[FM15] "I've Never Played for a Draw in my Life"

Cougar2010 · November 2, 2015

Had you stayed at Raith, Europe would have been a lot more difficult.
Which small countries qualified for the Qatar World Cup?

No real massive surprises, lowest ranked nations were New Zealand, Iran & Canada.

Europe: France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Belgium, England, Croatia, Denmark, Switzerland, Serbia, Russia, Sweden, Poland

South America: Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil

North America: Mexico, USA, Canada

Africa: Morocco, Cameroon, South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria

Asia: Qatar (Hosts), Australia, Japan, South Korea, Iran

Oceania: New Zealand

Cougar2010 · November 2, 2015

National

Russia

October 2022

Preview

Two home games this month as we welcome Austria (WR 40th) in the Nations League before a friendly against South Korea (WR 61st)

Squad Selection

I learned a lot last month and am a bit more familiar with the available players now which will see some changes.

Goalkeepers
No change as Lodygin is in good form while Akinfeev has done enough to be included. For the 3rd choice my staff say Andrey Sinitsyn but Belenov has been in good form for his club to keep the place.

Picked

Igor Akinfeev (36yo Russian GK) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 132 caps, 0 goals

Yury Lodygin (32yo Russian GK) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 29 caps, 0 goals

Alexandr Belenov (36yo Russian GK) – Kuban Krasnodar (Premier Division) – Uncapped

Fullbacks
On the right Parshiviyuk is the player in form but I have to remember he is playing in a lower divison. Behind him M. Ivanov has seen his form dip while Abakarov is also in poor form. With the other main options being to use Olshanskiy in his more natural DR position or a recall for 33yo Gadjibekov I decide to stick with M. Ivanov. On the left Schennikov keeps his place while my staff want me to include 22yo Murad Gadjiev who is in the U21 squad but his form is poor. Elmir Nabiullin is the other DL in good club form and earns his place at the expense of the older Makeev.

Picked

Magomed Ivanov (20yo Russian DR) – Dinamo Moscow (Premier Division) – 11 caps, 0 goals

Sergey Parshiviyuk (33yo Russian DR/MR) – Avellino (Italian Serie B) – 60 caps, 1 goal

Georgy Schennikov (31yo Russian DL) – Dnipro (Ukrainian Premier League) – 55 caps, 0 goals

Elmir Nabiullin (27yo Russian DL/ML) – Rostov (Premier Division) – 2 caps, 0 goals

Central Defence
Kontsedalov isn't in the best form but he is playing in a better division than most while with everyone seeing him as a star player I feel the need to keep him in the squad. Bannikov & Olshanskiy are in good form to keep their places which leaves one up for grabs as Ghazaryan returns to midfield. My staff are saying 20yo Artur Mkhitaryan who is in the U21 squad or Andrey Sadykov but neither are in good form while I have big concerns over Mkhitaryan's lack of aerial ability. The only alternatives though seem to be 33yo who is past his best or 29yo Bryzgalov who also suffers from a lack of aerial ability. For a 4th choice younger is better so I opt to include Sadykov.

Picked

Pavel Kontsedalov (21yo Russian DC) – Valencia (Spanish Liga BBVA) – 25 caps, 2 goals

Nikolay Olshanskiy (23yo Russian DR/DC) – Rostov (Premier Division) – 5 caps, 0 goals

Denis Bannikov (22yo Russian DC) – Jagodina (Serbian Super League) – 5 caps, 0 goals

Andrey Sadykov (22yo Russian DC) – Kuban Krasnador (Premier Division) – 2 caps, 0 goals

Central Midfield
I had a bit of trouble picking midfielders last month but now I've got my feet under the table I have a better understanding what I'm looking for. Ghazaryan is in great club form to keep his place while I can't ignore Bashkirov any longer. He might be an uncapped 31yo but he has been one of the best MCs in the Premier Division this season and he suits our tactics. That leaves one more place for a DM and Vorobjov is the player in the best form to take it ahead of Saveljev & Usachev. For the more attacking roles I have a headache as Poluboyarinov is in good form as is Oleg Burkin who my staff are pushing me to include but to include both would mean dropping Dzagoev which won't go down well. I go for the safe option as Poluboyarinov misses out.

Picked

Gevorg Ghazaryan (20yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Dinamo Moscow (Premier Division) – 6 caps, 0 goals

Victor Vorobjov (23yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Lokomotiv Moscow (Premier Division) – 2 caps, 1 goal

Evgeny Bashkirov (31yo Russian DM/MC) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) - Uncapped

Alan Dzagoev (32yo Russian AMC/DM) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 107 caps, 13 goals

Oleg Burkin (22yo Russian AMC/MC) – On loan at Krylja Sovetov (Premier Division) – 2 caps, 0 goals

Wingers
The right is a huge issue with no natural viable options. With no one to really challenge them its natural AMC Shatov & natural AML Yakoviev who continue. The left on the other hand sees loads of options. One of our stars, Cheryshev misses out once again through injury while good form sees Kornyukhin keep his spot. That leaves one place and two 31yos are pushing Grachev for the spot. Both Kanunnikov & Poloz and in top form but I opt for Poloz as I feel he has has a better mentality.

Picked

Oleg Shatov (32yo Russian AMC/AMRL) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 61 caps, 10 goals

Pavel Yakoviev (31yo Russian AML/AMR, ST) – Tosno (Premier Division) – 1 cap, 0 goals

Dmitry Poloz (31yo Russian AML/AMC, ST) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 3 caps, 0 goals

Maxim Kornyukhin (21yo Russian AML) – Metallist (Ukrainian Premier League) – 2 caps, 0 goals

Strikers
Up front Kokorin is back from injury and four into three spots don't go. S. Ivanov has been inconsistent at club level so he is the one to drop out as Kokorin, Pronichev & Madilov take the places.

Picked

Boris Madilov (21yo Russian ST/AMR) – PSG (French Ligue 1) – 36 caps, 8 goals

Alexandr Kokorin (31yo Russian ST/AMC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 81 caps, 29 goals

Maximilian Pronichev (24yo Russian ST/AMC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 13 caps, 2 goals

Friday 7th October 2022 – European Nations League, Division B, Group 4 (2/4)
Russia (WR 26th) v Austria (WR 40th)

Starting Team (41221): Lodygin, M. Ivanov, Kontsedalov, Bannikov, Schennikov, Ghazaryan, Bashkirov, Dzagoev, Shatov, Kornyukhin, Madilov

My selection is affected badly by tired late arrivals – Nabiullin, Parshiviyuk, Olshanskiy & Kokorin simply haven't recovered enough to start. Other than that though I'm much happier with the squad balance. Bashkirov makes his debut in the middle as I'm looking for a result against a tough Austrian team.

After a shaky start we recover to wrench control of the game away from Austria. With Ghazaryan & Bashkirov in charge of the middle of the park we dominate possession & shots but creating chances against an Austrian side playing with two DMs is a whole different matter. A mix of long shots, short shots, headers & scrambles follows for pretty much all match. In the end there is just one half chance in the whole game and it goes to Austria on the break but our defence is alive to block it wide as its anything but a boring 0-0 draw.

A much better performance and we looked a lot more dangerous going forwards but just didn't stick the ball in the net. Ghazaryan protected a weak looking defence well while Austria really played into our hands with long balls forwards. Bannikov was the pick of our players in defence while Dzagoev somewhat disappointed.

Final Score: Russia 0-0 Austria

Goals:

MOTM: Spendlhofer (7.1) (Austria)

Injury News

Magomed Ivanov (DR) took a knock in the game and I get the chance to call up a replacement for the friendly. It seems I overlooked a fullback when I picked my squad, although not fantastic on paper he certainly should be in the mix for places and good form sees him join the squad:

Arseny Logashov (31yo Russian DR/DLC) – Ural (Premier Division) – 1 cap, 0 goals

Tuesday 11th October 2022 – Friendly
Russia (WR 26th) v South Korea (WR 61st)

Starting Team (41221): Akinfeev, Logashov, Olshanskiy, Sadykov, Nabiullin, Vorobjov, Bashkirov, Burkin, Yakoviev, Poloz, Kokorin

All change as I get to look at the other half of the squad in the friendly. Hopefully we can at least score otherwise my reign might be a short one.

South Korea line up with a really attacking formation which causes us problems but we fluke a goal early in the game to give us confidence. The South Korean keeper came out wide to make a clearance but he only managed to find Polov just inside the Korean half and he struck a well placed shot from 45 yards that bounced into the net. With even more reason to attack we are under pressure at the back and our defence is creaking against a quick, mobile Korean attack. They break through twice towards the end of the half when Son cuts infield from the left, Akinfeev saves the first one well while the second is curled wide. Despite their dominance thats as good as it gets for South Korea as our stretched defence somehow survives to claim my first win.

Possibly the worst performance of my four matches in charge and yet its the one we win. We looked like a “B” team on the pitch but in a lot of respects it was which shows our lack of depth. There were bright spots though – Poloz played really well on the left as did Nabiollin at DL while Volobjov (DM) & Olshanskiy (DC) didn't look out of place at International level.

Final Score: Russia 1-0 South Korea

Goals: Poloz (7)

MOTM: KimYong-Hwan (8.6) (South Korea)

European Nations League Result

Northern Ireland 1-1 Austria

HeresdaKicker · November 3, 2015

Congrats on the new job. Here's to hoping Intl. management is at least as successful as your time with Raith. :thup:

Maaka · November 3, 2015

Looks like you're in a little trouble if you wanna win promotion.. Of course, if you win both your remaining matches, you'll end up on 7 pts, thus going from last to first, but still.. The best scenario'll be if you beat Austria and draw against Northern Ireland.. All teams with 6 pts

Cougar2010 · November 4, 2015

National

Russia

November 2022

Preview

This month sees the last two matches in the Nations League as we are at home to Northern Ireland before travelling to Austria as we attempt to avoid relegation.

Squad Selection

Goalkeepers
Akinfeev takes his place but Lodygin is a problem as he is in terrible form. With Belenov also in mixed form Andrey Sinitsyn is pushing for a callup but at the expense of who. Despite horrible form I simply can't leave the captain out of the squad.

Picked

Igor Akinfeev (36yo Russian GK) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 133 caps, 0 goals

Yury Lodygin (32yo Russian GK) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 30 caps, 0 goals

Andrey Sinitsyn (34yo Russian GK) – Khimki (First Division) – Uncapped

Fullbacks
Parshiviyuk misses out through injury on the right while none of the others are really in good form. This means M. Ivanov returns almost by default while the second spot is a straight choice between 33yo Gadjibekov & 23yo Abakarov. Despite Gadjibekov being in slightly better form I decide to go with the younger option. The left more or less picks itself with Schennikov in good form while 18yo Shmarov is pushing Nabiullin for the 2nd spot but for now I leave him in the U21s.

Picked

Magomed Ivanov (20yo Russian DR) – Dinamo Moscow (Premier Division) – 12 caps, 0 goals

Islam Abakarov (23yo Russian DR/DC) – Krasnodor (Premier Division) – 5 caps, 0 goals

Georgy Schennikov (31yo Russian DL) – Dnipro (Ukrainian Premier League) – 56 caps, 0 goals

Elmir Nabiullin (27yo Russian DL/ML) – Rostov (Premier Division) – 3 caps, 0 goals

Central Defence
Kontsedalov, Bannikov & Olshanskiy all keep their places with Bannikov really impressing at club level recently. That leaves Sadykov who didn't really look the part in the South Korea friendly and with his form dipping I bow to the pressure from my staff to move 20yo Mkhitaryan up from the U21s.

Picked

Pavel Kontsedalov (21yo Russian DC) – Valencia (Spanish Liga BBVA) – 26 caps, 2 goals

Nikolay Olshanskiy (23yo Russian DR/DC) – Rostov (Premier Division) – 6 caps, 0 goals

Denis Bannikov (22yo Russian DC) – Jagodina (Serbian Super League) – 6 caps, 0 goals

Artur Mkhitaryan (20yo Russian DC) – Rostov (Premier Division) – Uncapped

Central Midfield
Ghazaryan misses out through injury at DM while I also have a problem with Bashkirov who is looking jaded. I could include both at a push but as we have strength in depth Usachev & Saveljev return to join Vorobjov. In the more attacking positions Poluboyarinov & the uncapped Guliev are pushing for places and while I would like to include Poluboyarinov its not going to be at the expense of the in form Burkin or Dzagoev.

Picked

Andrey Saveljev (20yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 4 caps, 0 goals

Victor Vorobjov (23yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Lokomotiv Moscow (Premier Division) – 3 caps, 1 goal

Rashid Usachev (20yo Russian DM/MC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 1 cap, 0 goals

Alan Dzagoev (32yo Russian AMC/DM) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 109 caps, 13 goals

Oleg Burkin (22yo Russian AMC/MC) – On loan at Krylja Sovetov (Premier Division) – 3 caps, 0 goals

Wingers
With no real challengers Shatov & Yakoviev continue on the right. The left sees Kornyukhin in good form to keep his place leaving me with a choice to make for the second spot. Denis Cheryshev is back from injury but still really unfit while Grachev, Kanunnikov & Poluboyarinov are all pushing Poloz. On this occasion I opt for Poluboyarinov which gives me the option of using Dzagoev from the left & Poluboyarinov in the middle.

Picked

Oleg Shatov (32yo Russian AMC/AMRL) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 62 caps, 10 goals

Pavel Yakoviev (31yo Russian AML/AMR, ST) – Tosno (Premier Division) – 3 cap, 0 goals

Danil Poluboyarinov (25yo Russian MC/DM, ML, AMC) – Kuban Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 2 caps, 0 goals

Maxim Kornyukhin (21yo Russian AML) – Metallist (Ukrainian Premier League) – 3 caps, 0 goals

Strikers
Up front my staff are oddly recommending that I include 26yo Ramil Sheidaev but he is a fringe player at best and struggling to get into his club side. The main choice seems to be whether to include Kanunnikov as a striker given his good form but he just misses out as the current three are also in good form.

Picked

Boris Madilov (21yo Russian ST/AMR) – PSG (French Ligue 1) – 37 caps, 8 goals

Alexandr Kokorin (31yo Russian ST/AMC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 82 caps, 29 goals

Maximilian Pronichev (24yo Russian ST/AMC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 14 caps, 2 goals

Injury News

Abakarov (DR) picks up a knock which means a late callup for Gadjibekov.

Ali Gadjibekov (33yo Russian DRC) – Volga NN (Russian Premier Division) – 3 caps, 0 goals

Friday 11th November 2022 – European Nations League, Division B, Group 4 (3/4)
Russia (WR 30th) v Northern Ireland (WR 76th)

Starting Team (41221): Akinfeev, M. Ivanov, Olshanskiy, Bannikov, Schennikov, Saveljev, Vorobjov, Burkin, Shatov, Kornyukhin, Madilov

I'm concerned that several of the teams are starting to get jaded and we aren't even halfway through the season yet. Yakoviev, Poluboyarinov & Mkhitaryan are the biggest problems but at least they aren't first choices while I rest Dzagoev for the Austria game.

Its close but a win for us by more than one goal relegates Northern Ireland which means we at least survive in Division B. With that in mind we look to play positive attacking football and take the game to a Northern Irish side that pack the midfield. We dominate possession and shots but chances are again hard to come by. The best is two half chances, first for Burkin when the ball is pulled back to the edge of the box and the second for Madilov but neither find the net. We press on in the second half and a bit of luck sees us take the lead when Kornyukhin drills a low ball across the six yard box which deflects in off McCullough. Minutes later we have my first “proper” goal when Madilov gets a good header to a right wing cross, the keeper makes a fingertip save but Madilov is first to react tapping in the rebound. A good team performance is capped off when a long ball out of defence sees Saveljev capitalise on a missed header confidently slotting in.

Another solid performance where we gave nothing away in defence and controlled the game. Creating chances seems to be an issue with luck & mistakes playing a role in all of our goals today but when you don't concede many you always have a chance. Bannikov & Olshanskiy seem to be building a strong partnership in defence while the team are settling into our style of play.

Final Score: Russia 3-0 Northern Ireland

Goals: McCullough (og 55), Madilov (61), Saveljev (75)

MOTM: Saveljev (8.3)

Tuesday 15th November 2022 – European Nations League, Division B, Group 4 (4/4)
Austria (WR 26th) v Russia (WR 30th)

Starting Team (41221): Akinfeev, Ivanov, Kontsedalov, Bannikov, Nabiullin, Usachev, Vorobjov, Poluboyarinov, Yakoviev, Dzagoev, Madilov

I'm forced to make several changes due to tiredness for almost a straight knockout match. With Northern Ireland relegated a win for us will see us promoted, anything else and its Austria that go up.

With nothing to lose we set out to attack and take an early lead when Vorobjov plays a ball to Madilov in the channel. he takes a good touch before drilling past the keeper. We are in control during the early stages but midway through the half that suddenly changes for no obvious reason as Austria takeover pinning us back. Forced to defend Austria create a couple of chances as our defence is stretched but a mix of Akinfeev & poor shooting keeps us in the lead. The match opens up when Austria switch to 433 in the second half as they come looking for an equaliser while we find space out wide to threaten on the break. Chances at both ends come & go before Austria equalise when Holzhauser fires in a freekick from just outside the box. We press on looking for a winner to earn promotion and both Kokorin & Madilov see good chances saved while at the other end we again have Akinfeev to thank as an entertaining game ends in a draw.

Overall a draw was probably a fair result but it could have easily gone either way if chances had been taken. Vorobjov was the pick of our team while Ivanov & Kontsedalov both impressed in defence.

Final Score: Austria 1-1 Russia

Goals: Holzhauser (68) ; Madilov (11)

MOTM: Holzhauser (8.3) (Austria)

Final Nations League, Division B, Group 4 Table

Cougar2010 · November 5, 2015

National

Russia

March 2023

Preview

With our Nations League campaign over next up is European Championship Qualifying. The draw was made back in December and we were amongst the second seeds. The draw could have been worse as we got one of the weaker top seeds in Serbia. We start our campaign at home to Macedonia.

Squad Selection

Goalkeepers
Akinfeev & Lodygin are in good form to keep their places while Sinitsyn has done enough to keep the 3rd spot.

Picked

Igor Akinfeev (36yo Russian GK) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 135 caps, 0 goals

Yury Lodygin (32yo Russian GK) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 30 caps, 0 goals

Andrey Sinitsyn (34yo Russian GK) – Khimki (First Division) – Uncapped

Fullbacks
On the right Ivanov has continued to improve and is now a clear first choice, showing good form to keep his place. For the second spot Parshiviyuk is on the decline and has possibly played his last game for Russia while Abakarov is recovering from injury. Youngsters Ryazanov & Churavtsev will come into contention over the next couple of years but for now I include the inform Logashov. The left is as you were with Schennikov in good form while with no real challengers Nabiullin keeps his spot as its just one match.

Picked

Magomed Ivanov (21yo Russian DR) – Dinamo Moscow (Premier Division) – 14 caps, 0 goals

Arseny Logashov (31yo Russian DR/DLC) – Ural (Premier Division) – 2 caps, 0 goals

Georgy Schennikov (31yo Russian DL) – Dnipro (Ukrainian Premier League) – 57 caps, 0 goals

Elmir Nabiullin (28yo Russian DL/ML) – Rostov (Premier Division) – 5 caps, 0 goals

Central Defence
Our main three DCs all moved in the January transfer window but their form doesn't seem to have suffered while my staff are coming around to the idea that Olshanskiy deserves his place. The 4th spot is more of an issue with 20yo Mkhitaryan in poor form, I could just leave him in there as its one match but I could also include another of our quality DMs. With a few of the DMs able to play DC its seems like the sensible option as it would also allow Mkhitaryan to drop back to the U21s.

Picked

Pavel Kontsedalov (21yo Russian DC) – Man Utd (English Premier Division) – 27 caps, 2 goals

Nikolay Olshanskiy (24yo Russian DR/DC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 7 caps, 0 goals

Denis Bannikov (23yo Russian DC) – Red Star Belgrade (Serbian Super League) – 8 caps, 0 goals

Central Midfield
Saveljev, Ghazaryan & Burkin are all in good form to earn their places while Bashkirov & Vorobjov have also done enough to be included which means Usachev is the DM that misses out. That leaves one place for a more attacking MC and with Poluboyarinov injured Dzagoev keeps his place as there aren't any other real challengers.

Picked

Gevorg Ghazaryan (21yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Dinamo Moscow (Premier Division) – 7 caps, 0 goals

Andrey Saveljev (21yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 6 caps, 1 goal

Victor Vorobjov (23yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Lokomotiv Moscow (Premier Division) – 5 caps, 1 goal

Evgeny Bashkirov (31yo Russian DM/MC) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 2 caps, 0 goals

Alan Dzagoev (32yo Russian AMC/DM, AML) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 110 caps, 13 goals

Oleg Burkin (23yo Russian AMC/MC) – On loan at Krylja Sovetov (Premier Division) – 4 caps, 0 goals

Wingers
If I didn't have enough problems on the right Yakoviev is out injured. This leaves Shatov to keep his place while with a lack of other options my plan is to use Madilov if needed on the right. On the left Kornyukhin isn't in the best form but I want to keep some consistency As for the second spot with Grachev injured its a choice between Poloz or Cheryshev who is finally clear from injuries.

Picked

Oleg Shatov (32yo Russian AMC/AMRL) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 64 caps, 10 goals

Denis Cheryshev (32yo Russian AML/ST) – Norwich City (English Premier Division) – 62 caps, 13 goals

Maxim Kornyukhin (22yo Russian AML) – Metallist (Ukrainian Premier League) – 4 caps, 0 goals

Strikers
Up front we have room for four strikers and Madilov claims one despite average form as he can play AMR as well. Kokorin misses out through injury while good form sees Pronichev keep his place while Kanunnikov earns a recall. The last spot has no obvious candidates so its an opportunity to include the in form Dmitry Poloz who can play several positions.

Picked

Boris Madilov (21yo Russian ST/AMR) – PSG (French Ligue 1) – 39 caps, 10 goals

Maxim Kanunnikov (31yo Russian AML, ST) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 17 caps, 0 goals

Maximilian Pronichev (25yo Russian ST/AMC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 14 caps, 2 goals

Dmitry Poloz (31yo Russian AML/AMC, ST) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 5 caps, 1 goal

Monday 27th March 2023 – European Championship Qualifying, Group J (1/8)
Russia (WR 26th) v FYR Macedonia (WR 76th)

Starting Team (41221): Akinfeev, Ivanov, Olshanskiy, Kontsedalov, Schennikov, Saveljev, Ghazaryan, Burkin, Shatov, Cheryshev, Pronichev

The big news is that I leave out Dzagoev who has been disappointing since I took over while Cheryshev returns on the left. Lodygin & Vorobjov are also unlucky to miss out as Akinfeev & Ghazaryan start.

Macedonia pack the midfield and I'm thinking that we might need to be patient. Shatov has other ideas though when he drives down the right and drills a cross in which Pronichev meets to give us an early lead. We keep the pressure on as we control the game and have a cushion when an Ivanov cross is headed back across goal by Schennikov for Shatov to head in. Macedonia remind us we are in a match as they twice cut inside Ivanov producing dangerous shots, the first saved by Akinfeev & the second clipping the bar before we add a third before the break from a wide freekick. Olshanskiy rising to flick on before Kontsedalov finishes off at the far post. We continue to dominate the match in the second half but don't add to the lead while Macedonia seem to have accepted defeat at the break.

A really good performance where our best performers were in defence & attack. Burkin was the only slight negative as we are struggling to find a player who can break forward from the midfield trio with quality. With neither Burkin or Dzagoev producing its arguably Poluboyarinov that has looked the most comfortable in the role.

Final Score: Russia 3-0 FYR Macedonia

Goals: Pronichev (5), Shatov (30), Kontsedalov (41)

MOTM: Shatov (8.5)

Other Group J Results

FYR Macedonia 2-0 Azerbaijan

Ireland 2-3 Serbia

Azerbaijan 1-1 Ireland

Nobby_McDonald · November 5, 2015

You have to fancy that Euro qualifying group.

Maaka · November 6, 2015

You have to fancy that Euro qualifying group.

Tough luck for Ireland.. Nothing but trips to eastern Europe (and had it been pre 1990, it'd been just 3 teams, Ireland along with USSR and Yugoslavia :cool: )

Cougar2010 · November 6, 2015

You have to fancy that Euro qualifying group.

Definitely, I'm not sure the top seed really matters, I guess it maybe gives us a chance of finishing top.

We are 2nd seeds though and we should be good enough to claim 2nd which I think is either auto qualify or playoff at worst. Ireland the main challengers but they've already dropped points to Azerbaijan.

deltablue · November 8, 2015

Good qualifying draw.

Cougar2010 · November 8, 2015

National

Russia

June 2023

Preview

European Championship Qualifying continues as we travel to Ireland (WR 51st) who have made a poor start to their campaign before a home match against top seeds, Serbia (WR 12th).

Squad Selection

Goalkeepers
Akinfeev isn't in the best form but with no real other options he keeps his place along with Lodygin. The 3rd spot continues to be an issue with only two decent keepers between 21yo & 32yo and neither is particularly good. Until we get some younger players Belenov is our best option despite not being in good form.

