FM13 - Like Icarus to the Sun, the rise and (hopefully) rise of Jozef Prochazka

b101 · May 31, 2013

AS Roma - End of Season 2023/24 Mop-Up

Overall, we've performed brilliantly this season, with a 27 game unbeaten run in the league since my arrival meaning that we rose from 10th to 1st in the league, taking top spot with just 2 games to play, and securing a first Scudetto in years. On top of that, an unprecedented run in the Champions League was spectacular, even if we did fall at the final hurdle. For now, we can easily strengthen the squad, and the immediate aim will be to retain our Serie A title, whilst reaching the CL Semis again. I also want to start bringing more youth players through, after the arrival of prodigy Aliotta, who could be an incredible player for us. I may also change the formation for the first time in 6 years... 4-5-1 is my bread and butter, but it's not getting the best out of Contento or Díaz here, and I think an attack minded 4-3-3 could be even more fun!

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The top competitions in the world to date:

Czech Republic:

2023/24: 1st: Teplice, 2nd: Sparta Prague, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2022/23: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Banik Ostrava, 3rd: Slavia Prague

2021/22: 1st: Banik Ostrava, 2nd, Sparta Prague, 3rd: Mlada Boleslav

2020/21: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Banik Ostrava, 3rd: Slovan Liberec

2019/20: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Mlada Boleslav, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2018/9: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Banik, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2017/8: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Viktoria Plzen, 3rd: Mlada Boleslav

2016/7: 1st: Slovan Liberec, 2nd: Viktoria Plzen, 3rd: Mlada Boleslav

2015/6: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Mlada Boleslav, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2014/5: 1st: Mlada Boleslav, 2nd: Viktoria Plzen, 3rd: Sparta Prague

2013/4: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Mlada Boleslav, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2012/3: 1st: Mlada Boleslav, 2nd: Sparta Prague, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

England:

2023/24: 1st: Chelsea, 2nd: Man City, 3rd: Arsenal, 4th: Man Utd

2022/23: 1st: Tottenham, 2nd: Man City, 3rd: Man Utd, 4th: Liverpool

2021/22: 1st: Man Utd, 2nd: Tottenham, 3rd: Chelsea, 4th: Man

2020/21: 1st: Chelsea, 2nd: Man Utd, 3rd: Man City, 4th: Arsenal

2019/20: 1st: Man Utd, 2nd: Man City, 3rd: Spurs, 4th: Chelsea

2018/9: 1st: Man City, 2nd: Arsenal, 3rd: Chelsea, 4th: Spurs

2017/8: 1st: Man City, 2nd: Arsenal, 3rd: Chelsea, 4th: Spurs

2016/7: 1st: Sunderland, 2nd: Man City, 3rd: Man Utd, 4th: Chelsea

2015/6: 1st: Spurs, 2nd: Man City, 3rd: Liverpool, 4th: Man Utd

2014/5: 1st: Chelsea, 2nd: Man City, 3rd: Man Utd, 4th: Arsenal

2013/4: 1st: Man City, 2nd: Chelsea, 3rd: Man Utd, 4th: Sunderland

2012/3: 1st: Man City, 2nd: Man Utd, 3rd: Spurs, 4th: Liverpool

France: - Erm, Laurent Blanc, explain yourself.

2023/24: 1st: PSG, 2nd: Rennes, 3rd: Lille, 4th: Monaco

2022/23: 1st: Rennes, 2nd: PSG, 3rd: Monaco, 4th: Bordeaux

2021/22: 1st: Rennes, 2nd: PSG, 3rd: Monaco, 4th: Lyon

2020/21: 1st: Rennes, 2nd: PSG, 3rd: Lyon, 4th: Monaco

2019/20: 1st: Rennes, 2nd: PSG, 3rd: Lille, 4th: Monaco

2018/9: 1st: Rennes, 2nd: PSG, 3rd: Monaco, 4th: Lyon

2017/8: 1st: PSG, 2nd: Rennes, 3rd: Lille, 4th: Bordeaux

2016/7: 1st: Lyon, 2nd: PSG, 3rd: Rennes, 4th: Monaco

2015/6: 1st: Monaco, 2nd: Lyon, 3rd: PSG, 4th: Bordeaux

2014/5: 1st: PSG, 2nd: Lyon, 3rd: Bordeaux, 4th: Montpellier

2013/4: 1st: PSG, 2nd: Lyon, 3rd: Monaco, 4th: Marseille

2012/3: 1st: PSG, 2nd: Lyon, 3rd: Marseille, 4th: Valenciennes

Germany:

2023/24: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Stuttgart, 3rd: Leverkusen, 4th: Dortmund

2022/23: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Stuttgart, 3rd: Dortmund, 4th: Schalke

2021/22: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Leverkusen, 3rd: Dortmund, 4th: Frankfurt

2020/21: 1st: Dortmund, 2nd: Wolfsburg, 3rd: Bayern, 4th: Nurnberg

2019/20: 1st: Schalke, 2nd: Bayern, 3rd: Stuttgart, 4th: Dortmund

2018/9: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Dortmund, 3rd: Schalke, 4th: Leverkusen

2017/8: 1st: Wolfsburg, 2nd: Dortmund, 3rd: Bayern, 4th: Werder

2016/7: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Frankfurt, 3rd: Dortmund, 4th: Stuttgart

2015/6: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Dortmund, 3rd: Leverkusen, 4th: Schalke

2014/5: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Dortmund, 3rd: Schalke, 4th: Wolfsburg

2013/4: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Dortmund, 3rd: Hannover, 4th: Gladbach

2012/3: 1st: Schalke, 2nd: Wolfsburg, 3rd: Dortmund, 4th: Gladbach

Italy:

2023/24: 1st: Roma, 2nd: Napoli, 3rd: Juventus, 4th: Palermo

2022/23: 1st: Palermo, 2nd: Juventus, 3rd: Roma, 4th: Lazio

2021/22: 1st: Juventus, 2nd: Roma, 3rd: Fiorentina, 4th: Udinese

2020/21: 1st: Juventus, 2nd: Roma, 3rd: Palermo, 4th: Napoli

2019/20: 1st: Palermo, 2nd: Juventus, 3rd: Inter, 4th: Lazio

2018/9: 1st: Juventus, 2nd: Palermo, 3rd: Cagliari, 4th: Roma

2017/8: 1st: Palermo, 2nd: Juventus, 3rd: Inter, 4th: Lazio

2016/7: 1st: Palermo, 2nd: Juventus, 3rd: Inter, 4th: Milan

2015/6: 1st: Juventus, 2nd: Roma, 3rd: Palermo, 4th: Napoli

2014/5: 1st: Juventus, 2nd: Palermo, 3rd: Milan, 4th: Inter

2013/4: 1st: Juventus, 2nd: Milan, 3rd: Inter, 4th: Napoli

2012/3: 1st: Milan, 2nd: Inter, 3rd: Juventus, 4th: Napoli

Spain: - BORING

2023/24: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Real, 3rd: Valencia, 4th: Atletico

2022/23: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Real, 3rd: Valencia, 4th: Atletico

2021/22: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Real, 3rd: Atletico, 4th: Valencia

2020/21: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Betis, 3rd: Valencia, 4th: Real

2019/20: 1st: Real, 2nd: Atlético, 3rd: Valencia, 4th: Barca

2018/9: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Real, 3rd: Atletico, 4th: Mallorca

2017/8: 1st: Real, 2nd: Barca, 3rd: Atletico, 4th: Athletic

2016/7: 1st: Real, 2nd: Barca, 3rd: Sevilla, 4th: Atletico

2015/6: 1st: Real, 2nd: Barca, 3rd: Atletico, 4th: Valencia

2014/5: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Real, 3rd: Atletico, 4th: Levante

2013/4: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Real, 3rd: Valencia, 4th: Sevilla

2012/3: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Real, 3rd: Sevilla, 4th: Atletico

Champions League:

2023/24: Winners: Real Madrid, Runners-up: AS Roma (Old Trafford)

2022/23: Winners: Tottenham, Runners-up: Barcelona (Olimpico, Rome)

2021/22: Winners: Rennes, Runners-up: Real Madrid (Luzhniki, Moscow)

2020/21: Winners: Rennes, Runners-up: PSG (Olympiastadion, Berlin)

