[FM10] This is a Tribute - DodgeeD's World Tour

[DodgeeD]

2024 Oceania Nations Cup

With the MLS on its close season break, I left the frozen shores of Lake Ontario to head off for some January sunshine on the other side of the world as New Zealand entered the Oceania Nations Cup. The tournament had actually begun back in December with the smaller nations of the region competing in the Preliminary round consisting of two groups of five with the top two advancing. Our World Cup Qualfying opponents Fiji and Solomon Islands would join us but Vanautu would not. They could consider themselves unlucky to have only missed out on goal difference though. New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea would be the other teams to join us.

Preliminary Round Tables

The next round was a group of 5 with each team playing each other once and the top two advancing to a two-legged final to be played in April (no idea why there's such a gap). As hosts, we were clear favourites to top the group and that's just what we did winning each game by at least three goals. Although our opponents were weak, I was impressed by the teamwork shown by my side, especially as the goals were distributed throughout the strikeforce and midfield. It was only in the final game, a seven goal thrashing of Fiji that a player scored more than one in a match as Craig Chidley bagged 4 goals. New Caledonia squeaked into second with 6 points as the other teams all beat each other and they will be our opponents in the final, a tie I will be expecting us to win.

Results:

v. Solomon Islands (h), 3-0 win

v. New Caledonia (h), 5-2 win

v. Papua New Guinea (h), 5-1 win

v. Fiji (h), 7-0 win

Final Table - the two-legged final takes place in just over two month's time.

[DodgeeD]

Tribute World Tour, Part 5: "La lluvia en Sevilla es una pura maravilla"

Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D.

Throughout the Oceania Nations Cup campaign, I was being linked with various jobs in Europe, most notably Everton, Getafe and Espanyol. The link to Sevilla actually first came up before the Club World Championship but a caretaker manger was installed and the club only started actively searching for a manager towards the end of January. I refused to confirm or deny rumours linking me with the job, not wanting to disrespect Toronto FC but now wanting to rule myself out either. And so it was, on February 1st 2024 (the day after the transfer window closed ) Sevilla offered me a 19k per week two and a half year deal and I accepted.

The reason for the sacking of previous manager Ronald Koeman was clear: predicted 5th and following on from a 4th placed finish last season, Sevilla are currently down in 11th place. A look at the squad tells why - aging stars now getting past their best are alongside youngsters who are not ready for the level of La Liga yet. There is, however, one world class player here and one I've been wanting to work with for a long time: Cristian Belforti, a player I first spotted at River when I was managing in Argentina. He's unhappy about the poor league performance of the club and wants to leave but I'll be doing my best to change that!

There are a couple of other familiar names in the squad: Neymar is one of the aging stars but still a very useful player to have; the other name you'll recognise is Jack Wilshere. Alas, a look at his profile reveals he hasn't quite lived up to his potential in this game but I hope to bring the best out of him late in his career, as I've done before with Velasquez and De Luca. The only other players worth mentioning are full-backs: Austrian international Sebastian Finke and Israeli international Hadi Fallatah. Beyond that, the squad needs a serious overhaul. With the transfer window closed, however, I'll have to make do with what I've got for now and do my spending in the summer.

We have a good chance of raising some money through competitions though. Despite Sevilla's poor performance so far in the league, they've been doing well in the cups. In my first month in charge, we will play Elche over two legs in the Spanish Cup semis and in March, we face Inter in the Champions League. Hopefully, they'll still be on a downer after getting shocked by TFC at the Club World Cup and we can make them suffer some more.

While I'm here, I thought I'd give a run down on the current balance of power in Spain and Europe:

La Liga Champions 2010-2023: As you might expect, Barceolna and Real Madrid have won most of the titles since my career began. However, Barca haven't won the league since 2017 and Valencia, Zaragoza and Atletico Madrid have all got their hands on the trophy as well. Murcia are the most improved team, now regularly in the top 6. Sevilla meanwhile haven't really come close to the title since coming third way back in 2014.

Champions League Winners 2010-2023: with the exception of Bayern in 2012, won by a Spanish, English or Italian team every season. Nice to see Arsenal, Man City and Zaragoza in there for saome variety though.

And so, that's that as far as TFC goes. I had a great time there and big thanks to rancer for giving me the urge to take my career there in the first place. I think I can leave BMO Field knowing the club is in a much improved position. when I arrived, they had just finished bottom of the MLS and were in debt. Although I only took them to the MLS title once, they reached at least the Conference final in every season I was there and won 2 Champions League titles, the SuperLiga and Pan-Pacific Championship as well with the Club World Championship to wrap it all up. They are now also the richest club in the MLS and have top-notch facilites, a 30,000 seater stadium and a strong squad. I'll be back someday, if not in this game, then the next one.

[rancer890]

Have fun in Sevilla DodgeeD. True Reds fans will understand your decision. It's been fun having you manage TFC and achieve success there.

[T3APOT]

Congratulations on the Club World Championship win, you bowed out of Toronto on a high! Looking forward to seeing how this next chapter of your career goes in sunny Spain Interesting to see Neymar has been overlooked by Brazil in in your save, normally he becomes a regular!

[DodgeeD]

Thanks guys.

Strange about Neymar and Wilshire - I've seen both of them become superstars of the world game on other saves - Wilshere hasn't even been capped in this game!

[AcidBurn]

Just been catching up with the thread, I have to say winning the World Club Championships with Toronto is one of the best achievements I have ever seen on any FM. Good luck with Sevilla, I always enjoy managing them although I suspect they are entirely different this far into the game.

Although I am slightly angry that you turned down my team Sunderland. Good job you did otherwise you may not have got to win the World Club Championships.

[DodgeeD]

Thanks AcidBurn. Winning the CWC was great - much better when you win it with a non-European team. The great thing about my players at TFC was their team ethic. Thay really pulled together well so the couple of spots where we had average players (keeper, DM and second striker) were never exposed.

And there's always time for Sunderland later.

One thing I forgot to mention about Sevilla - the backroom has got some quite famous names in it. Xavi is a 1st team coach, Rigobert Song is the assistant manager, Nikolas Bentdner is a scout and I've just recrui,ted Rio Ferdinand as a coach as well.

