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gaz12321
World Cup Qualifiers
Rochet was restored in goal with Lima missing through injury, Gimenez returned to the side and Garcia returned to fill in at left back, Torreira misses out through injury so Nandez steps into midfield, De Arrascaeta returns in place of Lopez playing just behind Rolan who gets the call ahead of Fernandez and Guillen up top. The first half was certainly nothing to shout about apart from a few cards handed out in a very feisty encounter, The deadlock was broken on 54 minutes when De Arrascaeta found Rossi in space inside the area and the midfielder slotted home, the game exploded into life at the end when Rossi grabbed his second of the game after being teed up by Nandez, Areil Vargas a minute later pulled one back for Bolivia but it was too little too late and we held on for a 2-1 win.
Chile managed to hold Brazil to a draw, there were wins for Paraguay & Argentina and in the final game Peru were held 0-0 at home to Venezuela.
Brazil, Argentina & Paraguay are confirmed as qualifiers, the last place and play off place will be 2 from Chile, Peru or us which is made even more interesting by the fact that Chile host Peru in the final game. We host Venezuela knowing that victory would guarantee us a playoff place at least.
Gimenez misses a vital game through suspension which sees Lemos get a start alongside Reymundez, the only other change is Fernandez coming in to replace the misfiring Rolan. The first half couldn't have gone any worse as the minnows took a 2 goal lead through Marrufo & Moreno, Bentancur's poor performance saw him sacrificed at half time to allow Rolan to come on as we changed formation and went on the attack, this paid off very quickly as the substitute grabbed a goal just 8 minutes after coming on springing the trap to collect a pass from Arigon and beat the keeper at his near post, Fernandez then pulled us level after 75 minutes after Rossi found him in the area and he slotted past the keeper, we continued to press in search of a winner but had to settle for a draw.
There were wins for Brazil & Argentina, a draw between Ecuador & Colombia and most importantly for us Chile & Peru played out a 1-1 draw securing a play off place for Uruguay, a shame however that we could have secured qualification with a win.
We could have come up against either Australia or New Zealand but have been drawn against Panama in the playoffs which should be a favourable draw for us.
Dan
gaz12321
Yea it is long winded for sure, i'd hoped to have been back in club football by now but there's very few jobs come up and nothing has interested me so just have to keep waiting.
gaz12321
World Cup Qualification Playoff
Lima returns in goal and there is a rare start at left back for Jonathan Varela with nobody else taking there chance while Olaza has been out, Nandez continues in midfield with Torreira still missing Olivera returns to the side on the left wing and Eliceiry gets a start on the right. The game couldn't have gone any better, not only did we smash Panama, we never even let them near our goal! Olivera got us off to a flyer getting on the end of Eliceiry's cross after just 4 minutes, Carlos Fernandez made it 2-0 after 32 minutes neatly finishing from Bentancur's pass, he added his 2nd and our 3rd just 4 minutes after that meeting a near post cross from Eliceiry to give us a 3 goal cushion at the break. The second half was more of the same as Eliceiry's through ball was pounced on by Fernandez who powerfully finished to complete his hat trick, as the game drew to a close Pablo Guillen netted 3 minutes after coming on, finishing from another Eliceiry through ball. An emphatic performance, Eliceiry was a creative force claiming 4 assists!
We made 3 changes for the second leg with the pressure off, Velazquez was handed a start in place of Reymundez who picked up a knock, youngster Joaquin Lemos replaced Bentancur in midfield and Arigon came in for Rossi. We again dominated the game although the scoreline was far less emphatic and Panama even managed 4 attempts at goal albeit to no avail, Carlos Fernandez took just 9 minutes to get on the scoresheet again with his 5th goal in 3 games, Lemos weighted a lovely pass for the striker to race through and slot home and open the scoring. Olivera doubled our advantage in first half stoppage time arriving at the far post to finish from Eliceiry's right wing cross and make it 2-0. There was little to shout about in the second half as we comfortably played out the remaining time of a 7-0 victory over the two legs and secure our place at the World Cup 2026!
We have been drawn against 2 of the top 8 ranked sides in the world with Germany & USA in our group while Norway make up the numbers. A tough draw and our game against USA will probably be the deciding factor unless one of us take something from Germany.