Picked

Igor Akinfeev (37yo Russian GK) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 136 caps, 0 goals

Yury Lodygin (33yo Russian GK) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 30 caps, 0 goals

Alexandr Belenov (36yo Russian GK) – Kuban Krasnodar (Premier Division) – Uncapped

Fullbacks
Ivanov takes his spot on the right but the second place is a problem. Parshiviyuk has retired, Abakarov is injured, Logashov isn't in good form while a couple of younger players aren't quite ready to step up. The best option seems to be switching a player from the left and the one in the best form is 33yo Makeev who is right footed. The left sees Schennikov keep his spot but Nabiullin is injured leaving me looking for another option. It comes down to two former U21s who are starting to push for senior places. Murad Gadjiev is probably the better long term option but Roman Minaev has been in the better form this season to take the spot.

Picked

Magomed Ivanov (21yo Russian DR) – Dinamo Moscow (Premier Division) – 15 caps, 0 goals

Evgeny Makeev (33yo Russian DL/DRC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 55 caps, 0 goals

Georgy Schennikov (32yo Russian DL) – Dnipro (Ukrainian Premier League) – 58 caps, 0 goals

Roman Minaev (21yo Russian DL/DR) – Volgar (Premier Division) – Uncapped

Central Defence
Olshanskiy & Bannikov are in but Kontsedalov is out of favour at new club Man Utd. With 21yo Mkhitaryan in terrible form I really don't have any options though while the 4th spot is again taken by a DM.

Picked

Pavel Kontsedalov (21yo Russian DC) – Man Utd (English Premier Division) – 28 caps, 3 goals

Nikolay Olshanskiy (24yo Russian DR/DC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 8 caps, 0 goals

Denis Bannikov (23yo Russian DC) – Red Star Belgrade (Serbian Super League) – 8 caps, 0 goals

Central Midfield
Usachev misses out through injury while Bashkirov is recovering from a knock but its hard to leave out the favourite to claim the Russian Player of the Year award. Ghazaryan, Saveljev & Vorobjov are all in good form while Burkin has done enough to be involved. That leaves one spot and with Dzagoev being a constant disappointment its time to look elsewhere. Poluboyarinov, Ozdoev & Russkikh are all in poor form which means I turn to the uncapped Guliev who has impressed at club level this season.

Picked

Gevorg Ghazaryan (21yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Dinamo Moscow (Premier Division) – 8 caps, 0 goals

Andrey Saveljev (21yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 7 caps, 1 goal

Victor Vorobjov (24yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Lokomotiv Moscow (Premier Division) – 5 caps, 1 goal

Evgeny Bashkirov (31yo Russian DM/MC) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 3 caps, 0 goals

Oleg Burkin (23yo Russian AMC/MC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 5 caps, 0 goals

Ayaz Guliev (26yo Russian MC/DM) – Volga NN (Premier Division) - Uncapped

Wingers
With Yakoviev again injured its same again on the right as Shatov is included while I'll use Madilov if I have to. On the left Lukjanov is pushing for a place but for now I stick with Cheryshev & Kornyukhin.

Picked

Oleg Shatov (32yo Russian AMC/AMRL) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 65 caps, 11 goals

Denis Cheryshev (32yo Russian AML/ST) – Norwich City (English Premier Division) – 63 caps, 13 goals

Maxim Kornyukhin (22yo Russian AML) – Metallist (Ukrainian Premier League) – 4 caps, 0 goals

Strikers
Kokorin & Kanunnikov miss out through injury but Pronichev & Madilov take their spots. I need two more and there are no clear options but its a case of two from three. Poloz has a good attitude so keeps his place leaving the last one between 21yo Sergey Ivanov and the uncapped 21yo Alexandr Khudalov with Khudalov edging it.

Picked

Boris Madilov (22yo Russian ST/AMR) – PSG (French Ligue 1) – 39 caps, 10 goals

Maximilian Pronichev (25yo Russian ST/AMC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 15 caps, 3 goals

Dmitry Poloz (31yo Russian AML/AMC, ST) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 6 caps, 1 goal

Alexandr Khudalov (21yo Russian ST) – On Loan at Angers SCO (French Ligue 1) – Uncapped

Friday 9th June 2023 – European Championship Qualifying, Group J (2/8)
Ireland (WR 51st) v Russia (WR 25th)

Starting Team (41221): Lodygin, Ivanov, Olshanskiy, Bannikov, Schennikov, Saveljev, Ghazaryan, Guliev, Shatov, Cheryshev, Pronichev

Lodygin gets the nod in goal while the big call is starting the uncapped Guliev in midfield as we go looking for a win that could well prove key in claiming a top two place come the end of qualifying.

Ireland are looking to bounce back from their poor start and we are under pressure early. Possession is fairly even but Ireland are the ones getting forward and taking shots. We see it out and respond by getting forward ourselves. The best chance of the half falls to Olshanskiy from a corner but the keeper saves while Guliev sees a shot come back off the post. The second half is even as both teams look for a winner with the keepers playing well to make saves. Late in the game both teams trade offside goals as Pronichev is marginally offside when a ball is played into the channel while a name I know, Adeyemo gets in front of the defence to head in a cross.

Ireland were much better than I was expecting and on reflection an away draw is a good result against the 3rd seeds in the group. Overall it was a good performance with several players doing well but Olshanskiy was outstanding in defence and looked dangerous from set pieces. Guliev did well on his debut while Khudalov also got his first cap as he came off the bench in the final stages.

Final Score: Ireland 0-0 Russia

Goals:

MOTM: Olshanskiy (8.0)

Monday 12th June 2023 – European Championship Qualifying, Group J (3/8)
Russia (WR 25th) v Serbia (WR 12th)

Starting Team (41221): Lodygin, Ivanov, Olshanskiy, Kontsedalov, Makeev, Vorobjov, Bashkirov, Burkin, Shatov, Kornyukhin, Poloz

With just a couple of days rest there is plenty of rotation as we face the top seeds in the group. I opt for Poloz rather than Khudalov as he is more of a link player.

After the teams trade early freekicks its Serbia that take the lead when Jovic is first to react to a ball into the channel. The first half is fairly even and I'm pleased that I picked Poloz as he creates two good chances for Shatov only to see them both saved. We take a more attacking approach to the second half and Burkin soon has us level with a shot from 30 yards. However minutes later we are again chasing the game when a right wing cross sees Jovic challenge Lodygin with the ball dropping in off the keeper. We press on and are the much better team in the second half as we put the Serbian defence under pressure. Subs make a difference and a long ball from Vorobjov sees Khudalov get inbetween the DCs before confidently slotting in. With the match looking like a draw Jovic rises at the far post to head in a deep right wing cross with virtually the last touch of the match to steal the points.

Defeat is hard to take after the team did so well. The defence looked shaky in the first half but it was a strong second half and we deserved at least a point. A mixed performance but Burkin was our standout player.

Final Score: Russia 2-3 Serbia

Goals: Burkin (48), Khudalov (85) ; Jovic (6, 90), Lodygin (og 51)

MOTM: Jovic (8.8) (Serbia)

Other Group J Results

Serbia 4-1 Azerbaijan

FYR Macedonia 1-1 Ireland

Nobby_McDonald · November 9, 2015

Not the best start.

Cougar2010 · November 11, 2015

National

Russia

September 2023

Preview

This month sees us welcome Italy (WR 5th) for a friendly before we travel to Azerbaijan (WR 149th) to continue our European Championship Qualifying campaign.

Squad Selection

Goalkeepers
The good news is a couple of young keepers have been identified as long term options but for now its as you were with Akinfeev, Lodygin & Belenov all keeping their places. Akinfeev isn't in the best form while I might use the Italy friendly to have a look at Belenov.

Picked

Igor Akinfeev (37yo Russian GK) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 136 caps, 0 goals

Yury Lodygin (33yo Russian GK) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 32 caps, 0 goals

Alexandr Belenov (36yo Russian GK) – Kuban Krasnodar (First Division) – Uncapped

Fullbacks
Schennikov has done enough to keep his place on the left while with Nabiullin in poor form its Gadjiev who earns the callup. On the right Logashov is injured while both Abakarov & Ivanov are in poor form. I have to include one of them though with Ivanov getting the nod. For the second spot I used Makeev back in June but he is out of favour at club level which leaves Minaev taking the spot at his secondary position.

Picked

Magomed Ivanov (21yo Russian DR) – West Bromich Albion (English Premier Division) – 17 caps, 0 goals

Roman Minaev (22yo Russian DL/DR) – Volgar (Premier Division) – 1 cap, 0 goals

Georgy Schennikov (32yo Russian DL) – Dnipro (Ukrainian Premier League) – 59 caps, 0 goals

Murad Gadjiev (23yo Russian DL/DRC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 1 cap, 0 goals

Central Defence
Olshanskiy is in good form while Bannikov has done enough to keep his place. Merkitan joins Mkhitaryan in the U21s as long term options but for now poor form keeps them out of the main squad. I also have the option of using DR, Abakarov like Olshanskiy in the middle which I don't remember considering in the past but as he is also in poor form its Kontsedalov that keeps his spot despite being out of favour at Man Utd. The 4th spot will again be used on a DM.

Picked

Pavel Kontsedalov (21yo Russian DC) – Man Utd (English Premier Division) – 29 caps, 3 goals

Nikolay Olshanskiy (24yo Russian DR/DC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 10 caps, 0 goals

Denis Bannikov (23yo Russian DC) – Red Star Belgrade (Serbian Super League) – 9 caps, 0 goals

Central Midfield
So much choice despite Dzagoev, Ozdoev, Russkikh & Poluboyarinov missing through injury. Ghazaryan, Vorobjov & Guliev are in good form to keep their places while Saveljev has also done enough. Bashkirov is in poor form though and loses out to Usachev while Burkin faces a challenge for his place from U21 International Sergey Bagaev & from Alexey Miranchuk who missed all of last season with damaged cruciate ligaments.

Picked

Gevorg Ghazaryan (21yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Dinamo Moscow (Premier Division) – 9 caps, 0 goals

Andrey Saveljev (21yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 8 caps, 1 goal

Victor Vorobjov (24yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Lokomotiv Moscow (Premier Division) – 6 caps, 1 goal

Rashid Usachev (21yo Russian DM/MC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 3 caps, 0 goals

Alexey Miranchuk (27yo Russian AMC/DM, MC) – Lokomotiv Moscow (Premier Division) – 4 caps, 1 goal

Ayaz Guliev (26yo Russian MC/DM) – Volga NN (Premier Division) – 1 cap, 0 goals

Wingers
Problems continue on the right but Yakoviev is fit again and in good form to join Shatov. On the left Cheryshev is once again injured but Kornyukhin just about does enough to keep his place. The second spot is a straight choice between three younger players who are on the fringe – Grachev, Lukjanov & Nikolaev and its Lukjanov that gets the nod due to good club form.

Picked

Oleg Shatov (33yo Russian AMC/AMRL) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 67 caps, 11 goals

Pavel Yakoviev (32yo Russian AML/AMR, ST) – Tosno (Premier Division) – 5 caps, 0 goals

Maxim Kornyukhin (22yo Russian AML) – Metallist (Ukrainian Premier League) – 6 caps, 0 goals

Alexandr Lukjanov (23yo Russian ML/MC) – Ural (Premier Division) - Uncapped

Strikers
Up front I have a problem. Kokorin has declined and isn't match fit while Madilov is recovering from injury and could be included at a push. Kanunnikov is out of favour at club level while both Pronichev & Poloz are in poor form. This leaves Khudalov as the only striker to earn his place. I decide to include Madilov as he has only missed a couple of weeks while the 3rd spot goes to Pronichev as there are a lack of others options.

Picked

Boris Madilov (22yo Russian ST/AMR) – AS Monaco (French Ligue 1) – 40 caps, 10 goals

Maximilian Pronichev (25yo Russian ST/AMC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 16 caps, 3 goals

Alexandr Khudalov (21yo Russian ST) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 2 caps, 1 goal

Wednesday 6th September 2023 – Friendly
Russia (WR 35th) v Italy (WR 5th)

Starting Team (41221): Belenov, Ivanov, Olshanskiy, Kontsedalov, Gadjiev, Usachev, Ghazaryan, Guliev, Shatov, Lukjanov, Khudalov

A friendly gives me the opportunity to have a look at other players. Belenov makes an overdue debut in goal, Lukjanov also debuts on the left while Khudalov makes his first start up front. Gadjiev, Usachev & Guliev also get a chance to stake a claim for a competitive spot.

Italy come to attack with a 343 formation and thats just what they do as we are under pressure at the back. We cope fairly well though with Belenov looking good as the last line until he pushes a vicious shot wide into the path of Berardi. We are quickly level when Shatov gets on the end of a Lukjanov cross at the far post but thats about as good as it gets. An open match sees chances continue at both ends. Ghazaryan sees a penalty saved as does Kornyukhin when he bursts past a defender. Khudalov hits the post & Guliev sees a half chance pushed wide for us while in defence set pieces are finally our undoing as Berardi nods one corner down for Corsi before heading another one in himself. We fall apart late on and Italy could have had several more but its just one when Belotti fires in a 4th.

We did fairly well against strong opposition for 60 minutes before the match got away from us. Belenov & Lukjanov were positives but there were plenty of negatives as well as I tried a few things out.

Final Score: Russia 1-4 Italy

Goals: Shatov (31) ; Berardi (28, 65), Corsi (63), Belotti (80)

MOTM: Berardi (9.4) (Italy)

Monday 11th September 2023 – European Championship Qualifying, Group J (4/8)
Azerbaijan (WR 149th) v Russia (WR 35th)

Starting Team (41221): Lodygin, Minaev, Olshanskiy, Bannikov, Schennikov, Ghazaryan, Vorobjov, Miranchuk, Shatov, Lukjanov, Khudalov

Back to the serious business and there are plenty of changes in team. With Ivanov looking poor against Italy its Minaev who starts at DR while Miranchuk makes a return in the middle and Lukjanov is on the left.

I'm thinking we might have to be patient but Lukjanov has other ideas as he picks out Khudalov with an early cross and he flicks it past the keeper. With an early lead we control the match as Azerbaijan only have a few attacks creating no chances. We don't exactly create that many ourselves but Olshanskiy gives us a cushion after a Shatov freekick is pushed away and a penalty in the second half seals a solid win.

A good performance where we never really got out of 3rd gear. Lukjanov impressed on the left while Khudalov showed why he is the in form striker in Russia.

Final Score: Azerbaijan 0-3 Russia

Goals: Khudalov (2, pen 71), Olshanskiy (31)

MOTM: Khudalov (8.9)

Other Group J Results

Azerbaijan 0-3 FYR Macedonia

Serbia 4-2 Ireland

Serbia 0-0 FYR Macedonia

Cougar2010 · November 12, 2015

National

Russia

October 2023

Preview

Our European Championship Qualifying campaign continues with key games this month. First we travel to FYR Macedonia (WR 65th) who are our main challengers for 2nd place before we play host to Ireland (WR 49th).

Squad Selection

Goalkeepers
Lodygin & Belenov take their places as my only choice is whether to include Akinfeev who is returning from injury having not played since our last International match or look for an alternative. There are three 33yo+ who are on the fringe and in good form but I don't really see the point of including them which leaves me choosing between 27yo Mitryushkin who plays in the First Division and 22yo Kurbatov who is second choice at Volga NN.

Picked

Yury Lodygin (33yo Russian GK) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 33 caps, 0 goals

Alexandr Belenov (37yo Russian GK) – Rubin (Premier Division) – 1 cap, 0 goals

Kirill Kurbatov (22yo Russian GK) – Volga NN (Premier Division) – Uncapped

Fullbacks
With Abakarov & Logashov out of favour at club level its Minaev who continues in his secondary position at DR. For the second spot I have to choose between Ivanov who has been in very average form so far this season and a 34yo in form DL in the shape of Makeev. The left sees me with a similar decision, Schennikov takes his place but with Nabiullin injured Gadjiev is challenged for the place by the in form Makeev. It seems harsh but Makeev just misses out on both sides.

Picked

Magomed Ivanov (21yo Russian DR) – West Bromich Albion (English Premier Division) – 18 caps, 0 goals

Roman Minaev (22yo Russian DL/DR) – Volgar (Premier Division) – 3 caps, 0 goals

Georgy Schennikov (32yo Russian DL) – Dnipro (Ukrainian Premier League) – 60 caps, 0 goals

Murad Gadjiev (23yo Russian DL/DRC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 3 caps, 0 goals

Central Defence
Olshanskiy continues to be the defender in form while Bannikov keeps his place despite not being so good at club level. My big decision is whether to include Kontsedalov who is still struggling for games at Man Utd. Despite us not having many other options one is 30yo Bryzgalov who is in amazing form but I've always had concerns over the physical side of his game – poor in the air and lacks pace. At this stage of the campaign I don't see the point of gambling so Kontsedalov keeps his place.

Picked

Pavel Kontsedalov (22yo Russian DC) – Man Utd (English Premier Division) – 30 caps, 3 goals

Nikolay Olshanskiy (24yo Russian DR/DC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 12 caps, 1 goal

Denis Bannikov (23yo Russian DC) – Red Star Belgrade (Serbian Super League) – 10 caps, 0 goals

Central Midfield
I have a headache in midfield as there are too many players in good form. Ghazaryan's form has dipped a little but he keeps his place as one of our best players and the DM who is most likely to drop into DC which leaves me with five to pick. Ozdoev & Burkin are injured, Russkikh is out of favour at club level, Dzagoev's form simply isn't good enough and I also discount Bagaev who I leave in the U21 squad. That leaves seven chasing the five spots although Poluboyarinov has been playing on the left recently. Usachev is the one in top form while I also include Saveljev & Vorobjov. This leaves Bashkirov, Guliev & Miranchuk for two places and its Guliev thats unlucky to miss out. He is probably the one in the best form at club level but the other two seem better at International level.

Picked

Gevorg Ghazaryan (21yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Dinamo Moscow (Premier Division) – 11 caps, 0 goals

Andrey Saveljev (21yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 9 caps, 1 goal

Victor Vorobjov (24yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Lokomotiv Moscow (Premier Division) – 8 caps, 1 goal

Rashid Usachev (21yo Russian DM/MC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 4 caps, 0 goals

Alexey Miranchuk (27yo Russian AMC/DM, MC) – Lokomotiv Moscow (Premier Division) – 5 caps, 1 goal

Evgeny Bashkirov (32yo Russian DM/MC) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 4 caps, 0 goals

Wingers
If I didn't have enough problems on the right Shatov is injured. This leaves Yakoviev keeping his place while its a choice between playing Madilov (ST) out wide or including an in form, uncapped 30yo fringe player, Gorelishvili. I also have choices on the left where Cheryshev hasn't played since his last injury while Lukjanov's form has dipped. Kornyukhin, Grachev & Nikolaev are all in good form and it would usually be a case of two from three but Poluboyarinov's form demands one spot. Its close for the second place but the edge goes to Kornyukhin who has been a regular in the squad.

Picked

Pavel Yakoviev (32yo Russian AML/AMR, ST) – Tosno (Premier Division) – 7 caps, 0 goals

Maxim Kornyukhin (22yo Russian AML) – Metallist (Ukrainian Premier League) – 7 caps, 0 goals

Danil Poluboyarinov (26yo Russian MC/DM, ML) – Kuban (First Division) – 3 caps, 0 goals

Strikers
Kanunnikov, Kokorin & Ivanov are all out of favour with their clubs while Madilov takes an AMR spot. Khudalov is the striker in form while Pronichev has done enough to keep his place. One spot is up for grabs and I did consider moving in form 19yo Philippov up from the U21s but a former U21 striker is also making waves in the Premier Division – Borisov.

Picked

Boris Madilov (22yo Russian ST/AMR) – AS Monaco (French Ligue 1) – 40 caps, 10 goals

Maximilian Pronichev (25yo Russian ST/AMC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 17 caps, 3 goals

Alexandr Khudalov (21yo Russian ST) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 4 caps, 3 goals

Mikhail Borisov (22yo Russian ST) – Rubin (Premier Division) – Uncapped

Injury News

A massive loss for us on the eve of the Macedonia game as Olshanskiy picks up a knock and even worse the obvious replacement in Bryzgalov has also been injured. It almost certainly means Ghazaryan dropping back into defence while I make the best of a bad situation by calling up a very similar player to Olshanskiy:

Islam Abakarov (23yo Russian DR/DC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 5 caps, 0 goals

Friday 13th October 2023 – European Championship Qualifying, Group J (5/8)
FYR Macedonia (WR 65th) v Russia (WR 40th)

Starting Team (41221): Lodygin, Minaev, Ghazaryan, Bannikov, Schennikov, Usachev, Bashkirov, Miranchuk, Madilov, Poluboyarinov, Khudalov

A massive game in the context of the group as Macedonia sit 2nd but they have beaten Azerbaijan twice so its something of a fake position. With several players looking a little tired from their club exploits my choice is somewhat limited. Ghazaryan drops back into defence while Usachev & Saveljev are likely to play a half each.

Its a horrible performance where Macedonia are poor and we are somehow worse. Macedonia only manage four shots in the first half, we manage one. The second half isn't much better but Macedonia get lucky as Redzepi squeezes in a shot just after the break. We try to respond but the team don't look bothered as qualification looks in real doubt now.

Lost for words, the team were beyond rubbish and we now have to beat Ireland at the very least.

Final Score: FYR Macedonia 1-0 Russia

Goals: Redzepi (48)

MOTM: Zuta (7.3) (Macedonia)

Monday 16th October 2023 – European Championship Qualifying, Group J (6/8)
Russia (WR 40th) v Ireland (WR 49th)

Starting Team (3232): Lodygin, Abakarov, Ghazaryan, Kontsedalov, Ivanov, Gadjiev, Vorobjov, Saveljev, Miranchuk, Pronichev, Madilov

Wholesale changes as I switch to the wingbacks system as I go looking for a needed win.

Ireland lineup 4141 with a striker I know well in Adeyemo and he gives me a real kick in the teeth when he gets on the end of a right wing cross from their first attack of the match. With Ireland settling back to counter attack we take control of possession and dominate much of the match. Madilov wastes the best chance of the first half and with not much being created its looking bad for us in the second. Kornyukhin comes off the bench midway through the second half and adds drive as he runs at the defence. With space starting to be created we are finally rewarded when Ivanov picks out Pronichev with a cross. A tired Khudalov comes off the bench for the final 15 mins as we press for a winner and he provides the spark when the ball is played into his feet at the near post. He draws defenders before squaring for Pronichev to tap in his second and seal a much needed win.

Overall a much better performance after letting Ireland get the early goal. They defended well and we found it hard to break them down but got there in the end. In the grand scheme of things though its looking like the defeat to Macedonia could be key and we may need to win in Serbia to claim 2nd place.

Final Score: Russia 2-1 Ireland

Goals: Pronichev (70, 81) ; Adeyemo (4)

MOTM: Pronichev (8.8)

Other Group J Results

Ireland 4-2 Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan 1-2 Serbia

Cougar2010 · November 15, 2015

National

Russia

November 2023

Preview

The European Championship Qualifying groups come to an end this month and we have serious problems. Macedonia's win last month puts them in pole position for 2nd spot and we need help to overhaul them. We should win our first match easily as we welcome Azerbaijan (WR 153rd) but our final match is away to Serbia (WR 11th) and we might need a win. Macedonia also play Serbia at home in their first match before travelling to Ireland in their last game.

Squad Selection

Goalkeepers
Akinfeev is back fit & in form as he joins Lodygin in the squad. My only choice is whether to stick with Belenov who is in mixed form or bring in a younger player who is playing at First Division/Reserve level.

Picked

Yury Lodygin (33yo Russian GK) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 35 caps, 0 goals

Igor Akinfeev (37yo Russian GK) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 136 caps, 0 goals

Alexandr Belenov (37yo Russian GK) – Rubin (Premier Division) – 1 cap, 0 goals

Fullbacks
I have problems on the left where Gadjiev is just back from injury and not fully fit while Minaev is jaded. Add to that Schennikov, Makeev & Nabiullin are all in very average form. The only DL in good form seems to be 21yo Smirnov (Rostov) and its a question of do I call him up now at this stage or stick with two of the more regular options. Its much the same on the right where no one is showing good form. Ivanov keeps his place by default while with a lack of options I also include Minaev despite him looking jaded.

Picked

Magomed Ivanov (21yo Russian DR) – West Bromich Albion (English Premier Division) – 19 caps, 0 goals

Roman Minaev (22yo Russian DL/DR) – Volgar (Premier Division) – 5 caps, 0 goals

Georgy Schennikov (32yo Russian DL) – Dnipro (Ukrainian Premier League) – 61 caps, 0 goals

Elmir Nabiullin (28yo Russian DL/DR, ML) – Rostov (Premier Division) – 5 caps, 0 goals

Central Defence
With the 41221 not working that well the plan is to use wingbacks as best I can which means I need more DCs in the squad. Both Ghazaryan & Saveljev can drop back from midfield so I'm aiming for five. Bannikov continues to be an easy pick as is Olshanskiy despite a couple of poor club games recently. I have to include Kontsedalov despite him not playing much for Man Utd while Abakarov also keeps his place after doing fairly well last month. That leaves one place and it means a choice between 30yo Bryzgalov or the uncapped, in form Smirnov who can play on the left of a three man defence.

