HeadCoachFM - Comments

The Successor Challenge involves taking over the successor to a once great club and bringing them to the heights of the aforementioned club and beyond!

The club I've chosen for the first part of this challenge is F.C. Metalist 1925 Kharkiv, successor to the once third-biggest Ukrainian club, F.C. Metalist Kharkiv, behind only Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv. With a population of over 1.4 million people, Kharkiv is the second-largest city in Ukraine and the second-largest city in all of Europe without a top-flight team of its own. As such, you have a massive fanbase to build upon, so it should make for an interesting save! If you're interested in trying out the save, all you need to do is select the Ukrainian First Division at the beginning of your save and choose F.C. Metalist 1925 Kharkiv, as there's no custom database needed for this challenge. However, if you'd like to expand the Ukrainian pyramid down to the Third Division, I've included a link to a custom database that includes that expansion. Check the links below!

After being sacked, I couldn't bring myself to continue this save, but that doesn't mean it should go to waste! If you'd like to give it a try and see if you can do better than I did, check the links below and let me know how you do!








Logo Instructions
- Rename logo the same as the ID code
- Insert 180x180 image into “normal” folder within English logo pack
- Insert 18x18 image into “small” folder within English logo pack
- Add line to config file with text editor using correct ID code in the same format as the rest of the lines in the file
- Go to preferences in-game and reload skin
- Let me know if you have any trouble!

I've decided to focus on challenge videos while I grow my YouTube channel, so I've halted this story for the time being. However, I still believe in this save idea and I'd like to share it with you guys in case anyone else agrees, so here you go! If you're interested in trying out the save check the links below:








Logo Instructions
- Rename logo the same as the ID code
- Insert 180x180 image into “normal” folder within English logo pack
- Insert 18x18 image into “small” folder within English logo pack
- Add line to config file with text editor using correct ID code in the same format as the rest of the lines in the file
- Go to preferences in-game and reload skin
- Let me know if you have any trouble!

Today I've got a challenge for you based on a story I was doing on my YT channel before I decided to focus on challenge videos, Red Bull Liverpool! Red Bull have expanded their grip on the football world with the acquisition of Tranmere Rovers as they intend to apply their winning formula to compete with their local rivals, Everton & Liverpool! If you're interested in trying out the save check the links below:








Logo Instructions
- Rename logo the same as the ID code
- Insert 180x180 image into “normal” folder within English logo pack
- Insert 18x18 image into “small” folder within English logo pack
- Add line to config file with text editor using correct ID code in the same format as the rest of the lines in the file
- Go to preferences in-game and reload skin
- Let me know if you have any trouble!

Hey guys 👋 I just started a new community on Reddit called r/fmchallenges for sharing interesting save/story/challenge ideas. If you’re interested in joining go check it out and feel free to share any cool ideas you may have!

FM 2020 Challenge | Nine Elms United F.C. | The Embassy Challenge

Some of you may remember this FM 2019 Story, where I created an American "soccer team" and placed them in the English football pyramid to improve the level of U.S. "soccer" by bringing through mostly American talent. I decided to revive the old club in FM 2020 with the editor, with a few small tweaks! I also created a new logo for the team, and put them in the Sky Bet League One, replacing Bury rather than the competing in the Vanarama National League. If you're interested in giving the save a go feel free to download the custom database below! If you're interested in trying this challenge with a different nationality club in a different foreign country, go ahead and watch my challenge guide on how this can be achieved!
Nine Elms United F.C.: http://www.mediafire.com/file/97i2invi0i7my5t/Nine_Elms_United.fmf/file
Nine Elms Logo: http://www.mediafire.com/view/rjbniysj7zzneaa/oj6bpX9%20(1)%20(3).png
Challenge Guide: https://youtu.be/Nk2eysDyzSw

Today I've got a different sort of challenge for you guys. This one involves creating a club based on a selected embassy from anywhere in the world to compete in the foreign country that the given embassy resides in! I created the American club Nine Elms United F.C. to compete in England to improve the level of U.S. "soccer," but feel free to create your own custom team wherever you want! If you'd like to try Nine Elms, check the links below!
Database: http://www.mediafire.com/file/97i2invi0i7my5t/Nine_Elms_United.fmf/file
Logo: http://www.mediafire.com/view/rjbniysj7zzneaa/oj6bpX9%20(1)%20(3).png
Video: https://youtu.be/Nk2eysDyzSw

After our playoff disappointment, I’m considering putting this save on hold and rebooting it down the road to focus on other content as there’s just so many FM content creators doing stories on YouTube. I feel like too small a voice in such a big crowd, might be worth focusing on my challenges/experiments for now. Any thoughts?

