Custom Pentagon Challenge

[Marazola]

Hello everyone, I've decided for my first save to be a Pentagon Challenge, since I don't have the time to do an overly addicting build a team save, I've decided to do a journeyman challenge. I've always liked the concept of this, but never really stuck with it in previous attempts.

Anyways, the manager.

As you can see, I had my start at Al-Waab. They were the first to hire me, a club from Qatar's 3rd tier. I  was excited to give the challenge a go but unfortunately they were in the mud financially. I couldn't hire any coaches, or sign any players and having nobody besides defensive midfielders and defenders wasn't ideal.

I left and took over SC Jiuniu, who are a 1 star club and got lucky to receive a job of that reputation. I guessed I nailed the interview?

China's second tier, so I figure this is a good spot to start. They don't seem in the best place financially either but they are at least more stable than Al-Waab.

[Marazola]

Leagues I've loaded so far. Asia and Africa seemed like a good spot to start.

[Marazola]

Not a long update here but an update nevertheless.

First season in China was disappointing. We had a very good start but things fell apart halfway through the season and we just became very inconsistent.

Xiaoheng was probably our best player, and to be fair he's got a very useful stat distribution for this level.

As for new signings:

Anthony Alvarez: I couldn't sign a foreigner for the life of me. Not a decent one anyways. Miramar Misiones had a bunch of players on amateur contracts though and Anthony Alvarez was one of the few willing to join. I couldn't just ignore that finishing and pace, he should tear this league up.

Ricky Wadunah: Another foreigner, this one was a bit easier to sign. Probably because his physicals are useless, but I still think he's got enough to succeed here.

[Marazola]

SC Jiuniu has been promoted to China's top flight and we walked the league, 

League still isn't over but I might as well go over the season now.

Podium

1. Sun Weizhe - Highest average rating for a player with more than 15 caps. The motor in our midfield, crucial in the ball winning and scoring/assisting his fair bit. 6 goals and 5 assists. Also created the 3rd most clear cut chances in the league at 23.

2. Nan Xhiaoteng - He was good for us last year and this time around he's bagged 22 goals for us, being the top scorer in the league and the club.

3. Anthony Alvarez - Don't think I could have gone up without him. 4 goals and 10 assists, actually a reverse of what I thought would happen.

[Marazola]

New season starting today! Here are the newest signings.

Issahaku Abdul Fatawu - Got him on a free (well technically, he cost me 275K in compensation) and looks like he'll tear this league apart. I couldn't believe the bargain I've hit from Dreams FC in Ghana. Only one small problem, if you look closely you'll find the catch, and that is he got injured for 3-4 months right before the league debut. Bummer, but I still think he'll come good.

Joseph Addo Tetteh - Another Ghanaian and this time a left back. I needed some defensive reinforcements and he is perfect for what I want. An offensive and a quick left back with knowledge of defensive play.

Matheus Toto - This one was recommended by my scouts, and I have to give them a raise for that. Affordable and superb stats for this league, at least for a club like mine anyways.

Coming up, the tactic I will use as well as my preferred lineup with everyone fit.

A lineup I use often, and very similar to what Ricardo Gareca uses with Peru, but slightly modified and a bit more direct. I might switch Addo Tetteh to a FB on attack and Alvarez to an IF, while Fatawu will be a winger. I'm considering it as it fits their stats better. The midfield is the same as last season and I reckon Nan Xhiaoteng will be a super-sub this season, as will Pierce Waring.

That's pretty much all there is to say about pre-season. Bring on the top flight!

[Marazola]

Season is done.

The first mistep of the save. We fell on the final hurdle, losing to Heb FC on the final matchday.

I am thinking of resigning as I feel like I've raised my reputation enough. Normally I wouldn't mind staying, but the rules in China are a tad frustrating.

[Marazola]

Resigned from Jiuniu. So far here is the table.

Edited December 8, 2021 by Marazola

[Marazola]

New club, not as big as I would have liked, but I vastly overestimated my reputation. 

Started mid season, this is how they are looking at the moment.

[Marazola]

Season finished, sadly couldn't clinch top 3 but my rep increased slightly. Thinking about trying my luck with another job again, as my rep has gotten a tad higher.

[Marazola]

And the latest club is Kitchee in Hong Kong!

