How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

[_ChicoBass]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Cruzerr: Stuttgart was a hell of a choice really enjoying it so far. Ibisevic has been on fire! He didn't win the most MOTM but I frequently saw him on the scoresheet either scoring himself or assisting. You've had a great start to the season and you're already in 2nd place! Now that I look at it the league table is quite intriguing. You have Hamburg in a European spot and how Hertha are in first and undefeated is beyond me... I think I missed your introduction post so I'll have to go back and read it.

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

The Wednesday: January '16

Spoiler

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.

Spoiler

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.

Tough against Liverpool. You had a good shot at them with them being down to 10 men, but they are a great team and nothing is every too easy. Fantastic game against Chelsea though! Surprised to see where they are on the table, but I suppose you have something to do with that. Ince is a good signing and he can do a lot of good things out there in several positions. Shaqiri..... such a diva. I hear Sheffield is nice this time of year

Hellas Verona

Spoiler

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!

You are absolutely dominating the table right now! Choupa-Moting is unbelievable for you, but it doesn't surprise me since he is always giving me fits when I play Schalke. I'd say depending on how you do in the Champions League should decide when you want to start your League 2 career.

VfB Stuttgart

Spoiler

Career Mode

Spoiler

Season 1

Spoiler

Part 2 - September against the Goliaths

Page 974 - Part 1 - August and introduction

Current Squad

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Full squad list

Goalkeepers

Sven Ulreich - 78 OVR - Age 25 - Germany
Thorsten Kirshbaum - 68 OVR - Age 27 - Germany
Odisseas Vlachodimos - 63 OVR - Age 20 - Germany

Defenders

Florian Klein - 71 OVR - Age 27 - Austria
Phillipp Mwene - 59 OVR - Age 20 - Austria
Antonio Rüdiger - 74 OVR - Age 21 - Germany
Daniel Schwaab - 74 OVR - Age 25 - Germany
Georg Niedermeier - 73 OVR - Age 28 - Germany
Timo Baumgartl - 64 OVR - Age 18 - Germany
Karim Haggui - 72 OVR - Age 30 - Tunisia
Gotoku Sakai - 72 OVR - Age 23 - Japan
Konstantin Rausch - 73 OVR - Age 24 - Germany
Tim Leibold - 60 OVR - Age 20 - Germany
Niklas Stark - 68 OVR - Age 19 - Germany

Midfielders

Oriol Romeu - 72 OVR - Age 22 - Spain
Carlos Gruezo - 70 OVR - Age 19 - Ecuador
Robin Yalcin - 61 OVR - Age 20 - Germany
Serey Die - 72 OVR - Age 29 - Ivory Coast
Martin Harnik - 76 OVR - Age 27 - Austria
Sercan Sararer - 69 OVR - Age 24 - Turkey
Christian Gentner - 77 OVR - Age 28 - Germany
Moritz Leitner - 74 OVR - Age 21 - Germany (On loan from Bor.Dortmund)
Timo Werner - 71 OVR - Age 18 - Germany
Erich Berko - 60 OVR - Age 19 - Germany
Adam Hlousek - 72 OVR - Age 25 - Czech Republic
Kevin Störger - 69 OVR - Age 20 - Austria (On loan at 1.FC K'lautern)
Alexandru Maxim - 76 OVR - Age 23 - Romania
Daniel Didavi - 75 OVR - Age 24 - Germany
Patrick Herrmann - 77 OVR - Age 23 - Germany

Attackers

Marco Rojas - 68 OVR - Age 22 - New Zealand (On loan at FC Thun)
Vedad Ibisevic - 79 OVR - Age 29 - Bosnia Herzegovina
Daniel Ginczek - 74 OVR - Age 23 - Germany
Filip Kostic - 73 OVR - Age 21 - Serbia

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!

Great win over Bayern, and you played well against Dortmund as well even if you couldn't grab any points. Stuttgart have a very promising team though, and I can't wait to see how Werner develops for you since he has been outstanding for me in his first season after I bought him. Interesting table with Hertha at top and Hamburger also up there, but I'm sure it will stabilize later on and I hope you are up there with Bayern and Dortmund at the end!

Spoiler

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.

A lot of draws for you, but the draws against Barca and Real Madrid are impressive. You did pretty well throughout the rest for the most part. Some nice transfer targets though. Saul and Adryan could really give you a midfield to build around for some time if you can make those two happen. Keita will likely be out of your price range, but is worth keeping an eye on.