[DodgeeD]

February 2024 Sevilla Update

La Liga

I flew striaght into Madrid airport as Sevilla were playing Atletico on my first day in charge. I picked a team based largely on the backrooom staffs recommendations and away we went. It was a surprisingly even game (I was expecting Atletico to beat us) and we came away with a credible draw thanks to a goal from young striker Franco. Unfortunately, he got injured as did our best defender. However, we shook off those injury worries to convincingly beat Espanyol, another under-performing team in the next match. Hero of the day was a young Austrian striker, Schwarzl, who had only made two sub appearances prior to my arrival. He scored two and set up the other to give the fans somehting to cheer about. It was Neymar who toook centre stage in our next game though as he bagged two goals and set up another against high-flying Murcia. That man Schwarzl popped up again in the next game to give us the lead against relegation threatened Vecindario and we seemed to be crusing until keeper Sergio Romero gifted an equaliser. We then played terribly in the second half and ended up losing, thus ending what had been a good month on a sour note.

Results:

v. Atletico Madrid (a), 1-1

v. Espanyol (a), 3-0

v. Murcia (h), 3-1 win

v. Vecindario (h), 2-1 loss

Current standings – despite that loss, our position is much improved and we are now within touching distance of 4th place.

Copa del Rey

Semi-final

Great that I was able to walk into a cup semi-final and gainst one of the weaker teams in the league too. Belforti gave us an early lead in the home leg but we struggled to capitalise after that and nearly let Elche back in it. I put Scharzi on to sort it out and he did with two goals and an assist to make the win seem easier than it was – all in 12 minutes on the pitch as well! I rested some regulars for the away leg and, despite an early Neymar goal, we found ourselves 2-1 down. That’s when Schwarzl worked his magic again as he came on and levelled the scores before setting up Belforti for a late winner!

Results:

Leg 1 v. Elche (h), 4-0 win

Leg 2 v. Elche (a), 3-2 win (Sevilla win 7-2 on aggregate)

The final won’t be played until the end of May. Our opponents will be Castellon, who puılled off a shock by beating Atletico Madrid in the semis. A good chance for my first trophy in Spain

And here’s a look at Marco Schwarzl, rapidly becoming my favourite Sevilla player! The coaching staff initially rated him as 1.5* for current ability and 2.5* for potential. They've already revised that to 2* CA and 3.5 PA.

[Thepathtoamen]

Looking like a good start in Spain for you, well done

Congrats on all you achieved in Canada!

[DodgeeD]

Thanks Thepathtoamen. It's taking some adjusting to be in charge of a club that has to battle harder for points but I'm enjoying it so far.

March 2024 Sevilla Update

Champions League

1st Knockout Round

Despite Sevilla’s poor form in the league, my predecessor had managed to guide them successfully through the Champions League group stage allowing me to get an early taste of action in Europe’s elite competition. Our task was tough though as we faced defending champions Inter, who would also no doubt want revenge on me for that Club World Cup defeat against Toronto. Revenge was what they got as they tore into us in the opening minutes of the first leg, scoring after just 5 minutes. On 10 minutes they doubled their lead and then score two more before the 25 minute mark had even come up. It wasn’t that we couldn’t create chances, it was just that every single shot they had went in. We held on until half-time when I let the players know exactly what I thought of them. Schwarzl and Belforti pulled goals back for us but it was still an embarassing home defeat. We had little chance of turning things around at the San Siro but we played much better there, for the first hour at least. The game went Inter’s way when they got a shocking penalty decision (it was a foul but clearly outside the box), which led to the first goal. We then collapsed as they scored two more goals in 5 minutes. We pulled one back again but the defeats highlighted how much work needs to be done here before we can compete with Europe’s best.

Results:

Leg 1 v. Inter Milan (h), 4-2 loss

Leg 2 v. Inter Milan (a), 3-1 loss (Inter win 7-3 on aggregate)

La Liga

A busy month in La Liga with 7 games including tough trips to Valencia, Zaragoza and Deprotivo and a home game against Real Madrid. We started with a defeat at Valencia. We gave them a good game however and held them at 1-1 for a while before losing out to a goal 10 minutes from time. We then went on a good run as we earned a great win away to Zaragoza with Belforti and Schwarzl providing the goals. Schwarzl was injured in that game but no matter as Belforti scored a brace in our next win over Getafe. With confidence high, we then beat Almeria with ease and came away from the Deportivo game with a credible point. Real Madrid came next, a team studded with star players including two of the best strikers in the world. We were two down by half-time and it could have been worse but we rallied in the second half with Belforti pulli,ng one back before my aging Turkish AMC Ergen equalised on 89 minutes. Unfortunately for us, the drama wasn’t over as Real Madrid scored deep into injury time to restore their lead and take all the points. We were not downheartened by the defeat though and recovered to end the month on a high with an easy win over lowly Cultural Leonesa.

Results:

v. Valencia (a), 2-1 loss

v. Zaragoza (a), 2-0 win

v. Getafé (h), 2-1 win

v. Almeria (h), 3-0 win

v. Deportivo (a), 1-1

v. Real Madrid (h), 3-2 loss

v. Cultural Leonesa (a), 3-1 win

Current standings – 3 points behind Villareal in 4th but only 2 ahead of Zaragoza in 9th...

[DodgeeD]

2024 Oceania Nations Cup Final

The international break at the start of April saw me head back to Auckland for the conclusion of the Oceanic championships. We were hit by inuries with three squad regulars unavailable for selection and 3 more picking up knocks after the squad was named. Going into any other tournament, this would have been a big worry but as this was the Oceania Nations Cup and our opponents were New Caledonia, I wasn't too concerned.

To their credit, New Caledonia put up a good fight for the first hour of the first leg in Auckland. They restricted our chances and had a few of their own and the one goal lead we took into the half-time was all we deserved. Latyer in the game they started to tire though and Craig Chidley, scorer of the first goal, added a second before substitute James Smith added a pair of late goals. Star striker Chris Wood was frustrated though as he came into the game on 119 international goals but saw 2 goals ruled out for offside and a third disallowed for a foul.

He didn't have to wait too long to reach the milestone as he scored 11 minutes into the second leg. Smith doubled our lead before Wood added another. A 4th goal from Wheeler came in the second half and then we took our foot off the pedal a bit. New Caledonia scored two goals to make the game a bit more entertaining for the home support but they were never going to catch us. I think I'll never win an easier tournament!

Results:

Leg 1 v. New Caledonia (h), 4-0 win

Leg 2 v. New Caledonia (a), 4-2 win (New Zealand win 8-2 on aggregate)

Awards:

Best Player: Chris Wood got the nod ahead of Craig Chidley, becoming the first Kiwi to win the award since he last won 14 years ago! Third place went to Matthew Sinclair, a player from the Chelsea reserves who decided to pick New Zealand over England just before the tournament started. Quite a coup as my Sevilla scouts have had a look at him and say he has the potential to be a good La Liga player in the future.

Golden Boot: Craig Chidley was topscorer ahead of Chris Wood, helped in no small part by the gernerous Fijian defence!

