After 10 years with FM, my first career update

[trman73]

On December 18, it's time for the European Championships Qualifying draw. We're obviously one of the top seeds. There are 10 groups - four of them will contain six teams, the other six will have five.

Here we go...

The lower seeded teams are drawn first. Frankly I don't see a group in which we would be anything other than overwhelming favorites. We're not one of the first four teams drawn, so we'll be in a group of five. We wind up being the second to last team drawn, in Group I. Here's our group:

I'll definitely take this, as again, we are clearly the class of this group. Poland is a quality club, and they are ranked 14th in the world, but Bulgaria is 47th,  Ireland is 69th, and Northern Ireland is 107th.

So basically we have our entire schedule for 2023. There will be no friendlies on the schedule.

Nine matches, with a 10th if we advance to the International League final. I'll probably roll through the year in three days.

[BadManager]

9 hours ago, trman73 said:

Hi guys... does anyone actually do that? I looked up all the major nations' national teams and didn't see anyone who remained coach of their club team as well as managing their countries. Even in the US, which is on a totally different domestic playing schedule than Europe, Bruce Arena resigned from LA when he took the USA job over from Klinsmann last year.

My assumption was that while it was an option in the game, the concept of double coaching club and country was not really plausible.

Fair enough, I would probably do the same at a big (or moderate) nation for the story narrative. At a tiny nation, not so much; I think it can still happen with very small countries.

[trman73]

Italy 2022 Season Recap

The Azzurri played 15 matches in 2022, going 11-2-2. Here are their results:

Obviously in a World Cup year that's the only competition that matters. We had a huge win over Argentina in the first knockout round, then fell on penalties to Greece in the quarters. Given that we had not advanced to the knockout rounds in the last few World Cups, I guess that's a decent showing, but I'm going to expect a lot more in 2026.

Once I took over we played well against inferior competition, and only the lackluster draw with Wales in a truly meaningless game kept me from a perfect record. Still, I'll take our results, and would say my first six months went well. Overall I'd give the team a B- for the season, and an A- for my matches.

Without having watched any of Italy's games until I took over, it's hard to pick a season MVP, but F Manolo Gabbiadini, MC Marco Verratti, and DC Daniele Rugiani were all really good for me, and are cornerstones of our team. We've got a lot of excellent players in the 28-31 age range, so I'm a bit worried about where we'll be in three years. My goal for the coming season is to bring some new blood in as best I can.

We were the 5th-ranked team in the world when I took over on July 31. We're now 4th.

Edited June 12, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

Roma Update

At the halfway point of the season, let's check in with Roma.

They've drawn Basel in the first knockout round of Euro Cup, and they've got to be heavy favorites. But the bigger story is this...

They're in first in Serie A halfway through the year. They lead the league with 31 goals scored and have allowed just eight, with 11 shutouts. So they have not allowed more than one goal in any of their league matches. Salah leads the league with 11 goals, Bernardeschi leads with eight assists, and Barreca has the highest average rating. They play a 4-4-2 Diamond Narrow formation under Fernando Santos, and it's clearly working. Good for them.

Okay, I've got to get over constantly checking on this team. I almost decided to sit in the stands and watch a couple of their games during my break, but decided against it. Let it go, man.

[trman73]

With a couple months until the start of the European Championship Qualifiers, I figure I'd share a little info about our core team.

I'm keeping a file that includes our top five players at each position, and on the first of every month I check the national pool and update it. Thus far there hasn't been much change, but I have made a few adjustments to the team I started with for my first match with Mexico. I've dropped a couple of veterans who were serving as backups, and replaced them with younger guys like Franchini and D'Onofrio. Our goalkeepers and defenders are going to be mainstays, but as you move up the pitch we get older and older. We've got a couple forwards with some quality that just aren't ready to crack the squad yet. Left wing is a serious issue for the future, as we've got two 30+-year-olds now who are unlikely to be around much longer.

Edited June 12, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

March 25, 2023 - European Championship Qualifiers, Group I, Match 1: Ireland vs. Italy

We suffer a big blow just a week before this opening match as a key player for us, center midfielder Marco Verretti, is injured playing for PSG and will miss our first two matches. We bring in 21-year-old Alessandro Granelli of Juventus to take his roster spot, and will start AC Milan's Bruno Fernandes at center midfield.

Ireland has fallen to 77th in the world and we really should handle the Young Boys in Green here to get off to a solid start in this competition.

Ireland plays a solid defensive first half and it looks like we're going to go into the break 0-0. But then they get called for a silly foul in the box on Belotti, who was trapped and really didn't look like he had any chance to do anything. Berardi steps up and nails the kick, and we're up 1-0 at the break. In the second half we control possession thoroughly, and although we don't get another goal, Ireland never really mounts any sustained attack, and its a 1-0 win. Not an exciting match, but an effective one, and we head home to face a Bulgaria team that beat Poland handily in its opener, 3-1.

[trman73]

March 28, 2023 - European Championship Qualifiers, Group I, Match 2: Italy (1-0-0, 3 pts., 2nd) vs. Bulgaria (1-0-0, 3 pts., 1st)

With our toughest competition in this group, Poland, falling in its opener, this is a chance for us to take early control in the group. We can't overlook Bulgaria, though, as they haven't lost a game in just over a year, going 4-4-0 in that span (albeit against inferior competition).

I make a couple lineup changes, bring Bernardeschi in at right wing and a few other subs. It took us a while to break through in the Ireland game, but not today. Leonardo Capezzi gets one right off the bat for us in the sixth minute, and we keep applying good pressure until we break through again, with Mattia Franchini scoring in his first game in an Italy uniform. Gabbiadini gets his first goal in our last five matches in the 52nd, and we've put this one away. Franchini sets up Gabbiadini for his second goal in the 74th, and we're doing exactly what we need to do in these first two matches - establish that we're the best team in this group, by far. It's our third straight shutout and we've conceded just three shots in our first two matches of this competition. Mattia Franchini is named man of the match in his first start for the national team.