December 2015 - Season 2
FIFA 15 (PS4)

Spoiler

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

PENALTY SHOOTOUT

Spoiler

Spoiler

CA Osasuna 3 - 1 Real Valladolid

They have done it! Los Rojillos have defeated their bitter rivals after an exciting match that went all the way penalties! Valladolid were choked up by the pressure right away as they scored their first penalty, but the second was blocked by Asier Riesgo (pictured above). Diaz would take the third shot for Valladolid, but he hit it straight into the crossbar and the ball bounced out! The next shot would be taken by Manuel Onwu, the hero of the match. If Onwu scored it Osasuna would win the match, but he put too much power on the shot and the ball hit the post and out! Now it was all down to Riesgo. If he saved the next penalty, then Onwu's miss would be redeemed and Osasuna would win the match. The shot went to the right, Riesgo dove in the right direction, and made an incredible save at mid-height to finally end the shootout and eliminate Valladolid! Unfortunately EA, the owner of the broadcasting rights, did not allow me to view the replay and/or get a photo of the final save. The stadium erupted in celebration but the players' celebrations were modest. They may have defeated their rivals but there is still many more games to play in the tournament.

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

Aberdeen 0 - 4 CA Osasuna (B-Team)

Spoiler

OSA: Marcos Alonso 45' Loe 71' Garcia 84' Luque 88'

ABE: Taylor RED CARD 45'
They have done it!! Osasuna are through after a dominant win in Scotland! In these two teams' first match Aberdeen were the undeserved victors, but this time around Osasuna made things right. The match began as tight as expected with Aberdeen holding Osasuna off effectively. There weren't many shots on goal in the first half as it was mostly a midfield battle. Any time Osasuna were close to scoring the Scottish defense would resolve it immediately, while on the other hand Aberdeen looked very dangerous every time they approached Osasuna's box. The game changer occurred in the 45th minute when Aberdeen's centre back Taylor received two yellow cards for two separate fouls on Osasuna's Kenan Kodro and was sent off.

When the first foul occurred, Kodro argued that Taylor should have received a straight red since Kodro would have been one on one with the keeper but the Italian referee stood by the yellow. Not too long after that Taylor got what he deserved by fouling Kodro again with a late slide tackle and this time he was sent off. Marcos Alonso would step up to take the free kick, and his shot just barely made it over the wall and into the net to put Osasuna in the lead!

The first half ended soon after that with Osasuna starting to believe that they could do it. They could go through. The second half was still very close despite Osasuna's extra man on the pitch. Aberdeen's manager did not make any substitutions or adjust to Taylor's red card, however Aberdeen still looked more solid than ever. This changed in the 71st minute, when a dead ball bounced inside Aberdeen's box. The goalkeeper and did not communicate with his defender and they both crashed into each other as they each tried to clear the ball. The ball bounced towards the Cameroon international Loe who then just had to shoot towards the open net and made it 2-0. Aberdeen needed to win if they hoped to advance, so they pushed forward trying to outnumber Osasuna in attack. The move backfired as they only had 10 men, and Osasuna hit back with a counter attack that Jose Garcia finished with a goal. 3-0, the match was over. Given the comfort the Osasuna players had on the field, Julian Luque took a long shot in the 88th minute that was rather low and easy for the keeper to control, however the shot deflected off one of the defenders, changing the course of the ball and going into the net. 4-0! Napoli defeated Hoffenheim in their match but their effort was in vain, as Osasuna would be the ones to go through with the victory over Aberdeen.

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.

--------------------

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
----------
7. CA Osasuna - 31 points
8. Valencia CF - 29 points
9. Sevilla FC - 27 points
----------
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

Joyce Barber - RM (54-58, 71-75): By reading his name one might assume the player is from the United Kingdom, but in fact he is a Spaniard. At least, he was born in Spain. Barber is only 5'4" but he has proven to be a playmaker from the wing even at 15 years of age.

Spoiler

Paré Bulhões Romeu - RW (68-72, 83-89): The second addition to the youth academy is this 16 year old from Spain, who carries the same first and middle name as the first player that joined the academy. He's easily the most talented player in the U-17 right now and could fight for a starting spot with the senior team right away, but Chavez hasn't shown intent of promoting him this season.

Paré Bulhões Vinuesa Ramos - CDM (64-68, 81-87): The 17 year old from Spain immediately caught Chavez's eye when the youth academy resumed operations last month, and he is now in line for a potential call up to the senior team in the future. Ramos stands at 6'3" and has chosen CDM as his primary position. The player covered several others in the youth team, so he looks to be a very versatile player on the field. The youngster also hasn't chosen which, whether his last name or maiden name, will be printed on his jersey when he does receive the call up...

Roussillon Murnane - ST (55-59, 71-75): The 5'9" 16-year old from Spain has shown the characteristics of a winger as he tends to drift wide from the center.

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!

I was worried after the first leg in the Copa Del Rey, but you took it down to the wire in the second leg and continues your legendary penalty shootout record! Other than that first leg you had a perfect month, and WOW what a win over Barca! Continue some resemblance of this form the remainder of the season and you will really start to climb up the table.