Quite a step down in the leagues, but this is my best chance to win a couple of trophies and compete in the CL as it stands. 

I brought a familiar face in, he's declined quite a bit though.

[Marazola]

Second trophy in the bag. League win with Kitchee.

It was a lot tougher than I thought to be honest, but we clicked right in the championship group and blew away our competition. Overall my most impactful players were the 2 South African signings in Junior Nare and Lwandile Ngcobo. They were the constants in the team and the difference makers.

I'm not quite ready to make a podium yet though because...

We're still in a competition, and that is the AFC Cup which is sort of like a "coefficient gatherer" if you will. It's not exactly like the Europa League, it's more a competition for the lower nations to get qualification points for the Champions League.

I will leave these stats though for later.

[Marazola]

So we bow out of the AFC Cup in the semi-final, or the Interzone Final rather. Here was our run.

That second game against Bengaluru we got a red card and it was essentially over from there. Really should have scored to be honest.

Junior Nare finished top scorer for us with 11 goals. Here he is:

Kind of losing pace sadly but he's easily the top striker in Hong Kong at the moment.

As for off-season, just one new signing and that was Sebastian Lagos, who I got last season but joins now.

[Marazola]

Here it is! Our first Champions League experience.

I hope we don't bow out early, I think this is very winnable but I'm not counting my chickens yet. 

[Marazola]

This was a lot tougher than I thought. We were missing so many players. Lagos with Chile's U20's, Nare out injured, Ngcobo with a suspension as well as the defenders barring Musa.

We managed it though, all I really care about.

Next round we play Kedah, a bit tougher but nothing we cannot handle.

[Marazola]

And we're out. Disappointing, especially because we missed a penalty late on.

[Marazola]

Update.

Firstly, the first coaching license upgrade of the save is coming up.

I tried to do this at the other clubs but they were always financially screwed. Kitchee is in a good spot, so this is finally possible.

Next up, I made 3 new signings, only one of which joins immediately.

Ng Chi Lai - This guy is one of the best Hong Kong defenders I can get, and he's young too meaning there's room for improvement.

Marouene Khmiri - Algerian left back, joining for free next January. He looks a definite step up to anyone in my squad, to be honest. An offensive full back with good physicals.

And the star signing...

Gusnaedi Adam - Wow, he's unreal for this level. He should rip this league apart. Wish I had made this signing earlier, could have helped us in CL. Joining us for free, he's the best player on the team already, and he joins immediately.

 

[Marazola]

One more signing. Chinese players are exempt from the foreign rule if you only have 1. They can be used as a bonus foreign. This guy was a no brainer to be honest.

[Marazola]

Won my second league title. This one was much closer than the last one, as Eastern went on a tear. Thankfully they dropped just enough points for us to win it on the final 3 matchdays.

Honestly don't think we could have done it without Gusnaedi Adam signing at mid season either.

[Marazola]

Another trophy in the bag.

And another one.

[Marazola]

New signing on a free for the season. Also signed a few more Hong Kong players here and there.

Edited December 11, 2021 by Marazola

[Marazola]

Few seasons left in Hong Kong at this rate. I hope to get to 2.5 stars before leaving with hopes of a better job realistically.

I have the Champions League coming up shortly, so that is a good window of opportunity.

Also got this:

Also, Khmiri joins!

[Marazola]

Alright here is the groups!

[Marazola]

I decided this will be my final season with Kitchee and sadly it didn't end in the best of ways. We've been pipped to the title by Metro Gallery. Harland left near the end and that ended our good form essentially.

The CL also didn't go as well as I'd hope, but we still did OK in finishing 3rd.

Anyways, heres the the podium for my time during manager here.

3. Lwandile Ngcobo - Pretty much the one constant on this team. I've replaced pretty much everyone else from the first season in Hong Kong but not Lwandile, because there was no reason to replace. He had just the right stats for what I needed and at a high standard.

2. Cameron Harland - Only stayed here for 1 season before Busan bought him for 100k. Very much a difference maker up front, and scored plenty of important goals. Got him for free after I looked through USA's U23's.

1. Gusnaedi Adam - I knew I had struck gold as soon as I had signed him. Brilliant passing ability and versatile. Also joined for free.