Well, we're off until June when we face our toughest test yet, at home against 3rd-ranked Germany in the International League Semifinal.

 

[trman73]

On May 7, Roma clinches the 2023 Serie A title. They finish 26-9-3, and lead the league from the first week of the season. Geronimo Rulli finishes with an astounding 24 shutouts, and they give up just 14 goals all season.

They lost in the second knockout round of the Euro Cup to OM, but had an absolutely dominant league campaign.

[BadManager]

Nice start in international management, and Roma can't say you didn't leave them in good shape. Very good shape indeed.

[Justin_Case]

How do you feel about Roma winning the league? Proud? Or do you wish you'd have given it one more year? 

[inthisspace]

How are Claud Adjapong (right full back) and Nicola Dalmonte (winger, striker) doing in your game? They start up quite young and the former is a pretty good right back for my team right now. You may wish to consider calling them up if they are good enough for Italy!

[DodgeeD]

Wow! A lot has changed in the few days since I last looked in here. Congrats on the Europa League win and the Italy job!

[trman73]

June 9, 2023 - International League Semifinal: Italy vs. Germany

Germany didn't have all that good of a time of it in the group stage, as they beat and lost to both France and Norway in a group where everyone went 2-0-2. They advanced thanks to their 7 goals scored.

Since this is the German National Team, it's hard to get a sense of what they've got as there are only seven actual players on their squad. All I know is that they are still the 4th-ranked team in the world, just one spot behind us.

Germany comes out swinging and applies early pressure, and they score in the 20th. But just six minutes later we pull back even on a goal from El Shaarawy that's set up by Bernardeschi. But we're giving up way, way too many chances, and Germany retakes the lead with a goal in the 34th on a corner kick. For the first time, I slam the team at the break, but they don't respond, and three minutes into the second half we're down 3-1. Bernardeschi scores on a great individual effort a couple minutes later, and this looks like it's shaping up to be a classic. Each team continues to get chances throughout the second half, and finally, in the 80th, we decide to really turn it on and go into attack mode.

It backfires. Germany gets the killer in the 85th to go up 4-2, then adds another in stoppage time to win it, 5-2. It's my first loss as Italy manager, and we're out of this competition.

I have one goal for the rest of the season: qualify for the European Championship with an 8-0-0 record.

[trman73]

Hey guys, thanks for the comments!

Regarding Roma, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some regret. I knew they'd be really, really good this year - better than last year's club - and that they'd challenge for the title. But maybe the tactic change was the catalyst for them taking it to the next level. I know a 4-2-4 puts a lot of pressure on the defense, and the fact is when they moved to a 4-4-2 Diamond Narrow they became an absolute fortress defensively. Hell, they gave up just 14 goals all year. So yeah, I'm torn. But... I have started to really enjoy international managing (aside from the egg we just laid against the Germans). I'm fine with the save progressing rapidly, and eventually (hopefully in three and a half more years) I'll get back to a club and will have built up my reputation.

inthisspace as for your guys...

Very unlikely.

[trman73]

While we were off getting our asses kicked by Germany, the rest of the teams in our European Championship qualifying group each played two matches. Here's how the table looks now...

We're obviously going to qualify from this group, as we lead Poland and Bulgaria even with two games in hand.

Also, this happened...

Hilarious. Seven goals and two assists for Lukaku. I don't think we'll be seeing Gibraltar in the Championship.

We're off until September.

Edited June 13, 2017 by trman73

[inthisspace]

@trman73, 

That is a pity. Am surprised with Adjapong's poor stats. Expected him to be much more solid, defensive wise at least. Dalmonte cannot get into my team at the moment, so I guess that is about his level. My coaches do rate both quite highly though. 

Unlucky on the Germany result. Hope it is a one off. Excellent start as Italian manager! 

[trman73]

During our break I celebrate my first anniversary as Italy's manager. We've gone 7-1-1 in my nine matches, although we lost the most important one thus far.

Again, my goal is to be 13-1-1 by the end of this calendar year. All the rest of our matches are Euro 2024 qualifiers.

September 7, 2023 - European Championship Qualifier, Group I, Match 3: Northern Ireland (0-3-0, 3 pts., 4th) vs. Italy (2-0-0, 6 pts., 1st)

It's been three months since our last match and I'm starting to see the end of the road for some of our players in terms of being viable options for the National Team. Unfortunately one of those guys is Stephan El Shaarawy. I want to keep the core of our team together for the rest of the qualifying matches, but then it's probably time to make some difficult decisions.

Northern Ireland has handled itself admirably in the group thus far, drawing with Poland and then twice against Bulgaria (all of their matches have ended 1-1). Still, they haven't won a match in a full calendar year, and we should handle up on these guys and take complete control of Group I.

It's a scoreless first half but we're dominating, and it seems like it's just a matter of time. We hit the post twice with shots in the first half. We play another scoreless 30 minutes until finally, in the 62nd, we get a goal from Bernardeschi. Less than five minutes later, disaster strikes as an Ireland cross bounced off the foot of Daniele Rugani and into the goal. The first goal we concede in this competition is an own-goal, and I'm a little concerned that despite our dominance we might not get the three points. But my fears are put to rest quickly as Andrea Belotti, on as a sub, scores in the 71st to put us back up. Three minutes later Leonardo Capezzi scores to make it 3-1, and Belotti adds another goal late for the final goal in a 4-1 win. It looks good on paper, but Northern Ireland gave us a good match here despite our statistical dominance.

