FM11: The Official S.S.C Napoli Thread - Now they have Cavani

[smplfc]

After 3 consecutive months of profits and a good start to my career the board have raised my budget from £6m to £10.5m. Nice to know your good work gets recognised

[jordan07]

Just started a new save with Napoli. Took one look at the staff and thought my god they are truely one set of awful backroom staff.

All need to be replaced fast.

Thinking about going first season with signing anyone then see what areas need strengthening.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Gothenburg were dispatched 6-0 on aggregate, but I've got a relatively tough Europa Group - Porto, Sparta Prague and Zilina. My team is still getting used to each other and my tactics, so 0-0 at Brescia on the first day wasn't too bad, we really dominated the game but failed to finish them off, creating 4 'clear cut chances' - Sosa was especially wasteful, hitting the post from not very far out. Mascara's been injured, and though he's coming back now, I'm a little worried about my depth in the AMR/AML/FC positions, so Sebastian Blanco has come in on loan for 1.8m for the season on transfer deadline day - he looks a tidy player to have around, and my squad is finished.

EDIT - Blanco started off pretty well - he nabbed 2 goals in a 3-0 win at Zilina on his debut, but was then sidelined for five-six weeks with an injury in the closing minutes. I've managed a 2-0 win over Catania and a 2-1 win at Cesena, in other news, meaning it's an unbeaten start.

[smplfc]

So i've come to the end of December so i though i would enlighten you all on a mid-season review

Serie A

Napoli-----------------------Played 17----------Won 7-----------------Drawn 5---------------Drawn 5------------------For 26-------------------Against 17--------------26 Points---------------Pos 6th.

My aim for the season is to finish in the top 6 so the fact that i am achieving my target atm pleases me Also, the fact that i am only 7 points away from 2nd place adds alot more excitment into how high i might be able to finish.

Europa League

I managed to get through my group stage of CSKA, APOEL AND AZ finishing runners up to CSKA. I played alot of my 2nd string team for the group stages and i will continue to for my knockout round fixtures against Spartack Moscow.

Transfer Market.

I have just under £10mto use for investments in my squad in january, but i will not be making wholesale changes, i just want to add depth. Gonzalo Rodriguez i am major fan of from Villareal, also i will try and get the Transfer listed Yuri Zhirkov on loan from Chelsea aswell as Gago. I will also have a look around to see who is available on a free contract in the summer.

Thanks.

[Robert the Spud]

I have just under £10mto use for investments in my squad in january, but i will not be making wholesale changes, i just want to add depth. Gonzalo Rodriguez i am major fan of from Villareal, also i will try and get the Transfer listed Yuri Zhirkov on loan from Chelsea aswell as Gago. I will also have a look around to see who is available on a free contract in the summer.

Thanks.

I recommend moving early for Christian Benitez. He'll be a non-EU signing, and we can only have one, but he is a really good poacher to give cover for Cavani/Lavezzi. Lucarelli should be cut adrift when his loan deal finishes and you'll be short upfront. Also, Insua might not have singed a new deal with 'Pool, so could be a good free transfer. Thiago of Barcelona(hes in their 2nd squad) is a fantastic talent, 20 y/o, Spanish, creative midfielder, and he doesn't sign a new deal for Barce so is on a free. Federico Vilar is also on a free and would be perfect back up to De Sanctis.

[SMPL]

Sorry in advance for the long post...

For those looking for a few good players at the end of season 1, depending on if you are only signing Italian/Argies or not Tafer can be signed for free in Jan as can Gassama from Lyon. Italians that can be signed are Thiago like Robert the Spud said. Petrucci from United, Santon sometimes doesn't sign a new deal with Inter, though he won't be interested until he is actually released so as soon as July but it's worth a look (unfortunately he did renew on mine which is a pain as I was going to train him to be a natural RM if he was available. He'd have been perfect backup for Maggio this year then a starter next) Ilsinho from Sao Paulo is another freebie who has Italian nationality. Whilst not as good as Maggio his versatility is handy and he has decent determination which will be handy for tutoring.