2019/20: Winners: Rennes, Runners-up: PSG (OAKA Spyros Luis, Athens)

2018/9: Winners: Rennes, Runners-up: Porto (Stade de France)

2017/8: Winners: Juventus, Runners-up: Real Madrid (La Cartujá, Sevilla)

2016/7: Winners: Spurs, Runners-up: Atlético Madrid (San Siro)

2015/6: Winners: Manchester United, Runners-up: Bayern Munich (Ataturk Olympic, Istanbul)

2014/5: Winners: Manchester City, Runners-up: Barcelona (Millennium Stadium)

2013/4: Winners: Barcelona, Runners-up: Manchester City (Estadio de la Luz, Lisbon)

2012/3: Winners: Barcelona, Runners-up: Manchester United (Wembley)

Europa League:

2023/24: Winners: Arsenal, Runners-up: Tottenham (Stade Roi Badouin, Belgium)

2022/23: Winners: Lille, Runners-up: Dortmund (Hampden Park)

2021/22: Winners: Sunderland, Runners-up: Sevilla (Allianz Arena)

2020/21: Winners: Sunderland, Runners-up: Tottenham (Stadium of Light, England) - AWESOME!

2019/20: Winners: Manchester United, Runners-up: Real Madrid (Olympiastadion, Helsinki)

2018/9: Winners: Manchester United, Runners-up: Sevilla (Stadion Slaski, Chorzow)

2017/8: Winners: Chelsea, Runners-up: Palermo (Friends Arena, Stockholm)

2016/7: Winners: Chelsea, Runners-up: Werder Bremen (Parc des Princes)

2015/6: Winners: Montpellier, Runners-up: Schalke (Estadio do Dragao)

2014/5: Winners: Sporting Lisbon, Runners-up: Schalke (Vicente Calderon)

2013/4: Winners: Lyon, Runners-up: Leverkusen (Juventus Stadium, Turin)

2012/3: Winners: Chelsea, Runners-up: Porto (Amsterdam ArenA)

Trophy Cabinet:

4x Champions League
3x Club World Cup
2x UEFA Super Cup
4x Ligue 1
3x Coupe de France
2x Coupe de la Ligue
2x Jupiler Pro League
1x Cofidis Cup
1x Serie A

Former Club Watch:

[u][color=#CC0000]Curicó Unido (managed 2012/13)[/color][/u]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Year  | Pos  | League    |  Notes                                        |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2015  | 6th  | Primera   |                                               |
| 2016  | 18th | Primera   |                                               |
| 2017  | 1st  | Primera B | Promoted as Champions                         |
| 2018  | 18th | Primera   | Relegated                                     |
| 2019  | 1st  | Primera B |                                               |
| 2020  | 4th  | Primera B |                                               |
| 2021  | 6th  | Primera B |                                               |
| 2022  | 2nd  | Primera B | Promoted through playoffs                     |
| 2023  | 18th | Primera   | Relegated                                     |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

They come up, they go down.

[u][color=#FFCC00]Lokeren (managed Jan 2014/17)[/color][/u]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Year    | Pos  | League    |  Notes                                      |
| 2017/8  | 1st  | Jupiler Pro | Cup Winners                               |
| 2018/9  | 1st  | Jupiler Pro | Cup Winners, Europa QF                    |
| 2019/20 | 1st  | Jupiler Pro | Cup Winners, CL 1st Knockout              |
| 2020/21 | 1st  | Jupiler Pro | Cup Winners                               |
| 2021/22 | 1st  | Jupiler Pro | CL 1st Knockout                           |
| 2022/23 | 3rd  | Jupiler Pro |                                           |
| 2023/24 | 1st  | Jupiler Pro |                                           |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

One minor blip, but they're back on top now.

