r96 - Comments

Indeed; Real were newly-promoted from the preceding season, after all. 2/2 wins so far is solid, but gotta build on it!

2022-23 is here. The aim is to guide Real back into Liga 3 at the first time of asking. To do that, we must do our best to finish inside the top two and then subsequently inside the top two of the next stage. Just three competitive fixtures, coupled with three friendlies due to an unusually spaced out schedule, so the initial objective is get off to a great start in August and September. Could we? Let's see.

Well… great start, lads!

Despite facing a team at our level in Bragança, we were dumped out of the Taça de Portugal at the first hurdle and in embarrassing fashion as Bragança smashed us 3-0 on our own turf. No idea what happened, they just blitzed three goals in effectively a fifteen minute period. The statistics show the scoreline flattered them, but I was concerned nevertheless.

That's better!

Despite the cup woefulness, our Campeonato de Portugal campaign got off to a positive start as we beat Oriental away from home thanks to a goal from Lio.

First of three friendlies, as we won this one by beating Benavente 4-1 on the road; Jeriel De Santis grabbed a hat-trick.

Oriental Dragon were also defeated in an exhibition match, as Jeriel De Santis got our final goal in an encounter between two recently relegated Liga 3 teams.

Back to the league, we made it two victories from two with three points over Loures - Lio netted again, as he did on MD1. Interestingly, it was the same three scorers (Amadu Baldé, Lio, Jeriel De Santis) as in the preceding friendly win over Oriental Dragon.

September concluded with a final friendly, as Sporting CP B put three past us at their stadium. They deserved to win, but Horácio Jau's red card at 1-0 made things more worse than they might have otherwise been.

So, just two league matches across two months. Annoying scheduling, but understandable as 14 fixtures have to stretch between August and March - just make us play each other three times instead of two, FPF, you dummies. October has three league matches, thankfully. We sit 2nd going into that month, behind Olímpico who have also won 2/2 - we actually play them next!

Next Update: End of October 2022.

That's the plan; whether I'll be able to do that is another thing! 😆

#NunesStays - Real, despite relegation, offered me a new contract, so I'll be at the helm in the club's attempt to leave the Campeonato de Portugal at the first time of asking. A new coaching course was also started. First up, pre-season:

I'd 8 to be an Arsenal fan. Get it? 8 (eight) hate! … … …

Back-to-back wins to start pre-season, both coming against lowly opposition but it was good to see us smashing the goals in with a much changed squad - more on that soon.

A loss, but what a promising performance against Spanish La Liga 2 side Girona. We had more possession, more shots, a better xG, but unfortunately they scored with one of their (few) chances and we didn't. Still, pleased with that.

Another good performance against a better opponent. For a little bit of context, we struggled fairly hard against Sporting CP B last season so it's a decent sign that we matched Porto B; albeit in pre-season. It took a late goal from Hulk, not that Hulk, for them to win.

Two deserved wins against average opponents to round out pre-season, which has been good.

Below are our expectations for the upcoming campaign, alongside the current squad dynamics and board rating:
 

Now, Transfers:

It was an interesting off-season in charge of Real, as I've changed up the squad quite dramatically due to a mixture of players not renewing and, mostly, deadwood getting cleared out. Time will tell, but I'm very happy with how the transfer market went and how the squad looks - hopefully I still think that come the competitive season!

Firstly, I renewed three loan deals from last season in Horácio Jau, Jeriel De Santis and Marcos Raposo. I was pleased with those three, though not with two loanees Clayton and Luca van der Gaag - who have departed, alongside the other part-timer Tomás Castro - who we almost signed on a free transfer, but a higher division team snapped him up instead.

As for new incomings, four have arrived: João Goulart (Sporting CP B), Dylan Collard (Marítimo), Juan Gómez (Boavista) and Tiago Neto (Vitória Setúbal). Goulart is a centre-back, who played for Sporting's first-team once last season. He'll be an instant starter, as will CDM/CB Dylan Collard. Juan Gómez will fight for the only striker spot with Jeriel De Santis, Gómez played last campaign in the French third tier and netted ten times. Tiago Neto, a goalkeeper, was an emergency loan signing, as first choice João Godinho got a decent length injury. Neto will be back-up to Iuri Miguel until Godinho returns, but I wanted a third choice GK.

