[FM11] Back on the Tribute Trail - DodgeeD's Second World Tour

[DodgeeD]

2020 Season Preview: Flamengo

Club Information:

Season Ticket Holders: -

Stadium Capacity: 76,000 (all-seater)

Training facilities: Top

Youth faciliites: State of the art + Youth Academy

Youth Recruitment: Extensive

Board Expectations

Serie A: Compete alongside top teams

(Media Prediction: 6th)

Copa do Brasil: Reach final

Rio State Championship: Win

Copa Sudamericana: Reach quarter-final

Transfer Budget: 6.7 million

Wage Limit: 350k p/w

Two good pieces of news: I got a decent transfer budget and, despite the board's 'disappointment' with last season's overall performance, I didn't get the sack. There would have been a few interesting options if that had been the case as I was linked with the Zenit St. Petersburg job after Dan Petrescu was sacked for failing to get a Champions League place as well as being suggested as a possible replacement for Patrick Viera at Satde Rennais should he decide to leave at the end of his contract.

However, I think I'm happy to stay at Flamengo long-term. The youth facilities are top notch with about 6 or 7 players in the U20s now who could be first team stars in the future. There is a good foundation here for me to build on in pursuit of a 3rd continental crown as well.

As the Brazilian transfer window is open right from January through to October, I'll do a transfer round-up together with a mid-season update once the State Championship and Copa do Brasil are finished.

[DSYoungEsq]

<sigh> what I would give to have a team that had decent youth players recruited.

International management is soooooooooo different from club management, that it's very hard to reconcile yourself to its vagaries while still working at a club, I find. I don't blame you for taking time off from it.

[cerud]

I'm jealous of those facilities. My chairman won't even touch my all basic setup even though I'm rolling in cash...

[DodgeeD]

Yes, the youth facilities were a big factor in my decision to join. All those top notch Brazilian teenagers have got to come from somewhere right? At present, there are 9 players in the youth team rated at 3* potential or higher, all of whom have come through in the last two seasons.

[DodgeeD]

May 2020 Flamengo Update

Rio State Championship

No sooner was the 2019 season over than the new season kicked off with the Rio State Championship (3 weeks off for the players followed by 2 friendlies and that was it)! One thing about these regional competitions is the level of the opposition: Botafogo, Fluminense and Vasco are our main rivals and fellow Serie A sides but all the rerst of the teams aren't even in the third tier of the national league so that means plenty of chances to blood youngsters and blend new signings into the team.

Opening Stage

This was pretty straightforward as we won all of our games except for the derby with Fluminense, which was a 1-1 draw (also the only goal we conceded in the group stage). However, as our rivals were a bit more clinical in front of goal, we finsihed second on goal difference.

Opening Stage Group Tables

That meant we faced Group 1 table toppers Vasco in the semis and a tense match stayed locked at 0-0. Luckily we prevailed in the shoot-out to face Fluminense yet again in the final. An early penalty set us on our way there and another goal before half-time killed the tie as we won 2-0 to clinch the opening stage win.

Opening Stage Final

Closing Stage

Now playing all the sides from the other group, we were in dominant form once again. A 1-1 tie with Vasco in the opening game was followed by 7 straight victories as we easily topped the group ahead of Fluminense. Big surprises in the other group though as too many draws saw Vasco finish in 4th, thus missing out on the play-offs and costing the manager his job. They were also joined outside the top two by Botafogo. They led going into the final day but only by a point but were duly smashed off the park by my Flamengo boys who recorded an incredible 8-0 win!!! That allowed the unfancied America (RJ) and Madureria teams (not even in the 3rd tier of the national league remember) to take the semi-final spots.

Closing Stage Groups

Madrureria were our opponents in the semis but their good run came to an abrupt halt as we won 3-0. Fluminense also had an easy ride to set up a repeat of the opening stage final. This time it wasn't so easy for us as the two sides reianed deadlocked at 0-0. We held our nerve in the shoot-out scoring all of our penalties while our opponents missed twice to hand us the win.

Closing Stage Final

The Rio State Champion would then normally be decided by a two-legged match between the opening and closing stage winners but as we had won both matches, we were automatically declared champions bringing in my first silverware for the club!

Copa do Brasil

The first half of the year also saw us compete in the Brazilian cup. We made hard work of a kind draw as it took an injury time goal in the second leg of the first round to knock out minnows Botafogo (PB) - not connected to our rivals Botafogo by any other means than name I hasten to add. Nautico, recently relegated to Serie B, also put up a tough fight in the second round and after two goaless games, we finally beat them on penalties (making it 3 shoot-out wins out of 3 for the season so far!). Easier wins followed as we beat Serie B sides Ponte Preta (4-1 agg) and Ipatinga (4-0 agg) in the 3rd round and quarter-finals respectively. That put us within a round of fufilling the board's expectation of a place in the final but alas we came unstuck against the first decent team we played as Serie A rivals Santos beat us 4-2 over two legs to end our cup run.

Transfer Update

I've been fairly busy in the transfer market, shipping out a few squad players on high wages and bringing some new faces in. Unfortunately, anyone half-decent in Brazil is very expensive and/or asks for ridiculous wages so I was forced to concentrate on future talent. However, I did unearth a couple of gems:

Mendes (DRC) - one of my best signings of this career so far! I couldn't believe it when Santos let him go for 1 million - he's already rated as the best defender at the club by my coaches and with 5* potential, he's really going places.

Digão (DMC) - only 16 but a steal at 1million. Already rated as good enough for most top flight sides, I see a long career ahead for this one as long as he stays injuury free after picking up a few knocks in his first few games.

Eugénio (MC) - potentially the future playmaker to sit in front of Digão in midfield. He's also been hampered by injury but will hopefully get some first team experience over the rest of the season.

Crisitian Vera (AMR) - I was seriously short of options on the wings as my loanees from last season had gone back to their clubs (we had a future fee agreed for Pantera but that deal was cuppered when he got injured). I brought this kid in from Argentina for 1.4million and he has the potential to be a leading star for this level. For now he'll be back-up but some promising performances in the Rio State Championships give me cause for optimism.

