lblanc Posted May 26, 2019 Author Share Posted May 26, 2019 A bad start to the month of November but I recovered to finish strongly in the cup competitions The loss to Tondela was ridiculous though They had one shot in the game which they scored from, while I had 37 in which 17 were on target I then drew with Maritimo meaning I'm no longer top of the league Though I do have a game in hand(s) over the teams above me. I will still need to dig deep to get back on top. In the cup a 2-0 win over Benfica sees me through to the next round, and the 4 points picked up in Europe see me through top of the group with a game to spare. As for the player of the month, this is a tough one as it was a tough month. Though I think i'll give it to the player who has put personal issues behind him and worked for the team. Raphinha I had a few injury issues on the wings so despite him being unhappy he stepped in and done a great job 2 assists and 1 goal during the month, as well as his all round play. With some more game time under his belt he dropped his wage demands too and I'm please to say. He signed a new 4 year contract, I feel 28k is a testament of his worth to me,and i'm glad he has agreed. As for December Well it's a long one, a total of 5 League games and the visit of Inter to Jose Alvadade, as well as domestic cup games make it 8 games in the month. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMbeginner Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Really good updates on your Sporting CP story so far! How are your young players developing? I've seen you have been giving a few debuts and playing youth players in cup games. Who has been your stand out youth players? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted May 26, 2019 Author Share Posted May 26, 2019 1 hour ago, FMbeginner said: Really good updates on your Sporting CP story so far! How are your young players developing? I've seen you have been giving a few debuts and playing youth players in cup games. Who has been your stand out youth players? Diogo Bras has never let me down when I've brought him into the first team though he still has work to do and has at least 4 wingers still ahead of him (A loan move may be on the cards for him in January). Thierry Correia too has been brilliant, I've actually promoted him to the first team squad and plan to use him from the bench and even start him in the games against the lower opposition, I hope he'll be able to kick on from his early promise with interest in both Risto and Gaspar he may become the number 2 right back. Jovane has gone from strength to strength, I know he was already a member of the first team picture at the start of the first season but he is now up my most highly rated right winger Gonzalo Plata is also pushing Phellype hard for that number 2 striker role. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted May 27, 2019 Author Share Posted May 27, 2019 December Season 2 Well it didn't start well with a 3-1 loss to Braga but the rest of the month I scored 22 goals and conceded 0. In the league that loss means I'm chasing Benfica, but I'm still confident of catching them. In the domestic cups It's Maritimo in the Taca and Braga in the league cup In Europe A very nice draw indeed in relation to who I could have gotten, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern, Spurs, Atletico all avoided. Lyon will be a tough one but I'd them then the others mentioned. Player of the month Captain fantastic again Bruno Fernandes, he was immense in December scoring 3 and he was involved in 6 of goals during the month. He is once again attracting interest from a host of clubs, Inter Milan and Man Utd being the main two. He has a €42M buyout clause which if met I'll be powerless. I hope he'll stay until at least the summer though. I am scouting a potential replacement for him who will hopefully come in on a free, though he will need to drop his current wage demands (This will also fall outside my initial transfer plans too). Though perhaps I may try to retrain Thiago Almada to be able to play the deeper midfield role. In January, the important one there is of course the league game against Benfica hopefully I can reduce the gap. I'll also be after some revenge against Braga in the cup hoping to get the final and add the league cup to the trophy cabinet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted May 28, 2019 Author Share Posted May 28, 2019 (edited) January was almost perfect, beating Benfica put me within touching distance of them, when they then drew I went to within a point of them with the win over Aves, then a last minute goal against Nacional seen me drop four points behind them again Maritimo were seen off in the Taca de Portugal quarter final, the semis shall see me play Braga again. Who were my opponents in the League Cup Semi Final Dost and Fernandes gave me the win putting me through to the final Where..... The final would be played at the Jose Alvalade. a chance to win in front of our fans at home AND WIN WE DID!!! Another trophy added to the cabinet. Player of the month The big man was the star of the month scoring 5 goals Of course with January over that means the transfer window has closed Nobody came IN OUT Only really the dead wood and some of the younger players going out on loan. Gaspar would have been the only player there getting first team action, his departure though as said in an above update give Thierry Coreira a chance now in the team. Of course the big news is that Bruno Fernandes has stayed, Inter Milan did test my resolve many times during the month with a mixture of loan bids and money offers of 35m but they never came close to his buyout clause so he stayed, and was happy to do so in the case he didn't moan when I rejected the bids from them. February sees a return to the Champions League and of course the task of trying to claw back Benfica. Edited May 29, 2019 by lblanc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 2, 2019 Author Share Posted June 2, 2019 Sorry been a busy week, so haven't been able to play as much as I wanted It was a good February 4 big wins in the league especially the 4-0 win over Porto. In the champions league a 1-1 draw away puts me in a good position for the second leg. Benfica dropped points to Braga meaning I have pulled back their 4 point lead. Player of the month Has to be the big man again he added another 6 goals during the month, bringing his tally to 24 for the season only 4 off his tally of last season. Up next in March I continue my cup battles with Braga and the home leg with Lyon in between 3 league games. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 2, 2019 Author Share Posted June 2, 2019 (edited) And two updates on the same day for you lucky people An excellent month 13 goals scored and 0 conceded. Two 2-0 wins in the cups and three 3-0 wins in the league see me take a good advantage into the second leg of the Taca 2nd leg and through to the Quarter finals of the cup and of course keep the pressure on Benfica. I still remain two points behind with two months left to go. In the champions league It's Man City who stand in my way. I'll be honest I don't expect to get by them so I most likely will play a second string team to rest players for that big Braga league game in between. Player of the month for March It has to go for Miguel Luis. The youngster has turned into an amazing option in the middle for me and he has some shot on him too, finding the net 3 times during the month with cracking long range shots. One other piece of new A nice reward for my efforts so far. Edited June 2, 2019 by lblanc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Great stuff! That's a phenomenal win ratio. Benfica do seem really strong in the game, would have thought you'd be top with that points tally. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 3, 2019 Author Share Posted June 3, 2019 4 hours ago, karanhsingh said: Great stuff! That's a phenomenal win ratio. Benfica do seem really strong in the game, would have thought you'd be top with that points tally. Yeah benfica have been good this season. They just keep grinding out results. They still have to play myself and Porto so I'm hopeful they will drop points Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 3, 2019 Author Share Posted June 3, 2019 (edited) April done As expected I went out of the Champions League to Man City though I was damn proud of the two performances against them. I was at one point going through on away goals when I lead 2-1 But two quick fire Immobile goals put me out. Some of the league games were too close for comfort though especially that Portimonense game. two goals in injury time gave me the 3 points. In the cup The 2-1 away win puts me through to the final against Belenenses Going into May here is the league Benfica drew against Rio Ave last time out meaning I have a 3 point gap with a game in hand, and I currently have a better head to head. Here is both out run ins Could it go down to the last game of the season? or will Porto do me a favour? Player of the month for April btw Marcos Acuna- the left sided winger was superb in April coming up with some vitals goals and assists. (5 and 2 respectively) Edited June 3, 2019 by lblanc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 3, 2019 Author Share Posted June 3, 2019 So May the last month of the second season could I win it all? First up for me was Ac. Viseu Pressure on Benfica And they bottled it That put me 4 points ahead with them still having a game in hand and of course to play me. Benfica played first in the next week A 3-0 win against Estoril put them right back in with a chance Next up for me was Moreirense Another 5-0 win put all the pressure on Benfica in their game in hand over Belenenses And they blew it again meaning Vigésimo!!! Of course we still had the to play each other in the last game of the season A 1-1 draw was a fair result and a good way to finish the league campaign. Next up was the Cup final for me over Belenenses A 3-0 win completed a brilliant domestic quadruple (if you include the Super Cup) Next update will be end of season rewards and plans for next season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 3, 2019 Author Share Posted June 3, 2019 Player of the season captain Bruno Fernandes, with Jovane taking the young player of the season. Bas Dost finished with 34 goals Acuna and Fernandes got 13 assists each, Domingos got the highest rating for the season Rodrigo Battaglia also picked up 1 red card during the season. Plans for next season. Well a good few of my players are wanted by big teams around Europe Bruno Fernandes and Raphinha being the two most wanted. I would like to keep both but if their €40m buyout clauses are met then I won't stand it their way. Champions League and Europa League finished like so 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 4, 2019 Author Share Posted June 4, 2019 Big changes for the start of season 3 After BUSCA PELO VIGÉSIMO was a success I've set myself a new challenge Três em fila!!! Or in English 3 in a row. Shall update in the next few days on a busy summer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlivierL Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 (edited) Great read, started with Sporting tonight. i'm going to play with my 3-4-3 (libero) and have to convert few wingers to striker positions. I can't find the prize money in the rules . Don't u get money for winning the league ? I noticed that sporting have a lot of loan debts. Didn't this gave (or give) u any problems during the seasons? Edited June 5, 2019 by Olivierlandman Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 8, 2019 Author Share Posted June 8, 2019 On 05/06/2019 at 23:30, Olivierlandman said: Great read, started with Sporting tonight. i'm going to play with my 3-4-3 (libero) and have to convert few wingers to striker positions. I can't find the prize money in the rules . Don't u get money for winning the league ? I noticed that sporting have a lot of loan debts. Didn't this gave (or give) u any problems during the seasons? A lot of transfers I do are staged payments which help. I