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Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?
The Wednesday: January '16
January 3, Hillsborough Stadium
Barclays PL: Matchday 20
SHW 3-2 QPR
Stevie May scored a last-minute winner against Queens Park Rangers on his first start for Sheffield Wednesday in more than six games, pouncing on Alex McCarthy's parry after a lightning-quick counter-attack. Caolan Lavery opened the scoring after being fed by Gary Mackay-Steven, who added a goal of his own early in the second half. Mustafa Pektemek and Steven Caulker provided the goals for QPR, each scoring with his head off a corner.
"Today was an example of our courage and fearlessness. We showed that we don't accept defeat until the final whistle has gone. I have to congratulate QPR on giving us a tough time, but my players showed the world why we deserve to be in the Premier League. After the loss to Wigan, we needed to come back strong, and this is a fantastic statement from us."
January 6, Anfield
Barclays PL: Matchday 21
LIV 1-0 SHW
Oussama Assaidi bamboozled the Sheffield Wednesday defence to set up Daniel Sturridge, who scored the solitary goal of the contest as Liverpool picked up a third straight home win. Dejan Lovren was sent off soon after the goal for a two-footed lunge on Diafra Sakho, who left the field with bruising on his leg. Gary Mackay-Steven produced a number of fine chances, but an in-form Simon Mignolet did enough to keep Wednesday out.
"You have to give credit to Liverpool for battening down the hatches after losing their best defender. We created plenty of opportunities but couldn't take any of them. It's not so much that we played poorly in front of goal, but they simply knew what to do to thwart us. We have to accept the defeat and move on, and hopefully we can pick ourselves up in time for the next match."
January 9, Hillsborough Stadium
FA Cup: Round 3
SHW 1-1 BRC
Aden Flint's early header for Bristol City was cancelled out by Stevie May's penalty for Sheffield Wednesday in this third-round FA Cup fixture in South Yorkshire. The visitors found themselves on the end of a number of chances but could not find the shooting boots to score the decisive goal, while Wednesday looked disjointed after their loss to Liverpool. With the game ending level, a replay at Ashton Gate is now on the cards.
"We've always managed to play well on the back of a defeat, but when you add in fatigue and fixture congestion, things aren't so simple. But we're a group of professionals, so we won't make excuses. The short version is we weren't good enough, which needs to change quickly if we don't want to slip into a run of poor results."
January 16, Hillsborough Stadium
Barclays PL: Matchday 22
SHW 2-1 CHE
Stevie May's outstanding screamer in injury time of the first half sealed a 2-1 win for Sheffield Wednesday in a crucial home match against a resurgent Chelsea. Thorgan Hazard netted the 12th goal of his breakout season, but Jacques Maghoma quickly restored parity on the back of a rallying cry from Indi Blue. The visitors turned on the heat for the second half by bringing on new signing Edinson Cavani, but they could not convert their dominance into an equaliser.
"This is just the performance we needed to pull ourselves up. I think we played some absolutely riveting football today. The referee also had a good game. Unfortunately, that early injury to Joe Mattock isn't looking very good. At the moment, we suspect he may have torn a muscle in his thigh, which would rule him out for about three months."
January 20, Ashton Gate
FA Cup: Round 3 (Replay)
BRC 1-2 SHW
Stevie May scored his third winning goal in five matches, pushing Sheffield Wednesday through ahead of Bristol City in this FA Cup third-round replay. Kieran Agard opened the scoring for City, but Jacques Maghoma once again provided an equaliser mere minutes after. The Congolese winger was then brought down in the box, and May confidently buried the ensuing spot kick with aplomb.
"It was very important that we win this game. I stressed that in the dressing room before each half, and my boys got behind that philosophy. Bristol City gave us a torrid time over 180 minutes, so we must hand them the credit they deserve. If they make it to the Premier League next season, we'll look forward to more such encounters."
January 24, Villa Park
Barclays PL: Matchday 23
AVL 1-0 SHW
Libor Kozak's header was enough to give Aston Villa the win against Sheffield Wednesday, who have now failed to win consecutive league matches in over a month. Aly Cissoko was sent off in the first half for a pair of bookable offences, but Wednesday could not penetrate Villa's defence, which dropped deep to compensate for their numerical disadvantage. Sam Hutchinson was also stretchered off with suspected ligament damage, adding to Wednesday's woes.
"Absolutely nothing about today is positive. The result is not what we wanted, the performance was sorely lacking, and we lost one of our most important players to what we believe is ligament damage that will keep him sidelined for 8-10 weeks. Sam is a resilient lad, and our medical team is confident that it's not a repeat of the injury that kept him out for so long at Chelsea, so we have that one small silver lining."
January 30, Hillsborough Stadium
FA Cup: Round 4
SHW 1-1 MCI
Caolan Lavery's stunning volley early in the second half gave Sheffield Wednesday a brief lead in this FA Cup fourth-round tie, but Alvaro Negredo restored parity for Manchester City with an equally breathtaking scissor kick. The match ending all square means a replay will be forced at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, where Wednesday's cup run may just come to an end.
"The best way I can describe this game is 'mismatch'. That we even got a goal against one of the best teams in the world is one thing, but to force a replay is something we did not expect. We go now to Manchester in a few days to finish off the job, but there is an uphill task. City know that they have already won that game, so it won't bother them at all."
January review/February preview
Our results this month were good enough to continue straddling the upper end of the mid-table positions. The wins against QPR and Chelsea will prove vital, and we can live with losing to Liverpool at Anfield. The loss to Villa feels like three points lost, while we could have done more in the cup to prevent ourselves from having to play extra matches.