Roberto Pirez (AMLC) - I added some depth to my midfield option with this 850k signing who can play central midfield or on the left. If the name seems familiar, that's because he's one of my former players from Wanderers in Uruguay.

Scolari (AML) - another youngster who has impressed with his impact so far. A bargain at 700k, he has secured a regular starting berth on the left wing already as well as unwelcome interest from European sides. But he's not going anywhere!

Vinicuis (GK) - this guy is a few seasons away from being ready for the first team but did well when called upon against some of the weaker teams in Rio State. I've mainly included him in this round-up because of his impressive retro facial hair!

There were other signings but they are all out on loan or in the U20s and may or may not make it - time will tell...

[DodgeeD]

Hmm, I know I said I would not be back into international management in a hurry but two interesting job offers have come my way: Uruguay, which offers me the chance to further develop some of the youngsters from my Wanderers days, and Argentina U20s.

I probably couldn't win anything with Uruguay but qualifying for the World Cup 2022 should be achieveable with a team ranked 10th in the world at present. Argentina U20s is intriguing as they have such a great pool of young talent (as always) and the South American and World U20 tournaments are coming up next season...

I think I'll sleep on it

[Raware]

No matter how many times people explain the Brazilian leagues to me, I still find it so confusing!

They're a couple of interesting international offers...personally, i'd take the under 20 job due to the amount of quality you'd have...plus maybe you'll make it on to some of the players favoured list giving you a chance to sign them for your club in the future.

[DodgeeD]

...and that's exactly what I did.

Uruguay was tempting but having reviewed their squad I decided against it. Lots of good players but all in their late 20s or early 30s with no regens getting much playing time yet, except for Javier Guedes, who as an 18 year-old was my goalkeeper at Wanderers and is now a world class keeper at Villareal.

Argentina U20s has a wealth of young talent and I'd like to win those youth tournaments before progressing onto another full international side. And, as you suggest, maybe a few of these startlets will have me on their favoured personnel list by the time I make a move to Europe

[Raware]

...and that's exactly what I did.

Uruguay was tempting but having reviewed their squad I decided against it. Lots of good players but all in their late 20s or early 30s with no regens getting much playing time yet, except for Javier Guedes, who as an 18 year-old was my goalkeeper at Wanderers and is now a world class keeper at Villareal.

Argentina U20s has a wealth of young talent and I'd like to win those youth tournaments before progressing onto another full international side. And, as you suggest, maybe a few of these startlets will have me on their favoured personnel list by the time I make a move to Europe

Good choice!

[DSYoungEsq]

Let me get this straight: you're managing a Brasilião side and you take a job for the Argentine FA??? You're gonna get lynched when word gets out!

[DodgeeD]

Let me get this straight: you're managing a Brasilião side and you take a job for the Argentine FA??? You're gonna get lynched when word gets out!

I'd ditch them for the Brazil U20s if the job came up

[DodgeeD]

2020 Season Review: Flamengo

Domestic Compeititons

Brazilian 1st Division: 1st

Rio State Championship: Winners

Copa do Brasil: Semi-finalists

Continental Competition

Copa Sudamericana: Semi-finalists

1st Division

Having started the season by capturing the Rio State Championship and reached the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil (see this post for a round-up), we entered the national 1st Division campaign looking to compete at the top end of the table and hopefully qualified for next season's Copa Libertadores. At first, event that seemed unlikely as we didn't register a win until the 5th game, leaving us at the worng end of the table with just 5 points. However, that win sparked a great run as we then went 26 games unbeaten to storm back up the table. That run also included a 12 game winning streak that saw us overhaul early leaders cruzerio and break away from the pack. All signs pointed towards us picking up an easy title win as we were 11 points clear of Corinthians with 8 games to go.

Perhaps complacency set in as we suddenly started dropping points again and Corinthians closed the gap. We lost to rivals Fluminense and then started drawing games against teams down in the relgation zone. That poor form, coupled with Cornthians finishing the seson on a 15 game winning streak meant the title wouldn't be settled until the last day. Luckily we refound our form at the right titme to thrash relegated Avai at home and capture the title! The unexpected success impressed the board especially as it came in the year of the club's 125th anniversary an marked the end of a domestic title drought of 12 years.

Final Table

Copa Sudamericana

The reason for us stumbling over the finish line in the league rather than striding may have been our involvement in the latter stages of this competition as tired legs took their toll. Nevertheless, we had a good run in getting to the semis, which offered my younger players some invaluable big game experience. The qualifying round against fellow Brazilians Vitoria was easy enough to negotiate as was the first round proper against Bolivar with both games won 4-0 on aggregate. We then drew Chilean giants Colo Colo in the quarter-finals but that turned out to be the easiest tie of the lot as we strolled to a 9-2 aggregate win and started to dream of the final. Alas, a tough draw pitted us against favourites Boca Juniors. We put in a good performance away as we earned a 0-0 draw helped in no small way by Boca having 7 players away on international duty. However, thay were back to full strength for the return game and picked us open twice to win 2-0 and knock us out.

Key Players

A successful season in the end as we bagged two titles and brought a number of young players into the first team to join our established regulars:

Alex (DRLC) - Only 19 but managed to rack up his 100th league appearance for the club this season. A whole host of European sides are chasing him but he's committed to us with anew 4 year deal.

Mendes (DRC) - signing of the season as the 1 million pound bargain showed maturity beyond his years to establish himself as first choice centre-back aged just 18. His form was impressive enough to win the Brazilian Central Defender of the Year award.

Dodo (DM/MC) - last season's best young signing also became a first team regular this season with some commanding performances in the holding midfield role. Much to my surprise, he's the one player who hasn't attracted any interest from European sides!

Cristian Vera (AMR) - right wing was a weak spot in the team and, although he was brought in as a hot prospect, this young Argentinian was the solution. Such was his unexpected impact that he won the Brazilian Midfielder of the Year award in his debut season for us. Hopefully, he will continue to develop over the next couple of years.

Scolari (AML) - another youngster who exceeded expectation with some dazzling performances on the wing. He will be first choice from the start next season.