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

So Lechleiter came out at 71 OVR and 5 star skill moves.

I think this kid might just have a bright future!

[moose141]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

West Ham United - Episode #48: Cup Specialists

In this episode, we have a pair of cup fixtures in both the FA Cup against Walsall and the Capital One Cup for the semifinal first leg against Newcastle. We also make our first transfer signing of the January window.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vskOCU9Rb8A?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

West Ham United - Episode #48: Cup Specialists

In this episode, we have a pair of cup fixtures in both the FA Cup against Walsall and the Capital One Cup for the semifinal first leg against Newcastle. We also make our first transfer signing of the January window.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vskOCU9Rb8A?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Wickham came up big for you in the FA cup, although I'm surprised you didn't put up more goals in that one. The match against Newcastle was all domination on your side though. Shame they pulled that late header to pull one back, but I think you will be fine going into the second leg. If you take care of business it looks like it will be Chelsea in the final.

[poulka]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Dageham season 2 conclusion update. Dageham struggled the last five matches of the season. We went from second in league 1 to third, being put into the playoffs. In the playoffs the team came together against MK Dons in semis to match Chesterfield in the finals. We beat Chesterfield to gain promotion into championship league. We beat Liverpool in FA Cup Final, but in the Ruropa League final Spurs put a beating on us.

Also my national team Wales made it out of a tough Euro Qualifier group that included Greece, Portugal, Hungary. With us and Hungary and advancing to the World Cup Qualifiers in a group that includes (hope I can remember everyone), France, Russia, Hungary, Ireland, and Sweden.


Season three starts with a bang coming tomorrow guys.

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

FC St. Pauli
FIFA 15 - Season 4

Die Freibeuter der Liga

Summer Transfer Window

Transfer Budget: €18,000,000
Wage Budget: €120,000

Transfers Out

Lennart Thy - €2,800,000 to F. Dusseldorf
Tom Trybull - €575,000 to RSC Anderlecht
Dustin Bomheuer - Loaned to Aston Villa
Rubio Rubin - Loaned to Montpellier HSC
Odisseas Wolf - Loaned to Terek Grozny
Bernd Nehrig - Loaned to Union Berlin
Maurice Litka - Loaned to Arsenal Tula
Lukas Hartmann - Loaned to Mansfield Town
Tjorben Uphoff - Loaned to Sandnes ULF

Transfers In

LW, Jakob Jantscher Pre-Contract Arrival - 72 OVR, 28 Yrs Old


Jakob Jantscher arrived from FC Luzern after agreeing to a move last January. He is a very technically sound player who excels at crossing the ball and on his deliver with set pieces. He will provide much needed help in those two areas as St. Pauli lacked expertise there. While he has preferred the left side of the pitch, he is most likely to see time on the right side so he can use his strong right foot to deliver balls into the box.

GK, Tom Starke from Bayern Munich for €775,000 - 76 OVR, 36 Yrs Old


After a defense that was miserable at times, and average in it's best of times, led to several dropped points last season, St. Pauli looked to add an experienced stopper to organize the back line. Tom Starke has spent the last few seasons serving as a back up to Manuel Neuer at Bayern Munich, but has proven himself more than capable when given the opportunity.

CM, Zlatko Junuzovic from Werder Bremen for €4,300,000 - 73 OVR, 29 Yrs Old


Zlatko Junuzovic is a player that can play all over the midfield and really likes to work from box to box. His stamina and work rates have helped him excel in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen, and his impressive performances against St. Pauli were enough for the manager to spend the money to bring him in.

CF, Nassim Ben Khalifa from Grasshopper Club for €1,700,000 - 69 OVR, 25 Yrs Old


Nassim Ben Khalifa joins on the last day of the transfer window after it looks like St. Pauli was done for the window. An attacker who was once pegged as one of the top prospects to come out of Switzerland, he has seen the hype around him die down over time. After revitalizing himself with a move away from Wolfsburg back to Grasshopper, St. Pauli was impressed enough with what they saw to give him a second chance back in the Bundesliga.

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

FC St. Pauli
FIFA 15 - Season 4

Die Freibeuter der Liga

August 2017

FC K'lautern 0 - FC St. Pauli 5
STP - Çiftçi 23', 39', Junuzovic 55', 64', Jantscher 76'
MOTM: Starke

Werner pushed ahead down the left wing before finding the gap between the defenders to play Çiftçi through on goal for the easy finish past the keeper. Werner then attacked down the left wing once ultimately sending a cross into the box that found Çiftçi's head and settled inside the top left corner of the net. Çiftçi then took the ball away from the defender on the left wing and attacked all the way to the end line before crossing it towards goal for Junuzovic to head it past the keeper. Junuzovic then used some fantastic footwork to beat his man to get through on the right side of the goal and hit a strong shot inside the near post. Junuzovic got free down the right wing and sent a cross into the box that Jantscher was able to get his head on and loop it over the keeper.