As for outs, we had a clear-out. Gustavo Moura, Wilson Kenidy, Romário Carvalho, Rúben Marques and Paulinho were key players last season but wouldn't sign new deals; Moura is the only one I'm gutted to lose, though. The rest of the departures are squad players that I wanted to get rid of. All in all, it's ten players out and four in. That left us short in squad depth, but I called up 4-5 players from the Real B team who are more than good enough to be back-ups at this level.

Bring on 2022-23!

Next Update: End of September 2022

The season's end has arrived. Six matches to save ourselves from relegation to the Campeonato de Portugal. Could we do it?

Bad start. A merited two-goal loss to Sporting CP B.

To the 43%, I appreciate you!

Not looking good, eh? Back-to-back defeats, as Oliveira de Hospital put three unanswered goals past us.

I managed to convince them to give me one more month, which runs until just before the final Relegation Round fixture. It wasn't all bad though, as they - after a plea - allowed me to go on another coaching course.

Much needed three points! A bit smash-and-grab over Cova da Piedade, but I'll no doubt take it - Jeriel De Santis and Gustavo Moura with the goals.

Some optimism, at last. A very good win over Oliveira de Hospital puts us to within 2pts of safety; didn't move out of the drop zone, as conveniently the other result didn't go our way. A bit of hope, though.

Back to normality, as Sporting CP B ease past us at the Aurélio Pereira Stadium.

I managed to bring the board around with the form, so I passed their little test which allowed me to stay as manager for the final group game - a final day decider against Cova da Piedade. They held a 3pt advantage, but all that was needed from us was a victory as the tiebreaker is head-to-head results. Just needed a tiny little victory, not too much to ask… right?

Well…

Job 1: Relegation 1. Start as you mean to go on, as they say. A woeful display on the final day sees us drop to the fourth division. Real were a newly-promoted team so it isn't a surprise per se, still frustrating all the same.

Given how unhappy the board have been from start-to-now of my managerial tenure, surely that was the end and I was sacked instantly…

…nope, they are “pleased with (my) management of the team” after relegation - yet whenever we had good runs of form, they gave me D-E ratings. Alriiighty then. My contract does run out, as does practically the whole squad in fact, at the end of June so it'll be interesting to see if they offer an extension - I'll stay if they do.

As noted above, I'm interested in taking control of the team in the fourth tier - if I'm allowed to. With the squad at a crossroads when it comes to expiring contracts, I'd be in a good position to fix up the squad ahead of the new season. We'll see what happens.

Next Update: TBD (end of pre-season, or job centre).

February would see the ‘First Stage’ come to a conclusion in Portugal's Liga 3 with Real. We secured our place in the ‘Relegation Stage’ some time ago, meaning our aim was to try and finish above last place - which we had three fixtures to try and do so. Could we? Let's see:

What a victory that is! Bottom beats top, as Gustavo Moura netted to give us a big three points leaders Vitória Setúbal - the big props, though, go to goalkeeper João Godinho, who made a superb ten saves. As a result, we moved off last place for the first time!

Just one friendly this month, as we put three past Mondinense away from home.

No idea what happened here. Despite the statistics being fairly close, Amora just destroyed us to win 5-1; and it was only that due to Gustavo Moura's late consolation. I can't even explain this result to be honest, Amora were just on fire I guess.

Robbed, just look at that xG. Santarém gained an entirely undeserved three points at our stadium, meaning we ended the First Stage with back-to-back defeats… and also fell back below Alverca, obviously.

I do feel like my manager is on borrowed time at the moment. The board aren't happy, though haven't been at any point since I took charge to be fair, and the squad dynamics aren't pretty. The media have also begun questioning my future as boss, as such I was actually expecting to get the sack before the Relegation Round but thankfully that didn't occur.

Despite all that, I'm actually pleased with what the team is doing. Sure we aren't doing anything great, but our performances - that 5-1 L aside - have actually been decent-to-good… we sometimes look like a mid-table side, rather than a basement relegation-threatened side. Speaking of relegation, the next stage has been set.

We've been put into a group with Oliveira do Hospital, Cova da Piedade and Sporting CP B; 6th, 8th and 10th respectively from the First Stage. Each team starts with “bonification points” that are calculated based on your performance in the previous phase; we, Real, start at 1pt while leaders Oliveira do Hospital begin with 7pts. It's a UEFA Champions League-style format, as we face each other twice with the bottom club getting relegated to the (playable) fourth division.

I think we have a decent chance, though admittedly of the three teams we only beat Oliveira do Hospital (twice) in the regular campaign. So we'll see! One last note, unused striker Ballack has left on loan to Pinhalnovense for the remainder of the season.