Looking at the draw in full our group is potentially the 'group of death' with the other likely contender probably England's group which also features Holland, Ivory Coast & South Korea but all in all the bigger nations are quite well spread out.
Our warm up features trips to Portugal & Switzerland, We start the group with the game against USA and then Germany and finish off against Norway.
Over two years after leaving Hangzhou a club job has finally come up that tempted me enough to leave my role at Uruguay, although the timing is devastating as we head towards the World Cup Finals but the lack of jobs in that time meant I didn't want to let this opportunity slip and the club didn't want me continuing with the national job so needs must ...
gaz12321
O'Higgins
So my next adventure sees me head to Chile, my preferred destination and a decent sized club as well!
The Stadium, El Teniente, only holds just under 14,000 which is not massive, but the club are firmly established in the top flight in Chile heading into a 28th successive season.
One of the things that helped my decision was their training facilities being superb, although the youth facilities are only average so i'll be looking to get these upgraded.
I have a big task on my hands by the seems of it, they struggled last year and a win on the final day kept them up by the skin of their teeth. Clearly the defence needs some work having conceded 46 goals in 30 games.
It's certainly not a bad squad and a few decent additions could see them pushing for the top half, the stand out performers coming form the defence surprisingly with left back Diego Soto & center back Bryan Ruiz putting in some quality shifts this season. I'll need to bring in another keeper as there's only one, a new right back to provide Moreno some competition and a couple of center mids to replace the outgoing loan players. There are 3 transfers already arranged for the club but none of them look like they will make the cut.
Hurtado is an experienced holding midfielder who could be crucial to any success we may have in the next few years, he displays good marking and tackling capability, determination, anticipation, positioning, decisions and teamwork and looks like a solid player, the only concern is his lack of aerial ability.
This guy could be a future legend of the club if he wants to be, at just 18 years old he is already good enough to be a first team regular, he is excellent on the ball and has loads of scope for improvement so i'll certainly be doing everything I can to keep hold of him for many years to come.
gaz12321
2026/27 Season Preview
Big changes over the summer with a massive overhaul of the squad, 5 players released and 6 players sold for a combined total of £2.6M with a further £1.2M in clauses on the sale of youngster Renato Lopez who I reluctantly let go to Gremio, I was disappointed to lose Matias Lopez as well but Busan matched his release clause and he wanted stupid money to sign a new deal! 10 players come in but 4 of those were previously arranged so only 6 are my players, I won't go into detail about them all just my 3 favourites which are below, we spent a combined total of £2.5M over the summer.
Our big summer signing is goalkeeper Matias Burgos from Huachipato, he cost us slightly more than I wanted to pay at £1M but was by far the best available to us and should prove to be a great signing, his keeping attributes are really good for this level but his passing attribute is 1, which is incredible really so I need to ensure he sticks to punting it long which ironically he's really good at!
Expereinced central midfielder Kevin Medel joins for £300k from Universidad Catolica, he's featured regularly at this level for a number of years and is clearly very talented and at £300k he's well worth it even if we only get a few years out of him, he comes in as a replacement for outgoing Aburto and will most often slot in at DM alongside Hurtado.
Another experienced central midfielder Fito Ovalle comes in on a free after failing to agree a new deal with Universidad de Chile, he is currently out injured so I would expect his attributes to grow as her returns to fitness and he clearly has quality, he does lack a bit on the mental side of the game but he will be playing in front of 2 DM's so should have a degree of freedom to excel.
This is the new look squad, minus Carlos Bravo who was sold on after this screenie was taken, we have some healthy competition in most areas of the pitch and should be able to cover all but the worst injury crisis. I've shipped out a lot of moaning players over the summer and feel that the signings coming in and have improved on the quality of those going out, barring the disappointment of losing Matias Lopez who had more quality than the 2 right wingers we have now but Tarifeno can also play there if needed.
The board are looking for a mid table finish in both stages of the league which would be a vast improvement from the disappointment they saw last season, they don't regard the Chilean Cup as a concern although i'd quite like a little cup run as always.
The media expect a big improvement from last year predicting us to finish 7th and to be honest i'd be happy with that as I look to build for the future.
