Mikal's Moving On - A New Vision

[Dexter_Morgan]

Congratulations Mikal, you well and truly deserve a clap for the job you've done in turning it around so quick

[cerud]

Great turnaround

[Mikal]

Cheers guys The lads stormed the league pretty well, but we had no other competitions to worry about. Got some Mexico internationals coming up next before I delve into the market for a bit of a reshuffle of the squad. Was considering putting in a cheeky bid for Razo, but I don't think I want Bayern to be the team he stays at for his peak.

A little news on Toros Neza:

Nice to see winning ways have carried on after my departure. They got the semi-finals of the Opening Stage, but didn't get out of the groups in the Copa Libertadores. Also won the 3rd place playoff in the Club World Championships.

[B.W.G]

Congrats on winning the title Also well done Toros Neza winning the closing stage

[Mikal]

Congrats on winning the title Also well done Toros Neza winning the closing stage

Thanks! It worries me how Toros Neza are classed as a troubled side though!

World Cup North American Qualifying Section - Phase Four

Canada 3 - 4 Mexico

The most difficult and frustrating game to date. We dominated for the most part, but Canada really did a number on us on the counter. The game was a struggle, as we scored, they scored, so I needed to attack again, which led to a counter, and it was all up in the air. Canada's game plan seemed pretty spot on, and I'd have imagined that they would have taken a draw from the game. The decisive goal came 7 minutes from time, when tired Canada legs allowed Hernandez some space to slot home. Great game for the neutrals, but had my pulling my hair out.

Mexico 6 - 0 Barbados

The nervy game against Canada was put aside as we put 6 past Barbados with Razo getting 4 of those goals. It really was completely one sided and could have been more. They had 1 shot which did hit the woodwork. A nice lead up to the Confederations Cup.

Group Standings:



At the half way point we are in as good a position as possible picking up maximum points and a nice goal difference to go with it. I'd expect the top 3 not to change, Honduras look to be the only side capable of causing an upset.

Next up we have the Confederations Cup. We have a tough group consisting of Argentina, Qatar and Russia.

[psychonaut]

Well done on the title win. Looking good for getting to the World Cup too.

[cerud]

Looking like World Cup qualification for you and Canada

[deltablue]

Odd definition of 'troubled'.

[Mikal]

Well done on the title win. Looking good for getting to the World Cup too.

Thanks!

Looking like World Cup qualification for you and Canada

Fingers crossed nothing changes over the next 5 games.

Odd definition of 'troubled'.

Yeah definitely. Maybe it means financially, cause they never seemed to make money when I was there.

Confederations Cup - Group Stage

Argentina 2 - 3 Mexico

Ecstatic over this win. End to end stuff and I felt like there was going to be a goal every time a team attacked. It did start out that way as Argentina scored within 40 seconds, and I was expecting a pummelling thanks to my 3 at the back tactic. However we persisted and got the equaliser not long before half time. We then took the lead just before Aguero got sent off for a second yellow. Their equaliser came through some sloppy defending again when it didn't look to be much left for Argentina in attack, but they found a way with 10 men. A draw here would have been a really good result, but they had 10 men, they weren't going to attack in the final 10 minutes, so I pushed on and we got the winner when Mendoza found some space down the flank and slotted home. That was our 3rd shot on target and 3rd goal.

Mexico 4 - 2 Qatar

Disappointed we let in two goals as we dominated the match. We went back to our old ways of shooting from absolutely anywhere instead of trying to work it into the box or slip a striker in. They scored with their only 2 shots on target, both due to sloppy defensive play.

Mexico 1 - 2 Russia

With us having 6 points, and Russia also beating Qatar and Argentina, we both were through to the semi finals, just a matter of who was going to finish where. We were currently in 2nd place on GD so we needed to win to finish top. It was a pretty even game, but the World Cup holders looked dangerous. We took the lead through Razo and held on till half time. I should have played a bit more conservatively in the second half to keep things tight, but they got their goal when our keeper completely missed the ball and they tapped home. A gift. A draw was no good for us but we weren't able to break them down. They then got a free kick 93rd minute, which of course they absolutely belted home to win the game 2-1.