Chiquinio (ST) - injuries hampered his start to the season and I actually considered accepting a 10million ound offer from Inter in July when he was struggling to get back into the team. I am so glad I didn't as he came good in the latter part of the season ending the year with over 40 goals and at one point scoring in ten consecutive matches. Last year stike partner Diego Mauricio scooped most of the awards but this year it was Chiquinio's turn as he won the Brazilian Golden Boot, 1st Division Topscorer, Brazilian Striker of the Year and Copa Sudamericana Golden Boot awards. He will leave for Europe soon no doubt but I'll be expecting a lot more than 10 million!

The Season Ahead...

My main focus next year will be the Copa Libertadores as I seek another continental crown. We need some strengthening in the squad with good cover needed at full-back and on the wings. I also need replacements for a few senior squad members I'm letting go. I would have liked to have kept them but they were on high wages and were asking for even more money in contract negotiations so I decided to let them walk and trust in my youngsters and potential deals in the transfer market instead.

[DodgeeD]

2021 Season Preview: Flamengo

Club Information:

Season Ticket Holders: -

Stadium Capacity: 76,000 (all-seater)

Training facilities: Top

Youth faciliites: Excellent + Youth Academy (down from State of the Art)*

Youth Recruitment: Extensive

Board Expectations

Serie A: Compete alongside top teams

(Media Prediction: 2nd)

Rio State Championship: Win

Copa Libertadores: Reach quarter-final

Transfer Budget: 6.6 million

Wage Limit: 350k p/w

After only a month's break, we're back ready for the Rio State Championship. I've offloaded the high earners so to go with the 6.6 million transfer kitty, I'm 120k p/w under the wage budget. As most of my targets are youngsters, that gives us plenty of room to manouvere financially (as the transfer window is open over most of the first half of the season, I'll present my new signings in the mid-season report).

The board expectations seem quite modest given last season's success but at least that reduces the pressure. I'll be looking to defend the state and national titles and hopefully progress far into the latter stages of the Copa Lİbertadores. last season's meeting with Boca showed we were a way behind the top Argentine sides so hopefully some new blood in the squad can help us catch up with them.

*An interesting news item just after the season started was that due to 'technological advances', our youth facilities were no longer considered 'state of the art' and dropped down to 'excellent'. I immediately petitioned the board for improvements and they agreed but we'll have to wait until the end of the season for those.

[DSYoungEsq]

"Technical advances": they must have a new way of kicking balls, now.

[Raware]

A fairly successful season there DodgeeD . It's funny sometimes how advanced you think your team is only for a foreign team to come along and prove you wrong. Looks like you have a decent transfer budget though and are well under your wage budget, so you should be able to get players in and reach the standards of Boca and make an impression in the Libertadores.

Looks like Chiquinho is starting to show just what he's capable of (even if you can't spell his name right! {pedantic mode}). It'll be a shame if you can't keep hold of him but I suppose that 10 million will ease the pain .

[DodgeeD]

I always have trouble with those Brazilian names.

10 million? Just turned down an offer of 15 million from Inter - he's had such a blistering start to the new season that I won't be selling him just yet

[DodgeeD]

International Update: 2021 South American U20 Championship

Hosts: Argentina

Holders: Argentina U20s

After a couple of easy friendlies, I was straight into action at the South American Youth Championships. As my side were holders, hosts and favourites, the pressure was on to deliver.

For those of you unfamiliar with the format, the tournament features Under 20 sides from all 10 nations of the South American federation CONEMBOL. In the first round, they are split into two groups of 5 and play each other once. The top three in each group then qualify for the final round group of 6. Again, all teams play each other once with the 1st placed team declared champion.

1st Round

We had an easy looking group with Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru and Paraguay as our opponents. Ecuador and Venezuela were duly dispatched by scorelines of 5-0 in the opening two games to put us in pole position at the top of the group. A 3-1 win over Peru then guaranteed our qualification in 1st place so we took the chance to rest our top players against Paraguay, a match that finished 2-2. Paraguay and Peru would join us in the final round along with the top 3 from Group A: Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia.

1st Round Group Tables

Final Round

We got off to a good start with a 2-0 win over Colombia before squeezing past Paraguay 1-0 (I was surprised at how decent the Paraguayan youth team was after the shambolic displays their senior side had put in under my management!) We then faced Uruguay, who had impressed in the opening round, and wiped the floor with them as we notched up our third 5-0 win of the tournament. A 3-0 over Peru meant we just needed a point from our final game showdown with Brazil, the only team who could beat us to the title. Brazil had more chances on the day but we were more clinical, scoring just before half-time and then adding 2 more in the second half to wrap up an impressive 3-0 win. Even more impressively, we had claimed the title without conceding a goal in the final round.

Final Table

That means we will be heading to the U20 World Cup later this year (back to where it all began in this career for me as it will be hosted by Egypt) as one of the favourites. Alas, we will be missing a lot of the young stars who won this title for us as I was informed after the tournament had ended that they are now classed as overage. Still, I'm sure I can assemble a squad good enough to challenge for the title. The group draw has been fairly kind to us as we will face Iran, Nigeria and Portugal. With two, possibly three, sides going through to the next round, qualification should be a formality.

[DodgeeD]

May 2021 Flamengo Update

Rio State Championship

Opening Stage

The opening stage was something of a walkover this year as we won all 7 games in the group stage with not even Fluminense able to put up a decent fight. Predictably, we ended up facing Botafogo in the semis as the big 4 all qualified but they couldn't match us either as we strolled to a 2-0 win. Fluminense beat Vasco in the other game to make in the 4th opening/closing stage final in a row between us. Although it was a tighter game, once again we came out on top with a 1-0 win.

Group Tables | Final

Closing Stage

The teams in the other group were no match for us either as we won our opening 7 games before finally dropping points in a 2-2 draw with Botafogo on the last day. Much like last year, the closing stage threw up some surprises though as one draw too many cost Botafogo a place in the semis and a terrible dip in form saw Fluminense well outside the qualificaiton spots. That gave us an easy tie against America (RJ) in the semis, which we won 2-0. Vasco also won through after thrashing surprise qualifiers Fiburguense 7-0 but they couldn't match us in the final as an early goal was enough to settle the tie 1-0 in our favour.

Group Tables | Final

Once again, as we had won both stages, there was no need for a championship final as we were automatically declared 2021 Rio State Champions.