More worryingly, we have lost two very important players to long-term injury. Joe Mattock and Sam Hutchinson, who signed a new contract at the start of the month, will be sorely missed. Rafael Floro has come in for Mattock, while we brought in Cristobal Arias de Haro from Barcelona (generated player) on a short-term loan to compensate for Hutchinson's injury. Alex Smithies has left for Watford until the end of the season, at which point we will consider his long-term future. Blackburn came in for Chris Maguire but were unable to match his wage demands, which means I may simply release him next summer if we don't find a club to take him by then.
Tottenham continue to lead the table with 54 points from 23 games, with Manchester United behind them on 53 and Arsenal in third on 48, both with 24 played. Manchester City round out the top four, also on 48 points, but they also have a game in hand over Arsenal and United. Chelsea and Liverpool have 46 points each from 24 games, but Chelsea have a vastly superior goal differential. We continue to stand at ninth with 34 points with a -5 goal differential, though we have a game in hand over seventh-placed Newcastle and eighth-placed Everton, both of whom have 37 points and positive goal differentials.
In February, we start things off with our trip to the Etihad for our FA Cup fourth-round replay. We then stick around for a big game at Old Trafford before returning home to host Southampton. Our fourth game takes us to Leicester, who offered me Nigel Pearson's job on deadline day, which I declined. Burnley at home is the final fixture. I can't see us beating City at their ground, but I do think we have a genuine chance at winning 7-9 points from our four league fixtures.
At the turn of March, I am certain we will have achieved the 40-point safety mark, but the most important thing will be to keep pushing on and trying to win as many games as possible between now and the final day, when we host Tottenham in what could be a dead rubber. United's results show that they have not won a game since early December, so Spurs might open up a gap over the next month and end up running away with the title.
Ah, yes, I almost forgot. I decided to throw all my money (£140k) at Xherdan Shaqiri to sign him on a pre-contract agreement. Unfortunately, the idea of living in Sheffield didn't seem very appealing. He wanted more money to relocate, and if I'd had more, I would have gladly given it to him... wage disparity be damned! And now, it'll be a very long time before I can afford him. Oh well, at least I got these two good lads for free.
Connor Goldson/CB/England/23 YO/67 OVR
Connor will go from League Two with Shrewsbury Town to the Premier League with us, and it looks like he may follow in Joe Hart's footsteps by establishing himself as a top-flight footballer in the years to come. Definitely a long-term buy, I believe that Connor has the potential to succeed at the very top of the game. He brings pace, awareness and defensive solidity to our bench. I can't wait to give him some time in the friendlies and get a feel for how he plays.
Thomas Ince/RM/England/24 YO/74 OVR
The second free transfer we make is Tom Ince, whose career has been all over the place ever since he left Blackpool thanks to poor advice from his father. Tom brings a lot of things to the table. A complete winger who is yet to hit the top of his game, he can dribble, pass, cross and shoot. We look forward to Tom linking up with the squad so he can get started on achieving the potential we know he has. I'm eager to see him finally represent England on my watch, something I know will happen sooner or later.
We also tried to bring in Tom's cousin Rohan from Brighton, but he was asking to play too big a role for me to agree to his demands. I faced a similar problem in trying to sign Sam Byram. I hope that in the summer, with a season of Premier League football under our belts, we as a club become a far more attractive destination for players.
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Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?
Just did some quick research. In my career mode Nadir Çiftçi is now the all time top scorer in club history.
73 goals in 95 appearances across all competitions.
Previous record holder was Rüdiger Wenzel with 64 goals in 168 appearances.Comment
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Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?
Hellas Verona
November 2016
Hellas Verona 2 - 0 Manchester United
Praet 21', Choupo-Moting 34'
"This game was a very important one because now we need only three points out of the two games to progress. United didn't have many chances and we controlled the game. The boys did a great job out there."
Cagliari 2 - 5 Hellas Verona
Fred 75', Sau 90' pen
Choupo-Moting 30', 66', 81', Florenzi 70', Embolo 90'
"Defensively we were bad but offensively we were amazing. Eric (Choupo-Moting) was superior again and to me he is the best player of the league. Breel (Embolo) had a good game, as well. It's still early but I think we will win the league."
Hellas Verona 2 - 2 Juventus
Chiellini 12' OG, Embolo 87'
Llorente 28', Giovinco 73'
"This game was a very hard one, just like always when facing Juve. They played well against us and sadly they ended our 100% winning streak in the league. It looked like we were going to lose but Breel's amazing solo run in the last minutes was enough to secure a point. We can still go the whole league season unbeaten."
Hellas Verona 2 - 2 Borussia Dortmund
Choupo-Moting 78', 90' pen
Dzeko 69', Immobile 90'
"I hate Dortmund. They didn't do anything for the first hour of the game and then suddenly they scored twice. Luckily our attack worked well and we were able to get a point from the game which also secures our progression in the Champions League. Eric (Choupo-Moting) was great again."
Torino 1 - 2 Hellas Verona
Stevanovic 38'
Choupo-Moting 10', Embolo 79'
Simulated.
Player of the Month
Eric Choupo-Moting
Did this come as a surprise? Didn't think so. Choupo-Moting continued his unbelievable scoring run as he netted seven goals in the month. He has now scored 20 goals in 18 appearances which is an amazing tally.
Hot or Not
Hot
Eric Choupo-Moting
The amazing attacker of the team continued his great form in November.
Breel Embolo
Embolo scored a couple of good goals in November and he combined well with the other attacking players up top. The youngster showed why he deserves the starting spot.