[trman73]

September 10, 2023 - European Championship Qualifier, Group I, Match 4: Italy (3-0-0, 9 pts., 1st) vs. Poland (1-2-1, 5 pts., 3rd)

We can strike a real blow to Poland's chances to qualify with a home win here while at the same time all but assuring our spot in the main tournament next summer. We've still got home matches with the two Irish teams, so honestly with a victory here only an absolute nightmare will keep us from winning this group.

I started some subs in the previous match to keep the key members of the squad rested for this one. Poland has fallen 10 spots in the world rankings in the past year, down to 24th, but they are still the toughest team we'll face in this group.

It's another scoreless first half and once again we're not taking advantage of multiple chances. In the 54th, Poland is called for a foul right outside the left side of their box, and the shot ricochets right to Gabbiadini who strikes it home from point blank, and we're up 1-0. This time there's no own-goal to save my opponent, and in the 60th Vittorio Parigini, playing for El Shaarawy, scores his first goal for Italy to put us up 2-0. Mattia Franchini, who has really rewarded me for his call-up, scores in the 66th to basically put this one away, although Poland scores just a couple minutes later to make it 3-1 and give us our first proper goal conceded in the tournament. Amazingly, we give up a second own-goal in two matches, but we hang on to win, 3-2.

Halfway through the qualifiers, we're in complete control.

Edited June 13, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

October 13, 2023 - European Championship Qualifier, Group I, Match 5: Italy (4-0-0, 12 pts., 1st) vs. Ireland (1-1-3, 4 pts., 4th)

We're without our starting keeper, AC Milan's Donnarumma, for the two October matches against Ireland and Bulgaria, but goalkeeper is one spot where we have a lot of quality options. We'll go with Alex Meret of Real Madrid for this match and then see what changes we may want to make for the next match in a few days.

We can clinch a spot in the Championship with a win today. I'm going to go with a combo of starters and reserves in both this match and the next, as I believe we have enough to see ourselves past Ireland with basically any combo of players on our squad. They played us pretty tough in Dublin, but we should be fine here.

We've moved back up to third in the world and are just a few points behind France for second, although we are well behind top-ranked Brazil.

I'll say this for Ireland - they bend but don't really break. It's a scoreless first half and the match is very similar to our first affair with them. But less than a minute into the second half, Belotti fires a shot from 30 yards out that finds the top right corner of the net for the first goal of the game. In the 67th Paragini finds a wide open Capezzi right in front of the net to make it 2-0, and in the 84th Paragini finds Capezzi again to make it 3-0. That's the final, and we've clinched a top two spot in the group, and will advance.

Edited June 14, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

October 16, 2023 - European Championship Qualifier, Group I, Match 6: Bulgaria (3-2-1, 11 pts., 2nd) vs. Italy (5-0-0, 15 pts., 1st)

We can clinch the group with any result here, as Bulgaria is four points behind us and have just one match left. Bulgaria has also clinched its spot, as they have a six-point lead over Poland and have won both head-to-head matches with them. Really disappointing tournament for Poland, although some third-place teams still qualify for a playoff to get in. They've got us remaining on their schedule though.

Anyway, we bring in the starters who didn't feature against Ireland and try to continue our quality run here in the qualifiers. We have won 13 straight matches in qualifiers for this tournament, a record.

Once again we play a scoreless first half, but we get a goal on a great move in the box from Bernardeschi, who fires it past their keeper in the 62nd. Then, for the second straight match we score from long range, as Marco Verratti scores from 30 yards out in the 83rd. We win, 2-0. Meret has to stop a grand total of two shots to collect shutouts in his two starts, and we have officially won Group I and will be in Spain for Euro 2024.

Edited June 14, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

November 17, 2023 - European Championship Qualifier, Group I, Match 7: Italy (6-0-0, 18 pts., 1st) vs. Northern Ireland (1-3-2, 6 pts., 3rd)

We're without another key player for these final qualifying matches, as AC Milan central defender Alessio Romagnoli is out for six months with a torn ACL. He should be back for Euro 2024, but who knows if he'll be at full strength.

Northern Ireland still has a shot to qualify as a third-place team if they reach the playoffs, but that's not going to happen as we are going to beat these guys badly. I start a bunch of reserves for this one as I want to save the main team for the road Poland match. These will be our last two matches of 2023, and with two wins we'll finish the year 8-0-1 and I'll be 13-1-1 in my career.

We get off to a fast start as Bernardeschi scores five minutes in. We're all over these guys throughout the first half and Gabbiadini gets one in the 40th and it's 2-0 at the half. Bernardeschi is making his case as our Player of the Year this year when he scores again in the 60th, and it's another rout for us. Paragini sets up Bernardeschi for his hat trick in the final minutes, and it's a 4-0 win. One more to go for a perfect qualifying campaign.

Edited June 14, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

November 20, 2023 - European Championship Qualifier, Group I, Match 8: Poland (1-2-4, 5 pts., 5th) vs. Italy (7-0-0, 21 pts., 1st)

Poland has had a miserable tournament and we can put them out of their misery here. We've shut out our last three opponents and have five clean sheets in our seven matches. We've allowed more own goals (2) than goals off our opponents feet (1). I'm starting our regular group for this final match, and for some of these guys it may be their last action for the national team.

Belotti puts us on the board in the 21st, but after more than 300 minutes without conceding, Poland ties it in the 36th. It's 1-1 at the break and I really want to finish undefeated and untied in this group. Belotti brings us closer to making that happen with a goal in the 74th, and then striker Dominic Berardi seals it in stoppage time, and we win, 3-1, to go 8-0-0 in Group I.