On to my game. I've still not worked out if the way we finished the season is good or bad. Table going to the last game looked like this

Inter and Udinese played each other whilst I had Lazio away. We drew 1-1 at Lazio with a 94th minute goal saving us from defeat. This is the final table

Winning it would have been nice but I'm not overly happy with losing 8 games so in that respect we probably didn't deserve to win it. The other thing to take in to consideration is the game at Inter I mentioned earlier where we were missing a lot of players that 7-1 in effect gave them a 12 goal boost in the goal difference. I'm convinced we'd have given them a game with a full squad as we were in good form at the time and as proved by the 4-0 against AC the next game we can beat anyone.

We were given a £22M budget for a mid table finish (could have been £30M for Europe but I decided not to put the pressure on myself) Quagilarella refused to move to Juventus, so I offered him out for £20M (hoping to get £15M) and as you can see Everton paid the whole £17M upfront. Also I forgot about Fernandez coming in this season so the regen I posted earlier didn't join due to the non EU rule.

The problem combining this and last years transfer screens and Cavani and Fernandez's arranged transfers makes it look like i've spent more than I actually have. It was £37M that I paid and brought in around £55M so i've still got the £22M start of season budget untouched if need be.

My main intent with my ins and outs was also to get the team having the more traditional Italian/South American feel to it that most of the other posters on here have gone for. I'm pretty happy with the squad now bar being a striker light. I tried for Macheda on loan but he refused and I couldn't agree a fee with Atalanta for Guido Marilungo unfortunately. I'll probably try for either again later on in the year, until then Vela and El Shaarawy will be the back up.

Been handed the worst CL group possible, Man Utd, Athletico and Sporting too, i'll have more of an idea on how that is going once this third round of games are out of the way.

[Robert the Spud]

So, Cavani is already paid for at the start of the game, right?

Good season nonetheless. Bit harsh, but should be able to win it next yr!

[richie8950]

hi guys how'd you get the best out of cavani? after the first season levezzi scored 29 in 35 but cavani only managed 9 in 35!!

[Robert the Spud]

hi guys how'd you get the best out of cavani? after the first season levezzi scored 29 in 35 but cavani only managed 9 in 35!!

That's really poor from Cavani. How were you playing him?

I used as anything from a complete forward to a poacher to an advanced forward, running onto to through balls. i played Lavezzi next to him as a DLF/Support and Hamsik in a Trquarista role behind them, then 3 defensive midfielder behind Hamsik. He scored 39 in 45 games, 26 of those in the league.

[richie8950]

cool cheers mate i was playing him as advanced forward and attacking! i think he was generally playing well, but just not coring much ha!

[Robert the Spud]

Check he's getting enough chances created for him. He misses some sitters, but if you have him running onto the ball, or crosses to his head, then he'll score.

[smplfc]

I recommend moving early for Christian Benitez. He'll be a non-EU signing, and we can only have one, but he is a really good poacher to give cover for Cavani/Lavezzi. Lucarelli should be cut adrift when his loan deal finishes and you'll be short upfront. Also, Insua might not have singed a new deal with 'Pool, so could be a good free transfer. Thiago of Barcelona(hes in their 2nd squad) is a fantastic talent, 20 y/o, Spanish, creative midfielder, and he doesn't sign a new deal for Barce so is on a free. Federico Vilar is also on a free and would be perfect back up to De Sanctis.

Sunderland have already bought Benitez for £4m. However i have agreed deals for who i believe will definitly strengthen my squad.

Marco Amelia - GK- 28

Martin Demichelis - CB - 30

Facundo Parra - ST -25

Marko Livaja - ST - 17

I have also signed Federico Fernandez - cb - 21 to join in the summer for £1.8m

As for this wndow i have captured Emilliano Izaguirre from Celtic and i am currently negotiating deals for Galloppa and Lamela.

[SMPL]

So, Cavani is already paid for at the start of the game, right?

Good season nonetheless. Bit harsh, but should be able to win it next yr!

