[FM19] Sporting Clube de Portugal - ‘Esforço, Dedicação, Devoção, Glória

[lblanc]

21 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Wow you have a lot of players! How do you keep them all happy?! 

Rotation ;-) 

 

[lblanc]

I will also point out some of those players may still leave either permanently or on loan 

[lblanc]

First month of the 4th season is done

Ended July with a 1-0 win in the Supertaca to add another trophy to the cabinet, one more friendly before the league started and its been a 100% start

Early days of course but good to already have a small lead

Champions League Draw

I think this is going to be a competitive group no real stand out team, Roma are capable and Ajax of course see their home host the final so they'll be looking to do all they can to reach it.

The League Cup draw was also made

Shouldn't give me too much hassle, but I said the same last season.

Player of the month

Andre Silva- my new record signing has lived up his billing so far with 5 goals

Next up in the month of September

But before those games international duty beckons, visits to Armenia and Ukraine

Here is my squad for these games

Some injuries have given me a chance to try out some new players in the squad Miguel Silva whose been in good form for Guimaraes come in for Patricio.  A potential first cap for my own Miguel Luis and a return for Benfica's Rafa as Jovane and Rony Lopes miss out. 

[Jogo Bonito]

@lblanc A promising start to season 4, good luck with that. Thanks for sharing your Portugal squads too, as it gives me an idea which players I should keep tabs on - particularly in the domestic league.

[lblanc]

21 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@lblanc A promising start to season 4, good luck with that. Thanks for sharing your Portugal squads too, as it gives me an idea which players I should keep tabs on - particularly in the domestic league.

Cheers,  I want to give some domestic league players outside of the Top 3 their chances too, hence the reason I've brought Miguel Silva into the squad. But I will say the exodus is crazy, 

I'm surprised the amount of my squad who at PSG.

Cancelo, Guerreiro, Martins, Felix all made the big money moves to Paris

 

[Jogo Bonito]

1 hour ago, lblanc said:

Cheers,  I want to give some domestic league players outside of the Top 3 their chances too, hence the reason I've brought Miguel Silva into the squad. But I will say the exodus is crazy, 

I'm surprised the amount of my squad who at PSG.

Cancelo, Guerreiro, Martins, Felix all made the big money moves to Paris

 

I've just updated my time at SLB in the Careers Forum and have found PSG are mad keen on my players too!

[lblanc]

Season 4 September

A blip against Feirense,  well more a I just couldn't score and they scored with their only shot on target.

Some big news in regards to future transfers Matias Vargas is refusing to sign a new contract and being out of contract and the end of the season so he will move to Lille for 9.5m in January. Sad to see him go but better then losing him on a free and I have made a profit on him. 

Player of the month

Marcos Acuna has been immense 3 assists during the month and his overall workrate have been amazing

Here is the league table

Due to that loss i'm chasing Benfica already.

Two wins in the Champions League have put me in a strong position already

Next up in October

A packed month but the Domestic cups shall give me a chance to give some younger players a chance

 

I of course had two international games in September too Armenia and Ukraine away

Two Ronaldo goals plus Felix, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes efforts put Armenia to the sword

Next up was Ukraine, who I had beaten 8-0 at home

Well it was only half as good this time around, Andre Silva banged in a hat trick taking his goal tally so far during this campaign to 11.

Next up in October is Moldova at home and Gibraltar away

Some injuries to  some players ( Domingos Duarte, Ronaldo, Gedson Fernandes, Rafa) give me a chance to try out some new players

 

[Jogo Bonito]

Portugal seem to be rampant under your management, keep it going. There's always a pressure in the league isn't there, every time you drop a point it feels like there's no way back with the big three rarely conceding any ground. It's early days though, and if you come out on top in games against SLB and FCP you will have a great chance of retaining the title.

[quee]

Get in, Monte! 

[lblanc]

11 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Portugal seem to be rampant under your management, keep it going. There's always a pressure in the league isn't there, every time you drop a point it feels like there's no way back with the big three rarely conceding any ground. It's early days though, and if you come out on top in games against SLB and FCP you will have a great chance of retaining the title.

Yeah benfica and Porto can be relentless. But as you say beat them and I've a great chance 

I don't think I've been tested at all with Portugal, Scotland was probably the only one who I gave me any trouble, really surprised by Ukraine expected more from them. 

