Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?
2017 Confederations Cup - Season 3
FIFA 15 (PS4)
Mexico Final Squad List
* = Starter
Goalkeepers
GK - Guillermo Ochoa 81 - OVR *
GK - Alfredo Talavera - 77 OVR
GK - Jose de Jesus Corona - 75 OVR
Defenders
CB - Hector Moreno - 81 OVR *
CB - Diego Reyes - 79 OVR *
LWB - Miguel Layun - 75 OVR *
LB - Jorge Torres Nilo - 74 OVR
CB - Hiram Mier - 74 OVR *
CB - Carlos Guzman - 74 OVR
Midfielders
LW - Arturo Gonzalez - 79 OVR
CM - Hector Herrera - 77 OVR *
CM - Jonathan Dos Santos - 77 OVR
RM - Javier Aquino - 76 OVR
RM - Jurgen Damm - 75 OVR *
CM - Andres Guardado 75 OVR *
CDM - Jose Juan Vazquez - 75 OVR *
CM - Carlos Peña - 74 OVR
CAM - Marco Fabian - 73 OVR
CM - Jesus Dueñas - 72 OVR
Strikers
ST - Giovanni Dos Santos - 85 OVR *
ST - Javier Hernandez - 84 OVR *
RW - Carlos Vela - 83 OVR
ST - Erick Torres - 74 OVR
Notable Absences
RW - Jesus Corona - 79 OVR
ST - Raul Jimenez - 77 OVR
LW - Hirving Lozano - 75 OVR
Squad List Comments
I chose my squad list based mostly on performance rather than overall. I only had two friendlies with Mexico before the cup but the good thing is that I used two completely different lineups so I saw most of the selection pool. The only player in my starting eleven that I did not see during the friendlies, is the RM Jurgen Damm. However, he was recently handed his national team debut IRL which is one of the reasons I decided to include him. Aquino is very fast, but from what I saw in the friendlies he'd be better off as RCM or as a RM rotation player not starter. In the friendlies I used Rodrigo Pizarro (73 OVR RB) at RM for my first team and he did great, but I think Damm may have more to offer when pushing forward. As for my three notable absences, I did not bring Jesus Corona (79 OVR RW) for three reasons: 1. I did not see him in the friendlies. 2. Looking at his stats he doesn't look like the right player for RM of a 3-5-2. I would like to see him in a friendly first. And 3. His stamina. His stamina is extremely low (I think it was 49) and in this tournament I will need to rotate my squad frequently as the matches only have a couple rest days in between. I need players that can handle the physical demands of this competition. Atletico Madrid's Raul Jimenez wasn't included in my list because Erick Torres played a lot better during the friendlies, even scoring a goal. As for Hirving Lozano, I did not get to see him in the friendlies and Damm looked like a better option overall.
Formation Talk
Instead of Mexico's default 5-3-2 I will be using a 3-5-2 formation which more closely resembles Mexico's style of play IRL. My back three won't have any instructions applied. Jurgen Damm, RM, has a low defensive work rate so he will have the "come back on defense" instruction paired with "get in behind". At LM, Miguel Layun will be asked to "cut inside" and "get in behind". In midfield, both Herrera (RCM) and Guardado (LCM) will be asked to stay at the edge of the box for crosses, while Vasquez (CDM) will be asked to cut passing lanes and stay back while attacking. Giovanni Dos Santos (LS) will have the "drift wide" instruction only while Hernandez (RS) will be told to press the back line and stay central. Also, I will be using the "possession" preset tactic. I know I mentioned that I disliked it with Osasuna and never use it anymore, but I noticed in the international friendlies that the preset worked a lot better than Mexico's default tactics.
Confederations Cup - Group Stage
Germany 0 - 3 Mexico
MEX: Herrera 37' Damm 45' Chicharito 89'
A hugely unexpected win for Mexico and their new manager Chavez. Germany, the current World Cup Champion, is a favorite for this competition and they were completely dominated on opening day. FC Porto's Hector Herrera netted the first for Mexico after making a run into the box and receiving a through ball from Villarreal's Giovanni Dos Santos. Herrera got rid of Germany's two centre backs Boateng and Hummels with a fake shot to the right, which then left him open to shoot on goal and just barely beat Manuel Neuer's world class reflexes.
The second goal came in similar fashion, with Andres Guardado putting the ball into the box after a rejected corner kick and finding Jurgen Damm. Damm did not use a fake shot like Herrera did but he did cut inside to the right and then finessed the ball past Neuer with a great curve included in his shot. Jurgen's inclusion in Chavez's list was questioned before this match, but the young winger certainly proved that he has what it takes to be part of the national team by scoring on one of the best national teams in the world.
The match continued on in Mexico's favor, with El Tri controlling possession using a lot of short one touch passes in midfield. Germany was given minimal opportunities to go forward, and when they did find an opportunity their attack was swiftly ended by Mexico's back three. Mexico never stopped attacking despite their 2-0 lead, and in the 89th minute they extended their lead to three with Chicharito dribbling inside the box and powering the ball past the rushing Neuer.
Miguel Layun had sent Chicharito a lobbed through pass that allowed him to get into the box unmarked. The referee's final whistle came accompanied by boos and jeers from the home fans in Berlin, who previously felt like their team would soar through the group stage but have started off the tournament with a big slip up.
Mexico 1 - 1 Ivory Coast
MEX: Guardado 45'
IVO: Doumbia 68'
Mexico's 3-5-2 wasn't as effective against Ivory Coast as it was against Germany, and El Tri was only able to give their home fans a draw. Mexico's captain Andres Guardado netted the first goal of the match after pulling off a wall pass with Carlos Vela and then striking the ball low and last the keeper.
Ivory Coast's speed and strength made it difficult for Mexico to hold possession in midfield which gave us a back and forth match. The Ivorians equalized in the 68th minute with Doumbia winning an aerial challenge and heading the ball into the net.
Colombia 1 - 2 Mexico
COL: J. Martinez 21'
MEX: Vela 45' 70'
Despite Mexico's good results this was the deciding match as Mexico, Colombia, and Germany all still had a chance to advance. Jackson Martinez took first blood by capitalizing on a terrible mistake from Guillermo Ochoa that allowed him to shoot into an open net (I pressed X too many times trying to skip the animations during a goal kick and ended up passing the ball directly to Martinez [emoji17]). Colombia were playing an outstanding match, effectively shutting down Mexico's attacks and forcing them back with attacks of their own. However right before halftime Carlos Vela received a pass from Vasquez at the edge of the box, got rid of his marker by cutting to his left with a swift movement, engaged the keeper in a one on one and then smoothly tapping the ball in under the keeper. Mexico had equalized!
The second half was similar to the first, with both teams threatening to take the lead. As time began to run out, Colombia became desperate for the lead as they wanted to secure a spot in the next round. Unfortunately this allowed Mexico to find more open spaces in attack when Colombia had previously been solid in defense. Carlos "Gullit" Peña played Carlos Vela through on goal in the 70th minute, and Vela powered the ball home with his outside left foot and put Mexico in the lead.
After the second goal Mexico became better overall and were very close to making it 3-1 as Erick Torres scored a header in the 90th minute, but the linesmen called it offside. It was extremely close to call, but regardless it didn't influence the result as Mexico still took the three points.
Final Group Standings
Group A
1. Mexico - 7 points (+4)
2. Colombia - 4 points (+0)
3. Germany - 4 points (-2)
4. Ivory Coast - 1 point (-2)
Group B
1. Brazil - 7 points (+7)
2. Argentina - 7 points (+4)
3. Korea Republic - 3 points (-4)
4. New Zealand - 0 points (-7)
Semifinal Fixtures Announced
In the next round of the Confederations Cup Mexico, the only team from CONCACAF, will host Argentina while Brazil, so far the most dangerous side of the tournament, hosts Colombia. After scoring the two goals that gave Mexico the win over Colombia, fans want Carlos Vela to start the match against Argentina instead of just being a squad rotation player. The player that would be sacrificed if Vela starts, would most likely be Giovanni Dos Santos who has put in one assist this tournament with no goals. Chavez has been very secretive about his lineup in the tournament and has made no comment on this. The starting eleven will be announced the day of the match.