We've been drawn against divisional rivals Rangers and 2 sides from the division below in Curico Unido & Deportes Puerto Montt, which should hopefully be a comfortable group for us.
gaz12321
July 2026
Results
An excellent start to my O'Higgins career but in truth there was very little in terms of a test for us, the Cup was used as our pre season schedule with just one friendly against a local side before it which we won 4-0. We opened with a 2-1 win at home to Curico Unido with a brace from Matias Lopez enough to secure victory despite a late consolation from the visitors, Lopez left the club shortly after this heading to South Korean side Busan! Game 2 saw us narrowly win at First Division side Rangers thanks to a header from Lazaga, I made a few changes for the trip to lower division Deportes Puerto Montt and we comfortably beat them 3-0 with goals from wingers Godoy & Rodriguez in the first half and a late strike from youngster Escobar who had come on as a sub. Our trip to Curico Unido saw us grab another 3-0 win, an early penalty from Kvein Medel and Escobar scoring for the 2nd game running before Medel got his second late on, this secured our qualification with 2 games spare. We then failed to win for the first time, Tarifeno's first goal of the season put us ahead in the second half and despite being the better side we were pegged back and had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Rangers, the group was concluded with a 1-0 win over Deportes Puerto Montt despite making a number of changes to the side, Tarifeno made the vital difference netting a second half winner. Our opening league game saw us host Universidad de Concenpcion and we just edged a win from a match we absolutely dominated, Raul Hurtado finally made the breakthrough in the second half even though we could have scored 5 or more, it took Concepcion until the 80th minute to register a shot on goal but we comfortably claimed the 3 points.
Comfortable progress taking 16 points from a possible 18, predictably Rangers followed us through to the 2nd round 2 points ahead of Curico Unido with Deportes Puerto Montt picking up just a single point.
Gigliotti played every minute of every game and was the only player in the squad to do so, the ball winner was solid and dependable throughout and although he wasn't exactly spectacular he done what you want a ball winner to do, a great month from the lad.
Finances are looking pretty solid but i'll keep an eye on any P&L before I approach the board about upgrading the youth facilities.
5 league games this month as we make journeys to Audax Italiano, Huachipato and a daunting trip to Colo Colo, we host last seasons champions Union Espanola and Palestino as well. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into the league now.
Dan
gaz12321
gaz12321
August 2026
Results
We opened the month with 3 straight wins which put us top briefly, Kevin Medel's penalty was enough to secure a narrow victory at Audax Italiano, we then picked up a huge win at home to defending champions Union Espanola with goals from our wingers Godoy and Estevez enough despite the visitors grabbing a late goal. We picked up a 4th straight league win and moved top of the table through a header from Lazaga as time was beginning to run out at Huachipato, we flew into a 2-0 lead at home to Palestino with decent strikes from Medel & Lazaga within 8 minutes, Palestino made it 2-1 before the break but we looked like we'd done enough then with 20 seconds to go in stoppage time an error from our keeper saw a tame shot squirm through his grasp to make it 2-2, cruel blow! In the final game of the season the less said about it the better, lets just Colo Colo are a quality side! We were destroyed 3-0 and put in a very tame performance!
A solid start for us claiming 13 points from a possible 18 considering we've already faced Union Espanola & Colo Colo, we are a point behind the latter and 2 points off the early pace setters Santiago Wanderers.
Kevin Medel has been excellent in the midfield for us this month playing the box to box role to perfection, he provides us with so much energy and covers a lot of ground and he's managed to pop up with 2 goals and an assist in his 5 appearances.
We start with the away leg of our cup tie against Deportes Temuco but with just a 3 day gap before our league game at home to Everton I will make a number of changes, we then host Deportes Iquique and finish the month with a tricky trip to Universidad Catolica.
gaz12321
September 2026
Results
A 0-0 draw in the first leg of the cup tie, not bad considering we made a host of changes with league action just 3 days away, we probably just shaded things but I can't begrudge Temuco a draw. With most of our team fresh for the visit of Everton we made harder work of things than I had hoped but Tarifeno's goal midway through the second half was enough to earn a 1-0 win, we recorded back to back wins seeing off struggling Deportes Iquique in a more comfortable manner than the scoreline suggests, a goal from Tarifeno and an own goal had us 2-0 up, Iquique grabbed a late goal back but we claimed a 2-1 win. A third win in a row from a tricky tie at Catolica, we were firmly in control with Lazaga scoring either side of the break to put us 2-0 up but Catolica fought back late on with 2 quick goals to level it up, thankfully Lazaga netted his hat trick to secure a deserved victory with time running out. A solid month in the league.