FC St. Pauli 2 - 1899 Hoffenheim 3
STP - Werner 45', Storm 63'
HOF - Volland 31', Hamad 44', Schwegler 73'
MOTM: Volland

Volland knocked Buchtmann to the ground just before receiving the ball at the top of the box and then fired it into the top left corner off the post and in. Bacuna left the back post open and Hamad took advantage with a run into the box and had the ball played to him for the easy strike inside the left post. Werner used his pace to beat the defense down the pitch and work his way to the right side of the goal before hitting back across to the far post to cut the lead in half. Çiftçi played Jantscher through on the right wing who was able to send a low cross into the box for Storm to tap in from in front of goal to equalize. Schwegler took advantage of no one marking him and fired from a couple yards outside of the box into the top right corner for the winning goal.

SC Freiburg 1 - FC St. Pauli 5
SCF - Mehmedi 32'
STP - Çiftçi 26', Buchtmann 38', 80', Khedira 56', Werner 63'
MOTM: Buchtmann

Brosinski played Jantscher down the right wing to send in a cross for Çiftçi to head back to the post it just came from. Schmid sent a cross from the right wing that was deflected by Brosinski right away but fell to Mehmedi right in the middle of the box for the quick strike into the net. Çiftçi dribbled into the box from the left wing and found Buchtmann on a run to the top of the box for a first time strike to the top left corner. Jantscher crossed the ball in from the right wing and found Çiftçi's head who was able to knock it up into the air for Khedira to run in and head inside the left side of the goal. Buchtmann played a huge ball from behind midfield over the top that Werner ran on to and blasted at goal, but the keeper was able to keep it out until Werner knocked in the rebound. Werner flew down the left wing attacking the goal before playing it across the face of the keeper for Buchtmann to tap in.

Copa Europe
Real Madrid 1 - FC St. Pauli 4
RM - Benzema 71'
STP - Werner 58', 88', Michal Mak 80', Junuzovic 84'
MOTM: Rakovsky (9.9 Rating!)

Werner opened up the match in the second half after Junuzovic found him on a great run to the let side of the box. His initial shot was stopped, but he knocked in the rebound. Benzema equalized off an easy header in front of goal after Ronaldo sent a cross into the box. Werner pushed ahead on a counter after a Real Madrid corner and fired a shot that was saved by the keeper, but Michal Mak ran onto the ball and struck it home for the lead. Werner led the counter once again, this time laying it off to Gießelmann who played it first time to Junuzovic running up the middle for a strike right up the middle as the keeper dove to the side. With Real Madrid really pressing for more goals St. Pauli hit on the counter once again with Michal Mak playing Werner down the left side of the goal for a strong right footed shot to the far post. The real story belonged to Rakovsky in goal, racking up an unbelievable 17 saves.

FC St. Pauli 1 - Hamburger SV 1
STP - Cleber 66' (OG)
HSV - Beister 33'
MOTM: Arslan

Bacuna completely lost his man on the left side of the goal and Arslan found Beister for the easy strike inside the near post to put Hamburger ahead early against their cross-town rivals. Junuzovic played a great give and go with Buchtmann and worked his way down the right side of the goal before firing a shot that went off the defender and into the goal for an own goal. In the last minute Hamburger was awarded a penalty after a poor challenge by Stromgaard Sorensen. Rafael van der Vaart stepped towards the ball, hesitated, and then flew the ball over the crossbar in embarrassing fashion.

League Table


Youth Academy
Jeff Peay (United States) - CB, 16 yrs old, 53-57 OVR 70-74 POT (Physically Strong)
Joel Lorenzen (Germany) - GK, 16 yrs old, 57-61 OVR 73-79 POT (Goalkeeper)
Julian Madlung (Germany) - GK, 16 yrs old, 57-61 OVR 72-76 POT (Goalkeeper)
Lukas Lecjaks (Czech Republic) - ST, 16 yrs old, 55-59 OVR 69-73 POT (Winger)
Matthias Soylemezgiller (Germany) - RM, 17 years old, 58-62 OVR 73-79 POT (Winger)
Timo Steenvoorden (Netherlands) - LB, 17 yrs old, 57-61 OVR 71-75 POT (Defensive Minded)

St. Pauli Player of the Month

Timo Werner


Timo Werner was the definition of consistent this month and showed up at a high level every match he appeared in. His totals of 4 goals and 3 assists proved just how valuable he was to the attack. He is expected to be one of the top playmakers for the club throughout the season.