Not
Geronimo Rulli
Verona's goalkeeper conceded a lot of goals from shots that he could've saved, including a near post shot against Cagliari and a header from Edin Dzeko against Dortmund.
Champions League Group
1. Hellas Verona, 11 pts
2. Borussia Dortmund, 9 pts
3. Manchester United, 7 pts
4. Malmö FF, 0 pts
Serie A Table
1. Hellas Verona, 40 pts
2. Juventus, 28 pts
3. Chievo Verona, 28 pts
4. AS Roma, 25 pts
5. Genoa, 24 pts
6. Napoli, 22 pts
-----------------------------------------------
18. Cagliari, 12 pts
19. Livorno, 10 pts
20. Catania, 6 pts
I'm not sure if I should start a League 2 career after this season or after two seasons. I would prefer to do it after this season with Verona because I would have more time to finish the League 2 career. What do you guys think?
Thank you for reading this post! I hope you have enjoyed it! Any feedback or suggestions will be appreciated!
-Simppu12-
Playing at the moment: FIFA 17
Hertha BSC
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Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?
Valencia Update November - December 2014
11/2/14 Villareal CF 0 - 1 Valencia CF
19' E. Perez
Man of the Match - Diego Alves
11/9/14 Valencia CF 3 - 1 Athletic Bilbao
20' Negredo
54' E. Perez
77' Aduriz
86' E. Perez
Man of the Match - E. Perez
11/23/14 Levante 2 - 1 Valencia
13' David Barral
27' P. Piatti
77' Morales
Man of the Match - Morales
11/30/14 Valencia CF 2 - 2 FC Barcelona
10' Neymar
13' Lionel Messi
32' S. Feghouli
70' P. Piatti
Man of the Match S. Feghouli
Copa del Rey
12/3/14 Valencia CF 4 - 1 Real Valladolid (1st Leg)
4' Negredo
20' Tulio de Melo
24' Javi Fuego
59' Negredo
74' Negredo (pen)
Man of the Match - Negredo
La Liga
12/7/14 Granada 0 - 0 Valencia CF
Man of the Match - Diego Alves
12/13/14 Valencia CF 2 - 2 Rayo Vallecano
14' Dani Ramirez
38' Leo Baptistao
56' Piatti
69' Kakuta
Man of the Match - P. Piatti
Copa Del Rey
12/17/14 Real Valladolid 2 - 2 Valencia CF
3' Tulio de Melo
13' S. Feghouli
53' Oscar
85' Negredo
Man of Match - Negredo
12/20/14 EC Eibar 0 - 2 Valencia CF
34' Javi Fuego
72' Mustafi
Man of the Match - Yoel
1/4/15 Valencia CF 1 - 1 Real Madrid
86' Christiano Ronaldo
89' Rodrigo
Man of the Match - Dani Alves
I will have an updated Table and Stats later on tonight.
My teams: Cowboys, Knicks, Braves, Arsenal FC, Nittany Lions
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Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?
VfB Stuttgart
Career Mode
Season 1
Part 2 - September against the Goliaths
Page 974 - Part 1 - August and introduction
Current Squad
Spoiler
Games
Bundesliga
Matchday 3
VfL Stuttgart 1-0 Bayern Munich
83' Herrmann (Ibisevic)
So here it was, my third game as the coach of Stuttgart and it was going to be against Bayern in the Allianz arena. I knew it was going to be really difficult, and it was - Bayern was pressuring us, taking shots and to our luck, they somehow didn't score in the first half.
One part of it was that Ulreich was keeping us in it, as he had 6 saves in the first half; the second part was they really didn't take the best shots at time. Some of them were perfect. For example, Lahm got 1-on-1 with the keeper, yet Sven held his ground and saved it.
Second half was exactly the same, we were sitting in defense and waiting for our moment. It felt like we were going to crack at some point - the fans felt it and so did the players. I even made subs, putting on Die and Niedermeier to go for the single point. Then, somehow, somewhere, Gentner played a long pass to Ibisevic. Bayerns defense was wide open, so he passed it to Herrmann, past Dante, who used his pace to beat Rode and hit in past Neuer.
I couldn't believe it, the stadium went quiet - we had taken the lead so late into the game, and we were the weaker team for sure. I told the guys to play really defensive after that, and the game somehow finished 1-0, giving us 3 points against the toughest team in Germany and Europe. Fantastic!
MOTM: Sven Ulreich
Bundesliga
Matchday 4
1899 Hoffenheim 1-1 VfL Stuttgart
7' Maxim (Leitner)
89' Ulreich (OG)
After a fantastic win, we went back home to face Hoffenheim. After the last game I really was confident and wanted to perform well infront of our home fans. And when Maxim got past the defense with ease and lightly hit in the bottom corner, we took the lead very early. We were playing rather well, so was Hoffenheim. Neither team actually had too many chances and I wasn't mad about it, since we already had the lead. We just had to hold our own and play well.
Then something happened, which I had never imagined that would - a cross came into the box, and as Ulreich went for it, he fumbled it in our own net. The man who had saved us against Bayern, had cost us the game against Hoffenheim. The game actually ended 1-1, a result that we really ain't happy with, but I guess it will have to do.
MOTM: Alexandru Maxim
Bundesliga
Matchday 5
VfL Stuttgart 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
24' Ibisevic (Romeu)
27' Kagawa (Immobile)
37' Grosskreutz (Durm)
Against Dortmund, I wasn't the most confident. We got lucky in the win against Bayern, you could really see the level of talent between the two teams. And knowing how good Dortmund is, it wasn't going to be easy.
