UEFA Champions League Challenge

[Klippybo]

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CHALLENGE

This is a story/thread that anyone can join in on. The aim is simple - win the Champions League with all of the 22 sides that have won the Champions League or European Cup before. From Bayern Munich to Celtic, Real Madrid to Steaua Bucharest and Liverpool to Red Star Belgrade. It is the ultimate challenge to manage all of Europes top sides - well apart from Man City, PSG and Newcastle (ahem lol).

Myself and Stonecold have attempted the challenge over the years but havent really got close to winning it. I think I managed to do 8 teams one year but that was it. Each team is ranked according to difficulty and there is a leaderboard for people to chart their success. To do this challenge in one managerial career is the target which would probably take at LEAST 50 seasons so its a biggie.

Here are the teams and points guide
​

TEAM	COUNTRY	TIMES WON	POINTS VALUE
Real Madrid	Spain	14	5
Bayern Munich	Germany	6	5
Liverpool	England	6	5
Barcelona	Spain	5	5
Inter Milan	Italy	3	5
AC Milan	Italy	7	10
Manchester United	England	3	10
Juventus	Italy	2	10
Chelsea	England	2	10
Borussia Dortmund	Germany	1	15
Ajax	Holland	4	15
Benfica	Portugal	2	20
FC Porto	Portugal	2	20
Marseille	France	1	20
Aston Villa	England	1	25
Feyenoord	Holland	1	25
PSV Eindhoven	Holland	1	25
Nottingham Forest	England	2	30
Hamburg	Germany	1	30
Celtic	Scotland	1	30
Crvena Zvezda	Serbia	1	40
Steaua Bucharest	Romania	1	50

As for Steaua Bucharest I believe there are 2 clubs that are claiming the European Cup win of 1986. Tbh if you are able to win the Champions League with either of those 2 teams then you have achieved something so difficult I aint going to be picky over which one of the 2 sides you did it with.

===



LEADERBOARD

To get an entry into the leaderboard just post a screenshot of your final and and a screenshot of your managerial history to prove that it is done with one manager in one save.
​

NAME	TEAMS WON WITH	POINTS
Klippybo	Benfica (2026)	20

 

[Klippybo]

My plan going into this save is to hit hit head on and really plough through the seasons. I am on holiday next week which will consist of watching every game of the World Cup from 10am-10pm while on football manager so lets see how many seasons I can get done in that time!!!

Now previously I have always went one of the easy sides to get a win straight off the bat like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich however this time around I thought I would go for a harder side to start off with. I hovered over 5 sides, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax, Red Star Belgrade and Celtic before I plumped for this lot.................

BENFICA!!!!!

So straight off the bat I am trying to break the Bela Guttmann curse. Guttmann led Benfica to back to back European Cup victories (1960-61 & 1961-62) and after the second victory he asked for a pay rise but was refused so he quit and and said - "Not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European champions again". Since then Benfica have reached 5 European Cup finals, 1 UEFA Cup final and 2 Europa League finals and they have lost them all!!!!!!!

I figure however that in 5 to 6 seasons I can break the curse. Benfica have so many top notch prospects - too many to develop for one club in all honesty - so with the correct player development and some decent signings I think we can be successful here. I inherit top notch players like Alex Grimaldo, Joao Mario and Rafa while I am excited to manage Antonio Silva, Goncalo Ramos, David Neres and Enzo Fernandez.

So lets get going!!!​

 

[Klippybo]

AUGUST

UEFA Champions League
League Path Qualifying Round 1st Leg

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Cruz, Silva, Morato, Grimaldo*, Aursnes (Neto), Luis, David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario (Ndour), Rafa, Ramos

What a first game this was!!!!! We raced into a 5 goal lead, conceded 2 late on and then they had 2 men sent-off!!! Goncalo Ramos scored a superb hat-trick but it was Alex Grimaldo who got the MOM award. Before the match all 3 of my RBs in the first team were injured so I called up Filipe Cruz to play while my only summer signing so far - Talles Magno from NYCFC for £10m - came off the bench to make his debut.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva (Brooks), Morato, Grimaldo (Ristic), Aursnes, Fernandez, David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario*, Rafa (Draxler), Ramos (Araujo)

A bog standard win but with 2 delightful longe range strikes. My CB pairing had a combined age of 38!!!! - Morato (20) and Antonio Silva (18).

--

UEFA Champions League
League Path Qualifying Round 2nd Leg

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Morato, Grimaldo (Ristic), Aursnes, Fernandez (Bernardo), David Neres*, Joao Mario (Ndour), Rafa (Draxler), Ramos (Araujo)

We finish the job here. Cher Ndour is a 17y/o Italian midfielder who I have called up to the first team to cover at AMC and he came off the bench to grab his first goal for us. Monaco lie between ourselves and a Champions League group place.............

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Brooks (Fonseca), Grimaldo*, Aursnes (Luis), Fernandez (Bernardo), David Neres, Joao Mario, Rafa, Ramos

Now then!!! What a result!!!!!! We smash our deadliest rivals as we come from behind early on to be 3-1 up at half-time and then we added another in the 2nd half. Before the game Morato suffered a bad injury so 3 of my 5 CBs are out and I was tempted to start 15y/o Joao Fonseca but I thought starting him against FC Porto was a big risk - he did come off the bench though and became the clubs youngest ever player.