Confederations Cup - Semifinal
Mexico 3 - 1 Argentina
MEX: Dos Santos 5' 90' Chicharito 40'
ARG: Pastore 84'
Mexico's arch-rival will always be USA for several reasons both football related and non-football related. However there's just something about Argentina that makes Mexico fan's anger tick. It's an interesting rivalry, as Argentinians and Mexicans love each other when outside of the field. However when they are in between two goal posts and there's a football in the middle their relationship quickly becomes full of hate. This is sometimes seen as a bigger rivalry for Mexico than playing against USA. Mexico came out shooting for revenge for the 2005 Copa America Final which they lost against Argentina 2-1, when Mexico were playing some of their best football ever. Mexico has also faced a lot of heartbreak at the hands of Argentina in the 2006 and 2010 World Cup. Well, they definitely avenged themselves now with a solid 3-1 win against their rivals. Mexico kicked off really early with Giovanni Dos Santos scored a header in barely the 5th minute of the match. Some fans wanted Vela to start over Dos Santos but Gio quickly ended all that with this goal. Andres Guardado had drifted to the right wing from LCM and crossed the ball into the box where Dos Santos had a cheeky attempt on goal by volleying the cross with his back heel. Argentina's goalkeeper Marchesin parried it but put the ball back in the middle where Dos Santos was able to anticipate it and head it into the net.
Mexico were playing the same entertaining football we saw in their opening match against Germany, and were achieving the same results with many opportunities to stretch their lead. Argentina are a dangerous side with players that can change the course of a match, and they came very close to equalizing at approximately the 35th minute with Carlos Tevez hitting the post after a header. Ochoa was able to catch the ball after it bounced off the post and he then handed the ball to Hector Moreno, which would be the start of Mexico's goal scoring play. El Tri would make a total of 15 consecutive passes before finding Andres Guardado again on the right wing. Guardado crossed the ball into the box where this time he aimed for Chicharito, who beat Mascherano in the aerial battle and scored an amazing goal with his head. Mexico were ahead 2-0!
There was no way Marchesin could have reached that header, and now Argentina were desperate for a comeback. In the second half Argentina brought Angel Di Maria and Kun Aguero to the field, but it surprised us that Messi was left on the bench. Without their superstar Messi on the field Argentina found it difficult to break through Mexico's defensive line, but six minutes before the end of the match Pastore was able to shorten the distance by getting the ball past Ochoa after a series of mass confusion in Mexico's box. Things really became interesting now as Argentina pushed forward in search of the equalizer. Giovanni Dos Santos shut down Argentina's hopes in the final minute of the match though, completing his brace with a brilliant volley.
Jurgen Damm had dribbled down the right wing and then sent an early cross into the box where Dos Santos was making a run behind his marker. Gio met the cross right on time and volleyed the ball into the net with his inside left foot. It was all over for Argentina now, and Mexico celebrated their ticket to the Final. Meanwhile, Brazil defeated Colombia 2-1.
Confederations Cup - Final
Mexico vs Brazil
A repeat of the 1999 Confederations Cup Final in which Mexico defeated Brazil 4-3 and lifted the cup on their home soil. Even though Mexico and Brazil's respective rivals USA and Argentina have significantly increased their competition level, the Mexico - Brazil match ups are widely considered as a battle of confederations. Mexico, considered as CONCACAF's best although only arguably in recent times, against Brazil, considered as CONMEBOL's best, again only arguably in recent times. A perfect final for this cup consisting of Confederation champions. Will the cup stay in South America with the defending champions Brazil, or will it return to North America for the first time since 1999? The final will be held at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the only stadium that has seen Mexico lift the Confederations Cup.
Mexico 1 - 2 Brazil
MEX: Chicharito 15'
BRA: Oscar 17' 57'
Brazil are the 2017 Confederations Cup Champions, lifting the cup for the second time in a row and also extending their record as most Confederations titles with seven! It was a truly exciting match, worthy of a final. We had much to talk about right from the start, as we noticed that Mexico's Jurgen Damm was visibly nervous going into the match. The German-Mexican winger was being tightly marked by Neymar as Brazil tried to keep Mexico from getting to midfield with a controlled ball, and he frequently either lost the ball to Neymar or made a bad pass. Brazil had plenty scoring opportunities early on because of this which only increased tension among the Mexico squad. However, Mexico shocked us all in the 15th minute, with Chicharito being at the end of a series of first touch passes and then using his ball skills to dribble past David Luiz and power the ball into the net!
Mexico were ahead 1-0 when Brazil had been the most dangerous, and the Estadio Azteca was filled with cheer. Unfortunately for the home side, Brazil would equalize just two minutes later after Neymar ran in behind Damm and crossed the ball into the box where Oscar finished the play with a diving header. After the goal Chavez changed from the 3-5-2 formation to a 5-3-2 asking his wing backs, specifically Damm, to be more attentive to their defensive responsibilities. The move definitely worked, as Brazil were no longer handed scoring opportunities and Mexico created several themselves. In the 55th minute the referee called a questionable foul by the corner flag in favor of Brazil, after Hiram Mier slide tackled the ball away from Neymar. With the replay we can see that Mier touched the ball first, but Neymar is great at selling fouls. From that free kick, which was pretty much a corner kick, Neymar crossed the ball into the box and found Oscar who again headed the ball into the net. Mexico never stopped pushing for the equalizer but Brazil's goalkeeper Alves was having a flawless match. Brazil ended the match with a parked bus and were very close to losing the lead, with Hector Herrera hitting the post in the 74th minute and Alves making two one on one saves against Chicharito and Carlos Vela. Mexico were completely on top of Brazil in the final minutes, but time ran out and it was Brazil who lifted the cup. Alves was given the MOTM award with 10 saves and was deservedly the hero of the match. Mexico controlled the ball with 56% possession and had a 100% shot accuracy with a total of 9 shots and all 9 on target. Brazil had a total of 7 shots with 4 of them being on target.
Confederations Cup Golden Boot
1. Neymar (Brazil) - 7 Goals
2. Hernandez (Mexico) - 3 Goals
3. Aguero (Argentina) - 2 Goals
Confederations Cup Top Playmaker
1. Firmino (Brazil) - 3 Assists
Guardado (Mexico) - 3 Assists
Confederations Cup Golden Glove
1. Marchesin (Argentina) - 2 Clean Sheets
Mexico Top Scorer
1. Javier Hernandez - 3 Goals
2. Giovanni Dos Santos - 2 Goals
Carlos Vela - 2 Goals
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July Headline
Chicharito Interest High
Mexico exceeded expectations this summer and look set to be one of the more competitive sides in the upcoming World Cup. One player that caught many eyes during the tournament is current Barcelona striker Javier Hernandez, who was the tournament's second top scorer and is said to be close to leaving FC Barcelona where he made zero appearances being behind Suarez and Messi. The clubs that have shown interest in the Mexican striker, is the North London side Arsenal FC, and Turin's top team Juventus. Arsenal have top strikers in Welbeck and Giroud, but Wenger does not want another failure in Europe again where they were knocked out of the Europa League. This season Arsenal will play in the Champions League and they'll want to reach the final stages. Juventus also have top tier strikers in Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente as well as the young Alvaro Morata, but they'll want as much depth as they can gather in order to compete at the top of Serie A and the Champions League.
Mexico Friendlies Announced
Fans will have to wait a couple months before watching El Tricolor again, as it has been announced that international football will return in September. In that break, Mexico will visit Egypt and then host South Africa. It is believed that Chavez will take advantage of the decrease in competition level by mostly calling up players from Mexico's domestic league to the national team. There may be a few Europeans in the squad, but primarily it will be domestic and young players for the future called up to the squad. With the World Cup coming up in 2018, Chavez wants to see everything he has at his disposal.
Conclusion
It really sucked to lose the final but deep down I had the feeling that I wouldn't be able to win two consecutive finals with two different teams in the game. It was a great learning experience though and I'm really looking forward to the international friendlies.
My next update will cover the preseason with Osasuna including any transfers completed during the preseason. There I will also discuss what kind of matches we have going on at the start of the season.
Thanks For Reading!
Oh noooo, that's awful! Kind of. Not really when you think about the tournament as a whole but still. Beating Germany and Argentina is very, very impressive and reaching the final of the Confed Cup is also a good achievement. Sad to see that you lost the lead in the final but hey, it's Brazil.
Burnley Football Club
Season 1
Introduction and August
So, here we are again. Due to your votes and help of god, Spurs was not an option for me. Instead, we are doing this career mode with Burnley. Now, to be honest, the idea with City was a lot easier, since I had a lot more money to deal with and better players to sell and make profit off. Now, with Burnley, we really need to make moves smart, so it won't hinder us.
So, what is the goal? The goal is to win the treble (Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League) with an all-English team. Certainly not a one or even two season task, I have to add. During this career mode, we also have a few rules to follow.
The rules are mostly transfer based, yet some of them do impact the game itself.