And with that loss we finish second and now face Spain in the Confederations Cup Semi Finals.

Group A & Group B Final Standings

[B.W.G]

Excellent victory over Argentina,best of luck against Spain.

[Mikal]

Excellent victory over Argentina,best of luck against Spain.

Cheers pal.

Confederations Cup - Semi Final

Spain 1 - 0 Mexico

Semi-finals and we were up against a very strong Spain side. We beat Spain at their own possession game having 61% of it. But this is a results game, and we just couldn't finish. Both teams squandered chances but when it came down to it Spain got the decisive goal and we were unable to answer. Quite disappointing, but expected.

Mexico (e)3 - 2 Russia

With that loss to Spain we were up against group rivals Russia in the 3rd-placed play off. Russia were on the end of an upset as Ghana beat them to reach the final. This was much more end to end and exciting, both teams with nothing to lose. The first half was pretty much a write off though as nothing much happened. After the break all hell broke loose and both teams were going for it. We opened the scoring not long after half time through Hernandez, Russia got one back with 25 minutes to go, and it was a game of chess from there with each team cancelling eachother out. Full time dawned and we went into extra time. Russia were the team who were first to make their move as they went 2-1 up in the 2nd half of extra time. 10 minutes to claw one back, which we did courtesy of a foul on Razo who slotted home comfortably. 2-2 and 5 minutes to go. We were the team pressing towards the end, but also the most open at the back and susceptible to a counter. BUT, 120th minute, ball came into the box, and Hernandez was the man on his toes and pokes it past the keeper to secure a fantastic 3-2 win and claim the 3rd place spot.

Spain did go on to beat Ghana in the final 3-1.

Carlos Vela has announced his retirement from international football, which is a shame as I still give him games. I'll be looking to see what youngsters can impressive in the upcoming Gold Cup and see who will get Vela's position on a permanent basis.

[cerud]

Spain always seems to be a perrenial favourite for whichever competition they're in. Congrats on a 3rd Place finish

[Mikal]

Gold Cup - Group Stage

Mexico 1 - 0 Guatemala

We were poor in this game, very complacent looking. It took until the 90th minute for our left back to save the embarrassment of not taking all 3 points. Not a great performance and I hoped it wasn't a sign of things to come.

Honduaras 2 - 5 Mexico

With this win we qualified for the quarter finals. It started off well with an own goal in our favour, followed up by a second own goal, which I thought was harsh and should have gone down as a goal for one of our lads. We got to 4-0 up before we became a bit sloppy and let them get 1 back. We were then completely complacent and looked uninterested in the final few minutes as we allowed them a 2nd consolation goal. A better performance from us though.

Barbados 0 - 4 Mexico

We rounded off the group stage with a much, much better showing. We were getting our shots on target, something we horribly lacked, we weren't just shooting from all kinds of positions and we were getting into dangerous positions. It didn't take long to get the lead and we just controlled the game from the off showing by the amount of chances we had and the possession we were able to have. A good end to the groups and it'll give us confidence going into the quarter finals.

Final group standings:



We missed out on a couple easier teams in the quarter final as we have been drawn against Canada.

[Mikal]

Gold Cup - Later Stages

Quarter Final

Canada 0 - 2 Mexico

We started our quarter final match with a bang as some individual brilliance led to a great goal just 2 minutes into the game. We continued to control and dominate, but was wasteful as usual. Far too many long shots instead of trying to play others in or taking it out wide. Canada made a couple chances, but were not clinical enough and we got the decisive goal after 64 minutes through Razo.