Once I've confirmed my place in the world Cup I'm setting up friendlies against tougher opposition. 

[lblanc]

7 hours ago, quee said:

Get in, Monte! 

He's had a decent season so far, so with injuries he deserves his chance. 

[lblanc]

Season 4 October

A very good month, the point away to Ajax was a good result though I probably should have won it. But I'm in a good place

The best part of the month was that Benfica dropped points meaning

I'm back top even if they win their game in hand. Porto also dropped a few points.

Player of the month

 Daniel Bragança despite him getting sent off during the month and Almada actually winning the player of the month in the league, Daniel has fit in brilliantly into my team

Up next month

Two key Champions League games and some tough games in the league and cup.

 

 

As for Portugal, remember I had a few injuries so I had a a bit of a different look squad and a few debutants 

First up was Moldova at home

A bit of  a tough one with 3 red cards though Guerreiro's would later be rescinded but it was Gelson Martins who was the star with a hat-trick

That win put me on the brink of qualification.

And a 4-0 win over Gibraltar secured my place in Australia

  

My last two qualifiers are at home to Armenia and Scotland

In terms of the squad a plan to choose for this, I haven't had the chance to pick it yet but the injuries subsided expect to see some of the big guys come back in including Ronaldo who shall be looking to add to his 110 goals in 187 caps.

 

 

[lblanc]

November Season 4

Setubal draw the only blip in another brilliant month, the 4 points in the Champions League put me through top of the group

Benfica could go top if the win their games in hand

Player of the month

Has to be Thiago Almada  I've begun playing him as an inside forward on the left hand side and he's taken to it like a duck to water,5 goals and 2 assists during the month for him. He also made his international debut for Argentina.

Up next in December

Big games against Porto and Benfica it's going to be a big one.

 

I had my last two qualifiers first up was Armenia

CR7!!! 5 goals seen him move to 115 goals for Portugal a truly amazing player.

Next up Scotland

A 0-0 draw sees my 100% record go but I was pleased to qualify with an amazing goal tally

I'm currently 5th in the World so that means I'll among the top seeds for the World Cup draw

Here are the other qualifiers

Some surprises Haiti and Jamaica qualifying from the CONCACAF region with the US missing out again, Uzbekistan qualifying for their first world cup. I'm going to wait until the draw to choose my Friendlies for March but as I said I want to play a big name to give me a challenge. 

 

[Jogo Bonito]

@lblanc Nice progress there, still keeping your nose ahead of SLB. It's actually replication of my second season, just behind FCP and Sporting but with a game in hand where a win would take me top. Good to see Almada doing so well, it's rewarding when young new signings come in and contribute so much.

[lblanc]

Season 4 December

What a month December turned out to be, my biggest competitive win at the club in the 9-0 victory over APOEL seen my confirm my top place finish in the Champions League in style

Ajax joined me by virtue of goal difference.

In the league the 4-4 draw of Porto was epic

Going behind 3 times before Almada secured the draw and the end.

The big win of the month came at home to Benfica Diogo Bras being the hero with two goals

It means at the (almost) half way stage I lead Benfica by virtue of head 2 head and goal difference.

In the league cup I topped my group with full points

 

My reward

Braga

In the Taca who did I draw in the quarters none other then 

Yes Benfica

And how about my quest for Champions League Glory

A tough trip to Paris awaits

Here is what I have in store in January

 

Player of the month

Has to go to Diogo Bras the young man has broke into my team in the last month with 6 goals and 5 assists, I'm even pondering calling him up to the Portugal team.

 

 

And the draw for the World Cup has been made

A Group of Croatia, Japan and Haiti gives me a real chance to progress, Croatia will be the big test, though Japan my be a tricky one.

Here is my plan for the next few friendlies

A few nice tests there with France and Spain, Korea and Costa Rica will hopefully give me a feel for what to expect against Haiti and Japan respectively.

I'm happy with the order of the games at the World Cup as I get the tougher game out of the way and can then build on that result or have time to recover if it goes the wrong way.

Here are the rest of the groups

Group F being the group of death though I'm eagerly looking at what could happen in Group G and who I may face in the Last 16 should I progress  

 

 

 

Edited June 30, 2019 by lblanc

[lblanc]

Season 4 January 

First up the results for January

An unbeaten run in the league see's me push ahead of Benfica again on points after they drew with Braga.