1. Can't spend more than earned (aka I have completely stolen Tex's idea) -- Pretty self explaining. I have to make profit constantly, which will probably be easier the first and second season, yet when the team gets more English-based, it will mean that we will make deals with English players, obviously.
2. All initial foreign players will be put on transfer (unless they can not be transferred at the time) -- This will mean that the higher rated players will go for less amount of money and it will make the process a lot more difficult.
The players that are currently on loan will be put on transfer when they come back from loan.
3. Start a certain amount of English players each game (if possible)
Again, another one that is pretty logical. My starting 11 must consist of English players. This number will grow as time will move on.
1 season: 5-6 players
2 season: 6-7 players
3 season: 7-8 players
4 season: 8-9 players
5 season: 9-10 players
6 season: 10-11 players
Note, it does say IF POSSIBLE, meaning that if I have fitness issues or injury issues, I will try to follow the rule, yet it might have a lower number of players.
4. The buyer has rights -- As Indi suggested, if I recieve a bid for a player that is lower than his paper value, I have to accept it. If it is higher, than I have to set it to the paper value and sell him for lower price.
There is only one exception for this rule, and those are our own academy players. If this career mode goes on, and some of our academy players turn into big stars, I will try to make as much profit as I can. I hope you accept this rule.
5. Financial strict -- Less money in the bank after every transfer.
Right, I figured that for every season, I should set some goals that could make the season a bit more interesting. I haven't thought of these too much, but there are few that I want to initially complete.
1. Turf Moor is our house! -- I want to get more points from home than away, since I believe that we are going to struggle away from home, yet every time we play in Turf Moor, we need to play our best and show our opponents that this is no easy place to play.
2. Avoid relegation -- This is key, this is the main objective for sure. If we can avoid relegation and be strong this season, stay up as a mid table team, we can continue to grow quicker.
Now that we have laid our foundation, lets see what kind of transfers I made and how does our squad look like.
This game was quite an intense one, as the first game the season. Chelsea are a tough team, but we were the ones to score first, as Ings won the ball from the midfield, ran with it, got past Kalas and scored it. A few moments later, a quick 1-2 between Vokes and Ings, gave another good shot opportunity to Ings, and Courtois could not save it. Costa did manage to head it back, but we held on and won the first game.
Premier League
Matchday 2
Burnley 2-1 Swansea
33' Ki (Oliveira)
68' Ings (Jones)
90' Jutkiewicz
MOTM: Lukas Jutkiewicz
Number of starting English players: 9
Second game and our first one away was against Swansea. The home team were the first ones to take the lead, as a ball over our defense was finished very well by Ki. Yet we did not back off, and when Ings had his opportunity, he made sure that he would put it away. Jet Lukas Jutkiewicz, the substitute, came up big for us, as he won the ball after a scramble in the box and put it past the keeper. A game winner to give us another 3 points, fantastic!
Premier League
Matchday 3
Manchester United 1-5 Burnley
62' Rooney (Shaw)
64' Jutkiewicz (Ings)
72' Jutkiewicz (Mee)
74' Ings (Jutkiewicz)
76' Ings
90' Jutkiewicz (PEN)
MOTM: Lukas Jutkiewicz
Amount of starting English players: 9
This game got me lost for words. Even if Rooney scored a header to give ManU the lead, we somehow turned it up so well and scored 4 goals in the matter of 12 minutes. Jutkiewicz scored two headers to give us the lead, and a few moments later, Ings added another two. The first one was a good pass from Lukas and a perfect turn to leave Jones behind him and let him score. The second one was a won ball from the midfield, where Danny sprinted through the hole in defense and scored it. Jutkiewicz got to score another one, finishing up his hat-trick, as Bennett got taken down in the box and we earned a penalty. Talk about a complete meltdown from United and making our homeground a fortress.
I have to say, I am actually enjoying this idea with Burnley. I have no idea how the games went this well, but we really have a solid team to start with. Ings and Jutkiewicz have been big for me, as they are the top 2 scorers in the league (Ings with 5, Jutkiewicz with 4). Shackell plays a huge part in the defense, and hopefully will continue to do so as Keane grows to be a bigger player. Rest of the team has been really solid aswell, with players like Kightly, Mee and Trippier also looking very nice for me.
The signings we have made are pretty good aswell. Bennett is a pacey player, looks like he can be a future star for us. Same with Bishop, only that he can impact the team a lot earlier. Lansbury was brought in on the last day of the transfer deadline, so I can't really say anything about him just yet. I guess I will see him play in the first game of the month.
Which brings me to next month. We have 4 games in total. A COC fixture against Burton Albion and Premier League fixtures against Palace, Sunderland and West Brom. I know the initial idea was to avoid relegation, but we area really off to a great start.
I haven't made tactically many changes. I stuck with the 4-4-2 and so far, it is looking quite solid for me.
I hope you enjoyed this first post, please, if you have any feedback, do leave it!
What a start you had! Some amazing wins there, especially the one against ManU! Ings and Jutkiewicz have been terrific! The squad is looking very English already, now you just need to get the quality in. I'm interested to see how you do with Burnley.
You've been doing very well with Terek! Good wins against big teams being second in the league is very good. The match presentation is nice.
2017 Confederations Cup - Season 3
FIFA 15 (PS4)
Spoiler
Mexico Final Squad List
* = Starter
Goalkeepers
GK - Guillermo Ochoa 81 - OVR *
GK - Alfredo Talavera - 77 OVR
GK - Jose de Jesus Corona - 75 OVR
Defenders
CB - Hector Moreno - 81 OVR *
CB - Diego Reyes - 79 OVR *
LWB - Miguel Layun - 75 OVR *
LB - Jorge Torres Nilo - 74 OVR
CB - Hiram Mier - 74 OVR *
CB - Carlos Guzman - 74 OVR
Midfielders
LW - Arturo Gonzalez - 79 OVR
CM - Hector Herrera - 77 OVR *
CM - Jonathan Dos Santos - 77 OVR
RM - Javier Aquino - 76 OVR
RM - Jurgen Damm - 75 OVR *
CM - Andres Guardado 75 OVR *
CDM - Jose Juan Vazquez - 75 OVR *
CM - Carlos Peña - 74 OVR
CAM - Marco Fabian - 73 OVR
CM - Jesus Dueñas - 72 OVR
Strikers
ST - Giovanni Dos Santos - 85 OVR *
ST - Javier Hernandez - 84 OVR *
RW - Carlos Vela - 83 OVR
ST - Erick Torres - 74 OVR
Notable Absences
RW - Jesus Corona - 79 OVR
ST - Raul Jimenez - 77 OVR
LW - Hirving Lozano - 75 OVR
Squad List Comments
I chose my squad list based mostly on performance rather than overall. I only had two friendlies with Mexico before the cup but the good thing is that I used two completely different lineups so I saw most of the selection pool. The only player in my starting eleven that I did not see during the friendlies, is the RM Jurgen Damm. However, he was recently handed his national team debut IRL which is one of the reasons I decided to include him. Aquino is very fast, but from what I saw in the friendlies he'd be better off as RCM or as a RM rotation player not starter. In the friendlies I used Rodrigo Pizarro (73 OVR RB) at RM for my first team and he did great, but I think Damm may have more to offer when pushing forward. As for my three notable absences, I did not bring Jesus Corona (79 OVR RW) for three reasons: 1. I did not see him in the friendlies. 2. Looking at his stats he doesn't look like the right player for RM of a 3-5-2. I would like to see him in a friendly first. And 3. His stamina. His stamina is extremely low (I think it was 49) and in this tournament I will need to rotate my squad frequently as the matches only have a couple rest days in between. I need players that can handle the physical demands of this competition. Atletico Madrid's Raul Jimenez wasn't included in my list because Erick Torres played a lot better during the friendlies, even scoring a goal. As for Hirving Lozano, I did not get to see him in the friendlies and Damm looked like a better option overall.
Formation Talk
Instead of Mexico's default 5-3-2 I will be using a 3-5-2 formation which more closely resembles Mexico's style of play IRL. My back three won't have any instructions applied. Jurgen Damm, RM, has a low defensive work rate so he will have the "come back on defense" instruction paired with "get in behind". At LM, Miguel Layun will be asked to "cut inside" and "get in behind". In midfield, both Herrera (RCM) and Guardado (LCM) will be asked to stay at the edge of the box for crosses, while Vasquez (CDM) will be asked to cut passing lanes and stay back while attacking. Giovanni Dos Santos (LS) will have the "drift wide" instruction only while Hernandez (RS) will be told to press the back line and stay central. Also, I will be using the "possession" preset tactic. I know I mentioned that I disliked it with Osasuna and never use it anymore, but I noticed in the international friendlies that the preset worked a lot better than Mexico's default tactics.