 

 

[Marazola]

Here we go! New challenge and honestly one where I feel I can make my first step forward to winning the CL. I'm not a fan of domestic player rules in Australia, but realistically this is my first big job in the save.

I also applied for the following clubs:

Al-Arabi - Qatar

I nailed the interview and they approached me, but I figured it wouldn't be a good idea to take over the team predicted last in Qatar with all sorts of financial issues, and to add onto that I analyzed their squad and it just wasn't good enough for me.

SH Port - China

This one was simple them rejecting me, didn't even get an interview.

[Marazola]

New signings at Western Sydney, as well as a few players I'm going to be using.

Gusnaedi Adam

Yup, he's back. Signed him for 40K from Kitchee, and only now I realize what a gem I had in Hong Kong. The fact he's marquee player quality and now am able to properly analyze it shows that I played a real blinder. He's still young too, so he's got room to improve.

Sandro Ottaviani

Really a correct player in it's own right. He's quick and that dribbling + speed pairing couldn't go ignored. Available on a free, I had to sign him. His mentals are also decent and technicals other than dribbling are good enough.

Oumar Gonzalez

No, not that Omar Gonzalez, for any USMNT fans. This guy is Cameroonian and was a constant in Ligue 2 with Guingamp before he was released. Feel like I played another blinder in getting him to be honest.

David Johnson

Decent CAM for this level, he's gonna rotate with another player. Got him on a free again.

As for other players are the club...

Chris Halikias

Very good player to start off with. Besides his lazy off the ball ability, he's got everything else I want from a CAM. Dribbling, passing, vision, decision making and first touch.

Mustafa Tufekci

Wasn't expecting such a good keeper to start off with. Apparently he's the best keeper in the league.

As for our start

We had a very slow start here in Australia but slowly bouncing back. Started off with a lot of draws and we are conceding some very silly goals but I am seeing improvement by game.

That's pretty much all for this update!

[Marazola]

So it appears I was wrong, we weren't getting better at all at Western Sydney Wanderers. Only worse. Here was our form.

And it led to this:

Maybe the job was still too big.

A few months later, I joined these in Qatar:

A club in debt and supposed to fight relegation. Huge risk but a risk I must take.

[Marazola]

I'm a fool. I resigned from Al-Rayyan one matchday prior to try and save myself from the sack, I was bottom of the table 3 points behind, but I ran.

Anyways, Al-Rayyan was another step down sadly. I decided to be extra picky with my next job and take over someone from the second tier or in a weaker top flight to build rep again. The last 2 clubs have taken a toll on my reputation. Al-Rayyan was a risk I had to take, but it didn't work out as I was hoping.

I did make the Stars Cup final but we lost against Al-Duhail at that stage.

[Marazola]

New job! It's another team to fight relegation but this is a much better option than Al-Rayyan. An actual budget and some time to make changes. Back to South Africa.

[Marazola]

First 2 seasons in South Africa, a job that is worth taking and pretty much restoring my reputation to normal.

Defeating Kaizer Chiefs in a title race will be difficult, but despite having the same points total twice in a row, I do feel progression.

Some of my players:

Souleymane Bamba - The top scorer of the league this year with 18 goals. Not a lot more to add, he's a goalscorer and there's not a lot more to it than that.

Mohamed Sow - Very fast right winger with pretty much perfect physicals for this league. He also bagged 17 goals in the league and 12 assists. 

Siyabulela Moloi - Being a local domestic player helps a lot, and he's very good in the mentals department but he does need a bit better technique.

Christ Koffi - Kind of a slow CB, but he's technically gifted and at this level that is a luxury.

And an extra player:

Karim Doumbia - Left me because of his release clause, but he ALSO finished top scorer of the league in his first season.

[maxtothemax]

Any chance of moving to a top team in South Africa?

[Marazola]

5 hours ago, maxtothemax said:

Any chance of moving to a top team in South Africa?

I think the chances are increasing by season. My rep had dropped to 1.5 stars after WSW and Al-Rayyan, but now it's at 2.5. I'm gonna stay a few more seasons at this current club and if I don't win the league or get offered job interviews I'll try to move to a stronger club.

[Marazola]

Third season in South Africa.

Got one more point than the last 2 seasons. Progress!!!

In seriousness, I'm up to a continental pro license now and 2.5 stars. I decided to try my luck in finding a new club without resigning. Risky but it could work.

