How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

A small spoiler for my Stuttgart end of season update: Inter Milan destroyed us 4-0 in the first leg of our Champions League quarter final match-up. What will happen next? Will we be able to bounce back against all odds, or will Inter net a few more against us? I don't know as I haven't played the other leg yet.

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Newport County A.F.C.

'19-'20 July/August Update

Spoiler

The Roster

Spoiler

Spoiler

GK: Bill Hamid (75 OVR)
GK: Hayato Matsuki (66 OVR)*
GK: Eiichi Suzuki (66 OVR)*

RB: Yasir Al Shahrani (78 OVR)
RB: Moses Odubajo (72 OVR)
RB: Atsushi Nagatsuka (62 OVR)
CB: Luan (75 OVR)
CB: Harry Maguire (75 OVR)
CB: Sebastian Vegas (74 OVR)
CB: Tafari Hunt (67 OVR)*
CB: Bondz Laslie (64 OVR)* (on loan at Barnet)
LB: Jerome Binnom-Williams (75 OVR)
LB: Nicolai Fernandes (75 OVR)*
LB: Gregorio Miranda (69 OVR)*

CDM: Rohan Ince (75 OVR)
CDM: Hikaru Ichigawa (69 OVR)*
CDM: Cristiano Dall'Oglio (68 OVR)*
CDM: Doke Boëtius (67 OVR)*
CDM: Satoshi Kagome (59 OVR)*
CM: Clark Gordon (77 OVR)*
CM: Gary Woods (65 OVR)*
CM: Daniel Seager (63 OVR)* (on loan at Leyton Orient)
CM: Yoshi Ishinomori (57 OVR)*
RM: David Fox (69 OVR)*
LM: Ben Potter (71 OVR)*
CAM: Jefferson Farfán (80 OVR)
CAM: Konsta Salo (76 OVR)*
CAM: Andrea De Girolamo (70 OVR) (on loan at Wolves)
CAM: Daniele Martella (65 OVR)*

RW: Jack Giles (72 OVR)*
LW: Bondz Moore (75 OVR)*
ST: Thierry Ambrose (78 OVR)
ST: Allan Saint-Maximin (74 OVR)
ST: Kjetil Ringdal Støvland (71 OVR)*
ST: Patrick Miller (69 OVR)*
ST: Aaron Leya Iseka (69 OVR) (on loan from Juventus)
ST: Nicolas Gersbeck (69 OVR) (on loan from Roma)
* Academy Graduate.

Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide)

Hamid

Al Shahrani/Luan/Maguire/B-Williams

Ince

Farfán ------------------ Moore

Gordon

Ambrose ------- Saint-Maximin
______________________________________

This pre-season The Exiles headed over to the Netherlands to participate in the Champions Trophy. Here's how they fared:

Spoiler

Champions Trophy - Group Match 1
Newport County - VfB Stuttgart (1-0)
Nelson 90+

Taylor Nelson had approached Marccelino about getting some playing time in this game and the academy-graduate stepped up big in stoppage time to give Newport County the victory in a game in which they deserved it.

Champions Trophy - Group Match 2
Ajax - Newport County (0-2)
De Girolamo 4' (Fernandes)
De Girolamo 16' (pen)

Andrea De Girolamo gave Exiles' fans a glimpse of what he can bring to the table by scoring a brace inside the first 20 minutes to help lead the B-squad to a win over one of the best squads in the local league. Young goalkeeper Eiichi Suzuki wasn't tested a whole lot but stepped up when needed to earn the clean sheet.

Champions Trophy - Group Match 3
Newport County - KAA Gent (3-1)
Pablo 15'
De Girolamo 22' (Pablo)
Van Der Bruggen 49'
De Girolamo 77' (Fernandes)

De Girolamo was out to show his performance in the previous game was no fluke, this time leading The Exiles C-squad to another victory to close out group play with a perfect record. Fellow academy-graduate Juan Pablo also had a good game and Suzuki had another strong showing as well.

Champions Trophy - Semi Final
Newport County - Chievo Verona (4-1)
Birsa 33'
Gordon 40' (Giles)
Ambrose 45+' (pen)
B. Moore 63' (Gordon)
Miller 79' (Binnom-Williams)
Geromel 45'

The Exiles' main-squad looked a lot more crisp than they did in the pre-season opener to dismantle the Italian club and reach the final of the Champions Trophy. Pedro Geromel's tackle inside his own box as the last man on defense earned him an automatic red-card and the deficit from the ensuing PK converted by Ambrose plus the one-man advantage Newport County had in the second half was too much for Rolando Maran's men to handle.

Champions Trophy - Final
Newport County - PSV (3-2)
Narsingh 45'
Ambrose 48'
Ince 53' (Ambrose)
Giles 62' (Ambrose)
Bergwijn 82'

Thierry Ambrose left his mark in each of The Exiles' goals to lead Newport County to a pre-season title against arguably the best local squad. The French striker was the right man in the right place at the right time following a shot from Ringdal Støvland that was saved and then facilitated a couple of times to give Marccelino's squad the lead they would need to win this game.



All that being said, BPL analysts do not have big expectations for Newport County this season:

Armstrong 49'
Kenedy 64'
Ramires 85'
Saint-Maximin 87' (Potter)
Moore 19' (sprained knee, 3 weeks)

They won't quite call it revenge but The Blues were able to exercise some demons against The Exiles after having lost to them in the semi finals of the F.A. Cup last season. Newport County managed to end the first half even but Adam Armstrong's early goal in the second half carried a lot of weight and Chelsea's superior talent showed up from there. Bondz Moore's injury brings fan-favorite Jack Giles back into the starting lineup for Marccelino's squad.

League Match 1
Newport County - Aston Villa (3-1)
Ince 7' (Gordon)
J. Ayew 26'
Ambrose 38' (Gordon)
Ambrose 78' (Ince)

The Exiles debuted in the Premier League with a strong victory led by their big stars up front: Gordon and Ambrose. The two hooked up before the end of the first half to give Newport County a lead they wouldn't lose and Rodney Parade showed it was ready to rock:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bi7JO5h915c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

League Match 2
Newcastle Utd - Newport County (1-0)
Jiménez 76' (pen)
Ambrose 22' (broken elbow, 2 months)
Giles 28' (sprained knee, 4 weeks)

Marccelino was LIVID in his post-game conference:

"Can anyone explain to me what was called inside our box in the 75th minute? ANYONE? I'll just sit and wait to hear from the league."

The play in question:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kG52UZGzf9k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Literally adding injury to insult, the injuries to Ambrose and Giles are significant. Ambrose is hands down the team's best striker and his absence pushes Ringdal Støvland back into the lineup, while Giles' injury makes the team reach for their third choice at LM for at least a game as luckily Moore won't be out for much longer.

League Match 3
Newport County - Burnley (1-2)
Ringdal Støvland 15' (Saint-Maximin)
Vokes 44'
Barnes 75'

The Exiles' performance was not truly reflected on the scoreboard at game's end. The Norwegian Tank didn't take long to get on the score sheet and Newport County seemed on their way to a second consecutive home victory but even though they were the most consistent attacking team it would be the visitors who would brake through for a couple of scores to steal three points at Rodney Parade.