I'll be back on the international circuit in June and September when World Cup Qualifying resumes.

[CoachFlu]

Congrats!

Always great to get a trophy, even if the opposition isn't exactly top quality.

[Thepathtoamen]

Well done. Amazing how many goals Chris Wood has though, don't think that could ever happen in real life.... unless I am not aware that it already has?!

[Raware]

Wow, things have certainly changed since I last visited your thread DodgeeD! Well done on the move to Spain and congrats on the Oceania Nations Cup.

[DodgeeD]

April 2024 Sevilla Update

La Liga

We started the month in style with a fantastic win over title-chasing Barcelona. Belforti ghave us the lead midway through the first half and my Austrian goal machine Schwarzl added another late on as Barca pushed for the equaliser. Next up was my first Seville derby as we travelled across town to play Betis. Unfortunately, it was the green and white part of the city that got to celebrate. We had our chances but struggled to find the target while Betis scored off every on target shot they had. We then had as run of four easy games against teams lower down the table but we were only able to beat Xerez easily. We also beat Las Palmas but we made life difficult for ourselves with two defensive clangers that almost let our opponents back into the match. We were beaten by relegation threatened Elche and then, despite dominating from start to finish, we couldn’t score against Valladolid.

Results:

v. Barcelona (h), 2-0 win

v. Betis (a), 3-1 loss

v. Las Palmas (h), 4-2 win

v. Elche (a), 2-1 loss

v. Xerez (a), 3-0 win

v. Valladolid (h), 0-0

Current standings – 6th but if we had got better results against Betis, Elche and Valladolid, we’d be right in the mix for 4th. As Valencia have a game in hand, Champions League qualification is unlikely. Then again, with the lack of depth in the squad and the amount of rebuilding that needs to be done, maybe that’s a good thing...

[DodgeeD]

Congrats!

Always great to get a trophy, even if the opposition isn't exactly top quality.

My thoughts exactly. Plus, this trophy gets us a ticket to the Confederations Cup in Australia next summer.

Well done. Amazing how many goals Chris Wood has though, don't think that could ever happen in real life.... unless I am not aware that it already has?!

Yes, a shockingly high number of goals. Looking at his history, I think the fact that he's stayed pretty much injury free has helped. But the main reason must be the poor quality of opposition he faces on a regular basis in World Cup Qualifying and the OCE Nations Cup!

Wow, things have certainly changed since I last visited your thread DodgeeD! Well done on the move to Spain and congrats on the Oceania Nations Cup.

Cheers Raware. From Hong Kong Division 1 to La Liga, eh?

[DodgeeD]

May 2024 Sevilla Update

La Liga

Only three games to play as we tried to secure a place in Europe for next season. The first was a key clash as we took on 9th-placed Villareal. Much like our previous game against Valldolid, we dominated and scored early through Neymar but struggled to make the chances count after that whereas Villareal scored with their only chance. It looked like the game would finish 1-1 but Galimov, a Russian midfielder recentky back from injury, slammed in a long-range effort in the last minute to get us three points. Our final away game wasa dress rehearsal for the cup final as we visited Castellon. The match was almost a carbon copy of the Villareal game as we took the lead (Galimov again), they then equalised but we took all three points with a late winner (Belforti doing the honours this time).

With Valencia bottling it at the crucial moment, that meant we were 5th going into the final game just behind Zaragoza on head-to-head results. We would have to better Zaragoza’s result to go 4th, a tall order as had to face 3rd-placed Atletico Madrid while Zaragoza were at home to Valladolid. We did our bit as Wilshere scored an early goal and Schwarzl added another in the second half for a comfortable win. All eyes now turned to the result of Zaragoza’s game...

Results:

v. Villareal (h), 2-1 win

v. Castellon (a), 2-1 win

v. Atletico Madrid (h), 2-0 win

Final Table – ...which they won by a single goal, allowing them to finish ahead of us due to the 3-1 win they earned away to Sevilla when Koeman was still the boss.

Copa Del Rey

Final

A chance for my first trophy at Sevilla as we prepared to contest the Spanish Cup Final with Castellon. Form suggested we were favourites but Castellon had given us a tough game in the league a couple of weeks before. We dominated the first half but, once again, we just couldn’t convert our chances. Castellon livened up a bit in the second half and managed to take the lead as a long-range shot hit Wilshere and looped past the keeper. We threw everything forward after that but, try as we might, no equaliser came and Castellon claimed the cup.

Result:

v. Castellon (n), 1-0 loss

[Thepathtoamen]

Unlucky with the league and the cup perhaps next season with a biut more of your character style on the team you could push on for 4th! fingers crossed anyways!

[DodgeeD]

2023/24 Season Review

Competitions: Domestic

La Liga:

5th

Copa del Rey:

Finalists

Competitions: Continental

UEFA Champions League:

1st Knockout Round

Only 4 months at the club but I managed to take them from 11th back up to their media prediciton of 5th, just missing out on 4th as Zaragoza had the edge in head-to-head results. We could have qualified for the Champions League were it not for some dodgy goalkeeping and poor finishing in a few games. A bit disappointing in the cups though as we lost to a beatable Castellon side in the Copa del Rey final and were completely outclassed by Inter in Europe. The squad lacks depth and is getting old though so new blood is needed over the summer...

Key Players

Sertaç Eren (DC) – our best defender (not that there was much competition ). We will be relying on his experience again next season.

Neymar (AMC/FC) – great to have someone of Meymar’s expeirence in the side and, when on form, he ran the show from his AMC role. Physical attributes are in decline though and he may only have one good season left in him.

Marco Schwarzl (ST) – this youngster had quite an impact after I promoted him to the first XI and was our most consistent scorer. Hopefully, he can carry his form over to next season.

Cristian Belforti (ST) – I expected a lot from this guy but he was a bit inconsistent, probably due to his desire to leave. I was hoping my arrival and a turnaround in the club’s fortunes would convince him to stay but no such luck as he requested a transfer 3 or 4 times. I may consider selling him if the price is right (£30million+ is fair I think) but that would mean losing our only world class player.

The Season Ahead...

Champions League TV revenue has put the club firmly in the black and a few past their best stars on high wages are out of contract and will be leaving the club. Midfield is a priority as there is no real quality in the central midfield slots and Neymar is getting a bit old to be an effective, pacy AMC.

I have managed to snap up a few players on pre-contract deals and they will be arriving at the club shortly:

Eduardo (GK) – we beat a lot of top clubs to get this guy on a free from Deportivo. With my current goalie (Sergio Romero, Argentina’s real-life keeper at the World Cup set to turn 38, who better to replace him than the Spanish national team’s #2?

