How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

[Gholdt]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

so, these are the players that I got:

pack 1:
kolarov x2
reid
borini
negredo
watmore
schmeichel
fernandinho
henderson
routledge
maloney

pack 2:
davis
elmohamady
ward
cech
de bruyne
fletcher
gardner
lamela
mahrez
snodgrass
mcclean

pack 3:
bailly
shaw
van der hoorn
janssen
delle ali
britton
imbula
navas
sigurdsson
townsend
ward-prowse

pack 4:
gray
cahill
mutch
huddlestone
livermore
morgan
mane
redmond
pieters

I've picked West Bromwich as the club that I'll be using.

[koszak27]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Nice idea using the card packs to generate your team Gholdt. I enjoy unique career mode ideas like this.

I used the random player card tool on futhead to do this and created a team in FIFA 15. Dynast link is in my signature if you're curious.

[JHedges2]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Random question here, but does this game acknowledge the away goals rule? I drew 1-1 at PSG and am now deadlocked 0-0 in the 2nd leg. Aggregate is obviously 1-1 with me having the away goal. Am I good to play out a 0-0? Or does this game ONLY consider aggregate score?

Please reply asap lol...

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Random question here, but does this game acknowledge the away goals rule? I drew 1-1 at PSG and am now deadlocked 0-0 in the 2nd leg. Aggregate is obviously 1-1 with me having the away goal. Am I good to play out a 0-0? Or does this game ONLY consider aggregate score?

Please reply asap lol...

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Yes it does so you're good to go. Lol fifa isn't realistic but not THAT unrealistic!

[JHedges2]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Yes it does so you're good to go. Lol fifa isn't realistic but not THAT unrealistic!

Awesome.

Thanks for quick reply. Did just get some insurance from a cracking free kick from Özil!

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[JHedges2]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

In what was a tightly contested 0-0 match, from a rainy Emirates--the scoring opened up with a Mesut Ozil free kick to give us a 1-0 lead, 2-1 on aggregate.

PSG then gave me 3 penalties (LOL), which Olivier Giroud connected on all 3 (again, LOL).

Ibrahimovic was given a late penalty (BS call IMO) to finish the game 4-1, and 5-2 to The Arsenal on aggregate.

I've made my way through Wolfsburg, Dortmund, PSG, and now have a final set up with Barcelona at the conclusion of May (and this career mode).
-----------------------------------------------

In the Premier League, I now sit 4 points behind Chelsea with 3 to play (all home: Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Everton). Spurs sit 3rd, but have been eliminated from the title contention.

My last game I drew away at Newcastle (??) 1-1, but Chelsea also drew with Everton, so no ground was lost.

Hope for the double is still alive...

[Gholdt]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

http://news.futhead.com/posts/fifa-17/34381-fifa-17-career-mode-preview

decent preview of the fifa 17 career mode. For the people who might be interested in a peak behind the curtain

[Gholdt]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

‘Club Deportivo Leganés, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team from Leganés, in the Madrid outskirts. Founded on 26 June 1928 it currently plays in the Primera División, holding home games at Estadio Municipal de Butarque, which seats 8,138 spectators.

Leganés is a city in central Spain. Part of the greater Madrid conurbation - mainly a satellite-city with a population of 186,066 (1 January 2009) it is located about 11 km southwest of the city centre.’

CD Leganés career mode, by Gholdt.

Leganés finished second in the Segunda División in the 2015/2016 season, so I decided that it would be a fun career mode to finish Fifa 16. I’ll be posting updates from this career mode, and I might start posting updates from my Bristol Rovers career as well.

CD leganés
"Pepineros"





Transfers summer 2015/2016

Players out:

Guillermo, full name Guillermo Fernández Hierro, has been sold to Real Oviedo for €1.4 million.
Reason: Poor stamina, poor finishing, and a very poor preseason made me sell this striker. Not good enough, simple as that.

Players in:

Puerto, full name Israel Puerto Pineda, has been bought from CD Lugo for €1.3 million.
Reason: Tall and mobile defender, running out of his contract. Has been a rock for us so far.
Sofifa link: http://sofifa.com/player/211315

Lars Veldwijk has been bought from PEC Zwolle. A swap deal was made and saw Veldwijk joining Leganés on a 5-year contract. Pablo Insua Blanco went the other way.
Reason: I wanted a new striker, and I wanted to try Veldwijk out. He’s huge, strong, and a good finisher. I swapped Insua for Veldwijk because, even though the fact that Insua is a good defender, Insua lacked stamina big time. He asked to sit out the second game of the preseason, which just didn’t feel right to me. You’re either a fully committed professional footballer, or you’re not. Veldwijk is a monster ingame, though. He’s huge, like I said, and is rocking 92 strength at the beginning of career mode. Combine that with finishing training, and he’ll hopefully develop into a very good footballer.
Sofifa link: http://sofifa.com/player/208153

Starting XI:



Board objective(s).