And i'd beat Benfica twice in the cup to bring the League Cup back to Sporting after a 1-0 win over Braga in the semi final who i'll play in the semi final of the Taca.

Player of the month

Andre Silva 4 goals from Andre in the month seen him go back ahead of Almada as my top scorer this season with 17 (Almada is on 16)

As we're in the January some transfers have happened and some big ones in the Out category

 

OUT

Bas Dost - €8m to Malaga

The big man has left for a fee of €8m, he wasn't playing many games and getting would be 33 at the end of the season. he leaves the club having scored 130 goals in 161 league appearances for the club but as he was 32 he was starting to wane so off he went.

Rodrigo Rego- €14M (Rising to €18m)- Everton

A player who made only 4 appearances for me in my time, yes he has a potential bright future but I think it was a good price for a 19 year old who was probably two seasons away from breaking into my team.

Mattheus Pereira- On loan with Obligation to buy for €18m - Villarreal 

A good player for me at times but is very hot and cold he demanded 80K in wages out of the blue and I thought nope you can go, especially with the like of Bras, Felix, Almada all younger and progressing nicely, I wish him the best, that obligation only happens if he play 15 games.

Matias Vargas- €9.5m - Lille

Another contract rebel, as previously discussed he was out of contract and wanted much more then I was willing to offer him. Sad in a way to see him go as he showed glimpses but could never hold down his place in the first team.

Some more out on loan

The main two being Xadas who wanted game time I just couldn't give him with Almada's form, and Plata who moves out on loan after becoming home grown. Pedro Ferreira is another one who I wanted to give more time but just can't he chose to go to Porto which I was happy to let him go to.

IN

None  yet but

Juan Foyth- free transfer

The Argentine will join in the summer on a free transfer from Spurs, I think he'll fit in nicely and shall give 5 very good options in the centre of defence for next season.

Spoiler

 

I was pondering bringing in someone to replace Dost but then remembered 1) Plata out on loan and 2) Alejandro Marques who is in my U23's who has scored an impressive 30 goals in  25 games for my under 23's this season.

 

As for February

Back in Champions League action and some potential tricky ties in the league

Edited July 1, 2019 by lblanc

[karanhsingh]

Almada seems to be smashing it! Can you put up a screenshot of him?

[lblanc]

12 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Almada seems to be smashing it! Can you put up a screenshot of him?

Another one who has done brilliant is Almendra, i've trained him to play pretty much everywhere in midfield

[zlatanera]

Almendra must have a variable attribute set - or it got changed with the 19.3DB - as whenever I've been recommended he has something like 3 for Flair and I've just though "nope". 

[karanhsingh]

Almada looks amazing! As for Almendra, yes he is excellent and I have seen him develop as well (managed by the AI) in one of my last couple of saves as well. Definitely has a high potential. 

Surprised you sold Vargas, he was phenomenal for me in my last save too. 

[lblanc]

14 hours ago, zlatanera said:

Almendra must have a variable attribute set - or it got changed with the 19.3DB - as whenever I've been recommended he has something like 3 for Flair and I've just though "nope". 

Perhaps not sure what he was like at the start tbh, he's been with me from the start, he may have gotten a boost for the 19.3DB alright.

[lblanc]

2 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Almada looks amazing! As for Almendra, yes he is excellent and I have seen him develop as well (managed by the AI) in one of my last couple of saves as well. Definitely has a high potential. 

Surprised you sold Vargas, he was phenomenal for me in my last save too. 

Vargas was one of those when he was good he was GOOD but he was very injury prone for me and as said he wanted close to 50K which I didn't feel he deserved (surprisingly he signed one for 30k for Lille).

 

[lblanc]

Season 4 February

An almost perfect month in the league, I could only draw 1-1 with Chaves after playing majority of the game with 10 men after Andre Silva got sent off in the 25th minute, I managed to bag a penalty which Almada dispatched but I couldn't hold on.

In Europe I was delighted with a 1-1 draw away to PSG, The hero of that match and player of the month for February

Renan Riberio- he has been brilliant for me, he has at times switched with Woodman but February belonged to him.

My draw in the league wasn't too bad as Benfica dropped points too

10 games to go and i'm 2 points clear

March shall see the first leg of Taca Semi final as well as my home leg against PSG, simple a 0-0 or a home win and I'm through.