However, the game started well. We were moving the ball nicely and while we had difficulty getting infront of goal, it looked promising. Then, Romeu passed it to Ibisevic, who managed to get past the defense in the box and shoot it past Weidenfeller. It wasn't the greatest of shots - front post and a weak one, the goalkeeper should have had it, yet we took the lead with it, so I couldn't complain.
A few moments later though, Dortmund attacked with force - some good passing play, Immobile gave it to Kagawa, who shot it first time into the top corner, a very good shot. Time went past and they were at it again - good 1-2 between Grosskreutz and Durm got Grosskreutz open in the box and he gave the hometeam the lead.
Second half was rather boring, I made more attacking changes to get back into the game, but it was no use, since Dortmund was playing well in defense. The game ended and we took our first loss this season, the only thing that made me happy, was the fact that it was against a very tough team.
MOTM: Vedad Ibisevic
Bundesliga
Matchday 6
Hannover 96 1-5 VfL Stuttgart
8' Maxim (PEN)
15' Leitner (Maxim)
27' Pander (FK)
45' Ibisevic (Maxim)
52' Ibisevic (Kostac)
78' Rausch (Stark)
Last game of the month was against Hannover. I played a bit of a different side, giving some of the bench players minutes. I was pretty confident that we should get the win, and the game started well for us, as Ibisevic got taken down in the box, we earned a penalty. Maxim stepped up to take it and scored!
A few moments later, Leitner showed great skill, running from the midfielder, through on goal, and giving us a comfortable lead. Hannover did manage to bag a goal back, in a way I never imagined it would happen - a free-kick, 25 meters out, was hit beautifully by Pander.
After that, Hannover looked very threatening and a completely different side, yet I think they lost all hope, when Maxim played a beautiful ball past the defense and when Ibisevic scored out third. He did managed to pick up one more in the second half, just before I subbed him - some nice skill in the box got him open for a shot, which went in, yet the shot itself was rather poor - it was a slow ball that went through the keepers legs, should have done a better job.
Finally, we put one more in, as after a free-kick, Stark, making his debut, won the ball and passed it to Rausch, who slid it past the keeper. A 5-1 victory was a great way to finish the month.
MOTM: Alexandru Maxim
Man of the Month
Alexandru Maxim
Well, I figured that this month the best player was truely the man who actually was the MOTM the most. I mean, it does help when you score 2 goals and give 2 assists. Maxim is a complete dominator in the attacking front, he makes everybody else look so good. I do like Didavi a lot, but I don't see him replacing Maxim any time soon.
League Table
My Thoughts
Well, this month has really left me mixed. I am happy with the performance against Bayern, yet losing points against Hoffenheim and Dortmund isn't the best way to go. Still, we are second in the league, which is completely fine.
How is Hertha first, is beyond me. I guess that Simppu magic has stayed there, even if he is at Verona. One good thing is that we get to face them next month, first game of the month aswell. We also go against Bayer and Frankfurt and face Köln again in the Pokal, which could also be big for us.
Well, that is it for now, thanks for reading and please, leave your comments if there is anything!Comment
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Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?
Valencia January 2015 Transfer Targets
Saul (Atletico Madrid) - CDM Ovr 74 - 9 million Euros
Adryan (Leed United) - CAM Ovr 68 - 4.5 million Euros
Balde Diao Keita (Lazio) - LW Ovr 77 - 30 million Euros
With only 19 million Euros to spend, the first 2 will be feasible to give us some depth in the midfield. The last one might be a pipe dream for January, but definitely will be pursued in the summer.
My teams: Cowboys, Knicks, Braves, Arsenal FC, Nittany Lions
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Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?
Yeeeeah, that's the real Hertha! Get in! They will win the league, I know it. Oleee, Hertha BSC....
Oh, some great results like the win against Bayern. You got very unlucky against Hoffenheim
but you're in a great position.-Simppu12-
Playing at the moment: FIFA 17
Hertha BSC
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How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?
Smitty: You seemed to have a knack for delivering on big demolishing every month, but that seems to have ended now
unless you count the 4-1 against Valladolid a demolishing, which could probably be justified. But anyway, you picked up great results against Barcelona and Real Madrid. You defeated Eibar 2-0 but Yoel still won MOTM. I can only imagine what the scoreline would have been had he not been on the field. He gives me problems as well, almost makes me want to sign him actually. Looking forward to seeing what the league table is looking like.
Simppu: "And as Corleone walked to the dressing rooms after shaking the Glazers' hands after the match against United, he looked down at the palm of his hand - staring as if he had just seen a ghost. He had never met the Glazers personally before, but he felt like if in a distant universe of some sort he already had a close relationship with them. Almost like déjà vu. He shook his head and went into his team's dressing room. There is work that still needs to be done."
I know you already faced United last month, but I didn't have a chance to reply to it then. I'm glad you were able to pull off a win against them and you're doing extremely well in the league! Looks like you're set for the league title again. I think that if are able to win the league and the Champions, then you should start a League Two. If you don't win both then stay for another season. Have you already thought of which League Two side you will choose or are you keeping that as a surprise?
Indi: Man and I thought I had injury problems! I hope that the injury bug has taken it's quota already and gives you some slack from now on because this month alone was brutal. Some good and bad results mixed in, but an important win against Chelsea which I can't figure out how you got it other than you know the squad's weaknesses from being a fan. A draw against City was also crucial, and the defeat against Liverpool seems undeserved. Stevie May had a pretty good month getting on the scoresheet, and I hope Smithies can develop well during his loan spell so he can become the future of Wednesday!