[trman73]

I forgot to note over the summer that I was offered a job interview with Juventus, one of the best teams in the world. I turned it down. In December, I'm offered an interview with Liverpool, which I also turn down. This bodes well for my future employment.

I want to get ahead of the game and schedule two decent friendlies for March of 2024. These will be our only tuneups before the European Championship. So I schedule a road match at Russia, and then a home match with Turkey.

2023 Season Recap

Overall this year we go 8-0-1. Here are our results...

And our team stats...

I certainly can't complain about the Euro qualifiers, as we go undefeated and outscore our opponents 24-4. Our opening match with Ireland wound up being our toughest match, as we basically rolled everyone else. Admittedly, we were in what was probably the weakest group of the tournament, as our second-place finisher, Bulgaria, was the only second-place finisher not to automatically qualify for the main competition. They'll be in the playoffs in March, along with 15 other teams.

Honestly, good God, 35 of the 55 teams are still alive in this thing - that seems ridiculous. I guess I didn't realize how this qualifying stage was structured, but it seems dumb. Let's just have the top two teams from each group qualify, and the three best third place teams, along with the host. There are some truly poor teams still alive for two rounds of playoffs that will determine the final four qualifiers. Hell, Poland, which wound up 1-2-5 in our group, is still in it. (Northern Ireland somehow isn't despite finishing with more points - what's that?)

The semifinal loss to Germany in the International League was a really poor performance, but that's not a huge prize, so whatever.

2023 Most Valuable Player: AMR Federico Bernardeschi

Bernardeschi appeared in just six of our 10 games but still led our club in scoring with six goals and rating at 7.97. My former Roma player has overtaken Monaco's Domenico Berardi as our starter at attacking right midfielder. He's a fantastic, world-class player. Runners-Up: MC Leonardo Capezzi dominated the middle of the field for us, and the Juventus man scored four goals. F Manolo Gabbiadini scored four and led the team with four assists. And DC Daniele Rugani of Bayern was our best defender and was one of just two guys to start nine of our 10 games.

2023 Season Grade: A-

[trman73]

On December 16 the 2026 World Cup European Qualifying Draw is held. We've moved up to the second-ranked team in the world and the top-ranked team in Europe, so we're obviously one of the top seeds. There will be five groups of six, and five groups of five.

With only the top teams left, here's the draw...

I'd certainly like to avoid Group 8, which features Spain, and would be happy to avoid Group 2 and Group 5 as well.

Well...

Spain may have bumped down to 20th in the world, but they're still Spain. Our two games with them will determine the winner of this group. Poland certainly looks like it will miss the World Cup for the first time since 2014.

Edited June 14, 2017 by trman73

[Justin_Case]

Looking forward to the Euros! Since they extended the teams in the tournament, qualifying seems to have become more straight forward. Should have kept a smaller tournament IMO. 

[trman73]

Justin I totally agree. To have a 24-team tournament where 16 teams make the knockout stages just seems like it's watering the whole thing down. I get it - more matches, more countries invested in it, more TV, more revenue. But still - even though the draw hasn't been held yet, I'm assuming we can basically sleepwalk through our group-stage matches and be just fine.

Anyway...

March 29, 2024 - International Friendly: Russia vs. Italy

I'm pretty surprised that, four months since our last match, we don't make any significant roster changes. We've got a lot of good veterans, and a lot of good up-and-coming 20-22-year-olds, but there aren't a whole lot of 24-27-year-olds challenging the vets for spots. So guys like El Shaarawy (31 years old), Verratti (31) and Belotti (31) remain key players. I'm already nervous about the World Cup qualifiers next year.

Most of the club coaches for my guys make minutes-restriction requests for these two friendlies, and I will do my best to honor them. As such, I don't expect a lot of great play here. That's definitely the case in Moscow, where we play a disjointed, lackluster match that ends 1-1. After a scoreless half, it looks like we may fall as Russia gets on the board in the 56th. But we tie it in the 63rd on a goal from Gabbiadini, and then dance around for the rest of the match for the draw.

April 2, 2024 - International Friendly: Italy vs. Turkey

This one is a surprise. After a scoreless first 30 minutes, each team scores twice before the half. But Turkey takes the lead early in the second, and we don't come back. We fall, 3-2, and it's not a good start to 2024. I'm not too concerned about these matches, and we'll await the Euro 2024 draw in a couple weeks.

[trman73]

The Euro Cup 2024 draw is held April 24. For some reason I'm not prompted to view the draw, which is a bummer. So I get a note in my inbox that shows our draw, and I'll absolutely take it:

We've got to be heavily favored to win this group, and we should easily advance to the final 16. Here's the full draw:

We've gt two months before the start of the tourney.

Edited June 15, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

Heading into the last day of the league season in Europe, there are a few things to note...

• In La Liga, Real Madrid is an unbelievable 35-2-0 and has 107 points.
• In the Premier League, Man U's run of seven straight titles is over, as they fall to fourth behind champion Tottenham, Man City, and Arsenal.
• And in Serie A, Roma enters its final match tied with Juventus with identical 24-9-4 records. But Roma beat Juve twice, so they are in first. They're at home against 4th-place Inter, and Juventus is home against 6th-place Palermo, on the final day of the season.
• In Champions League, Roma advanced to the knockout stage, then beat Barcelona in the round of 16. But they fell to the defending champs, United, 1-0 in the quarters. Man City and Man U have traded Champions League titles each of the past four years, but this year they each get knocked out in the semis, and it's Chelsea and PSG in the final. Atletico Madrid and Bayern (who Roma bested in the group stage), play for the Euro Cup.