--

UEFA Champions League
League Path Playoff 1st Leg

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva (Fonseca), Brooks, Grimaldo (Ristic), Aursnes (Luis), Fernandez (Bernardo), David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario*, Rafa, Ramos

A fine performance and a good result away from home. I was raging when we conceded an injury time goal but we still had enough time to get up to the other end and score a 4th goal.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Brooks (Fonseca), Grimaldo*, Aursnes (Luis), Fernandez, David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario (Draxler), Rafa, Ramos

--

UEFA Champions League
League Path Playoff 2nd Leg

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Silva, Brooks, Grimaldo (Ristic), Aursnes (Neto), Fernandez (Bernardo), David Neres*, Joao Mario, Rafa, Ramos (Araujo)

We reach the group stages by completing the job here. David Neres scored early on to all but kill off the tie and thats how it stayed until the 89th minute when Joao Mario bagged a 2nd.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva (Fonseca), Brooks, Grimaldo, Aursnes, Fernandez (Bernardo), David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario, Rafa (Draxler), Ramos (Araujo*)

We struggled really badly here and created absolutely nothing and actually looked like conceding a goal but I made my 5 subs and that changed everything. Henrique Araujo was our match winner with 2 goals - he really looks like a top prospect up front.

--

SUMMARY

So we have completed the first month and it has been a belter! In the league our stunning 4-1 victory over FC Porto was obviously the highlight and gives us an early advantage in the title race.

This save is all about the Champions League though and although we had 2 tricky ties we navigated them pretty well as Union SG were despatched 8-2 on aggregate and then Monaco 6-2 on aggregate. The group stage draw wasnt so kind to us however...

2nd place is achievable methinks but it will be tough!!!!

Regarding transfers I forgot to do a squad overview but basically I sold Nicolas Otamendi, Helton Leite, Chiquinho, Andre Almeida, Gil Dias, Rodrigo Pinho and Diogo Goncalves for £7m in total while I brought in Talles Magno from NYCFC for £11m - thats it!!! I am making a concerted attempt to promote my youth players rather than spend money not that I have much to spend!!!

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ALEX GRIMALDO

--

LIGA BWIN

​

 

[Klippybo]

SEPTEMBER

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Fonseca, Grimaldo (Ristic), Aursnes (Luis), Fernandez, David Neres, Joao Mario, Rafa*, Ramos (Araujo)

Rafa was irresistible in the first half as he helped himself to a hat-trick and then in the 2nd half Henrique Araujo took over as he had a goal disallowed and then had one that did count.

--

UEFA Champions League Group D

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Silva, Fonseca, Grimaldo (Ristic), Aursnes, Fernandez, David Neres, Joao Mario (Ndour), Rafa (Draxler), Ramos (Araujo)

I have mixed emotions over this defeat. Naturally I am gutted that we got humped but on the other hand any side can lose to this City team by 4 goals. Also I had a centre back pairing with the combined age of 34 so what did I expect? Cher Ndour scored the best goal of the game as he smashed in an effort from 25 yards.

Fonseca at the age of 16 years and 6 days becomes the youngest ever player to play in the Champions League.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Silva, Brooks*, Grimaldo, Aursnes, Fernandez (Bernardo), David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario (Araujo), Rafa (Draxler), Ramos

Not the greatest of performances but at least it is a win after our thrashing against Man City.

--

UEFA Champions League Group D

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Brooks, Grimaldo (Ristic), Aursnes (Luis), Fernandez, David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario, Rafa (Draxler), Ramos*

Goncalo Ramos almost singlehandedly defeated Marseille here as he scored a hat-trick to give us all 3pts. This is a huge result - especially when you consider that we went behind twice.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos*, Gilberto (Bah), Silva, Brooks, Grimaldo (Ristic), Aursnes, Fernandez, Talles Magno, Joao Mario (Ndour), Rafa (Draxler), Ramos (Araujo)

Pathetic. Ramos did have a goal disallowed but we were shocking here and were lucky to get a point in truth.

--

SUMMARY

This was a mixed month. Domestically all was well until we drew with Portimonense at home which ****** me off ever so slightly lol. Our win over FC Porto last month means we can afford a hiccup or two though.

In the all important Champions League we got thumped unsurprisingly against Man City but fought back to beat Marseille at home which was vital if we were to have European football after Christmas.

We play an astonishing NINE games next month!!!!

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
GONCALO RAMOS

--

LIGA BWIN

​

 

[Klippybo]

OCTOBER

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Silva, Brooks (Lucas Verissimo), Grimaldo, Aursnes (Luis), Fernandez (Bernardo), David Neres, Joao Mario, Rafa*, Ramos (Araujo)

I am beginning to think that I should play Araujo in the league and Ramos in the Champions League. Ramos has 3 goals from 8 league starts while Araujo has 5 from 6 sub appearances! Lucas Verissimo returned from injury here.

--

UEFA Champions League Group D

Lineup - Vlachodimos*, Gilberto (Bah), Silva, Brooks, Grimaldo, Aursnes (Luis), Fernandez, David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario (Ndour), Rafa, Ramos (Musa)

Meh. We were the better side but Vlachodimos saved a penalty from Dusan Vlahovic so I cant complain too much.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Silva (Lucas Verissimo), Brooks, Grimaldo (Ristic), Aursnes, Fernandez (Bernardo), David Neres, Joao Mario (Draxler), Rafa*, Ramos

Another huge domestic victory. Obviously the Champions League is where our long term ambitions lie so while that is not going to happen in the next season or three it is imperative to be dominant domestically.

--

UEFA Champions League Group D

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Lucas Verissimo, Brooks, Grimaldo (Ristic), Aursnes (Luis), Fernandez, David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario, Rafa (Draxler), Ramos (Araujo)

Despite the narrow scoreline we were comprehensively outplayed here as they had over 30 shots on goal to our 4 but with 15min to go we were awarded a penalty which Joao Mario took and it was saved. Gutting!!!!

--

Taca de Portugal 3rd Round

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Bah*, Joao Victor (Fonseca), Lucas Verissimo, Ristic, Luis (Neto), Bernardo, Talles Magno, Veloso (Santos), Draxler, Araujo (Musa)

I played a backup side here since we have games coming thick and fast and they got the job done.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Bah, Silva (Morato), Lucas Verissimo, Grimaldo, Aursnes, Fernandez (Bernardo), David Neres, Joao Mario, Rafa*, Ramos (Araujo)

Meh. Expected a bigger winning margin in truth.