The £14M went from my account on July 1st 2011, as did the £1.8M for Fernandez. I am going to give the title a shot, only picked the expectation of mid table just to ease the pressure off me a bit with the board The squad is deep enough I feel now with a player for each position. What is handy with the Criscito signing is i'll be able to play wing backs in the bigger games if I feel I need to.

[Robert the Spud]

Anyone had success with a 3-2-3-2 formation?

3 cb's(1 sweeper/libero), 2 wb's, 2 cb's, 1 amc, 2 cf's?

[Robert the Spud]

N/M, after deliberation i decided i'm totally uncomfortable with 3 at the back and wing backs, will try to implement next season. I'll be utilising the 4-3-1-2 with one WB that served me well last time around.

[Ayub95]

Great first Hamsik out for 2 - 3 months playing for Slovakia and now Lavezzi out for 3-4 months against Bologna. Grrrrrrrrrr

[Ayub95]

Now my replacement AMC Daniel Parejo has broken his leg after a late tackle on Juan. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Robert the Spud]

Things going well in my new save;

Going into the winter break sitting 2nd in the table, lost 3 times, lastly to Inter, 2-1. Cavani is a beast who has scored 15 in 16 games. Most Notable games were Milan 3-3, Maggio snatching a late late equaliser, and a 6-0 thumping of Juve. Ok, they were awful and had players injured, but it was good fun to watch

I have Dante and Bruno Zuculini, Franco's younger, more talented brother coming in the summer, for 7.5m and 5m euros respectively.

[Robert the Spud]

De Laurentiis has given me 14m in january, on the provision of 4th, minimum.

I'm tempted to spend, but i won't. Already used the money he made available in November(11m) for Dante/Zuculini, and i want to keep this a low key save, i.e- building a squad steadily on a smaller budget, small amounts of players in/out p/season, no big changes

[Mike_Cardinal]

Enjoying a really good start! Since I last updated I've beaten Cagliari 2-1, won 2-0 at Udinese and beat Porto and Genoa 3-0 and 3-1 at home respectively. What this means is that my overall record as a manager in competitive matches is 10 games played, 9 wins, 1 draw (the opening day dominant 0-0 at Brescia) with 23 goals scored and only 3 conceded! Not only that, but the club is turning a monthly profit, so I'm loving this save. However, I'm only second in the league, because Lazio have impressively managed 6 wins out of 6 so far, and I've got a challenging set of fixtures which could be very important - Roma away is up next, then I have A.C. Milan and a double header against Sparta Prague in the Europa League. Ignoring Lecce, I've also got Fiorentina/Palermo/Juventus in succession - and I think these are the fixtures that will tell me where I can realistically hope to finish.

[Robert the Spud]

Nice start! You should be top 3 at least come end of season, and possibly a cup win too.

[Mike_Cardinal]

The run has been extended! Roma away was an amazing game. I somehow found myself 2-0 down at half time, with brilliant goals scored by Perrota and Vucinic, but I'd probably just about shaded the half. We came out the blocks firing though, and scored three in the first 15 minutes - a Lavezzi hatrick, two of which were penalties, the second of which resulted in a red card for them, and we just about hung onto the game, trying to play keep ball. Then Cavani came to life - he'd only got 2 goals in 11 games (but lots of assists - he plays quite a deep role for me), nabbing a hatrick in a 6-0 tonking of Sparta Prague at their place. I think the confidence the team has is the main thing - I'm not sure I'm making that much difference, but Porto drew at home to Zilina, so I'm five points clear at the top of the group. If I win my next two European games - at home to Prague and Zilina, then the group is mine. I'm worrying about the rails coming off in the league before that though... Milan at home are up next.

[Mike_Cardinal]

http://imageshack.us/f/651/napolivacmilanstatsmatc.png/

Horrible game. I completely outplayed them, which surprised me - on 'key highlights' they only had one attack, which was a Cassano counter when I was throwing the kitchen sink at them late on - he should have scored. I was all over them though, but just couldn't find a breakthrough. The frustrating thing was that they injured Hamsik and Lavezzi - now both out for 3 weeks, and Cavani missed a penalty in the 88th minute and, with Abbiati (the man of the match) on the floor, he fluffed the rebound, too. Lazio won, obviously, and so now I'll have to make do without my best forward players for at least 2 or 3 games - Sosa never scores, and Cavani has a one match suspension for picking up 5 yellow cards. Still, great start to the season, and I can't wait to see how I get on in the cups.