Texasbum: Dude, CONGRATULATIONS!!! Everything in this month was amazing.... Well not everything I guess. Can't believe you did Simppu dirty like that. Nah never mind that commie deserved it! :P You may not have won the cup final, but you got an even bigger trophy by defeating Galatasaray! And of course Çiftçi put his mark on that match. Really looking forward to next season and seeing that brown kit in the Champions!
I'm slowly starting to find the time to reply to updates while simultaneously working on my own, so I apologize to those I was not able to reply to right now :/Last edited by _ChicoBass; 02-23-2015, 03:11 PM.Comment
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Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?
I think I'll win at least the league title and maybe the TIM Cup but I'm unsure about the Champions League. I haven't thought about the team yet but I want it to be a good team with a good budget, like Wimbledon but I won't use them for reasons we may know. I could put Rangers in the Football League 1 or 2 and use them. I'll probably make a poll when it's time for that.-Simppu12-
Playing at the moment: FIFA 17
Hertha BSC
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Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?
Yeah, I guess the goal orgies of the early season are over. Levante brought me back to earth, and I surprised by the result against Real Madrid, given the form we were in going into that match. As for the table, I'll give you a hint: CLOSE!!Smitty: You seemed to have a knack for delivering on big demolishing every month, but that seems to have ended now unless you count the 4-1 against Valladolid a demolishing, which could probably be justified. But anyway, you picked up great results against Barcelona and Real Madrid. You defeated Eibar 2-0 but Yoel still won MOTM. I can only imagine what the scoreline would have been had he not been on the field. He gives me problems as well, almost makes me want to sign him actually. Looking forward to seeing what the league table is looking like.My teams: Cowboys, Knicks, Braves, Arsenal FC, Nittany Lions
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How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?
December 2015 - Season 2
FIFA 15 (PS4)
Copa Del Rey - Round of 32 (1st Leg)
Real Valladolid 2 - 1 CA Osasuna
VAL: Bergdich 13' Leao 28'
OSA: Palacios 63'
Last year's runners-up have had a tough start to this year's Copa Del Rey, as they were defeated by their rivals Real Valladolid. Chavez fielded a 4-3-3 Holding with the only change being the loanee Palacios starting over the injured Guillermo, but whatever game plan Chavez had for this match was quickly thrown out the window as Valladolid took the lead early on. Things only worsened fifteen minutes later as Andre Leao widened the goal difference by scoring off a rebound in the 28th minute. Osasuna pushed forward attempting to get back into the game but Federico Palacios was completely overpowered by Valladolid's strong and tall centre backs. Palacios never gave up though. In the second half he received a ball at the edge of the box with his back towards goal, he moved to his left, losing his marker who tried to anticipate to the right, and he was now facing the goal. The young Spanish-German striker used his pace to get into the box and then powered a low shot that went past the keeper and into the net!
The 5'7" striker had been having a difficult match but the goal was a breath of fresh air for himself and the club. Unfortunately it was not enough, and the Basques were unable to equalize. Osasuna will now have everything to play for in the second leg being down on aggregate but with an away goal in their favor.
Europa League - Group Stage
CA Osasuna (B-Team) 4 - 1 Napoli
OSA: Kodro 45' 51' 87' Luque 90'
NAP: Vargas 64'
RED CARD: Callejon (NAP) 43'
They've done it again! Osasuna have defeated Napoli and are now alive in the Europa League again! Chavez fielded a 4-3-3 Attack with the young wide midfielder Kenan Kodro starting at striker, his first start in the Chavez era, and the Basque-born forward took advantage of the opportunity netting himself a hat-trick! The beginning of the match was a very tight with both teams spending the majority of the time battling it out in midfield. Osasuna focused on holding the ball, while Napoli focused on the physical battle with hard hitting slide tackles that earned them 3 yellows before halftime. Napoli's indiscipline hit its peak in the 43rd minute when the attacking midfielder Callejon slide tackled Loe from behind and received a straight red from the referee. Osasuna took advantage of the extra man just two minutes later when young Jose Garcia crossed the ball looking for Kenan Kodro inside the box, and the San Sebastián native got all of us off our feet by taking his shot with a low bicycle kick!
The keeper was just as surprised as we were and wasn't able to react in time to even make an attempt on saving it. The match went to halftime with the fans going wild with Osasuna's partial victory that could see them fighting on in the Europa, and also the amazing goal Kodro had just gifted us. Los Rojillos weren't about to defend their lead with an extra man on the field, and started the second half with all guns blazing. Manuel Onwu, playing at LW, took a powerful shot on goal soon after the starting whistle that the keeper was able to save, but Kenan Kodro was able to connect with the rebound to give Osasuna a comfortable 2-0 advantage. Even with 10 men Napoli still have some important names on the field, and they showed it with Vargas getting one back for the Italians and taking Osasuna out of their comfort zone. This is where the match became even more interesting. Osasuna NEEDED a win in order to fight on in the group stage. A draw or a loss would rid them of any and all chances of progressing to the next round. Napoli have their own tournament to play as well, and they pushed forward for the equalizer. In their desperation, Napoli's manager added more men in attack and put the empty space left by Callejon at RB, meaning the Italians were now defending with three at back: a left back and two centre backs. As they pushed forward they left several open spaces that allowed Osasuna to get a cross into the box that the 6'3" forward Kodro was easily able to head the ball into the back of the net to complete his hat-trick. Only three minutes later Osasuna took advantage of Napoli's empty space at RB and the LW Julian Luque, who was subbed in for an injured Manuel Onwu, found space on the left side of the box to cut in and shoot to score his first goal of the season! Luque had been struggling very much this season, so this goal could really help him regain confidence. This result took Osasuna up to 2nd place in Group L, however there is still one more match to play and all four teams have a chance to progress. If Osasuna can defeat Aberdeen later this month, they will be through. However a defeat or a draw would force them to rely on other results, with a much higher chance of not going through.