--

UEFA Champions League Group D

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Silva, Lucas Verissimo (Morato), Grimaldo (Ristic), Aursnes, Fernandez, David Neres, Joao Mario, Rafa (Draxler), Ramos (Araujo)

It was imperative that we didnt lose here and thankfully Henrique Araujo came off the bench to rescue a point for us. We go into the final game against Man City in 3rd place on 5pts however both Marseille and Juventus also have 5pts so we could be out of Europe altogether, in the Europa League or still in the Champions League after the next match!

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Fonseca*, Morato, Grimaldo, Aursnes (Luis), Bernardo, Talles Magno, Draxler, Rafa, Ramos (Araujo)

I am delighted with this result as I rested several players for the upcoming Man City fixture. Supersub Henrique Araujo came off the bench again to score. I am delighted that in such a comfortable win 16y/o Joao Fonseca got the MOM award.

--

SUMMARY

We had a hectic month here and domestically all went pretty well. We won all of our matches and lead the way in the league. In Europe it was slightly disappointing as we only scored 1 goal in 3 games but it is still all to play for going into the final group game.

Elsewhere in the FM world the first future destination has become available already!!!! Man United, lying 15th in the Premier League, have sacked Eric Ten Haag.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
RAFA

--

LIGA BWIN

​

 

[Klippybo]

NOVEMBER

UEFA Champions League Group D

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva (Morato), Lucas Verissimo, Grimaldo, Aursnes (Luis), Fernandez, David Neres, Joao Mario (Draxler*), Rafa (Talles Magno), Ramos (Araujo)

A magnificent performance and result but alas it is not enough to keep us in the competition as Juventus thumped Marseille 4-1. This result does show that we can beat anyone on our day however.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Lucas Verissimo (Morato), Grimaldo, Aursnes, Fernandez (Draxler), David Neres, Joao Mario, Rafa*, Ramos

Pacos de Ferreira played really well here, especially in the 2nd half but we came out on top in the end. Rafa has now scored in our last 5 league matches.

--

Taca de Portugal 4th Round

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Bah (Cruz), Lucas Verissimo (Fonseca), Morato, Ristic, Luis (Neto), Bernardo, Talles Magno (Moreira), Joao Mario*, Draxler, Araujo (Musa)

This month will see us play our backups quite a bit but it was a regular starter, Joao Mario, who stole the show here.

--

Taca da Liga Group H

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Joao Victor (Cruz), Lucas Verissimo (Fonseca), Morato, Grimaldo, Luis (Neto), Bernardo (Ndour), Talles Magno*, Joao Mario, Rafa, Araujo (Resende)

Not bad. We kick off our League Cup campaign with an easy victory. At 16 years and 80 days Joao Fonseca becomes the competitions youngest player.

--

Taca da Liga Group H

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Joao Victor (Cruz), Lucas Verissimo, Morato (Fonseca), Grimaldo, Luis, Bernardo (Neto), Talles Magno, Joao Mario (Ndour), Rafa*, Araujo

--

Taca da Liga Group H

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Joao Victor (Cruz), Lucas Verissimo (Fonseca), Morato, Grimaldo (Rodrigues), Luis, Bernardo (Neto), Talles Magno, Joao Mario (Ndour), Rafa*, Araujo

This result secures our place into the next round. I honestly believe that my backup XI could win against 90% of our fellow top division sides although my lineup here was mixed.

--

SUMMARY

We kicked off this month with a brilliant 3-1 home victory against Man City but alas it wasnt enough to keep us in the competition so into the Europa League we go where we will play Union Berlin.

We won the rest of our matches this month in all 3 domestic competitions and it has been fun as my backup players have been given regular starts.

Job news.....

Man Utd appointed Ruud Van Nistelrooy as their new manager so the PSV job is available while Marseille sacked their manager also,

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
RAFA

--

LIGA BWIN

​

 

[Klippybo]

DECEMBER

Taca da Liga Group H

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Bah (Joao Victor), Brooks (Fonseca), Morato, Ristic (Rodrigues), Luis (Neto), Bernardo, Talles Magno, Ndour, Rafa, Araujo

Despite winning I am not happ. We didnt make the most of our man advantage and in the 2nd half we conceded 2 goals which was an abhorration.

--

Taca da Liga Quarter-Final

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Bah (Joao Victor), Brooks, Morato*, Grimaldo (Rodrigues), Luis, Bernardo (Neto), Talles Magno, Ndour, Draxler, Araujo (Musa)

Petar Musa has already agreed to leave us in a few weeks but he came off the bench to score a late winner here to let us off the hook.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Joao Victor), Silva, Lucas Verissimo, Grimaldo, Aursnes, Fernandez, David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario (Draxler), Rafa, Ramos (Araujo)

Despite the scoreline Estoril were actually the better side here and missed an early penalty to go a goal up,

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva (Morato), Lucas Verissimo, Grimaldo, Aursnes (Luis), Fernandez*, David Neres, Joao Mario (Ndour), Rafa, Ramos (Araujo)

A great away victory against one of Portugal's better clubs. Rafa continues his great scoring streak and he is a fine player but we arent going to win the Champions League with him given his age unfortunately.

--

SUMMARY

2022 ended with us continuing our winning ways. In the league we have a 5pt lead with a game in hand over Portimonense but in reality FC Porto are our rivals and we are 6 clear of them.

Going into the January transfer window I have about £10m to spend so it is unlikely that I will find a world class player for that.