[u][color=#FF0000]Rennes (managed July 17/22)[/color][/u]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Year    | Pos  | League    |  Notes                                      |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2022/23  | 1st | Ligue 1 |                                               |
| 2023/24  | 2nd | Ligue 1 | Coupe de la Ligue                             |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

[u][color=#3104B4]Crystal Palace (managed July-November 22)[/color][/u]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Year    | Pos  | League    |  Notes                                      |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2022/23  | 11th  | Championship |                                         |
| 2023/24  | 12th  | Championship |                                         |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

[u][color=#FE2E2E]Charlton (managed November 22/23)[/color][/u]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Year     | Pos  | League      |  Notes                                    |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2023/24  | 9th  | Premiership |                                           |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Any other information you'd like to see - please shout

b101 · May 31, 2013

Nice title win but nice try in champions league

Thanks - to be honest, Real were just far too good for us

cerud · May 31, 2013

You did well to get to the Champions League final :applause: On another note, your last post has the Stade Rannais FC logo

b101 · June 1, 2013

You did well to get to the Champions League final On another note, your last post has the Stade Rannais FC logo

Not any more it doesn't... Let's pretend it never happened

b101 · June 2, 2013

Pre-season 2024/25 - AS Roma

Transfers:

Given that this was my first proper transfer window with the club, it is unsurprising that there was a lot of movement in and out. A lot of the early transfers in were resolutions of co-owned players, and I'll go through the main buys shortly. As for those leaving the club, the major transfer was that of De Giorgi - PSG came in with a big bid, and given that he has reached his potential, I saw no reason to keep him. The remainders were odd squad players on large wages, and we've done well to get £35m in truth. As for the new guys:

These guys fall into two categories for the time being - they're either here to bolster the main squad (mostly as backups) or they've gone straight to the U20s. The long-term plan will be to make Roma an Italian only side, before eventually going to youth products only. We look pretty good for this at the moment, although the only potentially great Italian left back has rejected us for the moment - hence Julien and Soares (both of whom will help to replace De Giorgi). Overall, I'm delighted with the new recruits. Genovese also rejoins the club from Rennes, who have done nothing but loan him out since I left. Additionally, Goewecke and Dal Maso provide immediate improvements to the side. All of this leads to only one thing...

A new formation:

So, whilst my 4-5-1 that I used at Rennes has worked a treat with Roma, I never felt like it was getting the best out of Contento, the other half of our amazing strikeforce. Additionally, I was no longer changing things match-by-match and basically just going through the motions. So, let me present our new look attacking formation.

The counter strategy still suits what I want from my team in terms of a philosophy and shouldn't hinder our attacking prowess - it just means there's a bit more space to exploit. The main trick will be to see whether the central midfield three can hold up against sides that play more offensively against us. I can also see the roles of the front three changing a bit yet.

Targets for the year ahead:

The main aim is to retain the Serie A title. I don't expect it to be easy, but hopefully we will play attractive football in the process. I also want to make the Quarter Final of the Champions League. We did incredibly well to make it as far as the Final last year, but a good run will be imperative if we are to continue improving as a club.

b101 · June 2, 2013

August 2024 - AS Roma

Fixtures:

We made a slow start in pre-season, and the two draws against the German sides were poor. A few tweaks were made, and we have looked much improved since. Granted, there have been just the two competitive matches, but it was great to see each of our three strikers scoring in the Supercoppa against Milan, whilst we eased past a decent Palermo outfit with no real problems. It seems a bit silly to post the table after one game, but here you are:

cerud · June 2, 2013

Undefeated! Wow! Perfect record!

deltablue · June 2, 2013

1 game down, 37 to go

AK22 · June 6, 2013

What a terrific run to win the league! Made the Champions League final too. Well done!

Should be looking good to replicate your success in your first full season in charge.

shnen · June 6, 2013

Could I see a screenshot of Real Madrid's Mokhtari? There's a world beater named Anis Mokhtari who plays in midfield in madrid... at the 'other' club though! Maybe they're estranged brothers... fm does seem to like to choose similar names, it was you who also had a Valeriy Sosnitskiy right?

