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[Simppu12]

Basque Pride


January 2016




Asier Villalibre (ST, 70 ovr, 18 y/o) has been promoted to the senior squad.

***


Round of 16, 1st leg
Celta Vigo 0 - 1 Athletic Club
Aduriz 27'

Ruben Pardo got injured and he will be out for 4 weeks.



Round of 16, 2nd leg
Athletic Club (3) 2 - 0 (0) Celta Vigo
Merino 78', Viguera 90'



FC Barcelona 1 - 1 Athletic Club
Rafinha 27'
Susaeta 62'



Quarter Final, 1st leg
Real Madrid 1 - 3 Athletic Club
Jesus 9'
Iturraspe 41', Aduriz 45', Williams 62'



Athletic Club 5 - 1 SD Eibar
Williams 31', de Galarreta 38', Villalibre 53' pen, 90', Aketxe 59'



Quarter Final, 2nd leg
Athletic Club (4) 1 - 2 (3) Real Madrid
Aduriz 30'
Isco 22', Ronaldo 76' pen



Getafe CF 0 - 1 Athletic Club
Muniain 45'


La Liga Table

1. FC Barcelona, 48 pts
2. Real Madrid, 45 pts
3. Atletico Madrid, 43 pts
4. Athletic Club, 41 pts
5. Sevilla FC, 37 pts
6. Villarreal CF, 34 pts
---------------------------------------------------
18. RCD Espanyol, 15 pts
19. Rayo Vallecano, 15 pts
20. Levante UD, 9 pts


Starting XI



The Squad

Spoiler

Goalkeepers

Gorka Iraizoz, 34 years old, 78 ovr
Xabier Irureta, 29 years old, 75 ovr
Kepa Arrizabalaga, 20 years old, 74 ovr (loaned out)
Unai Simon, 18 years old, 60 ovr (loaned out)

Right Backs

Oscar de Marcos, 26 years old, 81 ovr
Eneko Boveda, 26 years old, 77 ovr
Unai Bustinza, 23 years old, 68 ovr (loaned out)

Centre Backs

Aymeric Laporte, 21 years old, 84 ovr
Mikel San Jose, 26 years old, 80 ovr
Carlos Gurpegi, 34 years old, 77 ovr (C)
Xabier Etxeita, 27 years old, 77 ovr
Gorka Elustondo, 28 years old, 75 ovr

Left Backs

Mikel Balenziaga, 27 years old, 80 ovr
Jon Aurtenetxe, 23 years old, 72 ovr (loaned out)
Iñigo Lekue, 22 years old, 70 ovr

Central Midfielders

Ander Iturraspe, 26 years old, 81 ovr
Raul Garcia, 28 years old, 82 ovr
Beñat, 28 years old, 80 ovr
Mikel Rico, 30 years old, 78 ovr
Ruben Pardo, 22 years old, 79 ovr
Javier Eraso, 25 years old, 73 ovr
Ruiz de Galarreta, 21 years old, 75 ovr

Wingers

Iker Muniain, 22 years old, 81 ovr
Markel Susaeta, 27 years old, 79 ovr
Ibai Gomez, 25 years old, 77 ovr
Iñaki Williams, 21 years old, 77 ovr
Sabin Merino, 23 years old, 74 ovr
Ager Aketxe, 21 years old, 75 ovr

Strikers

Aritz Aduriz, 34 years old, 82 ovr
Borja Viguera, 28 years old, 71 ovr
Asier Villalibre, 18 years old, 70 ovr
Kike Sola, 29 years old, 71 ovr (loaned out)
Guillermo, 22 years old, 68 ovr (loaned out)

My Thoughts

Transfers - Many offers were received for several of our players, mainly Ander Iturraspe, Markel Susaeta and Beñat, but our high price demands weren't matched by a single club. That isn't necessarily a bad thing as the team has been doing a good job, though.

As far as signings go, the only player we went for was Asier Villalibre and we got him for two million from our reserve team. The 18-year-old is very young and he has a good potential. Furthermore, a good and young second striker is something we have been looking for since the summer as Borja Viguera is becoming unhappy and getting older. Villalibre showed his quality by scoring two goals in his debut against Eibar.

Form - Our good form continued with two wins and a draw in the league and with two progressions in the Copa del Rey, including a huge quarter final win against Real Madrid, and speaking of huge, we managed to tie with the reigning Champions League champions FC Barcelona. Back to the Copa del Rey, we will face Granada CF in the semi finals of the cup and I'm confident about our chances to reach the final.