 

 

I'll have two friendlies in March with the national team

France and South Korea

As it may be my last chance to try out some players and with a few injuries I've selected a bit of a changed squad (This is not the final squad which won't need to be approved until mid March)

There is potential debuts for Claudio Ramos, Ivanildo Fernandes, Rafa Soares, Tiago Dantas, Fabio Silva and Diogo Bras and also a return to the squad for William Carvalho who has moved from China back to Europe with a big money move to Barcelona.

The likes of Dantas, Silva and Bras in their breakout season for their clubs, Bras as i've previously stated has been brilliant for me, Dantas has cemented his place in the Benfica midfield alongside Gedson Fernandes and i'm keen to see what Fabio Silva can bring to the team at 19 he is the youngest in the team.

Edited July 2, 2019 by lblanc

[lblanc]

Season 4 March

Again another almost perfect month, the ball just would not go in against Belenenses but again thankfully Benfica failed to pick up maximum points so I remain 2 points ahead

Against all odds I beat PSG and i'm through to the quarter finals where I will meet Bayern. 

Almada and Pinamonti the heroes.

And it is Pinamonti who claims player of the month for me,

He came off the bench in majority of the games but made a difference in most of them

Up next in April

A tough one away to Pacos Ferreira who are doing really well this year.

As for the National Team

I went with the squad above as planned, First up France were I played my strongest available team

An amazing first 22 minutes including a hat trick for Joao Felix seen my swathe aside the French, the second half seen a raft of changes and a few debuts with Fabio Silva, Dantas and Rafa Soares all make their international debuts.

Next up was South Korea, I decided to mix it up for this game with 3 debutantes in Ramos, Ivanildo and Bras.

A 1-1 draw was the result, a bit unfair but friendlies are there to test things out and I feel I learned a lot about some potential squad members here.

Next up will be the World Cup friendlies and the World Cup for me. I have to start thinking about my 23. I will say majority of it is set but there are one or two places up for grabs.

 

 

[lblanc]

Season 4 April

April turned into a long one but a 100% record in the league has put me on the brink of the 4th Title in 4 years and I'm through the Taca Final with a chance to win another domestic treble.

The champions League Dream is over though as I was hammered by Bayern at home and then fell to a 2-1 in Munich.

Player of the month

Wendel- he's been a real driving force in my midfield during the month 3 goals for him in April.

Here is the league

Benfica will play Boavista on the 1st of May they need to win to keep the league going.

I actually hope they do..why?

How great would it be to win the title in their backyard!!

Edited July 3, 2019 by lblanc

[lblanc]

Scrap the above post 

my laptop crashed when I was away grr.

had to play Benfica game again

 

Not the same score but same result (unfortunate as the 2-1 win) was brilliant as I scored a stoppage time goal) 

 

FYI I hid the original post hence why it isn't showing... I don't seem to be able to restore it. 

 

Edited July 3, 2019 by lblanc

[lblanc]

League finished, next up is the Cup final. 

Have to pick World Cup squad too. 

Some tough decisions to be made 

Full update at the end of the month of May

[lblanc]

Season 4 May

Another two trophies added to the cabinet, a 1-0 win over Benfica seen me win the league at the Estadio da Luz, one our fans shall sing about for years to come.

In the cup against Porto extra time was needed.

Though it shouldn't have 5 minutes to go leading 3-1 I somehow managed to concede two quick fire goals but Sander Berge scored an excellent long range strike to win it for me in extra time.

Player of the season awards and stats

Marcos Acuna won the player of the season by a long way.

The league finished as follows

Another title, though the big surprise has to Pacos Ferreira who finished 4th after promotion last season.

In Europe

Bayern Munich won the Champions League after knocking me out in the quarter final

Zenit winning the Europa League.

 

Next up for me is the World Cup here is the 23 I selected who I hope can lead Portugal to glory

*Caps are correct up until 30th May

 

First up are 3 pre world cup friendlies

then followed by my group games

Hopefully we'll have some more after that..

The draw was also made for the European Nations League 

A nice group, I've also scheduled some friendlies so here in my fixture for the national team for the rest of the year

A nice home friendly against Argentina follows the away game against the French, a double header at home followed by a home game against Italy and then away to Denmark.