Confederations Cup - Group Stage
Germany 0 - 3 Mexico
MEX: Herrera 37' Damm 45' Chicharito 89'
A hugely unexpected win for Mexico and their new manager Chavez. Germany, the current World Cup Champion, is a favorite for this competition and they were completely dominated on opening day. FC Porto's Hector Herrera netted the first for Mexico after making a run into the box and receiving a through ball from Villarreal's Giovanni Dos Santos. Herrera got rid of Germany's two centre backs Boateng and Hummels with a fake shot to the right, which then left him open to shoot on goal and just barely beat Manuel Neuer's world class reflexes.
The second goal came in similar fashion, with Andres Guardado putting the ball into the box after a rejected corner kick and finding Jurgen Damm. Damm did not use a fake shot like Herrera did but he did cut inside to the right and then finessed the ball past Neuer with a great curve included in his shot. Jurgen's inclusion in Chavez's list was questioned before this match, but the young winger certainly proved that he has what it takes to be part of the national team by scoring on one of the best national teams in the world.
The match continued on in Mexico's favor, with El Tri controlling possession using a lot of short one touch passes in midfield. Germany was given minimal opportunities to go forward, and when they did find an opportunity their attack was swiftly ended by Mexico's back three. Mexico never stopped attacking despite their 2-0 lead, and in the 89th minute they extended their lead to three with Chicharito dribbling inside the box and powering the ball past the rushing Neuer.
Miguel Layun had sent Chicharito a lobbed through pass that allowed him to get into the box unmarked. The referee's final whistle came accompanied by boos and jeers from the home fans in Berlin, who previously felt like their team would soar through the group stage but have started off the tournament with a big slip up.
Mexico 1 - 1 Ivory Coast
MEX: Guardado 45'
IVO: Doumbia 68'
Mexico's 3-5-2 wasn't as effective against Ivory Coast as it was against Germany, and El Tri was only able to give their home fans a draw. Mexico's captain Andres Guardado netted the first goal of the match after pulling off a wall pass with Carlos Vela and then striking the ball low and last the keeper.
Ivory Coast's speed and strength made it difficult for Mexico to hold possession in midfield which gave us a back and forth match. The Ivorians equalized in the 68th minute with Doumbia winning an aerial challenge and heading the ball into the net.
Colombia 1 - 2 Mexico
COL: J. Martinez 21'
MEX: Vela 45' 70'
Despite Mexico's good results this was the deciding match as Mexico, Colombia, and Germany all still had a chance to advance. Jackson Martinez took first blood by capitalizing on a terrible mistake from Guillermo Ochoa that allowed him to shoot into an open net (I pressed X too many times trying to skip the animations during a goal kick and ended up passing the ball directly to Martinez [emoji17]). Colombia were playing an outstanding match, effectively shutting down Mexico's attacks and forcing them back with attacks of their own. However right before halftime Carlos Vela received a pass from Vasquez at the edge of the box, got rid of his marker by cutting to his left with a swift movement, engaged the keeper in a one on one and then smoothly tapping the ball in under the keeper. Mexico had equalized!
The second half was similar to the first, with both teams threatening to take the lead. As time began to run out, Colombia became desperate for the lead as they wanted to secure a spot in the next round. Unfortunately this allowed Mexico to find more open spaces in attack when Colombia had previously been solid in defense. Carlos "Gullit" Peña played Carlos Vela through on goal in the 70th minute, and Vela powered the ball home with his outside left foot and put Mexico in the lead.
After the second goal Mexico became better overall and were very close to making it 3-1 as Erick Torres scored a header in the 90th minute, but the linesmen called it offside. It was extremely close to call, but regardless it didn't influence the result as Mexico still took the three points.
Final Group Standings
Group A
1. Mexico - 7 points (+4)
2. Colombia - 4 points (+0)
3. Germany - 4 points (-2)
4. Ivory Coast - 1 point (-2)
Group B
1. Brazil - 7 points (+7)
2. Argentina - 7 points (+4)
3. Korea Republic - 3 points (-4)
4. New Zealand - 0 points (-7)
Semifinal Fixtures Announced
In the next round of the Confederations Cup Mexico, the only team from CONCACAF, will host Argentina while Brazil, so far the most dangerous side of the tournament, hosts Colombia. After scoring the two goals that gave Mexico the win over Colombia, fans want Carlos Vela to start the match against Argentina instead of just being a squad rotation player. The player that would be sacrificed if Vela starts, would most likely be Giovanni Dos Santos who has put in one assist this tournament with no goals. Chavez has been very secretive about his lineup in the tournament and has made no comment on this. The starting eleven will be announced the day of the match.
Confederations Cup - Semifinal
Mexico 3 - 1 Argentina
MEX: Dos Santos 5' 90' Chicharito 40'
ARG: Pastore 84'
Mexico's arch-rival will always be USA for several reasons both football related and non-football related. However there's just something about Argentina that makes Mexico fan's anger tick. It's an interesting rivalry, as Argentinians and Mexicans love each other when outside of the field. However when they are in between two goal posts and there's a football in the middle their relationship quickly becomes full of hate. This is sometimes seen as a bigger rivalry for Mexico than playing against USA. Mexico came out shooting for revenge for the 2005 Copa America Final which they lost against Argentina 2-1, when Mexico were playing some of their best football ever. Mexico has also faced a lot of heartbreak at the hands of Argentina in the 2006 and 2010 World Cup. Well, they definitely avenged themselves now with a solid 3-1 win against their rivals. Mexico kicked off really early with Giovanni Dos Santos scored a header in barely the 5th minute of the match. Some fans wanted Vela to start over Dos Santos but Gio quickly ended all that with this goal. Andres Guardado had drifted to the right wing from LCM and crossed the ball into the box where Dos Santos had a cheeky attempt on goal by volleying the cross with his back heel. Argentina's goalkeeper Marchesin parried it but put the ball back in the middle where Dos Santos was able to anticipate it and head it into the net.
Mexico were playing the same entertaining football we saw in their opening match against Germany, and were achieving the same results with many opportunities to stretch their lead. Argentina are a dangerous side with players that can change the course of a match, and they came very close to equalizing at approximately the 35th minute with Carlos Tevez hitting the post after a header. Ochoa was able to catch the ball after it bounced off the post and he then handed the ball to Hector Moreno, which would be the start of Mexico's goal scoring play. El Tri would make a total of 15 consecutive passes before finding Andres Guardado again on the right wing. Guardado crossed the ball into the box where this time he aimed for Chicharito, who beat Mascherano in the aerial battle and scored an amazing goal with his head. Mexico were ahead 2-0!
There was no way Marchesin could have reached that header, and now Argentina were desperate for a comeback. In the second half Argentina brought Angel Di Maria and Kun Aguero to the field, but it surprised us that Messi was left on the bench. Without their superstar Messi on the field Argentina found it difficult to break through Mexico's defensive line, but six minutes before the end of the match Pastore was able to shorten the distance by getting the ball past Ochoa after a series of mass confusion in Mexico's box. Things really became interesting now as Argentina pushed forward in search of the equalizer. Giovanni Dos Santos shut down Argentina's hopes in the final minute of the match though, completing his brace with a brilliant volley.
Jurgen Damm had dribbled down the right wing and then sent an early cross into the box where Dos Santos was making a run behind his marker. Gio met the cross right on time and volleyed the ball into the net with his inside left foot. It was all over for Argentina now, and Mexico celebrated their ticket to the Final. Meanwhile, Brazil defeated Colombia 2-1.
Confederations Cup - Final
Mexico vs Brazil
A repeat of the 1999 Confederations Cup Final in which Mexico defeated Brazil 4-3 and lifted the cup on their home soil. Even though Mexico and Brazil's respective rivals USA and Argentina have significantly increased their competition level, the Mexico - Brazil match ups are widely considered as a battle of confederations. Mexico, considered as CONCACAF's best although only arguably in recent times, against Brazil, considered as CONMEBOL's best, again only arguably in recent times. A perfect final for this cup consisting of Confederation champions. Will the cup stay in South America with the defending champions Brazil, or will it return to North America for the first time since 1999? The final will be held at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the only stadium that has seen Mexico lift the Confederations Cup.