Segunda División: Gain promotion to La Liga.
Copa Del Rey: Reach the round of 32.

There’s only 1 August game to play, so here we go:

Huesca 1 – 0 Leganés
69’ Gonzales 1 – 0

Not a great first game, but there’s no need to panic just yet.

September games

Leganés 1 – 1 Tenerife
31’ Nano 0 – 1
49’ Timor 1 – 1

CD Numancia 0 – 2 Leganés
42’ Timor 0 – 1
49’ Veldwijk 0 – 2

Leganés 2 – 1 Real Zaragoza
26’ Veldwijk 1 – 0
49’ Angél 1 – 1
55’ Veldwijk 2 – 1

Gimnástic 1 – 1 Leganés
16’ Lopez 1 – 0
50’ Dovale 1 – 1

Leganés 2 – 2 Real Oviedo
4’ Veldwijk 1 – 0
14’ Susaeta 1 – 1
53’ Galarreta 2 – 1
71’ Erice 2 – 2

That’s a decent second month as the manager of Leganés. 3 draws isn’t perfect, but I’m still getting used to the squad. We won twice, once away, and Veldwijk has been scoring quite a lot. I’m liking the team so far.

If you guys have any questions and/or feedback feel free to let me know

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

I'm so behind in updating it's not even fair, Newport update coming up though

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

'19-'20 Summer Transfer Window Update

Spoiler

The club's arrival to the BPL and their secured spot in the group stage of the Euro League prompted The Exiles' board to provide a significantly increased amount of money to Giovanni Marccelino for this season: €14.5 million in transfer budget and €70K for wages (last season's budget was €2 million & €10K). While this increased budget still ranked Newport County as possibly the lowest funded club in the league, it certainly increased their options and as a result this turned out to be possibly the most active transfer window in the club's history.

TRANSFERS

OUT: Hwang In Beom (CM, 73 OVR), sold to Burnley for €4.5 million. Emiliano Martinez (GK, 72 OVR), sold to Aston Villa for €2.75 million. Tyler Blackett (CB, 71 OVR), sold to Leeds United for €1.8 million. Taylor Moore (CB, 68 OVR), sold to Bolton for €1.1 million. Magnus Dahle (LB, 66 OVR), sold to Barnsley for €1.25 million. Taylor Nelson (LW, 66 OVR), sold to Bolton for €1.05 million. Juan Pablo (LW, 66 OVR), sold to Birmingham City for €775K. Aaron Collins (ST, 61 OVR), sold to Millwall for €400K. Andrea De Girolamo (CAM, 70 OVR), loaned to Wolves for two years. Mehmet Zeki Çelik (RB, 68 OVR), swapped in deal.

IN: Jefferson Farfán (CAM, 80 OVR), arrived on pre-contract. Yasir Al Shahrani (RB, 78 OVR), acquired from Al Hilal for €8 million + Çelik. Konsta Salo (CAM, 76 OVR), acquired from En Avant de Guingamp for €7.5 million. Harry Maguire (CB, 75 OVR) arrived on pre-contract. Bill Hamid (GK, 75 OVR), acquired from D.C. United for €4.25 million. Allan Saint-Maximin (ST, 74 OVR), acquired from AS Monaco for €2.15 million. Aaron Leya Iseka (ST, 69 OVR), signed to one-year loan with purchase option from Juventus. Nicolas Gersbeck (ST, 69 OVR), signed to short-term loan from Roma.

Transfer Window Recap

There a good number of players on both sides of the door so this was an interesting transfer window to keep track off. The first observation is that the quality of players brought in is higher than the quality of players sent out which is always a good sign for a club. The second interesting thing of note is the return of Salo, a Newport County academy-graduate who is "an exciting prospect". Salo had been sold to EAG as part of a bidding war a season and a half ago as the club had very little choice in parting with one of its best prospects in order to improve a very limited budget to give themselves options. But the player brought in to replace him, In Beom, never performed as well as expected and he had become a sale-target. When In Beom's departure became official there was a need at backup CAM and Salo, whose biggest weakness is poor stamina, made perfect sense for a return and the club had the budget to bring him back even if his price tag had increased as a result of his growth as a player.