England beat France in the World Cup unfortunately for me being a Scotsman while my beloved Newcastle United sacked Eddie Howe,

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ENZO FERNANDEZ

--

LIGA BWIN

​

 

[Klippybo]

JANUARY

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Silva, Lucas Verissimo, Grimaldo, Aursnes, Fernandez (Bernardo), David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario (Ndour), Rafa, Ramos*

Another comprehensive victory. Ramos scoring a hat-trick was particularly pleasing as he has been lacking goals while Antonio Silva scored his first goal for the club.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Silva (Morato), Lucas Verissimo, Grimaldo, Aursnes, Fernandez, David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario (Ndour), Rafa (Draxler), Ramos

Absolutely pathetic! We suffer our first defeat in the league this season and we were well and truly battered. They have some good players but we were useless here.

--

Taca de Portugal 5th Round

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Bah (Cruz), Joao Victor (Fonseca), Morato, Rodrigues, Luis, Bernardo (Neto), Talles Magno, Ndour, Draxler, Araujo*

We were 2-0 down and heading out of the cup but thankfully due to them being down to 10 men we turned things around. Henrique Araujo scored all 4 of our goals including an injury time equaliser to take us into extra-time.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva (Brooks), Morato, Grimaldo (Ristic), Aursnes*, Fernandez (Bernardo), David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario, Rafa (Draxler), Ramos

2 injury time goals added a bit of extra gloss to the scoreline but I am not complaining. Aursnes goal was a thunderbolt from 25 yards.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Silva (Joao Victor), Morato, Grimaldo*, Bernardo (Ndour), Fernandez, David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario, Draxler, Moukoko (Ramos)

Alex Grimaldo hadnt scored a goal all season but he grabbed 2 here and helped himself to an assist. My new record signing, Youssoufa Moukoko made his debut but was poor in all honesty.

--

Taca da Liga Semi-Final

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Silva, Morato, Grimaldo (Ristic), Aursnes, Fernandez, David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario (Ndour), Rafa, Ramos*

This is our first meeting against Sporting and it was a tight match but thankfully we won thanks to another 2 goals from Goncalo Ramos.

--

Taca da Liga Final

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Morato (Fonseca), Grimaldo (Ristic), Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez (Ndour), David Neres*, Joao Mario, Draxler, Ramos

We win the league cup by defeating FC Porto. David Neres put us ahead just before half time with a stunning solo goal before Ramos had us 2 up after the break. They immediately pulled one back but they never threatened afterwards and we held on.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Silva (Joao Victor), Morato, Grimaldo, Aursnes, Fernandez (Veloso), David Neres, Joao Mario, Draxler (Talles Magno), Moukoko (Ramos)

Our lead at the top is cut down to 2pts with our defeat here as FC Porto quickly gain revenge for our victory in the league cup final.

--

SUMMARY

Where do I start? I have so much to update you on!!!! Results were mixed in the league as we lost twice but also got 3 big victories while we won all our cup matches which included victories over Sporting Lisbon and FC Porto as we claimed the Taca de Liga.

It is however the transfer news that is huge............

Outgoing was Lucas Verissimo to Spurs for £38m. He is a top quality player but we wont win the Champions League with him so accepting a huge offer was a no brainer. Florentino Luis joined Bayern Munich for £27m which is a good fee for a backup player while Mihailo Ristic (£2.3m), John Brooks (£625,000) and Petar Musa (£2.4m) also all left the club.

My new record signing is Youssoufa Moukoko from Borussia Dortmund for £25m. I didnt need another striker but to get the best young striker in the game apart from Endrick was a no brainer and he will be there when we win the Champions League (hopefully). He should tear the Portuguese league apart.

To replace Ristic as my backup LB I paid Barcelona £14m for Alejandro Balde. At just 19y/o he can still improve and he should be a player that I can build around in the future.

Finally I paid RB Salzburg £13.5m to bring in Oumar Solet. I needed to replace Brooks and Lucas Verissimo and I plumped for Solet after missing out on other targets.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
GONCALO RAMOS

--

LIGA BWIN

​

 

[Klippybo]

FEBRUARY

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Solet, Morato, Grimaldo (Balde), Aursnes*, Bernardo, David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario (Ndour), Draxler (Rafa), Moukoko (Ramos)

We snatched victory from the jaws of defeat here with 2 late goals. Moukoko had a shocker although he did have one disallowed but Ramos came on for him and grabbed the winner.

--

Taca de Portugal Quarter-Final

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Bah (Cruz), Joao Victor (Fonseca), Solet, Balde, Bernardo, Veloso, Talles Magno (Moreira), Ndour, Draxler, Moukoko*

I was tempted to rest Moukoko but decided to chuck him in against our lower division opponents and he duly responded with 4 goals to get him off the mark for the club.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Silva, Morato, Grimaldo (Balde), Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez, David Neres, Joao Mario*, Rafa, Moukoko (Ramos)

Very nice. Joao Mario scored a superb hat-trick however Moukoko struggled again and yet again Ramos came on for him and scored.

--

UEFA Europa League 1st Round 1st Leg

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Morato (Fonseca), Grimaldo, Aursnes, Fernandez (Veloso), David Neres, Joao Mario (Ndour), Rafa (Balde), Moukoko*

A comprehensive victory which all but sees us into the next round and gives me an opportunity to rest some players for the 2nd leg.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Morato, Balde, Aursnes, Fernandez (Bernardo), David Neres*, Joao Mario, Rafa (Draxler), Moukoko (Ramos)

Moukoko still continues to struggle in the league - 5 starts, 0 goals.

--

UEFA Europa League 1st Round 2nd Leg

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Bah (Cruz), Joao Victor, Solet, Balde (Rodrigues), Bernardo, Veloso, Talles Magno, Ndour (Gomes), Draxler (Moreira), Ramos (Araujo)

Nothing to see here. They hit the crossbar a few times and we offered nothing.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Morato (Solet), Grimaldo, Bernardo, Fernandez*, David Neres, Joao Mario, Rafa (Balde), Moukoko

We ran riot here as we hit Maritimo for 7!!!!! Moukoko finally got off the mark in the league while Enzo Fernandez netted twice to boost his goal tally.