Spoiler
Mexico 1 - 2 Brazil
MEX: Chicharito 15'
BRA: Oscar 17' 57'
Brazil are the 2017 Confederations Cup Champions, lifting the cup for the second time in a row and also extending their record as most Confederations titles with seven! It was a truly exciting match, worthy of a final. We had much to talk about right from the start, as we noticed that Mexico's Jurgen Damm was visibly nervous going into the match. The German-Mexican winger was being tightly marked by Neymar as Brazil tried to keep Mexico from getting to midfield with a controlled ball, and he frequently either lost the ball to Neymar or made a bad pass. Brazil had plenty scoring opportunities early on because of this which only increased tension among the Mexico squad. However, Mexico shocked us all in the 15th minute, with Chicharito being at the end of a series of first touch passes and then using his ball skills to dribble past David Luiz and power the ball into the net!
Mexico were ahead 1-0 when Brazil had been the most dangerous, and the Estadio Azteca was filled with cheer. Unfortunately for the home side, Brazil would equalize just two minutes later after Neymar ran in behind Damm and crossed the ball into the box where Oscar finished the play with a diving header. After the goal Chavez changed from the 3-5-2 formation to a 5-3-2 asking his wing backs, specifically Damm, to be more attentive to their defensive responsibilities. The move definitely worked, as Brazil were no longer handed scoring opportunities and Mexico created several themselves. In the 55th minute the referee called a questionable foul by the corner flag in favor of Brazil, after Hiram Mier slide tackled the ball away from Neymar. With the replay we can see that Mier touched the ball first, but Neymar is great at selling fouls. From that free kick, which was pretty much a corner kick, Neymar crossed the ball into the box and found Oscar who again headed the ball into the net. Mexico never stopped pushing for the equalizer but Brazil's goalkeeper Alves was having a flawless match. Brazil ended the match with a parked bus and were very close to losing the lead, with Hector Herrera hitting the post in the 74th minute and Alves making two one on one saves against Chicharito and Carlos Vela. Mexico were completely on top of Brazil in the final minutes, but time ran out and it was Brazil who lifted the cup. Alves was given the MOTM award with 10 saves and was deservedly the hero of the match. Mexico controlled the ball with 56% possession and had a 100% shot accuracy with a total of 9 shots and all 9 on target. Brazil had a total of 7 shots with 4 of them being on target.
Confederations Cup Golden Boot
1. Neymar (Brazil) - 7 Goals
2. Hernandez (Mexico) - 3 Goals
3. Aguero (Argentina) - 2 Goals
Confederations Cup Top Playmaker
1. Firmino (Brazil) - 3 Assists
Guardado (Mexico) - 3 Assists
Confederations Cup Golden Glove
1. Marchesin (Argentina) - 2 Clean Sheets
Mexico Top Scorer
1. Javier Hernandez - 3 Goals
2. Giovanni Dos Santos - 2 Goals
Carlos Vela - 2 Goals
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July Headline
Chicharito Interest High
Mexico exceeded expectations this summer and look set to be one of the more competitive sides in the upcoming World Cup. One player that caught many eyes during the tournament is current Barcelona striker Javier Hernandez, who was the tournament's second top scorer and is said to be close to leaving FC Barcelona where he made zero appearances being behind Suarez and Messi. The clubs that have shown interest in the Mexican striker, is the North London side Arsenal FC, and Turin's top team Juventus. Arsenal have top strikers in Welbeck and Giroud, but Wenger does not want another failure in Europe again where they were knocked out of the Europa League. This season Arsenal will play in the Champions League and they'll want to reach the final stages. Juventus also have top tier strikers in Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente as well as the young Alvaro Morata, but they'll want as much depth as they can gather in order to compete at the top of Serie A and the Champions League.
Mexico Friendlies Announced
Fans will have to wait a couple months before watching El Tricolor again, as it has been announced that international football will return in September. In that break, Mexico will visit Egypt and then host South Africa. It is believed that Chavez will take advantage of the decrease in competition level by mostly calling up players from Mexico's domestic league to the national team. There may be a few Europeans in the squad, but primarily it will be domestic and young players for the future called up to the squad. With the World Cup coming up in 2018, Chavez wants to see everything he has at his disposal.
Conclusion
It really sucked to lose the final but deep down I had the feeling that I wouldn't be able to win two consecutive finals with two different teams in the game. It was a great learning experience though and I'm really looking forward to the international friendlies.
My next update will cover the preseason with Osasuna including any transfers completed during the preseason. There I will also discuss what kind of matches we have going on at the start of the season.
Thanks For Reading!
Burnley Football Club
Season 1
Introduction and August
Spoiler
Spoiler
So, here we are again. Due to your votes and help of god, Spurs was not an option for me. Instead, we are doing this career mode with Burnley. Now, to be honest, the idea with City was a lot easier, since I had a lot more money to deal with and better players to sell and make profit off. Now, with Burnley, we really need to make moves smart, so it won't hinder us.
So, what is the goal? The goal is to win the treble (Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League) with an all-English team. Certainly not a one or even two season task, I have to add. During this career mode, we also have a few rules to follow.
Rules
The rules are mostly transfer based, yet some of them do impact the game itself.
1. Can't spend more than earned (aka I have completely stolen Tex's idea) -- Pretty self explaining. I have to make profit constantly, which will probably be easier the first and second season, yet when the team gets more English-based, it will mean that we will make deals with English players, obviously.
2. All initial foreign players will be put on transfer (unless they can not be transferred at the time) -- This will mean that the higher rated players will go for less amount of money and it will make the process a lot more difficult.
The players that are currently on loan will be put on transfer when they come back from loan.
3. Start a certain amount of English players each game (if possible)
Again, another one that is pretty logical. My starting 11 must consist of English players. This number will grow as time will move on.
1 season: 5-6 players
2 season: 6-7 players
3 season: 7-8 players
4 season: 8-9 players
5 season: 9-10 players
6 season: 10-11 players
Note, it does say IF POSSIBLE, meaning that if I have fitness issues or injury issues, I will try to follow the rule, yet it might have a lower number of players.
4. The buyer has rights -- As Indi suggested, if I recieve a bid for a player that is lower than his paper value, I have to accept it. If it is higher, than I have to set it to the paper value and sell him for lower price.
There is only one exception for this rule, and those are our own academy players. If this career mode goes on, and some of our academy players turn into big stars, I will try to make as much profit as I can. I hope you accept this rule.
5. Financial strict -- Less money in the bank after every transfer.
Season Objectives
Right, I figured that for every season, I should set some goals that could make the season a bit more interesting. I haven't thought of these too much, but there are few that I want to initially complete.
1. Turf Moor is our house! -- I want to get more points from home than away, since I believe that we are going to struggle away from home, yet every time we play in Turf Moor, we need to play our best and show our opponents that this is no easy place to play.
2. Avoid relegation -- This is key, this is the main objective for sure. If we can avoid relegation and be strong this season, stay up as a mid table team, we can continue to grow quicker.
Now that we have laid our foundation, lets see what kind of transfers I made and how does our squad look like.
Transfers
In
Teddy Bishop - 66 OVR - Age 18 - £2.800.000
Bought from Ipswich Town
Mason Bennett - 62 OVR - Age 18 - £900.000
Bought from Derby County
Henri Lansbury - 71 OVR - Age 23 - £2.300.000 + David Jones
Bought from Nott'm Forest
Money Spent: £6.000.000
Out
Fredrik Ulvestad - 67 OVR - Age 22 - £500.000
Sold to Birmingham City
Sam Vokes - 70 OVR - Age 24 - £1.600.000
Sold to Sunderland
Cameron Dummigan - 56 OVR - Age 18 - £45.000
Sold to Yeovil Town F.C
Cameron Howieson - 62 OVR - Age 19 - £240.000
Sold to Millwall
Ross Wallace - 68 OVR - Age 29 - £750.000
Sold to Nott'm Forest
Kevin Long - 65 OVR - Age 25 - £350.000
Sold to Birmingham City
Jamie Frost - 51 OVR - Age 17 - £45.000
Sold to UCD Dublin
Ashley Barnes - 70 OVR - Age 24 - £1.600.000
Sold to Crystal Palace
Scott Arfield - 70 OVR - Age 25 - £1.200.000
Sold to Leicester City
Money made: £6.330.000
Profit: £330.000
Squad
Games
Premier League
Matchday 1
Chelsea 1-2 Burnley
21' Ings
37' Ings (Vokes)
41' Costa (Willian)
MOTM: Danny Ings
Number of starting English players: 9
In
Teddy Bishop - 66 OVR - Age 18 - £2.800.000
Bought from Ipswich Town
Mason Bennett - 62 OVR - Age 18 - £900.000
Bought from Derby County
Henri Lansbury - 71 OVR - Age 23 - £2.300.000 + David Jones
Bought from Nott'm Forest
Money Spent: £6.000.000
Out
Fredrik Ulvestad - 67 OVR - Age 22 - £500.000
Sold to Birmingham City
Sam Vokes - 70 OVR - Age 24 - £1.600.000
Sold to Sunderland
Cameron Dummigan - 56 OVR - Age 18 - £45.000
Sold to Yeovil Town F.C
Cameron Howieson - 62 OVR - Age 19 - £240.000
Sold to Millwall
Ross Wallace - 68 OVR - Age 29 - £750.000
Sold to Nott'm Forest
Kevin Long - 65 OVR - Age 25 - £350.000
Sold to Birmingham City
Jamie Frost - 51 OVR - Age 17 - £45.000
Sold to UCD Dublin
Ashley Barnes - 70 OVR - Age 24 - £1.600.000
Sold to Crystal Palace
Scott Arfield - 70 OVR - Age 25 - £1.200.000
Sold to Leicester City
Money made: £6.330.000
Profit: £330.000
Squad
Spoiler
Games
Premier League
Matchday 1
Chelsea 1-2 Burnley
21' Ings
37' Ings (Vokes)
41' Costa (Willian)
MOTM: Danny Ings
Number of starting English players: 9
This game was quite an intense one, as the first game the season. Chelsea are a tough team, but we were the ones to score first, as Ings won the ball from the midfield, ran with it, got past Kalas and scored it. A few moments later, a quick 1-2 between Vokes and Ings, gave another good shot opportunity to Ings, and Courtois could not save it. Costa did manage to head it back, but we held on and won the first game.