Other things of note are the arrivals of new starters at GK and RB. No matter how well Martinez had performed the club seemed set on finding a new GK and when they realized the opportunity to land Hamid they were quick to pull the trigger. The Exiles were mindful while moving Martinez though and agreed to a move to AV where he's line to replace Brad Guzan who will soon be retiring. Another big signing was Al Shahrani's whom scouts discovered out in Saudi Arabia where he's arguably their country's best player. He represents a significant upgrade at the RB position and the club was able to use Çelik in the transaction who was clearly out of the team's plans. Odubajo moves to a backup role. Finally, there was the influx of strikers into the team. Clearly the team decided not to rush Kjetil Ringdal Støvland into stardom which is the best approach for the Norwegian prospect long term. Instead, Saint-Maximim will be starting next to Ambrose as the club returns to an all-French striker duo. Gersbeck, a 21-year old German prospect with a 5-star weak foot and 4-star skill moves standing at 6'3" 172lbs, and Leya Iseka were brought in to improve the talent at the position. Gersbeck was an intriguing prospect on the surface and the club wanted to learn more about him which is the reason why they signed him to just a short-term loan. Upon further reviewing his skill set they have realized he is a speedy giant with outstanding ability and dribbling and they may want to look into acquiring him a permanent basis after his loan periods ends.

It can be said with certainty that Newport County improved its roster heading into the most important season in their history. We'll have to see whether they're able to make use of their improved roster to make noise this season.

Previous Update

Newport County A.F.C.

'19-'20 July/August Update

The Roster

Spoiler

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

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

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

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

Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide)

Hamid

Al Shahrani/Luan/Maguire/B-Williams

Ince

Farfán ------------------ Moore

Gordon

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

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

Spoiler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marccelino was LIVID in his post-game conference:

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

The play in question:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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




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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

I hear ya Rabbit. I finished the season with Accrington a couple weeks ago but haven't player fifa since and I don't know when I will again tbh. School starting again tomorrow and it's my final year so it'll possibly be just football manager for a while. I'm still reading everything though!

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

hoping that the time I spend these next few days playing the '17 closed beta will help me catch up on my updates. I can report that the game play feels smoother. I haven't messed with sliders (don't even know if that's an option right now) but I've been real comfortable in WC and may make the move to legendary. Testing a CM with a League 2 side (Morecambe). There are small additions that are neat such as the in-stadium announcer, er, announcing the POTM or giving a birthday shoutout to some random fan on the stands. Also some additional cool in-game graphics about player performance. And some of the training drills are different: ie header and volleys now comes with a goalie and a defender

[Gholdt]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

CD leganés
"Pepineros"




Hey guys, I’m back for more updates of the Leganés career!

October games

Deportivo Alavés 0 – 3 Leganés
25’ Ramos 0 – 1
67’ Timor 0 – 2
87’ Veldwijk 0 – 3

Leganés 2 – 1 Albacete
11’ Curto 0 – 1
39’ Veldwijk 1 – 1
88’ Asdrúbal 2 – 1

Mirandés 2 – 2 Leganés
7’ Szymanowski 0 – 1
36’ Galan 1 – 1
50’ Veldwijk 1 – 2
82’ Veloz 2 – 2

Leganés 1 – 2 Osasuna
(Copa Del Rey)
9’ Veldwijk 1 – 0
83’ Pudso 1 – 1
87’ Torres 1 – 2

Leganés 2 – 1 Mallorca
12’ Oriol 0 – 1
20’ Veldwijk 1 – 1
68’ Soriano 2 – 1

Girona 1 – 1 Leganés
45’ Sanchón 1 – 0
68’ Ramos 1 – 1

We won most of our games this month. I’m still frustrated about the Cup game, though. They flipped the game in the 83th minute. And, since it’s Fifa after all, they knocked us out of the cup in the 87th minute. After that, we kind of lost our flow when we scraped a victory against Mallorca and a mediocre draw against Girona. We have to step our game up if we want to gain promotion this season. Having said all that, we started the month very well. A 0 – 3 victory away from home is very good. Veldwijk is adding a lot to the build-up play, but I would like to get a new CAM and RW next season.

November games

Leganés 2 – 1 Bilbao Athletic
11’ Veldwijk 1 – 0
29’ Timor 2 – 0
89’ Aketxe 2 – 1

Llagostera 1 – 3 Leganés
3’ Szymanowski 0 – 1
36’ Rion 1 – 1
41’ Szymanowski 1 – 2
75’ Asdrúbal 1 – 3

Leganés 2 – 1 Almería
18’ Veldwijk 1 – 0
56’ Fatau 1 – 1
71’ Dovale 2 – 1

Bad news: Soriano, our leftback, has been injured in training after a clash with a teammate. He’ll be out for 4 months which means that he’ll miss most of the remaining season. We at Leganés feel bad about what happened to Soriano, and we’ll be looking for a new left back in the January transfer window.