Semi Final

Mexico 5 - 1 Honduras

Group compadre's were up next in the semi final, and having beat them 5-2 in the group, I was feeling confident we could go on and do the same. Which we did, but 1 better by conceding a goal less. It was very much the Razo show as he scored all 5 of the goals for us, 4 coming in the first half an hour. They didn't help themselves getting a striker sent off pretty earlier into the game, and they seemed to lose their temper for the most part picking up a hat full of bookings. Even though we scored 5 goals, we only had 6 on target, which has been a real problem for us, when it shouldn't with some of the quality we have in attack. It's something to work on though.

Final

USA 1 - 2 Mexico

On to the final and it was always shaping up to be a USA vs. Mexico final. It was a much better performance for us in front of goal, and by that I mean we actually hit majority of our shots on target, just a shame we couldn't convert more. Anyway, it only took 7 minutes before took the lead through Hernandez, and then on controlled the game as we have come to do so well. We went 2 up before the half was over through Razo who finished top scorer. A freak own goal gave USA a life line 10 minutes before the first half was over, but they weren't able to take advantage, and we weren't able to add to our lead.

Gold Cup Champions!

Gold Cup Tree

[cerud]

Congrats on the Gold Cup! Wish you had met Canada in the final though

[Mikal]

Congrats on the Gold Cup! Wish you had met Canada in the final though

Thanks! Yeah would have been nice if they got a bit further, shame really cause I think they topped their group as we did. It would have done their rankings good as well!

[Mikal]

Pre-Season 2021/22

Media Prediction: 1st
Season prediction: Winner (board decision)
Transfer budget: £66.99m
Wage budget: £2m p/w

Transfers

Players for the First Team

Frank Weib - £21.5m
Baltazar Hormazabal - £3m

Players for Backup and Rotation

Markos Alvanos - £3.6m
Choi Dae-Ho - £6.5m
Marius Fink - £6.5m

Hot Prospects

Jairo Serrano - £4.1m
Tomislav Drpic - £925k

Transfer Thoughts

Very happy overall with the vast overhaul we've had this summer. Frank Weib was the marquee signing of the summer, but not of that was upfront, but a majority. He'll go straight in as first choice striker and I think he'll have an excellent season. Took him from one of our rivals as well which can only benefit us! Hormazabal for £3m looks like it could be a complete bargain, bless those foreign team release clauses! The players for rotation have every bit of chance of being a first team player, but I'll have to see how they perform. Marius Frink came from Schalke so I had to pay a little more than I would have liked for him, but he's young and looks to be a tricky fellow. You may also remember Jairo Serrano from my Toros Neza days, a player who I had high hopes for before Morelia came in and stole him. I saw he had a transfer bid, so I thought I'd go in as well as I think he can develop really well. I also tried for another old player Canas, but he opted to go to America (MEX) instead.

As for the outgoings, 13 players in total leaving the club, bringing a lot of cash and freeing up a lot of wages. I'd have possibly kept hold of Leandro, but he's 32, high wages and we received £5m more than we paid. Kishna was the hardest to get rid of and had to opt for a loan with a future fee in the end, which I really hope they go for. He was on £130,000 a week for us and we're still paying 40% of his wages, but if the £13m future fee goes ahead it will be great bit of business.

A little Toros Neza transfer news. Besides losing Canas, a valuable player to them. Pablo Razo has moved to Inter Milan in a £24.5m deal. He's definitely capable of the step up.

Total Transfer Spend: £46m
Total Transfer Income: £77m

Total Transfer Net Spend: (£31m)

Pre-Season Friendlies



Some comfortable games, give the team a chance to gel.

Pre-Season Cup Competitions

German Super Cup

Our first competitive match of the season and a chance to try out a couple of the new lads and change our style a bit. It started off pretty well, but we were getting caught on the counter a bit and gave them too many opportunities to score. We held our nerve and got the break through with a Thomas Muller goal just before half time. We then kept possession well in the second half crafting out more chances allowing new boy Frink to get his first goal for the club. Wolfsburg then got a late goal in injury time, but it was too little too late for them and we went on to lift the Super Cup.