Hopefully I can go into those as World Champions

 

Edited July 4, 2019 by lblanc

[zlatanera]

Anthony Lopes   a fave of mine since my first Lyon save on FM15. 

Conceding two goals in the same minute is impressive! 

[Jogo Bonito]

Really great updates @lblanc

Your success with Sporting is showing no signs of ending. Domestically dominant and getting closer in Europe. Fantastic to see Acuna doing so well, and I enjoy your Portugal updates too as I monitor how the youngsters are developing.

I'm in January of season 2 with SLB and really enjoying it. Will update again in the careers section tonight or tomorrow.

[karanhsingh]

Excellent work as always @lblanc. Have you won the title in every single season?

I just got offered the Sporting job in my game and contemplating whether to take it. The save is 2 years in and from the looks of it, some of the youngsters like Miguel Luis, Braganca, Bras and Felix Correia have not made as much progress as one may have hoped. Sometimes the AI is hopeless at developing young players. Have any of them made it in your save? Can you put up screenshots if so?

[lblanc]

2 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Excellent work as always @lblanc. Have you won the title in every single season?

I just got offered the Sporting job in my game and contemplating whether to take it. The save is 2 years in and from the looks of it, some of the youngsters like Miguel Luis, Braganca, Bras and Felix Correia have not made as much progress as one may have hoped. Sometimes the AI is hopeless at developing young players. Have any of them made it in your save? Can you put up screenshots if so?

Yep have won 4 in a row , but just about two times. 

Miguel Luis was doing well but an injury held him back for a period. 

I've only used Braganca this season but he has done well, nice eye for a pass. 

Bras became my number 1 right winger half way through the 4th season. 

Felix has become backup for him and Almada in the middle. 

I'll post up screenshots later. 

 

[lblanc]

11 hours ago, zlatanera said:

Anthony Lopes   a fave of mine since my first Lyon save on FM15. 

Conceding two goals in the same minute is impressive! 

Yeah I have no idea I looked at the players mood after and a few were complacent and disinterested which I screamed at them for which refocused them 

[karanhsingh]

10 minutes ago, lblanc said:

Yep have won 4 in a row , but just about two times. 

Miguel Luis was doing well but an injury held him back for a period. 

I've only used Braganca this season but he has done well, nice eye for a pass. 

Bras became my number 1 right winger half way through the 4th season. 

Felix has become backup for him and Almada in the middle. 

I'll post up screenshots later. 

 

Ok thanks. Would be interested to see how Bras has turned out. Noticed Balde as well seems to have some potential, but very similar stats wise to Felix Correia.

Unfortunately in my save by now all the Argentinian wonderkids have been raided already by other European clubs.

I noticed already that the Sporting squad in-game is bloated in terms of numbers, more so with tons of players returning from loan spells. It seems like there are several players of a similar quality level with no real stand-outs. I have another offer from Inter who just sold Icardi in-game so that could be interesting too. But I also like the lure of being able to compete for 5 trophies at Sporting. Decisions, decisions!

You must have also accumulated a good points tally in the Hall of Fame by now? 

[quee]

18 hours ago, lblanc said:

 

I might have missed you mentioning it, but the WC22 is in Australia?

[lblanc]

28 minutes ago, quee said:

I might have missed you mentioning it, but the WC22 is in Australia?

Yeah got moved from Qatar in my game, I have seen it sometimes hosted there but majority of saves I've had it's been moved to Australia 

[lblanc]

4 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Ok thanks. Would be interested to see how Bras has turned out. Noticed Balde as well seems to have some potential, but very similar stats wise to Felix Correia.

Unfortunately in my save by now all the Argentinian wonderkids have been raided already by other European clubs.

I noticed already that the Sporting squad in-game is bloated in terms of numbers, more so with tons of players returning from loan spells. It seems like there are several players of a similar quality level with no real stand-outs. I have another offer from Inter who just sold Icardi in-game so that could be interesting too. But I also like the lure of being able to compete for 5 trophies at Sporting. Decisions, decisions!

You must have also accumulated a good points tally in the Hall of Fame by now? 

Yeah, the amount of players out on loan is a lot, i've found Italian teams very similar too in that scenario. 

Bras

Spoiler

I've included his states too, he has only started to become first choice for me, the Guimarares loan really helped him, I wanted to give him more of a chance but Jovane was just suberb that the season after so, majority of his development was with the U23's

But he has really started to blossom last season, including being retrained to play through the centre too which will be handy.