Copa Libertadores

The opening half of the season also marked our return to South America's premier club competition, one I would be looking to win to add to my African and Asian Champions League titles.

Group Stage

Mexican giants América were the biggest opponents drawn in our group, which also included Chilean side Everton and Ecuadorians Liga De Quito. It all started with a classic game against América in Mexico as we raced into a 3-0 lead only for them to pull us back to 3-2 in the last ten minutes. Chiquinho then scored a 4th to complete his hat-trick before América pulled another goal back at the death meaning the game finished 4-3! Having won our toughest game, I was confident we could win the group and that we did, easily beating both Everton and Liga de Quito home and away to secure top spot before the final game at home to América. That proved to be another mini classic as we found ourselves 2-1 down for most of the second half only for midfield playmaker Camacho to equalise in the 90th minute. In injury time, he then went on a great run to set up Chiquinho to score an unlikely winner as we snatched the game at the death, 3-2!

Group Table

2nd Round

Importnatly, that final win menat we topped the rankings of first place teams and would therefore play the bottom ranked 2nd place side in the next round. That was Peñarol, my old rivals from my days in Uruguay. We steamrollered them in the first leg, winning 4-1 in Montevideo to set up an easy return leg. We won that 1-0 to advance to the quarter-finals where we will face fellow Brazilian side Corinthians.

New Signings

During the opening months of the year, Iw as busy in the transfer market, bringing in some talented youngsters the best of whom I will show you now:

Alex (DC) - we needed some young talent in defence to back up Mendes and Alex was the first player in (taking the number of players called Alex in my first team squad to three!) He'll be back-up for now but should be a first teamer within the next year or so.

Henrique (DRC) - More of an impulse buy this one as he put in such a good showing at the South American U20 tournament. 3.5 million was a lot to spend but he is good enough to slot straight into the first team (forming a very young partnership with Mendes) and has the potential to be a wolrd class player in the future.

Chokito (DR) - a weak spot in my team to date has been right back with Alex (the full back, not the new signing above!) doing well but lacking any back-up of a similar level. Chokito is about the same level and has the potential to develop much more so I'm happy to add him to the squad.

Anderson (DL) - I needed some back-up on the left side of defence as well and it's a good thing I got it as first choice Zezé has spent most of the campaign so far out injured. This guy was cheap at 200k but has already started to develop at a fast rate.

Giba (AMR/L) - lack of depth in the attacking wide positions was also a problem so I was delighted to get this guy who can play equally well on either flank.

Wellington Paulista (ST) - you won't see this guy in the first team for a while as he's just 15 but he has incredible potential with finishing, dribbling and first touch already rated at 16. Some tutoring from Diego Maurico and Chiquinho along with some Rio State games next season when he's eligible should see him develop quickly (and allow me to sell Chiquinho without having to worry too much about his replacement!)

[Raware]

15 million tunred down? . It looks as if you've got another wonderkid on your books in the form of Wellington Paulista. For a 15 year old his stats are outstanding!

Good luck in the quarters against Corinthians. Are they your rivals?

[DodgeeD]

15 million tunred down? . It looks as if you've got another wonderkid on your books in the form of Wellington Paulista. For a 15 year old his stats are outstanding!

Good luck in the quarters against Corinthians. Are they your rivals?

I figure I can get more for him in the (European) summer, once the Libertadores campaign is over.

Our games with Corinthians are listed a derby (das Multidões derby) but they are not one of our rivals (fierce or other). Still, a pre-match 'do it for the fans' teamtalk usually does the trick

[AK22]

There certainly seems to be a bottom-less pit of talent in Brazil as you keep on unearthing amazing youngsters!

I am surprised that, your Flamengo team aside, how low-scoring the Brazilian league is. I would have expected teams to have a higher goals per game average. Good luck for the Corinthians tie

[DodgeeD]

There certainly seems to be a bottom-less pit of talent in Brazil as you keep on unearthing amazing youngsters!

I am surprised that, your Flamengo team aside, how low-scoring the Brazilian league is. I would have expected teams to have a higher goals per game average. Good luck for the Corinthians tie

In all my FM games over the years, Argentina and Brazil seem to be the best places to have fantastic youngsters either coming through your ranks or easily availbale to sign.

There are plenty of ground out results in Brazil - not all falir and 'samba football' by any means! A lot of games seem to be settled by a single goal, often with both sides scoring in a 2-1 game or something like that (note also how, Corinthians and Cruzerio aside, nobody has a particularly mean defence). We had a fair few 4 or 5 goal wins which bumped our tally up but we also had plenty of 1-0 and 2-1 victoires last season as well.

[DSYoungEsq]

Job well done so far! Now, just the Liberators Cup to get ahold of.

[DodgeeD]

Job well done so far! Now, just the Liberators Cup to get ahold of.

Thanks DSYoungEsq

Some news on that coming up

[DodgeeD]

September 2021 Flamengo Update

We're now about halfway through the National 1st Divison campaign but there have been some big results on the pitch and a bit of a shake up of the squad in the mid-season transfer window so I thought I'd slip in an extra update.

1st Division

Interesting season so far as early in the season our Copa Libertadores campaign took priority and even since that finished, we haven't been playing great football, not to the standards of last season anyway. However, the same is true of the other top teams meaning we are top of the table at just past the halfway point (20 games) with a 2 point lead over Corinthians. That was at one point a 7 point lead but a couple of poor results allowed the gap to be closed. Nevertheless, we are well positioned for the remainder of the season and have to be considered favourites.

League Table

I have had a few interesting job offers with both Cruzerio and Corinthians sacking their managers and approaching me with promises of large transfer budgets. It was easy to turn them done though as I have invested too much effort into securing the best youngsters for Flamengo to jump ship to another Brazilian side.

More difficult to turn down were job offers from Spartak Moscow and AS St Ettienne. I may well have accepted if they had agreed to wait to the end of the season but both refused to budge and wanted my services immediately. I said no as we were still compeiting in the Copa Libertadores at the time. Speaking of which....