--

SUMMARY

We scored goals galore this month as we netted 5 goals 3 times and ended the month by scoring 7 against Maritimo. We have got back our 5pt lead at the top of the league and we sailed through in the Europa League although we have been given a nightmare draw in the next round where we will play Arsenal.

Next month brings the youth intake which I am as ever excited about.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
DAVID NERES

--

LIGA BWIN

​

 

[Klippybo]

MARCH

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto*, Silva, Morato, Grimaldo (Balde), Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez, David Neres (Talles Magno), Ramos, Rafa (Draxler), Moukoko (Araujo)

We have had 1 draw in the league this season and that was a 0-0 against Portimonense. This time we just edged it thanks to a goal from Moukoko.

--

UEFA Europa League 2nd Round 1st Leg

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva (Solet), Morato, Grimaldo (Balde), Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez, David Neres, Ramos (Talles Magno), Rafa, Moukoko (Araujo)

I dont know how to take this. I suppose it is a decent result but they have the advantage going into the 2nd leg as they are at home and we may end up rueing our missed chances late on.

--

UEFA Europa League 2nd Round 2nd Leg

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Morato (Solet), Grimaldo, Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez (Veloso), David Neres, Ramos (Bah), Rafa, Moukoko

So disappointing. We took the lead through Moukoko and led at half-time but we then threw it away by firstly giving away a penalty and then having Gilberto sent-off.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva (Solet), Morato, Balde, Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez, David Neres (Talles Magno), Ramos*, Rafa (Draxler), Moukoko

I am delighted that we won the way we did but I am furious at the same time as there is no way we should be coming from behind at home to win a game when we were 1-0 up and against 10 men.

--

SUMMARY

The curse of Bela Guttmann is still in force as this month saw us exit the Europa League which is a shame as I thought we had a real chance of winning the competition. We now concentrate on domestic matters and so far everything is going well and Moukoko has finally found his goalscoring touch in the league as he has scored in our last 3 league fixtures.

As for the youth intake there was nobody who I would put into the first team squad but there were a few decent players including a left winger valued at £18m!!!!

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
GILBERTO

--

LIGA BWIN

​

 

[Klippybo]

APRIL

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Solet (Joao Victor), Grimaldo (Balde), Aursnes, Fernandez*, Talles Magno, Ramos, Rafa, Moukoko

Enzo Fernandez has certainly found his form recently as he scored a hat-trick here. Moukoko netted for the 4th league game in a row which was pleasing also.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Bah (Joao Victor), Solet (Fonseca), Morato, Grimaldo, Joao Mario, Fernandez (Ndour), Talles Magno (Draxler), Ramos, Rafa, Moukoko (Araujo)

Pathetic. We went 1-0 up with 23min left and then lost the match as all 3 of their shots on target found the net. An embarrassing and humbling defeat.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Solet, Morato, Grimaldo, Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez*, Talles Magno (David Neres), Joao Mario (Draxler), Rafa (Balde), Moukoko (Ramos)

Not the greatest of performances but we got the win and that is the main thing.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Silva (Solet), Morato, Grimaldo (Balde), Aursnes, Fernandez, David Neres, Joao Mario, Draxler, Moukoko

A fine away victory although we let things slip a little bit in the 2nd half. Grimaldo got injured and will be out for about a month but that isnt a major worry as Alejandro Balde is more than capable as a backup.

--

Taca de Portugal Semi-Final 1st Leg

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva*, Morato (Fonseca), Balde, Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez, David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario (Ndour), Rafa, Moukoko (Ramos)

Very disappointing. We should still have enough to beat them in the 2nd leg but I am not happy with the result and how we performed at all.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Joao Victor), Silva, Morato*, Balde, Aursnes, Veloso, Talles Magno (Bah), Joao Mario (Ramos), Rafa (Draxler), Moukoko

Once again we didnt put in one of our best performances but we got the win thankfully.

--

SUMMARY

This wasnt the best of months as we got thumped by Sporting Lisbon and also had a poor result at home in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-final 1st leg. We are just a couple of games away from winning the league which is great and it is up to us to make sure we see out the season in fine style!

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ENZO FERNANDEZ

--

LIGA BWIN

​

 

[Klippybo]

MAY

Taca de Portugal Seni-Final 2nd Leg

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Silva, Morato (Fonseca), Balde, Aursnes, Ndour (Veloso), David Neres, Joao Mario, Rafa, Ramos*

All of our games against Portimonense this season have been close but we wiped the floor with them here as we reach the final.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Bah, Silva, Morato (Solet), Balde, Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez, David Neres, Joao Mario*, Rafa (Draxler), Moukoko

We are now 1 win away from claiming the title as we got the job done in the first half of this match.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Bah*, Silva (Solet), Morato, Balde, Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez (Veloso), David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario (Ramos), Rafa, Moukoko

CHAMPIONS!!!!!!

It wasnt the best of performances but we got the win thanks to Moukoko who has found his feet in the Liga Bwin as he has scored in 8 out of the last 10 fixtures.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Joao Victor, Solet (Fonseca), Morato, Balde, Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez*, David Neres, Ramos, Rafa (Draxler), Moukoko

A fine victory with Enzo Fernandez grabbing his 2nd hat-trick of the season. I was disappointed that we didnt add to the scoreline after they had a man sent-off though.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Solet, Fonseca, Balde, Bernardo, Fernandez, David Neres (Talles Magno), Ramos, Rafa*, Moukoko (Araujo)

We finish off the league campaign with a comfortable win over Braga and we end the season a whopping 11pts clear of FC Porto!!!