Yeah sounds like you've got a good thing going there! To be honest I'll probably just try to work towards a career in football journalism rather than coaching as that seems more tailored to my skills, but who knows!

We finally reach the end of our first season as we face Lincoln City and Peterborough, seeking to reward all our hard work with a promotion to the Championship! It's a dramatic one!

Today we take on Accrington Stanley and Lincoln City in League One, seeking to retain our promotion playoff spot as we approach the end of our first season! Regen wonderkids Brad Russell and Nick Miller also take center stage as we finally begin to live up to the Red Bull name!

Today we take on Accrington Stanley and Lincoln City in League One, seeking to retain our promotion playoff spot as we approach the end of our first season! Regen wonderkids Brad Russell and Nick Miller also take center stage as we finally begin to live up to the Red Bull name!

I've got a challenge for you guys based on Netflix's new period drama series "The English Game," revolving around the now-extinct working-class club Darwen F.C. The end-goal is to win the FA Cup with them using their classic 2-3-5 control possession tactic, and you start with 4 of the players from the show, Fergie Suter, Jimmy Love, Tommy Marshall, and Ted Stokes! I've linked my YouTube video describing the full challenge to the image above. Enjoy!

http://www.mediafire.com/file/ha29ohcogwxs7at/Darwen_FC.fmf/file

https://www.fmscout.com/a-fm20-database-england-lower-leagues.html

​

In today's episode of RB Liverpool we try to right the ship before it sinks as we take on Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool in the league!

Today we go up against the Liverpool U23s in the match-up of the season for the Leasing.com Trophy 3rd Round with the hopes of securing some silverware in our first season! We then face Southend United in the EFL League One amid another poor run of form as we seek to retain our spot in the promotion race.

Lol ayy I did this on my YouTube channel, interested to see how it turns out for you!

As we near the halfway mark in our first season, we face League Two title contenders Bradford City in the Leasing.com Trophy 2nd Round with the hopes of meeting our local rivals' reserves, the Liverpool U23s, later in the competition. Amidst a difficult patch of league form, we then go up against title competitors Lincoln City away in a very tight fixture!

I'm incredibly disappointed to announce my shocking dismissal from FC Valdelavilla. After single-handedly carrying this club up from the depths of the Spanish third division to become an established top flight team, the board decided it was time for a change due to a poor run of form midway through the 2027-28 season.


We were expected to finish 14th by the media, a slight improvement on last year's 800-1 title odds that left us predicted to finish 15th. Rather than beating the odds as we have done nearly every year throughout the season, we performed about as they expected.


We were 16th in table at the time of my dismissal following an admittedly awful run of form in which we only managed 9 points from 12 matches (2-3-7). The board expected a mid-table finish, which I believe was still more than attainable, but they saw differently.


My only consolation was the fact that my staff followed me out the door, as my sacking turned out to be an unpopular decision amongst not only them but the fans and players as well. This has made me consider continuing the save, though F.C. Valdelavilla was really my whole purpose for the save. Not sure where to go from here or if I should just shut it down now and accept defeat once again. Any thoughts? Condolences welcome as well, lol.

Well there are a ton of teams across the country so there are certainly plenty of opportunities in the field. However, the level of football is nowhere near the standard of Europe so I've never really been interested in USL or MLS but if I pursue football as a career that's probably the route I'd have to go before moving abroad. Most universities offer a Sports Management major which is what I'm currently studying, but most of the job prospects after uni for this major are sales-related or administrator roles so tbh I'm not really sure what I'm gonna do after I graduate. What about Germany?

In the fourth episode of my RB Liverpool series we face bottom-of-the-table Gillingham in the FA Cup 1st Round before a Leasing.com Trophy group stage match against Manchester United's U23s!

Really interesting backstory, will definitely be following! Also, good luck with your badges! That's been a dream of mine since FM2010 so I always like to see other football fans figuring out ways to make it their career.

As it's becoming increasingly uncertain when or how this season will be wrapped up, I decided to take things into my own hands and finish off the 2019/20 season in my latest FM video! I downloaded the most recent database available (Feb. 24) with the real fixtures, results, and tables from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1. Shoutout to @AML for the database that allowed me to try this experiment!