only retain something like 30% of incoming fees which is a pain but that's paying off the debt. Sporting have a pretty good TV Deal off hand I think it's worth something like 100m a season. There is prize money for the league can't remember how much though. The league money is from Europe though. Getting far in Europa in my first season done me wonders then champions league football prize money is a step above that. I'll post up the financial earnings in my next update Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 (edited) Always a good read @lblanc and well done on your success. I managed the double in my first year (original database) and the progress of the youth in the U23 and U18 groups was really good. Sadly the new database came around before my second season and I never continued. During my spell there, Bruno Fernandes scored a lot of goals for me and was definitely my best player. Acuna also did some great things even though mainly used at LB (I'm a big fan of his IRL) and Cabral was excellent. Dost had his moments but was very hot and cold. These are the only images I took (includes my own signings) but gives a flavour of who did what for me. As I am going to Lisbon this month, I've now decided to start at SLB on the current database as it's possibly the last chance to manage Felix and Dias there. Plus (in game) I am hoping I can get Jimenez and Jovic back for my 2nd season if their loan clubs don't buy them. It must be said that in season 1, SLB have abysmal striker choices, so I would be delighted if I get those two back for season 2. In contrast to SLB, I feel FC Porto have amazing striker options but weaknesses in other parts of their squad. Sporting are quite evenly balanced compared to their two bigger rivals. Anyway, I won't hijack your thread talking about SLB as they're all great choices and I've got no particular preference for any of them (also managed FCP for a while a few years ago). Edited June 11, 2019 by Jogo Bonito 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 11, 2019 Author Share Posted June 11, 2019 Looks like a good season Jogo Here is my 3rd season update just after the transfer window has closed Due to the European Championships being on I had a relatively short pre-season The SuperTaca was won on penalties then I had an almost perfect start to the season bar the 1-1 draw to Tondela Here be the league so far Champions League draw League Cup Draw Not bad draw in each I'm confident I can qualify from both. But of course the big updates were in the transfer market First of all the Outs 3 big names left Bruno Fernandes- €42M to Man Utd After 2 seasons Bruno has gone to pastures new, Man Utd met his release clause and I was powerless to stop him. Raphinha- €40M to Monaco Another whose release clause was met and I was powerless to stop. Sebastian Coates €40M to PSG One I was sad to see go but for €40M for a 29 year old I though sure why not, plus he had moaned when I rejected a previous offer of €30M from PSG so when they came back with €40 off he went. Other players to leave were Some youth players left and end of contract and a few more went out on loan, one of the main ones being Freddie Woodman, he didn't brilliantly in the cups for me so I wanted to give him more game time but Renan is still my undisputed number 1 so I've sent him to Chaves were he'll be a Key Player So with four of my main players gone, it left some gaps and I would spend €63M on four players breaking my transfer record in the process. First to replace Bruno Fernandes for a fee of €19.25M From Genk Sander Berge Sander is a player I had scouted last season and I got rave reviews so I decided to splash the cash, He's capable of player a number of roles in the middle of the park and at only 22 has time to improve Spoiler Described as a World Class Midfielder, great passing and decision making as well as team work and amazing stamina mean he can be a driving force in my midfield. To replace the departing defenders I firstly Ivanildo Fernandes returned form his loan in Germany last year to provide one replacement. But two more central defenders came in Firstly Returning to Sporting for a fee of €11M Tiago Djajo Perhaps a little OTT on the price but I think this lad is going to be special Spoiler His Physicals are already brilliant already, and I'm hoping with experience that those Mental stats go up. I'm a big fan of his 14 Leadership for a 20 year old. perhaps a future captain in the making. The best part of this transfer he is home grown and U21 so doesn't count have to registered in the CL squad. The next defender. For what could potential be a record if should certain clauses be met Joining his Norwegian compatriot and swapping one green and white hooped team for the other kristoffer Ajer from Celtic for €18.5M (potential rising to €19.5M) Spoiler Another player I've always wanted to try out so when Coates decided to go I thought I'd test Celtic's reserve and they came back with a deal close to 30M some negotiating and I managed to get that down to €18.5 straight and the below add ons Overall I'm happy with the deal, I wish I could have reduced that Sell on Clause but Celtic stood by it. The last transfer in was done on deadline day, with Bas Dost now over 30 I decided I wanted to bring someone in who might be able to learn from him and push on for the next few years Surprisingly transfer listed for €13.25M The young Azurri Andrea Pinamonti Spoiler Great finishing , composure and off the ball should make him a big threat I look forward to developing him. So as you may have noticed with the above transfers, with Bruno Fernandes and Coates gone that meant I needed a new Captain and vice Captain. This was one I thought long and hard about it but after a great season last year and being a home grown talent My new captain is Domingos Duarte- he spent the first season on loan a Deportivo and I almost sold him but I decided to give him a shot when Pinto and Neto got injured and I never looked back he went on to be a key player and has gone on to cement a place in the Portugal National team