--

Taca de Portugal Final

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Bah), Solet, Morato (Fonseca), Grimaldo (Balde), Aursnes*, Fernandez, David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario, Rafa (Draxler), Moukoko

We complete the domestic treble with this victory. Aursnes put us ahead with a screamer before he set up Moukoko for the decisive 2nd goal.

--

SUMMARY

We had 6 games this month to end the season and we won all 6 to claim both the League and Portuguese Cup and with that a domestic treble. Youssoufa Moukoko was banging in the goals while we were rock solid at the back.

We now head into the summer with the aim of further srengthening the squad. I feel that I have 4 players who I will definitely have if we are to win the Champions League (Silva, Fernandez, Balde and Moukoko) so if I can up it to 6 we will have made a big step forward.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
YOUSSOUFA MOUKOKO

-

LIGA BWIN

​

 

[Klippybo]

SEASON REVIEW

Season 1 is complete and I have got to be happy with how things worked out as we stormed the league and also collected the 2 domestic cup competitions to boot. In Europe we were a tad disappointing as we exited the Champions League in the group stage and then the Europa League in the 2nd round but we did get some memorable results including a 3-1 win over Man City.

My young squad is developing nicely and in just a couple of years time some of these players will be world class. I am genuinely excited to see how Antonio Silva and Youssoufa Moukoko develop for instance.

--

SQUAD

--

MY PLAYER OF THE SEASON
ALEX GRIMALDO

--

MY YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON
ANTONIO SILVA

--

SUMMER PLANS

As I said if I can bring in one or maybe two players who I think will be here when we break the Guttmann curse I think we will have done well. I have around £40m to spend so I should be able to get some decent players in. A load of players will be returning from loan spells so I will evaluate them and they could be sold to increase my funds.
​

 

[Klippybo]

PRE-SEASON

I was busy this summer despite only signing 3 players so far! I spent so long sifting through players and trying to identify the right players for the right price but needs must. I also sold tons of players which took up time.

I did break the clubs transfer record but amazingly I am not 100% sure that I made the right move there!!!! Lets get into it..........

--

PLAYERS OUT

From the first team last season Julian Draxler's loan spell ended so he has gone while I sold backup RB Alexander Bah to Lyon for £12.5m. Other than that Ndour and Martim Neto have been loaned out and Joao Victor joined Monterrey for £4.8m. The main one however was Rafa who joined Liverpool for £18.75m. His contract was up at the end of the season and he had no interest in renewing with us so he will be a miss.

Loan players were sold though. Julian Weigl went to Borussia Monchengladbach as they met the release cluse in his loan deal of £13m. Ferro (£700,000), Meite (£1.2m), Seferovic (£2.2m) and Okon (£800,000) were other departures.

--

PLAYERS IN

I desperately needed a new LW and tried to bring in Gonzalez from Fiorentina but in the end I plumped for Curtis Jones of Liverpool and I paid £29m for him. He can also play in midfield which is handy and hopefully he will become a big player for us.

Next up is definitely a player who will be with us for the long term. Wilfried Singo joins us from Torino for £20m. He will be a star player for us and I cant wait to see him in action.

Finally I gave Ajax £10.5m to bring in Francisco Conceicao to the club and he will be a squad player.

--

SQUAD

It is looking pretty good I have to say. Joao Neves and Tiago Gouveia will be part of the squad after loan spells away last term. I have a little bit of cash left to spend and I may look to bring in a centre back to the club. As for my starting XI Singo comes in at RB and Jones at LW but other than that it is as you were.​

 

[Klippybo]

AUGUST

Supertaca

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo, Silva (Solet), Morato, Balde, Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez (Neves), David Neres (Conceicao), Joao Mario*, Jones, Moukoko (Ramos)

Not the most convincing of performances or results but I suppose it is the first game of the season and we won so I should be happy. If you add in that in winning we get a trophy and my new record signing scored the only goal then I should be delighted lol.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo*, Silva, Morato, Balde, Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez (Neves), David Neres, Joao Mario (Ramos), Jones (Talles Magno), Moukoko (Araujo)

We were poor here and could never get going. Even when I made my subs Bernardo went off injured so we were down to 10 men. I was pleased to see Henrique Araujo score.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo, Silva, Morato (Solet), Balde, Aursnes (Neves), Fernandez, David Neres* Joao Mario (Ramos), Jones (Talles Magno), Moukoko (Araujo)

Fantastic!!!!! An early season win against our bitter rivals and I am delighted! I didnt expect Wilfried Singo to be a goalscoring full back when I signed him but he has 2 in 2 now!

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva (Sanchez), Morato, Grimaldo, Aursnes, Fernandez (Neves), David Neres*, Joao Mario (Ramos), Jones (Gouveia), Moukoko (Araujo)

Another 4 goal haul!!! Moukoko got off the mark with a double while Henrique Araujo came off the bench to score for the 3rd game running!

--

SUMMARY

We have made an encouraging start to the season as we won all 4 matches and claimed the Supertaca in doing so. We beat Rio Ave in the final there and went on to put 4 past them in the league. We also hit Porto for 4 which was rather pleasing.

In the Champions League we have been given a decent group....

Finally I did bring in another CB in the shape of Davinson Sanchez from Spurs for £1.7m. It is a great piece of business for us as we get a talented, experienced player for such a small fee.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
DAVID NERES

--

LIGA BWIN

​

 

[Klippybo]

SEPTEMBER

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Morato (Solet), Grimaldo*, Aursnes (Neves), Fernandez, David Neres (Conceicao), Joao Mario, Jones, Moukoko (Araujo)

Not bad. I have to be happy to win considering we played almost the whole game with 10 men after Fernandez got sent-off. We actually had a goal disallowed so it could have been more.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo (Gilberto), Silva, Morato, Grimaldo, Aursnes (Bernardo), Neves, David Neres (Conceicao), Joao Mario (Ramos), Jones*, Moukoko (Araujo)

Curtis Jones was immense here as he scored one and assisted the other 2 as we ran out comfortable winners. Both sides missed early penalties with Joao Mario blasting our penalty wide of the goal.