The man, the myth, the legend himself finally returns to the great city of Liverpool to further ingrain his name in the collective minds of the Liverpudlians, much to my dismay.

We finally found our footing as we prepared to face Rotherham and Carlisle in the League One and Leasing.com Trophy respectively!

Today we take on Rochdale in the Sky Bet League One as I introduce you to myself and the squad ahead of our bright and fizzy future!

RB Liverpool is Red Bull's latest franchise in the football world, with the sale of Tranmere Rovers to the energy drink giant finalized in recent days. Following the recent successes of Liverpool F.C. and the turnaround at Everton after the shock appointment of Carlo Ancelotti, Red Bull sought to get in on the ground floor of Europe's next football powerhouse city, Liverpool. With the relative size and value of Liverpool and Everton, they began searching for options lower down the pyramid, eventually settling for the Liverpool-adjacent Tranmere Rovers F.C., located in Birkenhead, Merseyside, right across the River Mersey from Liverpool. Founded in 1884, Tranmere Rovers boasts a proud history somewhat lacking in silverware, as they've struggled to reach the heights of their neighboring rivals. Nevertheless, the club has a passionate fanbase who've been absolutely devastated by the news of the acquisition. RB Liverpool now faces an uphill battle to reach the Premier League from the English League One now that the majority of the original fans have abandoned the club. With a 55,000 capacity stadium (Red Bull Arena) due to finish construction in 2022, hopefully the club can build a cult following in English football to fill out the stadium once they reach the Premier League!

I'll be hosting this save on my new YouTube channel, HeadCoachFM. Subscribe to follow the story!

The press predicted us to finish 15th with 800-1 title odds, an improvement on our 1000-1 title odds of last year. Considering how well we did last year with even worse odds, I was feeling confident after a successful summer of recruitment.


We managed to finish 8th, 8 points ahead of last season's finish and just 1 point shy of a Europa League qualifier spot. We also improved our goal difference from last year's -19 to +1, a massive jump helped by heavy investment in my defense.





Fernandez was my best signing of the window, joining for an absolute bargain of just £8.5m from Atletico Madrid. With his level of quality and relatively young age, the deal was a no-brainer and he's already well on his way to becoming a world class center back. Fernandez played a huge role in our successful season, featuring in 31(2) league matches and maintaining an average rating of 6.96. At just 23 years old he's proven himself to be one of the best defenders in the league and by extension the world, so hopefully he can keep improving. With a release clause of £79m, I think it's safe to say he won't be going anywhere anytime soon.



In a very lucrative free transfer, Chinese striker Liang Junchen signed from Inter Milan, becoming our first-ever Chinese player and giving us a nice revenue boost from shirt sales in his country. Junchen appears to have great potential, perhaps even world class potential, but has so far struggled to perform at his best. In 27(1) league appearances, Junchen only scored 3 goals and managed 2 assists despite playing in his preferred position (ST) and role (AF). I will likely consider switching his tactical role to a pressing forward, which may suit our system better.



After making an error in judgement by selling left-backs Fedde Leysen and Josh Dasilva at the beginning of the season without finding 2 replacements, I signed Lecjaks from Manchester City for £6.5m in January. Lecjaks made an immediate impact, starting 16 of our final 19 matches after joining and chipping in with 3 assists. He seems to have the quality to become a very good La Liga left back and will likely be in my starting lineup for years to come.



Originally signed just for backup, Lapslie gradually fought his way into the starting lineup as the season went on, featuring in 16(2) league matches and scoring 4 goals while grabbing 2 more assists. I was able to get Lapslie for just £125k from Arsenal, practically a steal. I'm not sure why they were willing to let him go for such a low price tag, as he's demonstrated himself to be a great prospect with real quality. At just 21 years old, hopefully he can kick on and take his game to the next level next year.





Vallejos continued to be the bedrock that holds my midfield together, starting 32 matches and appearing in 2 others while maintaining an average rating of 6.94. His impressive consistency has attracted interest from Rayo Vallecano and Hamburg, but I think I'll be able to hold onto him for at least a few more years.



Clarkson was my second-highest appearance maker last season, featuring in 35(2) of a possible 38 league matches and keeping an average rating of 6.84 while contributing 2 goals and 5 assists. Clarkson's all-time appearance tally is now at 142 and he seems to be cementing himself as a real club legend. Hopefully he isn't tempted by the interest from elsewhere!