Picked

Pavel Kontsedalov (22yo Russian DC) – Man Utd (English Premier Division) – 31 caps, 3 goals

Nikolay Olshanskiy (24yo Russian DR/DC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 12 caps, 1 goal

Denis Bannikov (23yo Russian DC) – Red Star Belgrade (Serbian Super League) – 11 caps, 0 goals

Islam Abakarov (24yo Russian DR/DC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 7 caps, 0 goals

Vladislav Smirnov (21yo Russian DL/DC) – Rostov (Premier Division) – Uncapped

Central Midfield/Wingers
I've decided this month to work without wingers as we struggle on the right while several of those on the left can play infield. So seven places up for grabs while Usachev, Cheryshev, Russkikh & Yakoviev are all out injured. Ghazaryan keeps his place as the 6th DC while Poluboyarinov, Saveljev & Bashkirov are in good form. This leaves Shatov, Dzagoev, Kornyukhin, Miranchuk, Vorobjov & Guliev chasing three spots. Shatov & Vorobjov take two spots on their previous International form while I gamble on Kornyukhin ahead of Guliev for the last place.

Picked

Gevorg Ghazaryan (22yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Dinamo Moscow (Premier Division) – 13 caps, 0 goals

Andrey Saveljev (21yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 11 caps, 1 goal

Victor Vorobjov (24yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Lokomotiv Moscow (Premier Division) – 9 caps, 1 goal

Evgeny Bashkirov (32yo Russian DM/MC) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 5 caps, 0 goals

Maxim Kornyukhin (22yo Russian AML) – Metallist (Ukrainian Premier League) – 9 caps, 0 goals

Danil Poluboyarinov (26yo Russian MC/DM, ML) – Kuban (First Division) – 4 caps, 0 goals

Oleg Shatov (33yo Russian AMC/AMRL) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 69 caps, 12 goals

Strikers
Pronichev is the main name missing through injury while Khudalov is once again the striker in form. Kokorin returns after injury while Madilov is also included despite not starting many games for Monaco. Last month I took the chance to have a look at Borisov but I wasn't that impressed so this month I move 19yo Maslovskiy up from the U21s.

Picked

Boris Madilov (22yo Russian ST/AMR) – AS Monaco (French Ligue 1) – 42 caps, 10 goals

Alexandr Kokorin (32yo Russian ST/AMC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 83 caps, 29 goals

Alexandr Khudalov (21yo Russian ST) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 6 caps, 3 goals

Sergey Maslovskiy (19yo Russian ST/AML) – Rostov (Premier Division) – Uncapped

Friday 17th November 2023 – European Championship Qualifying, Group J (7/8)
Russia (WR 32nd) v Azerbaijan (WR 153rd)

Starting Team (3232): Akinfeev, Abakarov, Kontsedalov, Smirnov, Ivanov, Schennikov, Bashkirov, Vorobjov, Kornyukhin, Madilov, Kokorin

This should be in theory the easiest game of the campaign and given we'll probably need a result against Serbia I rest some of our main players. Smirnov makes his debut in defence while Kokorin returns up front.

Its a cold snowy day which levels the match somewhat but the team stamp their authority on the game early. Ivanov crosses for Madilov to open the scoring before a Madilov freekick sees the keeper get fingertips to the ball, Kokorin pulling it back for Kontsedalov to drill in. We dominate possession and create plenty of chances with Kokorin claiming a hattrick while Vorobjov heads in a wide freekick. Felek heads in an Azerbaijan freekick to claim a late consolation but its a case of job done as we wrap up a professional performance.

A massive difference from last month as the team played with confidence & tempo constantly taking the game to Azerbaijan. In the other group match Serbia did us a huge favour scoring late to seal a 1-0 win over Macedonia.

Final Score: Russia 6-1 Azerbaijan

Goals: Madilov (2), Kontsedalov (3), Kokorin (27, 50, 64), Vorobjov (28) ; Felek (75)

MOTM: Kokorin (9.7)

Injury News

Alexandr Kokorin (ST) picks up a back strain in training for the Serbia game and its too late to call up a replacement.

Monday 20th November 2023 – European Championship Qualifying, Group J (8/8)
Serbia (WR 11th) v Russia (WR 32nd)

Starting Team (3232): Akinfeev, Olshanskiy, Ghazaryan, Bannikov, Ivanov, Schennikov, Poluboyarinov, Saveljev, Shatov, Khudalov, Madilov

I've saved the likes of Shatov, Olshanskiy, Bannikov & Khudalov for this match as we go looking for a draw which will confirm us in 2nd whatever Macedonia do in Ireland.

We make a bright start but Serbia's attacking formation quickly overpowers us forcing us back. They get stronger as the half goes on but we defend well with Saponjic seeing two goals ruled out for clear offside. Eventually the pressure tells though as Saponjic heads in to give Serbia the lead at the break. With Macedonia scoring either side of halftime in Ireland its clear we need to dig ourselves out of the hole. Serbia switch to a more defensive 4132 as we look to attack and the game swings our way as its Serbia under pressure. Chances are hard to come by but we are eventually rewarded when Madilov drives into the box, getting up to fire in the penalty. A draw is enough for us and with Serbia having already won the group they seem happy to shut up shop & play out the match.

A tough game but I feel like we could have played better. Khudalov didn't bring his club form & Shatov was disappointing in midfield but we got the job done and finished 2nd.

Final Score: Serbia 1-1 Russia

Goals: Saponjic (36) ; Madilov (pen 74)

MOTM: Ignjovski (7.7) (Serbia)

Other Group J Results

FYR Macedonia 0-1 Serbia

Ireland 0-2 FYR Macedonia

So we made 2nd place and nine of the ten 2nd place finishers go to the European Championships, who missed out?

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Nobby_McDonald · November 16, 2015

Well done qualifying Cougar.

Cougar2010 · November 17, 2015

National

Russia

2024 European Championship Preview

Qualifying

Host nation Spain qualified automatically while all the other nations went into 10 qualifying groups.

The 10 group winners qualified directly for the finals: England, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland, Germany, Turkey, Austria, Italy, France & Serbia.

They were joined by the best nine 2nd placed teams from the ten groups: Israel, Slovenia, Croatia, Scotland, Czech Republic, Greece, Sweden, Ukraine & Russia.

The final four places were decided by playoffs. The unlucky 2nd placed nation, Portugal seem to be randomly joined by 15 other nations (Not including Macedonia who pushed us in the group). 16 were reduced to 8 via a one off match and then further reduced to the four who go to the finals: Poland, Slovakia, Denmark & Estonia.

Group Draw

The 24 finalists are drawn into six groups of four. We (Russia) are in the third pot of seeds:

Group A
Hosts Spain have seen their ranking drop partly due to playing friendlies but also because results haven't been good since winning the World Cup in 2018 culminating in their failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Israel on the other hand have had strong qualifying campaigns for both the 2022 World Cup (where they just missed out) and these Euros which sees them as the highest ranked team in the group. Greece's performances more or less mirror Israel finishing 2nd in the last two qualifying campaigns and they'll be looking to at least match their 2020 effort where they reached the quarter finals. That leaves Poland who might be seen as outsiders having come through the playoffs (after being well beaten by Turkey & Czech Rep in the group) but they are the only team in the group that made it to the 2022 World Cup and shouldn't be written off.

Spain (WR 35th) – Hosts

Israel (WR 20th)

Greece (WR 25th)

Poland (WR 30th)

Group B
Italy have drawn a tough group but the 2020 European semi finalists & 2021 Nations League winners have walked their last two qualifying campaigns and will be amongst the favourites to lift the trophy. Behind them Serbia could well be the dark horses of the tournament having gone unbeaten in their last two qualifying campaigns & making the knockout stages of the 2020 Euros & 2022 World Cup. After their failure to make the 2020 Euros Sweden have improved going out in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup but they were in the same group as Italy in qualifying and the signs are they struggle against the top nations. Austria will feel hard done by after winning their qualifying group but in truth it was an easier one (Greece finished 2nd) while heavy defeats in the group stage of the 2020 Euros were followed by failure to reach the 2022 World Cup.

Italy (WR 7th)

Serbia (WR 8th)

Sweden (WR 14th)

Austria (WR 21st)

Group C
We have had about as good as draw as we could have hoped for. We made the knockout stages of the last Euros and went to the 2022 World Cup but since then a lot of regular internationals have retired. I'm still confident we can get through the group but thats about the best we can hope for. Belgium will be clear favourites for the group after making the knockout stages of the last four major tournaments as well as being Nations League runners up in 2021. Switzerland made the knockout stages of the 2020 Euros and went to the 2022 World Cup. They had a poor Nations League campaign but bounced back in qualifying scoring a lot of goals (39 over 10 matches). Having not reached a major tournament since the 2016 Euros and needing the playoffs to qualify this time round Slovakia are the rank outsiders of the group.

Belgium (WR 3rd)

Switzerland (WR 17th)

Russia (WR 34th)

Slovakia (WR 53rd)

Group D
France may well be the favourites by the time the Euros start as they have a strong tournament pedigree. Runners up at both the 2020 Euros and 2022 World Cup while they are twice Nations League semi finalists before lifting the trophy last year. Turkey failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup but the 2020 Euro semi finalists have bounced back strongly with an unbeaten campaign this time round. Denmark made the knockout stages of the 2020 Euros and followed it up by making the quarter finals of the 2022 World Cup but a poor qualifying campaign where they needed the playoffs to qualify suggest they might be on the slide. Estonia beat Kazakhstan & Iceland in the playoffs to make their first major tournament and they are just happy to be here.

France (WR 5th)

Turkey (WR 13th)

Denmark (WR 15th)

Estonia (WR 117th)

Group E
Since coming 4th at the 2018 World Cup Germany haven't lived up to the expectations of the fans. They failed to get past the group stage of the 2020 Euros & 2022 World Cup but fared slightly better in the Nations League where they have made the last two semi finals. Their rivals Holland on the other hand have been turning up in tournaments. 2020 Euro winners the defending champions were also runners up at the 2021 Confederations Cup & in the 2023 Nations League. The only blot on their copybook was losing to Mexico in the 2nd Round of the 2022 World Cup. Czech Republic are appearing in their first major tournament in 12 years but they always have decent qualifying campaigns and will be looking to cause an upset here. Making the quarter finals of the 2020 Euros was the high point of Slovenia's recent history, since then they've failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and slipped a long way down in the rankings.

Germany (WR 9th)

Holland (WR 12th) – Defending Champions

Czech Republic (WR 28th)

Slovenia (WR 59th)

Group F
England much like Germany have struggled in tournaments. They made the quarter finals of the 2020 Euros before going out in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup although both times were due to Italy while Nations League results have also been less than impressive. Ukraine seem to have been on a steady decline since reaching the quarter finals of the 2018 World Cup. Heavy defeats in the group stage of the 2020 Euros were followed by failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup while also disappointing in the Nations League. Croatia on the other hand have been steady performers in tournaments with Holland being their nemesis knocking them out of both the 2020 Euros (2nd Round) and the 2022 World Cup (Group stage). Scotland have a terrible record in World Cup qualifying having not been in the finals since 1998 but the Euros are a different matter. They improved on their group stage performance in 2016 by making the knockout stages in 2020 only to lose to their rivals England and will be looking for revenge this year.

England (WR 10th)

Ukraine (WR 16th)

Croatia (WR 22nd)

Scotland (WR 24th)

Cougar2010 · November 19, 2015

National

Russia

May 2024

European Championship Squad Selection

A 30 man preliminary squad is allowed which will be cut down nearer to the tournament starting.

Goalkeepers
At 38yo Akinfeev has finally declined but he is still good enough to be second choice in what is probably his last tournament. Lodygin has been in good form this season and will be the main choice which leaves me looking for a 3rd choice. Belenov is out of the running as injuries mean he hasn't played since Xmas while I don't see any point in picking a player who is over 32yo and uncapped. This leaves me with three options – My staff recommend 29yo Mahammadaliyev but he hasn't been that good in the Premier Division, 28yo Mitryushkin has had a good season but in the First Division while our current U21 keeper Kharitonov has also had a good season but at reserve level. Kharitonov looks to have a big future so gets the nod while I opt for Mitryushkin in case of injuries.

Picked

Yury Lodygin (33yo Russian GK) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 35 caps, 0 goals

Igor Akinfeev (38yo Russian GK) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 138 caps, 0 goals

Ilja Kharitonov (20yo Russian GK) – Rubin (Premier Division) – Uncapped

Anton Mitryushkin (28yo Russian GK) – SKA Khabarovsk (First Division) – Uncapped

Fullbacks
Right has been something of a problem, partly made worse by both Olshanskiy & Abakarov playing more central. I'm looking for three on each side and I have to include Ivanov despite him not having the best of seasons while Minaev has been in good form to force his way in. Uncapped 28yo Karavaev may have had a chance had it not been a tournament while Logashov has had a poor season. This leaves Makeev as an easy choice as he has been one of the best fullbacks in the Premier Division this season. Schennikov has been a regular in the squads and done enough to take a place but there are five players vying for the other two spots. Gadjiev, Nabiullin & Smirnov have all been involved in qualifying while uncapped 27yo Skopintsev has been as good as any of them this season. The last possibility is 19yo Shmarov who is a regular U21 International and has really stepped up at club level this season. Smirnov is likely to be more of a DC pick while it seems unfair to pick Skopintsev or Gadjiev now when it was Gadjiev & Nabiullin that got us here.

Picked

Magomed Ivanov (22yo Russian DR) – West Bromich Albion (English Premier Division) – 21 caps, 0 goals

Roman Minaev (22yo Russian DL/DR) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 5 caps, 0 goals

Evgeny Makeev (34yo Russian DL/DRC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 57 caps, 0 goals

Georgy Schennikov (33yo Russian DL) – Dnipro (Ukrainian Premier League) – 63 caps, 0 goals

Elmir Nabiullin (29yo Russian DRL/ML) – Rostov (Premier Division) – 7 caps, 0 goals

Murad Gadjiev (24yo Russian DL/DRC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 4 caps, 0 goals

Central Defence
Olshanskiy & Bannikov are easy picks while I include Kontsedalov who isn't in the best form but at least has been getting games on loan at Lyon. 31yo Bryzgalov has had an outstanding season but misses out through injury which leaves Abakarov & Smirnov claiming spots by default. Without any other viable options that aren't scraping the bottom of the barrel I just name five and hope none get injured. In practice several of our classy DMs can drop back into defence to fill in.

Picked

Pavel Kontsedalov (22yo Russian DC) – On Loan at Lyon (French Ligue 1) – 32 caps, 4 goals

Nikolay Olshanskiy (25yo Russian DR/DC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 13 caps, 1 goal

Denis Bannikov (24yo Russian DC) – Red Star Belgrade (Serbian Super League) – 12 caps, 0 goals

Islam Abakarov (24yo Russian DR/DC) – On Loan at Rostov (Premier Division) – 8 caps, 0 goals

Vladislav Smirnov (21yo Russian DL/DC) – Rostov (Premier Division) – 1 cap, 0 goals

Central Midfield/Wingers
Vorobjov is the big loser having not played since January due to knee tendonitis while U21 star Bagaev also misses out with a torn calf muscle. Ghazaryan, Usachev, Shatov, Poluboyarinov, Bashkirov, Guliev & Burkin have all had good seasons to claim places. This leaves three spots with Dzagoev, Saveljev, Kornyukhin & Miranchuk the main options. Saveljev is struggling to settle since his £9m move to Zenit but deserves to be included as does Kornyukhin which leaves Dzagoev or Miranchuk missing out. Dzagoev has the experience and gets the nod.

Picked

Gevorg Ghazaryan (22yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Dinamo Moscow (Premier Division) – 15 caps, 0 goals

Andrey Saveljev (22yo Russian DM/DC, MC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 12 caps, 1 goal

Rashid Usachev (22yo Russian DM/MC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 5 caps, 0 goals

Evgeny Bashkirov (32yo Russian DM/MC) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 6 caps, 0 goals

Alan Dzagoev (33yo Russian MC/DM, ML) – CSKA Moscow (Premier Division) – 110 caps, 13 goals

Ayaz Guliev (27yo Russian MC/DM) – Volga NN (Premier Division) – 2 caps, 0 goals

Maxim Kornyukhin (23yo Russian AML) – Metallist (Ukrainian Premier League) – 11 caps, 0 goals

Danil Poluboyarinov (27yo Russian MC/DM, ML) – Kuban (First Division) – 5 caps, 0 goals

Oleg Shatov (33yo Russian AMC/AMRL) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 70 caps, 12 goals

Oleg Burkin (24yo Russian AMC/MC) – Krasnodar (Premier Division) – 6 caps, 1 goal

Strikers
Five places available up front and Madilov, Khudalov & Pronichev have all had good seasons. Behind them the last two spots aren't so clear. Kanunnikov, Poloz & Ivanov have all had poor seasons, Kokorin has declined to the point where he has lost his club place while possible utility forwards Yakoviev (poor form) & Cheryshev (Injury problems) also miss out. That leaves 19yo Maslovskiy keeping his place while 20yo Philippov is one of our best U21 strikers.

Picked

Boris Madilov (22yo Russian ST/AMR) – AS Monaco (French Ligue 1) – 44 caps, 12 goals

Maximilian Pronichev (26yo Russian ST/AMC) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 18 caps, 5 goals

Alexandr Khudalov (22yo Russian ST) – Zenit St Petersburg (Premier Division) – 8 caps, 3 goals

Sergey Maslovskiy (19yo Russian ST/AML) – Rostov (Premier Division) – 1 cap, 0 goals

Vitaly Philippov (20yo Russian ST/ML) – Terek (First Division) – Uncapped

Final Selection

Cutting seven players is fairly tough. Mitryushkin in goal & Philippov up front are the easy choices. At fullback I simply can't find room for Makeev while Gadjiev misses out. That leaves me with three MCs to cut, Dzagoev is one given his form hasn't been as good while Bashkirov & Guliev are unlucky to miss out due to not performing as well at International level.

Cougar2010 · November 19, 2015

National

Russia

June 2024

Preview – Warm Up Games

I've booked three warm up games – First a home match against Czech Republic before we visit Austria enroute to a final game against Spanish 2nd Division side Albacete.

Friday 31st May 2024 – Friendly
Russia (WR 33rd) v Czech Republic (WR 29th)

Starting Team (3232): Lodygin, Olshanskiy, Kontsedalov, Smirnov, Minaev, Nabiullin, Ghazaryan, Usachev, Burkin, Khudalov, Pronichev

First friendly and the aim is just to keep everyone match fit.

Czech Republic bring a defensive, counter attacking formation and after an even start it seems to work in their favour as we struggle to break them down while they use the space to look dangerous. We seem to be coping until an overhit cross is fired back across goal with Bartl heading in. Our performance goes downhill from there as Czech Republic take control. Changes in the second half and the addition of some subs swing the match in our favour as we start to pressure their defence. Burkin & Pronichev see chances saved while Olshanskiy comes close from a corner. We finish on the front foot but just can't find an equaliser in a tight match.

Not the best way to warm up for a tournament as the team looked like a bunch of individuals. We looked better when we attacked and a draw would have been a fair result but I just have to hope teamwork improves over the next couple of friendlies.

Final Score: Russia 0-1 Czech Republic

Goals: Bartl (26)

MOTM: Bartl (7.7) (Czech Republic)

Wednesday 5th June 2024 – Friendly
Austria (WR 21st) v Russia (WR 33rd)

Starting Team (3232): Akinfeev, Abakarov, Bannikov, Ghazaryan, Ivanov, Schennikov, Poluboyarinov, Saveljev, Kornyukhin, Maslovskiy, Madilov

The other half of the squad face Austria.

Austria line up 442 but with two DMs which is again tough to break down. We edge possession & shots in the first half but the closest we come to scoring is a freekick from Madilov that clips the bar. Its more of the same in the second half and it feels like a dull 0-0 draw until Ivanov gifts Austria a controversial penalty when he dives in on the edge of the 18 yard box.

Austria seemed to have more motivation & drive as the team just didn't look like they wanted to play. They wouldn't close down, tackle or chase balls. Maybe it was because it was a friendly but they really need to put more effort in once the tournament starts.

Final Score: Austria 1-0 Russia

Goals: Friesenbichler (pen 58)

MOTM: Merkl (7.0) (Austria)

Sunday 9th June 2024 – Friendly
Albacete (Spanish 2nd Division) v Russia (WR 33rd)

Starting Team (3232): Kharitonov, Abakarov, Kontsedalov, Smirnov, Minaev, Nabiullin, Shatov, Usachev, Burkin, Khudalov, Pronichev

Last warm up game and 20yo Kharitonov gets to play in goal while its just a case of keeping match fitness up elsewhere.

A better performance as we keep possession more but we still seem to lack understanding. Albacete create nothing for much of the match while Burkin gives us an early lead when a corner is half cleared as he drills the ball through a crowd. Half chances come & go most notably for Pronichev & Khudalov while Minaev should have done better when a freekick finds him unmarked at the far post. Olshanskiy comes off the bench and forces in a late corner to give us a cushion while Albacete finally create a half chance in injury time.

Its an improvement and the team seem to put a bit more effort in but I still have concerns.

Final Score: Albacete 0-2 Russia

Goals: Burkin (12), Olshanskiy (85)

MOTM: Burkin (8.1)

Cougar2010 · November 22, 2015

National

Russia

June 2024

Preview – Group Games

We start against Slovakia and we should be looking to win before facing Belgium and then finally Switzerland.

Sunday 16th June 2024 – European Championships, Group C (1/3)
Russia (WR 33rd) v Slovakia (WR 53rd)

Starting Team (3232): Lodygin, Olshanskiy, Kontsedalov, Smirnov, Ivanov, Nabiullin, Ghazaryan, Saveljev, Shatov, Madilov, Pronichev

First match and a clean bill of health for the squad. Schennikov & Poluboyarinov are a little jaded after a long season and both are rested here as I look to manage their fitness.

An even start with two solid defences means set pieces look the biggest goal threat in the first half although Madilov does put a good chance into the side netting from a narrow angle. We look the stronger in the second half as the match swings our way with Pronichev seeing a good chance saved. With the match looking like dying out I introduce subs to spark some life into the team and push for a winner. It pays off when Ivanov finds Madilov, his header is saved at the base of the post by the keepers foot but Madilov follows up to force the ball over the line. A quick break sees us with a cushion as we move into injury time when Nabiullin chips the ball to Ivanov at the far post and he puts it back across goal for Naiullin to fire in himself. Deep into injury time Madilov puts the icing on the cake when he gets on the end of another Ivanov cross to wrap up a massive win.

We were the better team, had more possession, more shots and created the chances but 3-0 was somewhat fortunate. The defence were solid while with a wingbacks formation you need the two wide players to play well and both were outstanding.

Final Score: Russia 3-0 Slovakia

Goals: Gyomber (og 86), Nabiullin (90), Madilov (90)

MOTM: Nabiullin (8.5)

Other Group Match

Switzerland 0-5 Belgium

Thursday 20th June 2024 – European Championships, Group C (2/3)
Belgium (WR 3rd) v Russia (WR 33rd)

Starting Team (3232): Lodygin, Bannikov, Olshanskiy, Kontsedalov, Ivanov, Schennikov, Poluboyarinov, Usachev, Kornyukhin, Maslovskiy, Khudalov

Plenty of rotation as I look to save players for the Switzerland match.

Belgium lineup 4222 which leaves Lukaku & Origi somewhat isolated but they are good enough to cause us problems by themselves. Lukaku's pace is a huge issue for Bannikov and he has already been stretched once by the time Lukaku uses his pace & strength to beat him to a long ball only to put his shot wide. I tweak the tactics to sit a little deeper and it works as Belgium are forced to play through us. They have had the better half but created just the one chance. I'm looking for the same in the second but Tielemans has other ideas as he finds the net from a freekick as the ball clips the inside of the post. We stick with the plan but Kontsedalov is deemed to have pushed a player during a wide freekick giving up a penalty. With nothing to lose we switch to attack and get back in the match when Olshanskiy nods down a corner for Poluboyarinov to smash in. We press for an equaliser but get caught on the break as Origi wraps up a second win for Belgium.

Generally you would say a poor performance but we kept Belgium quiet for much of the match with a great freekick & a soft penalty swinging it their way. Even after that we could have had an equaliser but just got caught out. Bannikov was terrible and has probably lost his place for the rest of the tournament.

Final Score: Belgium 3-1 Russia

Goals: Tielemans (46), Lukaku (pen 58), Origi (77) ; Poluboyarinov (66)

MOTM: Tielemans (9.0) (Belgium)

Other Group Match

Slovakia 0-3 Switzerland

Tuesday 25th June 2024 – European Championships, Group C (3/3)
Switzerland (WR 17th) v Russia (WR 33rd)

Starting Team (3232): Lodygin, Olshanskiy, Kontsedalov, Smirnov, Minaev, Schennikov, Ghazaryan, Saveljev, Burkin, Madilov, Pronichev

Last group match and a draw will see both teams through to the knockout stages whereas a win for either team will probably see the other team knocked out.

Switzerland make the better start edging the early stages of the match with Shaqiri coming close when he clips the bar with a freekick. We respond later in the half with Madilov also hitting the bar with a turn & shot from the edge of the box. An even half with no chances swings our way just before the break when a Burkin shot from the edge of the box slips through the keeper. With the lead we look the better team in the second half. Confidence flows later in the half knowing a draw is enough to send us through. Maslovskiy comes off the bench and gets on the end of a Minaev cross only to hit the bar before finally settling it when he rises to head in a Madilov cross.