Felix Correira

Spoiler

He didn't do much at Wolves but that was more due an injury he picked up, the next season he done OK with Antwerp, last season he played mostly off the bench, I'm going to try use him more next season, I think he can improve on that potential ability.

Braganca

Spoiler

I've only managed myself last season but he done very well in the pivot for me, a bit reckless in the tackle at times, but a key eye for a pass

Miguel Luis

Spoiler

Done well in my first two season, Almendra +Berge played more in the last two, but I tried to give him more gametime last season, even training him to play higher up. Still young of course.

Balde- i've never actually used but he has done well on his loan with various teams

Spoiler

 

[quee]

54 minutes ago, lblanc said:

Yeah got moved from Qatar in my game, I have seen it sometimes hosted there but majority of saves I've had it's been moved to Australia 

That's interesting. They changed the time as well or was it still a winter WC?

[lblanc]

1 hour ago, quee said:

That's interesting. They changed the time as well or was it still a winter WC?

Was moved to the summer months

[lblanc]

 

So the World Cup

I'm going to give a run down of the whole thing

Group A and B

No real surprises in Group A but a big surprise in Group B were England failed to make it out of the group losing to Italy and Senegal put them in a tough position going into the last round of game needing a 5 goal swing to finish above Jamaica they won the game but only 2-1 and out they went on goal difference

Group C and D

 

Again no real surprises in Group C Poland scrapping through after a draw with Spain after losing to South Korea.

In Group D Brazil were rampant , Wales  were disappointing and could only manage a point against Nigeria losing to both Brazil and Iran.

 

Group E and F

Group E is seen the French get knocked out due to a last minute winner by Mexico and in the group of death it was goal difference which separated the teams.

Group G (I shall leave my group so I can go through it match by match)

Another shock exit in the group stage by the Germans, having lost to Colombia it was a winner takes all in their final game against the Irish , Michael Obafemi would be the hero as it finished 1-0 and put the Irish through in second place.

 

Group H 

So these were my games. first up was Croatia

A nervy game was settled by the main man himself

Japan had seen off Haiti by the same score earlier in the day

Croatia would get themselves back on track in the second round of fixture 2 goals from Brekalo

A comfortable 3-0 over Haiti seen me take control meaning unless Japan beat me by 5 goals I was through

But it was I who won by 5 goals

Croatia put Haiti to the sword to cement their place in the next round

Last 16

Jamaica v Sweden

Pontus Jansson gave the Swedes the win they needed

Italy v Uruguay

a late Cristante goal enough to send the Azurri through

Nigeria v Spain

Heartbreak for Nigeria a stoppage time own goal sending Spain through

Brazil v Poland

Another pre tournament favourite out as Poland see off Brazil.

Netherlands v Mexico

Another shock exit for a pre-tournament favourite

Argentia v Ivory Coast

A penalty shootout win for Argentina seen them through to quarters

Croatia v Colombia

Two stoppage time penalties see Croatia through

Next up was my game vs Ireland

The Andre Silva show!! also a first international goal for Florentino Luis.

so onto the Quarter finals the line up

Sweden v Poland

Penalty Joy for the Poles seen them through to the Semi finals

Mexico v Croatia

The Croats scrape into the semis

Italy v Spain

A convincing win for the Azurri sees them though to the semis

Argentina v Portugal

That man again CR7 and a late Ruben Dias goal see me through to play the Italians

SEMI FINALS

Croatia do it again, a second successive World Cup Final

World Cup Final Ronaldo, Silva and captain Ruben Dias help see off the Italians

So the final a rematch of my first game

but first up was 3/4th place playoff

A last minute goal would see the Italians take the bronze medal

Now onto the final

In the magnificent Melbourne Cricket Ground  94,984 people would be in attendance to see a new name would be etched into the famous World Cup Trophy.

Here is how the two teams would line out

 

CAMPEÕES DO MUNDO!!!