A fantastic month has seen us move top of the league with 6 games left in the opening stage, although i'm not dreaming just yet and am trying to keep my feet on the ground, I only wanted a top half finish and can't expect to keep up this level of form. Santiago are performing above expectations just 2 points behind us and Colo Colo remain unbeaten but 4 draws sees them sitting 3 points behind us.
Tarifeno has been in great form this month especially the 3 league games, netting 2 goals and creating 3, although he's naturally a striker he is performing incredibly well on the right wing and forming a decent partnership with Lazaga.
A trip to Rangers in the league before the second leg of the cup tie against Temuco, then just a 3 day gap to the visit of Cobresal and rounding up the month with a trip to San Luis.
gaz12321
October 2026
Results
Rangers shocked us back down to earth with a late winner which wasn't really deserved a draw would've been a fair result but we weren't good enough, an early strike from Lazaga was all that there was to separate us and Temuco in the second round of the cup over 2 legs securing our passage to the Quarter Finals.Returning to league action and another defeat, in a kind of similar fashion to the Rangers game, we fell behind in the second half but Tarifeno's cross was diverted in by their center back to level it up minutes later, as the game was coming to a close Cobresal netted an undeserved winner, our poor form continued at San Luis as we fell behind inside the first minute, Medel put us back on terms after 10 minutes with a fine strike, the game played out in drab fashion and ended 1-1. An awful month in the league!
Just 1 point form 3 games sees us slip down to 4th, Colo Colo & Union Espanola lead the way although the latter have played a game more, Cobresal have jumped above us following their victory over us.It will be a tight finish in the top half as a number of clubs look for continental qualification.
A tough one this month as there weren't really any contenders, Bravo had a couple of decent performances this month and created 2 of the 3 goals we managed.
So the end of the Opening Stage sees us face a visit from Universidad de Chile and visits to Nublense & Santiago Wanderers while we have a two legged tie against the latter in the Cup Quarter Final sandwiched between them. A very tricky month coming up.
Ipswich Knights
gaz12321
Results
We fell to a late defeat at home to Uni de Chile despite being the better side, our attackers were creating chances but we just couldn't find the net and we were punished late on as we conceded from a corner and lost 1-0, another decent performance followed as we secured an advantage in the Cup Quarter Final, Bravo & Ovalle both getting their first club goals for the club to put us 2-0 up but minutes after our second went in we conceded a sloppy but crucial away goal and had to settle for a 2-1 win, the goal was Santiago's only shot on target! It proved the difference as well with the second leg ending 2-0 to the hosts following a shocking performance from us which sees us sent crashing out of the cup! Back in league action and another disappointment, once again we were the better side but couldn't find the net and conceded late on, dreadful result losing 1-0 at strugglers Nublense! Heading into the final game needing a win and for Uni de Chile not to beat Nublense at home, a big ask! We played our part with a fantastic 3-1 win at Santiago Tarifeno with a brace and Escobar coming off the bench to wrap it up late on, shockingly Uni de Chile lost to Nublense so we leapfrogged them into 5th to take our place in the playoff, and our reward...
Union Espanola! We beat them early in the season but they are right up there with the best in the division!
And it went badly! We couldn't have got off to a worse start in fact as we found ourselves trailing 2-0 after 10 minutes of the first leg at home! Kevin Medel smashed a free kick in from 30 yards to give us a glimmer of hope which gave us a bit of confidence and the performance improved, Espanola extended their advantage in the second half making it 3-1 but a late strike from Estevez gave us hope heading into the second leg bringing the score back to 3-2. The second leg was shocking yet again, Espanola opened up a 3-0 win in the first half so we had to resort to damage limitation, they grabbed another goal early in the second half as they continued to dominate, Tarifeno struck in injury time to make things look a little more respectable but this really highlights how far behind the better teams in the division we actually are. A complete embarrassment!
Colo Colo are the Opening Stage Champions, Union Espanola won the playoff, we managed to finish 5th which is better than I expected, a top 8 finish overall would be enough for me so the first half of the season shows some promise.