My profile has evolved a ton, so I applied to a few jobs and struck gold...

This is brilliant! They have a 5.5M budget and they are predicted to finish top 2. This is a genuine chance to win the Champions League. Let's just hope we don't have a WSW 2.0.

I'll do the podium for my South African club soon.

[Marazola]

Qatar SC update coming soon! First I want to finish my South African podium.

Before that though, I played through the next season and something amazing happened with my old club...

One year later, Tshakhuma win the league without me! I definitely left a legacy, though it does beg the question if I underperformed with them.

Tshakhuma Podium!

Souleymane Bamba - Wasn't the most effective forward I had, and eventually converted him to a LW, but he's definitely the 3rd best I've had in my reign at this club.

Mohamed Sow - A bit more limited than Bamba but a better out and out "winger". Always managed double figures in goals and assists.

Karim Doumbia - Very similar to Bamba but he's always been the more effective striker. He finished top scorer in the first season and then left for 115k which was his release clause. Without him, I doubt I could have gotten as far as I did, regardless of his short stay.

[Marazola]

Qatar SC first season

First off, let's talk about some players already at the club.

Juan Sierra

Awful physicals, even for Qatar. However technically and mentally he makes up for that, and he might just get along. I don't think I'll have him in an Asian Champions League squad, but he'll definitely be key in the Qatar Stars League.

Cesar Araujo

Thought I recognized him, but after some further research I actually didn't know who he is. Either way, he was key this season both as a BWM and a DLP.

Lee Han-Bum

This guy will be important as he is going to become a Qatari citizen in about 80 days. Taking off a foreign spot, I will be able to sign another.

And now some of the signings.

Florian Monzon - Free

He used to bag plenty against me when I was at Al-Rayyan, but he was on a free and being a Qatari citizen he was a no brainer really.

Ahmed Fadlalla - 400k

I was without a keeper and desperately needed one who would actually do well. Came across him and signed him. Surely he'll become Qatar's #1 in a few years.

Kim Hwang-Won - 3.5M

The definition of total football. He can play almost anywhere on the pitch and he'll do well. I kept him at striker though to get the absolute best out of him.

As for the league...

We reached our objective of finishing at least 2nd, but I'm upset Umm-Salal pipped us to the title. They went on a huge winning run at the end and there was pretty much no way to catch up to them. Kim Hwang-Won with 26, amazingly finished 3rd top scorer.

Finally, we are in the AFC Cup.

We had one slip up against Al-Arabi of Kuwait but it's been smooth sailing since then. Our next game is vs Al-Zawra'a of Iraq in September.

[Marazola]

Final it is! We have a very bad record in finals as we've lost 2/3 (South African FA Cup and Qatari Prince Cup with Tshakhuma and Al-Rayyan respectively). We only won the Sapling Cup in Hong Kong.

Let's change history.

[Marazola]

It's been a disappointing season internationally, but domestically we've been very good.

First up, we lost in the AFC Cup final. That's 3/4 finals now we've lost.

The Champions League playoffs didn't go any better sadly, and I was careless and forgot it was only one leg. So I originally let the 2-0 defeat slide until I realized we were out.

It also didn't help that we had a few players at AFCON and the Asian Cup.

As for the league...

Champions! Umm-Salal didn't make it easy though. Just like last year they kept on winning. Only 2 losses, against Al-Sadd and Umm-Salal.

Didn't win anything else but it was nice to bag our first trophy since the Kitchee days.

 

[Marazola]

Into the CL!

Will feel nice getting revenge on Al-Wahda.

[Marazola]

Group finished, and I have to admit this was much tougher than I expected. We had a very silly loss in Saudi Arabia where we basically gifted a 2-0 win to them via a 14th minute red. We also lost in the last minute to Al-Wahda at home, but we made up for our losses in the final away game, which was also to Al-Wahda. We were down 1-0 and turned it around to progress.

We draw Al-Fateh. I had no idea these were one-legged matches only, that will make things trickier I admit. However, it's in September so I have some chances to reinforce.

I took a look at their squad and while some players do scare me, it's honestly nothing we can't handle.

[Marazola]

Second round game vs Al-Fateh

Shaky first half, but we dominated the second and won it fairly comfortably. Mashele in particular was on fire.