On topic, fantastic season and you definitely made the right choice in going to Roma. Good luck for the coming season.

b101 · July 3, 2013

So, after a much-needed break over the last month, here we go again - hopefully there's someone out there still reading

September 2024 - AS Roma

Fixtures:

A really good month from us, and whilst I'm not totally convinced by the tactic, it's looking alright so far. A late Genovese goal salvaged us a point in Sampdoria before we squeezed past Lille in the Champions League. It's great to see the forwards firing at the moment, as even when one of them has an off day, the other two usually grab a goal. This month though, belonged to new signing Genovese, who grabbed a hat-trick at Lecce before scoring a crucial equaliser against Juve - with Pierpaolo Contento nicking the winner at the death. This means we're sitting pretty atop Serie A after 5.

b101 · July 3, 2013

As for Mokhtari, here you go:

b101 · July 3, 2013

October 2024 - AS Roma

Fixtures:

We continued our good start in the Champions League with a professional job in Turkey, easing past a decent Fener outfit. In Serie A, we also put on the afterburners, with new LB Soares a surprise scorer against Pescara before Díaz ran wild against Ascoli. We then travelled to Stamford Bridge and although we played well, former Lokeren star Gonzalo Villegas - now one of the best strikers in the world, scored 4 from 4 chances. To close out the month, we eased past Catania and Udinese. Pleasingly in the final game, all three strikers scored to win the game comfortably and give us daylight in first.

deltablue · July 3, 2013

Excellent seeing you back, really storming with Roma.

b101 · July 3, 2013

November 2024 - AS Roma

Fixtures:

Well this month couldn't have started any better! A thumping 4-0 win at rivals Lazio left them stranded in 19th and set us up nicely for the return match with Chelsea. At home, we were much better, racing into a quick 2-0 lead before Novotny and my old RW at Rennes, Danny Glyn Owen traded late goals. Contento was flying and grabbed both goals in a solid win over Genoa. This was followed by a simple 3-0 victory in the San Siro, and this routine fixture now just makes me a bit sad as to how far Inter have fallen. In Lille we eked out a draw - we were 1-0 up before LB Julien saw red for a second yellow. They grabbed a late equaliser, but we still topped the group. Finally, we had two home matches: a well-deserved win over Napoli, before working our way past Atalanta thanks to a late Genovese strike. All in all, another outstanding month as we open a comfortable gap at the top.

b101 · July 3, 2013

Excellent seeing you back, really storming with Roma.

Cheers delta - I always need these breaks after a while, but really enjoying it again now. Great to see your thread back up as well, especially now that you're back with Ipswich

elbilly · July 4, 2013

Going great with Roma. Always enjoyed making them the biggest team in Italy, may will get round to doing it again one day. Good luck on turning them into an all Italian/youth product team, takes so much time and patience which I rarely have!

cerud · July 4, 2013

The break did you well! Starting strong :thup:

Animosama · July 4, 2013

looking good

b101 · July 4, 2013

Going great with Roma. Always enjoyed making them the biggest team in Italy, may will get round to doing it again one day. Good luck on turning them into an all Italian/youth product team, takes so much time and patience which I rarely have!

The break did you well! Starting strong

looking good

Thanks all - the Italian/homegrown dream is a little way off yet, but give me 5 years and I think we'll be able to do it. Just need to stop myself buying every top class talent I find...

b101 · July 4, 2013

December 2024 - AS Roma

Fixtures:

A rout of Fenerbahce saw us through to the Champions League knockouts as group winners. Sadly we were out of luck when the draw came around - see below. Back in Italy, we left it a little later than I'd have liked against Bologna, but strikes from all three strikers gave us the three points. We then motored past Genoa in the Cup, progressing to a tie with our closest rivals Juventus. Finally, we smashed Cagliari thanks to an outstanding performance from centre mid Novotny before an excellent appearance off the bench from Christiano changed the match with Fiorentina, putting us nine points clear. So far, so good.

b101 · July 4, 2013

And the aforementioned Champions League draw. Ugh...

nico_france · July 4, 2013

Nice thread mate, keep it up

b101 · July 4, 2013

January 2025 - AS Roma

Fixtures:

Our long unbeaten record ended at the hands of Juventus - we should have secured the victory, but centre back Felipe had a shocker, deciding that marking wasn't his idea of fun that day. Siena were the unfortunate side that had to endure our revenge, with Díaz running the show completely. Cesena were next to fall, and all three strikers again got on the scoresheet. Our unbeaten league run also looked like it was about to end in Palermo. They were 2-1 up and we simply hadn't got out of first gear. Then, in the space of two minutes, two big changes saw the momentum swing our way: their LB was sent off for a second yellow, and Gowecke replaced the limp Faita. The sub would go on to lay on two assists for our three goals in the last seven minutes. Finally, a 3-0 win over Sampdoria was made even better by news that Juventus had lost in Cesena. The only worry is that Díaz is asking to leave, seeking a new challenge - with any luck I can persuade him to reconsider.