Here's how it all shakes out...

• Real Madrid completes what may be the best season in football history with a 36-2-0 record. They score 103 goals and allow 25, and win the top league in the world by 25 points.
• Unfortunately, things don't go well for Roma. Juventus beats Palermo, 1-0, and Inter scores in the 86th minute to beat Roma, 3-2. Roma loses the title on the last day of the season.
• Three days later, Roma wins its third trophy in three years by beating Palermo, 4-0, in the Italian Cup.
• Bayern rolls Atletico Madrid, 4-0, in the Euro Cup.
• And finally, PSG defeats Chelsea, 4-2, to win the Champions League.

Just two weeks prior to the start of the European Championship, the draw for the next International League takes place. We're drawn with Switzerland and the Ukraine in a group where, once again, we should be strong favorites.

Okay, enough of this... let's get to the biggest competition of my career thus far: Euro 2024!

[trman73]

We had a decision to make with squad selection, and I made a somewhat controversial one. Our starting central defender, Alessio Romagnoli, is injured with a strained knee and will miss the entirety of the group stage. I think long and hard about leaving him off the squad, but ultimately decide to keep him on and hope that he's ready for the knockout rounds. The only other surprise I pull is adding 20-year-old central midfielder Simone Dillberto in place of veteran Bruno Fernandes. Dillberto was phenomenal for Watford this year, collecting 17 assists (tops in the Premier Lague) and a 7.61 season rating (good for 4th) for a Watford team that finished 11th.

Other than that, it's the team I've been playing with for most of my tenure.

About half the teams in the competition chose to play friendlies the week before the start of this competition. I did not. I trust that the team will be in shape, and on the eve of our first match, they look like they are. The Federation expects us to reach the semifinals of this tournament.

June 16, 2024 - European Football Championship, Group C, Match 1: Italy vs. Switzerland

Our first match of this tournament is against a Swiss team that is ranked 29th in the world. They play a 4-2-3-1 and their best player is central midfielder Denis Zakaria of Sporting. We're the more talented team here, so we need to maintain our focus and go out there and get three points from our first match.

For months I've been pressured to drop Stephan El Shaarawy from the squad, and for months I've resisted, partially because I don't have a terribly strong replacement for him, and partially because I know he's got something left in the tank. In the 16th minute of this match, a free kick from Gabbiadini bounces off a couple players and lands on his foot, and he slams it home for our first goal of this competition.

The rest of the first half is a foul-fest, and we're up 1-0 at the break. Just a few minutes into the second half, Bernardeschi finds Belotti with a nice pass and he puts it in to make it 2-0. Switzerland gets some pretty good chances in the second half, but Donnarumma gets the clean sheet, and we win our opener, 2-0. Edoardo Goldaniga, our replacement for Romagnoli on the back line, is named man of the match.

 

Edited June 15, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

June 20, 2024 - European Football Championship, Group C, Match 2: Albania (0-0-1, 0 pts., 3rd) vs. Italy (1-0-0, 3 pts., 1st)

Albania fell on a late goal in its opener, 3-2 to Sweden. They are the 39th-ranked team in the world, so this will not be a cakewalk, but we should take care of these guys and secure qualification in the knockout rounds. I made some substitutions in the starting lineup, but feel good about our chances.

Lots of action in the first half, but no scoring, and it's goose eggs at the break. The moment might be a bit too big for young striker Pietro D'Onofrio, who misses two clear chances to score.

The game carries on scoreless and we're just not taking advantage of numerous scoring opportunities. Despite out-shooting our opponents 10-0, the game ends in a 0-0 draw. Certainly not a fatal blow by any means, but a pretty disappointing result against an inferior team.

[trman73]

June 25, 2024 - European Football Championship, Group C, Match 3: Italy (1-1-0, 4 pts., 1st) vs. Sweden (1-0-1, 3 pts., 3rd)

As we head into our final Group C match, I can take some solace in the fact that in Italy's 2020 run to the title, they went 1-1-1 in group play.

It's the main team for this one, and although Romagnoli could technically go in this match, there's no reason to play him. We've yet to concede a goal in our two matches; defense is not the problem. With a result against us, Sweden will also qualify, so they have a lot to play for here. Starting right back Davide Vitturini is suspended for this one, but I trust my former Roma man, Davide Calabria, to play well in his spot.

Two minutes into the match, Sweden makes a huge mistake, as their keeper comes out to grab a ball that a defender is also going for. They collide, and the ball bounces right to Belotti, who scores the easiest goal of his life into an empty net. A great, and a very lucky, start for us. Sweden then tries to gift us not one but two goals with additional defensive lapses, but we don't take advantage. The next 30 minutes are an exercise in frustration for us offensively as we hit the crossbar and the post and then airmail two additional quality chances. Finally, in the 37th, Belotti breaks through again to make it 2-0. That's the halftime score, and with the way our defense is playing this one should be in the bag, but really it should be 5-0 or 6-0 by now.

In the 67th minute we give up our first goal of the tournament, but Belotti finds Gabbiadini for a goal less than two minutes later to get our cushion back. But the Swedes won't go away, and they pull back to within one just three minutes later. Suddenly it's goals galore, and we're up 3-2. Bernardeschi makes it four goals in six minutes in the 74th and we're up 4-2. Things finally calm down, and that's the final. We've won Group C and are on to the round of 16.

Edited June 15, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

The teams that failed to qualify from the group stage are Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Albania, Holland (!!!!), Denmark, FYR Macedonia, and Latvia. Sweden and Denmark were the third-place teams that didn't qualify.

Here's the tree for the remainder of Euro 2024...