EDIT - The world is so much more wonderful when you've just smashed Lecce 4-1 at home (three different hatrick scorers in three different consecutive games - this time it was Mascara, again with two penalties), Lazio have lost at Genoa, you've gone top of the league for the first time in the season (possibly the only time!), and the board are so pleased with another month of making over a million pounds of profit that they stick another 6.25m in your transfer budget, bringing you up to 9.86m overall if wages are adjusted. A LOT of Lavezzi's stats have gone down due to his injury though, and I seriously hope they come back soon given that he has been utterly on fire so far this season, 10 goals in 10 starts (and 2 sub appearances).

[Robert the Spud]

Cavani always misses penalties, stick Hamsik on them.

I may try to bid for Pastore this summer. Palermo did a great piece of business, buying Douglas Costa for 10milll for Shaktar. Perhaps paving the way for Pastore's exit? It'd take atleast 35m euros

[Mike_Cardinal]

Yeah, Lavezzi and Hamsik are preferred to Cavani in my penalty taking order, but both were off the pitch. Pastore would be great. I'm thinking of putting in a bid for Paulo Henrique to play alongside Hamsik in January, though Galloppa's been great.

[Robert the Spud]

Henrique would be fantastic. Frontline may be a bit cluttered but i suppose with Cavani/Hamsik/Henrique then Lavezzi is expendable. I would go for Ganso but for him going to Milan for a ridiculous amount of cash.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Well, I play either a 4-3-3 or 3-4-3, depending on the opponent, (3-4-3 is what I use against 4-4-2s and 3-5-2s as I like to have a spare man at the back), so I would play Hamsik/Henrique at centre mid, Lavezzi and Sosa out wide and Cavani up top, whereas currently I have Galloppa as first choice alongside Hamsik.

[Robert the Spud]

How is Sosa working out? He's a good player but has flattered to deceive when i use him, though i put that down to my narrow formation naturally. Next season i want to play a little more open, less rigid.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Doing really well, he's brilliant from set pieces. Always seems to mess up when Cavani or Hamsik plays him through on goal at an acute angle (yet score after 30 attempts on goal), but he's got 11 assists in 12 games and an average rating of 7.36. In all competitions, I've scored 3 goals from corners and 5 from indirect free-kicks - all of which are thanks to his outstanding deliveries, and he's also played a few nice through balls in for Lavezzi/Cavani etc.

[Robert the Spud]

How do you set up the middle 3 CM's? I've got Blasi as my main CM, with Gargano on one side, and usually Pazienza on the other but he's been out for 3 months, so now it's Gago(on loan from real), who should help us keep possesion better. That said, Blasi has a 91% pass rate completion, and is a key player in the team.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Blasi is the middle one, with Forlin and Pazienza deputising there. This player is a Deep Lying Playmaker (Defend) with try through balls down to mixed, and the players either side (preferably Galloppa and Hamsik) are Advanced Playmakers (Support), also with TTB down to mixed. The right-sided one has Runs from Deep reduced to Rarely, as Hamsik plays there and has the PPM 'Gets Forward Whenever Possible', so this means he behaves as another player would with Mixed RFD.

[Robert the Spud]

aaah just spanked Milan 3-0 at San Paulo, great goals from Lavezzi, Cavani and Gargano. Played a rigid, disciplined high tempo game.

[ROESIDER]

aaah just spanked Milan 3-0 at San Paulo, great goals from Lavezzi, Cavani and Gargano. Played a rigid, disciplined high tempo game.

awesome.

is that how you would normally play against the likes of AC , Inter etc Robert?

[Robert the Spud]

awesome.

is that how you would normally play against the likes of AC , Inter etc Robert?