Copa Libertadores

Having negotiated the group phase and seen off Peñarol in the 2nd Round, we faced Brazilian rivals Corinthians in the quarters. Disaster struck in the first leg as we conceded an early goal and struggled to get into the game. As we pushed up for an equaliser towards the end, we were hit on the break and ended up losing 2-0, a result which also ended a 38 game unbeaten streak in all competitions. I got my players fired up for the return game and it seemed to have worked as we scored an early goal through Diego Mauricio. However, Corinthians soon equalised and we faced an uphill struggle to win the tie as we would now need to score 3 more times to avoid elimination. The game stayed at 1-1 until the 71st minutes when we won a penalty. Up stepped Chiquinho to score and give us some hope. He then won the ball straight from the restart, went on a run into the box and scored an amazing solo effort to make it 3-1 on the night. We needed to score again though as Corinthians still led on away goals. Chiquinho was the man again, scoring with 5 minutes left before turning it into a rout with another moments later to give us a 5-1 win on the night and a 5-3 aggregate victory!

In the semis, we faced Argentine side Estudiantes. We played well away but they got the lucky break to win 1-0. After the last round, we reamined confident, however, and that confidence was not misplaced as a 4-1 win at home put us into the final with ease. Cruz Azul of Mexico were all that stood between us and continental glory. They came to the Maracaña first and were sent packing as my stikers ensured a solid 3-0 win. The away leg was quite extraordinary. Chiquinho gave us an early lead and scored again on 30 minutes to effectively end any hopes Cruz Azul had of a comeback. They then lost thier rag getting a man sent off and, despite pulling one back through an own goal, were really on the back foot after that. Chiquinho completed his hat-trick within 30 seconds of the second half starting before we added three more (and they had another man sent off) to wrap up a 6-1 win and claim the Copa Libertaodres in style with a 9-1 aggreagte scoreline!

Chiquinho was the obvious star as he topped the scoring charts with an amazing 19 goals and won the Best Player award. He also made the Dream Team along with Diego Mauricio, Mendes and Zezé. That has only served to increase the interest from the top sides in Europe and the player himself has started to suggest he wants to move on. At least now I can reasonably expect a much larger fee than the 15million I turned down earlier this season.

Transfers

Once the Copa Libertadores was over, I reassessed the squad and amde some changes. I noted that some of the more senior players just hadn't performed when relied upon (away to Corinthians and Estudiantes for example) and it had been the youngsters who had got us our big wins. I made the decision to sell off those senior players, who were on big wages anyway, to make room for some new arrivals my scouts had identified. I sold Paulo Borges (DC) and Gustavo Camparahano (DM) for a combined total of 5.5 million and brought in the following players on free transfers:

Da Silva (GK) - got this guy for free after his Mallorca contract expired. It's a great deal for us as he is currently one of the back-up goalies in the Brazil squad and it means we no longer have to rely on a 16 year-old when our first choice keeper is injured.

Renato Gaucho (AMRC) - signed on a free from Sporting Lisbon and adds some much needed depth to our options on the wing. He has a fiery temperament and has already been sent off in his first month at the club but his other performances have more than made up for that.

Ciro (ST) - the first time in ages I've signed a player who wasn't a regen! Ciro returns to Brazil after a decade at AZ in Holland. he's not the most prolific scorer but provides much needed depth as we only had three senior strikers at the club. His experience should be useful for tutoring some of the youngsters as well.

Marcelo Rodriguez (ST) - came in for a free from Argentine side Banfield and has the potential to be a top level player. He will be back-up for now but it's good to have some opitons in case of Chiquinho leaving the club.

I did pay a transfer fee for one other deal, shelling out 200k to get Thecy Moumbenza (DM) in from Chilean side Corebola. This versatile Gabon international should be a star in a few seasons' time.

And one other bit of news: Welingto Paulista reached his 16th birthday and was given his debut as a present. He managed to set a record in the process, the first of many I hope:

[Raware]

Won in style! 9-1 on aggregate!

I reckon that debut is the beginning of something special.

[DSYoungEsq]

No reason to stay there, now, really. Time to move on...

Congratulations, as that is definitely a fantastic result, especially the bit about coming from four down on aggregate+away goals to win the quarterfinal tie.

[Flamers]

Very nicely done

[DodgeeD]

Thanks for the comments guys.

Raware - I was also surprised to win the final so easily. Cruz Azul just lost it with 3 reds over the two legs, although to be fair to my boys, most of our goals did come before the reds. I forgot to add this highlight of the final goal just to show their comedy ineptitude (as well as the skills of Chiquinho) as we hit the woodwork twice before a defender bungles the ball over his own line:

DSYoungEsq - I'm now regularly linked with possible jobs in Europe. One I was seriously tempted to take was OGC Nice, who have slipped down to the National (3rd tier) in France. It would have been an interesting project to try and take them back up the leagues but it was a case of right job, wrong time. I'll get to Europe eventually

[DodgeeD]

International Update: 2021 U20 World Cup

Hosts: Egypt

Holders: Argentina U20s

Having secure the South American U20 Championship earlier in the year, we headed off to Egypt for the World Cup. As defending champions, we were also favourites and it was my job to turn expectation into reality.

Group Stage

Portugal U20s were up first. I expected them to be our toughest opponents but instead we were 4 goals up withing 30 minutes! We took our foot off the gas after that but still ran out 5-2 winners to send a clear message to the rest of the competition. We wobbled a bit in our next game against Nigeria U20s, falling behind to an early goal. However, we soon got back into the game scoring 4 before our opponents pulled one back for a final score of 4-2. Those results meant I could rotate and rest players for the final game with Iran U20s. That was a formality as we comfortably won 3-0.

Final Table

Knockout Stages

We had an easy draw in the 2nd round as we were paired with Honduras U20s, a tie we won 3-0 without breaking a sweat. A much tougher game was to come in the quarters as we faced Spain U20s. It was a very even game and after early goals from both sides stayed at 1-1 until we took the lead in the 80th minute. We were able to add a third late on as Spain pushed forward to book a spot in the semis with a 3-1 win.

South American rivals Brazil U20s awaited but, as in our clash in the South American U20 Championship in February, they were no match for us on the day as we got a deserved 2-0 win. Onto the final then, where all that stood between us and the title was Germany U20s. They were tired after quarter and semi final clashes which had gone into extra time and we exploited that, getting another 2-0 win to claim the U20 World Cup!