Press Conference
Q: A lot of changes this month, but you were able to hold to your key playes despite interest from top clubs like Real Madrid. Tell us about the players that you had to part ways with, and how you kept other's despite the interest?

A: Lennart Thry and Tom Trybull were dedicated players who really played football the way I want St. Pauli to be about. Unfortunately they were just in a position where they deserved more time on the pitch, and we weren't going to be able to do that here. As for the one's we didn't let go, Timo Werner and Nadir Çiftçi drew the most interest. Real Madrid put in a €31,000,000 offer for Werner, and while it was tempting, we felt that he still has much more to accomplish here. We talked to the player and he expressed his desire to stay with the club and help us win more trophies.

Q: You added a number of new players for this season and your new additions have already begun making an impact on the pitch. What has impressed you the most about what you have seen from each of them so far?

A: Junuzovic is exactly the playmaker we expected him to be, and it doesn't surprise me at all with his results so far. Jakob Jantscher has been providing phenomenal service for our strikers in the box. His right foot has some magic in it, and I expect him to give us many exciting moments. Tom Starke has been solid in goal. He has put in some great performances and covered the goal very well. He is a veteran, and is giving us exactly that presence we were hoping to have between the sticks. Nassim Ben Khalifa joined us on the last day so we have yet to get him out there, but his instincts and non-stop work rate on both sides of the ball will surely make him a fan favorite soon enough.

Q: You had a mixed bag of results this month, but surely the highlight is the Copa Europe win over Real Madrid. You were pegged to get run out of the stadium, but you really shocked all the spectators with an impressive 4-1 win. What was the key for you in that win?

A: We were able to strike first in the second half and take the lead. Real Madrid as so good of course that they answered back, but we were able to retake the lead after pushing the ball ahead on a counter off of a cleared corner. After that Real Madrid started pushing hard and we took advantage of that and pushed the counter attack even harder which led to our last two goals. Our aggressiveness paid off big time, but such a risky strategy could have easily gone the other way. For now, we will savor this win and enjoy the moment!

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

@Tex Congratulations on winning the Europa League and qualifying for Champions! You had a fantastic season, and I think you'll be achieving great things next year! As for Shaqiri, I'm quite disappointed I couldn't bring him in. I really wanted to build a team around him! Oh, and glad to hear about your youth product coming good! Junuzovic will be big for you, I predict. He's already made it rain goals!

@Simppu You're running away with the league! I agree that you may only reach the semi-final of the Champions League, but Serie A already looks like it's yours.

@Cruzerr Excellent choice in Stuttgart. Big club, huge fanbase, criminally underachieving. You seem to be on the way to correcting that.

@Chico My end-of-season update is coming up next, and you're right, the points really do add up! Great results, especially the win over Barcelona! You seem to have found your feet and are climbing that table. Keep going!

@Poulka Some nice results there. Bad end to season is never fun, because then you start the next one with a bunch of players in bad form, but at least you'll have friendlies to beat it out of them. Good job winning the FA Cup and making Europa final, which is massive for a League One side!

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

The Wednesday: FEB-MAY '16



February 2, Etihad Stadium
FA Cup: Round 4 (Replay)


MCI 2-0 SHW

Alvaro Negredo and Dries Mertens scored within minutes of each other for Manchester City in the first half to knock Sheffield Wednesday out of the FA Cup. The visitors looked as though they had given up about 20 minutes into the game, but the result now leaves them open and free to focus on the league.

February 6, Old Trafford
Barclays PL: Matchday 24


MUN 1-3 SHW

Gary Mackay-Steven scored twice and set up Caolan Lavery's opener as Sheffield Wednesday completely dismantled Manchester United in their own backyard. Marouane Fellaini forced a Josh Meekings own goal as a consolation.

February 10, Hillsborough Stadium
Barclays PL: Matchday 25


SHW 2-4 SOU

Sheffield Wednesday tried to rush past Southampton, conceding two late goals by Shane Long after Gary Mackay-Steven's brace had placed the scores level. Jack Cork and Omar Rowe also netted for Saints, who made the most of an overeager Wednesday.

February 14, King Power Stadium
Barclays PL: Matchday 26


LEI 2-0 SHW

Jamie Vardy's brace nicked a win for Leicester City in torrential conditions as Martin Atkinson allowed the hosts free reign over Sheffield Wednesday. No less than four legitimate penalty calls were denied by the Bradford native, who has been criticised heavily for his poor showing in recent weeks.

February 27, Hillsborough Stadium
Barclays PL: Matchday 27


SHW 1-1 BRN

Gary Mackay-Steven equalised in injury time to give Sheffield Wednesday their first point in three games, but Burnley forward Lukas Jutkiewicz put them in the driving seat with a first-half diving header.