We're obviously going to be favored over Romania, but either Portugal or Germany awaits us in the quarters if we make it. Either one of those clubs will pose a tough challenge.

Back tomorrow to finish this thing out!

Edited June 15, 2017 by trman73

[metallimuse]

Absolutely LOVE this thread buddy!

I've spent the past two days reading it at work in between answering calls and raced home to play myself.

Ok, so a few things to say.

1. LOVE the approach to decide on who to manage so decided to do it myself. After the process I ended up with Turkish team Mersin İdmanyurdu in TFF First Division so I was quite happy as they had only just been relegated so I thought they'd have a decent squad to challenge to go straight back up. Sadly my laptop decided to spaz out and took 2 hours to correct itself and configure by which point I'd totally blamed Mersin and decided against the save.

Think I'm just going to have a go taking Parma back to Serie A

2. Did a journeyman a few years back and ended up quite astonishingly, and like you, at Roma after managing Eastleigh, Gateshead & Leeds. Granted, I did do really well within my save up to then but still hadn't won any silver.

Well, Roma changed all that. Brought through some younger talent and in my 3rd year managed the Europa which was the springboard to 3 years of domestic dominance with the I Giallorossi! The most rewarding part was watching my young Italian core rise up to be regarded as arguably the best players of their generation, certainly within Italy if not Europe.

My style is very much Arsene Wenger and I love to promote youth and buy young. Also, whatever country I'm in I try to buy exclusively from that nation.

I now always jump at the chance to take over at Roma in whatever save I do on future games.

3. When you get back into club management and talk of your promising youth players ready to take the step up can you put pics of their stats up to support this as well?

 

I can't wait to see your progress buddy and can't wait to see which club you go to next. Personally, I'm against going to super clubs though unless they've fallen on hard times. I much prefer like what you did with Roma.

[trman73]

Hey metal, thanks a lot! I'm glad you've enjoyed it. I've wasted many work hours following other people's careers on the boards. Corner office = solitude!

I must admit I wouldn't really be feeling a start in the lower Turkish League. I will say, I've never abandoned a career that I've started with my random process. There have been a couple rough ones - the Belarus First League... yikes. The one time I feel like I cheated was starting up in the Indonesian second division. It was horrible. This is insensitive but all the teams had the same name, all the players' names... I hated it. Plus there were like 50 teams in the league playing in a weird division and playoff setup. So I basically steamrolled through it, lasted a year, and took a job with an amateur team in Ireland and started over that way.

I have been reluctant to post a whole lot of player pages but I'll be better about that moving forward. Maybe I'll highlight some players throughout the course of the season or as their Under 18 and Under 21 careers progress, and do little vignettes on them.

Thanks again for following! Time to grab dinner, put kiddos down, and finish off the Euros.

[trman73]

June 30, 2024 - European Football Championship, First Knockout Round: Romania vs. Italy

I said in my previous post that we'd be heavily favored against Romania, but the fact is they are ranked 11th in the world. Still, they just squeaked into the knockout phase. After getting rolled 3-0 by Belgium in their opener, they played to a scoreless draw against Turkey and beat Latvia, 2-0. Of the 16 teams that advanced, only Croatia and Ukraine had worse group performances.

With that being said, they have one player, 23-year-old left midfielder Adrian Popescu of Dortmund, who is valued at $74 million. Watford's Andrei Ivan is valued at $40 million, and center midfielder Vlad Dragomir, also of Dortmund, is worth $32 million. So there's talent here, particularly in the midfield.

I have a decision to make at central defender, and I choose Goldaniga over a not-yet-100% Romagnoli. I sub El Shaarawy out for Paragini, and the rest of the starters play.

It's a terrible start for us as in the 16th Bernardeschi goes down with an ankle sprain has to come out. Depending on the severity of the sprain his tournament could be over. It's a back-and-forth first half until Gabbiadini finally puts us up with a goal in the 37th, and it's 1-0 at the half. Ten minutes into the second half, Parigini makes a great move and finds Berardi (on for the injured Bernardeschi) for a goal to put us up by two. Romania scores in the 86th, but we clamp down after that and win, 2-1. We're on to the semis after a good win against a quality Romania side.

[trman73]

Here's how the first knockout round plays out...

Portugal humiliates the Germans, 4-1, and is our next opponent. Unfortunately, we'll be without Bernardeschi for the remainder of this tournament, as his ankle has him on the shelf for 3-4 weeks. I'd say our game is the premier matchup of the quarterfinals, as England, France, and Belgium would have to be considered favorites in their games.

July 7, 2024 - European Football Championship, Quarterfinal: Italy vs. Portugal

I'm thrilled that we're the final match of the quarters and that we get a full week off. Portugal is a great team, ranked 5th in the world. They won this competition in 2016 and were knocked out by us in the semifinal four years ago. There are great players all over the pitch for these guys. They went 1-1-1 in group play, losing to the Czech Republic. And they destroyed the Germans in the last round. The winner of the match will play Belgium in the semifinals, as they defeat a game Russia squad, 3-2, on a goal in the 120th minute after Russia sent it to extra time with a stoppage time score. England and France will play in the other semi.

I don't know what to write, and there's no real reason to get into the details. We are completely, utterly and thoroughly wiped out in this match. We fall 5-0, and the quality of the two teams is reflected in that score. At no moment in this match were we the better team. They score in the 20th and the 33rd to go up 2-0 at the half, and it only gets worse. Our tournament is over, and it's over in humiliating fashion.

We have some real decisions to make over the next year or so. But I may not even be around, as following the match the media asks me if I'm feeling pressure because the federation is considering my future. Ugh.

 

[trman73]

France is the at the top of the football world again after defeating Portugal in the final. They are now both World Cup and European Champions.