Capital One Cup - Round 2
Derby County - Newport County (1-3)
Leya Iseka 10' (Ichigawa)
Miller 63'
Leya Iseka 70' (Boëtius)
Martin 88'

The first showing by The Exiles' B-squad this season was a success as loanee Leya Iseka found the back of the net twice to lead the squad to a solid road victory in their first match-up in the C.O.C. this season. The lineup had one surprise in it as Cristiano Dall'Oglio turned his demotion from B-squad starter at CDM into a starting spot with the same unit at RCB next to Sebastian Vegas. This also allowed recently-promoted Doke Boëtius to get into his first official game with the club and he left his mark in it with an assist.

League Match 4
Crystal Palace - Newport County (1-2)
Gordon 28' (Ince)
Diouf 69'
Salo 85' (Farfán)

Two of The Exiles' recent acquisitions hooked up with a few minutes left in the game to give Newport County a much-needed road victory, their first on the road this season in league play. There was no shortage of attacking in this game as the squads combined for 22 shots (14 on goal) and Marccelino's squad should had never lost the lead if not for a baffling decision by Bill Hamid to assume Mame Diouf's shot in the 69th minute would miss wide when it actually curved to go in. In the end it would be the team's new captain and the returnee from Finland who would help give Newport County the edge at Selhurst Park.




Top Scorers
T1. Kane (Spurs) - 4
T1. Jiménez (Newcastle Utd) - 4
T2. Lewandowski (Chelsea) - 3
(5 others with 3 also)

Assists
1. Kane (Spurs) - 4
T2. Gordon (Newport County) - 2
T2. Ince (Newport County) - 2
(7 others with 2 also)

Clean Sheets
1. Adrián (West Ham) - 3
T2. Vorm (Spurs) - 2
T2. Krul (Newcastle Utd) - 2
(3 others with 2 also)

Analysis: You won't find many pundits giving The Exiles' a hard time for being in the top-10 after four games, yet you come out of that first month of the season feeling like Marccelino's squad could had gotten more points. They definitely seem to have ridden a hot pre-season into the beginning of league play (Community Shield aside) and the B-squad showed their pre-season form was no fluke with a solid road win against Farfán's former team. You have to wonder whether the controversial lost at St James' Park may have had something to do with the team's defeat the following week vs Burnley, though in all fairness (and even though Newport County has an improved roster) Burnley looked strong against this team twice last season and finish the first month themselves undefeated.

The Exiles seem to have decided to lay low on the youth scouting front at the beginning of the season and following their scouts' trips to England, Brazil, and Spain. Some final additions to the academy were made although it's worth noting no players scouted by Kimmo Räsänen in Spain made the cut and one has to wonder if the Finnish scout's job is danger. Here's the update on the youth squad:

ST - Liam Taylor (50 OVR, 75-93 POT): This 16-year old from England is making his case for top prospect in the academy. He has grown to 5'7" and 154lbs yet is still young and physically strong, and projects as the best striker prospect in the academy since RS' promotion a couple of years ago.

LB - Jeff Cohen (56 OVR, 79-87): This 17-year old from England doesn't seem to have the pace for this position so he may be worked out at CB to make use of his 6'1", 167lbs frame.

ST - Sean Hugill (44 OVR, 74-90)*: This 17-year old from England has everyone's attention in the academy with his 6'5", 185lbs frame. He's a very enticing prospect for the club if he can be developed quickly.

RB - Willem Van Hout (58 OVR, 79-85): The 17-year old from Belgium has spent over 18 months in the academy and shown notable progress over last season, therefore he's likely to be promoted at some point this season. Van Hout doesn't possess the pace the team would like at the position but Marccelino is keeping more of an open mind when it comes to that after watching Fernandes play.

RB - Márcio Souza (55 OVR, 77-85): 16-year old from Brazil who may be tried at CB if his pace doesn't develop properly. Standing at 5'10", 176lbs at the moment, he should grow into a good size for a central defender.

CB - Tom Maguire (54 OVR, 78-84): 18-year old from England following on the footsteps of Tafari Hunt and Bondz Laslie. Unfortunately, like his fellow countrymen, he seems to not have been discovered early enough so he's likely to be promoted at some point this season while still being a raw prospect. Hunt and Laslie have been able to develop their skills though, so the club is hopeful that they'll be able to achieve the same with Maguire.

CDM - Daniel Amaral (54 OVR), 78-84): 16-year old from Brazil whose signing is starting to be recognized as Newport County is starting to make a habit of pumping out exciting prospects at this position. For that same reason though, Amaral is unlikely to be rushed to promotion to the senior roster.

RB - Miguel De Mesquites (50 OVR, 70-86): 17-year old from Brazil who is a fullback/centreback prospect as a result of his 6'2", 167lbs frame. He's still very raw and needs to work consistently on his defensive game.

CAM - Eduard Cardenas (49 OVR, 65-85)*: One of the newest additions to the academy is this 17-year old from Brazil described as a playmaker. He's still a very raw prospect so it'll be important for him to make the most out of his time in the academy.

CF - Jordan Davies (40 OVR, 65-83)*: 15-year old from England described as Physically Strong at a very young age. He may not be more than a backup in the future but the team was happy to add some local talent at the position.
* Recent addition

September's Schedule
9/14: vs Liverpool
9/19: at SK Sturm Graz (Euro League)
9/21: at Southampton
9/24: vs West Ham (C.O.C.)
9/28: vs Sunderland

The Exiles will continue to add to their history when they play their first ever game in European competition next month while they will also have to face three difficult opponents in league play and a tough match-up in the Capital One Cup as they were unable to avoid a non-BPL team Round 3 of that competition. Newport County's other opponents in their Euro League group will be FC Schalke 04, who won the Euro League just last season, and PAOK.

Stay tuned

Previous Update

Newport County A.F.C.

