[FM22] The Fourth Glass, Vol. III: Straight Outta Sagarejo

[ManUtd1]

Doctor Congo 2039 -- African Cup of Nations, Final

For the third tournament in a row, we've reached the final.  Will it be three losses in a row?  Or can we finally break our duck with the Indomitable Lions?

We open the scoring in the 12th minute -- Awoa rising to hammer a header on goal from a Ndjitap corner, the keeper saves but Akono is first to the rebound.  1-nil.

We're firmly in control.  Yet the margins remain thin.  We go vertical in the early moments of the 2nd half -- Meyong breaking the offside trap, the defense asleep at the switch.  2-nil.

The Black Stars are kicked awake, and promptly pull one back.  Time to ring the changes.  Tired legs.  We need a new spark.  We tweak and adjust our tactics, regaining our composure as the clock ticks ever closer to 90.

Mbarga smashes the post in the 92nd minute, Ghana clear and go the other direction...but Ngongang is 40 yards from goal to sweep up the through ball.  Disaster averted...and, more than that, Ngongang kicks off a slick passing move that frees Mbarga at the top of the box.  This time, he makes no mistake, curling into the side netting.  3-1.

The final whistle blows.  At long last, after more than 5 years, we've won something with Cameroon.

But there's no rest for the wicked.  We face Carlos Pintado's Lille in the Europa League First Knockout Round in 11 days.

 

       

[ManUtd1]

[karanhsingh]

Congratulations on the AFCON win! 

And some of those players look fantastic. Awoa coming along really well. I am watching out for the two footed malian too he could do some serious damage when he joins. 

[ManUtd1]

Thanks, man! Yeah, I can't wait to see how that Malian develops. Seems like he needs to be an IWB but I'm giving it some thought.

[ManUtd1]

February 2039 - Europa League, 1st Knockout Round.

A return to France.  A rematch of last year's semifinal against Carlos Pintado's Lille.  After nearly a year of complaints from their supporters about how lucky we are, the moment of truth arrives.  

For both sides, as it turns out.

We take the first leg, 2-1, in France -- behind goals from Anibal and Dongou.  Then, back in Sagarejo, we run out to an early 3-nil lead thanks to Toroshelidze, Anibal and a MOTM performance from Awoa.

5-2 on aggregate.  A clear, decisive win.  The 4th time we've beaten them over the course of 90 minutes in less than a year.

At the final whistle, Mat can clearly be heard shouting at Pintado, demanding to know if he likes apples.  Pintado ignores him, depriving Mat of his desired Good Will Hunting moment. 

We will face Mathias Almeyda's Real Sociedad in the Second Round.

 

Answer the question, Carlos.

Edited July 7, 2022 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

March 2039 - Europa League, Second Knockout Round.

The start of the domestic campaign is delayed, giving way to the more important fixtures.  European football, the master of all.

Snow greets the Spaniards at the Gorlami.  Good Georgian weather, this.  Our all-white kits confusing our guests, blending into the pitch likes ghosts in the night.  The fear is visible in their eyes, as some Spanish **** smashes the ball into the back of his own net in the 19th.

It's a sloppy night.  One that does little to favor us, if we're being honest.  But Awoa curls a free kick around the wall in the 44th, and it feels like nothing could possibly go wrong.  A foolish mindset, we know.  Yet we cannot shake this feeling of invincibility, as the Gorlami comes alive in song...all the more so when Anibal calmly side-foots a cutback for our our third in first-half injury time.

Though the Spaniards pull one back, Jakimovski claims a 4th late.  A triumphant night for the Ghosts of Gare-Kakheti, giving birth to a new song -- sung to the tune of Katy Perry's Firework.  (Trust me, it sounds better in the original Georgian.  The translation leaves something to be desired.)