Players - Raul Garcia is still out injured for a couple of weeks more and that is the reason why Markel Susaeta is starting as the CAM. Mikel San Jose is starting over Ander Iturraspe because he has played better than the latter. Aduriz is still going strong in attack and he has actually gained a point in acceleration and sprint speed, respectively. Iker Muniain has been average while Iñaki Williams is starting to become a big attacking threat.

The youngsters of the team are performing well, too. Ager Aketxe and Ruiz de Galarreta are getting a good amount of playing time and both of them tend to get involved in goals. The two also have great work ethics. The left back Iñigo Lekue has been alright-ish the few times he has played while, as stated earlier, Asier Villalibre has done a good job in the few games he has appeared in.

Next month - February is a real nightmare of a month with a horrendous schedule. We have nine games with four of them being shoved into the time span of one week, only a day separating each game from the next one. They aren't easy games, either, as we face Real Sociedad, Sevilla, Club Brugge (Europa League, second leg) and Valencia. It will certainly be interesting to see how well we manage with this inhumane schedule. Additionally, we will play against second-placed Real Madrid and sixth-placed Villarreal.

National team - Like you probably remember, I took an international management offer in December and now I'm managing the Bulgarian national team who managed to qualify for the Euro 2016. My first two games with Bulgaria will be two friendlies in March and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing how the team performs before the Euros!



Thank you for reading this post! I hope you have enjoyed it! Any feedback or suggestions will be appreciated!

[vrabbit]