March 5, The Hawthorns
Barclays PL: Matchday 28


WBA 1-1 SHW

Victor Anichebe scored late for West Bromwich Albion to snatch a point, cancelling out Caolan Lavery's first-half penalty for Sheffield Wednesday. Both teams spurned a number of chances throughout the game, which could have ended with six or seven goals.

March 12, Hillsborough Stadium
Barclays PL: Matchday 29


SHW 1-0 NEW

A tight display at the back picked up a crucial win for Sheffield Wednesday at Newcastle, as Caolan Lavery ended a powerful break with a clinical finish past Tim Krul. The win now puts Wednesday safely in the top half, seven points clear of tenth-placed West Brom.

March 26, Hillsborough Stadium
Barclays PL: Matchday 30


SHW 0-1 MCI

Fernando scored the only goal of the match, the Manchester City midfielder netting shortly before Eliaquim Mangala was sent off for a rash tackle. Sheffield Wednesday were unable to provide an answer despite being presented with a number of chances.

April 3, Carrow Road
Barclays PL: Matchday 31


NOR 0-2 SHW

Diafro Sakho and Caolan Lavery both scored in the last 15 minutes for Sheffield Wednesday, pushing them to an important win at Norwich City. The Canaries are now winless in ten games, placing them in danger of relegation.

April 10, DW Stadium
Barclays PL: Matchday 32


WIG 2-2 SHW

A very interesting and curious match at the DW, as Grant Holt and Caolan Lavery both netted two penalties each for Wigan and Sheffield Wednesday, respectively. The tense affair ended with five booked players on each side.

April 17, Hillsborough Stadium
Barclays PL: Matchday 33


SHW 1-2 EVE

Kevin Mirallas scored twice for Everton in injury time after Jacques Maghoma netted in the second minute, denying Sheffield Wednesday the chance at first three points, and then one.

April 24, Emirates Stadium
Barclays PL: Matchday 34


ARS 3-1 SHW

Mikel Arteta scored twice and assisted Fernando Llorente for Arsenal's third, while Sheffield Wednesday forward Caolan Lavery continued his fine form, staving off Alexis Sanchez's challenge to beat David Ospina. Arteta should have been sent off prior to his first goal, but Martin Atkinson once again goofed up in a crucial game.

April 30, Hillsborough Stadium
Barclays PL: Matchday 35


SHW 1-2 WHU

Mauro Zarate and Ravel Morrison scored for West Ham United in quick succession, and Caolan Lavery's late header was not enough to salvage a point. The Northern Irishman now has seven goals in his last eight games.

May 7, Hillsborough Stadium
Barclays PL: Matchday 36


SHW 0-1 STK

Marcus Berg's penalty in the first half saw Stoke through at Sheffield Wednesday, who have now lost four straight games. With much of the squad suffering from poor form, it doesn't look like they will pick up any more points this season.

May 15, Hillsborough Stadium
Barclays PL: Matchday 37


SHW 0-2 TOT

Federico Fazio and Christian Eriksen scored in the first half, sealing the Barclays Premier League title for Tottenham Hotspur. Sheffield Wednesday could only watch as they conceded 70% possession, underlining the radical dip in form.

May 22, Liberty Stadium
Barclays PL: Matchday 38


SWA 2-1 SHW

Sheffield Wednesday failed to save face in their final game of the season, with Claude Dielna nodding home from a late corner after Swansea's Jonjo Shelvey and Graziano Pelle had put the hosts 2-0 ahead inside 20 minutes.

Final Table

1. Tottenham 87
2. Chelsea 81
3. Man. City 80
4. Arsenal 76
5. Liverpool 76
6. Man. United 72
7. Newcastle 61
8. Everton 59
9. Swansea 49
10. Wednesday 46
11. Stoke 46
12. Aston Villa 45
13. West Brom 45
14. Southampton 42
15. QPR 42
16. West Ham 41
17. Leicester 32
18. Norwich 28
19. Burnley 23
20. Wigan 23

Season Review

We finish the season in the top half of the table (just), beating Stoke to 10th place on goal difference. For our efforts, we pull in £8.2 million in prize money, which means our budget next season should be in excess of £10 million to start with.

After spending much of the season in upper-mid-table, Chelsea completed it in second place, even giving Spurs a shock challenge for the title until a few games left. Burnley managed to finish second-bottom after going over 20 games without a win, while Aston Villa put on a late surge to escape relegation with seven wins in their final seven games.

Wayne Rooney picks up the Golden Boot for his 20 goals for Manchester United, while Hugo Lloris of Spurs grabs the Golden Glove with 18 clean sheets. Rooney also tops the assist charts with 11, underlining his value and talent.