Knockout Tree | Final

As was always my intention, I quit after the finals. With no more competitive fixtures until the next South American U20 tournament in 2023, I saw little reason to stay on. Once again, I had not thoughts of another international job but the job market conspired against me as the U20 World Cup final coincided with the conclusion of World Cup Qualifying and several nations sacked their managers. Two job offers tempted me most - Tunisia and the chance to re-unite with many of my old Club Africain players, and Colombia. In the end I plumped for the latter as they had qualified for China 2022 and I fancied the experience of managing a nation at the World Cup. I'm sure I'll quit once the tournament is over but we'll see what happens.

[DodgeeD]

December 2021 Flamengo Update

The season is all over now with heartache on one front and unexpected success on another:

1st Division

The top of the table stayed tight with ourselves, Corinthians, Santos and Gremio trading places at the top and Cruzerio pushing to catch us. None of the teams were able to put a great run of form together to pull away from the pack and that included us. Injuries didn't help as star left back Zezé suffered a broken leg, our best central midfielder Camacho was sidelined with knee tendonitis and Diego Mauricio broke his wrist and struggled to recover form afterwards. Chiquinho also suffered an alarming slump in form as he went ten games without scoring and our results suffered. Too many goals were conceded late on meaning wins turned to draws and drawns to defeats. Despite all that, the fact that our rivals were inconsistent as well meant we went into the final day 2 points clear of Corinthians and Santos. Alas, we drew 1-1 with rivals Vasco leaving us and our inferior goal difference at the mercy of results elsehwere. Santos also slipped up and lost but not such luck with Corinthians as they won and pipped us to the title on goal difference

Final Table

Club World Championship

Despite the disappointment, we had to pick ourselves and and get ready for the CWC to be help at the Rose Bowl in Pasedena, California. After the early rounds were played, we entered the contest at the semi-final stage where we would face familiar opposition in the shape of América (MEX). There was to be no repeat of the 4-3 and 3-2 thrillers from our Copa Lİbertaodres meetings as a tense game ensued. The longer it stayed goaless, the more I became concerned of us slipping up as we had in recent league games. Thankfully, my fears were unfounded as Chiquinho, back to his scoring ways, scored what proved to be the winning goal. The victory would be bittersweet though as he was taken off near the end of the game with a twisted ankle. We also lost both of our left wingers to injury during the game leaving us with an even more difficult task in the final.

That would be against AC Milan, with the European Champions heavy favourites. I just put out the fittest team I had and told them the pressure was off. Somehow, that did the trick as Cristian Vera, out of position on the left wing, scored a cracking free kick early on. Milan threw everyrthing at us but we were always dangerous on the counter and that's how we scored our second late on as Chiquinho's replacement Alex got in behind their defence to give us an unlikely CWC win!

The Final

So, despite disappointment in the league, the season ends on a high with Flamengo crowned world champs! The plus side of Chiquinho's injury is that he won't be fit again until after the January transfer window closes.

Season review and player profiles to come tomorrow.

[DodgeeD]

2021 Season Review: Flamengo

Domestic Compeititons

Brazilian 1st Division: 2nd

Rio State Championship: Winners

Continental Competitions

Copa Libertadores: Winners

Club World Championship: Winners

On the domestic front, we just missed out on our aim of retaining the state and national titles as one slip up too many meant we lost the 1st Division to Corinthians on goal difference. That was more than made up for with superb and unexpected wins in the Copa Libertadores and Club World Championship, victories that most likely tipped the balance in my favour to win the Brazilian Manager of the Year award.

Key Players

Chiquinho (ST) - where else to start than with this guy? 60 goals in 63 games is a phenomenal record and to think that record included a mid-season slump in form as well. He was, of course, the main player from our squad to be honoured as he was voted Fans' Player of the Year, 1st Division Young Player of the Year and earned a place in the South American Team of the Year, adding to his Copa Libertadores Best Player and Dream Team awards from earlier in the season. His incredible goal scoring record also won him the Brazilian Golden Boot, Copa Libertadores Topscorer and Rio State Topscorer gongs. Hopefully, he'll come back from his injury and get back to top form quickly. I'm not sure how long we can realistically keep him but at least for now his injury has stoppped the usual flurry of January bids.

Chokito (DR) - orignally signed as back-up to Alex, this guy was first choice by the end of the season. Pace and acceleration mean he's great at bombing forward in the powerful/fast Brazilian full-back mode.

Giba (AMRL) - another player signed as back-up but who put in some stellar performances. His ability to switch flanks was great for confusing opponents with most of goals coming when he cut inside from the left and most of his assists coming from crosses from the right.

The Season Ahead...

For now, I'm staying put to nuture some more of my young talents. I'll be aiming to reclaim the 1st Division title next year and hold onto to most of my key players. A repeat of our Libertadores success would be nice but difficult - it will all depend on the consistency of the first team squad.

[Raware]

I want a bloke who scores 60+ goals like you and DSYougEsq .

Another great season despite missing out on the 1st division title. Next year...success on all fronts?!

[Flamers]

Scout harder

Great season there!

[DodgeeD]

Raware - I was lucky in that he was already at the club when I arrived. Hopefully, I'll get to sign him at his peak when I move to some mega-rich Russian club

Flamers - Cheers. Although I have 11 scouts scouring South America for the best players, most of my signings seem to come from agent offers.

[Flamers]

Bah, 11 scouts I have 19 scouting the world

[AK22]

Very eventful season! Shame you had so many injuries, without them you probably would have won the lot. Really competitive league too, with the top five all within spitting distance. Well done on the under-20s win too

How long do you think you can keep hold of Chiquinho? Surely the vultures are circling by now, is your chairman likely to take things into his own hands if someone bids big?

[DodgeeD]

2022 Season Preview: Flamengo

Club Information:

Season Ticket Holders: -

Stadium Capacity: 76,000 (all-seater)

Training facilities: Top

Youth faciliites: Excellent + Youth Academy (currently being improved)

Youth Recruitment: Extensive

Board Expectations

1st Division: Title Challenge

(Media Prediction: 2nd)

Rio State Championship: Win

Copa Libertadores: Reach quarter-final

Recopa Sudamericana: Win

Transfer Budget: 13.1million

Wage Limit: 432k p/w

The board's expectations are slightly raised this year as they expect a title challenge and wins elsewhere. At least they haven't out too much pressure on with high expectations in the Copa Libertadores. However, I will be aiming to go beyond the quarters in the competition.