Hakan Kiliç (AMC) – my youngster to slowly take over from Neymar, picked up on a free from Besiktas.

José Alfredo Cruz (ST) – another freebie, this time from Chivas. Will be back-up to the main strikers.

In other news, I’ve obvioulsly impressed the Sevilla board as they offered me an improved contract that will see my wages increase from £19,500 a week to £35,000. I’m delaying them until I get news of my transfer budget though.

[DodgeeD]

June 2024 International Update:

New Zealand

Friendly Fixture

With the domestic season in most of Europe coming to an end, I got my New Zealand squad together for a trip to Austria. We were expecting a tough game and indeed Austria dominated the opening ten minutes but then we gained an advantage as Chris Wood was through on goal only to be hacked down by the Austrian goali as he rushed out of his box. He was duly sent off and we were a man up. We then went a goal up as Matthew Sinclair, who decided to get a head start on his international career with us rather than wait for England, fired in the free kick from the edge of the area. Craig Chidley soon doubled our lead but his effort was ajudged to be offside. Austrai managed to draw level before half-time but we took the game to them in the second half, having a Chris Wood goal ruled out for handball, before Craig Chidley scored a legitimate goal. That was how the score stayed, leaving the Austrians shell-shocked.

Result:

v. Austria (a), 2-1 win

World Cup Qualifying, Oceania Section, 2nd Round

Only one game as we hosted Vanautu but it turned out to be a big reult for us. We were frustrated in the first half with our opponents defending hard and it wasn't until about the hour mark that we got the breakthrough as Craig Chidley picked up a Chris Wood through ball to open the scoring. James Smith then added another goal with a 35 -yard free kick to give us an expected win. It turned out to be a big result as the Fiji-Solomon Islands game finished goalless meaning we had secured top spot with two games to spare, qualifying us for the Oceania-Asia play-off.

Result:

v. Vanautu (h), 2-0 win

Current standings - confirmation of our qualification. I can give a few youngsters some experience in the remaining games.

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

Euro 2024

Hosts: Denmark

Holders: France

Euro 2024 was the focus of the footballing world over the summer. The group stage provided few shocks, apart from Holland going home with no points but then again they were in the Group of Death along with England, Spain and Sweden. One surprise was that England, still under the guidance of Alan Shearer, were actually playing well for once, topping the afore mentioned Group of Death before actually beating Portugal in a quarter-final and then knocking out holders France. The final was a step too far though as they lost to Croatia, who had dispatched Germany and Spain in the knockout rounds. For Croatia, it was actually their second Euro title, having also won in 2016.

Group Tables: Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D

Knockout Rounds

Final

The Russian and Croatian jobs came up after the tourament (the Croatia manager retired). Both were tempting but I have work to do with the All Whites. I was also approached by Northern Ireland and was slightly tempted as their World Cup Qualifying group contains Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Poland - the Croats will be hot favourites for 1st but Northern Ireland could get 2nd... However, I want to take New Zealand to the 2026 World Cup before moving on to another job.

[CoachFlu]

Some great work in Spain there.

Unlucky about 4th/5th place, but perhaps a blessing in disguise. The Euro Cup might be a bit more gentle to a squad in the process of a serious overhaul.

I'm disappointed that you managed to beat Austria though.

[hamilton162]

Nice start in Spain & with New Zealand on the International scene DodgeeD. You need to fix the link for the Neymar screenshot though, as i'm sure his stats don't look like the Sevilla badge.

[DodgeeD]

Thanks for the comments guys.

CoachFlu - I wasn't going to update on New Zealand until World Cup Qualifying was over but the fact that we got a win over Austria made me do this update, just for you

hamilton162 - no idea how that happened! Fixed now

[DodgeeD]

Having seen CoachFlu mark ten years in his career with a look back at his olfd clubs, I thought I'd follow suit now I'm 15 years into mine.

Tai Po

Tai Po seemed to improve after I left, finally landing the title that eluded me in 2014 (6 months after I left ) and winning the Asian Confederations Cup in 2015. Since then, they have added 5 more league titles, 3 League Cups and 2 Senior Shields and established themselves alongside South China as one of the dominant forces in Hong Kong.

Of my favoured players, Adonis, Gilsinho and Indio saw out their careers at the club and have since retired disappearing from the game altogether. Li Wei moved onto Europe to play for Finnish side Tampere United for 4 years before retiring. Sadly, he moved there just 6 months before he would have become eligible to play for Hong Kong and so remained uncapped. He then moved into management at Chinese Super League side Guangzhou, staying there for two years until the team were relegated and he was sacked. He then resurfaced at Dalian but was sacked after a year following a poor run of results and is now waiting for his next job opportuntity.

Solomon Islands

You'll know from my New Zealand reports about Solomon Islands' recent form. They have enjoyed success by winning the Oceania Nations Cup twice (2016 and 2022) but haven't come close to qualifying for the World Cup.

South Korea U-19s

5 of my players who won the Asian U19 Championship back in 2014 are now regulars in the main squad with three of them playing in Europe, 1 in the MLS and 1 in Mexico. The subsequent U19 teams have never reclaimed the title not doing any better than a semifinal appearance at the 2022 tournament.

Olimpo de Bahia Blanca

Olimpo are still in the Argentine top flight, though they usually finish in the bottom half of the table and the average points system has saved them from relegation a couple of times. Hard to believe ten years of game time has passed since I got them promoted!

The key players during my time there are mainly still active. Claudio Velasquez, the club's all time topscorer with 114 league goals, finished his playing career in Venezuala with two successful seasons at Caracas. He is now a coach but hasn't joined a club yet. José Cordoba is still at the club and a first team regular. However, my successors seem to prefer playing him in central midfield rather than attacking midifield or up front like I did so he doesn't get that many goals these days. My youth player Hernan Fernandez has spent the last three years at Lokomotiv Moscow and is doing well there and my favourite Olimpo player of all, Rodrigo Mazzoni, is also in Europe, plying his trade at Herenveen in the Dutch League. He has also been capped by the Argentina national side once but his rise to the top seems to have stalled. I guess he either had a high starting CA, close to his PA or he has stopped developing in an unplayable league....

Bolivia

Maybe I should have stuck this job out a bit longer! Many of the youngsters I capped for the first time are still in the squad and play at top clubs across South America and Europe. Other youngsters came through after I left and Bolivia now seem on course to qualify for the 2026 World Cup!

San Lorenzo

San Lorenzo have remained one of the main title contenders in Argentina and have added two more titles to the trophy cabinet since I left. They haven't fared so well in South American competition though with no more succes since I won the Copa Sudamericana and Recopa 5 years ago.