Tarifeno gets it but it's been a very hit and miss kind of month, for the whole team not just him, there were a number of very ordinary performances from him but a few good ones were enough to earn some recognition scoring 3 and setting up 1 goal of the 8 that we scored through this period, he has also shown versatility as always flicking between right wing and up front.
At the half way stage Lazaga is the top scorer with 7 goals, Tarifeno and Bravo are joint top of the assists both on 7. Medel has been the standout performer though with an average rating of 7.52 and 5 man of the match awards.
We beign the Closing Stage in January with a trip to Uni de Concepcion, then we have home ties against Audax Italiano & Huachipato as well as trips to Espanola & Palestino. There will be a few new faces available with these 3 guys coming in on the 1st January when the window opens...
I actually forgot about this guy coming in, midfield playmaker Duran comes in from Argentina but how much game time he gets remains to be seen, we have plenty of depth in the ceter of midfield now.
Young left back Pedro Munoz comes in from Audax Italiano, he's also comfortable playing center or right of defence so offers great cover, already good enough to get some first team football and at just 19 years old he has potential to be a key player for many years to come.
The big signing, Brazilian striker Rai comes in hopefully to solve our woes up front, he possesses decent pace movement and finishing ability and if he settles he could be up there with the best in the division, i've got high hopes for this lad.
gaz12321
Results
A solid start to the Closing Stage despite drawing our opener against Uni de Concepcion, Hurtado had given us the lead in that one but we conceded the leveler in the second half. We then went on to win our remaining 4 games including a victory over Union Espanola, goals from Ovalle, Tarifeno, Rai & Estevez secured a 4-1 win over Audax Italiano, a 1-0 win over Union Espanola was secured thanks to Ovalle's strike just before half time. Goals from Bravo & another from Ovalle were enough to see off Huachipato despite them scoring late on and we made it 4 wins on the bounce with a 2-0 win over Palestino, Ovalle scored for a 4th straight game and Rai secured the points making it 2-0.
We weren't the only ones who enjoyed a solid start, Uni de Chile and Cobresal matched us and Santiago sit just a point behind us three.
We've moved up to 3rd in the overall table and it's very tight with just 4 points separating the top 6.
Some excellent displays from Tarifeno on the right wing contributing 4 assists and a goal to the cause, although Ovalle deserves a mention as well having scored in 4 straight games from midfield.
We face a visit from Colo Colo who haven't started too brightly in the Closing Stage, we then have trips to Everton & Iquique.
Ipswich Knights
gaz12321
Thanks mate, got through a bit of the game at the weekend so there's a few updates coming up.
gaz12321
Results
I must be dreaming, incredible form shown as we won all 3 matches this month making it 7 wins on the bounce! We started with an impressive 2-0 win at home to Opening Stage Champions Colo Colo, a quick fire second half double from Rai ensured all 3 points, the same man then secured another 3 points with a second half strike away at Everton. Our final game of the month was another narrow win wrapped up by a first half strike by Ovalle, this also made it 4 clean sheets in a row for us which is pleasing.
Uni de Chile are matching us stride for stride and lead the table by 3 points having played an extra game, Cobresal have dropped a few points and sit just a point behind us but have played a game more. We're looking good for a play off place as a minimum.
The overall table is still incredibly tight with 4 points between 1st and 6th.
Rai's goals secured 6 of our 9 points this month so he was never likely to be overlooked for this, he only played 45 minutes against Colo Colo as well.
Dreadful, only one player who has a slight chance of getting near the first team, not impressed with that!
Our game in hand is at home to Uni Catolica and we also host Rangers & Nublense with a trip to Cobresal between them.
gaz12321
Results
Well that's a strange month, 4 games, 4 draws and most frustratingly we should have won all 4 of them! We dominated against Uni Catolica but couldn't find a way through, against Rangers Estevez finally put us ahead after 50 minutes only for us to concede from a set piece late on! Cobresal game was slightly more even but we were still the better side, Bravo put us ahead in the 64th minute but we were again denied late on and had to settle for a 1-1 draw, in the final game Nublense took the lead early despite being on the back foot with what proved to be their only shot, Rai put us level early in the second half but we failed to capitalise on our domination yet again! What a strange month, at least we're still unbeaten I guess.