A nervy start but once we settled we matched Switzerland. The goal gave us confidence and we went on to turn in a good performance against higher ranked opposition. Burkin in particular seems to benefit from this formation while Olshanskiy continues to impress in defence.

Final Score: Switzerland 0-2 Russia

Goals: Burkin (45), Maslovskiy (82)

MOTM: Burkin (7.7)

Other Group Match

Belgium 2-0 Slovakia

Cougar2010 · November 22, 2015

National

Russia

2024 European Championship Group Stage Roundup

Group A

There were huge question marks over hosts, Spain in the run up to the tournament but they squashed the doubters with three straight wins to top the group. A win over Israel in their first match set Poland on their way to a steady campaign claiming 2nd while a win over Greece was enough for Israel to sneak through to the knockout stages. Greece will be disappointed with their performance managing just the one draw in their last match against Poland.

Group B

Italy made easy work of a tough group as they walked their first two matches before Serbia shocked them in the last match but it didn't matter as they had already qualified. Austria had close wins over both Serbia & Sweden to finish 2nd while Serbia's shock win over Italy was enough to see them through in 3rd. Sweden recovered from a bad result against Italy to draw with Serbia giving them a chance against Austria in the final match but just came up short.

Group C

Belgium conceded just the one goal as they claimed maximum points and narrowed the odds on them winning the tournament. We finished 2nd with wins over both Switzerland & Slovakia to go through to the knockout stages but a single win for Switzerland wasn't enough to see them join us. Slovakia go home disappointed with no points & no goals.

Group D

France were expected to cruise through the group and thats what happened with a draw in the final game enough to see them top. At the other end of the table Estonia were content to just be here and will be pleased they didn't disgrace themselves conceding just seven goals in three games. Inbetween Turkey won the head to head first match battle with Denmark which secured 2nd while a final game draw with France was enough to see Denmark through as well.

Group E

Like Spain there were huge question marks over Germany going into the championships after crashing out at the group stage of the previous two major tournaments. They set the record straight this time round though as a narrow win over their rivals in the first match saw them go on to top the group with maximum points. Holland recovered to despatch Slovenia in style while a draw with the Czech Republic in their last match was enough to see them through. A draw between the two lower ranked nations in their first match didn't do either of them any favours as they both faced an uphill battle to qualify.

Group F

Group F proved to be the closest of the groups with all four teams in with a chance of going through in the last match. Ukraine were in pole position having drawn with Croatia before a big win over over Scotland while Scotland & England had a win each. The last matches saw Ukraine & England play out a draw which was always enough to put them both through while Croatia edged Scotland to book a place in the knockout stages.

Knockout Stage Draw

With the draw made we get a good one but its in the worst half. Poland vs Russia will be seen as the worst of the 2nd round matches with whoever makes it through seen as surprise quarter finalists. After that it will get tougher as the winner will get Serbia or France while two of the favourites Holland & Italy are also on course for a quarter final contest. The other half of the draw sees all the less fancied teams and one of them will make the final. Belgium/Germany & Spain/England are possible quarter finals and all four will be looking to improve on their recent poor tournament records.

BadManager · November 23, 2015

Well done getting through the group stage, especially as it was looking dicey whether you would be there at all. From now on, anything can happen in any game. Hopefully you get past Poland, and then who knows.

Cougar2010 · November 26, 2015

***Apologies to anyone reading for the lack of consistent updates recently unfortunately work has took over somewhat and I just haven't had the energy or desire to write/post when I've been at home.***

National

Russia

June 2024

Saturday 29th June 2024 – European Championships (2nd Round)
Poland (WR 31st) v Russia (WR 33rd)

Starting Team (3232): Lodygin, Abakarov, Bannikov, Smirnov, Ivanov, Nabiullin, Poluboyarinov, Usachev, Shatov, Madilov, Maslovskiy

Its a great draw for us and we have a massive opportunity to make the quarter finals. Poland's star player is one I'm very familiar with and one who has been a thorn in my side before – Michael Zyro who plays for Celtic. Once again plenty of rotation as many players are getting tired from a long season. Maslovskiy's good performances sees him start alongside Madilov while Shatov also starts as I save some of our better performers for the second half.

Poland pack the midfield which leads to a dull game as they control possession making it difficult for us to get forward while our defence have few problems dealing with a lone forward. As the half progresses Poland gain more & more control although we come close when Abakarov hits the bar from a corner. Just before the break Stepinski puts Poland in control with an angled shot from the edge of the box. I look for more in the second half but my gamble doesn't pay off as a tired team have trouble breaking down an organised Polish defence. With no chances for either team Stepinski's shot is enough to send them into the quarter finals as we crash out.

A poor performance from a tired team after I used up my resources getting out of the group.

Final Score: Poland 1-0 Russia

Goals: Stepinski (44)

MOTM: Stepinski (8.3) (Poland)

European Championships - 2nd Round

The big match of the 2nd round saw dark horses Serbia put out favourites France while in the same half its the expected quarter final of Italy vs Holland. In the bottom half Spain, England & Germany all make it through but Croatia upset Belgium to make their first quarter final since 2008.

European Championships – Quarter Finals

With the draw opening up Serbia cruised into the semi finals while the battle of the favourites saw a red card for Italy and a penalty for Holland enough to send the defending champions into another semi final. The other half of the draw saw the hosts send England home while Croatia continued to surprise by dumping Germany out.

European Championships – Semi Finals

Holland once again proved to be the tournament masters as they negotiated their way to another final. The other semi saw the hosts return to form ending the run of Croatia.

European Championships – Final

Spain had put six years of poor form behind them to make the final on home soil but they came up short against the defending champions as Holland retained the trophy winning the tournament for the 3rd time.

Awards

Best Player

1st Paco Alcacer (30yo Spanish ST)

2nd Davy Klaassen (31yo Dutch AMC)

3rd Isco (32yo Spanish AMC)

Golden Boot

1st Romelu Lukaku (31yo Belgian ST) – 5 goals, 1 assist

2nd Enes Unal (27yo Turkish ST) – 5 goals

3rd Aleksandar Mitrovic (29yo Serbian ST) – 5 goals

Goal of the Tournament

1st Jose Gaya (29yo Spanish ML/DL) – vs Croatia

2nd Craig Wighton (26yo Scottish ST/AMC) – vs Ukraine

3rd Vladimir Darida (33yo Czech MC/MR, ST) – vs Holland

Dream Team

GK – Yanick van Osch (27yo Dutch GK)

DR – Tarik Goes (24yo Dutch DR)

DC – Tin Jedvaj (28yo Croatian DC/DR)

DC – Calvin Verdonk (27yo Dutch DLC)

DL – Terence Kongolo (30yo Dutch DLC)

MR – Quincy Promes (32yo Dutch MR/ST)

MC – Davy Klaassen (31yo Dutch AMC/ST)

MC – Isco (32yo Spanish AMLC/ST)

ML – Raheem Sterling (29yo English AMLC/AMR, ST)

ST – Paco Alcacer (30yo Spanish ST)

ST – Romelu Lukaku (31yo Belgian ST)

Sub – Dominik Livakovic (29yo Croatian GK)

Sub – Emre Can (30yo German MC/DLC, DM)

Sub – Julian Brandt (28yo German AML, ST/AMRC)

Sub – Luka Jovic (26yo Serbian ST/AMRL)

Sub – Richairo Zivkovic (27yo Dutch ST/AML)

Sub – Alessandro Florenzi (33yo Italian MRC)

Sub – Aleksandar Mitrovic (29yo Serbian ST)

Sub – Saul (29yo Spanish DM, MC/DC, ML)

Sub – Mateo Kovacic (30yo Croatian MC)

Sub – Sebastian Burgos (25yo Spanish AMC/AMR)

Sub – Domenico Berardi (29yo Italian ST/AMR)

Sub – Jose Gaya (29yo Spanish ML/DL)

Russian FA Performance Review

The FA are relatively satisfied with my performance overall as I matched their target but the fans are harder to please, I don't think they've been happy with any result.

Although Russia are happy for me to stay on I had already decided before the tournament that it was time to move on. I don't feel we are making much progress and there are significant weaknesses in certain areas which means it will be difficult to achieve what the fans & FA want. I'm also keen to get back to the day to day activities of club football.

Friday 19th July 2024 – Resigned from Russia.

Cougar2010 · November 28, 2015

My reputation is much higher than the last time I was looking for a job and I kinda expected at least a few interview offers after I left Russia.

International sides took an interest as Czech Republic (WR 34th), Greece (WR 41st) & Norway (WR 43rd) all offered me jobs but I'm looking for club football so turn them down.

A few weeks pass and with my inbox looking empty I decide to be more proactive. The Scottish Premiership is currently ranked 21st in European leagues with a 3* reputation but was as high as 11th with a 3.5* reputation during my time at Raith. Looking at the job centre I'm picky as to what I apply for, Liverpool (English Premier Division) & Barcelona (Spanish Liga BBVA) are both available but I don't think I stand a chance of getting them. There are three that do fit what I'm looking for though and applications are sent – Maribor (Slovenian First League), Basel (Swiss Super League) & Elfsborg (Swedish Premier Division).

I attend interviews at both Maribor & Basel but the Elfsborg application was sent a week after the other two and they are slow to respond. Basel are the first to offer me a job but I need to consider.

Basel are the biggest of the three clubs and the Swiss League has the highest reputation of the three leagues but they want me to play attacking football while the squad seems to be very much in transition and needs a lot of work which may make the targets difficult to meet. They also don't seem to give managers much time with the last three sacked after two seasons.

Maribor suit my style of play better, their facilities are possibly marginally better than Basels, their squad is strong for the league with three titles in the last five years and the board seem to be more patient but the league overall is much lower ranked. I also haven't been offered a job yet but I think I'm in contention.

Elfsborg is the third club but I haven't even had an interview with them yet. The Swedish league sits inbetween the Slovenian & Swiss leagues in reputation while Elfsborg are more of a mid table club in the league. Expectations would be lower but facilities & finances are poorer as well with the club currently struggling against relegation.

Maribor I think is my preferred choice but Basel are the ones that have made an offer and its a good one. Even if I'm just there a couple of years it'll be an experience and taking on a rebuild can work in your favour as you can bring in players you want. With bags packed Switzerland is my destination.

Switzerland

Basel

Contract: Started 22.08.24 on £62,000 a month until June 2027

Club Philosophies: Play attacking football & Develop players using the club's youth system

Promises: None

Background

The club was founded in 1893 and is based in Basel which is one of the biggest cities in Switzerland sitting right on the border of Switzerland, France & Germany.

Stadium: St Jakob-Park 38,512 capacity all-seater (Rented at £2.47m per year).

Honours

19*Swiss Super League Winners (1953, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1980, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016)

13*Swiss Cup Winners (1933, 1947, 1963, 1967, 1975, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2019, 2021)

Affiliated Clubs

Breitenbach (Swiss Non-League) – Local loan partnership.

FC Saint-Louis Neuweg (French Non-League) – First option, youth benefits.

Hospitalet (Spanish 2nd Division) – First option

Ordabasy (Kazakh Super League) – First option

SC Ashdod (Israeli National League) – First option

Rivals

Zurich (Fierce, Historic)

Grasshoppers (Other, Historic)

Young Boys (Other, Competitive)

Facilities

Great training facilities

Excellent youth facilities

Good junior coaching

Extensive youth recruitment

Finances

No loans and a solid £28m sitting in the bank. Looking back over the last five years the bank account has peaked at £35m and dipped as low as £15m last season but has generally sat between £25m & £30m. Last season they more or less broke even before a net loss of £3.5m on transfers.

Cougar2010 · November 28, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

Competitions

This year is Basel's 31st consecutive season in the Swiss top flight since returning in 1994. Despite not winning the title in the last eight years they have been consistent challengers, last finishing outside the top three in the 2000/01 season. Zurich are the defending champions having won the title for seven years in a row while along with ourselves, Young Boys & St Gallen are seen as the main challengers. Its still early in the season with just six matches gone but already Zurich are setting the pace at the top.

Basel have already been knocked out of Europe losing in the EURO Cup 3rd Qualifying Round to Eskisehirspor (Turkish Super League) while the Swiss Cup is yet to get underway.

The board informed me of their expectations for the season and as I already knew they are quite tough:

Swiss Super League: Qualify for the European Champion's Cup (Top two in the league)

Swiss Cup: Final

The Squad

An initial glance at the squad seems to indicate its in disarray. No players have been signed this summer while just two have joined in each of the last four years although Basel are keen to bring through youth players. Not a lot of players are being sold either which suggests a successful generation of players have come to the end of their careers while the previous couple of managers have failed to replace them as they've gone along. This is clearly apparent by looking at a first team squad that has just three players between the ages of 20yo & 30yo with the rest at one end or the other of their careers.

Basel have three squads (First team, U21s & U18s) but they don't seem to be using the U21s which suits me. 26 players are contracted to the senior side while just 9 hold youth contracts in the U18s with the squads being made up by local uncontracted players. Of the 35 contracted players five are currently out on loan.

Goalkeepers
35yo Czech International Tomas Vaclik has been the number one keeper at the club for over 10 seasons. Massively experienced but at 35yo signs are he is starting to decline and has lost his place in the Czech squad. Aside from two youngsters who are far from good enough we have no other keepers which means a second keeper is a priority before the transfer window shuts.

Tomas Vaclik (35yo Czech GK) – 37 Caps

Fullbacks
There is just one natural DR in the squad and that is 35yo club legend Michel Morganella who has been a regular starter for the club for over 10 years. It gets worse as he will be retiring at the end of this season. On the left 33yo former Albanian International Taulent Xhaka has been a fixture of the Basel defence since he came through the youth team but he is also a natural DM which is a position I think will suit him better at this stage of his career. That leaves us with former Swiss U21 International Vincenzo Picollet who Basel paid £3.8m for 18 months ago. A good quality player but should I choose to go with wingbacks I see him playing more on the left of a three man defence.

Michel Morganella (35yo Swiss DR/MR) – 19 Caps

Vincenzo Picollet (23yo Swiss DL/DC)

Central Defence
The Basel defence seems to have been a fixture for so long and the middle pair making it up are club icon, Dylan Gissi & Israeli International, Shir Tzedek. At 33yo & 35yo its no surprise they are on the decline physically and will need replacing. Tzedek in particular wants to return to Israel and this looks like being his last season in Switzerland. Its not all bad though as Swiss U21 International Elton Toma was bought three years ago and is starting to break into the first team.

Dylan Gissi (33yo Swiss DC/DR) – 37 Caps

Shir Tzedek (35yo Israeli DC) – 47 Caps, 1 Goal

Elton Toma (19yo Swiss DC)

Central Midfield/Wingers
Basel don't actually have any natural wide players which bodes well for me implementing my favoured wingbacks formation. I'm also pleased to see that while the defence is on its last legs we do have some younger talent in midfield. On the more defensive side Egyptian International Mohamed Elneny is another who has been a fixture in the team for many years and I expect him to battle with Taulent Xhaka for the holding role. Further forward 36yo Albanian International Shkelzen Gashi is another who has been a fixture in the Basel team for many years but this will be his last as he also retires at the end of the season. 33yo N'Golo Kante has been here less time than others but this year will be his 7th and he is another who is on his way out as he wants to return to France. The new star that I'll be looking to build the team around is 25yo Liechtsteiner International Danny Abb who joined Basel as a 17yo. We aren't short of younger talent either with three Swiss U21 Internationals looking to break through. Paul Kamm & Arthur Stucki came through the Basel youth team while Valon Celiku was bought from Luzern as a 16yo. We also have two other younger players out on loan who may or may not have a long term future at the club

Taulent Xhaka (33yo Albanian DL, DM/DR, MC) – 57 Caps, 5 Goals

Mohamed Elneny (32yo Egyptian MC/DM) – 115 Caps, 5 Goals

Danny Abb (25yo Liechtsteiner MC/AMC) – 53 Caps, 8 Goals

N'Golo Kante (33yo Malian MLC) – 69 Caps, 7 Goals

Shkelzen Gashi (36yo Albanian AMLC/AMR) – 58 Caps, 11 Goals

Paul Kamm (19yo Swiss AMC/MC)

Arthur Stucki (20yo Swiss AMC/MC)

Valon Celiku (19yo Swiss AMC/MC)

Strikers
30yo Cephas Malele has been the main striker in the team since Basel paid £5m for him six years ago. He is also a regular Swiss International since switching allegiance from his native Angola. The other main striker in the squad is veteran Swiss International Admir Mehmedi who joined Basel a couple of years ago but he is on the decline. Backing them up are two raw but very talented youngsters who have come through the youth team – Joao Mateus & Francesco Pacifico.

Cephas Malele (30yo Swiss ST/AMRL) – 17 Caps, 5 Goals

Admir Mehmedi (33yo Swiss ST/AMLC) – 81 Caps, 28 Goals

Francesco Pacifico (18yo Swiss ST/AMC)

Joao Mateus (16yo Swiss ST)

Cougar2010 · November 29, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

August/September 2024

Competition News

Just to round up the rules the Swiss Super League contains 10 teams and they play each other four times meaning 36 matches. Bottom team is relegated to the Challenge League while there are currently five European places to fight for.

Squad rules are relatively loose, we are allowed as many EU players as we want while we are limited to 5 Non-EU players on the pitch at any one time and a maximum of 10 Non-EU players in a squad. There are also slight differences to the transfer windows with an extra month allowed on each window for domestic transfers. This is good news as it gives me until the end of September to bring in players from other Swiss teams.

Club News

Given the squad I've been left with I've set them off getting to grips with some of the formations I used with Raith & Russia – 3232 (Wingbacks), 4132 & 41221. I may look to make more use of the AMCs once I have my feet under the table but for now I stick to what I know.

With two days until my first match three players will be missing:

Vincenzo Picollet (DL) – Suspended

Mohamed Elneny (MC) – Out for another 5/6 weeks with a fractured wrist

Joao Mateus (ST) – Out for a few days with a bruised head

Transfer News

I'm going to have to act fast to fill the gaps. We need as a priority a GK, two WBLs & a WBR while another DC wouldn't go amiss. Longer term I need a DC,a DM & a ST and thats before I consider who we are losing at the end of the season.

Saturday 24th August 2024 – Swiss Super League (7/36)
Sion (4th) 1-2 Basel (6th)

Goals: Martinini (26) ; Abb (28), Mehmedi (68)

MOTM: Abb (8.3)

Milestone: N'Golo Kante - 400th Career League Appearance

As squad issues are really apparent as I'm struggling to fill the bench while on the pitch we are down to the bare bones. MLC Kante plays at WBL, Xhaka is the holding player in the middle while 19yo Kamm plays the more attacking role. With just a couple of days to get used to the tactics we line up with wingbacks against the 442 of Sion who also seem to be rebuilding. We play fairly well controlling the middle of the park which does a lot to protect our lack of pace at the back. Crosses & shots put the Sion defence under pressure but midway through the half they take the lead against the run of play when Martinini gets in front of his marker to force in a right wing cross. We are quickly level in bizarre circumstances when a through ball seems to have been claimed by the keeper, he loses it though and a panicky clearance falls to Abb who fires in to a fairly empty net from 30 yards. We are much the better team and look the more likely to score but we struggle to create good chances. Eventually our pressure pays off when Malele finds Mehmedi with a cross. Late on two youngsters come off the bench and nearly seal the win, Pacifico hitting the post while the best chance of the game falls to Stucki but his shot is pushed wide. It doesn't matter though as my first game in charge ends in a deserved win.

Transfer News

I knew 35yo Tzedek wanted to return to Israel when I took over but I kinda expected him to see out the final year of his contract first. Unfortunately he kicks up a fuss which leads to a team meeting, I manage to limit the damage but Maccabi Tel-Aviv step in with a bid I feel forced to accept. Tzedek can't agree terms with them though and he stays with us for now.

Saturday 31st August 2024 – Swiss Super League (8/36)
Aarau (9th) 0-1 Basel (4th)

Goals: Malele (9)

MOTM: Morganella (8.0)

Milestone: Danny Abb – 150th League Appearance for Basel

Aarau use an attacking 4231 and as they try to pin us back in our own half we attempt to control the midfield applying pressure down the wings. Aarau have the better start but we strike first when Morganella plays the ball into Malele on the edge of the box, he strikes it first time and it flies past the keeper as we take the lead. Aarau respond creating the best chance of the half when they catch us pushing out of defence but Vaclik is alive tipping the ball over the bar. This seems to affect their confidence as the match swings our way with us controlling the midfield. We continue to look the better side in the second half until the final stages when Aarau press for an equaliser. With the team tiring we are forced to defend & play on the counter. Aarau manage a couple of half chances but we hold on for another win.

Match Injury

Cephas Malele (ST) – Out for a few days with a dead leg.

Transfer News

With Tzedek unsettled I offered him out after he failed to agree terms with Maccabi Tel-Aviv and its Maccabi Haifa that stepped in with an alternative offer. I also saw no point in keeping 33yo Kante either since he was in the same position and also offered him out with AJ Auxerre offering him a return to France:

Shir Tzedek (35yo Israeli DC) – Sold to Maccabi Haifa for £250k

Time at Basel: 9 seasons, Appearances: 341, Goals: 7, Assists: 31

N'Golo Kante (33yo Malian MLC) – Sold to AJ Auxerre for £180k

Time at Basel: 6 seasons, Appearances: 252, Goals: 14, Assists: 59

I didn't manage to bring anyone in before the International window shut but I get an extra 30 days for domestic transfers which is much needed. While Tzedek was busy negotiating in Israel I was busy making phone calls to see who was available and I manage to bring in one player although not the big signing I was looking for while two more join on trial:

Leonard Hermann (23yo Swiss DL/DR) – Signed for £95k from Aarau (Super League)

A product of the Aarau youth academy and capped at U19 level. I'm not pretending he is anything special but cheap price, cheap wages and adds depth to a thin squad. He is professional, hard working and a good team player who should be able to do a job for us.

Player News

Vincenzo Picollet (DLC) comes to me concerned about the strength of the squad following Tzedek & Kante leaving. I agree with him and inform him I intend to strengthen the squad.

Transfer News

The International break gives me a chance to press on with transfers although with my options limited to domestic transfers its not easy. First to sign is another squad player as a GK joins us to backup Vaclik and he is quickly followed by a DR who we had on trial:

Michael Gualtieri (22yo Swiss GK) – Signed for £30k from St Gallen (Super League)

Came through the ranks at semi pro side Neuchatel Xamax before moving on to first Luzern (Super League) & then Perugia (Italian Serie B). St Gallen paid £550k to bring him back to Switzerland two years ago but he has struggled to break into the first team. Despite being capped at U21 level I don't see him as a long term replacement for Vaclik but at least I'll have a GK on the bench who knows the basics.

Joel Untersee (30yo Swiss DRL/MR) – Unattached

Came through the youth team at Zurich before being quickly picked up by Juventus (Italian Serie A). When he failed to make the grade spells at Vaduz & St Gallen followed before Zurich brought him back for £725k. After eight years as a squad player they released him in the summer. Proven to be a solid performer at this level he'll compete with Morganella for the WBR role.

With three cheap transfers in to give the squad depth it leaves me more money to spend on starting players. While finances are stable at the moment I can't go wasting money on older players but I am prepared to spend money on younger players who offer good value. Most of my budget goes as I wrench three quality defenders away from other Super League teams:

Sebastian Burri (21yo Swiss DL/DR) – Signed from Thun (Super League) for £3.4m

One of the best players to come out of the Thun youth academy in the last ten years. Plenty of experience, a professional attitude and a good work ethic means many see him becoming a fixture for Switzerland in the future.

Kevin Mbabu (29yo Swiss DRC) – Signed from Young Boys (Super League) for £1.8m

A product of the Servette FC youth academy he soon moved onto Newcastle Utd (English Premier League). He failed to make the breakthrough and returned to Switzerland where Wohlen, Winterthur & Young Boys are listed amongst his previous clubs. Natural at both DC & DR I'm expecting to use him more in the middle but he can move out wide if needed.

Kaspar Bruun (23yo Danish DRC/DM) – Signed from Winterthur (Super League) for £4.2m

Came through the youth team at FC Midtjylland but didn't stay in Denmark long as the highly rated youngster was in demand. A move to Brann (Norwegian Premier Division) was soon followed by Djurgarden (Swedish Premier Division) before Winterthur paid £1.7m for him a couple of years ago. Impressive at every club he is more suited to the DC role while a lack of pace is a weakness made up for by his strength in the air.

Club News

Two players out, six players in at a cost of most of the £10m I was given to spend. I'm fairly pleased though given the short period of time I had before the window shut. The squad has a much better balance now of older and younger players + enough quality to compete. Gashi & Morganella will be retiring at the end of the season and more money will need to be spent next summer but I now have enough time to source better deals.