Carlos Franco, my midfield enforcer, is stiil at the club and regularly makes the Aregntina squad. Arnaldo Cabral has also stayed put and is still a regular though he tends to get played on the wing more often. Denilson is still at Murcia is Spain after I sold him (I remian on his favoured personnel list too) and has won 17 caps for Brazil. Carlos Serrizuela, who started his career with such a bang, is still on the books at San Lorenzo and has picked up a couple of caps for Argentina but he is out of favour and has spent the last couple of seasons on loan in Brazil.

Cameroon

Still one of Africa's top side bt the squad is increasingly full of greys. The haven't got past the World Cup group stage or African Nations quarter finals since I left.

Toronto FC

Not much to update on here as it's only 6 months since I left. TFC made it to the final of the CONCACAF Champions League again but lost the final to Atlas. Their league form has been pretty poor compared to recent seasons and they may struggle to make the play-offs, which reflects poorly on the new boss as no transfers mean he has the same group of players that I had...

Anything else you want to know, either about my career or other league/cup winners etc, just ask.

[DodgeeD]

Just had one of those annoying transfer dealings where every time I bid, the selling club keeps pushing the price up and up, eventually accepting 6million. The player then rejects our contract and signs for another team for a fee of 1.5million

[DodgeeD]

2024/25 La Liga Season Preview: Sevilla

Transfers

A transfer kitty of £15million was added to by the sales of a few fringe players but it soon became apparaent from my attempted transfer bids that the money we had would only be enough for 1 or 2 top class players. With that in mind, I made a tough decision and decided to sell Cristian Belforti. He had been very unhappy towards the end of the seaosn and it was starting to affect the squad so I figured his sale could bring in the extra cash we needed to stregthen elsewhere. AC Milan seemed favourites to sign him but their bids of £12million were laughable and flatly refused. In the end, only Zaragoza were willing to offer what I considered a fair price and, even though I was reluctant to sell him to another La Liga team, that was where he ended up going. £10million up front, another £12million over the next 12 months and potentially another £8million depending on league appearances and goals scored. Oh, and 30% of his next sale too.

The free transfers mentioned in my end of season update all arrived on July 1st with great praise for my wheeling and dealing, particularly for my capture of Spanish goalie Eduardo. I still needed to strengthen defence and midfield though and after Belforti’s departure, a new striker would be required as well. The summer was long and frustrating with many clubs ridiculously over-pricing their players and a deal for a great Dutch striker scuppered at the last minute as he broke his leg in pre-season training (although I suppose I’m lucky it didn’t happen after the deal was done ). In the end, the following players joined:

Vasyl Goncharov (GK) – another freebie and one with great potential. For now, he will be loaned out to Salamanca but I expect him to challenge for the No. 1 jersey in years to come.

Matthew Sinclair (MLC) – Another one for the future but I just couldn’t resist my emerging star of the New Zealand team, especially as he was available for just £1million!

Henri Malacarne (DC) – spotted by my scouts at Euro 2024. Not cheap at £11million but the fact that he can slot straight into the first team and has the potential to be a leading star in La Liga makes him worth it.

Jiri Pecka (DC) – another one for the future by my scouts were raving about this 16 year-old so I decided to make a mkove before he got too expoensive. We still ended up paying £3.5million but he seems good enough to rotate in and out of the first team already so he could be a great long-term investment.

Vitezslav Wozniak (MC) – our final signing was another Czech player who will add much needed depth to our midfield options. £6.5million was the fee.

Future Transfers

There were also some deals concluded to bring players in either in January or next summer. I checked out players back in the MLS with expiring contracts and made a couple of offers. De Luca and Avalos were available to approach but De Luca is getting opld and my scouts think Avalos wouldn’t cut it in La Liga. There were impressed by Ricardo Sanchez though and I offered him a contract. Alas, the deal was hijacked at the last minute by Real Sociedad and he opted for them. I did get one TFC player though as young Jamaican international Donovan Wilson agreed a deal. He will have to spend some time away on loan to develop first but he has the potential to be a good player for us.

Another ex-youth player of mine who will join in January in Carlos Serrizuela. He isn’t joining on a free, however, as we will pay £5million for him but the deal can’t be conluded until his loan spell at Sao Paulo has ended. Jorge will also arrive from Brazil when his Vasco deal expires and will offer some depth to our AMC options. A long-term target of mine will also arrive in the shape of Sam Sampson with the American striker set to join us from Saudi outfit Al-Hilal on a free. Finally, Brazilian/Italian defender Felipe Alves will join from Juventus for £4million. He won’t be arriving until next June though as my scouts only spotted him playing for Brazil at the Olympics after he had agreed a season long loan to Panathinaikos. Hopefully, it will be worth the wait...

Europa League

After finishing 5th last season, we enter UEFA’s second string competition so time for a look at the past winners since my save started in 2009/10:

Europa League Past Winners – quite a mixed bag of teams but no team from one of the smaller leagues. Quite a shock to see Hull are the holders, or at least it was until I checked the cşub out and realised they have a Kuwaiti chairman pumping money in.

4th Qualifying Round

Our pre-season ended with the final qualifying round for the Europa League and a trip to Serbia to face Vojvodina. We played well but our finishing was poor as we wasted many chances and were punished as the hosts scored the only goal of the game after 30 minutes. That result left the fans wondering if the sale of Belforti had been wise but we more than addressed those concerns as we hammered them in the return leg. Schwarzl hit a hattrick, Neymar added another and Franco finished the rout as we stormed into the group stage.

Results:

Leg 1 v. Vojvodina (a), 1-0 loss

Leg 2 v. Vojvodina (h), 5-0 win (Sevilla win 5-1 on aggregate)

Group Stage Draw – we avoided the big names but didn’t get any minnows either. Still, we should be able to top our group.

[rancer890]

Some nice signings there DodgeeD. Good Europa League draw. You should win the group. Good luck nonetheless.

[DodgeeD]

September 2024 Sevilla Update

La Liga

Our season got off to a great start with Schwarzl proving the doubters wrong again with a brace against Espanyol and a goal and an assist in the win over Murcia. He scored one a made one in the next game at Zaragoza as well but unfortuntely, we were made to regret the Belforti transfer as our former striker fired a hattrick past us and saw another shot bounce of the bar before going in off the back of keeper Eduardo’s head. We immediately returned to winning ways with a convincing victory over Deportivo with Franco scoring a hattrick. He would go from hero to villian in the next game though as he scored at the wrong end of the pitch in injury time to deny us a win over Xerez after summer signings Cruz and Malacarne had scored their first goals for the club. An own goal would deny us victory again when we played Valencia as, for the second time in 4 matches, Eduardo had the misfortune to see a shot hit the woodowrk and go in off the back of his head.