Hmm, pretty much. I usually employ rigid, disciplined tactics anyway, and with a 3 man midfield we usually dominate, and don't concede much. But I prefer to take the game to these sorts of teams rather than sit back. Against Inter before Xmas i tried to play a counter game, but it's pointless with a narrow formation because Maicon just pings balls into the box and we have issues with crosses. We do much better when we attack them with our pace and direct play.

But Milan are slow, and have poor workrate upfront, so i just told the boys to dominate the midfield- Aggression, high tempo, rigid and disciplined. Milan couldn't handle it

[smplfc]

End of season Review.

Serie A

Well what a great season it turned out to be. I ended up finishing 4th, thanks to a last game win against Lecce at home 3-0 and Fiorentina failing to beat Juventus at home. It was an up and down season. I started well but as the season went on it took its toll on my squad and the lack of strength in depth was higlighted as i slipped to 9th and was struggling to get going again. Although i never went into the bottom half of the table throughout the whole season. I brought in 3 players to bolster my squad at the start, Marco Verratti who is going to be a future star, the boy is brilliant already at 17 and ive already had to reject bids from both Chelsea and Inter Milan. Alfred N'diaye, a 20yr old versatile defensive player brought in from Nancy on a £4m dealwas a hit in his 1st season, playing the majority of the games. My 3rd signing was Borinin on loan from Chelsea for £500k who never really made an impact and only made a handfull of appearances. In January i captured my 4th signing of the season, Emillio Izzaguirre from Celtic in a deal that could potentially total to £5.5m, he was the only signing of the january transfer window, but he helped me pick up my good form towards the end of the season and finish with my last 7 games unbeaten, 5 wins and 2 draws. I ended up just 11 points off first in what was a close title race between the top 3, with Inter going into the final day in 3rd and yet coming out on top due to Juve and Roma dropping points. If i can build a stronger squad that can get by when injuries come round then i genuinly think i can challenge for the top top next season, or at least keep my top 4 space. Overall i am happy that i have qualified for the champions league

Cup Competitions

In the Europa League i did quite well knocking out Spartak Moscow and Man City on my way to the 1/4 finals before i lost to an Ac Milan side who went on to be runners up, so not too bad.

In the Italian Cup i lost out to Fiorentina in 1/4 finals which again was a little disappointing but the fact that i met the boards expectations for all competitions made me more than happy.

Overall the board were very happy with my 1st season and have now given me a war chest of around £25m to go strenghten my squad. I am currently doing so and will update you on my signings.

[Robert the Spud]

Good season there. I am having an awful run. For 3/4 of the season were excellent, but things are falling apart and we slipped to third, not won in about 6 or 7 games now, players look shorn of confidence

[Robert the Spud]

Had some private fall outs with Maggio, who can GF after his recent performances, and Lavezzi, who i told to start playing better and he took offence. Hamsik loves me though

[Robert the Spud]

Through to the Europa League final! We beat City 3-2 on aggregate. At San Paolo we beat them 3-1. Then at their ground we produced a defensive masterclass, and even though we succumbed to a Vincent Kompany header, we managed to keep them down to only 2 shots on goal, harried them and didn't give them an inch of space. Athletico Madrid await in Dublin.

[JimmyWangYang]

Good work, Robert the Stud! My first match against Atletico was a nightmare, largely thanks to one Aguero... Shame you fell out with Maggio, he's been like a club ambassador for me, making every new signing feel welcome and at home. And as I've mentioned, he is a big game player who always produce in the finals.

[Robert the Spud]

Stud?!

I'll have to make plans for Aguero and Forlan. They usually play a flat 4-4-2. But, atleast we are back in form at just the right time, ending our terrible streak with a 6-1 hammering at Bari. Hamsik with an outstanding display, and Cavani coming back from injury with another great goal. Hopefully he can still beat E'eto to the Cappocioniarre(sp). De Sanctis has returned from a long lay off too, thanks god. Iezzo is decent, but not entirely trusted.