Alcorcón 0 – 4 Leganés
52’ Veldwijk 0 – 1
58’ Veldwijk 0 – 2 Penalty Kick
75’ Galarreta 0 – 3
90’ Asdrúbal 0 – 4

Well, what a way to finish the November games, with a 0 – 4 away victory. We won all our games this month, and that is exactly what the board likes to see. Still gutted about the Soriano injury, though. He has been a solid leftback, dominating that left wing.

December games

Leganés 3 – 1 Osasuna
12’ De Clas Cuevas 0 – 1
18’ Veldwijk 1 – 1
58’ Ramos 2 – 1
63’ Szymanowski 3 – 1

Córdoba 1 – 2 Leganés
51’ Veldwijk 0 – 1
78’ Veldwijk 0 – 2
84’ Nando 1 – 2

Leganés 3 – 0 Elche FC
7’ Ramos 1 – 0
55’ Ramos 2 – 0
88’ Szymanowski 3 – 0

CD Lugo 0 – 2 Leganés
45’ Galarreta 0 – 1
81’ Gabriel 0 – 2

Well, suddenly we’re running this league. We haven’t dropped any points the last 2 months, and we’re flying at the moment. I’m happy with the victory against Osasuna, it felt nice to get some revenge for the cup game. We’re entering the January transfer window with just one objective: get a new left back. Soriano left a gaping hole, and Díaz has been trying his utter best to fill the spot. He’s a decent player, but lacks the pace and technical abilities that Soriano had. I have my eyes on a player who has been in the news recently, as reports showed up that he was denying a new contract from his current club. I won’t tell you just yet, but that’s my main transfer target.

Again, if you guys have any questions and/or feedback, let me know!

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

The Globetrotter CM

FC Twente
'19-'20 August Update

Spoiler

The Roster
I'm trying a new format for this particular section so I hope you guys dig it.

Spoiler

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

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

CDM: Krystian Bielik (71 OVR)
CM: Kyle Ebecilio (77 OVR)
CM: Renato Tapia (74 OVR)
RM: Derlis González (78 OVR)
LM: Lenny Nangis (77 OVR)
CAM: Juan Pablo (Juanpi) Añor (76 OVR)
CAM: Shadrach Eghan (74 OVR)

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

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

Domínguez (72)

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

Ebecilio (77)

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

Añor (76)

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

FC Twente did not receive an invitation to a pre-season tournament.
______________________________

League Match 1
Excelsior - FC Twente (2-2)
Ebecilio 32' (Børven)
Kuwas 69'
Ziyech 79' (pen)
Stans 83' (pen)

Had to settle for a draw on the road in my Eredivisie debut even though we definitely played better than the hosts. At this point we still had not yet completed a lot of signings so I actually played a 4-3-3 and the guys certainly seemed comfortable, taking 11 shots (7 on target). But what I can only call a questionable decision by the ref to award Excelsion a PK in the 83rd minute ended up spoiling my debut, though I'm still pretty pleased overall.

League Match 2
FC Twente - De Graafschap (2-0)
Olaitan 55' (Ebecilio)
Børven 68' (Ziyech)

This game was actually much closer than the game before but our defense pitched a shoutout to help us get the W in the debut of the 4-4-2 diamond. It was just two days before this game that Ziyech had handed his transfer request and at this point I remained hopeful that he might change his mind once he played in that CAM role behind the 2 strikers. I foresaw him performing even better in this role than Deniz Türüç had done for me at Kayserispor. Let me know if Børven's goal looks a bit familiar

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BGkeZAGv5Ic" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Euro League - Qualifying Round, Leg 1
FC Twente - Pogoń Szczecin (5-2)
Børven 12' (González)
Ziyech 27' (pen)
Zwoliński 40'
ter Avest 45' (Nangis)
Lewandowski 49'
Børven 61' (González)
Børven 82' (Ziyech)

Torgeir Børven proved that my choice to name him a starter for the season was on point by scoring a hat-trick to lead us to nice victory at home as we try to clinch a spot in the group stages of the Euro League. The two goals against at home could hurt a bit but hopefully the three-goal difference will make up for it. After getting their feet wet in the previous game, both González and Nangis showed glimpses of what they can bring to the lineup as they each netted an assist.