3 games to go and Uni de Chile have made the most of our run of draws and pulled 5 points clear, we still have to play each other though so there's a glimmer of hope. It's very tight behind us with Union Espanola, Santiago & Cobresal all within a point, but we have a 6 point cushion back to Iquique in 6th so look nailed on for the play off.
Union Espanola have taken advantage of the minor slip by Uni de Chile and moved top of this league table by 2 points, the top 6 is all very tight still with just 5 points between 1st and 6th!
Estevez has been enjoying a rare spell in the first team and has been performing well to keep top scorer Tarifeno on the bench, he's also popped up with a goal himself and created one. I'd like to see him providing a bit more creativity though.
3 games to go and it's a tough run in for us, San Luis at home would normally be a formality but we've been struggling a bit of late. 2 huge games follow that with a trip to Closing Stage leaders Uni de Chile before traveling to Santiago on the final day.
gaz12321
Results
A fifth straight draw and a fifth game we should have won! Bryan Ruiz headed us in front just before the break but again we failed to close it out, San Luis leveled midway through the second half and we once again failed to regain the initiative. The draws became more disappointing as we then went on to beat Uni de Chile in what would prove to be meaningless, a great result nonetheless and Rai showing his appetite for the bigger games with a second half brace giving us a 2-0 win. In the final game we succumbed to our only defeat ending a run of 14 games unbeaten, Ovalle's penalty had us ahead at half time but we collapsed in the second half conceding twice and falling to a defeat, although it meant little really.
So we finish 2nd in the closing stage ending up 7 points behind winners Uni de Chile, just 3 points separate us and 5th placed Union Espanola who claim a play off place along with us, Cobresal & Santiago.
Uni de Chile's solid second half of the campaign sees them at the top of the overall table although it doesn't seem to mean anything in Chile, Colo Colo were poor in the closing stage which sees them fall to 3rd overall level on points with 2nd placed Union Espanola and just ahead of Santiago in 4th and we come in 5th. Audax Italiano & Palestino deservedly take the plunge and are heading for the First Division B next season.
Fito Ovalle impressed again in the midfield, although he struggled against San Luis he created both goals for Rai against La U and scored from the spot against Santiago.
Union Espanola again!! Lets hope we improve on the opening stage playoff against them!
gaz12321
Results
Things looked bad in the Playoff Semi when we fell to a late defeat away from home despite deserving a draw, we fell behind early but Estevez levelled the scoreline before the break, Union Espanola snatched a late winner though from a very even game which was gutting. The second leg was a completely different story however as we battered them in every department, Tarifeno returned to the side and made the difference for us opening the scoring in the 9th minute, Bravo put us ahead in the tie on 62 minutes and just 8 minutes later Tarifeno got his second and our third to secure our passage to the final. We faced Cobresal in the final and Tarifeno was again on target putting us ahead before half time but Cobresal leveled things midway through the second half, the second leg played out as a dull 0-0 draw despite our domination Cobresal got the draw and took us to penalties, at 3-3 in the shootout, Soto had his effort save and Cobresal went 4-3 up meaning Tarifeno had to score but his tame effort was kept out and we lost on penalties, story of my career really!
Our league position hands us a spot in this years Copa Sudamericana!
A number of good performances, most notably Tarifeno who finished top scorer and with joint most assists alongside Andres Bravo who had a solid season on the left wing, Rai done well in his time here with 8 goals and 6 assists from 17 starts. The midfield were solid with Medel the standout performer and also a mention for box to box midfielder Fito Ovalle who had a successful year too.
The board have agreed to upgrade the youth facilities.
Ipswich Knights
gaz12321
So frustrating, worst thing was we should have won all of them just either couldn't take our chances or conceded a sloppy late goal. Killed our hopes of the title though.
gaz12321
Expectations
Pretty simple expectations again, board want a top half finish which should be a formality really.
A number of players have departed most notably Lazaga who played quite well last season but he's a target man which is not the type of striker i'm looking for. Hector Rodriguez, Godoy & Escobar have all moved on as I felt they weren't up to our standards and i've sent Sepulveda and Vera out on loan to get some first team football.
Fernandez has good potential and although he won't be getting too much first team football he will provide good cover and vitally is under 20 which helps as we have to name 2 under 20 players in the match day squad.
Pacey winger Sepulveda comes in as cover for Tarifeno on the right wing this season and will be a great option from the bench against tirign opposition.