--

UEFA Champions League Group A

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo, Silva (Fonseca), Morato (Sanchez), Grimaldo, Aursnes (Bernardo), Neves (Veloso), David Neres (Conceicao), Joao Mario, Jones, Moukoko*

This was an entertaining affair which we just edge. I expected a win but didnt expect to concede 3 goals but thankfully we got 4. They have a young central midfielder who looks the part called Reider.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo (Gilberto), Silva, Morato, Grimaldo (Balde), Aursnes, Fernandez, Talles Magno (Conceicao), Joao Mario (Neves), Jones, Moukoko*

Another entertaining game where we score a ton of goals. Moukoko helped himself to a hat-trick while my 2 centre backs also grabbed a rare goal each.

--

Taca de Liga Group D

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo*, Silva (Fonseca), Morato, Balde, Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez (Neves), Conceicao, Joao Mario (Araujo), Jones (Gouveia), Ramos

A good win but I am delighted that Goncalo Ramos scored his first goals of the season. He really is a victim of circumstance and should be playing more.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo (Gilberto), Silva, Morato (Solet), Grimaldo, Aursnes, Fernandez (Neves), David Neres, Joao Mario (Ramos), Jones, Moukoko*

A tale of two halves - we smashed them in the first half as we racked up a 4 goal lead but in the 2nd half we lost it 3-0 which is unacceptable.

--

SUMMARY

The goals continued to rain in this month - at both ends - but thankfully we won every match so came out in top in all of them. Youssoufa Moukoko was on fire while Curtis Jones also impressed. We can improve defensively but considering the combined age of my back 4 is 88 I think it it is obvious that there will be faults due to the naivety of youth!

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
YOUSSOUFA MOUKOKO

--

LIGA BWIN

​

 

[Klippybo]

OCTOBER

UEFA Champions League Group A

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva (Solet), Morato, Grimaldo (Balde), Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez, David Neres (Conceicao), Joao Mario, Jones (Talles Magno), Moukoko

Heartbreaking, We were so close to a momentous victory but we conceded late on to draw. A good result but I am left with the thought of ehat could have been.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo, Silva (Solet), Morato, Grimaldo, Aursnes, Fernandez*, Talles Magno, Joao Mario, Jones, Moukoko

Sporting have had a nightmare start to the season and we piled on the misery here as we defeated them.

--

Taca de Portugal 3rd Round

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Spencer, Sanchez (Fonseca), Solet, Balde, Bernardo, Neves (Veloso), Conceicao, Ramos*, Talles Magno, Araujo

Goncalo Ramos was on fire here as he scored 4 times playing as a shadow striker.

--

UEFA Champions League Group A

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo (Balde), Silva, Morato, Grimaldo, Aursnes, Fernandez (Veloso), David Neres (Conceicao), Ramos, Jones, Moukoko*

A fantastic victory. It was Moukoko's turn to get a hat-trick while Aursnes scored from distance and Singo capped off a great team move before he went off injured.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva (Sanchez*), Morato (Solet), Grimaldo (Balde), Aursnes, Fernandez, David Neres (Talles Magno), Ramos (Joao Mario), Jones, Moukoko

It is unacceptable that we didnt win this match as we dropped our first points of the season. We battered them in truth but all we had to show for it was a fine goal from Davinson Sanchez.

--

SUMMARY

The month ended poorly with our draw against Gil Vicente but other than that we can be pleased with our efforts. We so nearly beat Barcelona in the Champions League which would have really laid down a marker but alas they equalised right at the death unfortunately for us.

Next month we have 4 fixtures with 3 coming in cup competitions.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
GONCALO RAMOS

--

LIGA BWIN

​

 

[Klippybo]

NOVEMBER

UEFA Champions League Group A

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Balde), Silva, Morato, Grimaldo*, Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez (Neves), David Neres (Conceicao), Joao Mario, Jones, Moukoko (Araujo)

This win secures our place in the knockout stages. We were struggling to break Club Brugge down but Grimaldo levelled with a thunderbolt from 25 yards and then Conceicao came off the bench to grab the winner.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva (Sanchez), Morato, Grimaldo (Balde), Aursnes, Fernandez, David Neres, Joao Mario (Ramos), Jones, Moukoko*

Moukoko has done well this season and his 2 goals here takes his tally to 16 in 15 appearances but I know he can still do much better.

--

Taca de Portugal 4th Round

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva (Solet), Morato, Grimaldo, Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez, David Neres, Joao Mario (Neves), Jones, Moukoko*

Gil Vicente held us in the league not too long ago so to thump them here is pleasing. Moukoko got a hat-trick while Joao Neves got his first goal for the club.

--

UEFA Champions League Group A

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Morato, Grimaldo (Balde), Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez, David Neres, Joao Mario (Neves), Jones (Talles Magno), Moukoko (Ramos)

We will have to settle for 2nd place in the group after this result. We had 2 goals disallowed in the second half so we gave them a scare but it was not to be.

--

SUMMARY

We actually lost a game this month which is a rare occurrence but it was against Barcelona so I can take it. We won all of our other matches and maintain a 10 point gap at the top of the table.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
YOUSSOUFA MOUKOKO

--

LIGA BWIN

​

 

[Klippybo]

DECEMBER

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Sanchez, Morato, Grimaldo, Bernardo (Neves), Fernandez, David Neres, Joao Mario, Jones (Gouveia), Moukoko*

Moukoko seems to get a hat-trick a month and he did that just here with 3 well taken goals.