'19-'20 September Update

The Roster

Spoiler

GK: Bill Hamid (75 OVR)
GK: Hayato Matsuki (66 OVR)*
GK: Eiichi Suzuki (66 OVR)*

RB: Yasir Al Shahrani (78 OVR)
RB: Moses Odubajo (72 OVR)
RB: Atsushi Nagatsuka (62 OVR)
CB: Luan (75 OVR)
CB: Harry Maguire (75 OVR)
CB: Sebastian Vegas (74 OVR)
CB: Tafari Hunt (67 OVR)*
CB: Bondz Laslie (65 OVR)* (on loan at Barnet)
CB: Tom Maguire (55 OVR)*
LB: Jerome Binnom-Williams (75 OVR)
LB: Nicolai Fernandes (75 OVR)*
LB: Gregorio Miranda (69 OVR)*

CDM: Rohan Ince (76 OVR)
CDM: Hikaru Ichigawa (69 OVR)*
CDM: Cristiano Dall'Oglio (68 OVR)*
CDM: Doke Boëtius (67 OVR)*
CDM: Satoshi Kagome (59 OVR)*
CM: Clark Gordon (78 OVR)*
CM: Gary Woods (65 OVR)*
CM: Daniel Seager (64 OVR)* (on loan at Leyton Orient)
CM: Yoshi Ishinomori (58 OVR)*
RM: David Fox (70 OVR)*
LM: Ben Potter (71 OVR)*
CAM: Jefferson Farfán (80 OVR)
CAM: Konsta Salo (76 OVR)*
CAM: Andrea De Girolamo (71 OVR) (on loan at Wolves)
CAM: Daniele Martella (65 OVR)*

RW: Jack Giles (72 OVR)*
LW: Bondz Moore (75 OVR)*
ST: Thierry Ambrose (78 OVR)
ST: Allan Saint-Maximin (74 OVR)
ST: Kjetil Ringdal Støvland (71 OVR)*
ST: Patrick Miller (69 OVR)*
ST: Aaron Leya Iseka (69 OVR) (on loan from Juventus)
ST: Nicolas Gersbeck (69 OVR) (on loan from Roma)
* Academy Graduate.

Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide)

Hamid (75)

Al Shahrani (78)/Luan (75)/Maguire (75)/B-Williams (75)

Ince (76)

Farfán (80) ------------------ Moore (75)

Gordon (78)

Ringdal Støvland (71) ------- Saint-Maximin (74)
______________________________________

League Match 5
Newport County - Liverpool (2-2)
Ringdal Støvland 7' (Farfán)
Marković 9'
Gordon 45+' (Ringdal Støvland)
Sakho 90+'

The Exiles were unable to take advantage of a Liverpool squad in poor form and let a win slip way to settle for a draw at Rodney Parade. Truth be told either squad could had snatched the win in this game as both teams missed chances, non clearer than Emre Can's miss in front of a wide-open net in the second half.


Emre Can is still thinking about this missed opportunity.

Euro League - Group Match 1
SK Sturm Graz - Newport County (1-2)
Saint-Maximin 29' (Ringdal Støvland)
Lykogiannis 45+'
Saint-Maximin 59' (Ince)

Allan Saint-Maximin scored a brace on the road to lead Newport County to a win in the club's debut in European competition. The French striker was highly active from the get-go and could have had a hat-trick if not for barely missing a shot wide with about 10 minutes left. The Exiles were the better team throughout and were able to bounce back from a slip up from their back four at the end of the first half.


Saint-Maximin scoring Newport County's first ever goal in European competition.


Luan making a strong sliding tackle.

League Match 6
Southampton - Newport County (1-1)
Matsuki 6' (OG)
Leya Iseka 15' (Potter)

The Exiles' B-squad earned an impressive draw against one of the best teams in these early stages of the season. Hayato Matsuki, an academy product making his season debut, earned a rough own goal in the 6th minute after deflecting a shot that then bounced of his shoulder and into his goal. Luckily for him Aaron Leya Iseka, loanee from Juventus, picked him up a few minutes later to even up the score. The host team certainly looked like the better side the rest of the way but they were unable to break a Newport County squad mostly made up of youngsters and the 1-1 draw turned into the final score.


Matsuki bounced back from the early own goal to showcase his potential with a strong game.

Capital One Cup - Round 3
Newport County - West Ham (1-0)
Ringdal Støvland 74' (Farfán)

Jefferson Farfán and Kjetil Ringdal Støvland hooked up for the second time in four games to give The Exiles the edge over The Irons by the minimum difference. West Ham may not have fielded their A-squad for this game but they certainly put a strong lineup on the pitch so Newport County's win was well-earned.

League Match 7
Newport County - Sunderland (2-3)
Ringdal Støvland 9' (Gordon)
Lens 35'
Saint-Maximin 41' (Gordon)
Johnson 70'
Fletcher 76'

The Exiles were unable to take advantage of a strong first half against another club off to a great start this season in Sunderland, which showed their top form in the second half to flip the score in their favor and steal 3 points on the road.








Top Scorers
1. Fletcher (Sunderland) - 6
T2. Nasri (Manchester City) - 5
T2. Arfield (Burnley) - 5
...
T4. Ringdal Støvland (Newport County) - 3

Assists
T1. Kane (Spurs) - 4
T1. Gordon (Newport County) - 4
T2. Lanzini (West Ham) - 3
T2. Clasie (Southampton) - 3
T2. Chadlie (Spurs) - 3

Clean Sheets
1. Adrián (West Ham) - 5
2. Begović (Chelsea) - 4
3. Vorm (Spurs) - 3

Analysis: After an up-and-down start in league play last month The Exiles went winless in September in the BPL to fall from 7th to 14th in the standings. In all fairness they're only a point from being in the top-10 but also just 3 points outside of the relegation zone which just confirms that it's still too early in the season to give too much meaning to the standings. Nevertheless, Newport County will probably want to perform better in league play in October to avoid staying near relegation. On the other hand, Marccelino's squad performed well in cup games earning wins in both the Capital One Cup and their debut in the Euro League. The Exiles have reached the Round of 16 in the C.O.C. where they will now face Everton. A special mention needs to be made for The Norwegian Tank, Kjetil Ringdal Støvland, who stepped in admirably for the injured Thierry Ambrose to score 3 goals and dish out 2 assists in 4 games played this month. The academy product tends to start every season in top form and it looks like this season is no exception which is good because Ambrose is a key part of Newport County's attack and the kid is doing a really good job filling in for now.

The Academy

ST - Liam Taylor (51 OVR, 78-92 POT): This 16-year old from England is making his case for top prospect in the academy. He has grown to 5'7" and 154lbs yet is still young and physically strong, and projects as the best striker prospect in the academy since RS' promotion a couple of years ago.

LB - Jeff Cohen (57 OVR, 80-86): This 17-year old from England doesn't seem to have the pace for this position so he may be worked out at CB to make use of his 6'1", 167lbs frame.

RB - Willem Van Hout (59 OVR, 79-85): The 17-year old from Belgium has spent over 18 months in the academy and shown notable progress over last season, therefore he's likely to be promoted at some point this season. Van Hout doesn't possess the pace the team would like at the position but Marccelino is keeping more of an open mind when it comes to that after watching Fernandes play.


RB - Márcio Souza (56 OVR, 79-85): 16-year old from Brazil who may be tried at CB if his pace doesn't develop properly. Standing at 5'10", 176lbs at the moment, he should grow into a good size for a central defender.

CDM - Daniel Amaral (55 OVR), 78-84): 16-year old from Brazil whose signing is starting to be recognized as Newport County is making a habit of pumping out exciting prospects at this position. For that same reason though, Amaral is unlikely to be rushed to promotion to the senior roster.

RB - Miguel De Mesquites (51 OVR, 71-85): 17-year old from Brazil who is a fullback/centreback prospect as a result of his 6'2", 167lbs frame. He's still very raw and needs to work consistently on his defensive game.