In San Sebastian, we don our black kits.  Black as the darkest night.  And, like the darkest night, we threaten the timid.  The Basques are shaky...despite dominating possession early, we look more than good value to score...our hosts forced to desperately clear off the line not once but twice, the post their savior on another occasion.  And while we do not find our way through early, the menace does not subside and we do strike first.  Jakimovski in the 40th minute.  Bruno's 91st minute equalizer puts paid to the Basques' search for a moral victory.

There is no such thing for you lot.  Not tonight.  

And not for Martin Demichelis' Rennes, either.  Not if I have anything to say about it.  A return to France fits my mood like a glove.

   

 

 

[karanhsingh]

Why does it show no fixture for you in the screenshot?

Also i gotta say that list of teams looks more befitting of the conference league. You should have a real shot at this. 

[ManUtd1]

9 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Why does it show no fixture for you in the screenshot?

Also i gotta say that list of teams looks more befitting of the conference league. You should have a real shot at this. 

Fingers are crossed after reaching the final last year. (Rennes is in the screenshot, they're just the last team in the draw - I try to take screenshots before everyone is selected, as I always go through the draw manually - the screenshot is intended to convey that feeling of watching... Silly, perhaps!)

Can't really look past anyone. But Athletic and Susanna Hoffsenheim are the biggest threats, in my mind. 

[ManUtd1]

March 2039 - International Friendlies.

Mat's continued insistence that we square off against random sides in friendlies is paying dividends.  

Host Sri Lanka in Yaounde?  The only way to top that is to face Venezuela in Puerto La Cruz 72 hours later. 

He has his reasons, I'm sure.

 

 

[ManUtd1]

April 2039 - Europe League, Quarterfinals.

Mat has been up all night, texting the Prime Minister of Finland again.  I don't know what prompted it, but I suspect he'll be working to schedule a "friendly" in Helsinki before long.

It's a bold move.  Is "bold" the right word?

Regardless, we have to focus.  The French are angry.  Angrier than usual.  Mat thinks its because they're French, because that would be reason enough.  (I don't have the patience to unpack that "logic".)

We have a task at hand, after all.  I can't decide if hosting the first leg at the Gorlami is an advantage or not...truly, it depends on our performance tonight.  If we show up to play, I don't care whether we're home or away first -- both suit us, strategically.

Nikoleishvili heads off the crossbar in the 6th minute...with Rennes going the other way to take the lead, moments later.  We could have used that, Beka...you ****ing donkey. 

When the French find a 2nd, though, there's no denying it.  Even Mat knows.  We're in the danger zone.

We adjust.  Get more assertive when out of possession.  Try to get more on the front foot.  And are promptly rewarded when Cosic rampages down the right flank, breaking into the box and calmly finishing to pull it back to 2-1.  The proverbial hairdryer comes out at the half.  We have no excuses.  Even Mat cringed at the manner in which I challenged the lads' efforts, and the metaphors drawn to the evolution of Polynesian seafaring techniques (which were accurate, if not particularly helpful).

After the restart, it is like we're running in molasses.  Even UEFA abandon us, as a Bruno strike in the 76th is called back by VAR...with a Nolla goal called back 6 minutes later...and then another Bruno strike in the 89th minute.

Cruel in the extreme.  We have it all to do back in France.

The conspiracy-minded among us (Mat included) are blaming the VAR crew for an obvious bias.  Me?  I blame The Rock.  He and those ****s at the History Channel can **** it.  An inspiring story?!  My left *******.

A Twitter war erupts.  Unfortunate things are said by all -- things that can't be taken back.  I would elaborate, but on advice of the club's lawyers I must not say anything furher.  Suffice to say that The Rock will not be welcome in Sagarejo anytime soon.  

There's nothing to do but go for it at Roazhon Park.  Leave it all on the pitch.  An early chance falls to Kameni, but the angle is too oblique and the keeper easily saves...allowing Rennes to march down the field an open the scoring.  We fight back, Awoa heading off the crossbar almost immediately...leading to frustration on our bench, as it feels like the patterns of the 1st leg are beginning to repeating themselves.