too. Spoiler A leadership rating of 14 and a teamwork rating of 15 he was a natural choice For the vice captaincy well it went to the man who runs all day long Marcos Acuna- as I said above this lad runs for the entire game he might not have the best Leadership rating (10) but he makes up for that with his Work Rate and being a Team Leader and popular player in the dressing room. The player of the month for August btw Jovane Cabral - who has started like a house on first 4 goals from 4 games, he's being brilliant. As promised some Financial News This is from the start of September Obviously the biggest income has been the Champions League Prize Money and the TV Revenue Turns out you Oliver man was right no prize money seems to have been given for the League though I'm convinced I seen something saying I was given prize money Biggest outgoing is of course wages, but I've managed to keep it pretty balanced over the last two years Of course Loan repayments were also and big part but the Champions League money really helped with that Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 11, 2019 Author Share Posted June 11, 2019 Sorry forgot to add the month of September and my fixtures list Here is my current full first team squad for the season ahead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted June 12, 2019 Share Posted June 12, 2019 Solid updates. How is Thiago Almada doing for you? And Matias Vargas? I would think that Berge seems a different type of player to Bruno Fernandes, he probably will not get you as many goals from midfield. May have to do with spreading the goals out more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 12, 2019 Author Share Posted June 12, 2019 Vargas has done well when available, a tad bit injury prone though has done his ankle ligaments twice in 2 years and spent about 6-7 months out. Almada has mostly played for u23/19 teams but has looked promising when called upon for the seniors too. I liked Berges versatility yes he isn't a direct replacement in terms of possible goal return but he has great potential to be that all rounder I wanted. I'm planning to experiment a little during the season so he'll be key in this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted June 12, 2019 Share Posted June 12, 2019 Another cracking update, thanks for the detail and keep up the good work. I see Cabral has been doing well for you too, and I'm very pleased to see Acuna getting the VC duties. I know I used him in a deeper role than you, but he is definitely on my transfer shortlist for SLB if I ever lose Grimaldo (which seems like when rather than if, as he is so good) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 14, 2019 Author Share Posted June 14, 2019 September of season 3 Bar a disastrous first half against Monaco I've been flawless, the 1-0 Porto win (should have been more) and my trashing of Fenerbahce being the highlights It be myself and Benfica who lead the way, Chaves are the early surprise package. Champions League is close though, Atlectico picking up only 2 points from their first two means we're a 4,3,2,1 point run down Player of the month After a injury to Wendel I shifted Berge to play as the box to box and Agustín Almendra has come in and played in the as an advanced playmaker, he has been brilliant picking out passes left right and centre. While he may not have registered any assists he has been involved in many of the goals I've scored perhaps I may have found my Bruno replacement. For October An important Champions League game against Atlectico awaits as well as Braga and my toughest test in the League cup against Guimarares. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 15, 2019 Author Share Posted June 15, 2019 October Season 3 Brilliant in the league and a straight forward win in the Taca but I have it all to do now in the Champions League and I'll be hoping Guimaraes mess up against Chaves while I put goals on the board against Leiria This is the group at the moment I the Champions League In the race for three in a row It's going to be a big November Not only do I have two key Champions League games I have the Lisbon Derby. Player of the month for October Has to Jovane again 5 goals during the month, he has turned into a World Class winger. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 15, 2019 Author Share Posted June 15, 2019 Have flown through November And what a month it was!!! A Bas Dost hat trick against Atlético put me right back with a change then a narrow win over Monaco means beat Fenerbahce and I'm through Of course in the league I had that big win over Benfica Vargas in for the injured Acuna was brilliant getting two goals and two assists. and he continued that in the cup against Aves. And those 4 goals and 4 assists make him the player of the month The big news of the month, after the Portugal regained promotion back to League A Fernando Santos stepped down. I applied and A great honour with a great young squad I'll be looking towards the 2022 World Cup hoping to bring World Glory to the nation. But I will first have to qualify and I'll find that out during the month of December which looks like this Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 17, 2019 Author Share Posted June 17, 2019 December Season 3 Well a second domestic treble dream is over after I went out of the Taca and the League Cup :-( I took a gamble with a young team in against Penafiel and it backfired. In the league cup I got the win but not the goals I needed, though even if I had it wouldn't have mattered as Chaves and Guimaraes played out a 0-0 meaning Guimaraes went through on 7 points. You'll notice that I lost to Fenerbahce too But thankfully AS Monaco done me a favour and I scraped through in second My prize a first round knockout game against Chelsea. Tough but could have been worse. Unbeaten still in the league means I'm still on course for 3 in row though Benfica are keeping chase Player of the month The man again Bas Dost, he hasn't been his goal getting best of the last two years but 4 goals and 2 assists during December make