[FM15] Grande Torino - Il Toro

[DylanTM]

The Profile:

Nowadays, Torino F.C, is often considered a mid-table team by the most casual onlookers of La Serie A. After all, they are a mid-table team. A Europa League side, at most. Declared bankrupt in 2006, only to be saved by their shareholder (now chairman) Urbano Cairo. To any regular, uninformed viewer, they're just another club that is destined for obscurity in the middle of the Italian league, outdone by giants such as the two Milan clubs, the likes of Fiorentina, Roma and Lazio. Even on the other side of Turin, Juventus overshadows Il Toro.

However, this club was once great, and it will be again.

Toro boast six official Serie A titles, five of these coming consecutively, between 1945 and 1949. This amazing feat was brought about by an unbeatable team known as Grande Torino. Invincible at a domestic level, this team was also the spine of The Italian National Team. Ten Torino players started in The Italian side, an achievement unprecedented in footballing history.

But all good things come to an end, and this legendary team had a tragic end. Something as simple as fog caused an accident which took the lives of an entire team, alongside reserves, coaches, executives and journalists. This terrible accident lead to the slow decline of Il Toro, who were relegated to Serie B. However, this only lasted a year before the defiant Il Toro burst back into Serie A. The heart of this club has been shown repeatedly, especially in 1975, when at one moment being five points behind their neighbours, Juve, they won the Serie A for their final time.

The club entered Europe in an attempt to solidify their immortal status as a legendary club, however despite their best efforts, they always fell short. In 1992, they came second in The UEFA Cup, the closest this team would get to European Victory. Financial difficulty struck the club, which eventually ended in 2006 when Urban Cairo saved the club. However, they have been not able to replicate the glory of before, being relegated often until 2011, when they returned. In a quick turn round for the better, they qualified for Europe in 2014, but did not venture anywhere. After losing their stars in Ciro Immobile and Alessio Cerci, they seemed destined for mediocrity once again.

Until now.

The Manager:

If you would kindly ignore who this man is in real life...

The Tactic:

Here's the truth. Football has changed. The unorthodox 3-2-2-3 formation that La Grande Torino used, more commonly known as The WM Formation, has become slightly...dated. Football has evolved, and there are many play styles to choose from. However, there is only one choice for modern day football, if you want to become great again. Patient, possession football, which also allows lots of free flowing, attacking play from the players. A Very Fluid, Controlling Approach. The times of Torino being the sleeping giants are over. It's time to wake up.

The Goal:

Make Torino great again and do what they couldn't do before: Triumph In Europe.

[interesti88]

Can't wait for further updates on this

[DylanTM]

PRE-SEASON:

The Squad:

Aside from a lacklustre right midfield spot, which needed to be bolstered by two signings in Jacapo Sala (2M - Verona) and Cristian Raimondi (Free Transfer - Atalanta); this Torino side showed great depth in the positions which I required for my flat 4-4-2.  

We have four first team quality goalkeepers (one of which is out on loan); three top class centre backs, alongside the young Bruno Peres and the younger Simone Aurieletto (and the versatile Zappacosta) on the right and two very decent left backs in Molinaro and Avelar.

Central midfield is an exciting prospect with Baselli, Gazzi and Acquah all being our strongest players, with other players such as Joel Ob, Vives, Benassi, Farneraud and Sanchez Mino. Our left midfield has two rotation options in the aforementioned Mino and Obi, with Antonio Rapa capable of making a few appearances from the U18s.

Up top, we have a variety of options to go for our front two. Quagliarella, Belotti, Amauri, Maxi Lopez and Josef Fernandez are just some of the first team strikers. Abou Diop remains out on loan while Mattia Aramu and Vittorio Parigini are great young talents in the U20s.

Transfers:

The previously mentioned Jacapo Sala and Cristian Raimondi are the only two forays into the transfer market that I made. With a low transfer budget, I felt the need to keep the club's finances in control, along with the team's cohesion. Three of these loans were already done before I left, but I decided to also loan out Sergiu Suciu, who doesn't seem to have an immediate future in Turin.

The fans remain concerned that we signed Sala from our rivals, Hellas Verona, however at 22 years of age, I hope that he can evolve into a Torino icon during his stay. The board are also disappointed at the situation involving the controversy of his signing, but hopefully that will go with time. After all, squad harmony is high and my performances have been promising so far.

The fans are more confident in Cristian Raimondi, since they want to see his ambition and determination to succeed. I only have him as a back-up, but considering that I want to use Zappacosta as a rotation right back rather than a right midfielder, he may get more game time than he first thought.

Friendlies:

Barring a few shaky matches, I'd say that these results are actually quite promising. We've dominated many of these matches, and just couldn't finish the job. My particular weakness seems to be against teams that use a 4-1-2-3 DM Wide, or as I've affectionately named it, The V. However, most teams that use The V seemed to stay narrow, so I played wider and stretched them. It worked sometimes.

But starting off, the first game was terrible. Molinaro got sent off late into the Radnicki fixture, and they had 11 shots to our 9. That being said, they only had 1 shot on target, compared to our 2. We did dominate possession, but early on into my Torino career, I wasn't able to convert these chances. We also gave away numerous fouls, a downside to our hard hitting 'Get Stuck In' instructions. A lot of work had to be done.

Things picked up at Proleter. Two goals from Maxi Lopez, but still too many fouls. Also, our possession was a lot less, only getting 51% against a below average side.

Considering the situation I was in at the time, I was happy with a 1-1 draw at home to Hull. Amauri scored in first half stoppage time before they equalised with 20 minutes to go. 19 fouls.

The match vs Latina was the first match where I felt like my team was completely in control, which was surprising considering we conceded two goals in four minutes. Quagliarella (who I will now call Quag, because that name is just a pain) got a hat-trick and Maxi Lopez continued his great pre-season. 59% possession, 18 shots. Still, 16 fouls.

We dominated possession at Giannina, but they had more shots and probably deserved a win more than we did. Three shots on target, and Amauri scored too. Atleast our foul count went down...

Hamburg was a disappointment. We took an early lead and instead of taking initiative, we got dominated. We only got 39% possession and had six shots compared to Hamburg's 13. Foul count went up again.