 

A glorious day for Portugal as Ruben Dias lifted the most coveted trophy in the International game adding the World Cup to the European championships win back in 2016

After the match having won the biggest prize in International football

The great man hung up his International boots an incredible 199 caps and 121 goals for his country including 6 in the World Cup 

Though he wouldn't win the Golden Boot as Andre Silva took that with 7 goals 

Ruben Dias would win the Player of the Tournament with Guerreiro and Silva making up the top 3

 

  Anthony Lopes would take the Golden Glove

While the team of the tournament would be a mix of Portugal and Croatia

Now onto the Nations League and Season 5 with Sporting CP

 

 

 

Edited July 5, 2019 by lblanc

[karanhsingh]

That's amazing, well done!! Super stuff. Interesting formation too, not seen lot of people using this shape.

Thanks for the screenshots as well. 

[Jogo Bonito]

CAMPEÕES DO MUNDO!!!

Fantastic stuff, and a great summary. Congratulations (muitos parabens).

[karanhsingh]

So after some deliberation I have finally taken charge of Sporting CP in my current save, I have a thread going in the Careers forum but can post sporadic updates here too if you're cool with it! 

Thing that immediately struck me was the sheer size of the squad, well over 50 players and a lot of good quality ones at that. Eventually, I had to loan out most of the youngsters including Bras, Braganca, etc. because I wouldn't have been able to give them enough games had they stayed on. I tried to sell a couple of my midfielders to make place for them but wasn't able to. 

Hugo Viana really had his work cut-out, at the last update he has found loan deals for 27 of our youngsters for this season, with more on the way! The ones that I have the highest hopes for are Braganca, Bras, Mitrovski, Correia and Balde, hopefully they can all develop well this season and then return. 

The board had just sold Ristovski when I took over so we had to find ourselves a new RB, which was a massive struggle with failed deals for Dalot & Cedric (who wanted 80k/week WTF). Finally settled on Gonzalo Montiel for about the same money as we got for Ristovski in the first place. Also brought in a couple of promising new-gens to provide cover up top and at the back. Apart from that didn't need to do much as the squad was already strong enough, and as covered above massively bloated particularly in midfield. 

Transfers - (in terms of transfers out that covers only about a third! but the rest are mostly loan deals)

Current Squad -

The two new-gens - hoping that Carli will be able to take over from Dost soon

And after a slightly patchy pre-season we did manage to edge past Porto (who's team looks surprisingly strong having held onto ALL their good players) 2-1 in the Supertaca, to bring in our first trophy at the club already. Hopefully not the last one of the season though.

Lucas Evangelista who I was actually trying to sell off for the past month scoring a scorcher in the first minute which was the quickest goal in Supertaca history.

[lblanc]

Yeah the loan situation can be tough, I'm 5 seasons in and still trying to juggle loan players. 

I have a big decision to make with Almada he wants to go and there is a lot of interest though he's going nowhere for less than 120m. 

There is also interest in acuna and Wendel I'm pondering letting them go. 

I'm also thinking it may be time to break my current wage limit 

[karanhsingh]

2 minutes ago, lblanc said:

Yeah the loan situation can be tough, I'm 5 seasons in and still trying to juggle loan players. 

I have a big decision to make with Almada he wants to go and there is a lot of interest though he's going nowhere for less than 120m. 

There is also interest in acuna and Wendel I'm pondering letting them go. 

I'm also thinking it may be time to break my current wage limit 

That's why I delegated that part of the job to the DoF (first time I have done this). I was trying to sell Evangelista & Pereira to make room for Braganca & Bras but that did not work out. 

What role have you been playing Acuna in? I was contemplating selling him too but he's very highly regarded in the dressing room and our only set piece expert at the club, so have held on for now. 

[lblanc]

3 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

That's why I delegated that part of the job to the DoF (first time I have done this). I was trying to sell Evangelista & Pereira to make room for Braganca & Bras but that did not work out. 

What role have you been playing Acuna in? I was contemplating selling him too but he's very highly regarded in the dressing room and our only set piece expert at the club, so have held on for now. 

Left wing or emergency left back 

[lblanc]

Season 5 Pre-Season +Super Taca 

Up until the first league game of the season

So above are the friendlies I played only 4 games, as I started back late due to the World Cup but unbeaten, the 2-1 win over Juventus being the most pleasing result.

Before I go into the Super Taca result I want to go over Transfers

There have been some major outs and some major Ins

OUTS

Thiago Almada-  €150m to Real Madrid

I said it would take a massive offer for him to leave, i had few interested and got offers of up 75-80M which I rejected, he of course demanded an answer to which I said you have a buyout clause if someone meets it you can go,  Real Madrid weren't afraid to meet his buyout clause so off he went. Sad as he had just become home grown at the club but no player is bigger than Sporting CP. 