Still, we push forward.  We're still in this.  And we are rewarded -- Beridze firing home from close range in the 32nd.  We're creating chances.  We simply need to finish them.  But as we push forward, the game opens up.  And Rennes punish us in the 50th.  Down 2-1 on the night, and 2 goals on aggregate, it is the last roll of the dice time.

We get more aggressive.  More adventurous.  On the hour mark, the French keeper denies Kameni and Awoa in quick succession, before Anibal fires wide.  We should have pulled one back...yet, the play stretched, Rennes strike again on the counter.  3-1 on the night.  An unmitigated disaster.

That somehow gets worse, as we refuse to relent.  Rennes find another.  4-1.  

Anibal pulls one back in the 83rd.  But the deficit is too great.  Forced to chase the game by a patently-corrupt VAR official and his inhumanly-sculpted co-conspirator, we are undone.  There is no path back into the match.

But there is time for one final humiliation.  One final "**** you" from VAR, which denies a Nolla strike in the 92nd minute.

It is an utter, transparent farce.

For which someone will pay.  And pay dearly.

Sleep is a precious commodity in the days that follow our elimination from the Europa League.  

After all, there is much work to be done.

   

  

[ManUtd1]

Live shot from Rezo's post-match press-conference:

[karanhsingh]

VAR is a cruel mistress indeed. But revenge will be yours at some point i am sure. 

[ManUtd1]

5 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

VAR is a cruel mistress indeed. But revenge will be yours at some point i am sure. 

Rezo has been seen outside UEFA headquarters, protesting in "disguise."

[ManUtd1]

April 2039.

No matter how thoroughly we batter our domestic opponents, the bitter taste of failure sits heavy in my mouth. 

I do not like the bitter taste of failure.

It tastes like burning.

 

[ManUtd1]

Not even the 2nd XI's record-setting annihilation of Samgurali's reserves in the Cup can improve my mood.

[ManUtd1]

It's a simple strategy, really.

[ManUtd1]

May 2039.

The 1st XI take their cue from the 2nd XI's exploits in the Cup, thrashing Lokomotivi ahead of the summer international break in my 900th match as a manager. 

It is a savage beating.  Hypnotic in our relentless pursuit of our opponent's abject humiliation.  

In the 13 matches since our elimination, we've claimed 99 goals while conceding 8.

It is not enough.  It never will be.  

Not until we destroy the snide French.  Humiliate them.  Salt the ground on which their children play, secure in the innocence of youth.

 

 

[ManUtd1]

May 2039 - European Review.

It's time for our annual look around the continent.  And, for the first time in a while, we see a "big" club fall from grace in spectactular fashion.

More on that in a minute...

In the Champions League, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool survived a semifinal tie against Brian Priske's Everton, before claiming a 91st minute goal to force extra time in the final against Gerardo Seoane's Atletico, and securing the win on penalties.

In the Europa League, The Radish-Eating ****s From Rennes defeat Eddie Howe's Athletic, 1-nil, to deny the Basques a 2nd straight title and pour gasoline on the fire of my hatred.  The ****s.

The Europa Conference League final saw Mikel Oyarzabal's Fiorentina defeat Santiago Solari's Granada on penalties.

In the active leagues, Klopp's Liverpool won their 2nd straight Premier League title, while Phillipe Clement guided Chelski to a delicious relegation, after a 12th place finish last year.  Massimiliano Allegri's RB Leipzig won their 2nd Bundesliga title in 3 years.  Didier Deschamps' Juventus dethroned Diego Simeone's Inter in Serie A.  Julien Stephan's Virus successfully defended their La Liga title.  And, Roberto Martinez's PS-****ing-G did PS-****ing-G things.

  

  

  

    

Edited July 9, 2022 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

Fun fact of the night: PS-****ing-G play at Li Le Park, named in honor of their Chinese tycoon owner.

 

[ManUtd1]

June 2039 - International Friendlies.

The parade of confusing friendlies continues.  Trinidad & Tobago?  St. Lucia?

"They're places i'd love to visit, Boss.  Especially in the summer, yeah?!"