League Match 3
Willem II - FC Twente (1-3)
Veldwijk 22' (pen)
Nangis 29' (Veldwijk)
Ziyech 53' (Børven)
Giva 58'

Lars Veldwijk had an outstanding debut for us, outshining Giva who was making his debut for Willem II, and we established an early winning streak with a strong performance on the road. We really should had scored more as we took 16 shots (9 on target) but I'm definitely pleased with where our form is at this early in the season.

Euro League - Qualifying Round, Leg 2
Pogoń Szczecin - FC Twente (1-3, 3-8 agg)
González 10' (Ebecilio)
Nangis 23' (Veldwijk)
Veldwijk 28' (Ziyech)
Matras 45'
Lewandowski 74'

We were expected to take care of business in this match-up and that's just what we did, constructing a road victory since the early going so that the outcome would never be in doubt. González and Nangis seem to enjoy competing in the Euro League as they once again got on the stat sheet, this time with a score each. The only sad part about this game looking back on it is that this would be the last time Ziyech would play for the club, and really up until the moment his sale was announced I hung on to hope we would be able to work something out.



Top Scorers
1. Larsson (SC Heerenveen) - 4
T2. Elia (Feyenoord) - 3
T2. Finnbogason (AZ) - 3
T2. Klaassen (Ajax) - 3

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

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

Spoiler

Review: no L's? It was a great first month at the club then. I'm going to deal with some adjustments over the next few games but hopefully we can maintain this good start to the season. Qualifying for the group stage of the Euro League was a must and we did that with some solid performances so I was happy about that. We were drawn into a group with Tottenham, FC København, and Hearts FC so I'm inclined to say we're expected to advance out of our group. I don't really want to say more on Ziyech, I think I've said all I wanted to say on that topic. Not getting a pre-season invite was odd and I really could have used both the extra funds and some meaningless games with the squad to evaluate players better. I anticipate we'll be somewhat active in the winter transfer window but the players in danger of being replaced will at least get a chance to show that they belong, and with limited depth most of our guys will get a chance to get on the pitch.

I'm pretty stoked about the situation at goalkeeper. Drommel has the potential to be one of the best Dutch keepers of his generation and I can work on improving his skillset without rushing him onto the pitch while I play Domínguez instead who is a savvy veteran with very good size (6'4"). In the midfield I'm very happy to have Renato Tapia on the bench since he can backup at both CDM and CAM and has room for improvement to his already solid skill set.

Another awesome aspect of being able to arrive here before the end of last season was being able to use last season's budget to renew some contracts and hire some scouts. Unfortunately I wasn't able to work out a deal with Drommel and he's scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the season so hopefully we can get something done before then. That budget though allowed me to stock up on some real good youth scouts: Anthony Lesec (5* Experience/Judgement) from France, Mateusz Kuzdra (5*/4*) from Poland, and Jop Kieftenbeld (5*/4*) from the Netherlands. Lesec was sent to Germany, Kuzdra was sent to Belgium, and Kieftenbeld stayed locally as they were all given 9-month assignments. Lesec and Kuzdra have already gotten us some talent:

CB - Phillipp Kübler (57 OVR, 74-94 POT)*: 16-year old from Germany who is physically strong (80 strength, 76 aggression, 75 jumping). I'm really excited about his potential and working on his defensive skills to get him ready for a promotion maybe as soon as next season.

CDM - Daniel Yabo (57 OVR, 72-88)*: 15-year old from Germany described as defensive minded. His defensive skills are actually pretty advanced for someone his age and his stamina is already good enough to at least play in a backup role so he's well set to be a contributor for the club well before his 18th birthday.

RM - Jens Schuermans (51 OVR, 70-86)*: 15-year old from Belgium described as a playmaker. He's only 4'8", 116lbs at the moment but he's crazy agile (75) for someone his age. He flashes some nice potential.
* Recent addition

September's Schedule
9/1: vs Heracles Almelo (Twentse Derby)
9/7: vs India (International Friendly w/Venezuela)
9/10: vs South Africa ((International Friendly w/Venezuela)
9/14: at N.E.C.
9:19: at Hearts (Euro League)
9/22: vs Ajax
9/29: at ADO Den Haag

That should be fun. My first rivalry game at Twente will also mark Juanpi's debut so that's something to look forward to plus we'll also get started in Euro League action. With the Venezuelan NT I'll call some backups to get a final evaluation of some players before we start WC qualifiers in October.

Wish me luck!

Kayserispor watch

Spoiler

They drew a very tough group in Champions League as they'll have to battle against FC Bayern, FC Porto, and Olym. Marseille. Yikes!