INJURY NEWS
Manuel Onwu (ST - 66 OVR) will be out for approximately 7 days with a femur contusion.
CA Osasuna 2 - 1 Real Zaragoza
OSA: Palacios 11' 45'
ZAR: Willian Jose 23'
After the defeat at Real Valladolid it is believed that Chavez received a message from the board encouraging him to shake things up, but this result on top of the Napoli match helped Chavez win the board's support back. Osasuna struck early with Federico Palacios bringing down a lobbed pass inside the box and then calmly shooting with his inside foot to beat the rushing goalkeeper.
Willian Jose would equalize for Zaragoza not too long later, but Palacios showed his determination by completing his brace right before halftime. The goal really surprised us, as the 5'7" striker was actually able to get his head on a cross and score! Palacios really had to put in everything he had on his jump to win the aerial challenge, and his jump was so high for him that he wasn't even able to land on his feet and landed on his back instead. The next forty-five minutes would be extremely tight with Osasuna desperate to keep the lead, but thanks to some amazing defensive work and Riesgo's dives they were able to keep the lead and add on a vital three points for the league table.
RCD Espanyol 0 - 3 CA Osasuna
OSA: Palacios 64' Ramirez 77' Oier 90'
Now THIS was truly a surprise. Espanyol have had a great tournament so far sitting at 2nd on the league table below their local rivals FC Barcelona, while Osasuna have been up and down the middle of the table all season. The match began as we expected, with Espanyol clearly the better side in both attack and defense. Although they had one less man in midfield, Espanyol's 4-2-2-2 was controlling the midfield and set the pace of the match against Osasuna's 4-3-3 Holding. Chavez made two changes to the first team lineup, with Marcos Alonso playing at LB for Sisi and Jose David Ramirez playing at RW for Ferreiro. The changes were due to fatigue as Chavez wants his first team to be as fit as possible for the next match. Osasuna were able to just barely hold on to the 0-0 scoreline and looked relieved to hear the referee blow the halftime whistle. The second half was completely different, as Osasuna finally had their first shot of the entire match in the 50th minute. In the 64th minute, Palacios surprised us by finishing a cross with a header again to make it 1-0, again landing flat on his back from the jump. Espanyol was still the better side and easily pushed Palacios around in the physical battle, which led to Chavez taking him out of the match as a precaution to avoid injury and put in his place the much taller and stronger Kenan Kodro. Kodro immediately put his mark on the game by connecting with Jose David Ramirez with a wall pass in his first touch of the match. The wall pass was successful and left Ramirez through on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat. Ramirez has been in terrible form lately, so we weren't sure how he would handle the one on one situation, but the winger was able to shoot past the keeper and score his first goal of the season!
Ramirez celebrated his goal with passion, as it will no doubt help him shake off the pressure and bad form he's been carrying this entire season. Espanyol were still the better side and did everything in their power to get back into the match while Osasuna defended with their lives. Oier put an end to the match in the 90th minute by scoring off a corner kick to put his team ahead 3-0. With the decisive scoreline the referee blew the final whistle not long after that.
***I was not controlling Oier when he scored the final goal. I was controlling Kodro for the corner kick but Oier beat me to the ball and scored! Just thought you guys should know
***
Copa Del Rey - Round of 32 (2nd leg)
CA Osasuna 2 (3) - 1 (3) Real Valladolid
OSA: Darder 45' Onwu 83'
VAL: Ramos 63'
With everything to play for Osasuna were instructed to attack by Chavez since the starting whistle, while Valladolid clearly chose to try and hold the aggregate lead. With Valladolid deep in their defensive zone waiting for the attack, Osasuna held a high line and sent attack after attack in search for the net. Before halftime, Osasuna already had 10 shots on goal and 6 corner kicks, while Valladolid hadn't taken a single shot. The longer this went on the more desperate Osasuna became in front of goal, until Osasuna finally saw a light in the 45th minute. Ivan had sent an early cross into the box looking for Palacios but he was easily beat in the air by Valladolid's Alfaro, who tried to head the ball back to his goalkeeper but his pass was more like a shot on goal! The keeper had to jump high in order save the ball from going in under the crossbar, but he wasn't able to send it over and the ball deflected off the crossbar and landed on Sergi Darder's feet who just had to tap the ball in with the goalkeeper inside the net!
Darder scored his first goal in an Osasuna jersey and what a time to get it, as the goal equalized the aggregate scoreline with Osasuna having an away goal from the first leg. The Basques went into halftime with the lead and would have wanted to keep the momentum going for the second half, but now that Valladolid had lost their lead they were actually attacking and looked dangerous each time they stepped into Osasuna's box. The inevitable happened in the 63rd minute when Valladolid sent a low cross into the box looking for any flying foot. The ball had found it's target and the shot was taken, but Ivan was able to block it before it reached Riesgo, however the ball then found it's way towards Omar Ramos who took his shot at a very short distance which left Riesgo helpless. Again Valladolid sat back to defend the lead and Chavez shouted at his players in motivation to get forward. The clock was ticking and Chavez subbed in Manuel Onwu to play at LW so that Torres could drop to LCM and take off the fatigued Cuevas. Osasuna were going for the win as they had no other choice, but Valladolid defended with all eleven men behind midfield. In the 83rd minute Manuel Onwu took a hopeful shot as the Valladolid defenders kept him from getting in a comfortable position to shoot. Even though he wasn't facing the net he still managed to take a powerful shot to the near post and the ball went in, equalizing the aggregate yet again! The match went into extra time where neither team was able to cause more damage. Both teams still looked for the win despite their tired legs, but in the end the scoreline remained the same and it would all have to be decided from the penalty spot.