I signed Gouveia halfway through the 2024/25 season, when we were in the Segunda División for the second time. He seemed like he'd be a great tactical fit and had real quality on the ball, but his lack of end product saw him struggle to hold down a starting role and I decided to sell him to Amiens in the summer after 27(6) appearances for the club over a year and a half. I managed to make a £25k profit, which isn't much but it's not bad all things considered!



Isaac Rice was an incredible disappointment. Signed for £5.5m in the January window of the 2023/24 season, Rice struggled to improve much during his time with the club despite making 48(3) league appearances across 2 and a half years. I was only able to get £1.6m of my original investment back, making him one of my worst signings of this save. Interestingly, Rice has already moved clubs again, joining Huddersfield for £2.4m just 6 months after singing for Bristol City.



I decided to sell Leysen to Ligue 1 club Nimes when an offer for £700k came in, as he was one of our weaker links the year prior. I struggled to find an adequate replacement in time, though, and I ended up with just one barely first team quality left back for the first half of the season. Perhaps it would've been best to keep Leysen as backup rather than just selling him for that relatively low sum. However, I made a reasonable £662k profit on his sale, so it wasn't a total loss.




I kept the positive pressing tactic from last season and while I tweaked some of the individual roles, the system was largely the same. Within the relatively structured tactical set-up, I have numerous creative options in both central midfielders, full-backs, and usually one winger directly involved in creating chances for the front 2/3 attackers. For the bigger matches, I switched the mentality to "Cautious" and dropped the backline to a standard line rather than a high line. This is different from my tactic against bigger oppositions last year, when I opted for a deep back 5 with a much deeper midfield. This year I felt like we were a more established La Liga side and the ultra defensive style of play isn't really my cup of tea, so we went head to head with the bigger Spanish sides and I was pleased with the results.

We were unsurprisingly named relegation candidates again following our scrappy promotion from the Segunda División, with our title odds sitting at 1000-1. However, the bottom of the table was a lot tighter this time around so I was more confident of achieving survival this year.


Despite being marked at favorites for relegation early on, we never really looked like going down as we comfortably finished in a respectable mid-table spot, 16 points clear of relegation. Interestingly, we would've actually survived with the same point tally (30) and goal difference (-25) that got us relegated last time around. We actually finished closer to the Europa League spots than the relegation zone, with just 9 points separating us from 7th-placed Villarreal.





Former academy starlet Ethan Beck returned to the club following unsuccessful spells with Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, and Cagliari. I signed Beck for £6.5m, £3.5m less than what I originally sold him for. He went on to make 26(1) league appearances as one of my preferred wingers, scoring twice and grabbing 4 assists from either side. He finished the season with an average rating of 6.72, but his form began to improve once I swapped him to the left wing and began training him as an inverted winger. He also made significant progress toward reaching his potential and his raw attributes are much higher than most of my other players. At just 21 years old, it's clear that Beck will become a top quality player once he improves his consistency.



I signed former Oostende and Norwich prospect Rocky Bushiri from Blackburn in the Championship for £9m despite his relative inexperience for his age, as he possessed the attributes to fit into my desired tactical setup. I prefer to play with a higher defensive line, so Bushiri's pace and decent technique made him an ideal addition to my backline. Bushiri started 22 league appearances, making 2 further substitute appearances and maintaining a solid 6.85 average rating. This was Bushiri's first experience of real top-flight football, with his previous highest level of consistent play being in the MLS with DC United between 2023-24. As such, Bushiri made considerable progress as a player this season and will likely play a bigger role next year.



Doyle was a fantastic signing for the future, possessing enormous potential and very impressive attributes as a creative midfielder. I signed Doyle from Blackburn for £2.8m in January, and he went on to make 3(11) league appearances in the second half of the season. When I signed him, my midfield was fairly established so Doyle struggled to break into the starting lineup but will likely play an increasing role over the course of the next season.





I received an offer for Akinola at the beginning of the season for roughly £3m, prompting my board to go over my head and accept the offer as it was "too good to refuse." I had to battle it out with them in the boardroom, and that is no exaggeration (I literally had to select every last argument option before they gave in), but Akinola stayed and played a key role in our survival bid. As a team leader and vice captain, Akinola's status in the dressing room was reason enough to have kept him around in this pivotal season. I wasn't sure if he would hold down his starting spot due to our impressive depth in the center of the park but he managed to make 33 league starts and kept the highest average rating in the squad (6.92). I've since extended his contract until 2029 and I'll likely keep him around as long as he wishes to stay.