ST - Sean Hugill (46 OVR, 71-85): This 17-year old from England has everyone's attention in the academy with his 6'5", 185lbs frame. He's a very enticing prospect for the club if he can be developed quickly.

CAM - Eduard Cardenas (49 OVR, 70-86): One of the most recent additions to the academy is this 17-year old from Brazil described as a playmaker. He's still a very raw prospect so it'll be important for him to make the most out of his time in the academy.

CF - Jordan Davies (40 OVR, 68-84): 15-year old from England described as physically strong at a very young age. He may not be more than a backup in the future but the team was happy to add some local talent at the position.
* Recent addition

Tom Maguire (CB, 55 OVR) was promoted soon after his 18th birthday although he'll still need to improve his game before he can be considered for action - even with the B-squad - or become a loan candidate.

October's Schedule
10/3: vs PAOK (Euro League)
10/6: vs Manchester Utd
10/19: vs Everton
10/24: at FC Schalke 04 (Euro League)
10/26: at Watford
10/29: Everton (C.O.C.)

October will present a good opportunity for The Exiles to improve their form in the league with three games against direct rivals in the current standings. Then after two more games in Euro League play Newport County will have a good grasp on where they stand as they look to shock the continent and clinch a spot in the Round of 32. Marccelino's squad will then close out the month with a second game in the month against Everton as they squads battle for a ticket to the Quarter Finals of the C.O.C.

Thanks for reading

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

I just finished the season with Stuttgart, and the update will be up in the next few days!

[sportsfreak96]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?



First off my team Mersin had no business even making the champions League let alone be competitive in the group I got but something really baffles me. Me Arsenal and Napoli are tied on 8 pts each. So theoretically it should go to GD well I have the highest GD yet I'm 3rd in the group WTF FIFA!

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

First off my team Mersin had no business even making the champions League let alone be competitive in the group I got but something really baffles me. Me Arsenal and Napoli are tied on 8 pts each. So theoretically it should go to GD well I have the highest GD yet I'm 3rd in the group WTF FIFA!

I was intrigued by this so I decided to do some research on how these things are in real life. This is taken from Wikipedia:

If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied in the order given to determine the rankings (regulations Article 17.01):

1. higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question;
2. superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question;
3. higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question;

I'm not sure whether it works that way in FIFA, though.

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Back To The Top


February 2019



Borussia Mönchengladbach 0 - 1 VfB Stuttgart
Rode 29'

A very good result for us against a strong but underperforming Gladbach side! Sebastian Rode netted the only goal of the game right before the half an hour mark with a shot that went into the top right corner of the goal.



VfB Stuttgart 0 - 1 TSG Hoffenheim
Rudy 4', Schwegler s/o 77'

In contrast, losing to third-bottom Hoffenheim is not a good thing. We failed to take our chances and paid for it as we failed to equalise in 85 minutes after Sebastian Rudy's early strike.



Bayer Leverkusen 1 - 2 VfB Stuttgart
Calhanoglu 66'
Dzsudzsák 4', Selke 34'

What a way to bounce back against a Champions League side! Two goals from Balázs Dzsudzsák and Davie Selke in the first half were all we needed to triumph over Leverkusen.



Round of 16, 1st leg
Olympiakos 0 - 2 VfB Stuttgart
Selke 12', Nikolic 54'

The Greek champions didn't stand a chance against us as we outshot them 10 to 3. Our place in the quarter finals seems to be almost certain after two away goals and a dominant performance overall.



VfB Stuttgart 4 - 1 Mainz 05
Selke 16', Nikolic 69', 80', Günter 87'
Cordoba 20'



FC Augsburg 0 - 2 VfB Stuttgart
Philipp 32', Stark 90'


March 2019



VfB Stuttgart 2 - 1 Bayern München
Selke 12', 70'
Agüero 87' pen

What an amazing win against the reigning champions! The entire team played well, but especially Davie Selke in attack shone with his game-winning brace. In the first goal he tackled Medhi Benatia, stealing the ball from the Bayern defender, before scoring and in the second goal he was in the place at the right time. We need to continue playing like this.



SC Freiburg 0 - 0 VfB Stuttgart



Round of 16, 2nd leg
VfB Stuttgart (5) 3 - 2 (2) Olympiakos
Dzsudzsák 22' pen, Mukhtar 61', Zwolinski 74'
Siovas s/o 21', Ideye 29', Pardo 58' pen

Olympiakos looked much more dangerous in this game than in the first match, but an early red card for Siovas didn't help their cause at all. We did well to use our extra man to our advantage and scored three goals against them to secure our place in the quarter finals. Next opponent: Inter Milan.



Borussia Dortmund 2 - 2 VfB Stuttgart
Mané s/o 24', Costa 64', Bartra 87'
Dzsudzsák 7' pen, Rode 70'

Once again our inability to take our chances cost us some points. 11 of our shots were on target but only 2 of them went in. To make matters worse, Dortmund's Marc Bartra equalised only three minutes before the full-time whistle.



VfB Stuttgart 0 - 0 VfL Wolfsburg

Even though the result doesn't suggest it, this was a very exciting game. Wolfsburg were in control of it the entire time and the only reason why we didn't lose was Timon Wellenreuther. Our young keeper had an amazing match, and he is getting very close to taking over the starting spot.


April 2019



Quarter Final, 1st leg
VfB Stuttgart 0 - 4 Inter Milan
Lacazette 45', 55' pen, 73', Brozovic 88'

Where do I start? Our 4-1-2-1-2 was completely neutralised by Inter's 4-2-3-1. Our attackers and wingers were completely neutralised by Inter's pacy fullbacks and strong defence. Our defenders looked like a bunch of school boys against Inter's attack lead by Alexandre Lacazette, who netted a hattrick. Our situation seems to be quite hopeless, but we will not give up.



RB Leipzig 0 - 0 VfB Stuttgart



Quarter Final, 2nd leg
Inter Milan

Spoiler

(4) 0 - 5 (5)

VfB Stuttgart

Spoiler

Selke 10', 36', 58', Dzsudzsák 63', Nikolic 69'

After our complete failure last time, it was a 'go big or go home' situation for us. That's why we went with an attacking 3-4-2-1 formation. Shockingly, it worked wonders for us and somehow we managed to achieve the biggest shock in Champions League history as we turned a 4-0 defeat into a 5-4 win on aggregate! Davie Selke was on fire in this game, scoring a hattrick in an hour. Right after the hour mark Balázs Dzsudzsák equalised the aggregate score and only five minutes later our Hungarian supersub Nemanja Nikolic scored our fifth goal from a counter attack to put us through to the next round! I still can't believe we made it!



FC Ingolstadt 1 - 0 VfB Stuttgart
Lezcano 64'

Back to harsh reality after that unbelievable win against Inter in the Champions League. We failed to create many chances and paid for it.



VfB Stuttgart 1 - 1 Hertha BSC
Zwolinski 90'
Beerens 15'

We still haven't been able to beat Hertha in our four clashes with me in charge. This time we came very close to losing the game but Lukasz Zwolinski equalised the game with a last-minute goal.