"Then why didn't you schedule the matches to be played away, Mat?"

"**** off, Rezo."

 

[ManUtd1]

June 2039 - European Coefficients Update.

Little movement this year.  Gareji rise to 17th in the club coefficients table, but have yet to crack the top 50 in terms of reputation.  The Erovnuli Liga rises to 22nd in the competitions table, continuing our (extremely) slow but steady march upwards.

  

Edited July 9, 2022 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

June 2039.

The annual youth academy review is -- once again -- quite promising.  I tell myself there's no way it can match last year's class, but...I guess we'll see.

Komina also arrives and immediately takes Manga's spot on the bench for the 1st XI, and in the 2nd XI.  Benny has thrown his toys out of the pram, insistent on a move to -- of all places -- France.  **** off then, Benny-lad.  See if the French will ever love you the way we did.

 

 

[ManUtd1]

July/August 2039.

Our entry into the Champions League at the Group Stage means that we have a quiet summer.  

Part of me misses the fixture congestion.  The hustle and bustle of playing twice per week, while flying to and from obscure, regional airports across the continent.

Yet, the lads are enjoying the slower pace -- the 1st XI playing our domestic fixtures, while a portion of the squad deputizes with our reserves in the 2nd tier. 

Sirbiladze and Manga depart, with Asatryan and Komina backfilling their positions.  Neither is a serious loss given the potential that replaces them.  As the club with the highest coefficient in Pot 3, we are nothing if not ready to resume hostilities in Europe.

My hopes for a pairing with the Radish Eating ****s are dashed, however.  They are drawn out of Pot 1 into Group D, while we enter Group H against Ajax, Dejan Stankovic's Dortmund, and Basaksehir.  It isn't the draw we wanted.  But it is one we can work with, especially since we host the Dutch on Matchday 1 in Sagarejo -- a chance to stake our claim for a spot in the knockout rounds.

  

 

Edited July 9, 2022 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

September 2039.

After two straightforward friendlies with Cameroon, which gave us a chance to hand several players their first cap, it is time to face the Dutch.  It is early, but much rests on the outcome of these 90 minutes.

We're in control early, creating chances, Bruno making a nuisance of himself.  In the 33rd minute, Jakimovski unlocks the defense with an early cross, finding Bruno at the back post for an uncontested header.  1-nil.  Jakimovski makes it two mere minutes later, a loose ball falling to his feet 9 yards from goal.

VAR -- our old enemy -- rears its head when Bruno finds another almost immediately after the restart.  Yet, VAR will not be our undoing.  Not tonight.  Bruno finds our 3rd in the 88th.  A comprehensive statement of our intent.  We will not go quietly into the night...

...in our focus on Europe, however, we take our eye off the ball domestically, crashing out of the Davit Kipiani Cup to an outmatched Dinamo Tbilisi.  It is no matter.  We claim the Erovnuli Liga title 72 hours later, our reserves having already claimed the Erovnuli Liga 2 title.  One lucky result does not change the landscape of Georgian football.

The month ends with a trip to the German industrial heartland.  Dortmund await.  The supporters talk of an epic upset being on the cards -- last year's results at this same stage giving them hope.  So, when our hosts are reduced to 10 men after a nasty challenge on Bruno in the 34th minute, expectations rise...and rise again, with Bruno's opening goal on the stroke of halftime when we hit them in transition.  A Kameni wonder goal immediately after the restart seals it.  A massive win that gives us control of the Group, and over our own fortunes.

 

   

   

 

[ManUtd1]

The promise of June gives way to the cold, harsh reality of October.

The only players worth considering in what was billed to be a strong Fabrika class are Elguja "Gooch" Khukhunaishvili and Aleksandre Zhishkariani.

 

[ManUtd1]

October 2039.

The Indomitable Lions look very domitable in this month's friendlies, the last before we begin World Cup qualifying against Swaziland.  Neither Costa Rica nor Jamaica should prove problematic, certainly not when we host them in Cameroon.  Maybe it is the young squad -- an average age of 23.  No excuses.  If we simply take our chances, both matches are over long before the final whistle.