Premier League
Matchday 2
Burnley 2-1 Swansea
33' Ki (Oliveira)
68' Ings (Jones)
90' Jutkiewicz
MOTM: Lukas Jutkiewicz
Number of starting English players: 9
Second game and our first one away was against Swansea. The home team were the first ones to take the lead, as a ball over our defense was finished very well by Ki. Yet we did not back off, and when Ings had his opportunity, he made sure that he would put it away. Jet Lukas Jutkiewicz, the substitute, came up big for us, as he won the ball after a scramble in the box and put it past the keeper. A game winner to give us another 3 points, fantastic!
Premier League
Matchday 3
Manchester United 1-5 Burnley
62' Rooney (Shaw)
64' Jutkiewicz (Ings)
72' Jutkiewicz (Mee)
74' Ings (Jutkiewicz)
76' Ings
90' Jutkiewicz (PEN)
MOTM: Lukas Jutkiewicz
Amount of starting English players: 9
This game got me lost for words. Even if Rooney scored a header to give ManU the lead, we somehow turned it up so well and scored 4 goals in the matter of 12 minutes. Jutkiewicz scored two headers to give us the lead, and a few moments later, Ings added another two. The first one was a good pass from Lukas and a perfect turn to leave Jones behind him and let him score. The second one was a won ball from the midfield, where Danny sprinted through the hole in defense and scored it. Jutkiewicz got to score another one, finishing up his hat-trick, as Bennett got taken down in the box and we earned a penalty. Talk about a complete meltdown from United and making our homeground a fortress.
League Table
My Thoughts
My Thoughts
I have to say, I am actually enjoying this idea with Burnley. I have no idea how the games went this well, but we really have a solid team to start with. Ings and Jutkiewicz have been big for me, as they are the top 2 scorers in the league (Ings with 5, Jutkiewicz with 4). Shackell plays a huge part in the defense, and hopefully will continue to do so as Keane grows to be a bigger player. Rest of the team has been really solid aswell, with players like Kightly, Mee and Trippier also looking very nice for me.
The signings we have made are pretty good aswell. Bennett is a pacey player, looks like he can be a future star for us. Same with Bishop, only that he can impact the team a lot earlier. Lansbury was brought in on the last day of the transfer deadline, so I can't really say anything about him just yet. I guess I will see him play in the first game of the month.
Which brings me to next month. We have 4 games in total. A COC fixture against Burton Albion and Premier League fixtures against Palace, Sunderland and West Brom. I know the initial idea was to avoid relegation, but we area really off to a great start.
I haven't made tactically many changes. I stuck with the 4-4-2 and so far, it is looking quite solid for me.
I hope you enjoyed this first post, please, if you have any feedback, do leave it!
Spoiler
FC Terek Grozny
Spoiler
The Chechens
September 2013
<table class="osdyn" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="575"><tbody><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="4">Sep 1, 2013 - Kuban Krasnodar vs Terek Grozny</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="61%">TEAM</td><td align="right" width="12%">1</td><td align="right" width="12%">2</td><td align="right" width="15%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Kuban Krasnodar (0-1-2)</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td class="active" align="right">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Terek Grozny (2-1-0)</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">1</td><td class="active" align="right">2</td></tr></tbody></table>
September 2013
<table class="osdyn" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="575"><tbody><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="4">Sep 1, 2013 - Kuban Krasnodar vs Terek Grozny</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="61%">TEAM</td><td align="right" width="12%">1</td><td align="right" width="12%">2</td><td align="right" width="15%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Kuban Krasnodar (0-1-2)</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td class="active" align="right">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Terek Grozny (2-1-0)</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">1</td><td class="active" align="right">2</td></tr></tbody></table>
Spoiler
Xandão 27'
Ivanov 32'
Rybus 54'
Terek Grozny picked up their second win of the season in come-from-behind fashion against Kuban Krasnodar, a side that will be competing in the Europa League as a result of a 5th place finish last season. It was the Cossacks who went ahead in the 27th minute off of a corner that Xandão converted on his second attempt, thanks to some poor marking by Terek. The Chechens didn't stay down long though, as August Player of the Month Oleg Ivanov evened the score 1-1 just 5 minutes later when he headed home a Fedor Kudryashov corner delivery. The game-winning goal would come in the 54th minute off of the foot of Maciej Rybus, but it actually wasn't even a shot. The Polish international sent in a cross that directed onto goal, and Kuban goalkeeper Alexandr Belenov made a mess of it as he tried to punch the ball over the crossbar. Belenov only deflected the cross instead of punching it, and the ball trickled past the goal line to a furious Kuban Stadium crowd. Unfortunately for Belenov, Kuban could not bail him out as Terek escaped with the full 3 points when maybe they should have only settled for one.
MotM: Rybus
<table class="osdyn" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="575"><tbody><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="4">Sep 14, 2013 - Terek Grozny vs Volga Nizhny Novgorod</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="61%">TEAM</td><td align="right" width="12%">1</td><td align="right" width="12%">2</td><td align="right" width="15%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Terek Grozny (3-1-0)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td class="active" align="right">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Volga Nizhny Novgorod (2-0-2)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td class="active" align="right">0</td></tr></tbody></table>
Kanu 72'
With a busy month of September on schedule, Terek Grozny manager Rashid Rakhimov decided to play his B-squad against Volga Nizhny Novgorod, and The Chechens were fortunate to escape with a win. Early on, Terek got a glorious chance in the 4th minute of play, but Jonathan Legear sent his volley well over the goal. Terek's defense was excellent though as they completely shut down Volga, particularly stifling veteran striker Dmitriy Sychev who had 3 goals in 3 games coming into this match up. The difference-maker came in the 72nd minute when Kanu stole the ball off a throw-in from defender Marcin Kowalczyk and headed toward goal through the Volga back line. The Brazilian fired a shot from the top of the box that beat goalkeeper Artur Nigmatullin and pushed Terek to victory at the Akhmat Arena. Terek's reserve goalkeeper Evgeniy Kobozev was not tested much as he picked up the clean sheet.
MotM: Píriz
<table class="osdyn" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="575"><tbody><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="4">Sep 21, 2013 - Dinamo Moskva vs Terek Grozny</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="61%">TEAM</td><td align="right" width="12%">1</td><td align="right" width="12%">2</td><td align="right" width="15%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Dinamo Moskva (4-0-1)</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td class="active" align="right">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Terek Grozny (4-1-0)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">2</td><td class="active" align="right">2</td></tr></tbody></table>
Kurányi 13'
Aílton 79'
Mitrishev 90'
This game was the biggest of the early season in the Russian Football Premier League as 1st place side Dinamo Moskva hosted 3rd place side Terek Grozny, and the game did not disappoint. Dinamo would show their class in little time as Alan Kasaev took advantage of an Igor Lebedenko give away in the 13th minute. Kasaev then dribbled into the box and found Kevin Kurányi who calmly sent a shot by a diving Yaroslav Godzyur. More chances would not come until the 2nd half when it looked as if Terek had evened the score in the 73rd minute after an Oleg Ivanov header off of a corner beat Dinamo goalkeeper Vladimir Gabulov. However, defender Gheorghe Florescu was standing on the goal line and headed the attempt away. Not to be denied, The Chechens did tie things in the 79th minute from an Ivanov free kick just outside the box that Aílton volleyed inside the left post to make the score 1-1. The teams would furiously trade chances in the final 10 minutes as both sides went for the win, but nothing came of it until the 90th minute when a Jonathan Legear cross was headed by an unmarked Magomed Mitrishev past Gabulov. After the 21-year-old's go-ahead goal, Dinamo would still get 2 great chances from Kasaev and Christopher Samba, but the home team could not convert as an Arena Khimki crowd went home stunned by the result.