Semi Final, 1st leg
VfB Stuttgart 1 - 1 Real Madrid
Ziyech 72'
Bale 35'

We faced Real Madrid earlier this season in our Champions League group, and we won both games. This time a draw had to do as Ramazan Özcan made a horrible mistake from which Gareth Bale the Whites into the lead. The ball was rolling towards Özcan, who was inside his box, and when the ball reached him our keeper decided to fall over on his back and kick the ball towards Bale instead of catching it. The Welsh winger then just took the ball and shot it into the net. Needless to say, Özcan was subbed off the pitch immediately after his blunder. Fortunately for us Hakim Ziyech equalised the game by curling the ball into the bottom left corner of the net in the 72nd minute, leaving the match-up open going into the second leg.



1. FC Köln 0 - 0 VfB Stuttgart

Fun fact: We haven't won a single league game since beating Bayern München in the first game of March. In other words, we have failed to win our last seven league matches. Worrying.


May 2019



Semi Final, 2nd leg
Real Madrid (1) 0 - 0 (1) VfB Stuttgart

That's it, our Champions League run came to an end. To be fair, this game was a very boring one, with both teams having only four shots each. I'm still very proud of the performances of our team in this competition. Real Madrid will play against Bayern München in the final.



VfB Stuttgart 2 - 2 FC Schalke 04
Zwolinski 76', 89'
Huntelaar 72', 81'

At this point of the season we had two games left, one against Schalke and one against Eintracht Frankfurt. Neither of those games mattered that much as all three of us had already secured Europa League football and couldn't make it into the Champions League anymore. This fact didn't matter, though, as the match between Schalke and us was full of drama. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was playing his second-last game ever and he wanted to make it a memorable one by putting his side into the lead twice. Our Lukasz Zwolinski had none of it, though, as he equalised the game both times after Huntelaar's goals.



VfB Stuttgart 0 - 0 Eintracht Frankfurt

That was it, the last game of the season, and in ended in anti-climactic fashion with the score still goalless after 90 minutes. We finished in sixth, qualifying for the Europa League next season.


Bundesliga Table

1. Borussia Dortmund, 80 pts
2. Bayern München, 72 pts
3. VfL Wolfsburg, 61 pts
4. Bayer Leverkusen, 57 pts
----------------------------------------
5. FC Schalke 04, 55 pts
6. VfB Stuttgart, 54 pts (15 GD)
7. Eintracht Frankfurt, 54 pts (6 GD)
----------------------------------------
8. RB Leipzig, 49 pts
9. Mainz 05, 44 pts
10. 1. FC Köln, 41 pts
11. FC Augsburg, 41 pts
12. Hertha BSC, 40 pts
13. Borussia Mönchengladbach, 34 pts
14. FC Ingolstadt, 30 pts
15. TSG Hoffenheim, 30 pts
----------------------------------------
16. SV Darmstadt, 29 pts
----------------------------------------
17. Hamburger SV, 27 pts
18. SC Freiburg, 25 pts



Golden Boot

1. Thomas Müller, Bayern München, 18 goals
2. Max Kruse, VfL Wolfsburg, 16 goals
3. Younes Belhanda, FC Schalke 04, 16 goals

Most Assists

1. Max Kruse, VfL Woflsburg, 8 goals
2. Salomon Kalou, Hertha BSC, 6 assists
3. Vladimir Darida, Hertha BSC, 6 assits


Golden Glove

Yann Sommer, Borussia Dortmund, 21 clean sheets
Manuel Neuer, Bayern München, 15 clean sheets
Kasper Schmeichel, Bayer Leverkusen, 12 clean sheets


DFB Pokal: Bayern München
Champions League: Bayern München
Europa League: Atletico Mdarid
Premier League: Manchester United
Ligue 1: AS Monaco
Serie A: Juventus FC
La Liga: Atletico Madrid

Promoted Teams for 2019-2020 Bundesliga Season

Werder Bremen
Hannover 96


My Thoughts

Form - We finished the league season with a nine-game winless streak, and it's still going on. This is very worrying and I'm not sure what is not working properly. I'm just hoping that we can turn our form around next season and possibly even challenge for the title.

In the Champions League our performances were mainly very good. Even after that Inter catastrophe we showed great character to turn the tie around. Furthermore, Real Madrid haven't beaten us a single time in our four match-ups.

I'm a little bit disappointed in our season as we had a great chance of finishing in a top four position and qualifying into the Champions League, but then we hit a very rough winless patch. Now Europa League has to do. Things could be worse, though.

Players - Nico Elvedi and Niklas Stark form a very strong centreback partnership, and Salif Sané is a very capable defensive midfielder. Our fullback duo of Kevin Großkreutz and Jonas Hector did well. Sebastian Rode did a very solid job on the right, while Jairo Samperio on the left was quite disappointing. Dzsudzsák had his ups and downs, and his old(ish) age is taking its toll on him. Davie Selke was alright in attack with Nemanja Nikolic and Lukasz Zwolinski having their moments. In contrast, Bobby Wood was the biggest flop of the season with only one goal in nearly 30 appearances.

Hakim Ziyech could've been more effective as he picked up only 5 goals and 4 assists, but then again, none of our players had a good season statistics-wise. Our top scorers were Selke with 16 goals in 41 appearances and Dzsudzsák with 11 goals in 39 appearances. They were followed by Nemanja Nikolic, who scored 8 goals in 34 appearances.

Transfer Plans - Mitchell Weiser will arrive on a free trasfer soon, and I'll most likely use him as a winger replacement for the underwhelming Jairo. We also need to sign a back-up rightback as we couldn't reach a contract agreement with Jean Zimmer, who will become a free agent before July. I'm also planning to buy Timo Werner back as Bobby Wood has been out of form for over a year now. Furthermore, we will most likely loan Christian Pulisic out for a year as he isn't getting too much playing time. I don't have other transfers in mind, but anything could happen.

France National Team - I decided to resign as the France national coach as I want to focus on Stuttgart after a disappointing end to the season. Also, the international games take a bit of time to play through.


Transfer Budget: €63,000,000
Wage Budget: €300,000



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

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

dibs on Steve Hopcroft, WBA's head of academy recruitment, as the manager in my next RTG CM

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

dibs on Steve Hopcroft, WBA's head of academy recruitment, as the manager in my next RTG CM

Haha, how come?

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Haha, how come?