Quote: Originally Posted by vrabbit

Spoiler ^^^ Previous update The Globetrotter CM Dorados de Sinaloa '16-'17 March Update The Roster Spoiler Goalkeepers: Anthony Maisonnial* (69 OVR), Gabriel Gasparotto (66 OVR) Fullbacks: Daniel Guedes (69 OVR), Antonio Barreca* (67 OVR), Felix Passlack* (67 OVR), Lorran (65 OVR), Alan Moreno (64 OVR), Sebastian Sorsa (57 OVR). Centre-backs: Victor Alonso (71 OVR), Jonathan Lacerda (67 OVR), Heriberto Aguayo (66 OVR). Midfielders/Wingers: Romulo Otero (72 OVR), Kofi Allen (68 OVR), Ulises Rivas (67 OVR), Thilo Kehrer* (66 OVR), Nicolas Delgadillo (65 OVR), Julian De Guzmán** (63 OVR), Hector Velazquez (63 OVR), Victor Soriano (52 OVR). Strikers: Franco Acosta (68 OVR), Oscar Estupiñan (68 OVR), Juan Jose Calero (63 OVR), Bernardo Lobo (53 OVR) * On loan ** Retiring at end of season. Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide) Maisonnial Guedes/Alonso/Lacerda/Barreca Rivas Allen------Delgadillo Otero Acosta------Estupiñan ___________________________________ Clausura 2017 - Game 11 Veracruz - Dorados (0-3) Calero 34' (Velazquez) Soriano 60' (Calero) Lacerda 79' (Calero) I have no reasonable explanation for how the B-squad has been performing as well as it did in this game. I guess the best way to explain it is Calero's score in the first half allowed us to play the counter-attack game in the second half and we made Veracruz pay. Still, props also to the defense for the clean sheet, especially considering the home team took 10 shots (half of them on target). Copa LatAm - Group Match 4 Dorados - Colo Colo (0-0) I'm thankful that we won our first three matches in group play because I expect more challenging games like this one going forward. The Chilean club frustrated us all night long on our own turf and as a result we were only able to shoot it once on target but luckily our defense was up to the task to help us escape with a point and continue to grow our lead at the top of the table. Clausura 2017 - Game 12 Dorados - Toluca (1-1) Uribe 32' Acosta 49' (pen) Maybe I should had kept running out the B-squad in the league. As a result of our excellent performances in Copa LatAm I decided to flip the scrips for this week and play the main guys in league competition but Toluca, always a tough opponent, gave us a run for our money in this game as our offense struggled to score despite a good number of opportunities (9 shots, 4 on target). Copa LatAm - Group Match 5 Dorados - Independiente (0-3) Vera 4' Mancuello 21' Vera 52' Yup, that definitely back-fired. The B-squad was completely over-matched and the early deficit did us no favors. We remain on top of the table with one game left to play but have yet clinch a spot in quarter-finals so the next game will be a must-win. This is also marked the end of our undefeated run in this second half of the season. Clausura 2017 - Game 13 Monterrey - Dorados (1-0) Chara 55' Well there were multiple levels of frustration after this game. There is losing, then there's losing for the first time all season in league play, then there's losing to the only team ahead of us in the standings, and finally there's losing by one goal scored by one of our key players last season (who was on loan with us then). It's a short stretch but we really need to turn this around before it becomes a bigger issue. Copa LatAm - Group Match 6 Independiente Medellin - Dorados (1-2) Yu Hanchao 10' Estupiñan 12' (Delgado) Barreca 31' (Estupiñan) Barreca 55' (Sprained knee, out 4 weeks) This is exactly how we need it to respond, especially on the road with so much on the line. I just loved the fight in the team to immediately react after being down 0-1 and quickly get ahead in the scoreboard then battle till the end to preserve the win. Unfortunately Barreca's injury will sting a little and Lorran will need to step up big time for the next few weeks. Mexico Clausura Top Scorers 1 - Al Soma (America) - 9 2 - Clayton (Pachuca) - 7 T3 - Sanchez (Monterrey) - 6 T3 - Benedetto (America) - 6 Assists T1 - Otero (Dorados) - 5 T1 - Furch (Veracruz) - 5 T1 - Bottinelli (Toluca) - 5 Clean Sheets 1 - Orozco (Monterrey) - 6 2 - Marchesin (Santos Laguna) - 4 T3 - Talavera (Tigres) - 3 T3 - Hernandez (Veracruz) - 3 ... T4 - Maisonnial (Dorados) - 2 T4 - Gasparotto (Dorados) - 2 Copa LatAm - Stats Spoiler Top Scorers 1 - Teves (Boca Juniors) - 5 2 - Boselli (Santos Laguna - 4 T3 - Mancuello (Independiente) - 3 --> 2 others with 3 also Assists 1 - Carrizo (Boca Juniors) - 3 T2 - Acosta (Dorados) - 2 T2 - Lodeiro (Boca Juniors) - 2 --> 9 others with 2 also Clean Sheets 1 - Maisonnial (Dorados) - 4 T2 - Hernandez (Deportivo Cali) - 3 T2 - Volpi (Queretaro) - 3 Review: we started out good, keeping our form from the first couple of months rolling, but we've hit a rough patch in between. Luckily our excellent start allows us to remain in very good position in the league and finishing 1st in our group in Copa LatAm is very good news allowing us to avoid Deportivo Cali (who in my opinion have a solid squad, especially on offense). Unfortunately it looks like if we can get past Queretaro (it's nice to have an opponent I'm familiar with) we might run into Boca Juniors who are a juggernaut so I might be rooting for Santos Laguna a little bit (even if they beat us in the finals of the latest Apertura). Chilean clubs performed horribly in this tournament, none of them making it past the group stage. Oh, and it's annoying that the quarter-finals don't start until May around the same time the league playoffs will start, which will put us back on 2 games/week. Our new acquisitions have been performing well for us but it's hard to given them a fair evaluation given that we've been having to play the B-squad so often (with 2 games/week on several consecutive weeks), although the performance of the B-squad has definitely been good news. As far as the academy is concerned, our scout in Brazil is finally done with his 9-month trip while our scouts in Mexico and Argentina continue to report back from their 6-month trip. Here's our youth squad as of now: - Julio Moyano (CM, 59 OVR, 80-86 POT): 16-year old from Venezuela standing at just 5'2", 132lbs but we expect some growth out of him both physical and skill-wise. He shows flashes of being a playmaker and most recently we've started to work with him as a defender since he might fit the mold of a CDM once he's fully grown. - Mario Santana (LB, 53 OVR, 78-94)*: This 15-year old from Argentina instantly becomes one of our highest-rated prospects and he also plays at a position of need for the club. He already possesses outstanding physical skills for his age including slightly above average speed that could still develop. - Diogo Rios (CM, 56 OVR, 77-91): 17-year old Brazilian described as technically gifted has nice balance and ball control. Will compete with Porter at this position. - Jimmy Porter (CM, 55 OVR, 77-83): Our only remaining American prospect in the academy recently turned 16 years old, growing to 5'0" (from 4'9") and 124lbs (from 119). He needs to continue to work hard in the academy for now and we're excited to watch him compete against Rios. - Jose Henriques (RM, 53 OVR, 73-93)*: The most recent addition to the academy is this youngster from Brazil already showing a lot of skill and promise at just 15 years old. Could be a playmaker sooner than later. - Jose Ramirez (LM, 52 OVR, 71-94)*: I've been stressing to our scout in Mexico that it's important for me that we find local talent so I was elated to get a chance to sign this 17-year old Mexican with killer speed and I can't wait for out staff to develop his game. - Gonzalo Miguel (CDM, 48 OVR, 66-84): 15-year old from Argentina needs a lot of development and our staff may have overestimated his potential. Regardless, he should grow well from his current frame of 5'1",145lbs and could be a contributor for the club. - Silvio Navarrete (RW, 56 OVR, 73-79): This 18-year old Venezuelan has shown some flashes for us but needs to continue to develop his game for now. - Martim Nogueira (CM, 51 OVR, 75-81): This Brazilian prospect only joined the academy earlier this season but recently turned 18 years old. He projects as more of a role player early in his career. - Camilo Paulino (CDM, 45 OVR, 72-86): 17-year old from Brazil described as a playmaker. May be a late bloomer but Speas spoke highly of him in his report. - Alfonzo Izquierdo (LB, 47 OVR, 73-87): 18-year old from Brazil has solid strength/speed for his age but needs to develop as a defender in order to be serviceable to the club. * Recent addition. And last but not least ... 2018 WC Qualifiers - Match 13 Venezuela - Ecuador (2-2) Caicedo 8' Del Valle 42' (pen) Juanpi 45+' (S. Rondon) Montero 57' In desperate need of points we lost two valuable ones at home against an Ecuador squad determined to make our life hell. It was a 90-minute grind and even though all 7 of our shots were on target we weren't able to score more as Alexander Dominguez kept making save after save for Ecuador. This may come back to haunt us BIG TIME. 2018 WC Qualifiers - Match 14 Venezuela - Chile (3-1) Rincon 26' (S. Rondon) Aranguiz 55' Juanpi 57' (Del Valle) Martinez 71' Juanpi is making me look like a genius since I inserted him into the Starting XI in the last game and we were able to avenge our loss in Chile late last year thanks in part to an off night by Chilean shooters. We made the most out of our opportunities, putting 6 of our 7 shots on target while Chile had 13 shots but only 3 on target. At this stage in the qualifiers getting the three points is all that matters so everyone in Venezuela was happy afterwards. Just 4 games left, first against Bolivia and Paraguay and then against Argentina and Brazil. We have to get the next 6 points or we'll be in trouble And that's all for this update, next one will be the End of the Season update and (SPOILER) you're gonna wanna read that one