Saturday 14th September 2024 - Swiss Super League (9/36)
Basel (3rd) 3-0 Zurich (1st)

Goals: Mehmedi (pen 33), Stucki (50), Pacifico (89)

MOTM: Burri (8.2)

Attendance: 36,971

Milestone: Kevin Mbabu – Debut for Basel

Milestone: Sebastian Burri – Debut for Basel

Milestone: Kaspar Bruun – Debut for Basel

Milestone: Joel Untersee – Debut for Basel

Milestone: Arthur Stucki - 1st Goal for Basel

Back from the International break with several new signings trying to get to grips with new formations means a top of the table rivals clash is just what I didn't need. Mbabu & Burri both start as does Bruun who is covering the holding midfield role with Elneny (Injured) & Xhaka (Suspended) both missing. It shows at the start and we are lucky not to be behind early on as Zurich create early chances. We work our way into the match though and have a lucky lead when a wide freekick sees the referee give a penalty for something in the box. With a narrow lead at the break youngster Stucki gives us a great start to the second half with a turn & shot. Chances come & go at both ends with Stucki in particular having a great chance to finish the match off. Late in the game Pacifico again comes off the bench and seals the win when Untersee picks him out in the box. An even game where both teams created chances but we took ours while a mix of Vaclik & poor shooting meant Zurich didn't. Really getting a handle on some of the younger players as well. Kamm prefers to be running at the defence while I had Stucki wrong this match as he looks much more comfortable as the playmaker.

Player News

New signing Kevin Mbabu had a good debut but he is starting to look jaded which seems odd this early in the season. I let him know I'm going to rest him for a couple of weeks which he seems happy with. Longer term I'm going to have to be careful with him at least until the winter break.

Sunday 22nd September 2024 - Swiss Cup (1st Round)
Bern (Non-League) 0-3 Basel (Super League)

Goals: Toma (20), Pacifico (30), Weimer (og 39)

MOTM: Xhaka (8.4)

Milestone: Michael Gualtieri – Debut for Basel

Milestone: Leonard Hermann – Debut for Basel

Away to a semi pro team means its a chance to rotate the squad, play the younger players and build match fitness. We easily build a comfortable lead in the first half with Toma opening the scoring by heading in a freekick before Pacifico once again showed he has an eye for goal. A deflected cross makes it three before we ease off in the second half and see out the game to book our place in the next round.

Match Injury

Francesco Pacifico (ST) – Out for 3/4 weeks with a pulled hamstring.

Wednesday 25th September 2024 - Swiss Super League (10/36)
Winterthur (8th) 1-3 Basel (3rd)

Goals: Hora (16) ; Malele (5), Mateus (18), Gissi (60)

MOTM: Malele (8.4)

16yo prodigy Mateus made five sub appearances last season and with Pacifico out injured I give him his first start. The ambitious teenager shows his class immediately when he plays in Malele to give us an early lead. Winterthur respond and equalise when Hora scores a very similar equaliser but we are quickly back in front when Mateus gets in front of his marker to direct in a Morganella cross. For much of the match its an even battle with chances hard to come by but a couple of minutes midway through the second half decide the contest. First Winterthur go down to ten for a two footed tackle in midfield before Gissi heads in a corner to wrap up another win.

Sunday 29th September 2024 – Swiss Super League (11/36)
Basel (3rd) 5-1 Thun (10th)

Goals: Mehmedi (5, 17), Malele (12, 44), Picollet (49) ; Pajovic (90)

MOTM: Mehmedi (9.4)

Attendance: 36,852

Milestone: Vincenzo Picollet - 1st Goal for Basel

Milestone: Admir Mehmedi - 150th Career League Goal

Home to the bottom club should be a win but you always have to be careful. In the end the team were focussed and sharp from the moment Malele headed an early Untersee cross against the bar with Mehmedi on hand to tap in. Our two strikers shared a brace apiece in the first half while it took Thun until just before the break to have a shot. The second half saw Picollet score his first for the club when the keeper came & failed to collect a wide freekick. With a more than comfortable lead I took the opportunity to have a look at where I can use Gashi while Elneny made a return from inury. Thun did manage a couple of half chances while with the last kick of the match Pajovic fired in a consolation.

Match Injury

Paul Kamm (MC) – Out for a few days with a dead leg.

BadManager · November 30, 2015

That's a really good start at Basel, looks to have been a good choice to go there. It looks like you've done an almost complete overhaul of the defence in a short time too.

Nobby_McDonald · November 30, 2015

Yeah, a decent start.

Cougar2010 · December 1, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

October 2024

Saturday 5th October 2024 – Swiss Super League (12/36)
Grasshoppers (7th) 3-3 Basel (3rd)

Goals: Taipi (4), Vera (69), Picard (83) ; Mateus (3, 5), Abb (36)

MOTM: Mateus (8.8)

Milestone: Kevin Mbabu - 250th Career League Appearance

Mbabu returns from a rest while Elneny makes his first start since injury as we face a team who lost 7-1 to St Gallen last week. Its an all action start as 17yo Mateus fires in two right wing crosses just days after signing his first pro contract while inbetween Taipi grabs one for Grasshoppers. Its easy to see why they lost heavily last week as chance after chance falls our way. We hit the woodwork twice while Burri, Stucki & Malele all see chances saved. Abb adds a cushion with a deflected shot through a crowded box and that seems to be that. Complacency is an issue in the second half but we seem to be coping well until a vicious shot from Vera flies in. We should still see out the match but Picard grabs a late equaliser from a match where we had more chances than Grasshoppers had shots. They shouldn't have scored three & we should have virtually been in double figures as I read the riot act to the team.

Training Injury

Kevin Mbabu (DCR) – Out for 4/5 weeks with a hernia.

International Injury

Cephas Malele (ST) – Out for 2 weeks with a damaged elbow.

Illness

Joel Untersee (DR) – Out for about a week with food poisoning.

Sunday 20th October 2024 – Swiss Cup (2nd Round)
Concordia BS (Non-League) 0-3 Basel (Super League)

Goals: Kamm (13), Mehmedi (29), Stucki (32)

MOTM: Morganella (8.5)

Away to non-league opposition in the Cup and players just back from Internationals means its another good chance for several fringe players to build fitness. We dominate from start to finish and win comfortably with no issues. Kamm slots in the loose ball after Mehmedi's header is clawed away for the opening goal. Mehmedi heads in a right wing cross for the second while a wide freekick sees Stucki fire in third when Concordia fail to clear. We take our foot off in the second half and play keep ball as we ease to the win.

Match Injury

Leonard Hermann (DL) – Out for 2/3 weeks with a twisted knee.

Swiss Cup, 3rd Round Draw

Down to the last 16 which means the games get tougher but we get a good draw as we are away to one of three non-league teams left in – Schotz.

Saturday 26th October 2024 - Swiss Super League (13/36)
Basel (2nd) 0-1 Lugano (4th)

Goals: Julien (64)

MOTM: Xhaka (8.6)

Attendance: 36,641

Milestone: Mohamed Elneny - 350th League Appearance for Basel

We dominate the early possession and put plenty of balls into the box but just can't create a chance. The best opportunity falls to Pacifico when he blocks a clearance but the keeper saves from a narrow angle. Lugano after playing on the break come into the match as possession evens out a bit and take a surprise lead when Julien heads in a right wing cross. We press for an equaliser but with ten men behind the ball Lugano prove difficult to break down as we slip to my first defeat.

Cougar2010 · December 1, 2015

That's a really good start at Basel, looks to have been a good choice to go there. It looks like you've done an almost complete overhaul of the defence in a short time too.

I really didn't have much choice with only Picollet & Toma under 33yo, looks like I've been conned with Bruun as he isn't as good as I thought but can still do a job.

There are a huge amount of talented youngsters though and Basel have a top class youth system, really excited to see where it leads.

Cougar2010 · December 3, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

November 2024

Sunday 3rd November 2024 – Swiss Super League (14/36)
St Gallen (2nd) 0-0 Basel (3rd)

Goals:

MOTM: Xhaka (7.7)

Milestone: Danny Abb - 200th Appearance for Basel

St Gallen are the in form team in the league having won five of their last six matches while a couple of poor results have seen us losing touch with the top two. They lineup in an attacking 3421 which keeps us pinned back in our own half and our situation is made worse when Malele goes off with a fairly serious injury early on. Despite being starved of possession we defend well and create the best early chance when Burri is played through on the break but his shot from a narrow angle hits the post. Pacifico replaced Malele up front and he should have given us the lead before the break but his shot was a poor effort that was easily saved. St Gallen switch to 442 in the second half which probably aids us more as we gain more possession but it does seem to give them more shots. An even second half sees just a couple of half chances which come our way as the sides cancel each other out. Overall it was a fairly even match but we created the better chances and I'm disappointed not to have put at least one of them away.

Match Injuries

Cephas Malele (ST) – Out for 3 months with a fractured skull.

Arthur Stucki (MC) – Out for about a week with a bruised rib.

Sunday 10th November 2024 – Swiss Super League (15/36)
Basel (3rd) 4-0 Young Boys (9th)

Goals: Abb (2), Mateus (6), Mehmedi (25), Pacifico (87)

MOTM: Abb (8.6)

Attendance: 37,486

Malele is a big miss for us up front but its happened at a good time as with an International break and a winter break it means he'll only miss four league matches. With Pacifico firing blanks the last few matches its 17yo Mateus that partners Mehmedi up front while Abb moves to CM (a) with Elneny in the playmaker role. Young Boys have made a poor start to the season and we take advantage early blowing them away in the first half. Abb opens the scoring by firing in from 25 yards before Mateus holds off his marker, confidently slotting into the far corner for two. Mehmedi adds a third midway through the half as the opposition heads drop and the match is effectively over. Its a case of going through the motions in the second half before Pacifico comes off the bench to break what was turning into a goal drought to cap off a fine win.

Match Injury

Sebastian Burri (DL) – Out for 2/3 weeks with a twisted knee.

Illness

Leonard Hermann (DL) – Sent home for a few days with a cold.

Saturday 23rd November 2024 - Swiss Super League (16/36)
Zurich (1st) 0-2 Basel (3rd)

Goals: Mehmedi (1, 19)

MOTM: Mehmedi (8.8)

I'm expecting a tough match with Burri & Malele injured while Abb is tired from International duty. We make a flying start when Mehmedi scores what could possibly be the goal of the season. With their keeper taking a freekick from 25 yards out Xhaka heads the ball down to Mehmedi who turns and chips the keeper from just inside his own half. We are getting pushed back but add to the lead when a missed header sees Morganella play in Pacifico, with both markers drawn to him he should have squared it to the open Mehmedi but instead takes the shot which deflects off a defender into the path of Mehmedi anyway who buries his second. With a 2-0 lead and Zurich packing the midfield we switch to defending as we set about keeping men behind the ball frustrating them. Thats pretty much the way it is for the rest of the match as Zurich dominate both possession & shots while we soak up the pressure and with them not creating any chance of note we chalk up another win to put us back in the title battle.

Transfer News

I've had the scouts out looking for players and have been focussing on GKs & STs but they have spotted a DC who looks interesting. I'm considering moving Mbabu to WBR rather than DCR & Picollet from DCL to WBL which would leave us short at DC. The player in question is 24yo Finn Jarno Ulanen who plays for Anderlecht (Belgium). A model pro who is massively strong, really good in the air, hard working and a good team player. Consistently impressive for both Anderlecht & previous club Rosenborg while also standing out for Finland. With less than a year on his contract bigger clubs are beginning to circle and I'm looking to beat them to a signature.

I panicked a bit when I brought in Kasper Bruun for £4.2m in September. The media didn't think he was as good as my scouts did and it turns out the media was right and on reflection the deal wasn't good value for money. With time to scout I've done my homework and at just over £1m Jarno Ulanen represents much better value. With the offer accepted he puts pen to paper as I snap him up before Benfica & Atletico Madrid can react, he joins in January.

Saturday 30th November 2024 – Swiss Cup (3rd Round)
Schotz (Non-League) 0-2 Basel (Super League)

Goals: Pacifico (23, 33)

MOTM: Pacifico (8.9)

Non-League opposition again in the Cup allows me to rest several first teamers as the younger, fringe & those looking for match fitness get to start. Mateus & Pacifico are now trusted up front and its Pacifico who looks the sharper as he cuts inside two defenders before slotting into the far corner. He should have doubled the lead minutes later when Schotz fail to clear a corner but makes up for it by heading in a Hermann cross. He also wastes a good chance either side of halftime to complete his hattrick while several half chances go begging in the second half. Schotz do manage to create a late chance that is put into the side netting but otherwise its a professional, solid performance where the team hardly make it out of 3rd gear.

Cougar2010 · December 5, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

December 2024

Swiss Cup Quarter Final Draw

Six Super League teams, a Challenge League team and a non-league team go into the draw. After the last round I guess we were due a tough draw and we get virtually the toughest possible – St Gallen, the only saving grace is we are at home.

Training Injury

Vincenzo Picollet (DLC) – Out for 4/5 weeks with a sports hernia.

Sunday 8th December 2024 – Swiss Super League (17/36)
Basel (3rd) 1-0 Sion (6th)

Goals: Pacifico (53)

MOTM: Jackle (7.6) (Sion)

Attendance: 32,503

Sion bring a 451 formation which proves difficult to break down. We dominate possession & shots but just manage the one half chance in the first half while Sion also manage one on the break. Patience pays off in the second half when Abb & Mehmedi combine to find the run of Pacifico who fires in. We should have had a cushion when Kamm goes down driving into the box but Mehmedi blasts the penalty over the bar. Sion rarely threaten though as we hold on for the three points which takes us 2nd.

Sunday 15th December 2024 – Swiss Super League (18/36)
Basel (2nd) 2-1 Aarau (7th)

Goals: Torres (og 35), Xhaka (39) ; Steven (30)

MOTM: Xhaka (8.3)

Attendance: 36,271

Halfway through the season and last match before a long winter break which is new to me. Aarau come to play and its a battling first half as it takes 15 minutes for either team to have a shot at goal. We should have possibly taken the lead when Mehmedi breaks down the left, with three players bursting their lungs to get up to him he makes the bad decision to cut inside the last defender and blast a shot over from bar from distance. At the other end Aarau do take the lead when we fail to deal with a cross, Steven putting his foot through the ball in a crowded box. We are quickly level when Abb takes a freekick from just outside the box, his initial shot hits the wall while his rebound deflects in off Torres. Minutes later we have the lead when Mehmedi breaks down the left this time pulling the ball back for Xhaka to drill in from the edge of the box. I demand more at the break as I look for more effort & zip in our play. It slowly comes and we are the more positive side in the second half. A scramble in the box sees shots from both Abb & Mbabu blocked while on the counter Aarau create two half chances but neither really threaten. With Aarau on the defensive we see out the match to go into the winter break on a high.

Cougar2010 · December 6, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

January 2025

Transfer News

The Swiss window runs 15th January until 15th February for foreign transfers while domestic ones have until the 28th February.

We have Jarno Ulanen joining but other than that its a case of looking for bosmans as I've pushed the transfer budget to the limit this season.

In terms of interest in our players Thomas Vaclik (GK) continues to be watched by both Everton (England) & Roma (Italy), Celtic & Rangers (Both Scotland) are showing major interest in Taulant Xhaka (DM/DRL), Racing Club de Lens are still following Cephas Malele despite his injury while several clubs seem to want Joel Untersee (DRL) on loan.

Player News

Tomas Vaclik (GK) comes to me wanting to return to the Czech Republic. He'll be 36yo shortly and showing signs of decline. As one of the weaker members of the first team it suits both of us but as I've used up the transfer budget I would like to keep him until the end of the season. He seems happy with that and a promise is pencilled in to let him go in the summer while I step up my scouting for a replacement.

U21 Match Injury

Michael Gualtieri (GK) – Out for 6/7 weeks with a torn groin muscle.

Club News

After a month without football we get back underway with a few friendlies. I probably shouldn't be surprised given the number of older players we have that testimonials have been common the last couple of years and the next few weeks are no exception. We have home testimonials for Michel Morganella (DR), Shkelzen Gashi (AMLC) & Tomas Vaclik (GK) before we get back to league action.

Transfer News

The window opens for Swiss clubs and Jarno Ulanen joins us:

Jarno Ulanen (24yo Finnish DC/MC) – Signed from Anderlecht (Belgium Pro League) for £1m

Started his career at SLK (Finnish Premier League) before quickly moving to Rosenborg (Norwegian Premier League) where a mix of first team & second team football developed him into a quality player. Anderlecht paid £925k for him 2.5 years ago where he continued to impress. His only weakness seems to be he is slightly on the slow side but he makes up for that in the air with height & strength.

Friday 17th January 2025 – Morganella Testimonial
Basel (Super League) 2-1 Inegolspor (Turkish Super League)

Goals: Pacifico (18), Toma (63) ; Guclu (83)

MOTM: Toma (7.2)

Attendance: 12,579

A fairly average performance where we had the better of the match and 2-1 was a fair reflection of the game. It served its purpose of building match fitness before we get back to league action.

Transfer News

With Vaclik looking to move on & Gualtieri out with a fairly serious injury I need to be looking for a keeper. I've more or less identified a long term replacement for Vaclik who I hope to sign in the summer but for now I need a short term fix to both backup Vaclik and perhaps cover for him if he leaves in this window. Just as I'm flicking through the loan market I see that a Greek side has had a cheap offer accepted for a French keeper who I've been following. There are a couple of question marks over him but with low wages and next to no transfer fee it makes sense to get involved. Days later I'm pleased to learn he has turned down offers from teams in Greece & Russia to sign for us:

Estaban Arnal (24yo French GK) – Signed for £25k from FC Nantes (French Ligue 1)

A product of the Nantes academy he has a little experience at first team level but despite some encouraging performances has never quite made the breakthrough. With less than six months left on his contract Nantes seem to have marked him down for release before other teams stepped in with offers. There are question marks over his ability in the air and dealing with one-on ones but he is a professional, determined player who seems to be fairly solid. If he works out for us he could be a bargain if not well its a shot to nothing given the transfer fee & wages.

Tuesday 21st January 2025 – Gashi Testimonial
Basel (Super League) 1-0 Zurich (Super League)

Goals: Pacifico (43)

MOTM: Burri (7.3)

Attendance: 30,033

A fairly even game with a couple of chances at either end of the pitch. Just the one put away when Pacifico drives a low cross into the net just before the break. Player wise new signings Ulanen & Arnal both start as we continue to build fitness. I was fairly impressed with Arnal, he looked comfortable in goal and based on that performance I wouldn't be against letting Vaclik go earlier than the summer if we get an offer.

Saturday 25th January 2025 – Vaclik Testimonial
Basel (Super League) 0-2 Quilmes (Argentine Premier Division)

Goals: Pereyra (4), Peralta (45)

MOTM: Pinheiro (8.1) (Quilmes)

Attendance: 12,645

The friendly I wish we had never bothered with from the moment a mishit cross from Pereyra flew in. The team look like they are still on holiday as they just can't be arsed in the first half. We keep it to the one until a quick break sees Peralta free for a tap in as I read the riot act during the break. We improve a little in the second half but Picollet sees red for a professional foul while 17yo Matheus goes off with a serious injury.

Match Injury

Joao Matheus (ST) – Out for 3 months with a torn hamstring.

Cougar2010 · December 8, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

February 2025

Saturday 1st February 2025 – Friendly
Estrela Amadora (Portugal Non-League) 0-2 Basel (Super League)

Goals: Gashi (pen 16), Malele (79)

MOTM: Malele (8.2)

After the testimonials we head to a training camp in Portugal which includes a friendly against a local team as I look to keep match fitness up. Estrela rarely threaten as we go through the motions. Gashi sticks an early penalty away which Malele wins while he adds a second late on himself. Inbetween we create several chances but just put them away.

Club News

Two new signing this window to give us a boost but we also have a midfielder return who was out on loan. Stucki & Kamm both established themselves as first team players before Xmas and now I'm looking for 19yo Valon Celiku to do the same. Gashi is the player who will make way as he moves forward to cover for Mateus as the DLF in the final few months before he retires.

Training Injury

Paul Kamm (MC) – Out for 2/3 weeks with a twisted knee.

Sunday 9th February 2025 – Swiss Super League (19/36)
Basel (2nd) 1-0 Winterthur (5th)

Goals: Abb (45)

MOTM: Abb (8.3)

Attendance: 36,746

Milestone: Esteban Arnal – Debut for Basel

Milestone: Jarno Ulanen – Debut for Basel

Back to competitive action and the team seem to be still shaking off the cobwebs early on as Winterthur control possession. With both teams struggling to get shots on target I tweak the tactics to get more in their face and put them under pressure. It does the trick as we look more positive and create a couple of half chances but it takes a drilled shot from the edge of the box to give us the lead. An even second half sees both defences in control until Elneny picks up a second yellow late on. I sacrifice a striker which sees Pacifico left up front on his own which isn't ideal but we look solid in defence as we hold on for the win. It wasn't a good performance but we got the job done.

Training Injury

Tomas Vaclik (GK) – Out for about 10 days with a damaged heel.

Sunday 23rd February 2025 – Swiss Super League (20/36)
Thun (9th) 0-1 Basel (2nd)

Goals: Malele (80)

MOTM: Marcilla (7.4) (Thun)

Milestone: Cephas Malele - 350th Career League Appearance

Milestone: Arthur Stucki - 100th Career League Appearance

With no game last week the cobwebs seem to have returned in the first half. While we have three shots off target Thun don't do much better with five of their six from outside the box. With nothing being created we ramp up the pressure in the second half and seem to improve looking the more likely to make something happen. The referee has been card happy all game and Thun go down to 10 midway through the half for a second yellow while minutes later its evened up as Xhaka picks up his second yellow. With 10 men apiece it at least opens the game up & subs add some energy. Picollet sees a half chance from a freekick pushed wide before late in the game Pacifico finds Malele at the far post who smashes in the only good chance of the match. It wasn't a great performance but not for the first time we got better as the match progressed and got the job done in the end.

Wednesday 26th February 2025 – Swiss Super League (21/36)
Lugano (4th) 0-3 Basel (1st)

Goals: Malele (pen 33), Stucki (58, 60)

MOTM: Pacifico (8.6)

Its a close four way battle at the top which was kinda expected but its Lugano that are the surprise package instead of Young Boys. After defeat last time we played them I'm keen to set the record straight and the team look positive from the start. With Lugano playing 451 they spend a lot of time just clearing the ball up the field which gives us a lot of possession. Pacifico adds pace to the front line and its his runs into the channel that look like our best chance of breaking through early on. It ends up being a cross though that gifts us the lead when Pacifico chests the ball down before being flattened, Malele drilling in the penalty. Lugano switch to 343 in the second half which causes us some issues, especially with possession and when we lose star MC Abb to injury it looks like the tide might be turning. It does but its our way as a quick break sees Pacifico release sub, Stucki who drives into the box and confidently fires past the keeper. Minutes later the match is wrapped up when Pacifico drives into the box before laying off for Stucki to drill in his second. With the fight gone out of Lugano we ease through to an important win.

Match Injury

Danny Abb (MC) – Out for 3/4 weeks with a twisted ankle.

Youth Intake

At Raith I was used to getting almost all Scottish players but Basel's extensive youth recruitment network and their position in Europe sees a much wider selection of nationalities. England, Serbia & Colombia are represented while for second nationalities you can include Germany, Italy, Bosnia & Croatia. Three players standout from the group – Serbian DC Zdravkovic & Henri Huber (MC) will hope to make the first team while the pick of the group follows in the footsteps of Stucki & Kamm as an AMC, Sandro Mastrorosa.

Northernpilgrim · December 8, 2015

Looking good for the title

Cougar2010 · December 10, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

March 2025

Transfer Window Roundup

It was a rather quiet window with the clubs more or less happy with their squads. Each team added just one or two players with most being for small fees. There were three transfers worthy of mention with our capture of Jarno Ulanen being the most expensive of the window at £1m. Elsewhere Thun spent £675k on Gabriele De Leo (25yo Swiss AMC) from Luzern (Challenge League) & Winterthur spent £525k on Franco Olmedo (28yo Argentinian MR) from Ramat HaSharon (Israeli Premier League).

Saturday 1st March 2025 – Swiss Super League (22/36)
Basel (1st) 2-0 Grasshoppers (8th)

Goals: Carlos (og 61), Stucki (88)

MOTM: Toma (7.4)

Attendance: 37,400

Grasshoppers two DMs again cause us a problems as we struggle to create chances. Perhaps it wasn't the best match to rest Malele for as both Mehmedi & Pacifico are fairly short up front which means we waste a lot of crosses. Kamm is the one asking the questions with his driving runs from midfield but the closest we come is Elneny as he hits the woodwork twice with shots from the edge of the box. Grasshoppers offer little coming forward but on the break create the best chance of the match but with the goal gaping Arnal gets a diving hand to the shot to keep us level. The breakthrough comes when Untersee is released down the right and his cross sees the keeper deflect the ball into the net under pressure from Mehmedi. Its looking like another tight 1-0 win until a ball down the right finds Malele who goes past the fullback before pulling back for Stucki to drive in to seal our 8th win in a row in the league.

Sunday 9th March 2025 – Swiss Super League (23/36)
Basel (1st) 2-1 St Gallen (4th)

Goals: Malele (52, 64) ; Riviere (90)

MOTM: Malele (9.0)

Attendance: 37,039

St Gallen's form has slipped since the winter break and they really need a win to stay in touch at the top. The first half sees them play keep ball while we play more direct getting shots away. Chances are again hard to come by but patience pays off as Malele gets in front of his marker to smash in a low Mbabu cross early in the second half. A long diagonal ball from Burri sees Malele hold off his marker to make it two as St Gallen's heads drop. We seem to be cruising until late on when Mbabu nearly gifts them a consolation when his backpass is intercepted but Arnal rescues him with a point blank save. Deep in injury time they do manage a consolation when Riviere directs in a left wing cross but its too little, too late as we chalk up a clinical win.

