[NoSkillz]

Wed. January 29, 2025

League Cup - Semi Finals Second Leg
Manchester United (1) vs. (2) Dover
Old Trafford, Manchester, UK

Betting Odds: Manchester United: 5-4 (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Dover: 7-4
Past Meetings: 7W 4D 10L

We take a slim one goal lead into the second leg of the League Cup semi-finals. United are completely healthy now and only former Dover winger Said Henni is out, as he’s with fellow countryman Salim Loucif at the African Nations playing for Algeria. As usual, we’ll need to stop the sensational Yaya Sanogo, who is up to 39 goals in 33 matches this year.

We’re missing our captain Loucif and vice captain Saber Nasri as well, with Nasri suiting up for Tunisia in the African Nations. Arsene Bamba has returned to the club after the elimination of Ivory Coast but he’s not fit enough to play today. Mads Pedersen will play for Bamba and Emerson will play for Loucif. Otherwise, we go with a full strength squad. We are going to start in a counter attack mentality with the one goal lead.

Dover: 4-4-2 Counter
GK - I. Wilke
D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, Emerson
M - M. Pedersen, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis
S - P. Moses, Chiquinho
Bench - Rafinha, M. Mutesa, N. Cairney, A. Rocca, F. Hernandez, G. Allan, A. Broomes

United are also in a flat 4-4-2 with Sanogo up front with Oscar Briceno. Dragomir is back in net. Lets win this for our supporters!

HALFTIME - United were the much better and more dangerous team in that first half. Despite us holding 53% of possession, United outshoot us 13-4 (8-3 on target). Ingo Wilke was terrific in that half, with many tough diving stops. We need to be better and could really use a goal. I’m actually going to open up a bit and play a control mentality - this competition doesn’t mean much to our board (we’ve won it two years in a row) so I’ll just attack a bit more.

69’ - United are pouring on pressure and we have had very little possession by the looks of it. Renato Gaucho is a bit banged up so I take him out and bring in Rafinha.

75’ - We take out Jose and bring in Neil Cairney. We also switch back to a counter attacking mentality.

87’ - United work possession and some nice passing sees Omar Hernandez feed superstar Sanogo in our area and he rips a shot into the corner past Wilke and United finally score. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 0-1 (2-2 AGGREGATE)

We’re level but behind on away goals so we will lose the tie-breaker. We need to OVERLOAD and I bring in Graham Allan for Gianluca Bolis and move to a 4-2-4.

FULLTIME - Umm, so yeah, I mis-read that. Away goals are only used if tied after EXTRA TIME. So we have a reprieve. Back to a control mentality and a flat 4-4-2.

105’ - We have possession and get a few shots blocked but regain possession after United clear. Benedikt Raab sends a touch pass to the top of the box to Chiquinho and he avoids a tackle from Kostas Manolas and strides in. Dragomir makes a great point blank save but there is a rebound and Chiquinho pounces on it and sends a BULLET into the back of the net! WHOA! DOVER GOAL 1-1 (3-2 ON AGGREGATE)

We move back to a counter attacking mentality. United are in a 4-2-4.

115’ - Sigh. United work the ball in off a throw and Angel Savino gets the ball off a scramble and slots it home. We’re five minutes from penalties. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 1-2 (3-3 ON AGGREGATE)

United smartly stay in a 4-2-4 to try to win this thing. We move Chiquinho back into a defensive midfield role.

EXTRA TIME - Ok, we’ve been pretty successful historically in penalty shootouts. Lets do this!

PENALTY SHOOTOUT -
Ingo Wilke guesses right but can’t get enough of Luis Carlos’ shot. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 0-1
Neil Cairney steps up for us and it’s IN! DOVER GOAL 1-1
Rogerio scores for United MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 1-2
Next up is Benedikt Raab and he scores! DOVER GOAL 2-2
It’s Yaya Sanogo and the lethal striker makes no mistake MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 2-3
Now it’s Mads Pedersen as I start feeling sick to my stomach. Dragomir guesses correctly but Pedersen DRILLS THE SHOT and it’s IN! DOVER GOAL 3-3
The goal scorer Savino is up and he shoots at the middle of the net and WILKE HOLDS HIS GROUND! That’s a SAVE!!!!
We’ve back loaded our shooters and now it’s Chiquinho stepping up! And MY GOD WHAT A SAVE BY DRAGOMIR!!! Holy crap!
It’s Eduardo Padilla now up and he shoots low into the corner. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 3-4
Paul Moses is up and needs to score for us to stay alive. He hasn’t had a good game but he SCORES! DOVER GOAL 4-4

It’s SUDDEN DEATH NOW!

United rolls out the stellar Omar Hernandez in their sixth slot. Damn! Wilke JUST misses it and it’s in. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 4-5
The pressure is on Graham Allan and while Dragomir guesses correctly again, the shot is too good and it’s IN! DOVER GOAL 5-5
Damn. United still have strikers available after going with four men up front and Ishak Belfodil scores. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 5-6
We have defender Rafinha up next and his shot is SAVED.

Curtains for us and we won’t get the three-peat.

Manchester United 2 (3) - (3) 1 Dover (Manchester United Win 6-5 on Penalties)
Goals - Chiquinho (7.5)
Assists -
Man of the Match - Ingo Wilke (9.4)
Other Dover Notables - Claudio Contreras (7.2), Benedikt Raab (7.1)
Attendance - 73,757

Possession ends in our favour with 53% but United outshot us 27-17 (12-7 on target), a definite rarity. Wilke was sensational in goal. Oh well - on to bigger and better things!

-- We earn a paltry £25,500 for the loss.

-- After the game, I get a call from Wilke’s agent, who wants a new deal for his client. As usual, I say no and as usual, the player is upset and wants to talk to me. Wilke is defiant and ends up walking out on me when I tell him I’m not considering a new deal at this time. He has a year and a half left on his current deal and at 31 years old, I don’t plan on extending him at this point. That said, he’s been a key player for years here so I may reconsider. For now, I’ll have to watch his morale and attitude.



U18 Update

-- We have a rare Wednesday match and in U18 Cup Semi Final play, we throttle MK Dons 6-1. Who else but Alberto Velazquez, with two more goals. We get singles from Ben Patterson, Neil Evans, Vlastimil Silhavy and Matthew Neil.



International Update

-- Salim Loucif and Algeria continue to roll in African Nations play and win 3-0 to move to the knockout stages along with Saber Nasri and Tunisia.



Transfer Market Closes

-- Thankfully, no more offers come our way and the market closes with us staying pat.



February Update

-- February sees us playing four Premier League games: Chelsea (home), Blackpool (away), Liverpool (home), Everton (away), our FA Cup match against Bolton plus a possible second FA Cup match should we get through. We also begin our first knockout round of Champions League play with an away matchup in Spain against Atletico Madrid. So seven possible games this month.

-- We get positive training reports for Zoltan Bardi, Lyubomir Kunchev, Felix Hernandez and U18 players Dominic Beard, Stuart Cousins and Robbie Welsh. Negative reports come in for Paul Moses and Manuel Lugo, both of whom have just returned from long-term injuries.



January Awards

-- Our very own Andy Broomes scores four goals in five games and wins Barclays Premier League Player of the Month! Fantastic! Rayane Hamon finished third as well.

-- David Lopes from Wolves wins young player of the month. Mads Pedersen finished third.

-- And for the first time in awhile, I win the Manager of the Month award.



Next Up

-- We face struggling Championship side Bolton in FA Cup play.