Next Update: End of Relegation Round

Just three competitive fixtures occurred in January, as we had Liga 3 encounters with Caldas, Oliveira do Hospital and Leiria - alongside two friendlies. Here's how we got on to kickstart 2022:

Back-to-back wins for the first time, as we stretched our undefeated streak to four matches. Marcos Barbeiro got the big goal in the 69th minute against Caldas.

The first of two exhibition matches to fill the gaps in the schedule. Here, we put seven past lowly Mansores on away turf. Good to see us scoring that many, even if it is meaningless result-wise.

Three straight wins! Superb stuff. Goals from Jeriel De Santis, Marcos Barbeiro and Gustavo Moura meant we eased past promotion-chasing Oliveira do Hospital!

Another simple friendly victory, as Ribeirão were this time the opponent on the end of a dominant display. 3-0, could've been 4-0 if not for the penalty miss.

Straight back down to earth, though that scoreline was very harsh on us. We had taken a 1-0 lead via an own-goal and were leading until the 67th minute, which was when Wilson Kenidy got himself sent off and from there we just collapsed versus a good opponent in Leiria. If not for the red, I don't believe we would've lost that.

A month I'm happy with, despite the finale to it. We still remain at the foot of our division, but are now just 1pt off Alverca above. Most importantly, the points gap isn't as bad as it was ahead of the relegation round… which is just three games away now.

Next Update: End of First Stage.

Hopefully it'll be a save that lasts!

Understandable - would be great to see though!

I've reached January 2022 and I'm still in a job with Portuguese Liga 3 outfit Real, so that's good. Here's how December went under the stewardship of José Nunes.

A narrow home defeat to divisional leaders (at the time) Torreense. They deserved the three points, but we played alright against a promotion-chasing opponent.

I'll take any point(s) that come! Cova da Piedade are another team aiming for the promotion round (not play-offs like I wrongly noted before; it's basically like the Scottish Premiership split between pro/rel I believe) so to hold them to a draw away from home is a positive result I'd say.

Another tie, but that made it two unbeaten. Romário Carvalho with a fairly late equaliser. A win was needed here though, as Alverca were/are the team directly above us in the South Division - so not a great point, but I'll take it.

A victory! Three actual points! A terrific performance on the road against Oriental Dragon saw us grab a deserved 3-1 win, as goals came from Gustavo Moura and the previously unused Mika - we may have won, but we cannot under any circumstances Relax, Take It Easy… That's my first competitive victory of the save, which makes it three undefeated too!

Some tangible positives this month. We remain rooted at the bottom of our division, though are now 6pts away from those above us; it was a 7pt gap previously - small improvement. Elsewhere, the club elections were held in December and we've seen the arrival of new chairperson Nuno Pinto. He hasn't changed much, with the exception of a new addition to the “5 year plan” - which is a maximum of one-year contracts for those over-33.

Next Update: January 2022.

Cheers!

I hope so! Last time I was in the Portuguese lower leagues it went well with Pinhalnovense on Football Manager 2014, won promotion to the second tier - I could do with a Ronaldo Monteiro regen!

Thanks, Dan! Hopefully it'll be a good save!

Any chance we might see yourself return with a career? 👀

The first month or so of my tenure in the Portuguese third tier with Real has come and gone. Here's how José Nunes' boys have got on.

A loss in match one but Vitória Setúbal - as noted in my last post - are too big for this level and should be aiming for promotion despite being newly-promoted themselves. They merited the win undoubtedly, but we actually played fairly well - 10 shots shows that.

I actually had to replay this match as my game crashed in the original 1-0 loss; long story short, my PC is not in the best shape so I've had to sacrifice any sort of match engine - playing via text commentary only, which seems (fingers crossed) to have solved the crashing. It'll take some getting used to, but honestly I'm fine with it as I don't have the best relationship with the ME anyway.😂

This one hurt. Not a great performance again, but it was a very even match against an Amora team that was also struggling at this point. We took an early lead through Jeriel De Santis, but Amora hit us with two goals in three minutes late in the second half to snatch the three points. Disappointing.

A point! I'll take it. Santarém probably edged us but we showed good resilience to get a draw, though again could've had more after going a goal up via Tiago Morgado.

A friendly win - I'll also take that! It's a nothing result as we played regional outfit Marinhais on home soil. This was just to keep player fitness in check due to a two-week gap in the schedule; it also raises morale slightly and gets them used to the tactic(s).