^^^ Previous update

The Globetrotter CM



FC Twente
'19-'20 September Update

The Roster

Spoiler

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

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

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

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

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

Domínguez (72)

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

Ebecilio (77)

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

Añor (77)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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





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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

______________________________



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

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

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

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

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

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

Wish me luck

Kayserispor watch

Spoiler

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

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Spoiler

Back To The Top


September 2018



TSG Hoffenheim 0 - 0 VfB Stuttgart

We continue our winless streak with yet another draw. Four points from four league games isn't good enough.



VfB Stuttgart 0 - 1 Fenerbahce SK
Van Persie 18'

This isn't good at all. Out of five games, we have drawn four and lost one. Fenerbahce's Robin van Persie shot the ball into the top left corner of the net in the 18th minute to secure his side all three points from our opening Champions League fixture.

Bobby Wood suffered a hyper-extended knee and will be out for 4 weeks.



VfB Stuttgart 2 - 0 SV Darmstadt
Selke 61', Holland OG 81'

Finally! It took quite some time but we finally managed to win a game! Recently-promoted Darmstadt put up a good fight but a goal from Davie Selke and an unlucky own goal from their defender Fabian Holland did the job for us.



Eintracht Frankfurt 1 - 0 VfB Stuttgart
Oczipka 90'



VfB Stuttgart 3 - 0 FC Augsburg
Selke 34', 40', Ziyech 48', Günter s/o 51'

Could this effortless win be a start of something big? We certainly hope so. Fun fact: Davie Selke has scored five out of the seven goals we have scored this season.



VfB Stuttgart 5 - 3 Real Madrid
Dzsudzsák 4', Rode 29', Zwolinski 44', 84', Ramos OG 55'
Ronaldo 33', Benzema 58', 90'

What a game, and more importantly, what a performance from our team! We were able to tear apart one of the best teams in the world like paper! Our mighty magyar Balázs Dzsudzsák put us into the lead with a free kick only four minutes in. Right before the half an hour mark Sebastian Rode doubled our lead with a slightly deflected shot. Soon the Whites pulled one back as Cristiano Ronaldo showed his own abilities as a freekick taker. Right before the break Lukasz Zwolinski added one more in our favour, and ten minutes into the second half Sergio Ramos forgot which team he was playing for as he chipped Kiko Casilla to score a brilliant own goal. Karim Benzema then made the score 4-2 with a heading effort, and late on int oth egame Zwolinski got a brace. Benzema got another one, too, but it ended up being nothing but a consolation goal.



Mainz 05 1 - 2 VfB Stuttgart
Muto 12'
Stark 17', Dzsudzsák 58'


Bobby Wood suffered an injury during international duties and will be out for two weeks.


October 2018



VfB Stuttgart 1 - 0 1. FC Köln
Nikolic 90'



AC Milan 0 - 2 VfB Stuttgart
Dzsudzsák 22´pen, Ziyech 85' pen

A bit of an anticlimactic win, but a win nonetheless. Two penalties in our favour decided the game.



Hertha BSC 1 - 1 VfB Stuttgart
Haraguchi 26'
Jairo 29'

During my time at Stuttgart, I have never been able to beat Hertha Berlin. This time two goals from two wingers decided the game in the favour of no-one.



Round of 32
Bayern München 2 - 1 VfB Stuttgart
Müller 59', Rodriguez 66'
Ziyech 82' pen

Out of all the possible 35 German teams on the game, we just had to face the reigning Bundesliga and Champions League champions. Some extremely poor defending from our side, leaving both Thomas Müller and James Rodriguez unmarked, cost us the game. I'm very, very bitter about this game, but that's football.



VfB Stuttgart 1 - 1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Ziyech 45'
Stindl 82'

A draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach is a very good result, although our goal was utter bullsh*t. The keeper of Borussia kept possession of the ball for a tad bit too long, and Hakim Ziyech slid in pushing the ball into the net. Later on Lars Stindl equalised quite deservingly.


November 2018



Real Madrid 1 - 2 VfB Stuttgart
Isco 40'
Dzsudzsák 21' pen, Selke 57'

Real Madrid who? The Whites were no match for us once again as Balázs Dzsudzsák orchestrated yet another win over them. This win puts us in first in our Champions League group.



Hamburger SV 0 - 1 VfB Stuttgart
Zwolinski 34'

We got the three points, but that really shouldn't have been the case. HSV had a very good opportunity to equalise in the second half as the ball bounced off the bar towards the net, but according to the referee the ball did not cross the line. In my opinion our opponents got robbed. What do you think?