After that, a dominating win at Bayern II was such a relief. Possession, chances, and a low foul count. Quag and Belotti made their names known with goals.

Despite one of our goals at Zamora being an own goal, we deserved the win. However, 20 fouls was unacceptable.

To conclude, pre-season was uninspiring, but our strikers all put in great performances. Our defence and midfield aren't exactly scoring, but considering they aren't meant to attack. They guard and support, and that's going to be proven when I show you my September results.

[DylanTM]

September:

What a great start to the season! Five consecutive wins where we never really looked in trouble. It's starting to look like the players are getting used to our possession based, attacking 4-4-2. 

We started the season at relegation contenders Carpi. With a predicted finish of 19th, we really should've wiped this team aside. We started off well, with new signing Jacapo Sala hitting the net from close range after a corner did not quite work out first time, but came to Andrea Belotti, who squared it for Sala who duly finished in the 16th minute. After Amauri was withdrawn due to injury, Belotti made his mark with a stunning strike from the edge of the box, after receiving a pass from Aqcuah and turning his man with ease. However, complacency set in and in the second half, Carpi equalised via Andrea Lazzari, after he slipped in behind Kamil Glik to pick up a through ball and slot it home. Surprisingly, we had only 48% and 7 shots to their 5. Overall, a dull game with some good finishing. Their 5-4-1 proved very possessive, but I didn't decide to Play Wider, which could've cost us the game.

At Bologna, things picked up. I notice they play a narrow 'V' and decide to Play Wider. Andre Belotti continued his great start to the season in the opening 15 minutes, when the ball went back to our goalkeeper, Daniele Padelli. Despite instructions to feed the ball to his full-backs, Padelli uses his creative freedom and sweeper-keeper role to good use. He dribbles out to just behind his centre-backs (who have taken a high line on halfway) and launching a long ball forward to Sanchez Mino. Our left sided winger crosses early, and Belotti makes a run at the near post and glances it past the Bologna keeper. Mino later missed a penalty, but we dominated with 56% possession and 18 shots.

We continued our dominance at Atalanta, where we took the lead after just 10 minutes after their keeper put the ball into his own net. A counter attack starts down the left, makes it way to the middle, and then to the right, where the overlapping Zappacosta launched a cross in, and Sportiello puts the ball into his own net. Just after half time, we take initiative. Sanchez Mino takes the ball on the left side after a great interception by Cesare Bovo, and he frees Quag into space. Quag's cross is headed out into the path of Belotti, who fires home. 3 in 3. German Denis does grab a late consolation in the 92nd minute, a shot from range which beats Padelli at the near post. Think Zarate v Cech. However, we get total dominance with 18 shots and 56% possession, to their 7 shots.

The game versus Genoa solidified our dominance. Genoa line out with an interestinf formation, a 3-4-3 Diamond, with two wingers and three strikers; the three pronged attack spearheaded by Goran Pandev. Despite establishing early dominance, Pandev ruined the day with a goal from a corner kick. Because of our dominance, I decide to Attack rather than Control, and eventually, we break Genoa's stubborn back four (three CDs and a VERY deep DM, perhaps a Half Back or Anchor Man). Joel Obi picks up the ball after Avelar is tackled, and squares the ball to Quag who taps it in on 56 minutes. Two minutes later, Belotti frees Jacapo Sala down the right with a through ball into space. Bruno Peres overlaps, but Sala ops to cut a pass back inside to Belotti, who roasts their substitute centre back and fires a shot between the keeper's legs and into the net. 20 shots, 54% possession. Only 8 fouls. The perfect match.

Or perhaps near perfect, because we were even better at bitter rivals Hellas Verona! 20 shots and 57% possession, alongside our second clean sheet! It 25 minutes for us to get on the score sheet, but after a throw in on the left, Sanchez Mino picks the ball up and plays the ball back to Danilo Avelar, who whips it into the middle where Quag hits it on the half volley into the net! After an hour, we dominate, but can't put the game to bed. However, on the 63 minute mark, we get a free kick on the left hand side of the pitch in crossing territory after Sanchez Mino is tripped. Mino takes it and whips it in, but it's headed out. Acquah collects the ball and feeds Mino for a second cross. This cross goes to the far post, where Cesare Bovo gets a head on the ball. Rafael makes a save, but Bovo knocks the ball into the net on the second attempt. Verona's 4-1-4-1 is defeated.

So where does this leave us?

The League Table:

Second place after the first five games! We remain behind AC Milan only on goal difference, as Berlusconi's Milan side are scoring for fun. Also scoring for fun are our Turin rivals, Juventus, who remain behind us in third place. Surprisingly, Napoli, Sampdoria and Roma are low. Udinese, Inter and Fiorentina are in the top six, alongside the aforementioned AC Milan and Juventus. Genoa's financial difficulties could see them go through some trouble.

Also, after just five games, Verona had their manager sacked; the last straw being the 2-0 defeat at the hands of Il Toro. I feel some gulity pleasure

So, after such a great start, can we keep this brilliant run of form going? Let's see by looking at our fixtures for next month.

October Fixtures:

The answer to that question? Probably not. Those first three games are hell, albeit with the nice big break between Lazio and league leaders AC Milan. I'd aim to pick up five or six points from those three. Going unbeaten through them (even if it was three draws) would do wonders to squad morale and keep the team very happy. Frosinone should be three guaranteed points, anything less is failure. If we don't do well in those three games, that could be the game that could help rebuild some confidence. Let's see how that goes.

 

 

[DylanTM]

Board Confidence Update:

Just in case anybody is interested.

In Other News:

We're favourites! 

Perhaps they aren't as strong as we first thought...

[deltablue]

It will be interesting to see how you do against the big sides.

[noikeee]

Great start. I've had good times with Torino back in FM12, with back-to-back 2nd places in 2 seasons in Serie A, hopefully you can go one step further and win the title one day.

[Deisler26]

Good luck with Il Grande!!

[DylanTM]

22 hours ago, deltablue said:

It will be interesting to see how you do against the big sides.

It certainly turned out interesting. Unfortunately, I'm gone on holiday and won't update until Friday (unless I use up about €15 of data).

3 hours ago, Deisler26 said:

Good luck with Il Grande!!