MotM: Rybus
Russian Cup: Round of 16
<table class="osdyn" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="575"><tbody><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="4">Sep 25, 2013 - Zenit St. Petersburg vs Terek Grozny</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="61%">TEAM</td><td align="right" width="12%">1</td><td align="right" width="12%">2</td><td align="right" width="15%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Zenit St. Petersburg (-)</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td class="active" align="right">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Terek Grozny (-)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td class="active" align="right">0</td></tr></tbody></table>
Witsel 32'
Terek Grozny got a rough draw in the Russian Cup as the club had to face league giants Zenit St. Petersburg in the Round of 16. Ultimately, Zenit were too much for Terek as the St. Petersburg based club came away with a 1-0 win. The only goal of the match came in the 32nd minute after Terek defender Dmitriy Yatchenko had a heavy touch and gave possession away to Zenit's Vladimir Bystrov. Bystrov then sent a cross into the box that Axel Witsel perfectly volleyed past a lunging Yaroslav Godzyur. Terek would only have one quality chance in the match as Zenit played excellent defensively. That opportunity came in the 50th minute from Oleg Ivanov, but his chance was saved by goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev. It was a tough pill to swallow for Terek being bounced out of the Russian Cup so early, and the board will not be happy as they had set their sights on at least a quarter-final appearance. However, with Terek's great form in league play, maybe the board will be somewhat forgiving to manager Rakhimov.
MotM: Malafeev
<table class="osdyn" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="575"><tbody><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="4">Sep 29, 2013 - Terek Grozny vs Anzhi Makhachkala</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="61%">TEAM</td><td align="right" width="12%">1</td><td align="right" width="12%">2</td><td align="right" width="15%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Terek Grozny (5-1-0)</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td class="active" align="right">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Anzhi Makhachkala (3-0-3)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td class="active" align="right">0</td></tr></tbody></table>
Kanu 13'
Following their frustrating loss to Zenit St. Petersburg in the Russian Cup, Terek Grozny returned home to Akhmat Arena to host rising club Anzhi Makhachkala. The Dagestan side has made a name for themselves over the past year with several high-profile signing thanks to the bankroll from Russian billionaire Suleyman Kerimov. It would be the Chechen side that would taste glory today though, as an early goal from Kanu in the 13th minute was enough to get Terek the win. Yaroslav Godzyur recorded the clean sheet for Terek as Anzhi were only able to get one good chance on goal, an attempt from Ilya Maximov that Godzyur parried away in the 55th minute. Adílson hit the post for Terek in the 67th minute, but it did not matter as Rashid Rakhimov's side completed a 4-0-0 month to vault to #2 in the RFPL table as September closed out.
MotM: Ferreira
Terek Grozny Player of the Month
CAM Kanu, 69 Ovr, Brazil, 26 years old
Despite not starting but 2 games this month, Kanu made a big impact for Terek Grozny scoring 2 goals, both game winners, against Volga Nizhny Novgorod and Anzhi Makhachkala. Manager Rashid Rakhimov now has a bit of a conundrum as Kanu and August Player of the Month Oleg Ivanov both play the same CAM position. With both in solid form, each player will expect to see the pitch, so juggling minutes could be an issue.
RFPL Table
1. CSKA - 18 pts
2. Terek - 16 pts
3. Dinamo - 13 pts
4. Spartak - 13 pts
5. Zenit - 13 pts
6. Lokomotiv - 10 pts
7. Anzhi - 9 pts
8. Krylya - 9 pts
9. Kuban - 7 pts
10. Rubin - 6 pts
11. Volga - 6 pts
12. Amkar - 5 pts
13. Rostov - 4 pts
14. Tom - 4 pts
15. Krasnodar - 3 pts
16. Ural - 3 pts
RFPL Top Scorers
1. Bilyaletdinov (Spartak) - 7
2(t). Danny (Zenit) - 5
2(t). N'Doye (Lokomotiv) - 5
3(t). Honda (CSKA) - 4
3(t). Maicon (Lokomotiv) - 4
RFPL Clean Sheets
1(t). Malafeev (Zenit) - 3
1(t). Akinfeev (CSKA) - 3
1(t). Guilherme (Lokomotiv) - 3
2(t). Makarov (Krylya) - 2
2(t). Dikan (Spartak) - 2
Manager's Thoughts
What a fantastic month in the league, winning all 4 games. We showed we know how to get a victory when the pressure is on, as all 4 of our wins came by 1 goal margins. The victory against then 1st place side Dinamo Moskva was especially thrilling as we got the deciding goal in the 90th minute from one of our youngsters, Magomed Mitrishev. It will be tough to decide who to play at CAM between Oleg Ivanov and Kanu, as both have been in good form. Kanu provides more pace, but Ivanov is a big body at 6 foot, 4 inches tall. Plus, Ivanov is Russian, and that matters with RFPL guidelines for domestic players. I hate that we got matched up with Zenit St. Petersburg in the Russian Cup Round of 16. That's really unfortunate as we played OK, just not good enough. The board wanted me to advance further, but hopefully our good league form will help them look over this failing.
Terek Youth Academy
Scout Vasili Manakev went missing for a majority of the month as we had sent him on a plane to Moscow. We didn't know if he was dead or what, but he returned to Grozny smelling of booze and having no information. Rakhimov wanted him fired on the spot, but Chairman Ramzan Kadyrov decided to give him one more chance to prove his worth. Manakev has been sent back to Moscow, with explicit orders to find some players.
International Duty
After scoring the game-winning goal against Kuban Krasnodar, midfielder Maciej Rybus was rewarded by earning a call-up to the Polish National Team. Rybus first appeared for Poland in 2009 and was part of the nation's Euro 2012 squad. Terek Grozny congratulates Maciej on his accomplishment.
October 2013 Fixtures
10/5 - at Zenit
10/20 - vs Amkar
10/26 - at Krylya
So we meet up with Zenit again at the Petrovsky Stadium. After they crushed our Russian Cup hopes, maybe we can get some sweet revenge on them. It won't be easy though as Malafeev and Danny are in excellent form, and the rest of their team is dangerous as well. I look to take 6 points from Amkar and Krylya though, anything less would be a disappointment.
Ivanov 32'
Rybus 54'
Terek Grozny picked up their second win of the season in come-from-behind fashion against Kuban Krasnodar, a side that will be competing in the Europa League as a result of a 5th place finish last season. It was the Cossacks who went ahead in the 27th minute off of a corner that Xandão converted on his second attempt, thanks to some poor marking by Terek. The Chechens didn't stay down long though, as August Player of the Month Oleg Ivanov evened the score 1-1 just 5 minutes later when he headed home a Fedor Kudryashov corner delivery. The game-winning goal would come in the 54th minute off of the foot of Maciej Rybus, but it actually wasn't even a shot. The Polish international sent in a cross that directed onto goal, and Kuban goalkeeper Alexandr Belenov made a mess of it as he tried to punch the ball over the crossbar. Belenov only deflected the cross instead of punching it, and the ball trickled past the goal line to a furious Kuban Stadium crowd. Unfortunately for Belenov, Kuban could not bail him out as Terek escaped with the full 3 points when maybe they should have only settled for one.