Animosama · July 5, 2013

the league is yours

b101 · July 5, 2013

the league is yours

Cheers - it's certainly going well! The Italian league is much weaker than I expected though.

deltablue · July 5, 2013

You're just too good

b101 · July 5, 2013

February 2025 - AS Roma

New signing:

Just the one, with highly rated youngster Ervin Fejzic joining for a fee of £8m from Dortmund. Every one of the ten scout reports put him at 5* and with a potential to equal Díaz, so it seemed a good idea to snap him up. Some obvious work on Creativity and Quickness are needed, but I can see him becoming an outstanding all-round striker.

Fixtures:

This was another great month, with a solid win in the San Siro kicking things off. We then followed this up with a poor performance at home to rock-bottom Lecce - thankfully Díaz stepped up twice in the last five minutes to seal the victory. Then came the two biggest fixtures of the season so far: we took the lead in Manchester through an excellent strike from right back Viviani. Neymar would go on to equalise in the second half, but a draw is a fantastic result here. Hot on the heels of this, we went to Turin for a first vs second showdown. Again, we proved victorious thanks to our two world-class strikers, with a neat header from Díaz giving us the points. The last two matches in the month were more straightforward, a 4-1 win over Pescara was fully deserved and showed us looking much more dangerous, before we put three past Ascoli on the road. All of this means that we have a huge 20 point lead and the title is pretty much in the bag. The aim is now to go unbeaten!

P.S. Also, look at Inter!!!

b101 · July 5, 2013

You're just too good

Haha, I try

b101 · July 5, 2013

One final interesting bit of information:

AK22 · July 5, 2013

Inter got relegated in my save, and have been in Serie B most of their time since; I think the Italian finance bug crippled them.

Anyway, back on topic, you're extremely dominant in the league. Got a great chance of an unbeaten campaign.

b101 · July 5, 2013

Inter got relegated in my save, and have been in Serie B most of their time since; I think the Italian finance bug crippled them.
Anyway, back on topic, you're extremely dominant in the league. Got a great chance of an unbeaten campaign.

Might be speaking too soon...

b101 · July 5, 2013

March 2025 - AS Roma

Youth Intake:

Just the one good player, and having just signed a promising looking striker, it was odds-on that the one lad I got with first team potential would play the same position! Looks decent and is already being mentored by Díaz.

Fixtures:

Spot the disappointment... We played solidly at Catania before hammering Man City in the return leg, with each of our three strikers getting in on the action. Our reward would be a tie with Porto (and a match with either PSG or Valencia for the victors). For the first time though, we suffered a European hangover, putting in an atrocious first half performance at Udinese, who raced to a 3-0 lead within 42 minutes. We grabbed two back but couldn't quite get the equaliser. Then came the rebound - a stunning 7-0 thrashing of fierce rivals Lazio, and yes, Díaz did get six! To round the month off, we had two great 4-0 wins over Genoa and Inter, bringing up a number of fun records - both secured with 7 and 8 games left to play respectively!!!

Animosama · July 6, 2013

Well this was easy

b101 · July 6, 2013

Well this was easy

I agree - I'm still surprised at how quickly and how well the tactic has clicked, and we're scoring for fun at the moment.

b101 · July 6, 2013

One final interesting bit of information:

Delayed until the end of the season.

b101 · July 6, 2013

April 2025 - AS Roma

Fixtures:

Well this sucked. We battered Porto in the first leg, doing everything but scoring, with Díaz finally breaking the deadlock late on. Having played them in the final with Rennes a few years back, I knew they'd be tough, and we had an absolute car-crash in the second leg. We simply did not get going in the first half and my full-backs had absolute shockers, allowing far too many crosses into the box. They are both young and will learn, but it was a lesson in what not to do. Given that we went in 4-0 down, we did at least win the second half, but deservedly went out. We then somehow lost at home to Cesena as well, who scored with their only two shots on target. Granted, we had a lot of tired players, but I expect better. After that, it was all pretty routine, with three wins over midtable opposition, meaning that we are over 100 for points and goals scored. Nevertheless, still a huge disappointment.