Wendel- €120M to Barcelona

Another release clause activated this time by Barcelona, tbh I was happy for him to go as he was becoming troublesome, I wish him the best as he served me very well for the last few years, the best part of this deal when I offered him out as part of negotiations Barcelona agreed to the below clause 

so if it doesn't work out for him I'll be getting even more profit for him.

Marcos Acuna €38M to Spurs

Not the most popular sale in the fans view but €38m for someone who would 31 in October was a good deal I also get 40% of the next sale so again like Wendel if it doesn't work out for him I make more off this deal.

The rest of the sales

Pereira deal was pre-arranged after his loan last season, Pedro Ferreira I seen as a good deal for someone I wasn't going to play, Empis was another as part of his loan agreement, same as Agbenyenu.

The two keepers Pereira and Woodman I seen as some profit on two players who hadn't really developed as I would have liked, plus I have a very talented youngster coming through and I'll want him to learn for more experienced heads (more on this in the INS)

Loans out, the only one I was didn't really want to do was the Elves Balde one but it was a good fee per month and it Atlanta promised to use him as a Key player so he'll get game time. Djajo went as again I want to get gametime.

Now for the 

INS

Antonio Marin €31M from Dinamo

A new club record, I've heard good things from many about this lad so I thought I'd reinvest the Acuna fee in a nice replacement. Only 21 he can be the left winger in my team hopefully for the next few years until I sell him for profit (which 40% is owed to Dinamo)

Dani Olmo-€24M from Dinamo

I was surprised to see Dani still at Dinamo and even more surprised to see him transfer listed for €24M a replacement for Almada

Joao Mario - €22m (potentially €25m) from Everton

I always said I'd welcome back some of the old boys, Joao was transfer listed for the last two windows, he comes back to where it all began for him, a welcome addition to my midfield as he can play a number of positions and roles.

Duarte Valente €17M from Roma

A Portuguese wonderkid who slipped my grasp at the start of the game, after a few loan spells away from Roma they decided to sell and I finally got my man still only 22 he still has time to blossom. 

Aryton Lucas €16,5M from Flamengo

In game he starts at Spartak Moscow but didn't last long for him as he moved back to Brazil to Palmeiras  and then to Flamengo, after loaning out Yuri and selling Acuna I wanted some back up for Andre Sousa, well I scouted Brazil and ended up with someone who'll play ahead of him.

Rui Patricio- €5.75m from Fiorentina

Rui returns home to be 1) a mentor and 2) a challenger for Renan. He returns a world cup winner and as I said vital mentoring and leadership qualities.

Juan Foyth- Free Transfer from Spurs

One I already mentioned I always heard he improves a lot in the game if managed correctly so when I seen him on a free transfer I thought give him a chance.

I'm currently in negotiations to bring in another right winger so I will probably add to this by the close of the month 

Now onto that Super Taca

Bras and Marin win it for me combining brilliantly in the last 15 minutes.

Another trophy in the cabinet.

A little bit more to go to usurp Jose Mourinho but that is my aim.

The start of my season see's four nice fixtures 

I'll be aiming for title number 5 but my main aim will again be European Silverware.

 

Edited July 8, 2019 by lblanc

[zlatanera]

@lblanc seeing you doing so well with Thiago Almada makes me even more gutted I missed out to PSG with him on my Lyon save. 

Really surprised to see both Marin and Olmo still at Dinamo at this late stage - have they been loaded since the start of the game? Normally they go inside 3 windows. 

[lblanc]

7 minutes ago, zlatanera said:

@lblanc seeing you doing so well with Thiago Almada makes me even more gutted I missed out to PSG with him on my Lyon save. 

Really surprised to see both Marin and Olmo still at Dinamo at this late stage - have they been loaded since the start of the game? Normally they go inside 3 windows. 

Yep Croatian league was there from the start very surprised myself they were both still there. 

[zlatanera]

57 minutes ago, lblanc said:

Yep Croatian league was there from the start very surprised myself they were both still there. 

Any chance of screenshots of them both? I'm curious how they've developed, given that while AI is usually terrible at developing players, they'd presumably be nailed on starters for at least the past 4 seasons, albeit in a weak league.