A totally deserved defeat away to Sporting CP B. Rubbish display, albeit against a strong opponent.

Well, not the most promising first month or so in charge of Real. I do sense some potential in our performances, but we need to pull our finger out for sure. In other news, Mr. Nunes has started an all-important coaching course.

Next Update: End of December 2021.

The time has come to get this journeyman save underway! Very intrigued to see how it plays out.

First things first, here's the set-up of the save. As noted before, Brazil and Portugal are the ‘intended’ initial destination(s) and the rest of the leagues loaded are the other South American nations in Football Manager 2022: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay. I'm also using a custom setting for the player database, with all players based in South America (and I think I clicked Europe too, for the future) iirc - I don't usually do that latter part, but know many others do so thought I'd see what difference - if any - it makes.

As for my my manager, I've named him “José Nunes” - a 41-year-old born in Maia, Portugal. He has the lowest presets available, meaning no coaching badges whatsoever and ‘Sunday League’ past experience. I had to wait until October 2021 for a job interview, as none of the clubs without a manager (around four or five) in Brazil wanted me and every club in the Portuguese four tiers had managers in place.

I did receive at least three job interviews from Chilean second tier clubs, e.g. Santiago Morning, but I declined as I wanted to start in Brazil or Portugal. Come October, I finally got an interview from Real of Portugal's Liga 3. They subsequently offered me the job, though I initially delayed as I was interested in openings at Sporting CP B and Vitória Guimarães B. Sporting, though, rejected me, so in the end I responded to Real…

Founded: 1951 | Nickname: Realistas | Stadium: Estádio do Real SC, Queluz (Cap: ~3,600)

2020-21: promoted from Campeonato de Portugal via the play-offs.

2021-22: fight bravely against relegation, currently bottom (12/12) of the South Division by 4pts. Top 4 go into promotion play-offs, rest go into relegation play-offs.

Highest Division Reached: LigaPro (tier two) (2017-18, relegated in last). never played in the top-flight

Best Taça de Portugal Run: Fifth round (2016-17, lost to eventual winners Benfica).

Famous Ex-Players: Nani (Manchester United), Ricardo Vaz Tê (Bolton Wanderers).

So Far In 2021-22:

They initially lost six out of six to start their campaign in Liga 3 and were dumped out the cup by second tier Feirense, though Real have since won 4pts from a possible 6pts in their most recent fixtures. My first match in charge will be in the league away to fellow promoted team Vitória Setúbal; though they were top-flight regulars as recently as 2019-20 (were relegated to tier three due to behind the scenes issues).

My board objective is to fight bravely against relegation, so even if we get dropped to the fourth tier I could keep my job; with the fourth tier being a playable league in FM22, of course. They also wish to sign U23 players and to work within the wage budget. My contract runs out at the end of this season. I haven't looked deeply into the squad yet, but on the face of it they don't look terrible. Their ‘team cohesion' is described as “Very Poor”, as is the ‘managerial support’ - ‘club atmosphere’ is “Average” (green) though. Staff-wise and finances-wise, the club looks alright.

So: Real are a club in decent shape, not amazing but not in dire straits either. No idea how it's going to go, but I am excited to find out!

Next Update: End of November 2021.

Thanks!

They can be frustrating saves so I can understand when people don't do them, but personally I just love seeing the unique career paths you can take from the bottom level of the game. That's where FM is great, as you can play the game a number of different ways.

As much as I've enjoyed my beta save with PSG, I cannot wait to jump into a journeyman save so I've put that Ligue 1-centric save on the back-burner for the foreseeable future to start the following.

Introducing: Viagem

“Viagem? The f@#k is that?" Well, it's Portuguese for “Travel”. Listen, you've come to the wrong place if you want creativity!

The Portugal aspect does come into the save slightly, as my initial plan for this journeyman is to only have the two Portuguese-speaking leagues open for managing at the beginning (will add/remove as time goes on, all South American leagues will still be loaded as back-up options) and my manager will be a nobody (no badges, experience etc.) born in Maia; birthplace of one Bruno Fernandes. These early playable leagues will be Brazil and Portugal - unfortunately the São Tomé and Príncipe and Timor-Leste leagues aren't in FM… yet.

The overall plan will be to go wherever the journey takes me and my manager - I just wanted the start to have a little sense to it. This will (hopefully) be my seventh journeyman save on sortitoutsi but my first since Football Manager 2020. That last one was a flop trophy-wise, yet I still enjoyed it. My favourite journeyman save came on Football Manager 2017. So, I guess, technically I'm not due another good save until Football Manager 2023, but fingers crossed!