Next game is tough, against Al-Jazira of UAE.

[Marazola]

These 1 legged matches are hugely flawed.

[Marazola]

Update soon, Qatar SC has ended though.

New club!

[Marazola]

I joined Suwon mid season.

Played in the CL already through the groups. First knockout round...

I'm very disappointed how the quarters turned though. We had like 21 shots and only 3 on target. An off shooting night against the second from bottom in Korea.

And the league, we just about got by.

Already played into the new season, but first let's go into the new signings.

We had a 6M budget and just about wasted it all.

Naomichi Takahashi

Fills up the Asian slot for foreigners and I couldn't have asked for someone better to be honest. Quality DLP.

Elias Rocha

Very quick player with a good mix of dribbling and crossing. He should have fun in South Korea.

Chun-Seung Min

Extremely quick right winger, and he might just see some game time as Cocada if I recall correctly will not be registered.

Hwang Sun-Ho

Might see game time as well. He's a capable enough CB.

Won in CL playoffs and we have our group. We should top it easily to be honest.

Edited December 17, 2021 by Marazola

[Marazola]

Topped the group by the skin of our teeth.

Repeat of last year but at home this time.

[Marazola]

We had a ridiculous amount of shots against Osaka but only won 2-1 and nearly draw it. Shameful performance, but we won and in this competition that's all that matters.

Next game against Busan in the quarter finals, we also won it unconvincingly but at this point I'm just ready to move on from Asia so I'll win any way I can.

Unfortunately, Jeonbuk who were walking the K-League, also walked past us in the CL semi's, so it's back next year again to try and win it.

As for how the league ended...

It looked close but we closed the gap a lot near the end, and Jeonbuk were fairly comfortable from start to finish. I have to think of a strategy to get past them to be honest.

I'm into the next season now. Haven't started it but I have done my business.

I have to admit I've made a few mistakes in my outgoings. Cocada had 21 days before he became a South Korean, and Helder is going as well who is already that. As was Salem Al-Oufi. Also regret letting Im Kim go. Seo Tae-Jin has been a key player in my time here but I don't feel as bad about him as the others as I've signed good replacements.

Ladislav Marx

62k he cost me!!! Absolute bargain. He's only 18 too. He's the kind of signing who will help me progress. Maybe not an immediate option either but he'll be starting from the go to help me develop into what I want.

Michal Loksa

He was a bit more expensive but I needed a new forward to compete with Lee Ki-Jong. Loksa fits the bill. He's not tremendously good at anything but not really bad at any of what he needs to either.

Lee Sang-Hun

The smartest way to beat Jeonbuk is using Jeonbuk players themselves. I couldn't raid their absolute best Koreans but I did manage at least some of their K-League calibre players. I reckon he will start for me at BWM.

Kim Sang-Woo

I have to be honest and say I don't think this guy is great, but he's good enough and I needed a RB with Helder going.

Wang Ki-Won

I'm a bit proud of this signing, I reckon this one will hurt Jeonbuk's depth. I don't think he'll start for me as that's where Takahashi plays who is just the better player, but he's another option to rotate.

The final 2 players are backups that aren't really worth showing.

Also I still have to do my podium for Qatar SC, I'll do so very soon when I feel it's best appropriate.

[Marazola]

And our group is drawn. Much, much harder than last year.

[Marazola]

So I came back to this save a while ago and just now felt the need to do another update. Quite a few years have passed since, so I'm gonna try to update to the best I can.

I left off at Suwon, and I've won 2 CL's since. The Asian Champions League with Ulsan and the Copa Libertadores with Palmeiras. Let's get this story going shall we?

I had a job interview with Ulsan Hyundai before I took over the Suwon job, but they were not in the CL so I went with the shorter project. Unfortunately Jeonbuk ended that plan early, and Suwon did become a bit over a long haul. I eventually resigned as the money was starting to fade and chased the cash with Ulsan, what they originally had tried to tempt me over Suwon back then.

We managed to finish 10th and I steered them clear of relegation when I took over. Peruvian Orlando Reyes was the top scorer with 15, but I needed a rehaul clearly. With a 15M+ budget, I could obviously do better. I did have a familiar name here though Mohammed El-Gamal, who I had signed at Qatar SC. I don't remember if I posted him, it doesn't look like I did? I had him at Qatar SC though and you can see in one of the pictures I had posted. Gusnaedi Adam was also here, who I signed at Kitchee very early in the save. I DID post early in this thread when he signed. You can see it if you scroll up!