Spoiler

VfB Stuttgart 1 - 1 FC Ingolstadt
Blomeyer OG 90'
Lezcano 90'



Fenerbahce SK 1 - 2 VfB Stuttgart
Nani 19'
Nikolic 64' pen, 76' pen

Another win thanks to two penalties in our favour! What is special about this win is that it secures our place in the knockout stages! Yay!



VfB Stuttgart 3 - 0 RB Leipzig
Dzsudzsák 7' pen, 17', Wood 81'
Jung s/o 90'


December 2018



VfL Wolfsburg 1 - 3 VfB Stuttgart
Kruse 78'
Dzsudzsák 13', Selke 34', 71', Zwolinski s/o 73'

The only reason we won is our keeper Ramazan Özcan, who made nine very impressive saves in this match. Dzsudzsák and Selke were in top form once again and their three goals decided the game in our favour.



VfB Stuttgart 2 - 2 AC Milan
Nikolic 14' pen, Die 78'
Menez 31', Verdi 50'

That is why 33-year-old Serey Die is still part of our team! All hope was nearly lost, but the Ivorian midfielder managed to head the ball into the net from a corner and equalise the game ten minutes before the fulltime whistle. We go through to the next round, topping the group, and our opponent in the round of 16 is the Greek side Olympiakos.



VfB Stuttgart 0 - 3 Borussia Dortmund
Pato 61', Reus 90' pen, Costa 90'

The end results really doesn't reflect what has happening on the pitch well. Dortmund had five shots on target while we had four, but our opposition just happened to be more clinical than us. Shame.



FC Schalke 04 0 - 0 VfB Stuttgart

We controlled the entire game but unfortunately Davie Selke didn't have his shooting boots on as our star striker missed several great opportunities, including a one-on-one. On the bright side, we kept a clean sheet in our last game of the year.


Bundesliga Table

1. Bayern München, 37 pts
2. Borussia Dortmund, 37 pts
3. VfL Wolfsburg, 31 pts
4. Eintracht Frankfurt, 31 pts
5. VfB Stuttgart, 29 pts
6. Bayer Leverkusen, 27 pts
-----------------------------------------
16. Hamburger SV, 13 pts
17. TSG Hoffenheim, 12 pts
18. FC Ingolstadt, 8 pts


Champions Leaugue Group

1. VfB Stuttgart, 13 pts
2. Real Madrid, 12 pts
------------------------------------
3. Fenerbahce SK, 6 pts
4. AC Milan, 4 pts


My Thoughts

League Performances - Apart from the terrible first month, we have been doing a very good job in the league. Sure, we are in fifth and not in second like a year ago, but I prefer it this way. It's just more fun to play when every point matters and affects whether we get European football or not.

Champions League Performances - When I saw our Champions League group, I wasn't looking forward to playing in the competition. When we lost our opening fixture against Fenerbahce, I wasn't looking forward to playing against the other two sides. Then we suddenly hammered Real Madrid, and from there everything went our way. I don't know what exactly happened, but our pieces just clicked together.

Player Performances - Davie Selke has been our biggest threat in front of goal with his seven league goals, while his striking partner Bobby Wood has had a very poor season, netting only one goal in 13 appearances.

Our left winger and summer signing Jairo has been solid with two goals and five assists, while the aging Balázs Dzsudzsák is continuing his good form from last season with seven goals an assist in 15 appearances. His fellow attacking midfielder Hakim Ziyech has also been in good form, and Ziyech might get the starting spot next season.

Another summer signing, defensive midfielder Salif Sané, has been very good for us, while Sebastian Rode on the right side of our diamond is one of the most consistent performers of the team. Furthermore, the purchase of Niklas Stark has worked very well as our defence has been the second-best in the league so far.

Transfer Plans - Surprisingly enough, there is not a single position I'm looking to strengthen going into the transfer window. I'm extremely happy with the entire squad, and we don't even have any dead wood to get rid of.

International Management - In the beginning of November I accepted an international management offer from a big European footballing nation, and I'll be taking them into the 2018 World Cup as they topped their group. Wait a minute, you might ask, isn't the year 2019 about to begin in the career right now? Well, not exactly.

As we know, Stuttgart got relegated last season in real life and I started this career with them already in the second division. I accomplished this by simply swapping them with a side that was promoted in real life. Why didn't I play through the actual first season and relegate the team that way, then? It's simple: I was afraid that I would get sacked because of poor performances. What I did instead was that I started the career normally in 2015, already having swapped Stuttgart with a second-tier team, and simply added an extra year to these updates.

In other words, I just add one extra year to the in-game year when I post this career to keep it more realistic, because in real life Stuttgart got relegated in 2016 and not in 2015, which is when the in-game calendar begins. I hope this makes sense.