As I always say with my career posts, do not expect any success. It's unlikely, frankly. I don't mind either way though, as long as it's a fun save I'm all for it - it being difficult just makes it more realistic, to be honest. I plan to set the save up and get cracking with it on 10 November 2021, possibly earlier on release day (9th) but I'm set to be busy on that day so the 10th is most likely. Hopefully all will go well, I did have a few save/crash issues with my first FM22 career so I'm hoping they were beta/FM related rather than due to my own (admittedly run down and seen better days) PC - it could be a short, short save if it's the latter. Time will tell.

Thank you for reading! Still a few days away, but I'm already excited.

Past Saves

Fingers crossed against Everton! 🤞

Good start, Villa aside. Best of luck!

Intrigued to see how Marcus Edwards gets on, one goal already is positive. Mariano looks a smart signing, too!

😆

Marco Icardicci it is!

Nice!👏

Exact same UCL fate as myself, the pain!

“as the Italian” - Argentina would like a word. How dare ye misnationalise the 🐐! 

I was thinking about just doing one season too, especially as I can't wait to jump into a journeyman when the full game is out in a few days, but I'm intrigued by my new signings so will most likely to carry on for one more campaign at least.

Indeed! 2022-23 is all about doing something in the Champions League now.

Sounds like the last manager really messed you over! 🤡 Decent start with that in mind, as you say.

I need to do a save in Australia too, been watching the league for years so not sure why I haven’t yet.

Adelaide were very good years back when they had the likes of Cirio and Isaías, the latter has rejoined them I believe.

Post 13: June 2022:

2022-23 started a month earlier than usual, as Patrice Ben Arfa and PSG headed to a special event in China - the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup, which the club had qualified for after their runners-up finish in the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League final. PSG were drawn into a group with Brazil's Internacional and South Korea's Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Could they go all the way?

June 2022: “Short and not very sweet.

Bayern Munich blew us away in the FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final, meaning - just like with the UEFA Champions League last season - we exited at the first real hurdle. Annoying, but with the schedule (two days rest in group stage, one day (!) rest in quarters) our players were practically dead by the Bayern match so no surprise to see them batter us.

I've made two more new signings, as Youri Tielemans and Lautaro Martínez have been joined by Niklas Süle (free) and Mason Greenwood (loan). I wasn't totally convinced by Sergio Ramos and Marquinhos last campaign, Ramos was also shocking at the Club World Cup, so wanted a new centre-back and Süle is a great pick up. Greenwood arrived after Arsenal put in an offer for Ángel Di María, which I accepted as he is 34yo and I've switched to a tactic without wingers - so made sense to let him go (well, currently work permit pending) for a fee and get in Greenwood, who can play upfront as well as on the wing; just in case I switch back."

Next post: end of August 2022.

Post 12: May 2022:

2021-22 reaches its conclusion as Patrice Ben Arfa and his Paris Saint-Germain team aim to add the Coupe de France to their trophy cabinet, having already secured Ligue 1 and the Trophée des Champions. Here's how they got on, as they had three matches scheduled to end the campaign.

May 2022: “Cup winners!

A domestic clean sweep, I can't not be happy with that. The biggest match was the month's opener, as we got past Ligue 2 city rivals Paris FC thanks to goals from Lionel Messi and Anthony Martial. We subsequently ended the Ligue 1 campaign in strong fashion, defeating Montpellier 3-0 and Metz 4-0; Mauro Icardi returned to form in those matches, while youngster Xavi Simons even got a goal. Our end to the season sees us finish on 97pts, unfortunately short of 100pts. Both cups were won, though disappointment did arrive in the UEFA Champions League.

Hopefully we'll have a better run in Europe's premier competition in 2022-23. Speaking of next season, I've made another new signing to join Youri Tielemans in the arrivals lounge. Lautaro Martínez will be coming in from Serie A's Inter Milan. A top quality striker, who is pretty much the replacement for the outgoing Kylian Mbappé - who made his last appearance for us in the cup final, due to injury. It's another Argentine player, to go with Lionel Messi, Mauro Icardi, Leandro Paredes and Ángel Di María - viva La Albiceleste!

Some news from the rest of Europe. Moneybags Newcastle United were relegated from the Premier League, though did win the FA Cup over Arsenal; Alexander Isak scored the winner, he was their main incoming in the transfer market; with Brendan Rodgers and Jorge Sampaoli (current) sharing the hot seat. Leeds United (and, obvs, Norwich City) got relegated too. In the UEFA Champions League, RB Leipzig beat Bayern Munich in an all German final on penalties.”