So 2 familiar faces were here, good to see they progressed their careers and became banging footballers. Unfortunately Gusnaedi by then was getting on. El-Gamal had little excuse though.

Second season was better, but we couldn't win it thanks to Jeonbuk being basically unmatchable. Imagine 9 draws and still getting 87 points, it's madness. We had signed a few players. Cyril Musa, Lee Ki-Jong, Naomichi Takahashi, and Kim Dong-Wook. Cyril Musa was a young English striker who joined for 12.75M from QPR, but he basically won me what I needed here at Ulsan. He scored 36 league goals in 2042 and 2032.

There were still a few missing pieces though for the next season, and I needed too make sure I took care of that if I wanted to win the CL in the following year.

2043, I won the league.

It was more comfortable than it looked. I had won it with basically 2 or 3 matches left and then just rotated at the end. Important to win the title while I'm here, another part of the Pentagon that I love is winning as many titles as possible on the football world tour.

I brought a few depth pieces, and another familiar name in Kim Dong-Won, who I had at Qatar SC. The Korean who I had described as "total football". Also brought another Japanese player to take up the Asian foreign spot. I think Takahashi had become Korean by that point, I can't remember to be honest.

That WAS the year I won the Champions League though.

As for the road to the CL final...

The challenge was always getting past jeonbuk, and we got the unfortunate luck to draw them away from home, but we got the job done.

The final vs Al-Khaleej had goals from Musa and Hong Min to end my time in Asia. Took me a good long while to win my first CL, but Ulsan did me a lot of good. I can't thank Suwon and Qatar SC enough either. Kitchee also had a big role in getting to where I was. The busts here were Al-Waab, Western Sydney Wanderers and to an extent, SC Jiniu.

 

The easiest CL I will ever win. I was planning on getting South America out of the way second to last, but the Palmeiras opportunity was up for grabs and too good to let slide. Kaizer Chiefs nor a good North American job was available, so I jumped on the opportunity.

I joined mid year and did not play the Paulista state championship. Just the Brasileirao.

The league wasn't really my focus. We were in the Copa Libertadores round of 16 and it was the best time to try and win it.

I'm only showing the knockouts because I didn't even play the groups. I dominated it pretty much. Gremio proved to be a tricky challenge at the end, but we got by. We actually had a man sent off right after we went 2-0 up and complicated the final for ourselves, but we survived.

I have to be brutally honest, I hardly remember this squad because I didn't spend much time with them. Here you can get a good idea who was good though.

The first bust in a while. I had high expectations, but I had forgotten that relegation reactivated in Mexico. So while I did improve the team when I took over, they were in an impossible situation and we went down. Big mistake taking over, I was in a rush for a Mexican or MLS job and I ended up with basically nothing.

Colorado was the next club. At around this time I had lost some interest in the save, but I still managed to make some good signings here and learned a lot I didn't know about the MLS.

I'm just going to share my best 11, because I achieved nothing at Colorado despite having a good squad.

My DP's were Michel Yao who was made of glass, and Yunus Altuntas. The latter was an unreal player in his prime, but I got him at 35 and he's retired now so his stats are not available. As for Yao...

200k from ASEC Mimosas. Steal, but the catch was he was a glass cannon. He got injured every 2 minutes. I actually cannot believe Colorado made a profit off of him.

So why did I get sacked? The squad had lost faith in me. They sacked me at the end of 2047. Annoying but I wasn't really enjoying my time there either.

THIS is where the save started to kick off again. Cape Town City is a place I enjoyed managing a lot. However, I must say, the South African league is super difficult. There are 3 cups, the league, and the Champions League/Confederations Cup to play, and you need deep squads to win. Especially when the top clubs are relentless.

I relished the challenge and thoroughly enjoyed my team here. 5 seasons before I eventually got sacked for nothing basically. 

First year I took over mid season and steered them into mid table from a relegation spot. it was a good effort from the squad and a lot of the players there stayed for the future, as they fit into the new counter 4-2-3-1 I wanted to implement.