We had some pleasant surprises across Europe. While PSG continued to dominate French football, Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga (Wolfsburg runners-up, Dortmund and Bayern following). Milan also picked up their first Scudetto since 2011 on the back of signing ex-Fiorentina striker Giuseppe Rossi. PSV and Benfica won their respective leagues, while Spartak Moskva and Barcelona won theirs on goal difference (beating Dinamo Moskva and Valencia). Galatasaray ran away with the Turkish title, beating Besiktas by 11 points.

Manchester United won the FA Cup and Tottenham the Capital One Cup, both defeating Aston Villa 3-1 in the finals. Milan also beat Spurs in the Europa League final 1-0, while Chelsea retained the Champions League with a 3-0 crushing of Barcelona.

Dejphon Chansiri completes his takeover of the club. I managed to spend a few hours with him and the new board of directors after the loss at Swansea, and we discussed many things pertaining to the future, including our plans for next season. As usual, I remain removed from any commercial discussions. I just want to focus on coaching.

Mr. Chansiri and his team also outlined a brilliant plan to not just erase our debt, but to leverage our resources to bring in more income. I didn't follow it very much, but I caught the important bits. I'll be allowed to spend roughly £22 million next season... perhaps more if we can arrange for a few good sales for the players we don't want to keep. However, I will have to finish mid-table. Should I simply promise that we avoid relegation, I'll only have around £14.5 million to work with.

In my next post...

- Squad report
- Development plan
- Transfer dossier

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Hellas Verona


December 2016



Hellas Verona 3 - 0 Sampdoria
Choupo-Moting 16' pen, 45', 90'

"A solid and good performance from the team -or should I say Choupo-Moting- was enough to secure the three points. The sending off made life easier for us and Sampdoria didn't look dangerous at all."



Malmö FF 1 - 1 Hellas Verona
Molins 57'
Keita 90'

"Only one word describes our performace today: atrocious. No one looked motivated and everything except for the build up leading to Keita's goal was horrific. Luckily BVB and United drew which means we finished first in the group. Now we need to concentrate on the match up with Fenerbahce."



Hellas Verona 2 - 1 Sassuolo
Embolo 22', Choupo-Moting 88'
Sansone 43'

Simulated.



Chievo Verona 1 - 2 Hellas Verona
Radonovic 55'
Ayhan 67', Keita 90'

"Another bad performance from the boys. Luckily Keita was there to save our a*ses again. Kaan's (Ayhan) free kick was wonderful but that's everything positive that happened. This was also our last game before the transfer window."


Player of the Month



Balde Keita

The Spanish winger of the team didn't score the most nor did he have the biggest effect on some games but he proved to be very important for the team with his two last-minute goals agaisnt Malmö and Chievo Verona.


Hot or Not

Hot

Balde Keita

The player of the month scored two important goals to secure the points for us.


Eric Choupo-Moting

The biggest star of the team was clinical in front of goal again. Just like every other month.


Not

Geronimo Rulli

The starting keeper of the team was terrible in the games against Malmö and Chievo and he's the reason why Verona conceded. He might get replaced in the January window.


Champions League Group

1. Hellas Verona, 12 pts
2. Borussia Dortmund, 10 pts
3. Manchester United, 8 pts
4. Malmö FF, 1 pt


I wasn't able to write down the league standings because my PS4 decided to be a bi*ch after a couple peaceful days and eject the disc right before I would've checked it. Sorry for that. I do know that I'm in first and Juve are in second, though.



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

[redsox4evur]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Simppu do you use the YA? Or not? If so give it to us, if not start using it and give it to us!!!

[moose141]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Wickham came up big for you in the FA cup, although I'm surprised you didn't put up more goals in that one. The match against Newcastle was all domination on your side though. Shame they pulled that late header to pull one back, but I think you will be fine going into the second leg. If you take care of business it looks like it will be Chelsea in the final.

Yeah, in that Cup match, for all of the shots and everything that the final stats showed, we didn't really have a ton of top quality chances despite the clear fact that we dominated Walsall. I was just happy to get one and escape the replay considering how many fixtures (8) that we have in January. Obviously, if we make the final Chelsea will be tough, but having them on a neutral field as opposed to Stamford Bridge may give us a bit more breathing room.

As for yourself, I haven't congratulated you yet on both the Europa League win and finishing in a Champions League place! Ciftci has proven invaluable yet again with "35!" goals, my goodness. I wish you had finished outside of the Champs League spots haha, just so I could see if FIFA actually included the new rule that the winner of the Europa gets a Champions League place. That said, I'm happier that you did so well, and glad to see you've made some moves that should improve the overall depth of your squad with these tough competitions. Hopefully that youth player comes good for you as well!