Just wanted to lock up a real person and not have to make up a character like "'Giovanni Marccelino" lol. He's done a decent job at WBA at least since I started following that godawful team once Rondon was signed:

"The 50-year-old, who joined the club in 2004, is responsible for enlisting a number of high-profile youth players, including Saido Berahino, Sam Field, Kane Wilson and Jonathan Leko"

apparently he also also developed Nathan Redmond and Demarai Gray at Birmingham and Man U wanted to sign him to lead their scouting department

[sportsfreak96]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

I'm looking forward to 17 in a few weeks! Not sure what team I'm doing first. I'll probably be doing a Poll to decide that

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

The Globetrotter CM

FC Twente
'19-'20 September Update

Spoiler

The Roster

Spoiler

Spoiler

GK: Alexander Domínguez (72 OVR)
GK: Joël Drommel (71 OVR)

RB: Hidde ter Avest (70 OVR)
RB: Jeroen van der Lely (66 OVR)
CB: Joachim Andersen (76 OVR)
CB: Giorgos Katsikas (75 OVR)
CB: Peet Bijen (70 OVR)
LB: Nathan Aké (75 OVR)

CDM: Krystian Bielik (71 OVR) (on loan from Arsenal)
CM: Kyle Ebecilio (77 OVR)
CM: Renato Tapia (75 OVR)
RM: Derlis González (78 OVR)
LM: Lenny Nangis (77 OVR)
CAM: Juan Pablo (Juanpi) Añor (77 OVR)
CAM: Shadrach Eghan (74 OVR)

LW: Alessio Da Cruz (71 OVR)
ST: Lars Veldwijk (74 OVR)
ST: Torgeir Børven (72 OVR)
ST: Jari Oosterwijk (71 OVR)
ST: Michael Olaitan (70 OVR)

Starting XI (4-1-2-1-2)

Domínguez (72)

ter Avest (70)/Andersen (76)/Katsikas (C, 75)/Aké (75)

Ebecilio (77)

Nangis (77) --------------- González (78)

Añor (77)

Veldwijk (74) ------- Børven (72)
______________________________

League Match 4
FC Twente - Heracles Almelo (4-0)
Andersen 10' (González)
Børven 18' (Añor)
González 38' (Añor)
Veldwijk 83' (pen)

My first Twentse Derby was no contest as newcomer Juanpi Añor flashed some of his skills with a good number of passes including two nice assists and we easily defeated our rivals at De Grolsch Veste. Check out Juanpi's skills at the beginning of the highlight:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eMT_7qllrGg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

League Match 5
N.E.C. - FC Twente (2-0)
Limbombe 23'
Sleegers 26'
Santos 10' (ACL, 7 months)
Ebecilio 53' (Hyper extended knee, 4 weeks)

This was a rough game on many levels. While Christian Santos isn't one of my top choices at striker for Venezuela he's definitely been a talented option to have in the reserves and he plays hard. It was his hard-playing style that led to his injury as he went up high to fight for a ball near midfield and landed badly on his knee. To make matters worse his injury seemed to energize his team which went on to score a quick couple of goals a few minutes later. And then to really ruin the day Kyle Ebecilio suffered an injury that will make him miss about a month, and I've been clear about how we lack depth so this is going to test us. Renato Tapia will step in at CDM and Bielik, the loanee from Arsenal, will need to be ready to come off the bench and perhaps an occasional start.

Euro League - Group Match 1
Hearts - FC Twente (2-4)
Gomis 6'
Veldwijk 26' (Aké)
González 32' (Tapia)
Veldwijk 63' (González)
Walker 74'
González 79' (Eghan)
Eghan 82'

Excellent start in Euro League play. I thought we could had given up less goals but we were on the road so I'm not too upset about that. Just a really good showing offensively which always pleases me. Veldwijk is starting to leave his mark in almost every game he plays in:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nIbAxf8LZHE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

League Match 6
FC Twente - Ajax (1-2)
Serero 22'
Veldwijk 90' (González)
Dijks 90+'
Aké 61'

Difficult to not be heartbroken after a loss like this. Ajax managed to control possession throughout the game and the 55% they ended up with probably doesn't say the full story but in spite of that we were the team to creat far more chances (10 shots, 8 on target), so when Veldwijk headed home Gonzo's corner kick it felt as if we had been rewarded for our efforts. Unfortunately a mishap on a last effort by Ajax cost us dearly, at home no less against an opponent we'll no doubt battle against in the standings. Ugh.

League Match 7
ADO Den Haag - FC Twente (1-2)
Børven 25'
Eghan 83' (Veldwijk)
Malone 87'

Really nice job by the lads to bounce back from a tough defeat by stealing 3 points on the road. We are the better team and we showed up throughout the 90+ minutes on the pitch so it was really good to see that kind of morale.





Eredivisie
Top Scorers
T1. Larsson (SC Heerenveen) - 5
T1. Milik (Ajax) - 5
T1. Jurić (FC Utrecht) - 5
...
T3. Veldwijk (FC Twente) - 3

Assists
T1. Børven (FC Twente) - 2
T1. Ebecilio (FC Twente) - 2
T1. Faik (Roda JC) - 2

Clean Sheets
1. van Leer (Roda JC) - 2
T2. Domínguez (FC Twente) - 1
T2. Vermeer (Feyenoord) -1
(2 others with 1 also)

Euro League
Top Scorers
T1. Raman (KAA Gent) - 5
T1. Kane (Spurs) - 5
T2. Veldwijk (FC Twente) - 3
T2. Børven (FC Twente) - 3
T2. González (FC Twente) - 3
(6 others with 3 also)

Assists
T1. González (FC Twente) - 3
T1. Corgnet (AS Saint-Étienne) - 3
T1. Bernardeschi (Fiorentina) - 3

Clean Sheets
T1. Asenjo (Villareal CF) - 2
T1. Fährmann (FC Schalke 04) - 2
T1. Guilherme (Lokomotiv Moscow) - 2
T1. Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao) - 2
T1. Horvath (Molde FK) - 2

Review: Mixed results this month for us but more good than bad. We're still sitting in good position in the league table and are off to a good start in the Euro League. Two acquisitions from this summer are starting to stand out for us: González in midfield and Veldwijk upfront. Veldwijk's performance paired with Børven living up to my expectations of him are giving us a good scoring threat up front. González standing out is making up for the fact that Juanpi has been a bit of a ghost following his excellent debut in the Twentse Derby and I really hope the Venezuelan steps up his game because there are a lot of eyes on him to perform following Ziyech's departure and our inability to bring in a player similarly rated to the Moroccan. I really hope we can put the loss to Ajax behind us and continue to turn it around.

Moving over to the academy I'm excited to announce some additions to the youth squad:

CB - Phillipp Kübler (59 OVR, 78-94 POT): 16-year old from Germany who is physically strong (80 strength, 76 aggression, 75 jumping). I'm really excited about his potential and working on his defensive skills to get him ready for a promotion maybe as soon as next season.

CB - Manuel Kratz (53 OVR, 79-93)*: 18-year old from Germany who is actually too short (5'10) for this position but flashed too much potential to pass up. He'll be developed to be either a fullback or a CDM.

RW - Nathaniel Drost (53 OVR, 73-91)*: 15-year old from the Netherlands flashing outstanding pace (75spd/78acc) and agility (75) for his age. He's lauded as one of the best local talents in the country so we're very excited to have him sign with our academy.