Spoiler
Europa League - Group Stage
Aberdeen vs CA Osasuna (B-Team)
Here we are, the final match of group stage. The group is still very tight, with all four teams still with a chance to advance. 1899 Hoffenheim are the only team guaranteed a spot in the next round. Only one more team could advance still between Napoli, Aberdeen, and Osasuna. The reason this match was so important is because whoever won would be through. If Aberdeen won, they go to the next round. A tie or a loss would mean elimination for them. For Osasuna, a win guaranteed progress. With a tie they would have to depend on Napoli losing their match against Hoffenheim, while a defeat would mean Aberdeen go through.
Spoiler
CA Osasuna 3 - 1 FC Barcelona
OSA: Palacios 22' Kodro 81' 90'
FCB: Messi 90'
The underdogs have triumphed over the Spanish giants Barcelona, who as expected have been breezing through La Liga. Both managers play possession-based football, so that's what we mostly saw at the beginning of the match; a midfield battle. Suarez, the league's top scorer, started at CF leaving Lionel Messi on the Barcelona bench. The loanee Federico Palacios shocked us all in the 22nd minute as he sprinted into the box with the Barcelona defenders surrounding him. Palacios wasn't able to take his shot comfortably and instead had to slide in order to shoot the ball before one of his markers stole it. The shot had a lot of power behind it and went upwards because of his slide, going in past Bravo and hitting the top part of the net!
The first half ended without many more shots but plenty of football in midfield as both teams fought for possession. Osasuna's LB Sisi and RB Ivan did an outstanding job at neutralizing the wingers Neymar and Deulofeu, while Suarez was left to face the two centre backs alone. Barcelona came extremely close to scoring on several occasions, but if it wasn't Riesgo saving it it was one of the defenders blocking the shot before it made it to him. Later on in the second half Chavez subbed off the fatigued RW David Ferreiro, who had assisted the first goal, and subbed in Kenan Kodro to play at ST and move Palacios to RW. The move was extremely effective. Even though Kodro doesn't have Palacios' pace, he is a tower in the box and used it to his advantage in his first play by heading a corner from Torres straight into the net!
Kodro wasn't done though and nine minutes later he scored yet another header to extend Osasuna's lead to 3-0. The Basque forward had just scored twice on Barcelona within 10 minutes! Barcelona were not about to go back home without scoring any goals, and Lionel Messi scored right before the final whistle to make the score a little less humilliating. Osasuna have ended Barcelona's 7-game winning streak. Their last defeat was on October 25th against SD Eibar.
INJURY NEWS
Sisi (RM - 73 OVR) will be out for approximately 6 weeks with a broken rib he suffered in training. Sisi is naturally a RM but has been playing at LB this season.
CA Osasuna Player of The Month
ST - Federico Palacios (64 OVR 20yrs) (+3)
----- AND -----
LM - Kenan Kodro (63 OVR 22yrs) (+2)
We were looking at a potential disastrous month for Osasuna this December seeing as the club would be without Guillermo, one of their most important players, who is out with a broken elbow. Instead we were given one of the best months for Osasuna, progressing in the Europa League after finishing last month in last place and coming back up to 7th place in the league. Nobody thought it would be possible, but Osasuna's B-Team's strikers Federico Palacios and Kenan Kodro truly stepped up to their club's call, and have thus earned themselves the club's first Joint Player of The Month award. Both have been extremely important and both deserved the award. Palacios took the reigns with the first team and became a reliable goal scorer, currently tied with Guillermo as club top scorer although all of Guillermo's goals have been in the league. Kodro also did his part, putting the B-team on his shoulder and carrying them through an extremely vital match against Napoli and then sealing the win against Barcelona. At first it looked like Osasuna would be struggling to score goals without Guillermo, but instead they found two solid and reliable strikers.
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Liga BBVA League Table
1. FC Barcelona - 45 points
2. RCD Espanyol - 37 points
3. Real Madrid - 34 points
4. Atletico Madrid - 34 points
5. Athletic Bilbao - 32 points
6. Villarreal CF - 32 points
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7. CA Osasuna - 31 points
8. Valencia CF - 29 points
9. Sevilla FC - 27 points
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18. Rayo Vallecano - 15 points
19. Levante UD - 13 points
20. Real Zaragoza - 11 points
Liga BBVA Top Scorer
1. Neymar (Barca) - 11 Goals
2. Suarez (Barca) - 10 Goals
3. Ronaldo (Madrid) - 9 Goals
CA Osasuna Top Scorer
1. Federico Palacios - 8 Goals
Guillermo - 8 Goals
2. Kenan Kodro - 6 Goals
3. Roberto Torres - 5 Goals
Europa League - Group L
1. CA Osasuna - 10 points (+6)
2. 1899 Hoffenheim - 10 points (+3)
3. Napoli - 9 points (-1)
4. Aberdeen - 6 points (-8)
Youth Academy
Spoiler
December Headlines
Europa League
After finishing in last of their group in November, Osasuna were able to bounce back and finish the group stage strong at first place. The Europa will not resume until February, where Osasuna will face Panathinaikos in the Round of 32. Chavez has used an alternative lineup the entire tournament, so we expect him to do the same for the remainder of the competition. The club entered some serious financial issues in August, but their participation in the group stage really gave them some room to breathe as they were awarded an estimate of $3,000,000. The money was put into contract renewals for Asier Riesgo and Miguel De Las Cuevas, whom are both over 23 and would therefore be eligible for pre-contract agreements in January. Approximately half of the prize money was used to renew their contracts, specifically the contract of Miguel De Las Cuevas who just became the club's highest paid player with a weekly wage of $60,000.