him my biggest contributor. I will say though young Pinamonti is really pushing him for that starting berth. As for my second job I now know who shall be stand in my way of World cup qualification. Ukraine shall be my toughest test, and perhaps Scotland and Armenia will be tough especially away but I can't see Gibraltar or Moldova causing me much problems. I've already made some big decisions as the Portuguese National Manager With Ruben Dias taking over as Captain Spoiler The former Benfica man (Now Man UTD) has all the attributes to lead the team for the next 10 years, 15 Leadership and 15 Teamwork make him ideal. As for vice captain I again went for a young player who I will look to build my team around Ruben Neves Spoiler The former Wolves man now Spurs shall be the heartbeat of my midfield and an able deputy to Ruben Dias on this new era of the Portugal National Team One big conundrum I have is what to do with the perhaps the greatest Portuguese Player of all time. Spoiler Still phenomenal but he'll be 37 by the time of the World Cup will he still be around ? Do I plan for the future without him? It will be a tough one, he has just won the World Player of the Year and seems stronger then ever, He hasn't mentioned anything about retiring yet though he has his staff attributes* already which means retirement can't be that far away. *and what attributes they are he will definitely be one I will try to bring into my staffing for club or country Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 17, 2019 Author Share Posted June 17, 2019 Sorry forgot to add January fixtures Should be a relatively short one given I have no cup games :-( The transfer window is open and a few of my players are attracting interest so hopefully we'll be able to keep the stronger ones and sell off some of the dead wood. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 Good luck mate. Ronaldo still looks phenomenal!! How is Fabio Silva coming on? Should be good in another 2 years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 17, 2019 Author Share Posted June 17, 2019 15 minutes ago, karanhsingh said: Good luck mate. Ronaldo still looks phenomenal!! How is Fabio Silva coming on? Should be good in another 2 years. He's still in the Porto U23's but he already has great finishing finishing ability I agree he may be the future Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbRaiN Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 Started a save with Sporting seems really interesting. Had a good 1st season placed 2nd in the league and knocked out at 16 EL from Marseille Had a lot work to do in the transfer window as many loan players return , so we had many sales and our balance at the start of September is 100M(!!) Sold Rafinha at the last day of the transfer window . Didnt really want to sell cause he had an excellent season and developed really good beeing in the top15 Wingers in game (with many personal traits too) but Dortmund came with an impressive offer of 48M(rising to 62M with bonuses) and i decided to sell him. My roster is full and i got an Ukranian wonderkid to replace Rafinha which i see 1st time in this FM . I also had an impressive winger as a regen in the 1st season , and i declined an 18M offer from Juventus for him. You can see my tactics and selection below , any suggestion would be usefull 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 (edited) Nice update @lblanc and good luck in Europe and in the domestic league. I've completed one season with SLB (may have to put a Career Forum thread up) and will probably keep it going if Jovic and Jimenez don't get snapped up. @AbRaiN It's a great club to manage, will enjoy reading about it here. I've also been looking at Renan in case Grimaldo leaves SLB but the young Brazilian is way too expensive at the moment for me. Edited June 17, 2019 by Jogo Bonito 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 17, 2019 Author Share Posted June 17, 2019 January Season 3 4 wins from 4 for January And a good month in terms of transfers in that I managed to keep my big players, albeit I have promised to sell Jovane come the summer. The only out is Jaoa Palhinha to Brighton for 10M rising to 12M tbh he played very little in fact only twice and had been moaning a lot so off he went. One will come in during the summer though. Joel Pereria will join on a free I know what you're thinking. How many Goalkeepers do I want? Well Renan has been attracting a lot of interest so may leave during the summer if I get a decent enough bid, Andre Moreira has been woeful anytime he has played (See cup competitions) so I might be trying to sell or loan him out in the summer. It would mean the battle for my number one next year would be between Freddie Woodman who has done brilliantly at Chaves and my current number 2 Pedro Silva who in his own has become a very good keeper. Luis Maximiano has also done very well whilst out on loan too, so it will be a fun and tough decision to make come the summer for me. As for Player of the month Jovane just goes from strength to strength if he doesn't win Player of the year then something is wrong This was his contribution to the month truly superb. Here is the League table at the end of the month Onto to February now The big games obviously being that Home leg in the Champions League and the home game with Porto. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 17, 2019 Author Share Posted June 17, 2019 (edited) Great update @AbRaiN it can be tough to keep the good players alright especially when the bigger clubs come for them, with me Raphinha went for his buyout clause of €40 which I couldn't budge due to his agent but that has given Jovane his chance to shine. I'll agree the amount of loan players coming back after the first summer is a lot but there are one or two who are great players Domingos Duarte my current captain and Matti Pereira the highlights Daniel Braganca is another who looks superb though I decided to loan him out for the two seasons I've managed so far he'll be competing next season for me. @Jogo Bonito In my save Frankfurt met the 7m buyout clause for Jovic but after Wolves were relegated Jimenez went back to Benfica though he only played 6 games before moving to Dynamo Kiev for 1.8M in the January transfer window (actually think he was transfer listed..and I was tempted btw) I will that Benfica seem to the wonderkid hub of Portugal some great youngsters there, Tiago Dantas, Jota, Pepe, Pedro Pereira, Diogo Cardoso all great players under 23 at the start of the game who can be moulded. Edited June 17, 2019 by lblanc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 That's a brilliant start to the season @lblanc but you're still not clear of SLB so there is still plenty of pressure on you. I see Cabral is doing the same for you as he did for me, a massive contribution from him. I suffered a similar problem shaking off my nearest rival - but it was FC Porto in my first season with Benfica that kept the pressure on. I kept winning and ended with 89 points, but couldn't catch them off and finished 2nd by two points. Sporting were miles off the pace in my game and came in 6th, failing to even qualify for the Europa League! I guess that shows how well me and you did winning the league with them Regarding Jovic, I was fearing for the first 12 months that Frankfurt would buy him, but they didn't and I welcomed him back for pre-season (and Jimenez). Just when I was ready to enjoy his performances for SLB, clubs started bidding and eventually Bayern and Liverpool have met his £40.5m release clause and he is about to go just two days before my first pre-season friendly. I still get to use Jimenez and have signed two other strikers from Brazil in my first season who are doing great, but I really wanted to manage Jovic for at least one season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 19, 2019 Author Share Posted June 19, 2019 February Season 3 And my unbeaten league campaign comes to an end :-( but on the plus side a superb 3-0 win at home to Chelsea puts me massively in charge of that tie. So it's all square between myself and Benfica with our head to head separating us. Player of the month for Feb having started the season slow Bas Dost has really begun to get back to his best 6 goals from him during the month bring him level with Jovane in the league top goal scorer The schedule for March is as follows I shall also begin my International management career Games against Ukraine and Moldova await me. At the moment my 23 man squad is as follows Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 20, 2019 Author Share Posted June 20, 2019 (edited) 10 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said: That's a brilliant start to the season @lblanc but you're still not clear of SLB so there is still plenty of pressure on you. I see Cabral is doing the same for you as he did for me, a massive contribution from him. I suffered a similar problem shaking off my nearest rival - but it was FC Porto in my first season with Benfica that kept the pressure on. I kept winning and ended with 89 points, but couldn't catch them off and finished 2nd by two points. Sporting were miles off the pace in my game and came in 6th, failing to even qualify for the Europa League! I guess that shows how well me and you did winning the league with them Regarding Jovic, I was fearing for the first 12 months that Frankfurt would buy him, but they didn't and I welcomed him back for pre-season (and Jimenez). Just when I was ready to enjoy his performances for SLB, clubs started bidding and eventually Bayern and Liverpool have met his £40.5m release clause and he is about to go just two days before my first pre-season friendly. I still get to use Jimenez and have signed two other strikers from Brazil in my first season who are doing great, but I really wanted to manage Jovic for at least one season Always the way. Who were the Brazilians you bought? Edited June 20, 2019 by lblanc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted June 20, 2019 Share Posted June 20, 2019 11 hours ago, lblanc said: Always the way. Who were the Brazilians you bought? In the first season I signed Gustavo from Corinthians for £3.7m in the summer window, and in the winter window my only new arrival was Pedro from Fluminense for £16m. Both have done very well for me. I'm cash rich at the start of season two, but don't really need any more strikers even after the departure of Jovic. I'll probably open a thread here or in the Careers Forum for SLB, as I do want to share my story but don't want to take the focus off your Sporting topic. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 21, 2019 Author Share Posted June 21, 2019 I look forward to the thread Jogo :-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 21, 2019 Author Share Posted June 21, 2019 (edited) March Season 3 The month started so well with qualification for the Quarter Finals of the Champions League but 5 dropped points in the league has left me chasing Benfica, thankfully they slipped up too and I'm not further behind As you'll see from the league table it's still very close. Player of the month Has to go to Almada, has become a real talent So April My reward for beating Chelsea is another trip back to England and Manchester United for a reunion with Bruno Fernandes. Slap bang in the middle of that is the potential league decider. Of course March seen me take charge of my first games for the national side. Some small changes to the squad posted above. An unfortunate injury for Rui seen him out for 9 months and pretty much ruled out of the qualifying campaign. Diogo Jota also picked him a hamstring injury so they were replaced in the squad by Yuri Riberio of Vitoria Guimaraes (on loan from Benfica) and Rafael Leao of Lille. First up was Ukraine at home. What a way to start your international career. Ronaldo and Silva both grabbed hat tricks with Ruben Neves and Bernando Silva adding 1 each. truly brilliant Next up was a trip to Moldova Gedson Fernandes bagged his first international goal and Ronaldo added another 2 After two games played Next international games shall be in June Gibraltar visit Portugal and then away to Scotland. Tactics for the national team are as follows Ruben Dias obviously plays in that vacant spot but he pulled out injured after the Ukraine game. Edited June 21, 2019 by lblanc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 Great update as usual @lblanc and doing well in Europe. Your league battle with SLB is too close to call but you can definitely do it. There are lots of familiar names to me in your Portugal squad too, nice to see. I will be in Lisbon in a few hours and wont be on FM for a while, but will pick up with SLB when/if I return home. In the meantime, (and sorry for the plug by the way) I created this thread to get me going in case anybody is interested to read. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