 

5 hours ago, noikeee said:

Great start. I've had good times with Torino back in FM12, with back-to-back 2nd places in 2 seasons in Serie A, hopefully you can go one step further and win the title one day.

Thanks lads!

[DylanTM]

October:

This didn't go exactly to plan...

Five points from twelve is terrible, and none of the performances were up to scratch. For the three tougher matches, I opted to line out with a 4-1-4-1 instead of a 4-4-2; taking away my Target Man and putting him in as an Anchor Man to get some extra defensive strength.

We started at Lazio, and we stole the match. Daylight robbery. The illustrated art of the heist. We lined out with that 4-1-4-1 and I decided to opt for a more defensive approach. I applied the 'Mark Tighter' TI, but kept my mentality as Control. Overall, the had twenty shots to our eight, however they only got two shots on target. Thirteen of their shots were from outside the box. We got three, and 51% possession. The lone goal came 14 minutes in, when Sanchez Mino whipped a corner towards the near post, where Maksimovic towered above the Lazio defenders and headed the ball strong into the back of the net. 1-0. We hung on to the win with some fresh legs and a gradually more defensive mentality until with ten minutes to go, Marco Parolo got a red card. We kept possession and sealed the three points.

AC Milan went differently. They lined out with a 4-3-1-2, with an attacking midfielder in Kensuike Honda behind Jeremy Menez and Luiz Adriano. We tried to hold on, but Milan dominated proceedings. 36 minutes in, Luiz Adriano took the spotlight when he capitalised on Padelli's mistake to head the ball into an empty net after the goalkeeper missed Abate's cross. In the second half, I reverted back to the 4-4-2 and after just under an hour, we got a lifeline in the form of a straight red card for Luiz Adriano, after his tackle crippled Bruno Peres. We pushed forward looking for a goal, and with six minutes of normal time left, we equalized! Sanchez Mino's corner was headed away, put Jacapo Sala retrieves the ball and gave it back to Mino for a second try. He whips it in and Andrea Belotti bags yet another goal! However, things didn't end well, when in the 95th minute, Baselli got a second yellow card for a foul on the halfway line. We ended the match with only 3 shots on target to their 8 (15 overall), and with 50/50 possession, but we took a point into Fiorentina.

At Fiorentina, we were completely dominated. They lined out with a 3-4-2-1, with two attacking midfielders in Mati Fernandez and Verdu sitting behind Kouma Babacar. Borja Valero also sat in midfield while Jacob Blajikowski (because spelling is for losers) ran down the right all day. We only managed two shots on target. Their total shots? 21, with 53% possession. Ouch. Also, they only commited three fouls to our seventeen. Hmmmm. Just before half time, Mati Fernandez's through ball from the right hand side found Kouma Babacar, who slotted the ball in at the near post. Their second goal came in the second half as we pushed for an equalizer. Our defence left a huge gap for Kouma Babacar, who busted the net with his second goal of the game after receiving a pass from Borja Valero. We did get one back, when Davide Zappacosta intercepted Astori's long ball, dribbled down the right, whipped the ball in to the six-yard square, Guess who scored. Belotti. They had 6 CCCs. Unacceptable.

Then, the Frosinone match came. I did the worst possible thing. Rest my top scorer. I played a rotation side with Josef Martinez and Vitorio Parigini up top, and Simone Aurieletto (15) at right back. Bad idea. We conceded after 25 minutes, when Longo got the ball on the edge of the box and fired the ball under Ichazo into the net. Substitute Sanchez Mino's corner goes short to centre back Jannson, who squared the ball to the back post where my other centre back Cesare Bovo scored. The match ended with Frosinone having 24 shots to our 17, though the majority of theirs came from long shots and corners. Still, we lost, despite having 3 CCCs (they also had three, but ssshhh). Jannson does pick up MOTM, but Nicola Leali for Frosinone probably deserved it more. He made eight saves. We also hit the bar. It just wasn't our day. However, as I said, picking up anything but three points at Frosinone would be a failure; so it was a failure.

These injuries (and three suspensions, one for Baselli, and two others for getting four yellows) meant that our team went down to bare bones for a while.

But where do these results leave us?

The League Table:

We fall to 4th place, a Europa League spot. Lazio and Fiorentina remain in mid table while Napoli recovers. Sampdoria rise, and Roma remain in 9th place. AC Milan lose the top spot to our Turin rival, Juventus, who remain unbeaten (despite a nervy 1-1 draw with Empoli). However, AC Milan lost to Udinese (who sit in 3rd place, above us, and also remain unbeaten). I expect Fiorentina to kick back, as their four loses were at Roma, AC Milan, Inter and Juve. Roma lost to Juve, Inter and Napoli (and Chievo).

Things are getting interesting at the bottom of the table, too. Genoa drop into the relegation places despite being taken over by a consortium. Our rivals Verona leap frog their Romeo/Juliet based neighbours, with their first win of the season v Palermo.

So, can we kick back?

November Fixtures:

Similar to last season, we have three tough matches followed by an easy match to end the month. Let's do better this time. I'm going to be ambitious this month. Let's see if we can get three wins.

[DylanTM]

Board Confidence Update:

Doing well. They want us to finish above mid-table, and that's achievable.

In Other News...

Aww yeah! Bring it on, brother! It's time for Trip- er... Paul to take out his sledgeham- um...notebook and beat their asses to the ground!

 

[DylanTM]

November:

I was hoping to get three wins, but I'm very happy to take this set of results. We are now unbeaten in five games, however we have only won two of those. I continued to migrate away from my 4-4-2 and use my 4-1-4-1. I changed The Anchor Man to a Half Back to see how the results went, and for The Napoli Game, I also dropped my Roaming Playmaker into The Left DM Spot. The formation was an asymmetrical 4-2-3-1, but the shape formed was still a 4-1-4-1. This was supposed to give me some extra defensive stability and passing options. Needless to say, that didn't work out quite as I intended.