Walter Cejas comes in on loan from All Boys to provide competition for Rai up front, the 19 year old striker was attracting interest from the best clubs in the world although no bids materialised and we managed to snap him up on loan.
So in our group we have Rangers again along with 2 sides from the division below in Megallanes and Deportes Temuco.
A decent 3-3 draw with Gremio in a friendly then we started the cup with a 3-0 win over Temuco with goals from Robles who has just returned from a loan spell, Sepulveda and Tarifeno who was handed a rare start up top. We were then held to a 0-0 draw at Rangers, we had the better of the game but couldn't find a way through, an emphatic 4-0 win followed as we saw off Megallanes with goals from Sepulveda, Bravo & Palacios putting us 3-0 up inside 13 minutes, Bravo added his second to make it 4-0 in the second half.
I couldn't resist the lure of a club who's manager retired at the end of the last season, the hiring process took a while with them taking 2 weeks to even offer an interview but eventually that came and I nailed it, this could be a huge stride forward for me although it's sad to leave O'Higgins with the progress we were making.
gaz12321
Facilities
The facilities here are awesome, part of what tempted me to make the switch as this club are firmly established as one of the most successful Chilean clubs and everything is in place to ensure things stay that way. A huge transfer and wage budget were somewhat of a pull as well to be fair.
No pressure then! Expected to win both stages of the league, they aren't bothered about the cups and we are going to enter the Copa Libertadores as well during the leagues closing stage.
Hardly an inspiring squad so it's a good job there's a decent budget in place! Need to bring in some competition in goal, cover at left back and possibly a replacement center back as the ones here are getting on a bit, additional cover for center midfield and a left winger to replace Arancabia who i'll be moving on.
Alonso will be our more creative midfield player and also provides cover on the right wing, he possesses good pace and work rate, is technically good and can use both feet and is always looking to split open defences.
Hernandez was last seasons top scorer in the league and you can see why, he's a Chilean international and has fantastic pace and movement and is a capable finisher, there's not really a lot missing from his game to be honest.
Keeping Parraguez at the club could be trickier than any other task on my hands, but it's something we really need to achieve. At just 20 years old he's open to improvement but already has the quality to play at the highest level, another player with fantastic pace and technical ability. He's already been capped 3 times for Chile and is being monitored by Levante, i'm going to struggle to keep him here for sure.
2 games in and we have a win and a draw which puts us in a good position to progress.
gaz12321
Transfers
My first priority was getting the staff and squad in shape ready for the season so I set to work on bringing in a number of new faces, a number of players had been allowed to leave the club over the close season leaving huge scope to shape the squad how I want, I added to the sales lettings Arancibia & Maripan leave as I deemed them surplus to requirements. So lets have a look at the new signings...
A familiar face to start with, Sergio Hernandez comes in to provide cover between the sticks, I signed this young lad for O'Higgins from Colo Colo and have now secured him a move to La U, he has potential and is the best young keeper in Chile at the moment but I can't see him being a long term solution.
Enzo Roco was signed before I arrived on a free from Espanyol but despite his advancing years he is an exceptional player, should get a couple of years out of him.
This young center back will likely partner Roco for much of the season but will have competition from the experienced Hernandez. He cost us £2.6m from Velez but at just 21 years old he could be a crucial part of the side for many years to come, has excellent attributes.
Zuniga found himself transfer listed at River in Argentina and I swooped quickly with only 1 left back on our backs, I managed to get him for the slightly discounted rate of £3.1m and he looks by far and away the best left back in the league in terms of stats. Doesn't offer too much going forward but solid defensively.
Pinto is an accomplished and versatile midfielder who can play a number of roles comfortably so provides excellent cover to the team, he never really made the grade after his move to Argentina so I have given him a return to Chile for just £1.3m from Newells, although he won't set the world alight he will be important to the squad.
I let this guy move from O'Higgins to Corinthians despite his clear talent and he's yet to make a breakthrough with the Brazilian side, he comes in on a season long loan to provide cover for Parraguez who is currently out injured.
The final signing is somewhat of a marquee signing really, ex Chelsea midfielder Oscar signs on a free at the tender age of 35, his physical stats have clearly suffered but his technical ability will be vital for unlocking stubborn defences, will more often than not play the role of impact sub.