--

UEFA Champions League Group A

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Cruz), Sanchez, Solet (Fonseca), Balde, Bernardo (Veloso), Neves (Gomes), Conceicao, Ramos*, Talles Magno (Gouveia), Araujo

With 20min to go it looked as though we would win the group as Barcelona were drawing but alas they levelled. I was pleased that we notched 4 goals but I was annoyed at conceding 2 late on.

--

Taca da Liga Group D

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Gilberto (Cruz), Sanchez, Solet (Fonseca), Balde (Rodrigues), Bernardo, Neves (Veloso), Conceicao (Gouveia), Ramos, Talles Magno, Araujo*

4 more goals as my backups make the most of their unexpected game time. This win means we win the group.

--

Taca de Portugal 5th Round

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo, Silva (Sanchez), Morato, Balde, Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez (Neves), David Neres (Talles Magno), Joao Mario (Ramos*), Jones, Moukoko

We were terrible here. We fell behind early on and just didnt look like scoring especially when Joao Mario missed a penalty. Moukoko levelled though and then Ramos pinged one in from the edge of the area to send us through.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo, Silva, Morato, Grimaldo, Bernardo, Fernandez (Neves), David Neres, Ramos, Jones (Talles Magno), Moukoko (Araujo)

We should have won this by a lot more given the amount of chances we had and Curtis Jones also missed a penalty.

--

SUMMARY

My backups got plenty of game time this month due to us playing weaker teams and some of my first choice players being injured or suspended. I have decided to drop Joao Mario and play Goncalo Ramos as a shadow striker and he did well but I definitely need more goals from Fernandez, Jones and David Neres in particular.

In the Champions League we have been drawn against RB Leipzig which gives us a chance of going through to the quarter-finals meanwhile Youssoufa Moukoko won the European Golden Boy award.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
GONCALO RAMOS

--

LIGA BWIN

​

 

[Klippybo]

JANUARY

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo (Gilberto), Silva, Morato (Sanchez), Grimaldo, Bernardo (Neves), Fernandez, David Neres (Conceicao), Ramos, Jones, Moukoko*

A fantastic victory. The only surprise is that we scored 6 and Moukoko didnt get his monthly hat-trick! Bayern Munich bid a paltry £27m for him before the game - he is valued between £50-59m but it would take at least double that for me to part with him.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo (Gilberto), Silva (Sanchez), Morato, Grimaldo (Balde), Bernardo, Fernandez (Neves), David Neres, Ramos*, Jones, Moukoko

Moukoko gets his hat-trick this time lol. Bayern have come in for him again and this time the offer is £35m.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo, Silva, Morato, Grimaldo*, Aursnes, Fernandez (Joao Mario), David Neres (Conceicao), Ramos (Neves), Jones (Talles Magno), Moukoko (Araujo)

Embarrassing. We should have smashed this lot at home but in the end we just salvaged a draw. I suppose I should be happy that we equalised after falling behind with 7min to go but I am not.

--

Taca de Portugal Quarter-Final

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo, Silva, Morato, Grimaldo (Balde), Aursnes (Bernardo), Fernandez (Felix), David Neres, Ramos, Jones (Gouveia), Moukoko*

Another hat-trick for Moukoko (another bid from Bayern - £42m) but the highlight of the game was the great goal from Hugo Felix.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo (Gilberto), Silva, Morato (Fonseca), Grimaldo, Aursnes, Joao Mario*, David Neres (Conceicao), Ramos, Jones, Moukoko (Araujo)

We get back to winning ways in the league with 5 different goalscorers one of which could be leaving us very shortly...........

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo, Silva, Morato (Fonseca), Grimaldo, Aursnes (Bernardo), Joao Mario, David Neres (Talles Magno), Ramos (Neves*), Jones, Moukoko (Araujo)

We really struggled here but thankfully we got the win when Joao Neves struck with just 2min to go.

--

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo*, Silva, Fonseca, Grimaldo, Aursnes (Bernardo), Neves, David Neres (Conceicao), Joao Mario, Jones (Talles Magno), Moukoko

Another 5 goal haul in the league. I was amazed that Antonio Silva scored twice - he really is going to be a world class player.

--

Taca da Liga Semi-Final

Lineup - Vlachodimos, Singo, Silva, Fonseca (Gaspar), Grimaldo, Aursnes (Bernardo), Joao Mario, David Neres (Bardghji), Vieira (Neves), Jones*, Moukoko

This was a nervy match which we just edged on penalties. My new signings - Fabio Vieira and Roony Bardghji - made their debuts here.

--

SUMMARY

Plenty of games this month and with the transfer window open plenty of deals! On the field it was mostly good with a draw against Casa Pia being the one blot on the copybook but otherwise we usually won comfortably and have reached the League Cup final against Braga. Moukoko was banging in the goals and was attracting interest from Bayern Munich but he was one of several players who signed a new contract including Aursnes, Fernandez, David Neres, Gilberto and Grimaldo.

As for transfers out Solet was unhappy so he was sold to Wolves for £14.5m and instead of buying a replacement I have promoted 17y/o Guilherme Gaspar to the first team squad. Bayern kept on going in for Moukoko which I continually rejected and then they focused their attentions on Goncalo Ramos. I was happy to keep him but when they offered us £68m for him it was a no brainer for me to sell him.

Tiago Gouveia also left as he joined Leicester City for £17.5m which is a decent fee for a 3rd choice winger and there could have been another departure but Morato rejected a £49m move to Arsenal.

The replacement for Ramos is Fabio Vieira who I brought in from Arsenal for a club record £42.5m. I would have preferred to have had a shadow striker to play at AMC but he is young and Porrtuguese so he should do well.

Then I shelled out £10m on Roony Bardghji from FC Kobenhavn. He was immense in last years game so I am looking forward to managing him although it means Francisco Conceicao drops down the pecking order a bit.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ANTONIO SILVA

--

LIGA BWIN

​