Maggio, i'd like to keep, and i believe we can reconcile our differences. Planning for the summer; I've got Dante, Bruno Zuculini(from Racing) and Federico Vilar coming in already. I hope to get Insua and Gago on season loans, and either Leandro Damaio(Internacional) or Funes Mori(River) as good young striker options. Then it's either Palacios or Nocerino. I'd love Munoz too, but he'd cost 20m.

[Robert the Spud]

Good God, thrilling scenes from the Aviva stadium. I would post a screen shot but don't know how;

Vs Ath.Madrid- Line up; De Sanctis, Santacroce(favoured over Grava-BIG mistake, always go with experience in cup finals!), Cannavaro, Ruiz, Dossenna, Blasi, Gargano, Pazienza, Hamsik, Lavezzi, Cavani.

Cavani opens the scoring on 6 minutes, a deft chip over De Gea from 5 yards out after Pazienza threaded a masterful ball through the Madrid defence. Things get better for us when Lopez is sent off for them after he went through the back of Hamsik on 23 minutes. However, after playing it around for a while, they lob the ball over the top, and Cannavaro brings Forlan down in the penalty area, which he scores from. 27 minutes gone. 5 minutes later, Ruiz is stupid enough to commit a cynical foul, being the last man before bringing Forlan down outside the area. Campagnaro come on for Gargano and moves back into defence. Grava replaces the nervous Santacroce at H/T. Already 2 substitutions, but we could not afford a nervous player out there. They piled the pressure on us, and scored through Garcia on 68 minutes. I thought it was game over, but gambled, bringing Sosa on for Blasi, and having an attacking 3 of Pazienza, Hamsik and Sosa. We won a corner on 83 minutes, and as Sosa whipped it in at lightening speed, our Captain, leader and driving force Cannavaro rose as a lion to meet the ball and head the equaliser home at the near post! 2-2! I had a decision to make- Sit back and wait for extra time, or go for the kill while momentum is with us? It was a fine line- My boys were on their last legs, light in midfield and susceptible to an Athletico attack. As time stood still, 30000 Napoleans baying in the Irish wind, I reflected on the spirit of Napoli, and let my instinct guide me. We gave one last surge, frantically pinging the ball across the field, looking for an opening, an opportunity. Aguero was prowling, Forlan still had a pitch length run in those old legs. But then, a sweet ball down the right flank and Grava, 34 yrs of age, leapt on it like a panther and drilled the ball to the near post....Lavezzi does not miss from there. 89 minutes gone, the crowds were wild. We put ten men behind the ball for the final moments, and we, who rode to Ireland to conquer the Spaniards, have brought pride back to Napoli. 3-2. New contract please Mr. De Laurentiis...

:D

Bit melodramatic, but it brings it out of me. Even Maradona, now managing Gimnastic, is overwhelmed. I may even buy a player from them to ease their financial worries.

[Robert the Spud]

And a great 4-3 victory at Bologna(which sent them down), ends a fantastic season. we finished 1 point off Inter who were in 2nd. Milan won the scuddetto and were largely unstoppable all season. Cavani wins golden boot with 31 goals.

[Robert the Spud]

Engaging Palermo for the transfer of Munoz. Undecided on him, and may wait another year before making a choice. Cannavaro is either a beast or mistake-prone drivel. Ruiz was very efficient but not sure he is to be trusted at the top level. Campagnaro is an injury prone wreck but his bravery is enough for me to keep hold. Major decisions. I want a MC, DC and a new attacking option. Sosa is either a genius or average, inconsistency being his middle name.

And don't ya love it when your key player dismisses speculation of a move away from your club? Hamsik says he is a Napoli player through and through, and very happy to remain at the club. His loyalty and increasing influence makes him a future captain in my book. Could even replace Cannavaro, who may be sold after asking for too much money. Only a yr left on his deal.