Following the tournament one of our key players, center midfielder Marco Verratti, announces his retirement from international football. I'm assuming others may follow, and even if they don't, there's a good chance that El Shaarawy, Goldaniga, and even Gabbiadini may have played their last matches for us. We simply have to bring in new blood. Maybe this is my role as Italy manager - to usher in a new generation of Italian football. We'll bring in a lot of new faces for the International League matches, and then see what happens in the World Cup qualifiers.

Our final matches of 2024 are home and road matches with Switzerland and Ukraine in the International League, a home friendly with Egypt, and then a road friendly at my home town stadium, Toyota Stadium in Dallas, against the United States.

[trman73]

September 6, 2024 - International League, Group 3, Game 1: Italy vs. Ukraine

We're back in action in our first match since our destruction at the hands of Portugal. I've made some roster changes that I'll recap at the end of the calendar year. I've brought in five new faces to my squad of 23, although in this match there will be lots of familiar faces. I'll start the youngsters in the friendly at home against Egypt in a few days.

We accomplish two things in this match: first, we win, 2-1, and it wasn't that close as Ukraine scored in the 78th to make it seem less one-sided than it was. But second, we get two goals from forward Pietro D'Onofrio, one of the younger players who really needs to take on a bigger role in the coming years.

It's a good start to this competition and sets a good foundation for the coming months.

[trman73]

September 10, 2024 - International Friendly: Italy vs. Iran

Every bench player from our last game starts in this one. That means new faces Tiziano Marangon at center back, Alessandro Granelli at center midfielder, Girolamo Belloti at attcking left midfielder and Moise Kean at forward all get starts. I'm excited to see how these youngsters do.

We play a solid but unspectacular game, winning 2-0. We score on a corner in the 59th, then newcomer Leandro Chiappini nails one from 30 yards out to seal it.

[trman73]

October 11, 2024 - International League, Group 3, Game 2: Switzerland (0-0-1, 0 pts., 3rd) vs. Italy (1-0-0, 3 pts. 1st)

Switzerland lost its opener, 2-0, at Ukraine. If we win this match we'll control the group. If we lose it, it's a three-way tie halfway through. We handled these guys well last time they were in our group in this competition, and I've got no reason to believe we won't come out on top again.

Instead, we put in a terrible performance. We give up two first-half goals, and although D'Onofrio gets one back on a goal from about 25 yards out, we concede late, and fall 3-1. We're in a three-way tie in the group, and based on goal differential, we're last.

[Justin_Case]

Feels like it's becoming a bit of a rebuilding phase for the Italians...

[trman73]

October 15, 2024 - International Friendly: United States vs. Italy

Things are not going that well. We've fallen behind the Germans to 3rd in the world, and we've lost two of our last three meaningful matches. Somehow France, despite winning the last two major cups, are right behind us in 4th.

We hop on a plane following the loss to Switzerland and head for Dallas for a match in my home town. I really want a victory here in front of friends and family. I give a lot of media interviews about my rapid rise through the ranks of world football, and hopefully the team knows how important this match is to me personally. I play a combination of starters and reserves in this one against a US team that's coached by 66-year-old Bob Bradley. The US is ranked 22nd in the world, and with Mexico hosting the 2026 World Cup, their path to qualification looks incredibly easy as the final North American group includes the likes of Canada, Haiti, and Honduras.

To be honest, I'd like to show off my talents a bit here in hopes that perhaps when Bradley retires soon I may be considered for the US job, which is always one of my goals.

We play well in this one. Belotti gets us on the board in the 15th, then D'Onofrio continues his quality play with a goal on a nice pass from Bernardeschi, and it's 2-0 at halftime. Not a lot of action in the second half, and we hold on for a 2-0 win on my home soil.

We'll close out the 2024 season with our final two International League matches next month. We need to advance to the semis of that tournament.

[trman73]

November 15, 2024 - International League, Group 3, Game 3: Ukraine (1-0-1, 3 pts., 3rd) vs. Italy (1-0-1, 3 pts. 2nd)

Our task is simple here: we need to win our final two matches to advance to the semifinals of this tournament. Technically that's not officially true, as we can lose to Ukraine, beat Switzerland, and we all finish 2-0-2 and it comes down to differential or goals. But really, we need to just take care of business here in Ukraine and then the Switzerland match becomes winner take all.

Less than a minute into this match we have a good chance as D'Onofrio fires a shot right in front of the keeper. It's saved, but Belotti is right there for the put-back, and we're up 1-0 54 seconds in. Ukraine ties it up in the 34th, but the second half belongs to us. Capezzi puts us back up in the 64th, then we get a rare goal from defender Daniele Rugani, who scores off a rebound from a free kick to make it 3-1. That's the final, and our match in a few days with Switzerland will be for a trip to the semifinals early next year.

[trman73]

November 19, 2024 - International League, Group 3, Game 4: Italy (2-0-1, 6 pts. 2nd) vs. Switzerland (2-0-1, 6 pts., 1st)

This one's for all the marbles and we need a win. A draw won't cut it as we'd lose the head-to-head battle thanks to our defeat in Bern last month. France, Germany, and Spain have already clinched their groups. We belong with those three teams; Switzerland does not. If we win, we'll get either the French or the Germans in the semifinal. I'm going to take a chance and start the majority of the team I started in Ukraine.

For the second straight match we score in the first minute, as a corner by Bernardeschi finds Parigini for the opening goal. This time we don't allow our opponents to neutralize, as Belotti finds D'Onofrio for a goal in the 15th, and it's 2-0.