RM - Jens Schuermans (53 OVR, 74-88): 15-year old from Belgium described as a playmaker. He's only 4'8", 116lbs at the moment but he's crazy agile (75) for someone his age. He flashes some nice potential.

CDM - Daniel Yabo (58 OVR, 71-83): 15-year old from Germany described as defensive minded. His defensive skills are actually pretty advanced for someone his age and his stamina is already good enough to at least play in a backup role so he's well set to be a contributor for the club well before his 18th birthday.

CDM - Michael Kabasele (42 OVR, 69-85)*: 17-year old from Belgium who currently projects as more a future backup. Doesn't possess ideal size (5'6", 143lbs) for the position but also doesn't have to speed to play out wide.
* Recent addition

______________________________



The roster for these last international friendlies consisted 100% of guys I wanted to take one last look at prior to WC qualifying starting next month.

International Friendlies
Venezuela - India (3-1)
Santos 53' (González)
Breitner 69' (Falcon)
Halder 90'
Arteaga 90+' (Jeffrén)

Venezuela - South Africa (0-1)
Motupa 79'

These games took place during a break following the Twentse Derby so you could see how Santos' injury hit home as he was coming off a couple of good games in these friendlies, including a score vs India. Overall I came away impressed with Breitner who may get a serious look off the bench going forward.
______________________________

October's Schedule
10/3: vs FC København (Euro League)
10/6: vs SC Heerenveen
10/12: vs Brazil (WC Qualifying)
10/15: vs Argentina (WC Qualifying)
10/20: at SC Cambuur
10/24: at Spurs (Euro League)
10/27: vs PSV

Plenty of action next month in all fronts. In league play it'll be just three games, two against top-5 opponents and one against the second-to-last-place team. The lack of league games will be made up by two very important Euro League games at the end of which we'll have a clear picture as to where we stand in our attempt to move past the group stage. Finally, I get off to a very difficult start in WC Qualifiers against arguably the top two teams in CONMEBOL, my only consolation being that both games will be at home.

Wish me luck

Kayserispor watch

Spoiler

I mentioned they drew a very tough group in Champions League in it has played out that way as they have suffered back to back defeats to FC Bayern and FC Porto scoring just one goal and giving up 4, so their next game in the competition against Olym. Marseille will be key. They sit 7th in the league, 4 points off the leader Eskişehirspor

^^^ Previous update

The Globetrotter CM



FC Twente
'19-'20 October Update

The Roster

Spoiler

GK: Alexander Domínguez (72 OVR)
GK: Joël Drommel (72 OVR)

RB: Hidde ter Avest (70 OVR)
RB: Jeroen van der Lely (66 OVR)
CB: Joachim Andersen (76 OVR)
CB: Giorgos Katsikas (75 OVR)
CB: Peet Bijen (70 OVR)
LB: Nathan Aké (75 OVR)

CDM: Krystian Bielik (71 OVR) (on loan from Arsenal)
CM: Kyle Ebecilio (77 OVR)
CM: Renato Tapia (75 OVR)
RM: Derlis González (79 OVR)
LM: Lenny Nangis (78 OVR)
CAM: Juan Pablo (Juanpi) Añor (77 OVR)
CAM: Shadrach Eghan (75 OVR)

LW: Alessio Da Cruz (71 OVR)
ST: Lars Veldwijk (75 OVR)
ST: Torgeir Børven (73 OVR)
ST: Jari Oosterwijk (71 OVR)
ST: Michael Olaitan (70 OVR)

Starting XI (4-1-2-1-2)

Domínguez (72)

ter Avest (70)/Andersen (76)/Katsikas (C, 75)/Aké (75)

Ebecilio (77)

Nangis (78) --------------- González (79)

Añor (77)

Veldwijk (75) ------- Børven (73)
______________________________

Euro League - Group Match 2
FC Twente - FC København (1-0)
Børven 77' (van der Lely)
ter Avest 32'
Katsikas 53' (Sprained ankle, 3 weeks)

In a game that was much closer than I would had liked Torgeir Børven saved us inside the last 15-minutes to give us three big points we really needed at home. København managed to control possession (58%) but even with that we outshot them 7-6 (3-2 on target) and needed every bit of that to finally break through. Unfortunately we did suffer a couple of losses in Katsikas' injury and also ter Avest will lose the next Euro League game due to accumulation of yellow cards.

League Match 8
FC Twente - SC Heerenveen (0-0)

This is concerning. We were able to have all 5 of our shots on target but couldn't break this deadlock against a Heerenveen team that shot a lot (8) but was only on target once. We should had won this game which is very frustrating.


Veldwijk's header off a corner kick is saved at the goal line by Mauro.

League Match 9
SC Cambuur - FC Twente (3-1)
Overgoor 27'
Rosheuvel 42'
Andriuškevičius 88'
Nangis 90' (ter Avest)

Ok no, THIS IS CONCERNING. One of the worst squads in the league embarrassed us and we really need to re-group and snap out of this funk. The opportunities were there for us (11 shots) but we didn't take full advantage of them (5 on goal) while Cambuur kept being very opportunistic, scoring on 3 of their 4 shots on goal.

Euro League - Group Match 3
Spurs - FC Twente (2-1)
Chadli 12'
González 35' (Aké)
Kane 47'

The struggle is real. We actually did an excellent job limiting Tottenham's attack on their own turf as they were able able to take 3 shots but the 2 they put on target turned into scores and we were unable to be as effective with our 6 shots (4 on goal) to suffer back-to-back defeats as a team for the first time this season.

League Match 10
FC Twente - PSV (4-1)
Willems 4'
Børven 30' (González)
Børven 45+' (González)
Børven 61' (González)
González 81' (pen)

Maybe we should all, including me, give up on trying to figure out this squad. I still have a lot of confidence on this roster but even I couldn't have imagined a win so resounding against a league title contender like PSV. It's difficult to outplay someone who scores a hat-trick and yet that is exactly what Derlis González did as the Paraguayan assisted in all three of Børven's goals then scored a goal of his own on a late PK (our regular PK executioner, Lars Veldwijk, had been subbed out) to finish with a near-perfect game rating of 9.8. EXCELLENT end to this month to hopefully put us on the right track for the rest of the season.