quee Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 5 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said: Great update as usual @lblanc and doing well in Europe. Your league battle with SLB is too close to call but you can definitely do it. There are lots of familiar names to me in your Portugal squad too, nice to see. I will be in Lisbon in a few hours and wont be on FM for a while, but will pick up with SLB when/if I return home. In the meantime, (and sorry for the plug by the way) I created this thread to get me going in case anybody is interested to read. Is that forum more active compared to here? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 @quee I honestly dont know as it's my first effort on there. It looks like people post regularly on their own threads (which is what I need for this one instead of creating a club guide like this great Sporting one). I think the interaction of other posters commenting might be stronger here, but each forum has their place and followers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
quee Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 11 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said: @quee I honestly dont know as it's my first effort on there. It looks like people post regularly on their own threads (which is what I need for this one instead of creating a club guide like this great Sporting one). I think the interaction of other posters commenting might be stronger here, but each forum has their place and followers I rarely go there, so will have to drop by when I remember to check your updates. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 22, 2019 Author Share Posted June 22, 2019 April Season 3 Well what a month this turned out to be I lost the first leg of the champions league quarter final 4-2 but what two would be as just after I narrowly beat Benfica with Dost scoring from the I will admit the a very lucky penalty I welcomed Man U to Lisbon going to the 89th minute it was 0-0 and I looked like I was going out But wow!!! SEMI FINAL!!! and as seen in results above I drew Bayern and i've picked up a very credible 2-2 draw to bring back home. As for the league i'd drop points to both Belenenses and Chaves to give Benfica the advantage Porto are stick in it too though they'd need both myself and Benfica not to win at all in the run in. And those runs in for both teams First up Benfica Those Porto and Braga games are the big ones As for me Guimaraes is a tricky one and Maritimo could be a potential banana skin of course if I can get by Bayern a potential Champions League Final could await at the end of the month against either Real Madrid or Man City (Real Madrid currently lead that tie 3-1) Back to April and player of the month, it has to go to one my most consistent players this season the man who sent us to that Champions League Semi Final The right wing back Stefan Ristovski, he's in the running for player of the season alongside Jovane and Andre Sousa of Setubal..tbh I think we all know who'll win that one. Here is hoping for a great May and 6 wins and League and European glory. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 22, 2019 Author Share Posted June 22, 2019 Três em fila!!! I done it, wow what a season, Porto doing me the biggest favour by beating Benfica and I went on to win all my games and win the league by one point. There would be some joy for Benfica after they won the Taca to do the domestic cup double. You may have noticed I have left out the Champions League. Well The first leg of my Semi final against Bayern had finished 2-2 in Munich so Bayern came to Lisbon knowing they needed to win A 2-0 win and I was through to the FINAL in Barcelona but who would I play? As mentioned in the last update Real Madrid led Man City by 3 goals to 1 A fantastic 5-2 win would see them win 6-5 on aggregate and take me on in the final Could I do the impossible and overcome City??? Unfortunately not City were just too strong. Even in defeat I must say I was immensely proud of my boys as they fought brilliantly and of course no one not even myself could have expected we'd reach the final at the start of the season. Now for some stats and awards Jovane as expected picked up both the senior and young player award truly brilliant season by him Her was beaten by Dost for top scorer though Very surprised not to see Thiago Almada in the team of the season as he was superb He's improved massively Spoiler He'll be the player i'll be building my team around next season as I look for title 22 and hopefully go one further in the Champions League I'll of course have International games to keep me busy in June Gibraltar and Scotland are next up in my quest for World Cup qualification. Here be my squad for those two games Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 Nice season! What position do you play Almada in that formation? he was amazing for me as an f9 in a 4-4-2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 23, 2019 Author Share Posted June 23, 2019 2 hours ago, karanhsingh said: Nice season! What position do you play Almada in that formation? he was amazing for me as an f9 in a 4-4-2 I'd actually switched to a 4-2-3-1 with him in the middle this was around February he did play at times in place of berge and almendra