Gareji travel to Istanbul for Matchday 3.  Win tonight, and we are guaranteed football after the holidays.  In our first foray forward, straight from kickoff, Kameni is shoved over from behind in the box.  Awoa calmly slots the penalty home to give us the lead, after less than 90 seconds.  Bruno extends our lead in the 8th minute, tapping home a loose ball inside the 6.  Kameni finds our 3rd just before the half, all-but ending the Turkish resistance.  6-nil at the final whistle, this was always a match we should have won -- nevertheless, to do so emphatically is a tremendous boost to our confidence.

Our 3-nil drubbing of Saburtalo on Matchday 32 is notable, in that we set a league record for goals scored -- 154, having conceded a mere 12.  We will look to extend that tally in the closing weeks of the campaign.

 

  

 

[ManUtd1]

We can secure passage to the knockout rounds with a win over Basaksehir on Matchday 4.

Pressure?  I eat pressure for breakfast.

16 seconds.  6 passes.  1 goal.  

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by ManUtd1

[karanhsingh]

Some immense results in the CL there!

[ManUtd1]

November 2039 - CAF World Cup Qualifying, Second Round.

6 goals in the first 15 minutes in Douala put paid to any suggestion that Swaziland might put a scare in us.  Outmanned.  Outgunned.  Out-footballed.  

The 2nd XI are given the return leg in Lobamba -- a young XI, 10 of whom have passed through the doors of Fabrika.  A proud moment, even if the result is less emphatic.

Our reward?  A tough qualifying Group, with Angola, Algeria and Ghana.

 

[ManUtd1]

17 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Some immense results in the CL there!

Thanks, man!  Got lucky against Dortmund, arguably.  But we're through!  I'm hoping for a rematch against the Radish Eaters in the knockout rounds...

  

[ManUtd1]

Can you hear the footsteps, Porto?  We're coming for you...

[ManUtd1]

Uhh...  What were you lifting the weights with?

[ManUtd1]

November/December 2039.

The final matches in the Group Stage will determine if we go through as a seeded team -- an unquestionable advantage.  

In Amsterdam, we run riot -- annihilating the Dutch, 5-1.  Ze Germans win, meaning it all will come down to 90 minutes in Sagarejo.

It is a wide open match -- 4 goals in the first 25 minutes, neither side playing anything resembling a coherent defense.  It is glorious.,.except for the fact that we are the ones creating better chances, and not taking them.  We fall 4-3, but still take the Group on the tiebreaker.

 

 

[ManUtd1]

If A Tree's Strength Is Judged While It Is Still A Seed, It Is Mistaken As Weak

December 2039 - Season Review

This is the year it feels like we finally "arrived" on the continental scene.  An unjust departure from the Europa League.  Winning our Champions League Group.  Not to mention an "invincible" league campaign, in which we claimed 167 goals while only conceding 14.  

Though we have claimed scalps in European competition before and even progressed to the Champions League knockout rounds, it feels different this time.  We belong here.  No longer are we the precocious young upstarts from the hinterlands, bound to be annihilated by the established powers in due course.

After all, we only lost 4 matches all year -- twice to the Radish Eaters, once to Dinamo Tbilisi in a one-sided match we conspired to lose, and then in the last match of the campaign against ze Germans.

Provided that we can keep this side together, we are not as far from the pinnacle as it may seem at times. 

Goals for 2040:  Win the lot, domestically. Not embarrass ourselves in the 2039/40 Champions League knockout rounds.  Qualify for the Champions League knockout rounds in 2040/41.