That's the last good thing that happens in this match. In stoppage time Switzerland pulls to within 2-1, and then in the 70th they tie it. We need a goal, so late in the match we go into attack mode, and we get burned on a breakaway that puts the Swiss up, 3-2. We lose the match, and are out of this tournament.

I am starting to wonder if I'll make it through the World Cup qualifiers.

[trman73]

Italy 2024 Season Recap

Well, it was an interesting season for the Italian National Team. Coming after a dominant performance in the Euro Cup qualifiers, we finish 2024 with an overall record of 7-2-4. We go 3-1-1 in the Euros, 2-0-2 in the International League, and 2-1-1 in friendlies. For one of the so-called top teams in the world, that's a poor year.

As I mentioned previously, this is a strange time for this side. We're experiencing a lot of growing pains as we transition to a new generation of players for the national team. A lot of our stalwarts are gone, and others are soon to follow. So this, to a large degree, was our transition year. The Euro 2024 destruction at the hands of Portugal was our wake-up call. Changes needed to be made, and they were. Overall, I have to be honest. Our grade for 2024 is a C-.

2024 Most Valuable Player: DC Daniele Rugani

Rugani is this team's leader now. The Bayern man had a quality campaign, playing in a team-high 12 matches and compiling a 7.22 rating. He even scored two goals. If we're going to move forward and qualify for the World Cup, which frankly right now is in doubt, he needs to be the man. Runners-Up: F Pietro D'Onofrio established himself as the best of our new generation of players, scoring six goals to lead the team this year. And MC Leonardo Capezzi had another solid year for us, although he is now on the wrong side of 30.

2025 Outlook

We've got 10 matches next year: our eight World Cup qualifiers, and home friendlies in June against Holland and Japan. If we stumble out of the gate at home against Spain in our first qualifier, I am likely to be relieved of my duties, or may even resign and see what club football options are available next summer. I've lost as many games in 28 matches as Italy manager as my predecessor lost in 54.

Edited June 17, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

OK folks, we have a situation here...

The Roma job has come up. After a Serie A title in 2023 and a second-place finish last season, Fernando Santos has been sacked as the team has fallen to sixth in the league and was a non-factor in Champions League. I am thinking long and hard about applying to return to my former club. After three years in charge of Italy, I really miss club football and I loved coaching that team. 

I decide not to apply. I took this Italy job to see what I could do in the ultimate international competition, the World Cup. With qualifiers just a month or so away, I simply can't give up on this now. They don't approach me (Juventus and a couple others did approach me vs. me applying for their jobs), and I let it go.

[trman73]

March 28, 2025 - World Cup Qualifying, Group 8, Game 1: Italy vs. Spain

I hate to put too much emphasis on one of eight matches, but as they say in the game, our entire outlook could hinge on this opening match of qualifiers. Home against a Spain team that is by far our toughest competition in the group, we absolutely need points here. The Spaniards are currently 15th in the world. They were knocked out in the round of 16 of the European Championship, and since then they've gone 4-2-0. They are one of the most talented teams in the world, and a win in the opener of this one would give us a lot of momentum heading into the 2025 campaign. I'm worried about both our defense and our attack right now. Frankly, I feel like we're the underdog in this one, even at home.

We come out aggressively and get a couple good chances that David De Gea turns away. In the 24th, new starter Alessandro Granelli makes a perfect pass from midfield to a streaking D'Onofrio, who beats his man and scores to make it 1-0. Less than 10 minutes later, D'Onofrio finds the net again, this time on a pass from Belotti, and it's 2-0! We are playing incredibly well and go into the half up two.

We go into defensive mode for the second half, but still get a number of good offensive chances. We can't score, but Spain is offering little offense of its own, and as the clock winds down it's clear we are going to win. We do, 2-0, and it's a huge result and a fantastic effort from our guys. We win a vital match to kick off the qualifiers. It's easily our biggest performance of my Italy tenure, and one of the best wins of my career.

Edited June 18, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

March 31, 2025 - World Cup Qualifying, Group 8, Game 2: FYR Macedonia (1-0-0, 3 pts., 2nd) vs. Italy (1-0-0, 3 pts., 1st)

Macedonia won its opener on the road against Estonia, but we're still heavily favored over them on the road. With a win here we get a crucial six points from our first two, with Poland and Estonia coming up next in September. Again, each of these matches is obviously of incredible importance, and we need three points here.

We officially have a new star. Two minutes into this match, Belotti lays a perfect cross from the left corner to the foot of D'Onofrio, who scores his third goal of the qualifiers, and just like that it's 1-0. That score holds at the break, and in the 62nd Belotti finds D'Onofrio again to make it 2-0. We do what we did against Spain and park the bus, but still get a goal from Granelli and win, 3-0. These first two matches could not have gone any better, and we're now off until June, when we have two friendlies that will give us a chance to bring in even more young players.

[trman73]

June 13 and June 17, 2025 - International Friendlies: Italy vs. Holland and Italy vs. Japan

We have some injuries for these friendlies, with Bernardeschi and Capezzi are on the shelf. We'll start the replacements in the Japan match, and the starters against Holland.

Holland beats us, 3-1, and we don't play well. We recover against an inferior Japan team and dominate them, winning 3-0 with all our goals coming in the second half. I didn't really pay a lot of attention to these matches as they were running and just wanted to escape without injuries, which we did.

It's World Cup qualifiers for the rest of the year, and then, hopefully, preparation for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico.

[DodgeeD]

Tough luck in the Euros! I had a similar experience in my career with Portugal at the World Cup - all went well until we faced Holland in the last 8 and lost 5 heavily...

But it looks like you are back on track in the World Cup qualifiers. Could it be that Italy have become the new England? Impressive in qualifying but struggling under the spotlight in the finals?