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10. Borussia Mönchengladbach:
Nation: GermanyLeague: Bundesliga
Finances: Good
Star player: Luuk De Jong
Why?: The surprise of the Bundesliga last year had to be this relatively unknown team gaining a Champions League qualification place. With some top class players like Marc-Andre ter Stegen who are promising they can push to challenge the Bayern Munich/Borrusia Dortmund dominance with the right decisions. What followed the ecstasy of qualification was star man Marco Reus leaving the club for rivals Dortmund. They worked quickly to replace him with in-form Dutch striker Luuk De Jong who promises to be epic on the next game. They aren’t going to be easy but with a lot of player’s upgraded ability wise and a few new faces to replace those who got poached by bigger teams it is going to be a challenge to see if you can keep them in the Champions League places with a limited fund compared to those around and more pressure than ever.
9. Juventus:
Nation: ItalyLeague: Serie A
Finances: Rich
Star player: Andrea Pirlo
Why?: I don’t think many would have predicted Juventus to rise from the ashes like a phoenix and dominate in the first season they really asserted themselves at the top again. Unbeaten in the league for the whole season is no easy feat (ask Arsenal fans) and with a new stadium Juventus have been looking at the cream of the crop during the summer. Many names have been linked to the club with The Old Lady including Fernando Llorente and Robin van Persie with the former still heavily tipped to join them. They’ve already attracted some new names to go into their team including Lucio and Paul Pogba which will add some more class to what will be a much improved side for the 2013 game with Italian players and Juventus alike performing significantly better over the course of last season meaning a huge boost to the attributes of all.
You’ll need to take their riches and experience to prove it wasn’t a fluke in 2011-12, see what you can do with the expectation back on Juventus’ shoulders and the “glory” that happened last season casting a huge shadow over you.
8. Borrusia Dortmund:
Nation: GermanyLeague: Bundesliga
Finances: Very Good
Star player: Mario Götze
Why?: Winning the double by beating Bayern Munich twice is a big incentive. Now Dortmund still have a young squad but have the knowledge to make it a third successive title in a row and with quality such as Götze still at the club it would be impossible to write them off. There is a catch to all this glory though, Dortmund haven’t done much in the Champions League and will be hoping this changes in 2012-13 this will be your job while maintaining the balance. The finances also comes into play, Bayern Munich and other teams trying to catch up have a lot more money than Dortmund so it is all about self-sustaining as the top team in your nation which is rarely seen with the big teams in other nations. Kagawa is gone and so has Barrios, these will be two huge blows and were cornerstones of the team, yet it isn’t all doom and gloom as you have been blessed with Marco Reus; who’s another young prospect in the team afterbeing snapped up this summer by Dortmund and he’s a capable replacement to the Manchester United new boy Kagawa. They’ve dealt well in the window and now it’s up to you to keep the likes of Hummels, Bender and Götze from the rich boys in other leagues in order to dominate home and for the first time ever in the club’s history – Europe!
7. Fiorentina:
Nation: ItalyLeague: Serie A
Finances: Very Good
Star player: Stevan Jovetić
Why?: Many clubs haven’t endured a season as bad as Fiorentina. The Italians found them way down the pack in Serie A after hoping to achieve European places and this has left a lot of clubs after their promising players with Stevan Jovetić attracting the attention of a few Premier League clubs. Luckily for Fiorentina not many have left but they’ve invested heavily into the playing squad in the hopes of glory. With a fair bit of cash available to you and the squad that can push towards Europe a 12th place finish like last season will not be acceptable, it is up to you to pick up morale and blend the squad together to push Roma, Napoli and Udinese like Fiorentina can do.
6. Arsenal:
Nation: EnglandLeague: Premier League
Finances: Rich
Star player: Thomas Vermaelen
Why?: A disappointing start to the 2011-12 season meant Wenger had to ditch his youth strategy leaving Arsenal with some very promising youngsters including Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Now though Arsenal possess more than just young talent and despite forward Robin van Persie very close to a deal with Manchester United there is still a lot of hope for the club that ended 3rd in the Premier League. One can argue that they have a better squad now with Santi Carzola being in WhoScored’s best rated XI in 2011-12 for Malaga and looking to justify breaking Arsenal’s transfer record. They have also invested in FMH firecracker Lukas Podolski who will look to continue to be a constant threat in the games and Oliver Giroud who will be hoping his attributes are boosted by his goal tally leading Montpellier to a 1st ever Ligue 1 title.
With still a bit of money in the bank to improve the defence and though Barcelona are chasing the ever-solid Alex Song Arsenal will be looking to improve with all their big spending rivals again spending a lot of money to get the better of them. Your aim will be to win a trophy for the first time in 7 seasons as the London club’s dry spell has to come to an end. The resources are there though and the team looks to be the best ever since that title winning season. Will it still hang over the club though? Make sure it doesn’t and deliver the Emirates its first taste of trophies.