Makola was the best in that squad comfortably. Jacobs was also a good player but he started to get on around that time. That and his next season were his last 2 hurrahs before bowing out. Kouyate eventually became a good bench option and SIbanda I basically booted out as I had younger and quicker options for the striker role. The 2 players who remained key for the following years were Makola and Sacko.

The next year...

A significant improvement when it came to the points total, but still far off from winning the league.

Dadzie came in as the luxury signing. He did not disappoint as you can see. Rankhasa also started getting more minutes paried with Sacko in the midfield. The best eleven seems a bit flawed though as Bocco who is in subs was the starting 10 for the majority of the season. He ended up becoming a world beater and perhaps the best player I've managed in the save so far.

The next season...

This one saw an improvement on our league position, but it wasn't a good season as we stagnated in points. This season I invested more in depth. Dadzie remained the starting striker, and Mthethwa started performing a lot more. I know he got a higher average rating in his first season but he did play less of an overall role.

I also signed Job Manuel to rotate with Rankhasa and got a few more South African defenders. None were really notable but were more than good enough to compete.

That was our first continental qualification, to the Confederations Cup.

The next season...

We managed to do even worse than the last. I had kept learning lessons by this point though and this time we had an extra tournament to focus on. I did that and we ended up winning the Confederations Cup.

Here was our path, and to be brutally honest the only game with a full squad where we broke a sweat was the 2 legs against Smouha.

I got a new keeper in Dieng, and Bocco had left by then for Europe. Masilela was an academy product who developed superbly. He fit in right away. Mthethwa continued to improve and Makola started to decline a bit, The same could be said for Dadzie actually.

The final season for me at Cape Town was when I finished with the best points total and best league position. I got sacked a bit unfairly I think.

I had reinforced with a Uruguayan striker who had a rough start but after his first goal, he ended up becoming massive for us. I had planned on slowly geling him in, but Dadzie just refused to work by around that time. Also got a Senegalese midfielder in Pape Niang to rotate with Rankhasa and Manuel.

So why did I get sacked? The board wanted me to finish top 3, and they gave me a month to turn things around. I won the 3-4 games in the month but the team in 3rd and 2nd wouldn't lose. So despite winning everything that month, I still got the boot. Ridiculous algorithm.

Anyways, that leaves one more club.

There was no South African job available that wouldn't be a total rebuild, so I took the next best option in Angola.

It didn't take me more than a season to win my first title. It was not easy though, I barely won it and got lucky that Libolo also dropped points on the final day.

I had 5 foreigners, all Brazilian and none of them good enough. I raided Senegal and got 3 quality players off their league. The keeper, the BWM and the 10. Diouf in particular is arguably the best player in the league stats wise.

I brought over the same counter system I had in South Africa, to abuse pace on the break. El-Agab and Sanguinetti both have 16+ pace, and I brought them both in for that reason.

Barbeitos was another signing from me and he stabilized the entire backline. I actually ended up pleasantly surprised.

As time goes on, I will show more of my squad at Luanda.

[Marazola]

Played 3 seasons so far with Petro de Luanda.

My first season.

I won the league on the final day, and I nearly bottled it to be honest. I drew away to Juventude Moxico and if Recreativo do Libolo won the final game, we would have finished 2nd. Thankfully they ended up losing and we came back from a big point gap to win the league.

El-Agab, Diouf and Sanguinetti was a lethal front 3. Gui also scored plenty as the non-foreigner in the attack. Those 4 would remain in my 3 seasons here in Angola. Also, Olimpio Fortes was the midfielder on the right, no idea why Paulo is in that best eleven.

Barbeitos was probably the underrated signing and unsung hero. He was a rock in the backline.

2nd season

I very nearly got sacked in the second year, but I had an almost identical starting 11 and really only added more domestic depth.

We had to beat 1 de Agosto to scab 2nd on the final day, and we actually did.

I didn't think we would do it to be honest but finishing 2nd at least assured me of an ultimatum, which we won successfully in the next season.

We had a nearly identical starting 11 here, only changes are Barbeitos went early in the season and we got a new RB in Otta.

We were also in the Champions League, but I didn't know how to manage the fatigue. So we ended up bottling what should have been a somewhat simple group.