   

  

[ManUtd1]

Achille Awoa, Danny Roberts Challenge - 2039 Overview

Achille Awoa has grown leaps and bounds this year -- at the age of 21, he has 204 appearances in the books, with an absurd 69 international caps.  He has also been named the Erovnuli Liga POTY, Foreign POTY and Young POTY.  There is little doubt that he will reach 1,000 appearances -- the drop-off this year was associated with fewer appearances from the substitutes bench, mainly due to the fact that our 2nd XI played fewer matches.  Getting a libero to 1,000 goals was always going to prove to be a challenge -- I think we can still make a run for it, but it is going to take some luck and effort. I want him to be consistently scoring 20+ goals for Gareji, a threshold he has yet to hit.  It helps that he takes penalties and free kicks for both club and country, although the impact has been less than what I would have expected.  It will be interesting to see if that changes, going forward. 

Per usual, I've included Kameni and Ngongang.  There is no question that they should both reach the Appearances mark, and Kameni is starting to look good value for the 1,000 goals mark.  He needs to continue scoring for the Indomitable Lions, especially with fewer club games on offer thanks to our direct qualification for the Champions League Group Stage.  His partnership with Bruno and Anibal also picked up this year, 

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by ManUtd1
Updated Awoa screenshot to reflect POTY/etc

[ManUtd1]

The Champions League draw is a mixed bag -- either we face the likes of Party-zan and Sporting, or we get one of giants of the "Big 5."  

There will be no trip to Belgrade's famous Itchy Kitty for us, though -- we draw Allegri's RB Leipzig -- the defending Bundesliga champions, who are having a tough domestic campaign thus far.  We are not without, however, as we eliminated ze Germans 2 years ago in the Europa League quarterfinals.

 

[ManUtd1]

The domestic award season is (as has become typical) a celebration of our players.

On a bigger stage, however, Kameni claims African Footballer of the Year and the Broadcaster's African Footballer of the Year, with Awoa finishing 3rd in the former, and Ngongang joining them in the African XI.

   

Edited July 10, 2022 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

Television rights in the Erovnuli Liga triple for 2040, up to $1.7M from $530k in 2039.

 

[ManUtd1]

February 2040 - Champions League, First Knockout Round (1st Leg).

The first leg in Germany sees us down Miladinov and Toroshelidze.  While Miladinov has a chance to return for the 2^nd leg, Toroshelidze will miss both.  Davit has fallen down to the 2^nd XI (behind Brkic), though, so it isn’t as if his loss is a big one…unless and until we need talent coming off the bench. 

Anibal smashes one off the post in the first minute…a strong start.  But there are 89 minutes-plus to play… And we concede first, a crashing header off a corner.

But we’re not done for.  Not yet.

We continue to harry and press.  And we take our chances.  Jakimovski in the 39^th, Brkic a mere 19 seconds after the restart, and Ayong in the 93^rd minute, with 2 goals called back by VAR in the interim.

(The ****s at UEFA are nothing if not persistent in their ****y-ness.)

We will take a 3-1 lead back to Sagarejo.

     

 

[ManUtd1]

March 2040 - Champions League, First Knockout Round (2nd Leg).

Miladinov returns to the bench for the 2nd leg back in Sagarejo.  With a 2-goal advantage, my hope is we will not need him.  Ze Germans must chase the game, which plays right into our tactical plans.

The auld enemy -- VAR -- intervenes early, awarding Leipzig a goal in the 16th.  Bull****.

Jakimovski pulls us back level on the night, 20 minutes later -- a goal we needed, to restore the karmic balance of the match.  Ze Germans refuse to relent, however, and find another shortly before the half, only for Bruno to restore parity -- a goal that even VAR cannot deny.  Jakmovski gives us our first lead of the night in the 55th -- a big moment, as our guests will need to chase the match even harder now.

When Bruno claims our 4th before Leipzig can regain their composure, again the UEFA ****s try to intervene through VAR, but even they cannot deny us our due.  4-2,  The German champions are eliminated.

A massive win.  A statement of intent.  A marker, laid down.

We reach the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time.  A rematch against Dejan Stankovic's Dortmund awaits.

      

 

 

Edited July 11, 2022 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

March 2040 - Cup of Nations Qualifying.

Two matches.  Six points.  

Simple math.