Behind the Scenes

Board Overview

Finances

[B.W.G]

Congrats on winning the Gold Cup with Mexico,good luck for the new season.

[Mikal]

Congrats on winning the Gold Cup with Mexico,good luck for the new season.

Cheers mate!

August 2021

League Fixtures



League Table



League Analysis

A relatively good opening month. I made the mistake of changing my tactic before the season started and now I'm constantly chopping and changing and has almost cost me games, so I need to settle down pretty quick. We started off really well against Hannover, but we fell away pretty sharply. A draw was a fair result. We picked it up a bit in the 2nd game but defensive frailties were obvious. Finished the month with two more wins leaving us top of the table by a point. Not been overly happy with the performances so it's an area to focus on.

German Cup 1st Round



An excellent 1st round draw. New boy Weib getting 10 goals!

[ri916]

Solid start in the league and a 14-0 win! 10 goals for weib as well!

[deltablue]

Nice way to start at a new club.

[B.W.G]

Excellent start to the season and a very impressive victory in the DFB-Pokal

[Dexter_Morgan]

Good start there Mikal

[SRL88]

Good start to the season.

[Mikal]

Solid start in the league and a 14-0 win! 10 goals for weib as well!

Nice way to start at a new club.

Excellent start to the season and a very impressive victory in the DFB-Pokal

Good start there Mikal

Good start to the season.

Ta, gents!

I forgot to put up in the last update our Champions League group:

[deltablue]

Tblisi are in for a rough ride.

[Mikal]

Tblisi are in for a rough ride.

You're not wrong!

September 2021

League Fixtures



League Table



League Analysis

3 out of 3 so no real complaints from me. Although saying that, highly disappointed with the way we were conceding goals, which seemed to be solely through set pieces, although we shored things up in the Dortmund game where we completed dominated. It took them till the last 15 minutes to get a shot at goal. Our best performance of the season and should have been more than 3-0. Weib has been in great form grabbed 6 goals in 3 games. With strike partner Marell getting on the score sheet each game.

Champions League Group Stage

Fixtures



Champions League Analysis

The Manchester United game was very even and a draw was a fair result. We went ahead through a set piece, and also conceded through one. I was happy to take the draw away at Old Trafford, and with that our hardest game was out of the way with. We then had CSKA Moscow and asserted our dominance and never looked like losing. Solid performance. Now watch us drop points to whipping boys Tbilisi!

[cerud]

Tbilisi will be crying after this match

[Mikal]

Sorry for lack of updates been busy with moving back to Uni and the like. But got some time today so I shall be putting the playlists on and cracking on!

[Mikal]

October 2021

League Fixtures



League Table



League Analysis

An excellent month in which we kept our unbeaten run going in the league. Disappointing draw at Mainz but some very encouraging results throughout the rest of the month. Still not happy with the amount we are conceding, a couple clean sheets will go a long way as the season gets tougher. But we're scoring plenty and that is just as important. The win are Werder Bremen was the highlight, coming back from a goal down to cruise to a 5-1 win was a joy to see.

German Cup - Second Round

vs. Ingolstadt

A straightforward win here against lower league opposition. I was able to rest most of my side and give a few young players a start, a long with some of the fringe players. Daghagheleh (who I shall just be referring to as Dag from now on) was clinical in front of goal, although should have sealed his hatrick. Overall a good performance from the back up team.

Champions League Group Stage

vs. Dinamo Tbilisi



Champions League Analysis

Well just the one game here this month against bottle of the table Tbilisi. We were completely in control through out the match and I am a little disheartened at only putting 3 past them. Our finishing was not up to scratch and while Dinamo put up a valiant defensive display, we should have been doing better. Still, they're up next in the CL so we'll look to add a few more to our tally and get a win which will be absolutely vital. I don't think we can afford to go into the game against Moscow 1 or 2 points a head as that could spell disaster for the final game against United.