3rd season

Let's start with the Champions League. Complete joke of a draw in the first 2 rounds. We get Vita Club, one of the best clubs in DR Congo, and then Sundowns, one of the favourites! We managed to sneak past Sundowns thankfully but it was very close.

We then got a group with 2 Tunisian sides and an Algerian. It wasn't easy but we did manage to make it through after a strong run in the final games.

After we got MC Alger, which we lost 1-0 in Algeria. After that we brought it home and defeated them 3-0.

We fell in the semi-finals where we played Orlando Pirates. In the first leg we were robbed of a complete legitimate goal. We were onside and they snuck it near the end, and sadly we couldn't turn it around in South Africa.

Unfortunately, the league had a very unfortunate consequence that got us sacked.

For some reason, in none-AFCON years, the league restarts in February. During AFCON years, it restarts in late January.  So we had a bunch of players missing for a few games, including my keeper, and my backup got injured for a while. So we had a run of 6 games without winning, having to use a grayed out player in net.

To make matters worse, Sudan and Senegal reached the semi-finals, meaning we had to wait til the tournament was over to get them home. My keeper is Senegalese, so that did not help matters at all while the other keeper was out injured.

As a result, we ended up finishing 3rd. Recreativo and 1 de Agosto had like 4 games in hand and we couldn't do much to stop them. We had lost the league because of AFCON.

A complete joke to be honest.

Amandio Dias from our academy stepped into the scene and became a great rotation option. Gui had a worse year than usual. Meanwhile El-Agab and Sanguinetti had their best seasons here. Unfortunately they chose to leave at the wrong time. Did I mention Angola came home early, but returned Gui in an injured state? Sanguinetti also went out for about 4 weeks around that time. It was out of my control.

And yeah, I got sacked. I am finding Africa very difficult to be frank. I'll see what my next job is.

 

[Marazola]

New club!

I've decided to leave Africa as this seemed a good job to take over. They are in some relegation danger, but I reckon we'll be OK. They are a Mexican team and I'm gonna do what I can to build them up.

I immediately sold their best 2 players as they are cash strapped, and I needed to do so to bring in my counter attacking 4-2-3-1. I had literally no speed on the wings.

The 2 players I sold gave me about a 1M budget, which was still too little, so I had to bring out a strong weapon: buy half of my old squad.

Every signing except Johan Hernandez and Sebastian Bonvehi came from Angola and all of them played under me at Petro de Luanda. El-Agab was a no brainer, I don't think I had shown him yet, but he's a perfect fit for my system.

I had signed him at Petro de Luanda for about 100k from his native Sudan. He was key there and he's been key here until he got injured.

As for the others, I signed my Senegalese keeper who wasn't necessary, but he was an upgrade and was available cheap.

Ademar Gomes and Marcelino Paulo are the only proper Angolans I signed. Both are alright options but nothing that will carry me to a league title.

Another signing is Johan Hernandez. I needed a decently quick RW and he was recommended to me by my scouts. A decent option in my opinion. Probably not as useful as Sanguinetti but he's fast enough.

I've played until the playoffs of the Apertura. This is how we're doing:

We're doing well as the board expected us to finish bottom. The media has us 3rd from bottom. I can't complain. However, we could have finished higher. El-Agab got a 10 month injury a few games into the season. He was doing extremely well up until that, where he would assist or score almost everything. Very unfortunate and has changed our season. I'm slowly adapting though.

This is my counter system. The idea is catch them on the break and not allow them to stop our wingers. Hernandez is a pure striker, but he has some ability to be able to play out on the wing thanks to his decent pace and dribbling.

I prefer him at striker to be honest but I don't have another left winger, and much less a fast one. So he's out there now.

I've played the wild card round, where we beat Mazatlan. The playoffs coming soon.

[Marazola]

Worst possible opponent. Let's see what we can do.

[Marazola]

We ended up losing to America, but I'm proud we at least made it to that point. El-Agab was a big loss and we did OK without him for a bit.

Sadly the same cannot be said for the Clausura. We drew so many and didn't win a lot. This is where El-Agab was indeed a big miss.  Thankfully we don't get relegated and the board were still happy with my performance.

I've made 2 signings so far for the new season.

Had this guy on my radar since I was at Petro de Luanda, but just now does he want to join one of my teams. I really did need a BWM, so he'll fit in perfectly.

Not amazing but his physicals fit my style to perfection.