The transfer budget is quite large, double what it was last year with an increase of about 80k p/w in the wage limit, which should give me plenty of room to bring some good players in. I'll be looking to add depth to our options in central midfield and on the wings.

We need a new right winger due to the chairman's (chairwoman's actually!) decision to accept a 3.4million bid for Cristian Vera. I was quite annoyed at that as I hadn't spent any of the transfer budget at that point and, after TV money and sponsorship coming in, we had 45million in the bank. She also accepted a bid for a left-back in my youth team with 4* potential but luckily the player himself turned the deal down.

That raises fears of bids being accepted over my head for the likes of Chiquinho. I've no doubt he will move on sooner rather than later but I know I can negotiate a much better deal than the board.

[DodgeeD]

Very eventful season! Shame you had so many injuries, without them you probably would have won the lot. Really competitive league too, with the top five all within spitting distance. Well done on the under-20s win too

How long do you think you can keep hold of Chiquinho? Surely the vultures are circling by now, is your chairman likely to take things into his own hands if someone bids big?

Thanks AK22. I think the season preview answers your question somehwat.

Good news on the Chiquinho front though as we got through January with no bids made for him and he just made his comeback from injury with the reserves, scoring 4 goals in the process.

[DodgeeD]

May 2022 Flamengo Update

Rio State Championship

Opening Stage

We got off to a bad start as I gave one too many youth players a run-out in the first game leading to a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Friburguense. Lesson learned, I limited the youngsters to just a few per game rather than a whole team of them and we won our remaining 6 games to top the standings in Group 2. We then faced Fluminenese in the semi-finals and picked up an easy 2-0 win. Botafogo proved a tougher test in the final though and we fell behind to an early goal. A penalty proved our main chance to get back into the game but it was missed and we lost 1-0.

Group Stage | Final

Closing Stage

The group stage was much more straightforward in the closing stage with all the early season rustiness gone and Chiquinho back to fitness. The only points dropped were in a tie with Fluminense as nobody else could match us. Yet again, Fluminense were our semi final opponents and we made up for the draw in the group stage with a repeat of the opening stage semi result: 2-0. Vasco were our opponents in the final and gave us a scare as they took an early lead. Fortunately for us, ill-discipline got the better of them as they were reduced to 10 men on 35 minutes. We made our numerical advatage count for a comeback 2-1 win.

Group Stage | Final

Rio State Final

As Botafogo had beaten us in the opening stage final, we nnow had to play-off to decide the overall champion. Due to our involvement in the Copa Libertadores, this meant an intense period of 4 high profile games in 10 days. The first leg was an uneventful 0-0 draw making the second leg (both are classed as being played at the 'neutral' Maracanã so no away goal rule) a one-off final. We had all the pressure and chances in that match but it wasn't until the 77th minute that we got the breakthrough as a Chiquinho header hit the post, hit the keeper and went in for an own goal. With 5 minutes to go, another Chiquinho header was spilled by the keeper allowing Mendes to tap in from 2 yards out and give us a thrid consecutive Rio State title.

Leg 1 | Leg 2

5 Flamengo players (keeper Da Silva, left back Anderson, centre back Mendes, holding midfielder Dodo and striker Alex) made the Rio State Team of the Year and we had a clean sweep of the top three in the Rio State Young Player award, won by Giba but with a certain 16 year-old wonderkid making his mark in 3rd.

Copa Libertadores

Group Stage

We had a fairly easy draw in the group stage, avoidng the Argentinian and Mexican sides. Our biggest opponent was Colo Colo of Chile with Colombian side Medellin and Peruvians Cristal making up the numbers. We blasted through the group stage with a 100% record, scoring nearly 4 goals per game and only conceding against Colo Colo. The highlight of the round was a thumping 7-0 home win over Cristal with a team of back-up players.

Group Table

2nd Round

We had the best record of the 1st placed teams meaning we faced the 2nd placed team with the worst record. That did not give us an easy draw however, as that team turned out to be Independiente of Argentina. To make it just that little bit tougher, these were the games that came together with the Rio State final against Botafogo meaning some careful squad rotation would be needed. In the away leg, we struggled at first, twice falling behind. Striker Alex came to the rescure each time pulling us level before young DM Digaõ scored a peach of a free kick in stoppage time to give us a 3-2 win. An early Chiquinho goal set us up nicely in the return leg and, despite an equaliser from Independiente in the second half, we held on for the 4-3 aggregate win.

Just like last year our quarter-final opposition will be Brazilian as we have been frawn to face Cruzerio.

New Signings

Despite the larger transfer budget, it's been a case of more out than in during the first transfer window as I let some of the younger players who were well down the pecking order go allowing me to focus on nuturing the best prospects at the club. The forced sale of Vera had me looking for a right winger but with no luck as the options were all very expensive so I'll just be using a couple of youngsters as back-up to Renato Gaucho in that position.

There was one major signing as I forked out 4 million to bring in Léo from Portuguese side Nacional de Maderia. He will be our first choice in midfield this season alongside Dodo. The only other signing of note was also a central midfielder who will be Léo's back-up as I beat a number of top European sides to snap up Diogo for a bargain 700k.

[Flamers]

Looks like you can be dominant for a while there!

[DodgeeD]

Looks like you can be dominant for a while there!

It's all pointing that way. Even if the likes of Chiquinho leave, I have youngsters waiting in the wings. Failing that, 20 million or so for selling him would allow me to snap up some of the best players from the other teams.

On top of that, the club is currently paying 600k a month to service 'state loans' but those payments are set to finish in 2024, at which point the club's financial clout will be even stronger!