Next post: end of June 2022.

Post 11: April 2022:

The penultimate month of the season has arrived for PSG and Patrice Ben Arfa. The club are off UEFA Champions League disappointment after losing out on penalties to Real Madrid in the round of sixteen, though high hopes remain for a domestic treble (if you include the Trophée des Champions) as they hold a fifteen point lead in Ligue 1 and have a Coupe de France final on the way with second tier rivals Paris FC.

April would see seven matches and all were in Ligue 1, as the opportunity to officially claim the title would likely soon arrive - could they manage to do so? Let's see:

April 2022: “Champions! A job well done.

As noted, seven Ligue 1 fixtures were played and, amusingly, the only one we didn't win was the one that actually secured the title - a goalless draw away to Angers. Otherwise, it was a perfect month of league action as we got decisive victories over Lorient, Clermont, Troyes, Marseille, Lens and Strasbourg; a favourable fixture list, that! We still have two matches left to fulfil in the bread and butter against Montpellier and Metz, but May's standout event will be the Coupe de France final with our Parisian neighbours - bring it on!

As shown in my last post, I was on the end of a lost save moment - but thankfully had that back-up available. Not sure why the save corrupted as I had previously saved and exited like I always do, so must've been something on FM's end - I'll report it when I get the chance. The match I had to re-play was the Strasbourg finale, which we actually drew 0-0 originally; usually I'd keep re-playing to get the same result, but as it was a dead-rubber I couldn't be bothered to be honest. Hopefully I'll have no further issues with the save file, at least not until I finish the current season.

One piece of transfer news to bring you: Youri Tielemans will be joining us in July, after we struck a deal with Leicester City to capture the Belgium international. We're swamped with midfielders, but there will likely be a mini clearout in the summer and Tielemans is top notch anyway; and Ligue 1 proven, after his preceding stint with Monaco.”

Next post: end of May 2021.

Thankfully…

I use the rolling save setting, so I had a back-up to go back to and only had to re-play one game. Lucky.

#ShedenderLossBingo Marseille, 1-0, Sergio Ramos (o.g.) (90’+4) 😆

I thought Monaco would run me close like they are you, but they and the likes of Marseille, Lyon etc. are keeping themselves busy in a battle for 2nd - leaving my lot to run away with 1st.

Post 10: March 2022:

March promised to be a critical month in Patrice Ben Arfa's first season in charge of French giants Paris Saint-Germain, as he led a team that were aiming for a place in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals (currently 3-2 up versus Real Madrid in R16) and the Coupe de France final; whilst also tightening their grip on top spot in Ligue 1. Let's see how he and his team coped with the month's five fixtures

March 2022: “This is what happens when Mauro Icardi gets injured.

In previous iterations of FM, I always expected to lose penalty shoot-outs - early days, but looks like that mantra isn't going anywhere with Football Manager 2022! Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid eliminated us out of the UEFA Champions League at the first knockout hurdle, an absolutely gutting outcome. I can't moan at my players whatsoever as we played superbly, across both legs, but unfortunately just didn't get the luck. The treble will have to wait until next season…😉

Elsewhere, it hasn't been an overly positive month either. We dropped points in Ligue 1 to Nice and Monaco, though did beat Bordeaux comfortably. Fortunately we still managed to extend our lead in 1st to 15pts! Also thankfully, we got past Metz to seal a spot in the 2022 Coupe de France final against Mona… no! Paris FC! What an upset in the other semi-final, as sixth place in Ligue 2 knocks out second place in Ligue 1 Monaco - which means it'll be an all Paris affair come 8 May 2022. What an occasion that'll be at the Stade de France!

We have been severely hampered by injuries and international call-ups, especially for that cup semi-final with Metz - I mean, no disrespect to my players, but look at the state of that line-up we fielded. Anthony Martial was the only fit forward, Kylian Mbappé wasn't fit enough to start, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Ángel Di María and Julian Draxler were on international duty or otherwise unavailable. We had midfielders Georginio Wijnaldum and Rafinha on the wings, with youngster Bandiougou Fadiga in midfield; Thilo Kehrer is a back-up squad member, too. We bossed the match, but only netted a spot-kick - a stronger opponent and we would've been in trouble.”

"Be more like Steve Vigneau and Bastien Lecomte, kids …”

Next post: end of April 2021.