[Mikal]

World Cup North American Qualifying Section - Phase Four

Surinam 1 - 6 Mexico

Comfortable win against the team propping up the bottom of the table. Created a lot of chances, missed a few, too. Unfortunate to concede as well.

Mexico 5 - 1 USA

An impressive display from us as we convincingly dispatched of the second best team in the group. Much more clinical this time scoring 5 of our 9 shots on target. Razo especially was in fine goal scoring form.

Honduras 0 - 2 Mexico

The toughest of our games, whether it was a lack of concentration and motivation or if Honduras put up a solid fight. But we came away with the win while Honduras won the battle of bookings.

Barbados 0 - 6 Mexico

Another high scoring game which was to be expected. We completely pummelled their goal and could/should have hit double figures. But no need to be too harsh!

Mexico 4 - 2 Canada

The final game saw us at home to Canada. All teams had secured qualification so this game was almost meaningless, besides wanting to finish on a high. Canada attacked us which was a refreshing, but annoying sight. We controlled the tempo though and Canada's best chances were on the counter. We put ourselves into a 4-0 lead (thanks to another Razo hatrick) before getting sloppy, and I should have gone a little more defensive to see the game out, but their very own Roberto Carlos (who looks a solid striker) gave them a couple goals to show they still have fight in them.

Final group standing



Honduras are currently in the play offs against Ecuador, drawing 2-2 after the first leg. Here's hoping they can get a favourable result at home!

Also as a side-note, we've moved up to 3rd in the World rankings. Don't ask me how, but 3rd we are with Brazil in 2nd Spain in 1st position.

[deltablue]

Nice seeing Canada qualify as well.

[B.W.G]

Very impressive start to the season with Bayern and a perfect qualifying campaign with Mexico

[cerud]

Good job on topping the 4th Phase! And good to see Canada in as well

[Mikal]

World Cup 2022

The groups for the World Cup have been drawn and are as follows:

Group A: Bulgaria, Tunisia, Qatar, Argentina

Group B: France, South Korea, Uruguay, Germany

Group C: Turkey, Brazil, Cameroon, USA

Group D: England, Egypt, Albania, Saudi Arabia

Group E: Greece, Thailand, Mexico, Ecuador

Group F: Serbia, South Africa, Australia, Spain

Group G: Chile, Russia, Holland, Canada

Group H: Italy, Algeria, Denmark, Japan

Very happy with our draw and would expect nothing less than qualification. Greece have some very good individual players and I'd expect they will be our closest rivals for top spot.

[cerud]

Interesting to so Thailand qualify! You should qualify easily out of that group

[B.W.G]

Should get through that group although the game against Ecuador could be tricky.

[deltablue]

Good group draw.

[SRL88]

That is a truely excellent group.

[Mikal]

November & December 2021

League Fixtures



League Table



League Analysis

An acceptable two months in which we remained unbeaten, although Leverkusen still on on tail. Too many draws can see us slip up. The two games in which we conceded 2 and 3 was us being horribly sloppy at the back and letting them into the game. It's something I still need to work on tactically.

German Cup - Third Round

vs. Augsburg

So embarrassing! You can see from the screen shot we pummelled their goal. We should have won by 4 or 5. Just could not finish and was such a frustrating game. We got the first goal into injury time when I brought our star striker on, but that didn't last long. On to pens and it was the lad I just offered a new contract to who missed the decisive one. Very disappointed.

Champions League Group Stage

vs. Dinamo Tbilisi

vs. Manchester United

vs. CSKA Moscow



Champions League Analysis

A much better cup run than domestically. Not conceding in our last 3 games and looked very comfortable if truth be told.

Champions League First Knockout Round

One of the harder teams to have been drawn against. But Napoli it is who stands in our way!

[cerud]

Augsburg must have an amazing goalkeeper