But we started the month at Udinese, who's manager wanted to end our overrated run. I really wanted to beat them, especially at home, but we only took a point out of the game. They dominated, and we only had four shots (three from outside the box), with only a single shot on target. But that was all we needed. As per usual, their shots were long-shots and corners. But they lined out with a 5-4-1 Diamond WB while we decided to start with 4-4-2, with wide midfielders instead of wingers (for a test). They took the lead when their striker Duvan Zapata headed in Gabriel Silva's near post cross after some patient build-up play. We kicked forward for an equalizer, and I sent my wing-backs further up the field. Eventually, on the hour mark, we equalized when Sanchez Mino whipped in a cross and Jacapo Sala, coming into the box off his wing, headed home for the equalizer. Surprisingly enough, Acquah picked up MOTM.

Palermo also lined up with The 5-4-1 Diamond WB, spearheaded by Italian striker Alberto Gilardino (Germany 2006, Violin). I decided to try counter with the 4-1-4-1 with The Half Back. The match was pretty even on all stats, but the finishing was terrible from both of us. From our twelve shots, we only got three on target. Danielle Padelli picked up MOTM, Andrea Belotti picked up the lone goal of the game when he headed in Jacapo Sala's cross at the back post after 37 minutes.

Then, Napoli happened. I deployed the 4-2-3-1/4-1-4-1 expecting to be able to contain Higuain's Naples side. Nope, they had 22 shots to our 11, and had 56% possession. We sat too deep, despite having the high line activated. They lined out with a 4-3-1-2, with Marik Hamsik sitting behind Lorenzo Insigne and Higuain. We took the lead two minutes in, when Mino took the ball in the middle and put a great ball over the top, down the right side, which was picked up by Sala. The former Verona man whipped the ball to the far post, and Belotti headed in off the crossbar. They equalized three minutes later when Higuain headed home Maggio's cross. They took the lead on 28 minutes, when Carmona's long-shot was parried out by Padelli into Hamsik, go scored with an easy tap in. Things went from bad to worse on the half hour when Insigne's free kick from deep was headed away. Higuain picked the ball up and shot from a tight angle, busting the top right corner of the net. However, before half time, we struck again. With a quick counter, we found the overlapping Zappacosta down the right side, who whipped in a cross to guess who and guess how. Andre Belotti. Near Post Header. After half time, they went more defensive and tried to close the game. They succeeded in keeping us for 88 minutes, Maggio trips Belotti from far out to give us a free kick just inside their half. Obi launched a ball in and the unimaginable happened. Insigne, on his own with no pressure, handles the ball. The ref points to the spot and deals out a yellow card. Our substitute, Benassi, steps up to take it. Bang! Top right corner, past Reina who guessed correctly. We complete the two goal comeback. Right after, Gabbiadini came on for Insigne. I wonder why...

Learning from my mistake at Frosinone, we lined out with a full side against 20th placed Empoli. Another even match, but something interesting occurred. We faced a team who committed more fouls than us! 19-14! We took the lead on the 17th minute, where Molinaro took a short corner to Joel Obi, who passes to Quag, who passes to Zappacosta in the box. Our right sided full-back lays the ball back for Aqcuah, who then gives it to Sala; who shoots from close range to score. However, things weren't plain sailing from there on out. Before half-time, Benassi got a second yellow card and put us down to ten men. We managed to keep the lead, thanks to Daniele Padelli's 7.7 performance.

So where does that leave us?

The League Table:

We fall to fifth, and our Turin rivals remain undefeated at the top of the table, just ahead of AC Milan. Udinese remain the only other undefeated team, despite our best efforts, and Inter leapfrog us and take 4th place. Napoli are five points off me, but I'd better not get comfortable. Sampdoria, Sassoulo, Roma, Lazio and Fiorentina take up 7th to 11th. Genoa sacked their manager after their takeover, and Roma sacked Rudi Garcia after their poor performances. At the top of the table, it's looking like a two horse race between Juve and Milan for the title; leaving Udinese, Inter and us to battle out for the last Champions League place (a wonderful, if unlikely achievement for Torino).

Verona's new manager seems to be doing well as they rise to 13th, just behind Atalanta. Chievo also left the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Genoa still remain in a very dangerous position despite their new manager; and Palermo (who also got a new manager) could also go down. Frosinone rise to 14th and scored 3 v Juventus. They lost 4-3, but hey, maybe they aren't as bad as I thought (or they got lucky).

So, is there a chance of us keeping in the race for Champions League Qualification as we head into December?

December Fixtures:

Only two matches in December; both of which are winnable. Let's go for six points! Keep Sampdoria off our tail and pick up the easy points at Chievo. Looks good on paper. Let's see how it goes.

[DylanTM]

Board Confidence Update:

The shirt numbers are rising. Chances are, all of them are Belotti,

In Other News...

Stealing some scouts from Vicenza. How does a Serie B (recently promoted from Serie C) team have such good scouts? Anyways, I'm happy to get them for cheap compensation and on low wages. The Andrea Belotti shirts alone should be able to cover that cost...

I don't think the fans are that worried about Sala being from Verona anymore...

[noikeee]

This is going really well for a 1st season IMO, Torino's squad has no business being ahead of the likes of Napoli or Roma.

[DylanTM]

19 minutes ago, noikeee said:

This is going really well for a 1st season IMO, Torino's squad has no business being ahead of the likes of Napoli or Roma.

Roma appointed Ancelotti, so I can see them rising very quickly...

But yeah, we have quite a few Serie B quality players in the squad, but we do have some leading players too. Belotti is now considered a wonder kid, and Acquah does extremely well in the roaming playmaker spot. 19 Stamina and 18 Work Rate at 22 years old is outstanding.

December update on the way.

[DylanTM]

December (To Dismember):

Not pretty, but efficient. Two 1-0 wins. I continue to experiment with my 4-1-4-1, switching to a Defensive Midfielder role instead of a Half Back, with The Deep Lying Forward as the lone man up front.