Academy product Phil Robinson kept 15 clean sheets from 38 league appearances, conceding 46 goals and maintaining an average rating of 6.86. Robinson was in the top 5 on every goalkeeping statistic chart and at just 21 years old, it's becoming increasingly clear that Robinson is a special talent. He was playing in the third tier just 2 years ago and yet he's been one of the best keepers in the league at every level of the pyramid. Robinson is beginning to consider whether he should be moving to a bigger club, but with the positive progress we've made and his relatively high release clause (£40m), I'm confident of keeping him.



Vallejos continued his rapid development this season, featuring in 32(1) league appearances and keeping an average rating of 6.89. At just 22 years old, Vallejos is the glue that holds my entire system together, linking the midfield to the technically deficient central defenders and supporting the more attack-minded midfielders that sit in front of him with solid defensive work. Vallejos will play an integral role in the future of this club and hopefully he's in it for the long haul.





After signing Gareth Doyle, I decided to move Rekeem Harper on after 2 and a half disappointing years with the club. Harper was acquired for £5.25m before our last La Liga survival attempt as he possessed great potential and quality, but struggled to hold down a starting role even after being relegated to the Segunda División. Harper never showed much interest in training and despite the odd spark, he was very inconsistent and never showed much inclination to improve. I'm not sure if it was an attitude issue or what, but his stock has clearly fallen and he was sold for just £2m in the January window to League One side Bolton. He may have found his level, as he finished with a 7.06 average rating in the second half of the League One season.




For home games and matches against the teams in the bottom half, I used a positive high-pressing style of play with direct build-up. With relatively high pace in my defense, I was able to set up a high back line successfully. My central defenders aren't quite as technically proficient as I'd normally like to have, so they're set to center defender roles with instructions to play short simple passes and avoid taking risks as opposed to the ideal ball-playing defender role for this tactic. However, due to the work of Leandro Vallejos to link the defense to the midfield as a deep-lying defensive playmaker, we were relatively balanced at the back and managed to keep a respectable number of clean sheets and goals conceded while pivoting and countering well. With a more compact center, our wingbacks and central midfielders were freed up to play more creative roles to provide for our struggling frontline. Clarkson and Willock started most games in the midfield, providing much of the creativity that helped keep us alive this season. Our frontline is still relatively young and inconsistent, with many of them still adapting to the system and style of play. Hopefully next season we can find more goals as I really struggled to find a reliable front 3. A high number of goals came from headers, a testament to our direct style of play and quality of our wingers and wing-backs' crossing.


For matches against the top teams in the division I opted for a much more defensive formation with a focus on defensive organization and direct, counter-attacking football. This tactic worked very well, helping us get results against Valencia (1-1D), Atletico Madrid (0-0D, 1-1D), and Real Madrid (1-0W). This tactical setup conceded most of the possession and over 30 shots every game, but we often managed to keep clean sheets or very low scores against some of the giants in the league. Hopefully one day we won't need to stray from our preferred positive pressing style against Barca and Real, but that's a distant dream at the moment.

We did it! We managed to bounce right back up to La Liga despite a lack of additions to the squad after losing some key players. I decided to put my faith in some of the older backup players who originally got us promoted as well as handing opportunities to some of my younger talents in the squad as I struggled to find potential signings that would prove beneficial long-term. Hopefully that'll change now that we're back in the top flight.





While Frederiksen struggled for game-time last season in La Liga, he played an integral role in our promotion from the Segunda División yet again, scoring 21 goals and grabbing 7 assists in 36(4) league appearances. He maintained the highest average rating in the squad at 7.25 and will likely continue to be a starter for us next season due to his impressive contributions this term.



Club legend Victor Campuzano returned to the starting lineup this season, operating as a lone false nine up top and managing to net 15 goals and 6 assists in 31(8) league appearances. Campuzano suffered a hernia that kept him out for 6 weeks at a pivotal point toward the end of the season, which I believe prevented us from achieving automatic promotion. However, his return from injury coincided with the playoff matches and he played a crucial role in securing promotion.



Leighton Clarkson operated in a more advanced role in the midfield this season to create more chances for my frontline as a supporting mezzala, making 35(4) league appearances and maintaining an average rating of 7.11 while also chipping in with 5 goals and 5 assists. Clarkson has established himself as a key player and team leader at just 23 years old, prompting interest from Brentford, Brighton, and Celta Vigo. With 3 years left on his current deal it's unlikely he'll leave, but his release clause of £12m hasn't deterred the interest of other clubs so I may offer him a new contract following our promotion.