b101 · July 6, 2013

May 2025 - AS Roma

Fixtures:

After the heartbreak of last month's European failure, at least we signed off well in the league. Twin 4-1 victories saw two different hat-trick scorers, with Genovese and Díaz showing why they have been so unstoppable for most of the season. Fiorentina, particularly, are no pushovers, and this just showed how good an outfit we are becoming. Disappointingly, Inter beat Catania on the last day to survive, with Lecce going down 2-0 at Bologna... can't win them all! So, we finished on a record-shattering 106 points, with 113 scored and 26 against - not bad going really! Season review to follow.

b101 · July 6, 2013

Season Review - 2024/25 - AS Roma

Domestic:

We were poor in the Cup, exiting to a Juventus side who preyed on defensive lapses from centre-back Felipe. In the league though, we were a juggernaut, winning 23 on the bounce at one stage. Juventus were our nearest challengers, but really they aren't even close to our level, as evidenced by the ease with which we took 6 points off them. Federico Díaz, in an outstanding season, won the Player of the Year award, with an average rating of 8.16, whilst centre back Vusumuzi Ngema had the next highest rating (7.83). We also had three of the top five goalscorers, with our attacking triumvirate of Díaz, Contento and Genovese each grabbing over 23 goals.

European:

We just weren't mature enough here, and it's clear that the team is still in development. Whilst we can suffer players having one or two bad performances in Serie A, it's different on the continent, and Porto really exploited our defensive weaknesses. The cracks were there in the first leg, when we just couldn't take our chances, but any time you concede 5 in a game you deserve to go out, and I have no complaints.

---------

Players of the Season:

Federico Díaz - An unstoppable season from our main striker, and 49 goals and 23 assists is a fantastic return from the season.

Mirco Faita - Did more than enough to earn a new contract for next season, chipping in with 19 assists. A good playmaker in CM, but we really need a strong attacking mid.

Teddy Baradat - One of our many DMs, Teddy is the workhorse of the team. Didn't play a huge amount this year, but should hopefully get more game time next year.

Luca Göwecke - Another of our DMs, Luca was a great prospect when he arrived and has made a very solid start to life in Rome. Could get involved in attacking play a bit more, but a really good player.

Vusumuzi Ngema - A really strong defender, although this is the one area that could really use strengthening.

Pierpaolo Contento - The switch to 4-3-3 was supposed to get the best out of him, and I'm still not convinced it's done that. A great player, but should be doing more.

Corrado Viviani - The young RB has developed fantastically over the course of the season, and is a really solid, if unspectacular defender.

Mirko Genovese - The final key in our attacking trio, Mirko has adapted quickly to life back at Roma and clearly still has room left to grow.

b101 · July 6, 2013

End of Season 2024/25 Mop-Up

The top competitions in the world to date:

Czech Republic:

2024/25: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Viktoria Plzen, 3rd: Banik Ostrava

2023/24: 1st: Teplice, 2nd: Sparta Prague, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2022/23: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Banik Ostrava, 3rd: Slavia Prague

2021/22: 1st: Banik Ostrava, 2nd, Sparta Prague, 3rd: Mlada Boleslav

2020/21: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Banik Ostrava, 3rd: Slovan Liberec

2019/20: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Mlada Boleslav, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2018/9: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Banik Ostrava, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2017/8: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Viktoria Plzen, 3rd: Mlada Boleslav

2016/7: 1st: Slovan Liberec, 2nd: Viktoria Plzen, 3rd: Mlada Boleslav

2015/6: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Mlada Boleslav, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2014/5: 1st: Mlada Boleslav, 2nd: Viktoria Plzen, 3rd: Sparta Prague

2013/4: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Mlada Boleslav, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2012/3: 1st: Mlada Boleslav, 2nd: Sparta Prague, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

England:

2024/25: 1st: Chelsea, 2nd: Man City, 3rd: Sunderland, 4th: Liverpool