MotM: Rybus
<table class="osdyn" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="575"><tbody><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="4">Sep 14, 2013 - Terek Grozny vs Volga Nizhny Novgorod</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="61%">TEAM</td><td align="right" width="12%">1</td><td align="right" width="12%">2</td><td align="right" width="15%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Terek Grozny (3-1-0)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td class="active" align="right">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Volga Nizhny Novgorod (2-0-2)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td class="active" align="right">0</td></tr></tbody></table>
Kanu 72'
With a busy month of September on schedule, Terek Grozny manager Rashid Rakhimov decided to play his B-squad against Volga Nizhny Novgorod, and The Chechens were fortunate to escape with a win. Early on, Terek got a glorious chance in the 4th minute of play, but Jonathan Legear sent his volley well over the goal. Terek's defense was excellent though as they completely shut down Volga, particularly stifling veteran striker Dmitriy Sychev who had 3 goals in 3 games coming into this match up. The difference-maker came in the 72nd minute when Kanu stole the ball off a throw-in from defender Marcin Kowalczyk and headed toward goal through the Volga back line. The Brazilian fired a shot from the top of the box that beat goalkeeper Artur Nigmatullin and pushed Terek to victory at the Akhmat Arena. Terek's reserve goalkeeper Evgeniy Kobozev was not tested much as he picked up the clean sheet.
MotM: Píriz
<table class="osdyn" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="575"><tbody><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="4">Sep 21, 2013 - Dinamo Moskva vs Terek Grozny</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="61%">TEAM</td><td align="right" width="12%">1</td><td align="right" width="12%">2</td><td align="right" width="15%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Dinamo Moskva (4-0-1)</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td class="active" align="right">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Terek Grozny (4-1-0)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">2</td><td class="active" align="right">2</td></tr></tbody></table>
Kurányi 13'
Aílton 79'
Mitrishev 90'
This game was the biggest of the early season in the Russian Football Premier League as 1st place side Dinamo Moskva hosted 3rd place side Terek Grozny, and the game did not disappoint. Dinamo would show their class in little time as Alan Kasaev took advantage of an Igor Lebedenko give away in the 13th minute. Kasaev then dribbled into the box and found Kevin Kurányi who calmly sent a shot by a diving Yaroslav Godzyur. More chances would not come until the 2nd half when it looked as if Terek had evened the score in the 73rd minute after an Oleg Ivanov header off of a corner beat Dinamo goalkeeper Vladimir Gabulov. However, defender Gheorghe Florescu was standing on the goal line and headed the attempt away. Not to be denied, The Chechens did tie things in the 79th minute from an Ivanov free kick just outside the box that Aílton volleyed inside the left post to make the score 1-1. The teams would furiously trade chances in the final 10 minutes as both sides went for the win, but nothing came of it until the 90th minute when a Jonathan Legear cross was headed by an unmarked Magomed Mitrishev past Gabulov. After the 21-year-old's go-ahead goal, Dinamo would still get 2 great chances from Kasaev and Christopher Samba, but the home team could not convert as an Arena Khimki crowd went home stunned by the result.
MotM: Rybus
Russian Cup: Round of 16
<table class="osdyn" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="575"><tbody><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="4">Sep 25, 2013 - Zenit St. Petersburg vs Terek Grozny</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="61%">TEAM</td><td align="right" width="12%">1</td><td align="right" width="12%">2</td><td align="right" width="15%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Zenit St. Petersburg (-)</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td class="active" align="right">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Terek Grozny (-)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td class="active" align="right">0</td></tr></tbody></table>
Witsel 32'
Terek Grozny got a rough draw in the Russian Cup as the club had to face league giants Zenit St. Petersburg in the Round of 16. Ultimately, Zenit were too much for Terek as the St. Petersburg based club came away with a 1-0 win. The only goal of the match came in the 32nd minute after Terek defender Dmitriy Yatchenko had a heavy touch and gave possession away to Zenit's Vladimir Bystrov. Bystrov then sent a cross into the box that Axel Witsel perfectly volleyed past a lunging Yaroslav Godzyur. Terek would only have one quality chance in the match as Zenit played excellent defensively. That opportunity came in the 50th minute from Oleg Ivanov, but his chance was saved by goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev. It was a tough pill to swallow for Terek being bounced out of the Russian Cup so early, and the board will not be happy as they had set their sights on at least a quarter-final appearance. However, with Terek's great form in league play, maybe the board will be somewhat forgiving to manager Rakhimov.
MotM: Malafeev
<table class="osdyn" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="575"><tbody><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="4">Sep 29, 2013 - Terek Grozny vs Anzhi Makhachkala</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="61%">TEAM</td><td align="right" width="12%">1</td><td align="right" width="12%">2</td><td align="right" width="15%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Terek Grozny (5-1-0)</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td class="active" align="right">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Anzhi Makhachkala (3-0-3)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td class="active" align="right">0</td></tr></tbody></table>
Kanu 13'
Following their frustrating loss to Zenit St. Petersburg in the Russian Cup, Terek Grozny returned home to Akhmat Arena to host rising club Anzhi Makhachkala. The Dagestan side has made a name for themselves over the past year with several high-profile signing thanks to the bankroll from Russian billionaire Suleyman Kerimov. It would be the Chechen side that would taste glory today though, as an early goal from Kanu in the 13th minute was enough to get Terek the win. Yaroslav Godzyur recorded the clean sheet for Terek as Anzhi were only able to get one good chance on goal, an attempt from Ilya Maximov that Godzyur parried away in the 55th minute. Adílson hit the post for Terek in the 67th minute, but it did not matter as Rashid Rakhimov's side completed a 4-0-0 month to vault to #2 in the RFPL table as September closed out.
MotM: Ferreira
Terek Grozny Player of the Month
CAM Kanu, 69 Ovr, Brazil, 26 years old
Despite not starting but 2 games this month, Kanu made a big impact for Terek Grozny scoring 2 goals, both game winners, against Volga Nizhny Novgorod and Anzhi Makhachkala. Manager Rashid Rakhimov now has a bit of a conundrum as Kanu and August Player of the Month Oleg Ivanov both play the same CAM position. With both in solid form, each player will expect to see the pitch, so juggling minutes could be an issue.
RFPL Table
1. CSKA - 18 pts
2. Terek - 16 pts
3. Dinamo - 13 pts
4. Spartak - 13 pts
5. Zenit - 13 pts
6. Lokomotiv - 10 pts
7. Anzhi - 9 pts
8. Krylya - 9 pts
9. Kuban - 7 pts
10. Rubin - 6 pts
11. Volga - 6 pts
12. Amkar - 5 pts
13. Rostov - 4 pts
14. Tom - 4 pts
15. Krasnodar - 3 pts
16. Ural - 3 pts
RFPL Top Scorers
1. Bilyaletdinov (Spartak) - 7
2(t). Danny (Zenit) - 5
2(t). N'Doye (Lokomotiv) - 5
3(t). Honda (CSKA) - 4
3(t). Maicon (Lokomotiv) - 4
RFPL Clean Sheets
1(t). Malafeev (Zenit) - 3
1(t). Akinfeev (CSKA) - 3
1(t). Guilherme (Lokomotiv) - 3
2(t). Makarov (Krylya) - 2
2(t). Dikan (Spartak) - 2
Manager's Thoughts
What a fantastic month in the league, winning all 4 games. We showed we know how to get a victory when the pressure is on, as all 4 of our wins came by 1 goal margins. The victory against then 1st place side Dinamo Moskva was especially thrilling as we got the deciding goal in the 90th minute from one of our youngsters, Magomed Mitrishev. It will be tough to decide who to play at CAM between Oleg Ivanov and Kanu, as both have been in good form. Kanu provides more pace, but Ivanov is a big body at 6 foot, 4 inches tall. Plus, Ivanov is Russian, and that matters with RFPL guidelines for domestic players. I hate that we got matched up with Zenit St. Petersburg in the Russian Cup Round of 16. That's really unfortunate as we played OK, just not good enough. The board wanted me to advance further, but hopefully our good league form will help them look over this failing.
Terek Youth Academy
Scout Vasili Manakev went missing for a majority of the month as we had sent him on a plane to Moscow. We didn't know if he was dead or what, but he returned to Grozny smelling of booze and having no information. Rakhimov wanted him fired on the spot, but Chairman Ramzan Kadyrov decided to give him one more chance to prove his worth. Manakev has been sent back to Moscow, with explicit orders to find some players.
International Duty
After scoring the game-winning goal against Kuban Krasnodar, midfielder Maciej Rybus was rewarded by earning a call-up to the Polish National Team. Rybus first appeared for Poland in 2009 and was part of the nation's Euro 2012 squad. Terek Grozny congratulates Maciej on his accomplishment.
October 2013 Fixtures
10/5 - at Zenit
10/20 - vs Amkar
10/26 - at Krylya
So we meet up with Zenit again at the Petrovsky Stadium. After they crushed our Russian Cup hopes, maybe we can get some sweet revenge on them. It won't be easy though as Malafeev and Danny are in excellent form, and the rest of their team is dangerous as well. I look to take 6 points from Amkar and Krylya though, anything less would be a disappointment.
Chris Martin
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