Saturday 15th March 2025 – Swiss Super League (24/36)
Young Boys (9th) 1-0 Basel (1st)

Goals: Gonzalez (90)

MOTM: Gonzalez (8.0) (Young Boys)

After a poor start to the season Young Boys sacked their manager and a new one was installed over the winter break. He brings a new attacking 4312 formation that is getting results and it causes us some problems as well. They edge possession and have far more shots but create just the one chance which Arnal saves. We take a slower approach as we work the ball and eventually create a chance of our own in the second half but Malele puts it past the far post. Deep into injury time Young Boys create a half chance and this time Gonzalez finds the net to end our win streak. Not a bad performance but we still struggle to create chances and it was disappointing to lose so late.

Illness

Michel Morganella (DR) – Sent home for a few days with a cold.

Wednesday 19th March 2025 – Swiss Super League (25/36)
Sion (6th) 2-3 Basel (1st)

Goals: Gonzalez (71), Jackle (90) ; Malele (pen 31), Pacifico (36), Celiku (49)

MOTM: Untersee (7.8)

Milestone: Valon Celiku - 1st Goal for Basel

On a cold, snowy day Sion threaten to take control at the start of the game and I quickly tweak the tactics to put them under pressure. In the conditions the team on the front foot have the advantage and we have that for much of the game as we force Sion to give up possession with long clearances. After Malele sees a couple of early half chances go wide we finally take the lead when Pacifico is brought down in the box running onto a diagonal ball. Minutes later he turns from creator to scorer as he gets on the end of an Untersee cross to make it two at the break. We are cruising early in the second half when Malele & Stucki combine to lay the ball off for Celiku to drill in. Gonzalez heads in a corner for what looks like a consolation but complacency sets in and we are forced to defend in the final stages. We hold on until deep into injury time when a wide freekick finds the unmarked Jackle at the far post and I'm glad to hear the whistle soon after.

Saturday 22nd March 2025 – Swiss Super League (26/36)
Basel (1st) 5-0 Zurich (2nd)

Goals: Stucki (10), Malele (30, 77), Ulanen (34), Mbabu (56)

MOTM: Malele (9.4)

Attendance: 37,207

Milestone: Jarno Ulanen - 1st Goal for Basel

Milestone: Kevin Mbabu - 1st Goal for Basel

With seven titles in a row and sitting 2nd in the league I expected our fierce rivals to throw everything at us but it just didn't happen. Playing 451 we isolated their lone forward and dominated possession in the first half. A quick break from a Zurich corner sees Xhaka & Kamm combine to pick out the run of Stucki who gives us an early lead. Its two when Mbabu picks out Malele with a cross and soon three when Xhaka squares a freekick to Stucki who slips a pass through to Ulanen to score the easiest goal of his life. Zurich don't improve after the break as we continue to push & prod. A deep cross from Burri misses everyone before falling to Mbabu at the far post to make it four while Malele wraps up our best performance of the season late on. The team played fantastic but I can't help wondering how much of it is due to Zurich being terrible.

Wednesday 26th March 2025 – Swiss Cup (Quarter Final)
Basel (Super League) 3-2 St Gallen (Super League)

Goals: Mehmedi (1), Pacifico (15, 84) ; Schaller (pen 55), Riviere (72)

MOTM: Pacifico (8.8)

Attendance: 28,672

St Gallen have several players missing which gives me even more reason to rest a few of the regular starters. Mehmedi has been on a goal drought recently but puts it behind him with our first attack of the match. The ball gets played down the right wing for Pacifico to chase and his cross finds Mehmedi who slots in inside 20 seconds. When Pacifico adds a second we seem to be cruising but as the half progresses the warning signs are there with St Gallen having a lot of shots albeit from distance. Complacency rears its head in the second half and when Celiku dives in he gifts St Gallen a way back into the match. We are in trouble when Riviere fires in an equaliser but a few tweaks sees us get back into the game. With Pacifico putting the pressure on the defence he forces a poor passback and then nips in before the keeper to slot in a winner.

Swiss Cup, Semi Final Draw

Four Super League teams go into the draw and we are drawn out last away to Sion while the first semi sees Aarau at home to Young Boys.

Cougar2010 · December 12, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

April 2025

Sunday 6th April 2025 – Swiss Super League (27/36)
Aarau (8th) 1-1 Basel (1st)

Goals: Slimani (53) ; Campos (og 8)

MOTM: Spillman (8.8) (Aarau)

Aarau use an attacking 4231 in the first half which doesn't do them any favours as we control possession and pin them back. Pacifico sees an early half chance saved before we are gifted the lead when an Untersee drilled cross is smashed into his own net by Campos (I think he was trying to clear for a corner). We dominate the first half without creating any chances but Kamm & Pacifico both sees shots go the wrong side of the post while Toma hits the post with a header from a corner just before the break. Aarau switch to 433 in the second half which causes us more problems and they look the better team in the second half. Much like ourselves though chances are hard to come by with the equaliser a direct freekick. Both teams threaten, neither create much though while Aarau nearly steal the win hitting the bar from a corner deep into injury time.

Wednesday 9th April 2025 – Swiss Super League (28/36)
Winterthur (5th) 0-2 Basel (1st)

Goals: Pacifico (21), Stucki (85)

MOTM: Pacifico (8.3)

Winterthur might be midtable but outside the top four these are the games we should be looking to win. They are fresh from a win over St Gallen last week and their confidence shows as they look to attack in the early stages. While we keep them to shots from distance our passing lets us down going forwards as several promising positions are wasted. It feels like a goal is coming and it does as Untersee picks out Pacifico with a cross who doesn't waste the only real chance of the half. The goal seems to take the sting out of Winterthur as they settled back a bit and play keep ball a bit more. A more guarded approach from them slows the game down as it turns into a midfield battle. Once again we only have a single goal lead and it nearly costs us when Winterthur rattle the bar from the edge of the box. Late in the game Pacifico should have given us a cushion but the keeper is out quickly to block the shot. Subs arrive and as Winterthur push for an equaliser we catch them on a 3v2 break with Mehmedi & Malele combining to release Stucki who seals the win.

Player News

I've been a bit lax at looking at contracts this season. Six players from the main & U21 squads have contracts ending at the end of the season. Morganella & Gashi are both retiring and I see no reason to persuade them otherwise which leaves four younger fringe players. Two are definitely going to be released while I've been giving the other two a chance to earn a contract. 19yo MC Jovan Meseldzija has a little talent but there are just a few too many negatives and we have a lot of competition for places in midfield while 19yo DM Levin Sereinig was the closest to earning a new deal. He has had a few sub appearances this season and despite not having bags of skill the key attributes for his role are fairly good. I was going to take a risk but he threw a strop over me not being able to find him a loan deal and things have deteriorated since.

One player that does earn a new deal though is 19yo MC Paul Kamm. After a couple of seasons as a talented fringe player he has really established himself this season as an important member of the squad. Back in January he thought about leaving for continental football and clubs have been circling the last couple of months (FC Dallas, LA Galaxy, Vancouver, Fiorentina & Feyenoord to name a few). Now he is happy we've secured European football for next season I quickly sign him up to a new deal.

Saturday 12th April 2025 – Swiss Super League (29/36)
Grasshoppers (7th) 0-2 Basel (1st)

Goals: Kamm (40), Malele (pen 81)

MOTM: Kamm (8.4)

Milestone: Cephas Malele - 200th Career League Goal

Another game we should be looking to win but Grasshoppers use two DMs which always proves difficult to break down. Early on its Grasshoppers in control as they play keep ball while we keep giving possession away. With some tactical tweaks we play more aggressively which wins us the ball further up the pitch and puts them under pressure at the back. Mbabu comes the closest hitting the post from a corner before Kamm pays back some of his new contract when he steps inside a defender and finds the net from the edge of the box. We much more in control in the second half but chances are hard to come by and it doesn't help that Pacifico is having an off day up front. Passes aren't sticking to his feet while his runs off the ball are either too early or too late which causes many moves to breakdown. Malele finally seals the win late on when Bruun is fouled during a wide freekick as I can feel our fingertips touching the trophy.

Wednesday 16th April 2025 – Swiss Cup (Semi Final)
Sion (Super League) 2-3 Basel (Super League)

Goals: Picollet (og 38), Temporin (86) ; Malele (40, 86), Mehmedi (47)

MOTM: Malele (9.0)

Sion have a few injury problems but they still manage to put out a strong team as they lineup in a balanced 442. We make the better start with half chances for Malele (saved) & Pacifico (blocked) keeping it level early on. Although we seem the better team both defences look comfortable until Picollet gifts Sion the lead stretching to cut out a low cross. We are quickly level though when Mehmedi (On for the injured Pacifico) creates another half chance for Malele to drill in. Early in the second half Malele finds the run of Mehmedi with a near post cross to put us in the lead and that seems to be that. With the match fizzing out Bruun misses a header allowing Temporin in behind the defence to slot in the best chance of the game. With extra time on the horizon we hit back immediately when an Abb shot from the edge of the box deflects in off Malele to book our place in the final. We had a bit of luck along the way but overall we were the better side.

Match Injury

One in & one out up front as 17yo Joao Mateus returns from a torn hamstring just as we lose Pacifico:

Francesco Pacifico (ST) – Out for 5/6 weeks with a sprained ankle.

Sunday 20th April 2025 – Swiss Super League (30/36)
Basel (1st) 1-1 Thun (9th)

Goals: Mateus (73) ; Joaquim (64)

MOTM: Joaquim (7.3) (Thun)

Attendance: 36,044

With Zurich & St Gallen both dropping points in recent weeks this is a great opportunity to get one hand on the trophy with tougher games to follow. Mateus goes straight back into the starting lineup with Pacifico injured as we go looking for a win. Thun need the points as well to survive relegation and they come to play which leads to an end to end start. Both defences look comfortable though as we limit Thun to mainly long shots while we take more time but can't find a good final ball. As the half progresses we get more and more possession as Thun settle into playing on the break. The match swings in the second half as Xhaka sees red for an aggressive tackle although I didn't think it was that bad. Soon after Joaquim is found in the box and he slots in the best chance of the match. Forced to gamble we got to 432 as I sacrifice Gissi and it works when Burri finds Mateus with a cross, his header hitting the bar but he slots in the rebound. With a point in the bag I switch back to wingbacks as I leave Malele as the lone frontman to see out the game. A point gained or two points dropped? we'll see in a few weeks.

Sunday 27th April 2025 – Swiss Super League (31/36)
Basel (1st) 3-0 Lugano (2nd)

Goals: Mateus (9), Ulanen (20), Elneny (35)

MOTM: Elneny (8.7)

Attendance: 36,654

A huge six point clash at the top of the table. We have an eleven point lead going into the game which means a win for us here just about secures us the title while a win for Lugano would see them close the gap. Lugano pack the midfield but it doesn't help them as set pieces are the order of the day. When they half clear an early corner its returned in to Mateus who puts a shot between the keeper & the man on the post. A wide freekick sees Ulanen head in for two and by the time Elneny lifts a freekick over the wall the match is already all but over. We go through the motions in the second half to secure another three points which puts us in touching distance of the title.

Wednesday 30th April 2025 – Swiss Super League (32/36)
St Gallen (4th) 0-4 Basel (1st)

Goals: Malele (52, 60), Mehmedi (55, 65)

MOTM: Mehmedi (9.2)

St Gallen have a very attacking 3421 which keeps us pinned back in the first half. As they control possession we have to settle for quick breaks down the wings. Once again though we defend well and make it difficult for them. A more aggressive approach in the second half pays dividends as we stretch them at the back and Malele opens the scoring as he heads in an Untersee cross. With the deadlock broken St Gallen fall apart as we find space out wide as Mehmedi & Malele grab a brace apiece to give us a comfortable lead. We see out the match to claim the points and seal a first title since the 2015/16 season.

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Cougar2010 · December 14, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

May 2025

Player News

36yo Tomas Vaclik (GK) wanted to return to the Czech Republic earlier in the season but since then he has declined further and lost his place in the team. With that in mind he has now decided to retire as well at the end of the season and I'm happy with that as it'll be another fairly high wage off the books.

Sunday 4th May 2025 – Swiss Super League (33/36)
Basel (1st) 2-1 Sion (8th)

Goals: Mateus (7), Ulanen (66) ; Kosnic (23)

MOTM: Kosnic (8.3) (Sion)

Attendance: 36,741

Milestone: Mohamed Elneny - 400th Career League Appearance

With the title in the bag its simply a case of giving players time on the pitch and going through the motions. Playing with freedom we take the match to Sion and have the lead when Mateus heads in a Hermann cross. Against the run of play Sion equalise when Kosnic lifts a direct freekick over the wall but we are soon back in control. We should have been out of sight as Malele wastes three clear chances while Kamm sees another saved. In the end its Ulanen that heads in a wide freekick to give us another win.

Saturday 10th May 2025 – Swiss Super League (34/36)
Basel (1st) 2-1 Young Boys (8th)

Goals: Kamm (19, 89) ; Khelifi (20)

MOTM: Kamm (9.0)

Attendance: 37,495

Milestone: Dylan Gissi - 350th Career League Appearance

Milestone: Michael Gualtieri - 100th Career League Appearance

We make a good start but after a few pot shots at goal its Burri that creates the first real chance when he cuts inside before slipping a ball through to Kamm who places wide of the keeper. Against the run of play Young Boys quickly equalise when a Khelifi cross floats over everyone into the far corner. With the score level Young Boys improve and its much more even the rest of the game. Both sides trade good chances early in the second half but the defences look solid until late in the game when its again Kamm who is picked out and he slots in to seal the win. Deep in injury time he should have wrapped up a hattrick but the keeper tips over as its easy to see the standout player on the day.

Saturday 17th May 2025 – Swiss Super League (35/36)
Zurich (2nd) 1-1 Basel (1st)

Goals: Pagliuca (23) ; Celiku (67)

MOTM: Celiku (7.9)

Milestone: Leonard Hermann - 100th Career League Appearance

Plenty of rotation as I look to keep players fit for the Cup final in two weeks time. Our main problem is up front where Mateus is away with Portugal U19s while Pacifico could be thinking about switching nationalities as he has accepted a call up to the Italian U20 squad which leaves us with 17yo Momcilo Ckrebo on the bench. Despite facing our rivals with nothing to play for leaves the team just going through the motions which gives Zurich the momentum. Gualtieri had already made one good save from Pagliuca but he couldn't repeat it when a long ball saw him shake off Bruun and take an early shot. A goal down the team work their way into the match while a kick up the arse at halftime sees them pickup the pace in the second half. While Zurich edged the first half we edge the second and equalise when Mehmedi slips a ball through for Celiku who finds the inside of the far post. 17yo Ckrebo gets a chance from the bench and blasts a late half chance over the bar as both sides settle for an end of season draw.

Saturday 24th May 2025 – Swiss Super League (36/36)
Basel (1st) 1-0 Aarau (5th)

Goals: Mateus (90)

MOTM: Spillmann (7.3) (Aarau)

Attendance: 37,473

Last match of the league campaign and a warm up for the Cup final next week. With nothing to play for both teams seem more concerned with the final and just go through the motions. A dull first half picks up a little in the second as we go looking for a goal. An overhit cross from Mbabu hits the bar while Malele hits the post with a shot from the edge of the box. Thats about the lot though as the game has 0-0 written all over it until deep into injury time Mateus gets on the end of a Mbabu cross to nod in the only chance of the match.

Saturday 31st May 2025 – Swiss Cup (FINAL) (Neutral Ground)
Aarau (Super League) 1-1aet pens 5-4 Basel (Super League)

Goals: Topalusic (46) ; Malele (pen 66)

MOTM: Mbabu (7.8)

Aarau are much more attacking than they were last week in the league match but then so are we as I look to take the game to them. An end to end start sees both defences stretched but coping. Aarau only chance is midway through the half when we fail to clear a corner but two shots from a narrow angle are blocked by defenders & keeper. In response we create a couple of half chances with the best a shot from Malele after he turns his marker on the edge of the box. The second half turns back for us when a long diagonal ball from left midfield goes past everyone into the far corner of the net as nerves set in. We press for an equaliser and it comes when Mbabu drives into the box before being hacked down. Stucki & Mehmedi come off the bench and quickly combine for another half chance before late in the game Mehmedi has a chance to win it when he intercepts a short back header to the keeper only to put over the bar. Both teams tire in extra time but we look the more likely to score as a couple more half chances go begging. In the end it goes to penalties, regular takers Stucki, Malele & Elneny all despatch theirs with ease as do Aarau before we run out of decent takers. Kamm is the unlucky one as he sees his come back off the bar while Ulanen forces Aarau to score all five of theirs to seal the trophy.

Match Injury

Admir Mehmedi (ST) – Out for about a week with a stubbed toe.

Cougar2010 · December 15, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

2024/25 Season Review

Swiss Super League

The media expected four teams to battle for the title this season with ourselves, St Gallen & Young Boys looking to stop Zurich claiming an 8th title in a row. In the end thats the way it worked out except instead of Young Boys it was Lugano in the mix. The first half of the season was close until the winter break but afterwards we won 14 of 18 games to pull away and secure a 20th title. Behind us it was close right up to the last couple of weeks with Zurich edging ahead to claim the Champion's Cup spot leaving St Gallen & Lugano competing in the EURO Cup next season.

At the bottom promoted Grasshoppers were fairly solid in midtable which left Thun struggling for much of it. Young Boys also had a terrible season as they slid into a relegation battle but both survived by the skin of their teeth as Sion imploded after the winter break picking up just 8 points from 18 matches to drop out of the Super League for the first time in 20 years.

We were always amongst the favourites for the title and the board expected us to qualify for the Champion's Cup but they were still delighted we won the title.

263%20Final%20League%20Table%20202425_2.png

Swiss Cup

There were a few shocks along the way with Challenge League side Le Mont LS putting out both Lugano & Zurich but Aarau ended their giant killing run before going on to beat Young Boys in the first semi. We put out St Gallen in the quarters & Sion in the semis to set up a final with Aarau but we came up short as Aarau claimed the Cup for the 3rd time following wins in 1985 & 2015.

The boards target was the final and they were pleased we participated in it.

Awards

Manager of the Season: Alex Dewitt (Basel)

National Player of the Year: Xherdan Shaqiri (33yo Swiss AML/AMRC, ST) (Inter Milan)

Young Player of the Year: Zoran Vasilic (21yo Serbian ST) (St Gallen)

Player of the Season: Markus Schaller (24yo Swiss AMC) (St Gallen)

Swiss Super League Goalkeeper of the Season: Brice Samba (31yo Congolese GK) (Winterthur)

Swiss Super League Defender of the Season:

1st Kevin Mbabu (30yo Swiss DRC) (Basel)

2nd Jose Angel (21yo Spanish DC) (Zurich)

3rd Vincenzo Picollet (24yo Swiss DLC) (Basel)

Swiss Super League Midfielder of the Season:

1st Morgan Olivier (22yo Swiss MC) (St Gallen)

2nd Arkadiusz Niedziela (22yo Polish AMC) (Winterthur)

3rd Danny Abb (24yo Liechtensteiner MC) (Basel)

Swiss Super League Striker of the Season:

1st Moussa Konate (32yo Senegalese ST) (Zurich)

2nd Kyllian Riviere (23yo Swiss ST) (St Gallen)

3rd Admir Mehmedi (34yo Swiss ST) (Basel)

Swiss Super League Top Goalscorer:

1st Kilian Pagliuca (28yo Swiss ST) (Zurich) – 22 goals from 35 apps

2nd Reinhard Pohl (24yo Swiss ST) (Lugano) – 20 goals from 33 apps

3rd Cephas Malele (31yo Swiss ST) (Basel) – 17 goals from 31 apps

Swiss Super League Team of the Season:

GK – Brice Samba (31yo Congolese GK) (Winterthur)

DR – Nathan Campos (20yo Brazilian DM/DRC) (Aarau)

DL – Mikel Artola (25yo Spanish ML/DL) (Young Boys)

DC – Kevin Mbabu (30yo Swiss DRC) (Basel)

DC – Jose Angel (21yo Spanish DC/DM) (Zurich)

MR – Matteo Tosetti (33yo Swiss MRL) (Sion)

ML – Adriano (32yo Swiss ML) (Thun)

MC – Markus Schaller (24yo Swiss AMC) (St Gallen)

MC – Morgan Olivier (22yo Swiss MC) (St Gallen)

ST – Kilian Pagliuca (28yo Swiss ST) (Zurich)

ST – Moussa Konate (32yo Senegalese ST/AMR) (Zurich)

Sub – Angelo Rocca (29yo Italian GK) (Lugano)

Sub – Ulisses Alexandre Garcia Lopes (29yo Portugese DL/DC, MLC) (Zurich)

Sub – Arkadiusz Niedziela (22yo Polish AMC) (Winterthur)

Sub – Cephas Malele (31yo Swiss ST/AMRL) (Basel)

Sub – Reinhard Pohl (24yo Swiss ST) (Lugano)

Sub – Taulant Xhaka (34yo Albanian DM/DRL) (Basel)

Sub – Kyllian Riviere (23yo Swiss ST) (St Gallen)

Basel Fans' Player of the Year: Cephas Malele (39%) ahead of Taulant Xhaka (35%) & Danny Abb (17%)

Squad Review

Goalkeepers
Tomas Vaclik was the only real keeper in the team when I took over but I quickly added Michael Gualtieri as a cheap backup. Vaclik did a solid job the first half of the season but a mix of him declining and wanting to return to the Czech Republic saw me take a gamble on Esteban Arnal. He proved to be a bargain as he took over as our number one for the second half of the season. With Vaclik out of favour & declining fast he made the decision to retire which was possibly the best for everyone.

Tomas Vaclik (36yo Czech GK) – 17 apps, 12 conceded, 8 clean sheets, Ave Rating: 6.90

Esteban Arnal (24yo French GK) – 15 apps, 7 conceded, 9 clean sheets, Ave Rating: 6.89

Michael Gualtieri (22yo Swiss GK) - 9 apps, 7 conceded, 4 clean sheets, Ave Rating: 6.84

Fullbacks
On the left I moved both the natural fullbacks to their secondary positions as Picollet moved into the middle while Xhaka switched to the holding midfield role. This left me looking for new blood and Swiss U21 International Sebastian Burri joined for £3.5m while I added Leonard Hermann as a cheap backup. Burri quickly established himself as a regular starter while as the season progressed Hermann grew to be a reliable backup. On the right retiring Morganella was the only option when I joined but I quickly picked up the unattached Joel Untersee to give him competition. I also signed Kevin Mbabu to cover both WBR & DC but with Morganella declining he moved to play more regularly on the right after Xmas. All three proved to be solid and there was plenty of rotation until I began to phase Morganella out later in the season.

Sebastian Burri (22yo Swiss DL/DR) – 22 (2) apps, 0 goals, 4 assists, Ave Rating: 7.09

Leonard Hermann (24yo Swiss DL/DR) – 11 (3) apps, 0 goals, 3 assists, Ave Rating: 7.00

Michel Morganella (36yo Swiss DR/MR) – 16 (3) apps, 1 goal, 4 assists, Ave Rating: 6.93

Joel Untersee (31yo Swiss DRL/MR) – 18 (5) apps, 0 goals, 9 assists, Ave Rating: 7.07

Kevin Mbabu (30yo Swiss DRC) – 16 (7) apps, 1 goal, 3 assists, Ave Rating: 7.06

Central Defenders
After moving 35yo Shir Tzedek back to Israel that left me with just two DCs at either end of their careers. Veteran Dylan Gissi might be declining but he is still a solid player for both club & country while I continued to develop Elton Toma who is establishing himself as a squad player. They were joined by Picollet and new signings Kaspar Bruun & Kevin Mbabu in the competition for places. I overpaid for Bruun who turned out to be more of a squad player but made up for it in January when Jarno Ulanen joined as Mbabu moved out wide. Ulanen was the pick of the defenders and while Bruun on paper had a good season in reality I had to be careful how I used him.

Dylan Gissi (34yo Swiss DC/DR) – 30 (2) apps, 1 goal, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 6.88

Vincenzo Picollet (24yo Swiss DL/DC) – 30 (1) apps, 1 goal, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 6.94

Elton Toma (20yo Swiss DC) – 24 (5) apps, 1 goal, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 6.90

Kaspar Bruun (24yo Danish DRC/DM) – 19 (1) apps, 0 goals, 1 assist, Ave Rating: 7.04

Jarno Ulanen (25yo Finnish DC/MC) – 16 (1) apps, 3 goals, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 7.12

Midfielders
Few things are certain in life – death, taxes and Taulant Xhaka picking up a card of some colour. Aside from that though his move from fullback to holding midfielder was a massive success as he did the dirty work in the middle of the pitch. Backing him up Egyptian International Elneny was a solid squad player as either the BWM or playmaker but he is declining. Further forward Danny Abb was expected and proved to be a key player for the team but his performances were overshadowed by 19yo Paul Kamm who forced his way into the starting eleven. Behind them two more younger players (Arthur Stucki & Valon Celiku) continued their development as squad players.