We hosted Sampdoria at the Olimpico, who were a full nine points behind us despite being two positions behind. They lines out with a 4-4-1-1, with Luis Muriel in a very advanced AM role just behind Cassano. I decided to let my DM, Vives, mark Muriel out of the game. It worked, but other things contributed. You'll see what I mean. Things started both bad and well for us, when Angelo Palumbo chopped down Acquah in midfield after 25 minutes. The good news was that Palumbo was sent off. The bad news was that the challenge injured Acquah. Knee ligament injury for 8 weeks. But they were forced to revert to a defensive 4-3-1-1 to try and keep us out, and they succeeded in keeping us out until half-time. After an aggressive team talk, we went out in search of an equalizer. With 55% possession and 15 shots to their 6, we were bound to score. And we did: through Juan Sanchez Mino. Sala throws the ball in on the right to Zappacosta, and our RB plays it back to Sala. The former Verona man whips the ball towards the backpost where Mino heads it back across goal into the far corner. A looping headed that goes in off the post. We keep control, and Sampdoria are powerless. We pick up the win.

At Chievo, I fielded a strong side, but somehow they had all the possession. They had 20 shots to our 9, and they had 59% possession. I mean, I don't know what to say. We only won because of Chievo's terrible luck. They went down to 8 men! Two red cards (or rather four yellows) and an injury after they had used all substitutions, but them down to 8 men. Their 4-1-2-3 DM Wide (a.k.a. The V) was non-existent by the end of the match. Their first red was on the stroke of half time, the second came just after an hour. The injury occured with 15 minutes left. Our goal came with 9 minutes left of normal time, from an unlikely source: second choice left back, Danilo Avelar. Jacapo Sala took a shot on the edge of the area, which was parried by the Chievo 'keeper Bizzari. Quagliarella retrieves the ball and plays it back to Avelar, The LB, who had asked for more game time, fired a shot to the near post, past Barrazi. Our other full back, Bruno Peres, picked up MOTM; but Avelar delivered when it mattered.

So, that makes it seven games unbeaten, three wins in a row. That puts us where in the table?

The League Table:

Back up to third as we enter January! We are right behind our Turin rivals in second place, as AC Milan overtake Juve into first place. Despite that, Juve remain unbeaten. Udinese finally lost, a 1-0 defeat to Napoli. However, Udinese remain ahead of Napoli in 4th and 5th. Inter drop to 6th. Lazio rise to 7th, and Sampdoria fall to eigth, largely thanks to their defeat to us. Roma (with their newly appointed manager, Carlo Ancelotti) remain in mid-table obscurity along with Fiorentina. Sassuolo remain in a surprisingly high 9th place.

At the other end of the table. Chievo drop back into the relegation zone after that defeat to us. Bologna and Palermo make up the relegation places. Empoli escape the relegation zone, but remain in a dangerous position along with Carpi and Frosinone. Genoa's takeover and new manager seems to be doing htem well and Verona continue their surge into the midtable.

So, our January fixtures?

January Fixtures:

Oh no.

Roma, Inter and Juve in consecutive Serie A games, capped off by Sassuolo and Carpi. We always seem to have a nice easy game at the end of the month for rebuilding, but hopefully we won't be hit that badly by those first three Serie A fixtures. We also draw our rivals, Verona, in the Italian Cup 1st Round. Our minimum expectation is quarter finals, but personally, I'd think that it's a very winnable competition with the right draw. Let's take it one step at a time, though.

 

[DylanTM]

Board Confidence Update:

In Other News...

 

 

[DylanTM]

Transfer News:

Pasquale is a 32 year old Italian full-back I had on trial. Looks like he won't be joining us, but our full back spots are more than good enough without the added reinforcements.

I am also looking to clear out our striker's department, replacing Amauri, Martinez and possibly Lopez. Hopefully next season, I can rotate Quagliarella, Belotti, Macheda and either Lopez or Perigini. I may have let my inner Manchester United fan get into me...However, on a free transfer, there is little risk,

[DylanTM]

January:

Honestly, right now, I'm considering taking a trip to The Tactics Sharing Centre. This 4-1-4-1 is honestly ridiculous! Thirteen games unbeaten! Only a star studded Juventus side was able to stop our run. Fiorentina remains our only competitive defeat of the season.

First, we hosted Roma. They were disappointing in recent times, but they did have new management in Carlo Ancelotti. Roma lined out with a strong side, with Iturbe and Florenzi flanking veteran striker Francesco Totti. Daniele De Rossi sat behind Radja Nainggolan and Kevin Strootman in defensive midfield, while Digne and Van Der Wiel flanked the two centrebacks. The V. Wojeich Szczesny sat in goals. Aquah and Obi left our squad to represent their nations in The African Nations Cup. We had 8 shots each, and 50% possession each, but we came out on top. On EXACTLY 25 minutes, Moretti's near post header from Mino's corner put us a goal up. We went into the break a goal up, but we couldn't hold onto that lead. Padelli saved a long-range shot from Totti on 52 minutes, but Florenzi run in and busted the net with a rebound to equalise. Frustrating, but expected. However, our crosses continue to be life savers as we re-take the lead with less than a minute to go! 89 minutes in, Sala whips a cross to the far post and Belotti heads home! His 10th goal of the season, and his most important so far.

Then, we went all the way to Milan to play Inter. We both had 7 shots, but Inter only managed one on target to our five. We held 53% of possession, but also committed 18 fouls. Ouch. Inter's side contained Kondogbia and Icardi among others, lining out in The V Formation. Both teams held firm for 16 minutes, but we struck first blood. Danielle Baselli picks out Belotti who hovers in the edge of the box. Belotti pings the ball to the right hand side to Sala, who hits the first time cross back towards the front post, where Belotti makes a run. He strikes on the half volley, in off the post! Our second goal on 72 minutes came off an unlikely source for both the assist and the goal. Guiseppe Vives, who was in the defensive midfield spot, played through Zappacosta, who beat Handanovic at his near post! 2-0. A great win.

We then move from Serie A to Coppa Itallia. This match was rather amusing, due to the formation Verona lined out in. 3-4-2-1 DM. Three CBs, Two DMs, Two Wing Backs, Two CMs and a lone striker. That's a defensive tactic if I've ever seen one. Once again, Sala hits a near post cross for Belotti to score. Becoming quite a theme, ain't it? That was on 26 minutes. On half time, they made two substitutions and converted to The V. We held firm, despite a scare when they won a penalty on the hour mark. Giovanni Marchese stepped up, and hit the ball straight at Padelli who saves. I should probably mention that I employed an extra high defensive line (very risky since I was on Control, which automatically raises the defensive line), but it kept the opponent in their own half. In the Average Position stat in The Analysis Tab, their most advanced player was their striker who was on average, no further than the half way line. Nice.