[Flamers]

Jesus! Money, great players, great manager, if you don't win everything I will be disappointed

[DodgeeD]

June 2022 International Update: World Cup Preview

Hosts: China

Holders: Argentina

The time for my first World Cup in this career is nearly here as I lead Colombia to China 2022 (what? No Qatar? ). I've only been in charge for two friendlies so far (a 1-0 loss to Greece and a 3-1 win over hosts China) with some other bloke having gained the qualificaiton spot before getting sacked (although to be fair to my new employers, they just hung onto the last CONEMBOL qualifying spot following a run of 2 draws and 4 defeats in the last 6 qualifiers). We are by no means a star-studded team, ranked 31st in the world and not expected to trouble the favourites, reflected by the Colombian FA's expectation that we reach the 2nd Round.

Here's the group draw in full:

Group A

Algeria

Romania

China

Chile

Group B

Cameroon

Portugal

Uruguay

Ukraine

Group C

England

Colombia

Australia

Russia

Group D

Brazil

Belgium

Mexico

South Korea

Group E

Italy

Iran

Serbia

South Africa

Group F

Spain

Egypt

Honduras

Denmark

Group G

Turkey

South Korea

Argentina

U.S.A.

Group H

Holland

Germany

Japan

Senegal

With Russia and England as opponents, reaching the 2nd Round could be tough. I just wish we could have had Chile's draw instead (especially annoyed at the fact they only qualified after a play-off but got a very easy group)! Our opening game against Australia will be crucial - anything less than a win there will put us in a really difficult position.

[GioGio85]

Chiquinho - what a player! How much do you think you would consider selling him for (assuming the chairwoman doesn't have other ideas)?

[DodgeeD]

Chiquinho - what a player! How much do you think you would consider selling him for (assuming the chairwoman doesn't have other ideas)?

Ideally, I wouldn't sell him at all until I leave the club! However, a couple of times this season he's requested chats about wanting to move on, wanting a better contract etc... Plus, I just got a news item that Lyon FC are considering a bid of 25million over the summer. 25 million! I think I'd take that

[GioGio85]

Ideally, I wouldn't sell him at all until I leave the club! However, a couple of times this season he's requested chats about wanting to move on, wanting a better contract etc... Plus, I just got a news item that Lyon FC are considering a bid of 25million over the summer. 25 million! I think I'd take that

You could certainly get a good few players in for 25m!

[Flamers]

Try and get it to £50m If they say they would bid that you can generally get away with just about doubling it It's how I got £56m for my DC

[DodgeeD]

Colombia Update: World Cup 2022

Group Stage

This shouldn't take too long. :o The crucial 1st game against Australia got off to a poor start as we conceded an own goal early on. However, an equaliser before half-time gave us a boost and we went on to win comfortably 4-1. England, manged by Roberto Mancini, were up next and I was hoping for one of those England group stage performances we know only too well. Alas, as this is FM and not real life, they put in a superb showing and tanked us 4-0. That meant we had to beat Russia, whose 4-0 win over the Aussies had lifted them above us on goal difference. We really took the game to Russia but our shaky defence was always vunerable on the break and we found ourselves a goal down at half-time. The second half was more of the same - we had the better chances but were caught on the break twice and crashed out with a 3-0 loss.

Group C Table

I quit right after the press conference.

The other groups

Algeria were the surprise success in the group stage, topping Group A with a 100& record ahead of Chile. Portugal and Ukraine qualified from Group B with a disapponting Uruguay side finishing bottom. England and Russia triumphed in Group C but the less said about that the better. Brazil recovered from an opening day defeat to top Group D ahead of Belgium. South Africa were another surprise package as they picked up 9 points in Group E to qualify with ease ahead of Italy. Spain and Egypt were the top sides in Group F as were Argentina and U.S.A. in Group G. Senegal completed an impressive showing by the African sides by topping Group H ahead of Germany. Group H also saw the most high profile exit as Holland crashed out with just 1 point.

Groups A-C | Groups C-E | Groups F-H

Knockout Rounds

Algeria's surprising run continued with a shoot-out victory over Ukraine in Round 2 and were joined by fellow African sides South Africa, who beat Egypt in an all-African tie, and Senegal. Italy and Germany were the biggest names to fall in this round, although they did have tough ties losing to Spain and Argentina respectively.

The quarters threw up a surprise as England beat Portugal for once! Brazil ended Algeria's run to set up a semi-final clash with rivals Argentina, who knocked out Spain. The other quarter-final was an epic as Senegal came out on top in a 6-5 thriller with South Africa!!

Brazil and England won through to the final, a match in which England proved victorious with a 2-1 win to bring football home.

Knockout Tree

The next World Cup will be held in Mexico in 2026 with Germany announced as the hosts for 2030.

As you may have noticed by now, I'm a bit of a sucker for international management I couldn't help but apply for some of the jobs that came up. Holland didn't get back to me but Argentina and Egypt did and I'm now trying to decide which one to accept. I'll give a brief overview of each nation below along with some screenies of their star players and perhaps you can help me decide:

Argentina

Pros - It seems like a natural progression from managing the U20 side and they have some phenomenal regen talent, for whom I could become favoured personnel. I could realistically aim for Copa America and World Cup Glory with them. Also, as I'm currently doing my club management in Brazil, it would keep me based in South America.

Cons - There would be over a year of friendlies before ther Copa America. I'm also not a fan of the marathon 18 game World Cup Qualifying programme - it makes the World Cup 2026 look even farther away!

Star Players:

Alejandro Bottaro (DR/L)

Gustavo Aquino (DLC/ML)

Marcelo Blanco (WB/M/AMR)

Rodrigo Deptris (MC)

Miguel Angel Diaz (ST)

Egypt

Pros - Back to the nation where my career began, they have a surprisingly good squad of regens and I can see why they were disappointed with a 2nd round exit at the World Cup. There's potential to do something big here. I could also get cracking straight away with the next African Cup of Nations in January 2023.

Cons - Seems silly to be dividing duties between a club in Brazil and a national side in North Africa. There's also not likely to be the same depth of talent as in Argentina. Finally, with the Cup of Nations to be played twice before the next World Cup, that will be almost as many matches as that World Cup qualifying slog with Argentina...

Star Players:

Amr Ibrahim (DC)

Mostafa Hassan (DRLC)

Mohammed Gaad (MRC/AMRC)

Tarek Abdul Raouf (AML/ST)

Emad Abdel Rahim (ST)

So which one would you choose?

[roganp]

Argentina some fantastic talent to work with there.