Loe "Homesick"
The Cameroon international, Raoul Cedric Loe, has officially handed in a transfer request as he feels homesick and would like to move to a different atmosphere. Loe has been a regular for the B-Team, and is the only Osasuna player to play with an international team. The defensive midfielder is also one of the club's highest paid players with a weekly wage of $25,000, so with the club struggling financially they could easily agree to let him go in order to free up some funds. It is yet to be confirmed if Chavez has accepted his request.
"Throw Me To The Wolves!"
Osasuna youth academy product, Paré Bulhões Romeu, has told Chavez that he is ready for senior team football and would like a call up as soon as possible. The winger has always been considered the most talented player in the youth academy, however Chavez had told them all that evaluations wouldn't be done until May of next year. Romeu is losing his patience though, and is begging for an opportunity with the senior team. He picked the right time to do it actually, given that Sisi will be out for all of January. Romeu's forte is not defense, however with Chavez's taste for overlapping full backs he could be the right man for the job.
(Romeu comes in with 70 OVR at 17 years of age. Primary position is RW, with LM as his secondary position. 3 star skill moves and 5 star weak foot.)
The Talisman's Return
Many will remember the night against Getafe in which Guillermo went down and never got back up. The doctor would later announce he had broken his elbow and would be out for two months. Well those two months are almost up and if all goes well Guillermo should be back by the second week of January, more specifically the 2nd leg against Deportivo La Coruña in the Copa Del Rey Round of 16. When Guillermo first went down people couldn't wait for him to return. Now, it is looking pretty complicated. His injury gave Palacios and Kodro the opportunity of showing how good they are and they excelled. Chavez has played with only one striker up front since joining Osasuna, and even since his Wimbledon days where he used a 4-1-4-1 in the Football League Two before leaving to join the Spanish side. Unless Chavez change to a two-striker formation, it is difficult to see how all three strikers will fit in his system.
Conclusion
This has been an extremely surprising and enjoyable month. After the way November ended I truly had no idea how I would get through two months without Guillermo, but now I feel I could lose Guillermo for the rest of the season and I'll be alright. I can't allow myself to have short term memory though. I need to keep in mind the great things he has done for this club, therefore he will have his spot at striker reserved for his return. I can't drop Palacios down to the B-Team because Kodro has been doing really well over there, and the squad has been doing great with the 4-3-3 Attack so I'm going to keep the B-Team as it is. As for the first team, I did consider changing formations in order to have both Palacios and Guillermo in the squad, but in the end I think I'm going to try out the same 4-3-3 Holding but with Guillermo at Striker and Palacios at RW. Palacios has CAM and RW listed as his secondary positions so it should work out. The one to be sacrificed will be David Ferreiro. Overall he's been good at RW, showing sparks of brilliance on the ball every once in a while and he has good pace for the wings, however there's not much future with him as he hasn't grown a single point in any stats this season. He's a great player though so I'll keep him as a regular sub until I can find a place for him in the B-Team. Also if Palacios doesn't work out as good at RW I want to have Ferreiro nearby to have another shot at it.
We have another injury, now with Sisi who has broken his rib in training. Sisi was consistently going down in stats last season where he was pretty poor at RW, but this season at LB he has even improved on some stats. Now that he will miss all of January, I have no doubt his overall will go down again. I have Marcos Alonso always ready to cover for him, but I'm quite excited at seeing what Romeu can do at LB. He's naturally a RW but with his five-star weak foot it is a possibility. His situation also reminds me one that Guadalajara has IRL with Raul Lopez, who has been an exciting winger for the U-20s for both Guadalajara and the Mexican national team, but has had to play RB for the senior team as that is where the club needs players right now. His defensive work has surprisingly been a little better than decent, but he's even better when he overlaps. I'm hoping I can get something similar out of Romeu.
*I actually wanted to bring Raul Lopez to Osasuna last season, but I started this career before EA updated his stats that made him able to play at RB like he does in real life, so I signed Jose David Ramirez instead.
That's all for this month gents.
Thanks For Reading!Last edited by _ChicoBass; 02-23-2015, 04:09 PM.Comment
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Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?
Well yes, you could do that, however by putting Rangers in League 2 you would be missing out on the League 2's greatest virtue: the League 2 budget. I know that you don't like small budgets though so if Rangers will be more fun for you then go for it! I'm not sure what the starting budget for Rangers is but if it's too big maybe you can put it in League 1 instead like you said. And hey, if you really want to use Wimbledon then go for it my friend! I don't want prohibit anyone from using it myself. After all that would make me look like some sort of dictator and we don't want that! No, not another war... Also the whole point of this game is to have fun, so if Wimbledon will be the most fun for you then again go for it man! Just know that if you do go for it I will have high standards when I'm reading your updates, but other than that no pressure my friend! Haha :PComment
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Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?
Rangers have a budget of about five to six million which is about ten times more than an average League 2 side has so you're right about that part. I will not use Wimbledon, that's something I have decided. There would be too much pressure
There is still a lot of time left before I make the decision so I won't bother with it yet.
-Simppu12-
Playing at the moment: FIFA 17
Hertha BSC
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