Then, The Battle Of Turin. The Old Lady versus The New Breed. Surely a dramatic match. Well, it ended 0-0, but Juve had twice as many shots as us, but 50/50 possession was shared between the two sides. Moretti picked up MOTM. There's nothing much to say about the match really. They lined out with a 4-3-1-2, with Sneijder in behind Zaza and Mandzukic. Hernanes, Sturaro and Marchisio made up the 3 man midfield. Alex Sandro, Chiellni, Barzaghli, Lichtsteiner and Buffon made up the Juve Starting XI. Pogba on the bench. Thank God for that. 

I decided to try my hand at rotation once again, despite how it ended up in the past. (We drew with Frosinone for God's sake). This actually didn't go as well as hoped. Sassuolo finished with nine men, and two of our goals were penalties. They had 17 shots to our 11, and we let them back into the second half despite dominating. I also gave the old 4-4-2 a shot to see how it differed to the 4-1-4-1. Quag opened the scoring after just 7 minutes when, after some good build up play and short passing, Baselli freed Molinaro down the right. Near post cross, header. Sounds familiar. Quag did get injured four minutes later (turned out to be nothing at all). We got a penalty on the half hour after a handball in the box, and Farnerud, who I placed on the left wing, stepped up and scored. However, before half time, they equalised, when Sansone picked up on Berardi's through ball down the left and beat Schazo. Just after half time, they got their first red. Despite this, we got complacent and continued leaking chances. However, then on 80 minutes, we sealed the win. Penalty, another red card, Raimondi steps up this time. Bang. End of the game.

At Carpi, we reverted back to our full strength side and the 4-1-4-1. We dominated them, with 13 shots to 3 and 62% possession. At half time, it was looking likely that we'd be closer to 70% than 60%. It was going well, and I decided to go more Attacking to push for a goal after the game was goalless at half time. On 70 minutes, Kamil Glik scored a header from a corner. Mino whips it into the centre, Sala gets a flick, and Glik finished it. Carpi's own 4-1-4-1 kept us at bay for long, but in the end we got our deserved victory. After 4 CCCs.

So, that leaves us in a good position, surely?

The League Table:

Juve lost to Udinese! AC Milan lost to Juve! With a decent run of results in March, we could easily go top of the table. IN FEBRUARY! I've never done so well so early in FM. I honestly feel like a God, but Second Season Syndrome will probably bring me down faster then you can say Stadio Olimpico. One thing I've noticed is my laughable goal difference compared to Juve.

So, what's next?

February Fixtures:

We go top of the table after 21 games if we beat Bologna. Let's do this.

[noikeee]

Still a spectacular season, and it's only getting better. Perhaps it's time to prepare for the extra fixtures of European football next year already.

[DylanTM]

Board Confidence Update:

Deadline Day:

We have an interesting deadline day. Earlier when talking about strikers, I mixed up Lopez and Martinez. Martinez is the young 21 year old who I will keep. The plan is the get the aging Maxi Lopez out. Amauri, however, gets no offers. Sanchez Mino tears a calf, and with Joel Obi out with The African Nations Cup, we only have one capable first team left midfielder in Fernarud. He's not great on the left, so I decide to loan in Matias Campos Toro (Toro, eh? You'll fit right in). I activated his release clause earlier in the window, but his agent was a twat, so the deal fell through. After this injury, I decided to loan him in. Hell, maybe with some good performances, he'll join full time.

Just an observation. Impressive, nonetheless.

[DylanTM]

February:

The first-season fairytale continues! Our winning run takes a hit, but we remain undefeated since our loss to Fiorentina in October. I continue to use the 4-1-4-1 to great effect which leads to a great result against Genoa, however a weird incident against Bologna. At Atalanta, I decided to switch The Deep Lying Forward to a Poacher, since he fits The Loan Striker Role better.

We started the month at Bologna, while we were still in the window. I dominated with 22 shots to 5 and 55% possession, and we started out strong  against their 4-4-2. 19 minutes in, Juan Sanchez Mino gets injured, prompting me to bring on Fernarud (and bring in Campos Toro on loan after the match). Diego Peres' second yellow card on the stroke of half time put us a man up, and Genoa used all 3 subs at half time. I'll admit, I wanted to injure one of their players to increase the advantage (even if Levesque would never admit it in press), but I already had the 'Get Stuck In' TI and the 'Tackle Hard' OI activated. This proved to be a bad idea. While Mattia Destro did reduce them to 9 men with twenty minutes to go (still 0-0), we took things too far. Both of our centrebacks, Glik and Moretti, got red carded within 10 minutes of eachother. Luckily, since I only had one sub  left, I already had Maksimovic, a natural centreback, at full back. I bring in Bovo and line out 2-1-4-1 to their 4-2-2, but we finish level. Marco Benassi picked up MOTM; probably for being the least dirty [swear] on the field.

Moretti and Glik's suspensions only applied to Serie A, as opposed to all domestic competitions, so they were available at Sampdoria. The problem I faced with Sampdoria was that they were much better at keeping possession (53%) than us, so after a while, I decided to switch up our passing style entirely. I go more direct, and clear the ball to the flanks to explit the empty space in their 4-3-1-2 (Muriel and Bonnazzoli up front). I handed Campos Toro his debut, in the place of the injured Farnerud. After half-time, I made the decision to keep with the more direct style and switch to a 4-4-2 (since the defensive midfielder was a possession pivot more than anything else), and it paid dividends. 7 minutes after the whistle which started the second half, we scored. Moretti's long ball down the left was picked up by Josef Martinez, whose cross to the front post was headed in by Belotti. Again. Our second goal also came in a typical fashion. Jacapo Sala's free kick rattles the bar and Aqcuah is on hand to tap the ball into the net. Despite being kept on the positional back foot for the majority of the match, we win.