5. Villarreal:
Nation: SpainLeague: Liga Adelante
Finances: Average
Star player: Giuseppe Rossi
Why?: No one ever expected a Champions League team to get relegated in a season they are in the competition but for some reason Villarreal managed the unthinkable yet they wished they wouldn’t have their name next to this feat. The club is in turmoil, a lot of their main players have left and they’re in the second division. A season of a lot of promise turned into their worst season ever and now they are looking to get back to where they feel they will belong. Luckily for them star striker Rossi is still with the club but after injuring himself for the majority of last season they will be praying he is healthy for this one.
This is potentially the club’s biggest season and with a hugely deflated squad full of decreased attributes you will be looking to do what the whole of the world expects and gain promotion. The problem is it is never that easy and a steady decline can soon turn into a rapid one, but you have the quality compared to the rest of the league. Can you do it though?
4. Chelsea:
Nation: EnglandLeague: Premier League
Finances: Rich
Star player: Juan Mata
Why?: Chelsea got the holy grail last season and landed the Champions League now the squad has been changed with younger, more technical players have come in as Juan Mata looks to dictate play for the attacking flair in front of him. Hazard, Oscar, Lukaku, Marin and Sturridge all provide players with great talent and the youth to give Chelsea an exciting new look. The only problem is the defence still lacks as well as a consistent striker and with the club performing below par in the league they will be looking to get a title challenge this season with the heavy investment, you won’t be short of money yourself for Chelsea and it should be an easy challenge yet it is more taking the club through a transition, the attack is starting to take shape but there’s plenty of deadwood such as Essien and Hilario keeping the average age up. Luckily for you though Mata will have been upgraded after a blistering season showing FMH’s scouts they massively underrated him. With a lot of attacking talent it is key you get the balance right while not making any of your stars unhappy as there is a lot of them, it can be tough at the top and Chelsea’s squad will be one of them that is tough to manage there, they break every FMH rule ever with their balance, you need to fix this. Are you up to the task?
3. Manchester United:
Nation: EnglandLeague: Premier League
Finances: Rich
Star player: Wayne Rooney
Why?: Like Chelsea Manchester United have over indulged on their attack yet in a different way. Manchester United have a lot of strikers. With Robin van Persie’s transfer all but completed his medical him and Rooney can form a deadly partnership but with Cleverely, Young, Valencia, Nani and new signing Kagawa battling for attacking spots in midfield you may have to choose to sell Welbeck or Hernandez to accommodate such a wealth of talent. The legacy of Sir Alex Ferguson is a long and prosperous one and his signings have left him with a choice he may not even be able to make, it really is heaven for any manager. Just make sure you choose the right choices and invest the money you have left wisely else the team could meltdown and start calling for your head. The noisy neighbours Manchester City have gotten louder too by winning the Premier League, you MUST win it this season and achieve everywhere else. This is the biggest season for Manchester United ever and it will mean a lot to their fans so don’t mess it up!
2. The Rangers FC:
Nation: ScotlandLeague: Scottish Division 3
Finances: Poor
Star player: Carlos Bocanegra
Why?: Liquidation, relegation and controversy have been the buzzwords around Rangers since FMH2012 was released. Now Rangers see a lot of new faces in their team due to their placing in division 3 after going into liquidation, the whole of the UK will be watching your every move as you guide the poor but significantly better club out of division 3 and back into the top 2 of the SPL like they’ve been for so long. This isn’t a rescue mission, this is about placement. They belong in the SPL but this will change Scotland and with limited resources can you make them resurface and fight off the newcomers to their past title by constructing a whole new squad? Promotion all the way up is a must, the pressure is on. This is a challenge never seen in FMH before, going from the bottom with a big team, with better players but no money and a lot of pressure. It will be something new, I’m excited to prove my worth as a manager, but can you do it too?
1. Paris Saint-Germain:
Nation: FranceLeague: Ligue 1
Finances: Rich
Star player: Thiago Silva
Why?: PSG didn’t take losing the title to Montpellier very well and have heavily invested smashing the record for money spent on a defender by buying Thiago Silva. They’ve raided Italy for stars Lavezzi and Ibrahimovic to match too as well as taken Veratti from Serie B! The team is primed and ready to shread Ligue 1 to pieces and with so much money for you to spend you wouldn’t know what to do with it all. Just don’t fail else you will be sacked in an instant, that is assured. The challenge will be Europe, you have the finances and a lot of the team to compete. This is about creating a dynasty from day 1 with a team that has never had a dynasty before, you need to make them taste so much success that their mouths are full. Want a lot of money and pressure as well as a clean slate? Create a legacy without going down the ranks and building up at PSG, it won’t be as easy as you’re imagining and could prove to be a difficult task with some good teams in France sniffing around for any weakness but you will be the team to beat, make sure they don’t succeed else your job may be on the line.
Notable Mentions:
AC Milan, Barcelona, Blackburn Rovers, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Malaga, Montpellier, Newcastle United, Santos, Swansea City, Valencia
AC Milan, Barcelona, Blackburn Rovers, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Malaga, Montpellier, Newcastle United, Santos, Swansea City, Valencia
Written for FMHVibe.co.uk