So, what is this national team I will be coaching?

Spoiler

Allez Les Bleus


France

Nicknames:Les Bleus (The Blues), Les Tricolores (The tricolours), La Sélection (The Selection)
Captain: Hugo Lloris
Most Caps: Lilian Thuram (142 caps)
Top Scorer: Thierry Henry (51 goals)
Home Stadium: Parc des Princes (49,690), Paris (note: the actual home stadium of France, Stade de France, is not in the game so they play their games on Parc des Princes)
Honours: World Cup (1998); European Championship (1984, 2000)

Spoiler

November 12th, 2017 (the actual in-game year as explained above)

In a surprising turn of events, France national team head coach Didier Deschamps has resigned from his post. According to several reports, the relations between Deschamps and several of his men, including re-called striker Karim Benzema, who was in the middle of a blackmailing scandal a year ago, had worsened to such extent that the dressing room was torn apart and Deschamps was left with no choice but to resign. Fortunately for the French supporters, their national team has already qualified for the upcoming World Cup in Russia. Furthermore, the national football federation was fast to announce Deschamps' replacement.

The post of Deschamps, who coached the national team since 2012, will be taken by half-German, half-French VfB Stuttgart manager Simon Müller. The man has risen fast through ranks of German football, as his recently-promoted team finished as the runner-up in the Bundesliga last season. This year Stuttgart have continued their strong performances under Müller, as they are currently sitting in fifth. This is what Müller had to say about his new job:
"I have always identified myself as both French and German because of my parents who come from both countries, and big dream of mine has always been to be part of either the French or the German national team. Now this dream has come true.
Indeed, the situation in the dressing room is not easy at the moment, but I'll do everything I can to solve it. I will also do my best to bring this national team back where it belongs: the top, lifting trophies. We will go to Russia with our eyes set on the big trophy and anything less than that will not be good enough. I know this team can do it."


International Friendlies


France 2 - 0 Canada
Benzema 45', Kante 51'



France 1 - 1 Australia
Williams OG 58'
Taggart 12'

We really could've and should've performed better against both of this teams. Our defending was very poor in the latter game, and our attacking play was lacking all creativity. We need to sort our issues out fast.

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

Previous update



Back To The Top


January 2019
A little reminder: the actual in-game year is 2018, as explained at the end of the previous update.


Transfers In



Mitchell Weiser

77 Ovr, Right Back, 23 Years Old, Germany

Bosman Transfer

VfB Stuttgart were surprisingly inactive this transfer window as the only transfer deal they completed was signing Mitchell Weiser on a Bosman deal. In other words, the 23-year-old right-sided defender-midfielder will join Stuttgart for free in the summer after his current contract with Hertha BSC runs out. Weiser, whose greatest assets are his lightning-fast pace and brilliant dribbling ability, will add new layers to Stuttgart's offence both as a winger and as a right back.

***


SV Darmstadt 0 - 0 VfB Stuttgart

A goalless draw against a recently-relegated side is never a good result when you are challenging for a top-four-finish. Our finishing and chance-creating was very poor in this game.



VfB Stuttgart 0 - 0 Hamburger SV

This match marked the fourth game in a row where we failed to score. Second-bottom HSV proved to be a tough match for us and, once again, we dropped two points.


Bundesliga Table

1. Borussia Dortmund, 43 pts
2. Bayern München, 40 pts
3. Eintracht Frankfurt, 35 pts
4. VfL Wolfsburg, 35 pts
5. VfB Stuttgart, 31 pts
6. RB Leipzig, 28 pts
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16. TSG Hoffenheim, 16 pts
17. Hamburger SV, 15 pts
18. FC Ingolstadt, 9 pts


My Thoughts

Update Schedule - First of all, I want to apologise for the huge amount of time it took me to post this update. School is keeping me quite busy, and it also happens to be that time of the year again, when FIFA is dying. I will still do my best to finish this and the next season before FIFA 17 comes up. It might take a while, but I'll make it there :P Also, the next update will consist of the remaining season.

Form - Two draws and zero goals scored is very disappointing, considering that we faced quite poor teams. We need to find our form again fast.

Transfers - We released Philipp Heise (LB, 72 ovr) because we didn't need him in the team and he was going to leave for free in the summer. I couldn't be bothered to pay his wages so he got the boot.

Our only signing, Mitchell Weiser, was signed because our starting right-back Kevin Großkreutz is getting older and because I'm a big fan of Weiser in real life. Furthermore, I feel like Weiser can really improve our team going forwards, no matter whether we will use him on the wings or at the back.

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