Results:

v. Espanyol (a), 2-0 win

v. Murcia (h), 2-1 win

v. Zaragoza (a), 4-2 loss

v. Deportivo (h), 4-1 win

v. Xerez (a), 2-2

v. Valencia (h), 2-2

Current standings – 4th at this early stage but we’ll have to cut out the defensive slip ups if we want to stay there.

Europa League

Group Stage

Just one game in Europe this month as the Europa League got underway. We travelled to Austria to face Salzburg. It turned out to be a rough game with two of my players coming off injured but we prevailed in the end as new signing Hakan Kiliç scored his first two goals for the club in the last 10 minutes.

Results:

v. FC RB Salzburg (a), 2-0 win

[Raware]

Nice little touch there giving a 10 year recap on your former clubs .

Some quality looking transfers brought in, I noticed you signed a Kiwi. Hopefully, playing in your Sevilla side with such quality in it can help him progress and with that, help your chances with the Kiwi national side. A decent Europa League group too and one which you should be winning.

[DodgeeD]

Cheers Raware. I'm hoping I can get up to 25 seasons before I move on to FM11 (only ten seasons to go) at which point, I may feel inclined to give a more in-depth look at how the footballing world has changed.

[T3APOT]

I echo what Raware said, its always good to see how former favourites and villains from past clubs have done after you move on. Shame to see Mazzoni appears to have stagnated at Herenveen, maybe a move to Spain could reignite his career Good luck in the new season.

[DodgeeD]

October/November 2024 Sevilla Update

La Liga

October

A short month with just three games but it turned out to be a winnless one. First of all, we failed to capitalise on our chances against Valladolid and were held to a draw. Same story at home to Atletico as we dominated long periods of the game but lost out to a stunning free kick 20 minutes from time. The final game of the month, away to Barcelona, was always going to be tough and defeat was no surprise. However, that meant 5 games without a win, putting my position in doubt for the first time in my career to date...

Results:

v. Valladolid (a), 1-1

v. Atletico Madrid (h), 1-0 loss

v. Barcelona (a), 2-0 loss

November

November saw a great improvement as we tightened up the defence and sorted out our finishing, earning solid wins over Gimnastica and Real Sociedad and keeping clean sheets. The derby game against Betis saw a more frantic, end-to-end match. They took the lead early on but we equalised straightaway through Franco, who then set up Neymar to give us the lead at half-time. We were controlling the game but Betis had the odd break and equalised on the counter after 60 minutes. After that, it was all about Sevilla though as we rallied and re-took the lead through Galimov. Austrian right-back Finke confirmed the win with a late penalty to send the fans home happy. 3 wins out of 3 but us back in the hunt for 4th but all our hard work was tarnished by a sloppy performance at Almeria as they players sat back after taking the lead and allowed our opponents to score twice in the second half. We were then hit on the counter as we pushed for an equaliser to end the month on a sour note.

Results:

v. Gimnastic (a), 1-0 win

v. Real Sociedad (h), 2-0 win

v. Betis (h), 4-2 win

v. Almeria (a), 3-1 loss

Current standings – 7th at the moment. We’re close to the top 4 and might actually threaten them if we cut out the silly defeats!

Copa Del Rey

4th Round

We entered the cup in the 4th round and faced Tenerife, flying high at the top of Liga Adelente. I made the mistake of taking them too lightly for the first leg and we found ourselves two goals down at half-time. Things got worse as we conceded from a corner early in the 2nd half and I began to fear for my job. However, Scwharzl gave us hope as he pulled one back before an extraordinary finish. I rejigged the midfield, taking off the awful Hakan Kiliç and putting aging Jack Wilshere on. That proved to be the master stroke as he scored on 79 minutes and set Schwarzl up for the equaliser 2 minutes later. The scoring didn’t stop there though as Schwarzl completed his hattrick and gave us a fantastic comeback win! He then repeated the performance with another hattrick in the 2nd leg (would have been 4 if not for a missed penalty) as we performed much better and secured an easy 4-0 win.

Results:

Leg 1 v. Tenerife (a), 4-3 win

Leg 2 v. Tenerife (h), 4-0 win (Sevilla win 8-3 on aggregate)

Europa League

Group Stage

With two home fixtures in October, we had a chance to take a big stride towards the knockout rounds. The Sparta Prague match couldn’t have been easier as we ran out 5-0 winners with Wozniak getting his first goal for the club and Franco and Kiliç each scoring two goals. We followed that up with an easy win over Litex of Bulgaria, with young Mexican Cruz scoring a brace in a 3-0 win. In November, we played the return fixture against Litex. In a low key affair, Jack Wilshere scored the only goal of the game as we maintained our 100% record in the group.

Results:

v. Sparta Prague (h), 5-0 win

v. Litex (h), 3-0 win

v. Litex (a), 1-0 win

Current standings – A single point from our two games in Deceömber will be enough to secure 1st place.

[DodgeeD]

Thanks for the comment T3APOT.I considered signing Mazzoni but my scouts only give him a 2* rating and his club want nearly 10million for him... He's also unlearned the AMC position I trained him in at San Lorenzo.... Maybe at my next club!

[rancer890]

Solid results in the cup and Europa League DodgeeD. Not so much in La Liga...hope you can encourage the lads and pick up the form and get to that Champions League spot!

[hamilton162]

A slightly up and down start to the season there DodgeeD, although that's to be expected to an extent with a new manager and a whole host of new signings. Fingers crossed that the players will gel well during the next couple of months & come next season you'll be back in the Champions League.

[DodgeeD]

Thanks guys. I hope the league form picks up because, as was proved with my predecessor, under-performing in the league can't be compensated for by doing well in the cups... The board only want Europa League qualificaiton though so I should be alright

[DodgeeD]

December 2024 Sevilla Update

La Liga

December

We bounced back from defeat at Almeria by taking revenge on Castellon for that cup final defeat last year with Franco and Galimov getting the goals. The bouce back didn’t last long though as we got trounced by Real Madrid in the next game. The fact we had a man sent off didn’t help but we were completely outplayed and have a long way to go before we can match them. After that defeat, we bounced back properly, finishing the calender year with back to back 3-0 wins. The win away to Villareal was a particularly impressive performance and I hope that sets the tone for the New Year.

Results:

v. Castellon (h), 2-0 win

v. Real Madrid (a), 3-0 loss

v. Villareal (a), 3-0 win

v. Getafe (h), 3-0 win

Current standings – sneaked into 4th with that win over Getafe. It’s all quite tight but Real Madrid and Barcelona are getting better after slow starts and will be difficult to catch.