^^^ Previous update

The Globetrotter CM



Dorados de Sinaloa
'16-'17 End of the Season Update

The Roster

Spoiler

Goalkeepers: Anthony Maisonnial* (69 OVR), Gabriel Gasparotto (66 OVR)
Fullbacks: Daniel Guedes (69 OVR), Antonio Barreca* (67 OVR), Felix Passlack* (67 OVR), Lorran (65 OVR), Alan Moreno (65 OVR), Sebastian Sorsa (57 OVR).
Centre-backs: Victor Alonso (72 OVR), Jonathan Lacerda (67 OVR), Heriberto Aguayo (66 OVR).
Midfielders/Wingers: Romulo Otero (72 OVR), Kofi Allen (69 OVR), Ulises Rivas (68 OVR), Thilo Kehrer* (66 OVR), Nicolas Delgadillo (66 OVR), Julian De Guzmán** (63 OVR), Hector Velazquez (63 OVR), Diogo Rios (57 OVR), Silvio Navarrete (57 OVR), Jimmy Porter (56 OVR), Victor Soriano (54 OVR).
Strikers: Franco Acosta (69 OVR), Oscar Estupiñan (69 OVR), Juan Jose Calero (64 OVR), Bernardo Lobo (55 OVR)
* On loan
** Retiring at end of season.

Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide)

Maisonnial

Guedes/Alonso/Lacerda/Barreca

Rivas

Allen------Delgadillo

Otero

Acosta------Estupiñan
___________________________________

Clausura 2017 - Game 14
Dorados - Chivas (0-0)
Alonso 14'

Both teams were able to create a few scoring chances but neither team was able to score as both defensive units shined. The main squad has now not won a game in the Clausura since the sixth game of the tournament, a 1-0 defeat of Queretaro at home. The media is playing this angle, narrating that my choice to play this unit only in Copa LatAm for a while is the cause of this streak, but I'm not buying into it and I'm making sure my team doesn't either.

Clausura 2017 - Game 15
Chiapas - Dorados (1-1)
Acosta 32' (Rivas)
Armenteros 45+'

I refuse to feed that kind of conversation. However, it's hard to explain how we struggle to score more than one goal against the worst team in the league, who have earn that description partly by allowing the most goals this season. We plenty of opportunities (11 shots, 7 on goal) but in the end were only able to manage just one goal.

Clausura 2017 - Game 16
Dorados - Morelia (4-1)
Allen 2' (Estupiñan)
Otero 45' (Acosta)
Estupiñan 66'
Cejas 90+'
Estupiñan 90+'
Rivas 32' (Sprained ankle, out 4 weeks)

I knew it was just a matter of time until we broke out of the funk. Props to the fellas for keeping their head down and working hard on getting better results. Estupiñan was the catalyst for us as the 20-year old Colombian set up the first score inside two minutes then sealed the deal in the second half. Rivas' injury hurts but luckily we signed Thilo Kehrer on loan in the winter and we're hopeful he'll fill in well in the meantime.

Clausura 2017 - Game 17
America - Dorados (2-5)
Acosta 23' (Delgadillo)
Acosta 45+' (Lorran)
Otero 55' (Lorran)
Barreca 63' (Kehrer)
Arroyo 83'
Otero 86' (Allen)
Benedetto 90'

I had been looking forward to this game ever since the winter transfer window when America acquired both Liu Binbin and Caceres. Unfortunately neither one played in this game but regardless we proved we remain the better team. I thought the defense broke down a bit in the two goals we gave up but otherwise it's really hard not to be happy with a performance like this going into the playoffs for both the Clausura and Copa LatAm.

Spoiler

Copa LatAm - Quarter Finals, Leg 1
Queretaro - Dorados (1-3)
Otero 7' (Allen)
Acosta 28' (Guedes)
Gil 74'
Estupiñan 83' (Acosta)

Outstanding start here on the road getting ahead early, doubling up the lead inside 30 minutes, then managing the game well and even scoring a third goal to keep the two-goal advantage going into the second leg. Away goals matter in this competition so more goals as a visitor never hurt. Queretaro actually played us really even but we were just more efficient with our shooting.


Clausura 2017 - Quarter Finals, Leg 1
Chivas - Dorados (2-0)
Pineda 18'
Stancu 25'

Uh oh, that's not good. This has to have been the most difficult game we've played since I took over as HC. Chivas defense was just suffocating all game long, frustrating our attack any time we got near their box then putting together effective counter attacks and holding the ball well. Even while trailing most of the game we were only able to get 3 shots, only 1 of them on target, and Chivas deservedly won this game. We'll have to play one of our best games in the second leg.

Clausura 2017 - Quarter Finals, Leg 2
Dorados - Chivas (1-3, 1-5 agg)
Pineda 20'
Calero 45+' (Guedes)
Djaniny 50'
Djaniny 56'

Wow, we're done. We were completely outplayed by Chivas over the course of 180 minutes. There really weren't many periods of time inside those 180 minutes where we were the better team and I gotta give them a lot of credit. To be honest, they've always been a pest to play against outside a 3-0 win in the Apertura. The crazy thing is that while they match up very well against us I don't see them advancing past semi's. It's playoff time so I was giving most of the main players a go even if there wasn't a lot of days off in between games but none of the players were significantly fatigued going into either of these games so that's definitely not an excuse. The only silver lining is this will allow us to focus 100% on the Copa LatAm.