too. I plan to retrain him as a wide player for next season as the defensive mid gives my team more cover and stability Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 23, 2019 Author Share Posted June 23, 2019 (edited) Season 4 has begun... I've gotten through June and July* *I'm up to the SuperTaca which is the 31st July It was an OK pre-season were I toured the US I don't really care about the results in the first few games as it was all about fitness. There has of course been some big transfer business OUT Jovane Cabral- Zenit - €44M (potentially rising to €60m) I had promised him that I'd let him leave and despite interest from Liverpool and Valencia he chose to go to Zenit. (Broke his foot in pre-season and is now out for 3 months) Iago- Liverpool - €29M (potential rising to €36m) He gave me two great seasons, I would have loved to keep him but I believe it would have been unfair to stand in his way. A nice tidy profit too. Rodrigo Battaglia- Valencia - €19.25m (potential rising to €25m) Another I didn't really want to let leave but at 29 and with Daniel Bracanca back from his loan spell I thought why not it's the right time. Christian Borja-€12.25m - Krasnodar Could never really hold down a place, I was prepared to have him fill in for the departing Iago, he asked for a new contract and asked for wages I wasn't prepared to pay him, so off he went. Ivanildo Fernandes- €8m- Valencia Another one who just couldn't break into the team 8m was a good offer for him so off he went. Idrissa Doumbia-€5m- Standard Another who just couldn't break into the team doubled my money on him. Luis Phellype-€3.5M -Genk Was decent backup in the first season but found time on the pitch limited in the second and third, a nice healthy profit on him. Iuri Mederios- €1.6m (Rising to €1.8m) - Gent One who spent the majority of my time out on loan, not good enough and out of contract at the end of the season so off he went. Andre Moreira -€1m- Real Sociedad It just didn't work out for Andre, with the signing of Pereira he was further down the pecking order I wish him the best. Tiago Ilori -600k-Oud Heverlee Leuven Another player who was out of contact at the end of season, away he went to Belgium for 600k. A few loans out too To be honest majority of them are playing for their future, only Pedro Silva, Mitrovski and Bernando Sousa have a future with me. IN Joel Pereira- free - Manchester United Was one I had my eye on when I seen him available on a free I decided to take a punt, we'll see how he gets on. As seen above Pedro Silva has gone out on loan to make room. He'll battle it out with Woodman for the sub spot Spoiler Andre Sousa- €2m - Vit. Setubal Was in the running for the player of the season last year with the sale of two of my left back options I enquired about him and €2m was well within my budget at only 23 he has time on his side Spoiler Yuri Riberio €1.5M- Benfica One who I brought into my Portugal team when I wanted cover, when I seen he was transfer listed I didn't hesitate Spoiler Fabio Martins €12m -Braga Fabio has always been a pain in my side when I played Braga so when I sold Jovane I decided to just have a look. Again €12m well within my budget. At 28 he will be an older statesman but his versatility will be key, will help the younger players in the squad. Spoiler Konstantinos Mavropanos -€4.6m -Arsenal After the sale of Ivanildo I was left with only 3 Centre backs who I felt 100% comfortable with, a look in the transfer list and I found the Arsenal man available for a nice low fee. At 23 he has time to improve. Spoiler And now the big signing again breaking my transfer record. Andre Silva- €20M - AC Milan One of my international players, after Milan failed to qualify for the Champions League he requested a transfer, I beat off Roma for his signature. With Dost now 32 I was looking for a potential replacement and having seen how lethal he is at International level he was my first choice. Spoiler As for those International games in June First up was Gibraltar 7-0, I was a bit disappointed not to score more considering they had 3 players sent off but Ronaldo missed a few chances to increase his goal tally for Portugal. A nice 2-0 win over the Scots away puts me well in charge of the group Next up on the international road, is double away trips to former Soviet states, a tough task. Edited June 23, 2019 by lblanc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 Nice work. what is your best 11 looking like now? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lblanc Posted June 24, 2019 Author Share Posted June 24, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, karanhsingh said: Nice work. what is your best 11 looking like now? Depending on the formation More than likely like the below -----------------------------------Silva/Dost/Pinamonti/Plata------------------------------ Acuna/Almada*/Vargas-------------------------------------------Pereira/Martins/Bras/Felix Correira-- ----------------------------Berge/Miguel luis----Almendra/Xadas-------------------- -------------------------------------------Wendel/Bragança---------------------------- Sousa/Yuri/Empis--------------Ajer/Djajo---------Duarte/Mavropanos-----Ristovski/Thierry Correira---- ------------------------------------------Renan/Woodman/Pereira----------------------------- *Currently training Almada to play as an Inside forward on the left but if i stick with the 4-2-3-1 he may play in the hole sharing that with Xadas and Felix Correira I'm also tempted to try the following -------Silva---------Dost-------- --------------Almada---------- --------- Berge--Almendra Sousa---------------------------Risto- ------duarte--ajer--Mavros- ---------------Renan----------- Though with the above I'd be worried about the space between the two midfielders and the 3 defenders being exploited. Edited June 24, 2019 by lblanc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 Wow you have a lot of players! How do you keep them all happy?! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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