Europa League

Group Stage

For the visit of Salzburg, I rested several first teamers (this game coming three days before our clash with Real Madrid) but paid the price as we were stunned by a 30-yard free kick scored by the Austrians late in the game. That left us on 12 points with Salzburg on 9 and our next opponents Sparta Prague also on 9. Despite our great start the pressure was now on as, if we lost to the Czech side and Salzburg won, we could be out. Fortunately, we responded to the pressure well and won in Prague by a whopping 6 goals to nil. Young Mexican Cruz was the man with a hattrick and Kiliç finally found some form with a couple of goals as well. Knockout stages, here we come!

Results:

v. FC RB Salzburg (h), 1-0 loss

v. Sparta Prague (a), 6-0 win

Final Group Table – Despite the slip up against Salzburg, we top the group. We will play Turkish giants Fenerbahçe in the 1st knockout round in February. If we can beat them, we’ll face the winners of the Ajax-Copenhagen tie.

[DodgeeD]

2024 International Review: New Zealand

A great first full year in charge as we won the Oceania Nations Cup with ease and breezed through the Oceania section of World Cup Qualifying. We also had great results in the two friendlies we played as we beat Austria away and stuffed Singapore at home. In the Singapore game, I handed a debut to Luke Beevers, who finally gave up on the dream of playing for England and opted for us instead. He had a decent debut too with two goals!

2024 Results

We now await the outcome of Asian World Cup Qualifying to see who our play-off opponents will be. The final stage of qualifying there has just begun and this is how it looks at present. I doubt India or North Korea will make it that far so the best result for us might be if Jordan slip back to third in Group A and then end up in a play-off with us. I wouldn’t fancy any of the top three from Group B, that’s for sure!

Our Oceania Nations Cup win means we’ve qualified for next summer’s Confederations Cup and here is the Group Stage draw for that. World Champions Portugal will obviously be a difficult prospect so we’ll be looking to pick up points from the games with Nigeria and Australia if we are to have any chance of progressing. If nothing else, it will be a good yardstick of our standing outside the Oceanic zone...

...which according toı the latest World Rankings is quite high! Yeah, that’s right – we are currently ranked 11th in the world. Thoroughly underserved but we ain’t complaining!

[Mr17theJB]

Yay Slovakia are 13th Great Career , took a while to read but it was worth it, keep going

[rancer890]

Canada are obviously doing crap in your game. KUTGW DodgeeD. Reach the top 10 when the next rankings are released!

[DodgeeD]

Canada are obviously doing crap in your game. KUTGW DodgeeD. Reach the top 10 when the next rankings are released!

Canada are currently ranked 69th. Things haven't gone well since they qualified for the 2022 World Cup as they went out in the Group Stage of the 2023 Gold Cup and were eliminated in the second phase of World Cup Qualifying. Their most recent highlight has been a 4-1 thrashing of New Zealand, my only defeat so far! Things are looking up though - a TFC defender Shuthotskyi and the TFC goalie Art Roberts have lived in Canada long enough to be picked for the national team and both have said they want to play. There are three more American youngsters I signed who could be joining them within two years as well.

Yay Slovakia are 13th Great Career , took a while to read but it was worth it, keep going

Glad you've enjoyed catching up! Not sure why Slovakia are so high at the moment as the only major championship they've qualified for since the game began was Euro 2020. They are top of their World Cup qualifying group at present though with a 100% record after 5 games.

[Mr17theJB]

They tend to get into the top 10 in the world on my saves , they get pretty good regens:) also if they appear in 1 major competition they get a ridiculous boost in rankings

[DodgeeD]

January 2025 Sevilla Update

Transfer Window Round Up

The four players I signed earlier in the year all arrived at the club in early January. Two problems though: Serrizuela had already played for San Lorenzo and Sao Paulo this season and therefore wouldn’t be allowed to play for another team until 1.7.2025. (I thought it wouldn’t be an issue as the Brazilian season had officially ended but no such luck). Even then, the new signings put us over the 3 non-EU players limit so my old TFC youth player Donovan Williams was loaned to Salamanca, my Liga Adelente feeder club. As Serrizuela and Jorge are South American, they only need two years to get Spanish nationality so Wilson will get his chance in the first team eventually.

I lost my first choice left-back Fallatah to West Ham as I had overlooked the minimum fee clause in his contract (forgot about that rule in Spain ) and their bid of £8million was automatically accepted. I got a ready made replacement as I signed a young Turkish left-back Kürsat Meriç for £7million.

Two other players left, both of whom were getting a bit old and struggling to make the first team. 31 year old defender Artiz Castro headed to Galatasaray for £3million and 30 year old striker Eladio Vasquez went to Hull for £5million. Delighted to get good prices for bit part players.

La Liga

We got the New Year off to a great start as we thrashed relegation battlers Eibar at home. Sam Sampson got a goal on his debut and Wozniak scored a spectacular solo goal. Star of the day by some distance though was Hakan Kiliç, finally putting his poor form from early in the season behind him as he scored five. Our fine form continued with wins over Las Palmas and Espanyol but, once again, we couldn’t keep the run going for more than a few games as we ended the month with defeat at Murcia, one of our rivals for Champions League qualification.

Results:

v. Eibar (h), 7-0 win

v. Las Palmas (a), 1-0 win

v. Espanyol (h), 3-0 win

v. Murcia (a), 1-0 loss

Current standings – that loss allowed Murcia to move ahead of us so we are now 5th.

Copa del Rey

5th Round

In the home leg of this tie, we repeated our home victory from La Liga a month previously as we ran out 2-0 winners with goals from Holzer and Kiliç. An early Franco goal in the away leg put us firmly in control and, after Sociedad had equalised, a late goal from Kiliç sealed victory on the night and on aggregate.

Results:

Leg 1 v. Real Sociedad (h), 2-0 win

Leg 2 v. Real Sociedad (a), 2-1 win (Sevilla win 4-1 on aggregate)

Quarter final

A tough tie in the quarters as we were paired with league leaders Atletico. The first leg ended in a draw, a fair result on the balance of play but the players and fans alike felt disappointed at having conceded the equaliser late on. We fell behind early on in the return game and could have conceded more in a poor first half. We played much better in the second half and had a couple of chances but we couldn’t convert them and were eliminated.