Copa LatAm - Quarter Finals, Leg 2
Dorados - Queretaro (1-2, 4-3 agg)
Acosta 10' (pen)
Valencia 12'
Valencia 38'

Wow, we nearly blew it here too. Queretaro was relentless as you may imagine a trailing team do in a win-or-go-home scenario, but following the games against Chivas in which it was tough to score our guys didn't have much success on offense and an early penalty kick in our favor ended up being our saving grace. Our reward? South American juggernaut Boca Juniors


Copa LatAm - Semi Finals, Leg 1
Boca Juniors - Dorados (2-0)
Lodeiro 45'
Tevez 90+'

La Bombonera was LIVE for this match and you might say the atmosphere played somewhat of a role in this one. It's an experience unlike many in soccer worldwide. How else could I explain how off we were on offense? While Boca won possession (53%) and didn't struggle creating scoring opportunities (12 shots, 6 on target), we actually created a good number of opportunites (6 shots) but missed the target in all but one of them. At least half of those shots weren't toughly contested, none more key than a penalty kick executed by Acosta in the 79th minute that hit the cross bar and bounced out. That missed opportunity proved even more costly when Tevez got free on a counter attack near the end of the game and scored a second goal that makes the second leg that much more harder for us.

Copa LatAm - Semi Finals, Leg 2
Dorados - Boca Juniors (1-2, 1-4 agg)
Meli 24'
Otero 45' (Acosta)
Lodeiro 48'
Meli 34'

And we're eliminated in the Copa LatAm as well. Playing with an extra guy for 60 minutes wasn't enough for us to even shorten the gap in the aggregate score. The difference in talent was just too much to overcome here as Boca again won possession (55%) playing keep-away at times. Everyone realized the game was over midway through the second half when Acosta once again failed to convert on a penalty kick, this one being saved by Guillermo Sara. It's a disappointing end to a disappointing season and it'll take some time to put everything in a perspective that will allow us to take the positives out it.

Spoiler

Mexico Clausura
Top Scorers
1 - Clayton (Pachuca) - 11
2 - Al Soma (America) - 9
3 - Moreno (Tijuana) - 8
...
T5 - Acosta (Dorados) - 6

Assists
T1 - Furch (Veracruz) - 6
T1 - Bottinelli (Toluca) - 6
2 - Otero (Dorados) - 5

Clean Sheets
1 - Orozco (Monterrey) - 8
2 - Marchesin (Santos Laguna) - 5
T2 - Talavera (Tigres) - 5
...
T4 - Maisonnial (Dorados) - 3

Copa LatAm - Stats

Spoiler

Top Scorers

1 - Teves (Boca Juniors) - 6
T2 - Boselli (Santos Laguna - 5
T2 - Mancuello (Independiente) - 5
...
T3 - Acosta (Dorados) - 4

Assists

1 - Acosta (Dorados) - 4
T2 - Carrizo (Boca Juniors) - 3
T2 - Lodeiro (Boca Juniors) - 3

Clean Sheets

T1 - Maisonnial (Dorados) - 4
T1 - Sara (Boca Juniors - 4
T2 - Hernandez (Deportivo Cali) - 3

Mexico Clausura 2017 - Starting XI

GK - Jose Rodriguez (Chivas)
RB - Paul Aguilar (America)
CB - Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca)
CB - Matt Besler (Pumas)
LB - Jorge Torres Nilo (Tigres)
CDM - Guido Pizarro (Tigres)
CM - Erick Gutierrez (Pachuca)
LM - Javier Aquino (Tigres)
RW - Ruben Botta (Pachuca)
ST - Clayton (Pachuca)
ST - Rogelio Funes Mori (Monterrey)

MVP
Omar Al Soma (America)

Copa LatAm - MVP
Anthony Maisonnial (Dorados)

Review: What a year. Lost in the final of the Apertura after taking a 1-0 lead into the second leg (where we lost 0-2 on two late goals) and then came up short in both the Clausura and the Copa LatAm. Then again, when I took over this team a year and a half ago they had finished the 2015 Apertura in dead last place having won just one game and SCORED ONLY SIX GOALS. I've turn this team around into a contender, and yet ...

Spoiler

[moose141]

Episode #47: £50 MILLION DEADLINE SIGNINGS!

[southernmetalhead]

RCD Mallorca
Los Bermellones

January 2016 - Transfer Window

Bought



ST Isaac Success, 66 Ovr, 20 years old, Nigeria
(Arrived from Granada CF for €800,000)

This was the only move we made in the transfer window as our league place is very secure. Isaac Success is a young, Nigerian-born striker with good acceleration and strength. He had not made any appearances in Liga BBVA for Granada, so he jumped at the chance to sign on with us in hopes of another shot at first division football next season. With Javier Acuña being very inconsistent and André Silva only on loan from Porto, we needed to add some depth to this position.