Taulant Xhaka (34yo Albanian DL, DM/DR) – 32 (4) apps, 1 goal, 4 assists, Ave Rating: 7.16

Mohamed Elneny (32yo Egyptian MC/DM) – 24 (10) apps, 1 goal, 8 assists, Ave Rating: 6.89

Danny Abb (25yo Liechtsteiner MC) – 29 (4) apps, 6 goals, 2 assists, Ave Rating: 7.09

Paul Kamm (19yo Swiss AMC) – 18 (5) apps, 4 goals, 6 assists, Ave Rating: 7.21

Arthur Stucki (21yo Swiss AMC) – 21 (7) apps, 7 goals, 3 assists, Ave Rating: 6.97

Valon Celiku (19yo Swiss AMC) – 9 (3) apps, 2 goals, 1 assist, Ave Rating: 6.90

Strikers
Up front the star player of the team was Cephas Malele alongside veteran Swiss International Mehmedi. With Mehmedi on the decline I was keen to continue the development of homegrown Pacifico while I also introduced young prodigy Joao Mateus to first team action. All proved to be very capable of having an impact.

Cephas Malele (31yo Swiss ST/AMRL) – 34 (2) apps, 21 goals, 6 assists, Ave Rating: 7.23

Admir Mehmedi (34yo Swiss ST/AMLC) – 27 (12) apps, 12 goals, 11 assists, Ave Rating: 7.02

Francesco Pacifico (19yo Swiss ST/AMC) – 18 (11) apps, 12 goals, 5 assists, Ave Rating: 7.10

Joao Mateus (17yo Portugese ST) – 10 (2) apps, 8 goals, 1 assist, Ave Rating: 7.21

Cougar2010 · December 20, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

Off-Season Report

FINANCES/CLUB NEWS

Last season the club just about broke even but while income increased this year so did expenses which saw us end with a loss of approx £3.5m. Add in the £8m net I spent on players and it leaves us with a massive loss of £11.5m which takes the bank account down to a paltry £2m in the black. Not exactly what I expected when I joined Basel and my overpriced signing of Bruun is looking worse by the minute. On a positive note we are in the Champion's Cup next season and qualification for the group stage would go a long way to putting the finances back on track while I'll continue to phase out the older players who are on big wages. The retirements of Morganella, Vaclik & Gashi this summer alone will save us £3.5m next season.

The board set the initial budgets: Transfer budget £4.5m & Wage budget £1.9m a month. Not surprisingly the transfer budget has been slashed but it should still allow me to bring some cheaper players in while the wage budget more than covers the £1.5m a month we are currently spending.

Our turnover was the highest in the division slightly ahead of Young Boys with Zurich a little further behind. We are also the highest value club in the league again slightly ahead of Young Boys & Zurich. Of the rest Winterthur are the most financially secure ahead of St Gallen & Challenge League winners Vaduz who received a “Tycoon” takeover two years ago. Reputation wise all the clubs in the Super League are very similar with no one standing out. Finally we saw a small increase in average attendance to a new club record of 36,313 which is 95% of the stadium capacity.

PLAYER NEWS – OUTGOING

Four young players are released at the end of their contracts while three of the first team squad retired:

Tomas Vaclik (36yo Czech GK) – Retired

Time at Basel: 11 seasons, Apps: 351, Clean Sheets: 131

Michel Morganella (36yo Swiss DR/MR) – Retired

Time at Basel: 12 seasons (2 spells), Apps: 398, Goals: 34, Assists: 57

Shkelzen Gashi (36yo Albanian AMLC/AMR) – Retired

Time at Basel: 11 seasons, Apps: 393, Goals: 92, Assists: 82

Three players are attracting interest as the transfer window opens. 34yo Taulant Xhaka is surprisingly still being watched with Stade Malherbe Caen (French Ligue 1) the latest club to show interest while Cephas Malele continues to be followed with Hull City (English Championship) the keenest. My biggest problem though is 17yo ST Joao Mateus who has really got Europe talking with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Roma, Juventus & Monaco amongst many who look ready to pounce.

With the transfer window open I receive loan offers from both Aarau & Thun for Valon Celiku but I very much see him as part of the first team squad and swiftly reject the offer.

Next up is Young Boys who make an offer totalling £650k for 21yo Arthur Stucki but much like Celiku he is very much a part of my long term plans.

Loan offers keep coming for our fringe players with Leonard Hermann the latest to be targeted by Challenge League side, Le Mont while there is also interest in Abb, Gualtieri & Kamm but no firm offers.

PLAYER NEWS – INCOMING

With my squad taking shape and the rebuild well underway the target this summer is in three areas.

In goal Esteban Arnal has done well but I'm not convinced he deserves the number 1 jersey just yet. I did have a Colombian player scouted who would have had 18 months left on his contract this summer but he put pen to paper on a new four year contract back in April.

Up front Mehmedi is on his last legs and with the vultures circling over Malele and especially Mateus we could well need a new striker before next season.

Finally I'm looking for a younger holding midfielder with Xhaka 34yo & Elneny 32yo.

I don't need to look at my shortlist to know where to find DMs with Russia awash with them. Most of the ones I used I'm priced out of including the transfer listed Saveljev (£3.5m). One former Russian U21 DM was starting to push for a main squad place but his career has drifted a little since and Dinamo Moscow haven't offered him a new deal. I quickly step in and snap him up on a bosman:

Sergey Bagaev (23yo Russian DM, MC) – Signed on a bosman from Dinamo Moscow (Russian Premier Division)

Started his career at Spartak Moscow but after a handful of appearances moved across the city to Dinamo Moscow at 18yo. He quickly established himself as a fringe player and regular Russian U21 International but his career has stagnated somewhat. A hard working, hard tackling professional player who is well suited to the BWM role I'm looking for him to play.

With the Colombian keeper out of the picture I re-evaluate my options in goal. Pretty much all the good keepers are the wrong side of 30yo while others are out of our price range. I did check out a former Swiss U21 International in 23yo Amaury Boyer who plays for Young Boys but despite looking good on paper the scouts have concerns and he has never really impressed. When St Gallen made a bid I decided to pass and explore other options. With no other keepers on my shortlist exciting me I decide to stick with what we have and let the scouts keep looking.

Up front good strikers are expensive or at least more than I'm willing to pay at the moment including former Swiss U21 star 23yo Kyllian Riviere who St Gallen sell to Zurich for £4.1m. I'm forced to turn my attention to younger options and there are a few options that I send the scouts to follow. Two players in particular take my interest: 16yo Michael Schumacher has already been fast tracked to the Swiss U21 team and is quickly becoming one of their brightest talents. The second is 19yo Aussie Peter Brown who plays for Central Coast Mariners (Australian A League). He already boasts 46 goals in 79 first team appearances and aside from a couple of minor cons, the worst being he is slightly injury prone he looks the part and with a £1.4m release clause he could well be a good signing.

I make an enquiry to Central Coast Mariners but they won't settle for less than the £1.4m for Brown. With the offer made I then hit a snag as his agent proves to be an arse and walks away from the table after what I thought was a good deal. I decide to put the transfer on the back burner for now but I may look to return to the table in a few months time.

Nobby_McDonald · December 20, 2015

Great season even if you did just miss out on the double.

Cougar2010 · December 22, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

Pre-Season Friendlies (2025/26)

The Swiss season starts early so we only have time for four friendlies which are all fairly low key affairs. We start by playing host to two German clubs before visiting both Germany & France before competitive games get underway.

Basel (Super League) 4-1 SG Dynamo Dresden (German Third Division)
Goals: Elneny (7), Mateus (26), Bastian (og 37), Malele (55) ; Azemi (20)

MOTM: Mateus (8.5)

Attendance: 13,366

Fairly straight forward as we dominate much of the match. Dresden manage an equaliser to Elneny's early direct freekick when Azemi heads in a deep left wing cross but we soon pull away. Complacency sets in during the second half which lets Dresden have a few more shots than I would have liked but it was job done by then.

Basel (Super League) 2-0 Dusseldorf (German Second Division)
Goals: Pacifico (3, 19)

MOTM: Pacifico (8.8)

Attendance: 13,504

Pacifico is back from winning the U20 World Cup with Italy where he started five of their seven matches and shows he hasn't lost his killer touch in front of goal with an early brace. Dusseldorf create a couple of chances, one in the first half that Gualtieri saves and the second deep in injury time that Ulanen blocks. Inbetween we have several as Pacifico should have completed his hattrick while Malele should also have got on the scoresheet.

Babelsberg (German Non-League) 2-2 Basel (Super League)
Goals: Krawietz (48), De Stefano (og 79) ; Mateus (43), Kamm (89)

MOTM: Kamm (7.8)

Against a German non-league side its a young team that takes to the field with everyone of them under 25yo. The fans get a first look at Bagaev who joins us from International duty while another youngster, De Stefano gets a chance at WBR. Its clear from the start we aren't at the races as we struggle all over the pitch. Mateus seems to set us on our way just before the break but Babelsberg peg us back at the start of the second. As we look to pick up the pace a drilled cross deflects in off De Stefano and whilst Kamm rescues a draw I'm far from happy with the performance.

JA Drancy (French National) 0-1 Basel (Super League)
Goals: Mehmedi (82)

MOTM: Xhaka (8.8)

Last match and another we should be winning easily. Again that doesn't prove to be the case as we struggle to break them down. We edge possession create a few chances but are forced to wait until late on when Mehmedi brings the ball down in the box, spins his marker and slots in. We are rarely troubled at the back but we need to find a way to consistently break teams down.

Cougar2010 · December 22, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

Preview 2025/26 Season

SUMMARY OF MAIN SQUAD

With my overspending last summer it meant this one was much quieter as I look to get the clubs finances back on track. Three players retired, a few young players left, Bagaev joined on a bosman and a few players returned from loan. The plan is to continue to phase out some of the older players while bringing through more of the younger ones. Mehmedi has already announced that he will be retiring at the end of the season when his contract ends while I need to decide what to do with Elneny, Gissi & Xhaka.

No change in the formations with 3232 (Wingbacks) our main formation with 4132 & 41221 available as alternatives.

No change either in captaincy as Cephas Malele continues with Taulant Xhaka as vice captain.

Goalkeepers
As it stands Esteban Arnal continues as my first choice with Michael Gualtieri as backup but I am actively looking for a new long term number 1.

Esteban Arnal (24yo French GK)

Michael Gualtieri (23yo Swiss GK)

Fullbacks
With Morganella retiring its Mbabu competing with Untersee on the right and Burri competing with Hermann again on the left. Mbabu & Burri should be clear first choices but Untersee especially played well last year. Mbabu may also be needed to cover in the middle while Picollet may spend some time on the left. Finally I've promoted 17yo Francesco De Stefano from the youth team with the aim of giving him a little experience. Like Mbabu I'm unsure if his best position is DC or WBR but for now he'll provide cover in both areas.

Sebastian Burri (22yo Swiss DL/DR) – 1 Cap, 0 Goals

Leonard Hermann (24yo Swiss DL/DR)

Kevin Mbabu (30yo Swiss DRC) – 4 Caps, 0 Goals

Joel Untersee (31yo Swiss DRL/MR)

Francesco De Stefano (17yo French DR/DC)

Central Defence
Its as you were last season with Picollet & Ulanen regulars in the defence while I'll be looking to phase 34yo Gissi out, make good use of Bruun and continue the development of 20yo Elton Toma. Cover is provided by Mbabu & De Stefano from DR while 18yo Remo Kurth is probably heading for another loan spell.

Vincenzo Picollet (24yo Swiss DL/DC)

Jarno Ulanen (25yo Finnish DC/MC) – 19 Caps, 1 Goal

Dylan Gissi (34yo Swiss DC/DR) – 42 Caps, 0 Goals

Kasper Bruun (24yo Danish DRC/DM)

Elton Toma (20yo Swiss DC)

Central Midfield
We have a lot of competition in the middle and simply not enough room for everyone. In the more defensive role Xhaka & Elneny have competition from bosman signing Bagaev with Elneny in particular one I'm looking to phase out due to his huge wages. For the more offensive roles last season saw Abb, Kamm, Stucki & Celiku share the workload but we also have Schaider, Farinelli & Petrucci who have returned from loan and are looking to establish themselves. Realistically Petrucci despite looking decent on paper is a little behind the rest and would benefit from moving on given he is a little older while Farinelli & one of Celiku/Schaider will probably end up out on loan.

Taulant Xhaka (34yo Albanian DL, DM/DR) – 57 Caps, 5 Goals – Vice Captain

Mohamed Elneny (33yo Egyptian MC/DM) – 119 Caps, 7 Goals

Sergey Bagaev (23yo Russian DM, MC) – 5 Caps, 0 Goals

Danny Abb (25yo Liechtsteiner MC) – 63 Caps, 12 Goals

Paul Kamm (20yo Swiss AMC)

Arthur Stucki (21yo Swiss AMC)

Valon Celiku (19yo Swiss AMC)

Christoph Schaider (20yo Swiss MC)

Andrea Farinelli (18yo Swiss MC/DM)

Luigi Petrucci (22yo Swiss MC)

Forwards
No change from last season as Malele is the star while Pacifico & Mateus push for starts as I phase Mehmedi out. I'm also potentially looking for another striker to take over from Mehmedi who retires at the end of this season. The only other news is that Pacifico has switched nationalities from Swiss to Italian.

Cephas Malele (31yo Swiss ST/AMRL) – 23 Caps, 7 Goals - Captain

Admir Mehmedi (34yo Swiss ST/AMLC) – 81 Caps, 28 Goals

Francesco Pacifico (19yo Italian ST/AMC)

Joao Mateus (17yo Portugese ST)

The board announced their expectations for the season and they are more or less what I expected.

European Champions Cup: Playoff

Swiss Super League: Win the Title

Swiss Cup: Win the Cup

Swiss Super League Preview

After winning the title last season its no surprise we are favorites with Zurich & St Gallen not far behind. Winterthur have been steadily improving and are expected to threaten while Young Boys have slipped down a little after being poor last year. Promoted Vaduz backed by a tycoon are expected to make an impression leaving Aarau, Lugano & Thun trying to stay ahead of relegation favourites, Grasshoppers.

The media make us favourites, the board expect us to win and I'm also looking to defend our title while also making an impression in Europe.

Cougar2010 · December 24, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

July 2025

Club News

As the competitive games get underway we have two injuries in the squad:

Joel Untersee (DRL) – Out for another two months with a broken ankle.

Christoph Schaider (MC) – Virtually recovered after missing pre-season with a sports hernia.

European Champion's Cup, Third Qualifying Round (Champion's Route)

We just have enough points to be a seeded team and are drawn against the winners of the Partizani (Albania)/Aktobe (Kazakhstan) second round tie.

Sunday 20th July 2025 – Swiss Super League (1/36)
Basel 2-0 Vaduz

Goals: Pacifico (19), Kamm (77)

MOTM: Pacifico (8.0)

Attendance: 36,590

Milestone: Sergey Bagaev – Debut for Basel

Bagaev starts as the holding midfielder while Mateus gets the nod over Pacifico to join Malele up front. Vaduz bring an attacking formation but it only serves to give us space to attack down the wings. Mbabu & Malele both look dangerous with a half chance hitting the side netting before Malele is carried off early. With Mbabu also picking up a knock we start to look a little shaky but the nerves are settled when a cross sees Mateus head towards goal from deep with Pacifico stepping in to direct it wide of the keeper. With tackles flying in Mateus is another casualty before the break which results in Stucki being employed as an emergency DLF. Vaduz have shots but the defence cope well and confidence grows in the second half. Pacifico has the ball in the net when Stucki plays him through only to be ruled offside but Kamm wraps up the win minutes later when the ball is pulled back to him.

Match Injuries

Cephas Malele (ST) – Out for 2/3 weeks with a twisted knee.

Kevin Mbabu (DRC) – Out for about a week with a bruised rib.

Player News

34yo Taulant Xhaka (DM) announces he intends to retire at the end of the season when his contract comes to an end. I leave it for now but if his performances are anything like last season I'll be looking for him to reconsider later in the year.

Transfer News

After giving the agent a little space I'm straight back in for Aussie striker Peter Brown and this time its important I get the deal done with Malele injured:

Peter Brown (19yo Australian ST/AMRL) – Signed from Central Coast Mariners (Australian A-League) for £1.4m

Homegrown at Central Coast Mariners he quickly established himself as an important first team player as well as representing Australia at U21 level. He is a little rough around the edges but he is hard working, professional, athletic, team player. With Mehmedi retiring I'm looking for Brown to compete with Pacifico for the advanced role.

Club News

Season ticket sales are announced and they have risen since last season from 26,804 to 28,327.

Saturday 26th July 2025 – Swiss Super League (2/36)
Zurich (3rd) 0-0 Basel (2nd)

Goals:

MOTM:

Milestone: Peter Brown – Debut for Basel

With Malele injured & Mbabu recovering from a knock new signing Brown joins Mateus up front while 17yo De Stefano gets a first start for me at WBR as I save a few players for the midweek Champion's Cup match. With Zurich packing the midfield its a tight first half as we manage two shots & Zurich four. Two of those are good chances though, the first is saved by Gualtieri while the second is into the side netting. We offer more of a threat in the second half with Mateus playing in Brown only to see the goal ruled out for marginal offside while a second chance sees Brown blast over the bar. At the other end Gualtieri once again comes to our rescue as we are a little lucky to come away with a draw.

Transfer News

22yo Luigi Petrucci isn't a bad player its just there is a lot of competition for places in front of him so when Le Mont LS (Challenge League) make me an offer it makes sense to let him go:

Luigi Petrucci (22yo Swiss MC) – Sold to Le Mont LS (Challenge League) for £25k

Time at Basel: 7 seasons, Appearances: 39, Goals: 1, Assists: 0

We still have too many midfielders though fighting for chances behind Abb, Kamm & Stucki so when Lugano (Super League) make a loan offer for Celiku I agree to let him go. Its a good chance for him to get a lot of gametime & improve while I get to evaluate Schaider & Farinelli before making a decision who to keep long term.

Valon Celiku (20yo Swiss MC) – On Loan at Lugano (Super League) until the end of the season.

Wednesday 30th July 2025 – European Champion's Cup (Champion's Route, 3rd Qualifying Round)
Aktobe (Kazakhstan) 1-0 Basel (Switzerland)

Goals: Marochkin (90)

MOTM: Marochkin (8.3)

Toma gets his first start of the season in defence while I opt for the experience of Mehmedi up front. This is the sort of match we should be winning with ease and after a solid start we take control of the match. Abb lifts one half chance over the bar while Pacifico sees a good one saved although he was off balance and on his wrong side. Mehmedi sees the best chance of the half saved at point blank range when he arrives late at the far post and Abb sees another half chance cleared off the line. We keep the pressure on in the second half but just can't find a way through. Aktobe have done nothing all game but they manage to kick us in the teeth deep into injury time when Marochkin fires in a freekick from 30 yards. Its a massive blow to go home behind and without an away goal & I let the team know it.

deltablue · December 25, 2015

Brown looks like a great find.

Cougar2010 · December 26, 2015

Brown looks like a great find.

Yeah, pretty happy with him.

Skill wise there are quite a few similar but price, wages & especially attitude/mentality are great.

Cougar2010 · December 26, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

August 2025

Saturday 2nd August 2025 – Swiss Super League (3/36)
Basel (4th) 2-1 Young Boys (8th)

Goals: Toma (14, 40) ; Picollet (og 84)

MOTM: Toma (9.2)

Attendance: 37,797

Milestone: Taulant Xhaka - 450th Career League Appearance

Both De Stefano & Schaider start as I again look to rest players for the return match against Aktobe. Up front we seem to be firing blanks at the moment as Brown sees an early chance saved. We do take the lead though from a wide freekick, De Stefano should have scored when he drifted off his marker but Toma was on hand to tap in the rebound. The goal seems to give the team confidence and Kamm rattles the bar before Toma doubles the lead when he heads in a corner. We tighten up a little in the second half and play keep ball for the most part. A late scramble in the box sees the ball deflect in off Picollet which leads to a nervy finish. As Young Boys push for an equaliser quick breaks see Brown first blast a good chance over the bar before having a second ruled out for offside it doesn't matter though as we hold on for a solid win.

Match Injury

Christoph Schaider (MC) – Out for a few days with a dead leg.

Wednesday 6th August 2025 – European Champion's Cup (Champion's Route, 3rd Qualifying Round)
Basel (Switzerland) 5-0 agg 5-1 Aktobe (Kazakhstan)

Goals: Mbabu (7), Pacifico (39), Gissi (45), Ulanen (45), Picollet (60)

MOTM: Pacifico (9.4)

Attendance: 36,725

Malele is just back from injury and with the other strikers firing blanks he goes straight into the team while in midfield Stucki replaces the out of form Abb. We need to win as we look to overturn the 1-0 defeat we suffered in Kazakhstan and the team go out motivated and focussed. We find a lot of space out wide through Mbabu in particular down the right and its his cross early on that picks out the run of Pacifico who should have given us the lead only to see his shot come back off the post. We are ahead though minutes later when Aktobe only half clear a corner with Stucki returning it into the box for Mbabu to slot in. Its one way traffic in the first half but we have to wait until late in the half for the floodgates to open. Malele & Pacifico had already seen chances saved, missed & blocked before a striker finally scores, Pacifico with a vicious shot from the edge of the box that the keeper can only block and he follows up his own shot to fire in. With halftime looming two set pieces firmly swing the match our way, first a wide freekick sees substitute Abb flickon for Gissi to force in at the far post before deep into injury time Ulanen heads in a corner. With a solid lead we sit back in the second half to see the game out but Picollet does add a 5th from another set piece as its crisis averted.

European Champion's Cup, Playoff Draw

10 go into the draw for the Champion's route and of them we are ranked 8th in co-efficients and therefore unseeded. With a place in the group stage on the line the five seeded teams are: Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia), FC Kobenhavn (Denmark), Partizan (Serbia), Ludogorets (Bulgaria) & Legia (Poland).

Joining us in the second pot of unseeded teams are: Rangers (Scotland), Maribor (Slovenia), PAOK (Greece) & Djurgarden (Sweden).

We get the toughest draw possible as we face top seeds Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) who have made the Champion's Cup group stage eight of the last nine years.

Saturday 9th August 2025 – Swiss Super League (4/36)
Winterthur (1st) 1-0 Basel (3rd)

Goals: Niedziela (78)

MOTM: Niedziela (8.3)

A quick turnaround from the European game means a bit of rotation as I rest some of the more tired players. Winterthur are a fast improving team who have started this season the way they finished the last and that shows on the pitch as they are well organised. The defences are well in control this game as Winterthur play keep ball which sees them threaten mainly from freekicks while we get the ball wide and win a series of corners. The only half chance of the game falls to Winterthur in the second half when an angled shot flies past the far post. With the match having 0-0 written all over it one goal was always going to be enough and it goes Winterthur's way when Niedziela gets on the end of a right wing cross. A disappointing performance and a disappointing result as we again struggled to create chances against a defensive team.

Match Injury

Francesco Pacifico (ST) – Out for 3/4 weeks with a twisted ankle.

Saturday 16th August 2025 – Swiss Super League (5/36)
Lugano (3rd) 0-1 Basel (5th)

Goals: Malele (35)

MOTM: Abb (8.4)

Milestone: Sebastian Burri - 150th Career League Appearance

Milestone: Cephas Malele - 150th Career League Goal for Basel

Another tough game of few chances but we play better than we did last week against Winterthur. The match has structure as Lugano pack the midfield with a 451. Going forward we struggle to break down their organised defence but at the back we isolate their lone striker. The advantage is ours though as we are the team with the ball much of the time. A corner leads to a half chance blocked during a scramble while Malele gets on the end of a cross only to clip the bar. Its clear that it will take either a mistake or a moment of magic to break the deadlock and its Abb that provides the magic when a ball over the top finds the run of Malele to give us the lead. Lugano switch to 343 in the second half which gives them more threat and they force us back into counter attack mode. A half chance for both sides missed is the best either team manage though as the defences stay solid and we see out a steady win.

Match Injury

Leonard Hermann (DL) – Out for about 10 days with a gashed upper leg.

Wednesday 20th August 2025 – European Champion's Cup (Champion's Route, Playoff, 1st Leg)
Dinamo (Croatia) 1-1 Basel (Switzerland)

Goals: Serrafiore (6) ; Gissi (30)

MOTM: Kamm (9.0)

A tough trip for us but at least we know if we lose we drop into the EURO Cup group stage which might not be the worst thing. I feel we have an outside chance but my belief is shaken early on as we are very much second best as Dinamo take control. Our passing is terrible as we keep giving possession away and it costs us when Serrafiore fires in early on. I tweak the tactics as I look to get the team moving and after chasing the ball for much of the half we finally have a shot at goal. Its saved but from the corner Gissi heads in to settle the nerves. Dinamo are much the better team as they clip the woodwork three times and create several half chances but we improve as the match progresses. In the later stages we gamble and take the game to Dinamo and they are forced to defence as we end strongly looking for a second away goal. Dinamo might be disappointed not to have won but despite looking shaky at the back we didn't concede any real clear chances. De Stefano looks the part at WBR but I now have real concerns over new signing Brown up front who seems to have forgotten how to shoot.