 

[karanhsingh]

Loving the Danny Roberts challenge. Of course you could switch Awoa to the AMC role and have him easily score more goals but where's the fun in that. 

Btw as a libero are most of his open play goals long range bangers?

[ManUtd1]

15 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Loving the Danny Roberts challenge. Of course you could switch Awoa to the AMC role and have him easily score more goals but where's the fun in that. 

Btw as a libero are most of his open play goals long range bangers?

Definitely could get a ton more goals if I put him up higher, but I agree -- that wouldn't be anywhere near as much fun.  

I'm honestly frustrated by the lack of open play goals.  He mainly scores from direct free kicks and penalties, with a handful of goals coming on near-post corners.  He probably claims ~3-5 goals per year from pure open play -- nowhere near as much as I'd like to see.  He's learning the "shoots from distance" PPM right now -- hopefully that will help.

(Theoretically, we could get him more goals if I had someone with a long, flat bullet throw.  But...we don't have that option right now and it isn't something I've been looking for.  But those would not be "open play" goals, in any real sense of the term.)

[karanhsingh]

5 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

Definitely could get a ton more goals if I put him up higher, but I agree -- that wouldn't be anywhere near as much fun.  

I'm honestly frustrated by the lack of open play goals.  He mainly scores from direct free kicks and penalties, with a handful of goals coming on near-post corners.  He probably claims ~3-5 goals per year from pure open play -- nowhere near as much as I'd like to see.  He's learning the "shoots from distance" PPM right now -- hopefully that will help.

(Theoretically, we could get him more goals if I had someone with a long, flat bullet throw.  But...we don't have that option right now and it isn't something I've been looking for.  But those would not be "open play" goals, in any real sense of the term.)

Yes shoots from distance should help, maybe arrives late in opposition area. But from what I've seen of the ME the libero even on attack duty ends up being a more playmaking sort of role so you have your limitations. Maybe you can go for 1000 g+a. 

[ManUtd1]

As far forward as he gets, the moments bursting into the box are definitely less frequent than I'd like (even if they are more frequent than in prior MEs, by my impression).  "Arrives late" is one I need to look at next, though since he already has "gets forward whenever possible" and "gets into opposition area" he may not be able to learn it (the latter, in particular).

Edited July 11, 2022 by ManUtd1

[karanhsingh]

Yes indeed then it may not make sense. 

Anyway looking at these players your scout in Cameroon definitely deserves a massive raise !

[ManUtd1]

Bruno Bernales is the first Gareji player to be named to the NxGn 50 while still in Georgia.  A beast of a player, who is growing into our tactics quite nicely.

 

[ManUtd1]

8 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Yes indeed then it may not make sense. 

Anyway looking at these players your scout in Cameroon definitely deserves a massive raise !

Scouting every Cameroonian player in the database isn't glamorous, but it works!

[ManUtd1]

April 2040 - Champions League, Quarterfinals.

A massive night.  One we have long prepared for.

Back in Dortmund at the Signal Iduna, the site of ze Germans' self-immolation last Fall.  Ze Germans play as if they have a point to prove.  Us?  We are timid.  In the extreme.

Garde gives our hosts a deserved lead shortly before the break.  It is no less than they deserve. 

Which makes his straight red card on the stroke of halftime look like nothing more than history repeating itself -- a gift from the Footballing Gods.  A gift we firmly refuse, as Miladinov manages to provide the aging Moukoko with a beautiful assist in the 50th minute.  We pull one back, late, but the headline is clear.  A 2-1 loss to 10-man Dortmund?  A missed opportunity to say the least.

Back in Sagarejo, neither side approaches the match with any semblance of caution.  The match is a thrilling, wide open, end-to-end affair, with VAR intervening to award both sides a goal.  One that is settled in the 94th minute, Le curling an impossible shot into the top corner from 20 yards.  Cruel in the extreme.  2-2 on the night.  We are out, 4-3 on aggregate.

 

    

 

[karanhsingh]

Ah. Unfortunate but you're definitely getting there.