Results:

Leg 1 v. Atletico Madrid (h), 1-1

Leg 2 v. Atletico Madrid (a), 1-0 loss (Atletico Madrid win 2-1 on aggregate)

[DodgeeD]

February 2025 Sevilla Update

La Liga

We started the month with a hard-fought win over Zaragoza, coming from behind twice before eventually taking the lead deep into stoppage time with Meriç’s first goal for the club. The win was hard-fought in more ways than one as unbelievably five players, all defenders, picked up injuries! Central defender Raimondi had to be taken off before half-time, his replacement Sertaç Eren picked up a knock shortly after coming on, the other centre back Malacarne picked up a knock in the second half as did both full-backs Benitez and Pinelli. I was hoping that the knockes would prove to be minor but my inbox after the game said otherwise with each player out for between a week and a month! Add to that the fact that my first choice right back Finke was already injured, and my injury list looked like this.

For the next couple of games, I had to use a right back promoted from the B team and a young centre back recalled from loan alongside 16 year-old Pecka and new signing Meriç, who would be the oldest defender at the age of 20! Luckily, we came up against Deportivo, who are having a rotten season and got an easy 1-0 win. In the next game against Xerez, my inexperienced defence again kept a clean sheet but it was my strikeforce who seemed out of sorts as they wasted all our chances and drew a blank. And of course, it was when I had most of my defence back for the home game against Vallodolid that we conceded again with a soft goal from a corner. My strikers continued to misfire and we lost a game we should have won easily.

Results:

v. Zaragoza (h), 3-2 win

v. Deportivo (a), 1-0 win

v. Xerez (h), 0-0

v. Valladolid (h), 1-0 loss

Current standings – still in 4th but, yet again, we rue the dropped points. Had we got the expected wins over Xerez and Valladolid we would be 3rd, right behind Real Madrid...

Europa League

1st Knockout Round

We got off to a great start in Istanbul, scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes to stun the home crowd. Fenerbahçe pulled one back but we held on comfortably for the win. All of our hard work was undone in the first ten minutes of the home game as Fenerbahçe scored twice and this time our supporters were stunned into silence. Luckily, the Turkish side sat back and let us come at them. Sam Sampson pulled a goal back to level the tie before half-time and Wozinak scored another early in the second half to out us back in the lead. Fenerbahçe had some good chances after that but we were able to hit them on the break as Samposon scored again to complete our comeback on the night and secure our place in the next round, where we will face Ajax.

Results:

Leg 1 v. Fenerbahçe (a), 2-1 win

Leg 2 v. Fenerbahçe (h), 3-2 win (Sevilla win 5-3 on aggregate)

[hamilton162]

Good to see you slowly clawing your way back in the league DodgeeD.

The Europa League run must have helped the finances somewhat too as well as giving your squad confidence & pleasing the board!

Just don't let it slip in these final few months!!

[DodgeeD]

Thanks hamilton. We're still in contention in the league as our rivals for 4th, Zaragoza and Murcia, keep dropping points as well. The Europa league has brought in some cash (prize money and TV money) - not a patch on the Champions League money though!

[DodgeeD]

March 2025 Sevilla Update

La Liga

The month started with a pair of tough away games. I was pleased with the point at Valencia but we couldn’t get anything out of the Atletico Madrid game. No surprise really as they are on a 26 game unbeaten streak and seem destined for the title. Sam Sampson ensured we got back to winning ways with a hattrick as we beat Gimnastica with ease. The last match against Barcelona was not so easy but we managed to win by a single goal, scored by Wozniak ans set up by Schwarzl. Unfortuntely, there was a price to pay as my Austrian duo of Holzer and Schwarzl were both injured during the game and will both be out for the rest of the season.

Results:

v. Valencia (a), 0-0

v. Atletico Madrid (a), 2-1 loss

v. Gimnastic (h), 3-1 win

v. Barcelona (h), 1-0 win

Current standings – still 4th. That win over Barcelona means we are now just two points behind them with a game in hand...

Europa League

2nd Knockout Round

The first leg at home was a strange game. Ajax played like the home team and really came at us and we were lucky to go into the break with the score 0-0. After the break, the game continued in the same vein but we managed to hit Ajax on the break twice with Schwarzl and Neymar bagging the goals to give us a thoroughly undeserved win. The second leg started slowly but swung in our favour just before half-time as Ajax had a man sent off. However, that seemed to spark them to life and they scored shortly afterwards. We killed off any hopes thay had of a comeback as Sam Sampson scored a great solo effort on the hour mark. We had Neymar sent off late in the game, which prompted a flurry of Ajax attacks. They scored from one of them but our position was never under threat as we reached the quarter finals.

Results:

Leg 1 v. Ajax (h), 2-0 win

Leg 2 v. Ajax (a), 2-1 loss (Sevilla advance 3-2 on aggregate)

We play Newcastle United in the quarters next month. If we win, we will play either Bayern Munich or Sampdoria in the next round.

[rancer890]

Solid month there DodgeeD, except the injuries...hang in there and get that Champions League spot! And good luck against Newcastle as well.

[DodgeeD]

April 2025 Sevilla Update

La Liga

We faced a tough grind this month as 4 of our 5 games would be away fixtures. A grind was exactly what the first four games turned out to be, starting with a disappointing scoreless draw at home to Almeria. We then churned out the wins, including a crowd pleasing victory to hated rivals Betis. The defence seemed to have finally clicked with 4 successive clean sheets, made all the more impressive by the fact that 19 year old Henri Malacarne and 17 year old Jiri Pecka started every game as the centre back pairinbg. By the time we got to Getafe, everything was clicking and confidence was high. A Franco hattrick and a brace from Jorge secured a comprehensive win with the only downer being a last minute Getafe goal, which prevented us from getting through the month without conceding.

Results:

v. Almeria (h), 0-0

v. Castellon (a), 2-0 win

v. Betis (a), 1-0 win

v. Real Sociedad (a), 2-0 win

v. Getafe (a), 5-1 win

Current standings – with Zaragoza, Barcelona and Murcia seemingly in a compeition to see who culd drop the most points, we are now 3rd with a comfortable gap back to 4th. Only 4 games to go now...

Europa League

Quarter Final

We travelled to St. James’ Park for the first leg and soon found ourselves a goal down. My boys rallied well though and Franco got the vital away goal to give us the advantage for the second leg. Yet somehow, we failed to capitalise on that advantage. We had the chances, the possession, full control of the game but in a mad 10 minute period in the second half, we let Newcastle score two with their only shots on target. Jorge pulled one back as we threw everyhting forward but that was all we could manage and the European dream was over for another season...

Results:

Leg 1 v. Newcastle (a), 1-1

Leg 2 v. Newcastle (h), 2-1 loss (Newcastle win 3-2 on aggregate)

[hamilton162]

Unlucky in the Europa League DodgeeD, but you've done very well in the league considering that you had to let a star player go at the start of the season & you were only expected to get into the Europa League spots. Just don't let the Champions League place slip in the last 4 games.