Indi: Brutal run to end the season there, wish you would have at least gotten one win to give the fans something to cheer about late on, but even with that tough stretch you still batted well above your expectations this season and that should bode well for you in season 3. Lavery was an absolute beast for you, scoring goals left and right and really surprising everyone, and Mackay-Steven was another who seemed to really dominate a lot of the recaps, so hopefully they can continue to progress and lead the line for you to bigger things.

Simppu: You've really built a powerhouse over at Verona. Looks like the Serie A should be no problem for you with the sizable gap that you've already built, so hopefully down the stretch you can ease up on the gas pedal there and it will give you the chance to focus your efforts on getting as far as you can in the CL. Some of the signings that you have made are great, love the Keita pick up.

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Simppu do you use the YA? Or not? If so give it to us, if not start using it and give it to us!!!

Yes, I use it and it has one player: Möller something from Portugal, who is a 64-68 ovr, 16 years old winger with 84-88 potential. There are two youth players in the squad, both 70 ovr. The other is a CAM and the other is a RM but they don't get to play at all. That's why I haven't mentioned them.

[jamiec47]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

TOON TO THE TOP
SEASON 4
PS4

Champions League Group Stage Match 4

Newcastle 2-1 AIK
Borges 26
Bony 28
Ayoze 64

Borges opened the scoring for the Swedish champions, beating the defender before smashing past Begovic into the top corner. Bony equalised almost immediately, beating 3 defenders before smashing hard and low into the bottom corner. Ayoze then gave us the win just after the hour mark, beating his man to prod into the bottom corner.

Match 11

Swansea 0-1 Newcastle
Lacazette 77
We expected to come out of the match with a landslide victory over the last place team but they played well and made us defend. We struggled to break them down and were only able to when Lacazette smashed in on the rebound.

Match 12

Newcastle 3-0 Hull
Murnane 39
Bony 45 (PEN)
Lacazette 78
Murnane opened the scoring, firing powerfully into the corner from distance following a free kick. With Ayoze and Haidara stood over the ball, Haidara played it to Murnane who took one touch to get into a good position before letting fly. Bony then made it 2 from the penalty spot after Ayoze was brought down. The match was sealed when substitute Lacazette ran round the defence and tried to curl in. The ball was stopped but he fired in on the rebound from a tight angle through the smallest gap between the keeper and the post.

International Friendlies

England 4-1 Ireland
Rooney 1
Barkley 36
Rooney 48
Agbonlahor 83
Doyle 85
Simmed. Barkley injured, out for 2 months.

Spain 2-3 England
Lallana 14
Costa 17
Rooney 28
Costa 49
Agbonlahor 52
An incredible game between two world class national teams. Lallana opened the scoring, heading in powerfully from a corner. Costa equalised soon after though, curling in beyond Daniels after some passing ripped our defence open. Rooney gave us the lead again, heading in at the far post from an excellent right footed cross from Gibbs at the corner of the box. Costa equalised again immediately after half time, smashing in on the rebound after his shot was save initially. Gabby won it not long after, Lallana playing a wonderful ball through to Gabby who trapped it under his foot before curling into the corner, the initial touch throwing off Martinez. Spain had plenty of opportunities but Daniels made excellent save after excellent save.

Match 13

Southampton 0-1 Newcastle
Firmino 27
We played awfully in this match and were lucky to come out with a win, Firmino grabbing the only goal on his first game as first choice, toe poking it through the keepers legs.

Champions League Group Stage Match 5

PSV 1-2 Newcastle
Depay 13
Bony 61
Bony 86
Depay opened the scoring for PSV on the half volley before Bony equalised with a header at the far post. The Ivorian won it for us late on with a wonderful strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

Match 14

Newcastle 3-0 Manchester United
Lacazette 81
Schurrle 89
Perez 90 (PEN)
We were all over them in this match but the defence and keeper were keeping me at bay in incredible fashion. That is until the last 10 minutes. Lacazette opened the scoring with an inch-perfect header into the top corner before Schurrle made it 2, drifting inside before striking back across goal from 20 yards hard and low into the bottom corner. Perez then made it 3 from the penalty spot in stoppage time.

League Cup Quarter Final

Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle (4-5 pens)
We played this time with our reserves in the League Cup. The match went on to penalties, mainly due to the heroics of Lindegaard in the 90th and 120th minutes. RVP scored the first pen, substitute Perez equalised, Rooney, Bony, Di Maria, YA product Gomez, Cleverley, Zouma. All scored. Then Begovic saved Moutinho's effort low to his right and Firmino stepped up to take us to the semi finals.

League Table

1. Newcastle 37
2. Chelsea 29
3. Liverpool 27
4. Manchester United 25
5. Manchester City 25
6. Arsenal 25
-----
18. Swansea 9
19. Aston Villa 8
20. Crystal Palace 6