[vrabbit]

The Globetrotter CM

Being terminated by Dorados was something I definitely didn't see coming. I'm biased, obviously, but I think they have made a big mistake. I can't understand how a club that was easily the worst in Mexico a season and a half ago can turn their backs on me after I provided an immediate turn around by winning last season's Clausura, then nearly following it up with an Apertura title, plus qualifying and putting on a great run in the Copa LatAm all while leading the club to yet another playoff berth in league play. In 3 tournaments in Mexico (2 Clausura, 1 Apertura), I never missed the playoffs and finished the regular season in 3rd, 1st, and 2nd place.

I'll be the first person to express disappointment in coming up short in this season's Apertura and Clausura plus exiting in semi's of the Copa LatAm, and I agree with the Board that this team can do better than they have this season, but I completely disagree that I'm not the right person to lead the team to better performances. Dorados has made a big mistake.

Luckily for me there are plenty of other clubs that recognize my accomplishments as a head coach so far and would be more than delighted to retain my services. Toluca and a couple of others Mexican clubs reached out but after such a sour experience I thought it best to not return to that league at the moment. I must admit that towards the end of the season I was keeping an eye open on any job openings around the globe feeling I'd be ready to move on from Dorados IF we could win the Copa LatAm - that was a tournament title I wanted to add to my resume - and if the right job was available. I would had embraced the opportunity to get another shot at the Copa LatAm but unfortunately no job openings were available for clubs that could qualify to that tournament outside of Mexico.

With that in mind, out of the other handful of opportunities presented to me, I've decided to take my talents to a part of the world where Europe meets Asia, moving to the city of Kayseri.

Spoiler

Are you guys ready for some Süper Lig action?

[Keano16]

Sorry for no updates on Cardiff guys. I got FM at the weekend so when I've got some free time I've been playing that and not FIFA. I do have October to November finished so I'll try to get those months up for you guys by the end of the week.

[JHedges2]

Arsenal Football Club | July Update

Starting with an update from EURO 2016, England reached the semifinals against Germany, and were defeated 5-4 on PK. Germany went on to face Spain in the final, and defeated them 2-1 to win EURO 2016 on the heels of winning the World Cup in 2014. Sights are now set on Russia 2018…

Arsenal have made their big splash in the summer transfer window, bringing in Romelu Lukaku from Everton, for £20M + Per Mertesacker. Arsenal, with nearly £60M in the bank, find this to be a super bargain—as they also unload the veteran German, Mertesacker. The Gunners hate to see him go, but with his understudy Jonathan Tah growing rapidly, Per’s time on the pitch was becoming increasingly limited.

Romelu Lukaku brought in for £20M + Mertesacker

The move for Lukaku pushes Olivier Giroud likely to the #2 striker—which leaves really no room for January signee M'Baye Niang, who has agreed to transfer to Udinese for £11M.

In other transfer news, Arsenal have also brought in Ryan Gauld, a central attacking midfielder from Scotland, currently playing for Sporting CP in Portugal for £7M. Gauld, just 21 years old would appear to now be the next man up to fill the CAM role if/when Mesut Ozil moves on from the club.

Ryan Gauld brought in for £7M

Arsenal have also received offers for Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey—neither of which are believed to be departing the club. They are, however, actively shopping both Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere.

Also from Sporting CP, Arsenal have their eyes on William Carvalho in the CDM position to play alongside Francis Coquelin. Scouts are also currently reporting on Southampton’s Victor Wanyama, who they feel they could get for significantly less money.

Lastly, the Gunners have been linked to 3 very high profile centrebacks: Raphael Varane (Real Madrid), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), and John Stones (Everton). It is unclear whether or not they will make an offer for any of them to play in the right CB position alongside team captain Laurent Koscielny—as these three will come at quite the price, and Gabriel currently sits in the RCB postion at just 25 years old.

[Keano16]

Quote: Originally Posted by moose141

Episode #47: £50 MILLION DEADLINE SIGNINGS!

Lacazette is a massive signing! Offloaded Mirallas in the process too which is great. Tello for £9 million is a steal. Well played. Overall you've strengthened the team very well, Brooks for CB, Laca up front and Tello on the wings. Add that to your summer signings and you have a solid machine. Question, How are you going to fit both Dybala and Lacazette in the team? Two strikers, Dybala on the wing?

I'll get around to commenting on everyone else in the next few days!