[Robert the Spud]

My defensive rocks

How do you get Galeano to improve so much? He doesn't seem like he could reach that potential in my save

[Robert the Spud]

Transfers so far this summer;

In-

Dante 7.5m

Bruno Zuculini 5m

Vilar 3m

Rogelio Funes Mori 7.5m

Gago season loan, 2m agreed fee

Insua season loan, 6m agreed fee

Need to get rid of a midfielder or two, Cigarini plus one other. Squad looks like this now;

GK- De Sanctis/Vilar

DRLC- Grava/Campagnaro/Santacroce/Fernandez/Aronica/Dossena/Insua/Dante/Cannavaro/Ruiz

MC- Gago/Pazienza/Blasi/Gargano/Zuculini

AMLRC- Sosa/Hamsik/Mascara/Maggio

CF- Cavani/Lavezzi/Funes Mori 'Rogelio'

Can't think what else i need.

[Ayub95]

Mori is a tad expensive got him 4.2m on my Arsenal save, how did you Lavezzi btw as a DLF or Treq?

[Robert the Spud]

Lavezzi i used as a DLF/Support;

36 starts, 17 goals, 12 assists, 7 mom's, av rating 7.38. He went missing at times, but as a DLF he links things together and drives down the flanks alot. Cavani primarily as a poacher, he got 31 league goals in 33 games and 9 assists. The Treq. role is for Hamsik only(14 league goals, 15 assists, 7.24 av rating), although i did use it for Lavezzi at times

Mori Funes was only 7.5 million euros on mine. Not bad, about the price i wanted to pay. There are clauses in that though(int/league games etc).

I will say though, if Cavani get's injured, it's possible the goals will dry up. Lavezzi doesn't play well on his own imo. Cavani was out for 5 weeks or so, and we could not buy a goal. and don't sell Blasi, he had the highest pass % rate in the league with 91%, which is pretty good.

[JimmyWangYang]

Our friend Aurelio De Laurentiis is actually reading this thread, and wanted me to relay his message:

I am fully satisfied with this thread. We are in the Champions League and we aim to win the competition. These are extraordinary times for the Club, for the managers, and the team. Let's see how the thread ends, let's enjoy the goal that was set about by Mr Wang Yang and then we will dive into the next program.

In seven years we started from nothing, from a Court, and today we sit atop of the league. We are since four years back in Serie A, we have won first the entry into Europa League and now the Champions League, hoping to become Champions of Europe within our 5 year plan. Currently we are the first team from South Italy and we have closed in front of big teams. We'll continue on the planning way in respect of financial fair play and ensuring the soundness of company. For us it is crucial to be a competitive and strong club also under the budget profile to remain permanently important in football.

This thread is the inspiration I chose to pursue the project of the second five years. We have posts that continue to fascinate us. So far, both the managers and the team have done extraordinary things. I am for continuity and intellectual honesty. We must be all united for the common cause: the team, managers, trainer, supporters and environment. This is my personal view. I have a credibility and coherence of programming, I'm not for impromptu decisions. I am constantly reading this thread, I'd put my face and I know that Napoli has been serving fans. This is the logic that motivates us and that we will continue in the coming years.

[Robert the Spud]

Haha, top stuff Jimmy

Loved every minute of my save so far. However, i am remaining on course for a low profile transfer policy. The Cavani type transfers are going to be a complete rarity, and only supplemented by the sale of another big player. So, if i ever want Pastore, i would sell Lavezzi first. Also a strict wage budget will remain in place, no-one earning more than 55000 euros for now. Edited the transfers budget to well below the 35mill i got given too

[smplfc]

Pre - season

Transfers:

In:

Martin Demichellis - free

Marco Amelia - free

Raphael Stanescu - £2.5m

Charlie Adam - £7.5m (Clauses)

Romelu Lukaku - £21.5m (Clauses)

Out:

Maggio - £5m

Vitale - £2.5m

Sosa - £5m

Hoffer - £1.5m

Rinaudo - £1.3m

Miscara - £1.4m

Pazienza - £1m

Rullo - £800k

Grava - £350k

I managed to get rid of alot of deadwood and the 5 i have brought i believe have really strengthened the squad. 3 wins from 3 in pre-season suggests that, with a 2-0 win against Man Utd particularly pleasing.

I'm still in the market for one player, a rwb to cover campagnaro, so any ideas for that position please guys? I have already been rejected by Van Der Wiel. Thanks.