A solid start to things with La U, opening with a 3-1 win at home to La Serena on my second day at the club, a first half goal from the soon to depart Arancibia got things started, Gonzalez made it 2-0 in the second half before La Serena scored with their first effort of the match, center back Hernandez headed home a corner late on to seal a 3-1 win. In my second game we were cruising at Palestino having switched to two strikers they both got in on the action, Gonzalez netted before a brace from Hernandez to put us 3-0 up, we switched of and conceded twice which was a concern but we already had the game won. The third game in charge needed a stoppage time winner from Gonzalez even though we could have been 6-0 up at that point but we got there in the end. With qualification secured we fielded a massively weakened side with a number of our (woeful) under 20's getting a run out, it showed in the performance to despite having the better of the game we lacked any cutting edge and had to share the spoils with La Serena. The league got underway with a visit from my former employers, Roco got us off to a flyer heading home a corner in the 12th minute, just 8 minutes later left back Zuniga got forward to net his first La U goal but O'Higgins pulled one back on the stroke of half time. Cansida scored midway through the second half before we conceded again 10 minutes from time, but we held on for a 3-2 win that should have been more comfortable but a win is a win. The last game of the month was a trip to Santiago Wanderers and we flew out of the traps again going 3-0 up in 25 minutes thanks to a brace from center back Roco and a fine strike from Bolados, Santiago managed to grab a goal in the second half but we claimed a 3-1 win.
The cup group was a breeze which is to be expected.
Not much to say at this stage, back to back wins for us and Uni Catolica.
gaz12321
Results
Hernandez's headed goal was enough to secure a 1-0 win over newly promoted Cobreloa but in truth it should have been far more comfortable, we were then disappointingly held at lowly San Luis, Alonso's first half strike wasn't enough for the win as we conceded from a set piece to drop points for the first time! The lack of goals from attacking players is a huge concern at the moment and continued in to an awful 0-0 home draw against Nublense, a game we should be winning by 2 or 3 goals at least. The return of Parraguez on the left wing was a boost and clearly he is getting back to fitness as he had the final say in this one, the scores were tied at 1-1 with Gonzalez netting for us but Parraguez scored a second half brace to ensure we claimed maximum points.
A solid start but naturally disappointed with dropping points in games we really shouldn't have! A number of teams have made solid starts although surprisingly Colo Colo are struggling.
Alonso has been solid in the midfield this month scoring one and creating one in a month where we've struggled for goals, not too many decent performances throughout the squad this month though.
A first leg cup tie against Nublense to start this month before a visit from Huachipato, we then have a tough few games with trips to Colo Colo and Uni Catolica in the league, the final game is the Super Cup against Santiago Wanderers.
gaz12321
Results
We saw off Nublense in the first leg of our cup tie but have to be disappointed by the scoreline, Rodrigo Olguin has just been recalled from league leaders Union Espanola as he had netted 9 in 10 for them! No idea why the club loaned him to one of our rivals though, he bagged a brace and along with a goal from Pinto we were cruising but Nublense fought back to 3-2 leaving just a slender advantage for us. Returning to league action an early strike from Parraguez was enough to see off Huachipato but we were then held at Colo Colo, Parraguez put us in front but we conceded from a set piece and failed to regain the lead leaving us to settle for a 1-1 draw. Our woes in front of goal continued against Uni Catolica and we were punished falling to a 1-0 defeat, Mirko Hernandez netted 25 league goals last season but for me he couldn't hit a bloody barn door! We rounded off the month by lifting the Super Cup for a third year in a row with a 2-1 win over Santiago, Olguin put us ahead early on (Shame we can't register him for the league!) and Oscar doubled our lead before half time, we were shocking in the second half and lucky to come away with a 2-1 win, Santiago deserved at least a draw! Still, satisfying to grab the win with a heavily rotated side.
We've slipped to fifth and looks like the title has got away from us, we must win our game in hand to stand any chance! Union Espanola are smashing it and recalling Olguin hasn't halted them yet.
Cansina was one of few players to start all 5 games this month and he performed very well, creating 3 goals on the way.
4 home games from 5 this month, our game in hand is against Everton before the cup second leg at home to Nublense, we then host Rangers in the league before a tricky trip to Iquique and finish off at home to Cobresal.
Dan
gaz12321