supporting striker role in which he excelled in.

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River Plate 1 - 0 Rosario Central
Vangioni

Three times the ball ended up hitting the back of the net and twice it was ruled out. Luckily our leftback Vangioni scored a screamer to get the three points. Young striker Andrada came on at half time and got sent off in five minutes through two yellow cards. Balotelli-esque.

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Colon 2 - 0 River Plate
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Got the tactics wrong to be blunt.

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Racing Club 1 - 4 River Plate
Sanchez, Luna x2, Fabbro

Good win against rivals Racing. I tried to play more aggressively this time after the last mishap away from home, with impressive results.

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SUMMARY
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A great month - even if my unbeaten run did end! We won two rivalry matches and earned the squads respect. I feel that staying here for the next few years could be rewarding, even if we risk not playing Copa Liberdores football next season. The regens brought in look great too, so our financial burden will be less consequential.

The board also found a new way to pay off the clubs debt so the club could stay competitive.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
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Jonathan Fabbro

It's hard to believe his four goals this month were the first of his season. The winger turned striker has really impressed me this month and will be seeing a lot more first team football in the coming weeks.
 
MAY/JUNE UPDATE
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River Plate 3 - 1 Godoy Cruz
Sanchez, Maidana, Luna

Pretty standard result against a poor team.

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Belgrana 0 - 3 River Plate
Vangioni, Luna x2

Great win against a team above us to put us into the top four. Luna continues to impress and despite financial issues contract negotiations continue.

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River Plate 2 - 0 San Lorenzo
Luna, Simeone

We beat rivals San Lorenzo quite easily although Luna and Rendon picked up knocks.

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River Plate 4 - 1 Velez
Balanta, Ferreyra, Fabbro x2

Emphatic victory against a team that is struggling in the "second phase" of the leauge. Will help us push on and get a good finish in the league.

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Lanus 1 - 2 River Plate
Maidana, Ferreyra

After putting my faith in Bottinelli he decided to repay the faith by giving a penalty away early in the first half. The experienced CB had been injured consistently since my arrival at the club and lost a first team place as a result. Despite his poor performance trusty Maidana started the comeback before a late, late goal from Ferreyra gave us the 3 points.

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River Plate 2 - 1 Olimpo
Luna, Fabbro

Two early goals ensured victory.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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Carlos Luna

Impressed yet again, the 31 year old striker is a huge part of this River side and will continue to be so for the coming years.

No summary this month, instead a season summary will follow when Boca decide to play their last few games.
 
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