At Atalanta, I rotate, resting Belotti and giving Josef Martinez another run out. I also test The Poacher role. This match turns out to be the world's most boring match. They have 7 shots to our 5. They have 57% possession. Again, they hold the possession and I decide to go direct, which probably meant that the possession stat is a bit higher than it would have been. They line out with The V and keep what many would call 'useless possession'. They keep the ball, but they don't seem to do anything constructive with it. Five minutes in, we grab the lead when Benassi's corner is headed in by Gazzi. We kept out approach going through half time into the second half. I was happy enough with letting them have the ball because nothing was happening with it. We end up sealing the victory on 78 minutes when Martinez picks up on a badly-timed back pass and slots it home.

Genoa turns out to be the best performance of the season. No mercy, 62% possession. Belotti's first day with his new poacher role is prolific, as he picks up the first goal within 2 minutes. Sala's cross towards the near post is actually stopped by Genoa's 'keeper Lamanna, but he fumbles it and Belotti scores his 14th goal of the season. We are comfortable going into half time. Tachtidis gets a second yellow just after the restart, which pretty much gives us the win; but we decide to make some fun out of the occasion. Sala frees the overlapping Bruno Peres down the right, and the right-back hits a great cross for Belotti, who heads back across goal. Not bad for a 5'11. Surprisingly, the third goal doesn't come from a cross. Benassi makes a long diagonal run from the right side of midfield to the edge of the box before feeding Avelar. Avelar is tackled, but  Campos Toro picks up the ball and runs back into the centre before firing a shot into the net by the near post. 3 - 0. Emphatic, comfortable, never in doubt.

Still tired of cross/header goals? Well this is your lucky match! Verona! After the interesting affair in the Coppa Itallia with The 3-4DM-2-1, Verona opted for The V today. This turned out to be our first snowy match! We kill the match with two goals in the opening 15 minutes, the first coming from Joel Obi. Verona's 'keeper, Copola, comes out wide to take a free kick. His kick falls straight between two Verona players to Joel Obi. His touch takes the ball past Verona's back most player before launching a speculative attempt from 50 yards. This attempt goes in! After 2 minutes and 17 seconds! The second comes from Guiseppe Vives, after Acquah and Avelar trade passes. Acquah lays the ball to Vives, who hits it from twenty yards out! Two goals to the good at half time. After the restart, we start getting complacent, so I decide to go 'Shorter Passing' and 'Be More Disciplined' instead of Expressive. This gives us loads of possession (useless possession, but it stops them from getting more chances.). This actually doesn't work, because we concede anyways! 'Cause, why not? Even with an extra man when Gonzalez picks up two yellow cards in five minutes, we manage to concede. Marchese's low cross goes to Nemanja Maksimovic, who takes a touch before busting the net. However, we hold on for the win in the most boring way possible. Hold possession, no matter what the situation. The Van Gaal Philosophy.

So, that leaves us in a good position right?

The League Table:

Juventus collapse under pressure. They lose 3-2 to Palermo, losing their undefeated status and their top spot. They also draw vs Empoli for the second time! Despite our slip up at Bologna, we're a point ahead of 2nd with a game in hand! AC Milan start dropping and Udinese get within touching distance of a Champions League spot. Napoli also aren't too far off the pace, but it's most likely too late for Inter. Sassuolo overtake Fiorentina, while Lazio and Roma remain in mid-table. Genoa rise convincingly, partly due to the signing of Marco Sau from Cagliari in Serie B. Sampdoria and Palermo fall. Frosinone are four points clear of relegation, and the bottom three are all within a point of eachother.

So, can we go all the way?

March Fixtures:

This is it. These fixtures could be the matches which make or break our season for both Serie A and The Coppa Itallia. Lazio at home is followed by Inter in the first leg of The Semi Final, also at home. Then we travel to Milan to face A.C before returning to Turin to face Fiorentina. If we lose any of these matches, our season is impacted unless we pull off a very good recovery. We only needed to make the Quarter Final Stage of The Coppa Itallia, but I want to win it! Losing any of those matches will give Juve and AC Milan a chance to come back at me. I need us to keep our focus.

And Belotti, please stay fit.

[DylanTM]

Board Confidence Update:

In Other News...

The first Levesque-era Torino player to make a Serie A Team Of The Month. Guiseppe Vives continues his fine form in the defensive midfield spot. However, somehow, Joel Obi's 50 yard strike did not even make the selection for goal of the month. -_-

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Youth Intake Day is sometime this month. Let's home for someone bright!

[deltablue]

I always wondered what became of Maxi Lopez

[DylanTM]

4 hours ago, deltablue said:

I always wondered what became of Maxi Lopez

I actually didn't know that he played for Barca and AC. I only found out when I loaned him out and the game said 'Maxi Lopez was a part of the 2006 Barcelona side that won The Champions League' or something on them lines. Interestingly, his ex-wife is now married to Icardi.

And he played for Chievo before joining Torino. I guess he's going back now.

And apparently, there's a meme in Argentina of there being a Maxilopezian Church, with lots of hyperbole and stuff.

Interesting.

[DylanTM]

I'm going to post this now instead of later. I'm shocked.

[DylanTM]

Tease

But really, I'm kinda sad...

[DylanTM]

March:

It all started so well 

The Lazio game cannot be described by words. We dominated possession (55%) and we had the same amount of shots on target than their total shots. Mad stuff.  They lined out with The V, but they just never took off. Their best player was Marco Parolo, who somehow managed to get 8.7 Their next best player were two subs who got 6.7. Their left full back, Seck, got a 5.0 which is probably the worst rating I have ever seen on an opposition team. Our lowest rating was 7.2 from Padelli and Acquah. Danielle Baselli opened the scoring on 9 minutes, when Vives laid the ball to him from 25 yards out, and he curled it into the top right corner of the net from range. This goal later went on the win Serie A Goal Of The Month. After half an hour, we scored in a more typical fashion. Joel Obi, shining in the absence of Juan Sanchez Mino, whips a cross towards the far post where Belotti jumps backwards and heads it back across goal into the far corner. Then, just before half time, we get an extremely dubious penalty. In the words of the report: ''Moustapha Seck has his foot held up high and caught Sala with it''. Did he Nani it or something? Anyways, Baselli steps up and nets his second of the game. Strangely, Lazio go defensive after half time instead of attacking. I'm unsure if they were looking for a counter attack or what, but I decided to bore them into the ground, activating 'Shorter Passing' and 'Be More Disciplined'. Lazio don't threaten us at all, and wescore the 4th after 80 minutes, when we scored from a great training ground set piece routine (probably). Sala steps up to take a free kick in a scoreable position, but instead he plays it short to Baselli to the right of the wall, who chips to ball into the box and Belotti bangs the ball on the half volley past Marchetti's near post. An emphatic, unexpected, glorious, other adjective, win.