Torgeir Børven's performance so far this season is solidifying his position as a starter for the club.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uTrxqL_NuiU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
_______________________________________
Derlis González was named Player of the Month in the Eredivisie.
_______________________________________





Eredivisie
Top Scorers
1. Milik (Ajax) - 7
T2. Børven (FC Twente) - 6
T2. Larsson (SC Heerenveen) - 6
(3 others with 6 also)

Assists
1. Klaassen (Ajax) - 6
2. González (FC Twente) - 5
T3. Faik (Roda JC) - 3
(7 others with 3 also)

Clean Sheets
T1. Pasveer (PSV) - 4
T1. Kurto (Excelsion) - 4
T1. Cillessen (Ajax) - 4
...
T2. Domínguez (FC Twente) - 3

Euro League
Top Scorers
1. Kane (Spurs) - 7
T2. Raman (KAA Gent) - 5
T2. Belhanda (FC Schalke 04) - 5
T2. Fekir (Olym. Lyonnais) - 5
...
T3. Børven (FC Twente) - 4
T3. González (FC Twente) - 4

Assists
1. Corgnet (AS Saint-Étienne) - 4
T2. González (FC Twente) - 3
T2. Bernardeschi (Fiorentina) - 3

Clean Sheets
1. Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao) - 4
T2. Asenjo (Villareal CF) - 3
T2. Fährmann (FC Schalke 04) - 3
T2. Guilherme (Lokomotiv Moscow) - 3

Review: that statement win over PSV to close out the month certainly balanced our performance in October and it's hard to be so harsh on the team after a game like that but overall we really had a poor month and need to do better if we want to be successful this season. Those who know me know that I'm quick to praise Venezuelan talent but I have to go the other way here and call out Juanpi Añor who, after having an excellent debut with a couple of assists against Heracles Almelo at the beginning of last month, has been a ghost on the stat sheet and has consistently finished with low game ratings. The play at the CAM position is crucial in my diamond midfield so it's difficult to not connect the scoring struggles on his poor form. In addition, there really isn't a challenger for him at this position (Shadrach Eghan is really best suited for his sub role) so our only option here is for Juanpi to step up his game. If his struggles continue the move I'd consider would be bringing González to CAM and inserting Alessio Da Cruz out wide but I'm not too stoked about that idea. Meanwhile, Ajax remains undefeated and if we don't turn this around quickly they may run away with the league title early on.

In academy news, the youth squad keeps growing as we continue to get reports from our scouts in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany:

RW - Luciano Wildschut (62 OVR, 85-94 POT)*: the board is ecstatic about recruiting arguably the top local prospect to our academy. At just 15 years old Wildschut joins the youth squad as possibly the most talented prospect and he possibly offers the potential to be really special. We're hopeful he'll meet the hype.

CAM - Jeroen Claes (62 OVR, 82-94)*: This 17-year old from Belgium joins Wildschut right away is being considered the second highest rated prospect in the academy. He's considered a "playmaker" who has the ability to put good curve (75) on the ball and has good vision (69) which the club hopes can help him become a great passer from this position.

CB - Phillipp Kübler (60 OVR, 80-94): 16-year old from Germany who is physically strong (80 strength, 77 aggression, 75 jumping). I'm really excited about his potential and working on his defensive skills to get him ready for a promotion maybe as soon as next season.

CB - Manuel Kratz (55 OVR, 81-91): 18-year old from Germany who is actually too short (5'10) for this position but flashed too much potential to pass up. He'll be developed to be either a fullback or a CDM.

CB - Rico Kehrer (51 OVR, 76-94)*: 15-year old from Germany joining a pipeline of centre backs from that country in our academy. His young age makes him an equally interesting prospect in comparison to his countrymen at this position so it'll be interesting to see how he develops (currently 5'2" and 143lbs but described as "physically strong").

RW - Nathaniel Drost (54 OVR, 73-87): 15-year old from the Netherlands flashing outstanding pace (75spd/79acc) and agility (75) for his age. We're very excited local talent like him sign with our academy.

LW - Joris Peters (53 OVR, 72-92)*: 16-year old from the Netherlands with a good first step (75 acc) who will want to immerse himself into the academy for at least one full season to properly develop his skill set.

RM - Jens Schuermans (53 OVR, 74-82): 15-year old from Belgium described as a playmaker. He's only 4'8", 116lbs at the moment but he's crazy agile (75) for someone his age. He flashes some nice potential.

CDM - Michael Kabasele (44 OVR, 72-86): 17-year old from Belgium who currently projects as more a future backup. Doesn't possess ideal size (5'6", 143lbs) for the position but also doesn't have the speed to play out wide.

CDM - Denis Buysse (41 OVR, 71-91)*: 16-year old from Belgium described as "playmaker" who is very raw at the moment but offers solid potential. Academy trainers will need to develop him quickly early on.

CDM - Daniel Yabo (58 OVR, 73-81): 15-year old from Germany described as defensive minded. His defensive skills are actually pretty advanced for someone his age and his stamina is already good enough to at least play in a backup role so he's set to be a contributor for the club well before his 18th birthday.
* Recent addition

______________________________



2022 WC - CONMEBOL Qualifying

Venezuela - Brazil (1-1)
Oscar 15'
Del Valle 90' (pen)
Rosales 21'

Possibly one of the most difficult match-ups we could have gotten to open up this qualifying but luckily we had had some friendlies against Brazil leading up to this and even though we trailed for most of the game we were able to keep it close throughout and our effort paid off in the end when a righteous PK call in our favor was well executed by Yonathan Del Valle to allow us to earn a point out of this tough game. Neymar had actually missed a penalty kick of his own in the 4th minute but Brazil also got lucky in the 84th minute when a free kick my Romulo Otero was miraculously saved by Diego Alves.

Venezuela - Argentina (1-2)
Pastore 61'
Rondon 84' (Otero)
Agüero 88'

Unfortunately we were unable to also get a good result against the other powerhouse in South America even if our game plan was nearly flawlessly executed. We had 60% possession but we were unable to get much done in the last quarter of the pitch and were limited to just two shots (both on goal). Argentina also had just two shots on target but they scored on both, Sergio Agüero breaking our hearts just four minutes after we scored what we felt was a deserved equalizer. While we only earned 1 out of 6 points I come away pleased with how we performed against the top teams in this side of the world and feel good about what we can do in the qualifiers if we repeat these kind of performances.
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November's Schedule
11/3: at FC Utrecht
11/7: vs Hearts (Euro League)
11/10: vs Vitesse
11/15: at Paraguay (WC Qualifying)
11/19: vs Bolivia (WC Qualifying)
11/23: at Roda JC
11/28: vs Spurs (Euro League)

Good opportunities next month as they only game against team ahead of is one we should be able to handle at home against Vitesse but we really need to start taking care of business in games against lower opponents. Two more games in Euro League also may dictate our future in that competition so those will be important as well, and after a very difficult start in WC Qualifying I'll have two must-win games with Venezuela otherwise the local press may really go after me.

Wish me luck

Kayserispor watch

Spoiler

Not getting better luck in their tough group in Champions League as they currently sit in 3rd place after a draw with Olym. Marseille with just that point to show for while FC Bayern (9pts) and FC Porto (6) seem well ahead. Wouldn't it be something if they end up joining us in the Euro League? They continue to be in 7th place in the Süper Lig at 19 points, 6 behind the leader Beşiktaş.

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

I'll go ahead and reserve, as you might have guessed, Hertha BSC for my first Fifa 17 career.

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

I'll go ahead and reserve, as you might have guessed, Hertha BSC for my first Fifa 17 career.

Atleast you're going with someone different this year!

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Atleast you're going with someone different this year!

They are my favourite team, and this has become a bit of a tradition now. Also, don't fix what ain't broken :P

[sportsfreak96]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

I'm reserving Real Betis for either my first or second CM in 17