After initially struggling to adapt to our style of play in La Liga last season and the beginning of this one, Joe Willock really stepped up his game in the latter half of the season and helped us greatly in achieving promotion. Willock made 23(8) league appearances in a very competitive midfield, maintaining an average rating of 7.1 and chipping in with 4 goals and 5 assists. Now 25, hopefully he can kick on and take his game to the next level in La Liga.



Peruvian wonderkid Leandro Vallejos joined during the January window for just £625k from Sporting Cristal in Peru, providing a more defensive-minded option than Clarkson to hold my midfield together while freeing up Clarkson and Willock to roam forward and create more chances for my frontline. Vallejos has already established himself as one of my best players and best-ever signings, and his £20m release clause has not attracted any interest yet. However, due to his impressive form in the second half of the season and his enormous potential, I might try to raise the release clause even more.



Long-standing squad member and team leader Tunji Akinola made 30 league starts for us this season, keeping an average rating of 6.96 and remaining an important piece of our gegenpress puzzle. Akinola is currently our vice captain and will be hugely important in maintaining the dressing room atmosphere and leading the squad to avoid the drop next season.



20 year-old academy product Phil Robinson has continued to develop at an impressive rate following his breakout season as runner-up goalkeeper of the year in the Segunda División B1 last season while on loan at Ferrol. Robinson kept 17 clean sheets in 38 league appearances this season, finishing with an average rating of 6.82 while improving all aspects of his game. I think Robinson is going to be a special talent so I locked him down on a 4 year deal with a whopping release clause of £40m.





I acquired young pressing forward Liam Delap in January for a modest fee of £275k from Manchester City. Delap possesses the potential to be a good La Liga player in the future, so he may eclipse Campuzano in the starting lineup next season, though Campuzano will likely start the season as my first-choice striker.



I signed Tiago Gouveia in January for £725k to add depth on the wings as we really struggled in this area during the first half of the season. Gouveia established himself as my first-choice left winger, though he wasn't exactly revolutionary, finishing with 17(1) league appearances, 2 goals, 3 assists, and an average rating of 6.88. I may search for a better option to compete on the left wing as I'm not sure how well Gouveia will cope with the step up to La Liga, but he still has time to improve at 24 years old.





Much to my disappointment, right winger Aidan Fitzpatrick joined Bournemouth halfway through the season for £3.4m, roughly twice what I paid for him a year and a half prior, seeking Premier League game-time. He struggled to find that, and could've played a pivotal role in our promotion and subsequent survival bid, but he took the easy route and it didn't pay off.



I stuck with the 4-1-4-1 gegenpress system for the majority of the season, modifying the roles and tweaking the instructions slightly over the course of the season to get the system working properly. Our form improved greatly in the second half of the season after I managed to get the squad to click in their respective roles once I made the right additions. I'll likely modify the tactic to be more cautious next season when we face the much tougher La Liga sides, but the basic principles of high pressing and direct counter attacking will remain.

I decided to rest Harry Maguire and Jadon Sancho for the Croatia match, and I rotated Dele Alli in for James Maddison to partner Henderson in the midfield. Tarkowski made his first appearance of the competition and had a solid game, while Jack Grealish started after his impressive contributions off the bench in the group stage. Harry Kane and Ben Chilwell didn't play particularly well, but the rest of the team put in good performances.



We dominated the match and came away with the victory following a first-half goal by Sterling and a second from substitute Tammy Abraham in the 75th minute. It could've been a more comfortable victory, but we never looked like losing at any point during the match and our game plan worked effectively. It seems the squad might finally be gelling in our new system so hopefully we can keep up this momentum going forward!



Portugal and Spain were the surprise casualties of the Second Round, getting knocked out by Czech Republic and Turkey, respectively. The Spain result certainly made me feel better about my draw with Turkey in the opening match of the competition! Italy, Norway, Belgium, Germany (fully licensed), and Serbia are the other teams to advance to the Quarter Final. There are some strong teams in there but all things considered I like my chances!



We've been drawn to play Belgium in the Quarter Final, bringing memories of the World Cup back to mind as England were beaten by Belgium in the group stage and the third-place playoff. Hopefully get one over them and advance to the Semi Final despite Belgium being designated as favorites ahead of the match!