Then, we hosted Inter for our semi-final. This was arguably a better result, considering the position we were in going into the closing minutes. But anyways, they lined out in The V and took an early lead through Stevan Jovetic. After five minutes, they build up an Jovetic plays through Taufer. Padelli comes off his line, but Maksimovic makes a great covering tackle. Unfortunately, Padelli commits and is caught out as the ball falls to Jovetic who taps the ball into the empty net. From here, Inter Milan go entirely defensive for no apparent reason. They were dominating us and then they decided to sit back instead of kill the game. I tweak some passing options and give my players the creative freedom to do basically whatever the hell they want. This works to an extent, we actually start having shots. However, we don't get one on target until the 91st minute. Guess what happens? We're passing the ball, Belotti in a crossing position down the right. Infuriatingly, he passes the ball back to Bruno Peres who pulls the ball into the centre of Acquah. Acquah plays a short pass to Gazzi, who just goes 'F%&! this sh@&' and lets fly from 30 yards. Handanovic is caught out as the ball flies into the top left corner! Needless to say, I go mental.

So, two extremely high intensity matches in a row. What better to cap it off with a boring 0-0 draw, eh? I decide to play offside since Bacca  and Menez both try to beat the trap a lot, and it works. We draw, as Milan's 4-3-1-2 manages to keep us at bay too, despite us holding 55% possession. There's honestly nothing worth noting from this match.

Then Fiorentina happened. It started off amazingly, despite them once again lining out with their unorthodox 3-4-2-1, spearheaded by Ryan Matos with Kouma Babacar, the death of me after our last meeting, on the bench. Thank God for that. We take the lead through Andrea Belotti after 11 minutes, as we catch Fiorentina on the counter. Vives launches a long ball forward and Belotti picks it up and scores, beating Tatarusanu (don't ask) at his near post. Then, things go pear shaped. We go in a goal up at half-time, and Fiorentina change to a straight up 3-4-3. Three strikers doesn't go well with me. Also, guess who comes on? Kouma Babacar. God dammit. Anyways, they equalise when their corner goes long towards the opposite end of the box. Aqcuah misses a header, and Babacar pulls the ball back across the box for Chedjou who scores. They then go ahead when Pasqual's cross his met by Ryan Matos, who's header is saved onto the post but tapped in on second asking by Matos. Maksimovic then gets a second yellow card, bringing us down to ten men. With no centrebacks on the bench (two were suspended due to accumulated yellow cards), I'm forced to play two full backs, and asymmetrical CB, and Vives as an asymetrical Half Back. I change the full backs to Limited FBs and tell them to sit narrower, but to no avail. They score twice in two minutes (89' and 90') through Babacar and Matos. However, we do get a consolation goal in injury time, when Benassi frees Belotti in space, who dribbles on the counter attack. He gives the ball to Baselli who plays through Sala in the box. Sala squares the ball back for Belotti who scores his 19th of the season.

After that, we recover. While a 1-0 scorline against Frosinone's 4-4-1-1 doesn't look great, the performance certainly was. They had 0 shots, to our 19, and we held 60% possession. Our loan goal came through Marco Benassi, who headed the ball into the net after Vives cross was flicked on by Moretti and parried by the Frosinone 'keeper into his path. Their left midfielder Chibsah was then sent off with 6 minutes to go, but that had no impact on the game. They also committed 24 fouls, to our 16. Talk about hard hitting.

So, have we lost the initiative?

The League Table:

We remain first, but Juventus are gaining on me. This is slowly becoming a two horse race between the two Turin sides as Milan, Udinese and Napoli battle out for the last Champions League spot. Fiorentina, Roma, Inter and Lazio are all but done in terms of European qualification. Sassuolo continue their very good season.

At the other end of the table. Palermo continue to hover above relegation in a safe, but not exactly a pretty position. Verona are pretty much safe, and Genoa remain in mid table after their takeover. Carpi, Bologna, Frosinone, Empoli and Chievo are the five sides battling for survival.

So, can we keep the edge over Juventus.

April Fixtures:

A tough set of fixtures for Serie A. Our second leg in Inter will be tough, but it's very winnable if we play well. Empoli are the only guaranteed points. Maybe my defence has improved since last time I played Napoli...

[DylanTM]

2014/15 Youth Intake Graduates:

Mario Morganti is obviously talented, and my highest potential player in this intake. He starts with 1* ability with 4* potential and a 5th black star. However, there's lots wrong with him. For a full back, his technical stats are lacking. 3 dribbling isn't very good, same goes for 3 corners. 7 first touch too. Hopefully, they're all going to rise before he's a finished article. He already has decent marking and great tackling for his age, and he has some decent mentals. 17 determination is great to see, as is 16 work rate. He also has good physicals, barring his strength (which along with his height, is making me train him as a full-back instead of a centre back). Hopefully, he will develop into a starting left-back for the future. Molinaro is in his 30s and wont last for much longer, while Avelar can hold his position for the time being until Morganti is ready.

To be perfectly honest, I don't even know if Iaconi will develop into a player good enough for the first team. At best, he'll be a decent rotation option or a nice profit. He has some good physical stats, but he lacks much else. I'm not sure where I could possibly play this guy, unless he massively improves. He only has 1 determination, and doesn't have the mentals to make a good wing back. Barring some incredible technical improvement, he probably wont last.

[DylanTM]

Board Confidence Update:

In Other News...

As I mentioned, Baselli's opening goal vs Lazio won GOTM.

For the second consecutive month, Vives is in the Team Of The Month.

I signed this guy on a free from Wolfsburg. Young CB, since Moretti and Bovo are aging. Looks like Marco Chiosa. Nikola Maksimovic, Carlos Ascues are the 3 CBs for the future. Pontus Jannson is only 24 too, and Glik is only 27. Looks like we've got enough in the centre back department for a long time.