Swiss Cup, 1st Round Draw

Its an away draw but non-league opposition as we face AC Taverne.

Saturday 23rd August 2025 – Swiss Super League (6/36)
Grasshoppers (8th) 1-5 Basel (4th)

Goals: Peters (87) ; Malele (16, 18, pen 34), Bruun (30), Brown (88)

MOTM: Malele (9.5)

Milestone: Kasper Bruun - 1st Goal for Basel

Milestone: Peter Brown - 1st Goal for Basel

Games are catching up with the squad as a few players are looking tired while others are injured. Wingbacks in particular are a problem as De Stefano starts on the right while Picollet switches wide on the left. In the middle Schaider starts as he continues to build match fitness. Grasshoppers are relegation favourites and its easy to see why as we dominate the match. Half chances come regularly and Malele buries two balls that roll loose in the box. Bruun heads in a corner for three and we are cruising when a soft penalty sees Malele wrap up his hattrick. There has never been a better chance for Brown to break his duck as he replaces Malele in the second half but as we take our foot off the gas Grasshoppers push forwards. The warning signs are there as a couple of headers are off target and they finally make the breakthrough late on when Peters heads in a wide freekick. Straight from kickoff though Mateus plays in Brown and in his 6th match for the club he finally finds the net to open his account.

Transfer News

One of my promises when I took over at Basel was to sign younger players. So far I've given lots of them a chance in the first team but Brown was the first one I've signed. With money tight I'm keen to push on and one player that took my interest in the off-season was 16yo Michael Schumacher who had already been capped at U21 level. After some scouting I decide he is worth a gamble especially with his stock rising every day and Mateus angling for a move away:

Michael Schumacher (16yo Swiss ST/AMR) – Signed from Luzern (Challenge League) for £175k

One of Switzerland's brightest young strikers came through the Luzern youth academy. He made a handful of appearances for them last season & this and has also been capped at U21 level. He still has a lot to learn but hugely talented for his age and he will be keen to pressure Brown, Pacifico & Mateus for a chance in the first team.

Tuesday 26th August 2025 - European Champion's Cup (Champion's Route, Playoff, 2nd Leg)
Basel (Switzerland) 0-0 agg 1-1 Dinamo (Croatia) **Basel win on away goals**

Goals:

MOTM: Arnal (8.0)

Attendance: 36,797

With the lead on away goals the plan is to keep it tight and not give them anything easy. Dinamo come to attack as they must and we are under a little pressure early on but the defence cope well and Dinamo create nothing of note. We offer more going forwards in the second half and a corner sees the the only half chance of the game fall our way only to be blocked wide. Overall it certainly wasn't a boring 0-0 draw as there were plenty of shots but none that you wouldn't have expected the keepers to save as we hold on to win the tie booking a place in the Champion's Cup group stage.

Match Injury

Cephas Malele (ST) – Out for about a week with a bruised head.

Champion's Cup, Group Stage Draw

At this point I'm thinking maybe losing to Dinamo and dropping into the EURO Cup wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world. We are £6.4m richer but as 4th seeds any group was going to be tough. In the end we draw Real Madrid (Spain), AC Milan (Italy) & Marseille (France).

European Roundup

While we took the Champion's route to the Champion's Cup group stage Zurich took the much tougher other route. After overcoming PSV (Holland) they lost out to Lyon (France) in the playoff and drop into the EURO Cup group stage.

Unfortunately they'll be the only Swiss club there as St Gallen (Lost to Austria Wien), Lugano (Lost to Lokeren) & Aarau (Lost to Metalist) all crashed out in qualifying.

Saturday 30th August 2025 – Swiss Super League (7/36)
Basel (4th) 2-0 Thun (3rd)

Goals: Mehmedi (81), Stucki (90)

MOTM: Stucki (7.5)

Attendance: 36,841

We have a problem up front where Malele & Pacifico are injured, Mateus is tired & Schumacher has only just joined. This leaves Mehmedi & Brown starting and although Mateus is on the bench I'm more likely to push Kamm or Stucki into the DLF role if needed. After an even start the game steadily swings our way as Thun spend more & more time defending. Chances are few & far between though while a lot of our shots are off target. A half chance for Thun in the first half is as good as it gets for them while for us Brown sees a good chance saved from a narrow angle before putting a half chance over the bar. A quick break from a Thun corner sees Stucki slide Mehmedi in only for the goal to be ruled out for offside but he makes up for it minutes later when a De Stefano cross evades two defenders before landing on his head at the far post. I push Stucki forward in the final stages and he seems to offer more of a goal threat as Abb drives into the box before laying off for him to seal the win while in injury time he could easily have had another.

Player News

Its not the first time I've pushed Stucki forward into a supporting striker role but what I noticed in the last match was how like Mehmedi he plays. I have been using him as either a DLP or an attacking MC but with an excess of MCs I start to retrain him as a ST with the intention of maybe using him more in the deeper link role.

Transfer News

With every man & his dog seemingly after 17yo Joao Mateus I have a problem. He has already angled for a move away and now wants a new challenge. With two years left on his contract I decide to try and cash in now and offer him out for £60m. No-one bites though and he stays with us a bit longer but with him unlikely to sign a new deal I need to try to move him on before he leaves for nothing.

In other news I get a random bid of £3m + add ons out of the blue from Vit. Guimaraes (Portugese Premier League) for WBL Sebastian Burri. Given I paid £3.6m for him last year and that he is a solid first team player I have no intention of letting him go for less than his £8.5m release clause so the offer is swiftly rejected.

Cougar2010 · December 28, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

September 2025

International News

We have three new Internationals in the squad as Elton Toma, Paul Kamm (both Switzerland) & Peter Brown (Australia) all stepped up from U21 level and made their debuts for the senior sides

Sunday 7th September 2025 – Friendly
Le Mont LS (Challenge League) 2-3 Basel (Super League)

Goals: Villain (22, 41) ; Elneny (31, 52), Mehmedi (42)

MOTM: Elneny (9.0)

We have a lot of players away on International duty but I arrange a friendly anyway to keep match fitness up on some of the fringe players and try a few things out. Unfortunately with the U18s playing a match we are thinner on the ground than I thought as I struggle to make up a team. Pacifico got a late call up into the Italian U21s which leaves us with just Mehmedi available up front while three no hopers start but at least I get a look at Farinelli in the middle as well as building some match fitness. We look lazy in defence in the first half which is disappointing given Gualtieri, Bruun & Picollet are all involved. Failure to close down Villain sees him despatch two shots from the edge of the box but at the other end Elneny & Mehmedi score equalisers. We improve after the break and a direct freekick from Elneny proves to be the winner. I didn't learn a lot tbh, Elneny proved a point but if he wants to stay he'll have to accept a much reduced contract, De Stefano continued to show he has the ability at this level despite his age but Farinelli still needs work in the middle.

Match Injury

Leonard Hermann (DL) – Out for about a week with a bruised head.

Saturday 13th September 2025 – Swiss Super League (8/36)
St Gallen (8th) 1-2 Basel (2nd)

Goals: Temporin (24) ; Olivier (og 9), Pacifico (72)

MOTM: Pacifico (8.4)

Ulanen & Abb miss out due to tiredness after the Internationals while Kamm & Mbabu are also rested. Pacifico is back up front and partners Malele while Elneny is the DLP after forcing his way back into the team. St Gallen might be towards the bottom of the table but thats mainly due to a series of draws and I'm not taking this match lightly. Its a steady start by both teams until a corner is forced in when Toma puts the defender under pressure. With the defences looking slightly stretched but coping St Gallen equalise out of nothing when Temporin gets between Gissi & Toma to stab in a deep right wing cross. After that the match settles with both sides looking dangerous when they come forward but producing nothing of note. Early in the second half Malele sees a chance saved while Pacifico hits the side netting from a narrow angle as we start to look the more likely to score. Its good to have Pacifico back up front and he shows why when he steps inside his marker firing in what proves to be the winner from the edge of the box. With the lead I can rest Malele a little and it gives me a chance to look at Brown in the deeper role. On paper he looks like he should be an advanced striker but it hasn't worked for us so far and signs are he likes to play with his back to goal. Early signs are I might be right as he looks more comfortable and even sets up a chance for Kamm late on which is saved.

Match Injury

Francesco De Stefano (DRC) – Out for 2/3 weeks with a twisted knee.

Tuesday 16th September 2025 – European Champion's Cup, Group B (1/6)
Basel (Switzerland) 5-1 AC Milan (Italy)

Goals: Mateus (10), Malele (27, 38), Abb (82), Mbabu (90) ; Belotti (1)

MOTM: Malele (9.2)

Attendance: 37,661

Well we got into the big time now can we compete? AC Milan bring a really odd 31213 formation (See below) that I'm not sure how to deal with. In the end I decide to go with the usual wingbacks and try to control the middle of the pitch. It looks bad when the first AC Milan attack sees Belotti slot in a left wing cross inside the first minute but we find space in the middle and behind their wide players as Mateus equalises from Picollet's cross. The first half is end to end as the chances keep coming. Malele taps in after Mateus's header is saved before spinning his marker to add a third while at the other end Arnal produces good saves to deny them. With a shock on the cards we try to play keep ball in the second half but its not easy. With time running out Milan implode as Abb adds a 4th before Mbabu heads in a Burri cross in injury time to send shockwaves around Europe.

Training Injury

Francesco Pacifico (ST) – Out for about a week with a bruised head.

Saturday 20th September 2025 – Swiss Cup (1st Round)
Taverne (Non-League) 0-3 Basel (Super League)

Goals: Brown (13, 45, 72)

MOTM: Brown (9.5)

Milestone: Michael Schumacher – Debut for Basel

After a tough European game there is a lot of rotation for what on paper should be an easy Cup game against non-league opposition. Untersee returns from a broken ankle at WBR although with the form De Stefano has shown he might find it difficult to keep his place while Schaider gets a chance as the DLP. Up front Schumacher makes his debut alongside Brown in the deeper role, its a gamble but Malele is on the bench just in case. We dominate from start to finish & it looks like I've fixed the Brown issue as he completes an impressive hattrick. The first comes when Untersee's cross is deflected and falls at his feet. The second is a header from a Hermann cross while the third he wraps it up with a tidy turn & shot. Schumacher & Schaider both have steady games but need more work while Untersee & Hermann gained match fitness.

Swiss Cup, 2nd Round Draw

Seven teams from the Super & Challenge League crashed out in the 1st round leaving 13 league teams and 19 non-league going into the 2nd round draw. We get drawn away again, this time to semi pro side Naters.

Wednesday 24th September 2025 – Swiss Super League (9/36)
Vaduz (9th) 1-2 Basel (2nd)

Goals: Gutierrez (25) ; Ulanen (5), Mbabu (89)

MOTM: Mbabu (7.7)

Vaduz's narrow attacking formation doesn't seem to be doing them any favours this season as they are still yet to win. With plenty of space down the wings we take advantage early on and have the lead when Ulanen heads in a corner. As the match settles Vaduz start to take control of the middle of the park and isolate our wingbacks. They equalise when a short ball into the box sees Gutierrez fire a first time shot past Arnal. With the scores level so is much of the play on the field, we get the ball wide then struggle to do much with it aside from winning set pieces while Vaduz focus on the middle but play in front of our defence which limits them to long shots. I tweak the tactics at halftime to try to break up the Vaduz play more and we edge the second half but the best we create are three half chances. They all fall to Malele though and he is having an offday as they are all saved or blocked. With a draw looking like the outcome Mateus comes off the bench and provides a late deep cross which finds Mbabu arriving late at the far post to bury the only good chance of the match. Not the best performance but a steady one where we stole the win in the final stages.

Saturday 27th September 2025 – Swiss Super League (10/36)
Basel (2nd) 3-1 Zurich (3rd)

Goals: Pacifico (20, 68), Malele (63) ; Konate (7)

MOTM: Pacifico (8.8)

Attendance: 37,048

With two of the tightest defences in the league I'm expecting a close game of few chances especially when Zurich pack the midfield. Zurich buck the trend early though when a long ball over the top sees Konate free to slot in the opening goal. Its not looking good for us as they sit with 10 men behind the ball as we dominate possession but equally out of nothing Pacifico finds the most sublime header to direct Untersee's cross wide of the keeper. With the scores level the match settles into the pattern everyone expected with the defences looking solid. A bad injury forces Mateus off just before halftime and its Malele that makes the difference when he steps inside his marker firing in from the edge of the box. With Zurich shaken Burri drops a cross right into the path of Pacifico to give us a cushion and another win. Pacifico was immense up front & along with Kamm & Malele made the difference in the game.

Match Injury

Joao Mateus (ST) – Out for 6/7 weeks with a torn groin muscle.

Player News

Arthur Stucki (MC) comes to me about his lack of first team football this season. As a rotation player he has started 6 matches and come on as a sub 6 times in a total of 16 competitive games so far this season. He has also complained a couple of times about training this season and is starting to get a rep for being a bit of a whinger. That said he has played a little less than the others and I tell him to be patient & there is a lot of football still to play. In truth the problem I have is that Kamm, Abb & Stucki all seem to prefer playing the MC (A) role rather than the DLP one. To solve it Stucki is retraining to be a ST where I can then play him as a DLF.

Transfer Window Roundup

Some money was spent & some was recouped as no club made huge strides in the transfer market. Zurich focused on a single player as they wrenched former Swiss U21 star striker Kyllian Riviere from St Gallen for £4.1m which proved to be the biggest transfer of the window. St Gallen were the most active as they also sold a Serbian U21 striker to Partizan (Serbia) for £1.1m + a couple of fringe players. They then spent all the money on seven players, three were of note – Luis Miguel Romero (23yo Spanish DC) from Young Boys for £2.6m, Marcello Temporin (26yo Swiss ST) from Sion for £1.2m & Boban Tatar (24yo Bosnian AMR, ST) from Thun for £1.2m.

Young Boys spent some of their money from selling Romero as they brought in Reinhard Pohl (25yo Swiss ST) for £1m from Lugano while we open the cheque book to bring in Peter Brown (19yo Australian ST) from Central Coast Mariners (Australia) for £1.4m.

The other club to make an impact over the summer were Winterthur as they spent £2.8m on Federico Hernandez (22yo Spanish DC) from Panathinaikos (Greece) & £950k on Josep Yague (26yo Spanish ST) from Real Betis (Spain) before recouping £875k by selling a 24yo Spanish AMC to Cadiz (Spain).

Cougar2010 · December 29, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

October 2025

Player News

Joao Mateus loses his slight concern and is now happy to stay at the club despite continued interest in him from many big clubs. I jump in and offer him a new three year deal which is the most he'll accept.

Wednesday 1st October 2025 – European Champion's Cup, Group B (2/6)
Olympique de Marseille (France) 0-0 Basel (Switzerland)

Goals:

MOTM: Tete (7.4) (Marseille)

Passing is an issue for us early on as we keep giving the ball away which puts our defence under pressure. I make a few tweaks in the first half to try and improve our chances but we spend a lot of time defending against a pacy Marseille team. Despite stretching our defence they create nothing of note as we go into halftime level. With our tactics not working so well we switch to true counter attacking in the second half and it works much better as it dulls the threat of Marseille's pace whilst giving us a better platform to attack from. In the end neither team create a chance of any note and a fairly even game ends in a draw which is a good result for us.

Saturday 4th October 2025 – Swiss Super League (11/36)
Young Boys (8th) 0-4 Basel (1st)

Goals: Pacifico (1, 83), Brown (12, 88)

MOTM: Pacifico (9.2)

Milestone: Sergey Bagaev - 100th Career League Appearance

Just a few days after the Marseille game means plenty of rotation as Toma, De Stefano, Hermann, Schaider & Brown all start. We look to make good use of the space out wide as Young Boys lineup 4312 and it works early on as the ball is passed inside to Schaider, his shot from the edge of the box is saved but Pacifico follows up to slot in at the 3rd attempt. The width continues to work for us as Hermann crosses for Brown to give us a cushion. Young Boys come into the match later in the half but they rarely threaten as our defence looks comfortable. The second half sees Pacifico miss a golden chance to add to our lead when a long ball from Hermann finds him behind the defence before hitting the bar with a smart turn & shot. Late on he does add the icing on the cake before Hermann crosses for Brown to top it off as both strikers grab a brace. A really impressive performance all round with Brown coming on in leaps & bounds in the deeper role.

International Injury

Arthur Stucki (MC) – Out for about a week with a stubbed toe.

Saturday 18th October 2025 – Swiss Cup (2nd Round)
Naters (Non-League) 1-2 Basel (Super League)

Goals: Comte (53) ; Schumacher (15), Toma (62)

MOTM: Schumacher (8.3)

Milestone: Michael Schumacher - 1st Goal for Basel

With a lot of the squad still tired from International duty we are struggling to put eleven fit players on the field. For once we have too many defensive midfielders available as Schaider is pushed into the attacking role while Elneny is the playmaker. Up front Schumacher gets a start alongside Brown and its his turn & shot from the edge of the box that gives us the lead. We are in control but not really creating a lot with a couple of half chances the best it gets for us. It doesn't matter how poor the opposition is they always have a chance when they just need one goal and it comes in the second half when a Comte shot from the edge of the box beats Gualtieri. I encourage the team to pick up the pace and Toma puts us back in front when he fires in a corner. This time we hold on, it wasn't a good performance but we got the job done which is the main thing.

Swiss Cup, 3rd Round Draw

Last 16 and the draw features six Super League teams, three Challenge League teams & seven lower league teams. The big draw sees Zurich face Young Boys while we have another away trip, this time to semi pro team, Meyrin.

Wednesday 22nd October 2025 – European Champion's Cup, Group B (3/6)
Real Madrid (Spain) 3-1 Basel (Switzerland)

Goals: Oztunali (6), Manuel (13, 17) ; Kamm (43)

MOTM: Manuel (9.0) (Real Madrid)

Given the strength of the opposition I make the decision for the first time in ages to switch formation to the 4132 countering the narrow diamond that Madrid use. I don't know if it would have worked or not as mistakes by Arnal, Ulanen & Toma gift Madrid a comfortable early lead. Thats not to say we weren't under pressure but our performance was terrible. Once we settle Pacifico creates a good chance for himself only to put it wide as we grow into the match. Just before the break a throw in sees Elneny find Kamm in the box who gives the fans something to cheer for. I read the riot act during the break and switch back to our normal wingbacks formation which sees Abb sacrificed for Burri. We look much more comfortable in the second half and give Madrid a game with a couple of chances for both teams wasted. We are well beaten but ultimately we gave it away in the early stages.

Sunday 26th October 2025 – Swiss Super League (12/36)
Basel (1st) 0-1 Winterthur (2nd)

Goals: Pfeifer (34)

MOTM: Niedziela (7.4) (Winterthur)

Attendance: 36,727

There is plenty of rotation but I'm still looking for the team to bounce back from the Madrid match. We make a poor start though and give far too much possession away which sees us forced to defend early on. With some tweaks we start to get a foothold in the match but as we do a quick break sees Pfeifer give Winterthur the lead. I try to ramp up the pressure as the match progresses but passing is average, chances aren't being created and our shooting is wayward. Winterthur edge the match, create the two best chances and are deserved winners as I let the team know how disappointed I am.

Wednesday 29th October 2025 – Swiss Super League (13/36)
Basel (1st) 5-0 Aarau (7th)

Goals: Schaider (pen 8), Mbabu (27), Malele (31, 57), Kamm (38)

MOTM: Malele (9.4)

Attendance: 34,806

After two defeats on the trot I demand more from the team and they deliver early when Mbabu plays a one-two with Malele before being brought down driving towards goal. Aarau claim he dived but it looked a foul to me & Schaider slots the penalty into the top corner. With the lead the team gain confidence and its two when a deflected low cross from Hermann falls into the path of Mbabu who smashes in. A half cleared wide freekick sees Picollet head back into the box for Malele to direct in a third while Kamm fires in a fourth from the edge of the box although the keeper should have done better. We pull back a little in the second half but Malele still adds a fifth after a good passing move involving Picollet & Kamm. Aarau should have had a late consolation on the break but its put wide as we chalk up a big win despite not really getting out of third gear. While nothing went right against Winterthur, everything went our way against Aarau.

Cougar2010 · December 30, 2015

Switzerland

Basel

November 2025

Saturday 1st November 2025 – Swiss Super League (14/36)
Basel (1st) 1-0 Lugano (7th)

Goals: Stucki (85)

MOTM: Stucki (8.0)

Attendance: 34,119

Lugano lineup 451 which gives us a familiar problem. We have no trouble isolating their lone forward but breaking down a 10 man defence is tough. The best chances of the first half come from a wide freekick, it falls to Stucki who should have scored but his shot is blocked on the line while Malele's follow up is saved at close range. The loose ball again falls to Stucki but by then Lugano have defenders in front of him to block the third shot. Chances are hard to come by but Pacifico sees a good chance blocked at the start of the second half. With Lugano offering nothing coming forward we press for a winner in the later stages and it comes when De Stefano swings a deep cross into the six yard box with Stucki making a run to the near post before flicking the ball into the far corner. Pacifico has another chance in injury time when he runs onto Brown's flickon but his offday continues as he puts it into the side netting.

Tuesday 4th November 2025 – European Champion's Cup, Group B (4/6)
Basel (Switzerland) 0-1 Real Madrid (Spain)

Goals: Varane (55)

MOTM: Varane (8.3) (Real Madrid)

Attendance: 38,122

With the 4132 not working well in Spain I stick to what we know for the return match. We make a great start with Malele wasting two good chances to give us the lead. The first is a ball over the top which he brings down on the penalty spot only for the keeper to close the gap and make the save before Burri whips a good cross in from the left putting the ball on a plate for Malele to finish only for the keeper to save again at full stretch. I wonder if we've missed our opportunity and that proves to be the case as Madrid take control as the match settles. One good chance is blocked by a flying tackle before we switch to a more counter attacking style. This seems to work well against a direct Madrid attack as we keep men behind the ball and keep possession a little better. Level at the break Madrid up the pressure in the second half with Isco seeing another chance blocked wide before they take the lead when we fail to fully clear a corner, the ball laid off to Varane on the edge of the box. We are forced to defend as more half chances fall Madrid's way before we push for an equaliser in the last ten minutes. The best is a half chance for Burri after Pacifico breaks down the right but the match ends in a battling defeat.

Sunday 9th November 2025 – Swiss Super League (15/36)
Aarau (8th) 2-1 Basel (1st)

Goals: Bender (38), Steven (75) ; Malele (42)

MOTM: Burri (7.6)

Aarau lineup in an attacking 4231 which gives us some trouble at the back but also leaves space for us to attack. An end to end start sees both defences relatively comfortable while the best chance falls to Burri but from a narrow angle its easily saved. Out of nothing Aarau take the lead when we half clear a corner leaving Bender to drive in from the edge of the box. We respond and Malele equalises when he volleys in a Burri cross. We seem to have turned the corner in the second half as we pressure Aarau and Malele should have put us in front only to see his header hit the post before the keeper blocks the rebound. Our fairure to take our chances costs us late on when a wide freekick is nodded down, Arnal blocks the first shot only to see Steven tap in the loose ball to steal the points.

Saturday 22nd November 2025 – Swiss Super League (16/36)
Thun (3rd) 2-0 Basel (1st)

Goals: Duarte (45), Meinhardt (66)

MOTM: Duarte (8.4) (Thun)

Milestone: Kaspar Bruun - 150th Career League Appearance

Thun are doing well this season and match us early on. The only good chance comes when a long ball from Picollet finds Pacifico between defenders only to put his shot wide. Just before the break Thun create one of their own when a drilled cross from the right finds Duarte who directs in. The start of the second half sees another chance for Pacifico only this time he blasts over the bar while when a freekick from Elneny is saved the follow up from Picollet is also pushed wide. At the other end Thun extend their lead when a freekick hits the bar Meinhardt fires in the rebound. We push to get back into the match but more points slip away as lady luck seems to have deserted us. We were the better team & created chances but failed to put them away which is becoming something of an unwanted habit.

***Match updates are somewhat summarised for the next couple of months as I just didn't feel like writing while I played meaning I've had to go back a little to provide them. I also don't have a record of other events like injuries/player complaints/milestones/league tables etc***

Wednesday 26th November 2025 – European Champion's Cup, Group B (5/6)
AC Milan (Italy) 4-3 Basel (Switzerland)

Goals: Bonazzoli (9), Correa (14, 69), Belotti (24) ; Malele (31, 67), Ulanen (32)

MOTM: Correa (9.0) (AC Milan)

A terrible start saw us three down midway through the first half but we fought back to level in the second before Correa netted a winner in what ended up a fairly even game. Disappointed to lose after coming back while a point would have gone a long way to confirming knockout football in at least the EURO Cup after Xmas.

Saturday 29th November 2025 – Swiss Cup (3rd Round)
Meyrin (Non-League) 1-3 Basel (Super League)

Goals: Pfander (84) ; Schonenberger (og 35), Brown (53), Stucki (76)

MOTM: Brown (8.3)

After four defeats on the bounce this was either going to be an upset or a chance for a morale boosting win. An OG set us on our way when a cross is deflected in and we never looked like losing while Meyrin slotted in their only chance of the match for a late consolation.

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[FM15] "I've Never Played for a Draw in my Life"

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