After 10 years with FM, my first career update

[trman73]

The 2028 European Championship Qualifying draw is on December 20. England hosts the competition this year, so the other 54 nations will battle for the remaining 23 spots. This draw will determine the entirety of our 2027 schedule, unless we're in a group of five, in which case we'll need to schedule a couple friendlies. I'm obviously confident that we are one of the top 23 nations in Europe, but draws are always fun. 

We're in with the top seeds. As I take a quick look at the pools, I'm just going to throw out the prediction that we're in a group of six with Russia, Kosovo, Iceland, Faroe Islands, and Andorra. Why not. Let's see how many I wind up with.

Let's do this!

Here are the groups after everyone but the top seeds are drawn...

Honestly, we'll win any of these groups.

And we wind up in... Group A.

Romania is a good team (14th in the world) and my Italian side knocked them out in the round of 16 four years ago. Norway is 21st. Isreal, Azerbaijan and Andorra are just horrible. We'll take it. Here is our 2027 match schedule:

My goal is to have a +10 goal differential after two games.

OK guys, I'm off for a while and will be back late next week. Later.

Edited June 23, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

Hey all, back from my mini-vacation.

Well the calendar has flipped to 2027, so...

2026 Season Recap

Obviously I need to split the year into my time in Italy and my time with Spain.

Grade: Italy: A++++++++++++; Spain: C; Overall: A+

There was one competition that mattered in 2026, and that was the World Cup. We won it, as you may have read. I've exhausted all I have to say about it. For my tenure with Spain, it was a rough start as we were essentially out of the International League competition halfway through, but it was a solid finish with a draw against the Germans and wins over Sweden and in our two friendlies.

2026 Most Valuable Player: Italy AMR Federico Bernardeschi

My assumption is that at some point over the next 18-24 months, Bernardeschi will retire. He will do so having not only been one of the best and most consistent players for Roma in the past 20 years, but also as the 2026 World Cup Most Outstanding Player. A great achievement for him. Runners-Up: F Moise Kean won the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot. And DC Daniele Rugani was the captain and anchor of our World Cup squad.

2027 Prediction

We've got 10 matches this year, and I think we win nine of them. Whether the 10th is a loss or a draw won't matter, as I think we qualify for Euro 2028 easily.

[trman73]

March 26, 2027 - European Championship Qualifying, Group A, Game 1: Spain vs. Azerbaijan

Our March qualifiers should frankly both be gimmes, as Azerbaijan and Andorra have nothing. Andorra is essentially a friendly as they are the lowest-ranked team in our group of six and our games with them won't count in terms of playoff rankings. But it shouldn't come down to that, as we're the class of this group.

A few players stepped it up in recent months with their clubs and earned spots on the squad for these first matches. Everyone on the squad will get a start in one of these first two matches, so we'll see who impresses.

It takes a little longer than I expected, but we get our first goal in the 18th as Silverio Jose Rivera scores on a pass from central midfielder Rafael Pozo. A few minutes later Juan Carlos Saiz gets into the act with the first of what I expect will be many goals from him in qualifiers.

I must admit - I had visions of one of those crazy 10-0 games that I've seen in qualifiers, but despite dominating the match, we go the next hour without scoring until Saiz gets a second with 10 minutes to go. It's a 3-0 win and a decent enough start to the tournament.

 

[trman73]

March 29, 2027 - European Championship Qualifying, Group A, Game 2: Andorra (0-0-1, 0 pts., 5th) vs. Spain (1-0-0, 3 pts., 2nd)

Andorra fell, 0-3 to Israel, in its opener. As promised, we switch out the entire lineup save for Unai Lopez in net. I expect to destroy this team.

Now this is what I had in mind. Twenty-four minutes into this match we're up 6-0. It starts in the 2nd on a goal from Antoni Maureta and just keeps coming. It's 7-0 at halftime, and the second half is highlighted by us scoring three goals in a minute and 40 seconds. We win, 13-0, and both of our forwards, Andres Querol (4 goals and 2 assists) and Iosu Lopez (5 goals) get perfect 10.0 game ratings.

[DodgeeD]

Just catching up here - wow! Great World Cup win

It mirrored Italy in real life with a slow start but moved into a worldof its own with those highscoring knockout rounds.

Best of luck with Spain!

[Justin_Case]

Woo! We're back!

 

[trman73]

It's the end of the European season, and there are some big doings...

The biggest is that PSG, which has had an absolute stranglehold on Ligue 1 throughout this career, finally fell out of the top position in the league. After winning Ligue 1 for an astonishing 14 consecutive seasons, they fall to second. But it isn't Monaco, which finished second for 10 straight years, that finally dethroned them. It's OM, which actually clinches the title with two games to go.

Man U is atop the Premier League once again, as is Juventus in Serie A. Roma finishes a disappointing fifth in the league to squeak into the Europa League next season. They lost 11 league matches, their most in seven seasons. They were also obliterated by Tottenham in the first knockout round of this year's Euro Cup. Real Madrid wins La Liga again, and in the closest league race, Bayern holds off Leverkusen on the final day of the season to take back the Bundesliga title.

In European cups, Tottenham won Euro Cup over OL on penalties, and in the big one, Manchester City was trying to accomplish the incredible in winning their third straight Champions League title, but they fall, 1-0, to the new European Champions... Monaco.

I have to admit, after five-plus years of international managing, I miss club football. I'm happy with how we're doing here in Spain, but following my four years here there is a 100% chance that I will take a club job in Europe.

[trman73]

Hey guys, good to be back. I did a half work/half quick vacation in San Antonio, which is just a five-hour drive from my home in Dallas. San Antonio is actually a pretty underrated town... lots of fun things to do. However, I returned home to a broken air conditioner, which was a freaking nightmare. June + Dallas + no AC = SUCK. $1,500 later I am cooled off but frustrated. Oh well.

Anyway...

June 10, 2027 - European Championship Qualifying, Group A, Game 3: Spain (2-0-0, 6 pts., 1st) vs. Romania (2-0-0, 6 pts., 2nd)

Okay, enough fooling around with Azerbaijan and Andorra. This is an actual team. Romania beat Norway and Israel in its first two matches, and we've got to expect they will defeat the two teams we played in March, so this match is really for superiority in the group over the first half of this competition. We're better than these guys, but we need a win here. Two of our reserve defenders can't go for these next two matches, so we call up some new faces, including a 35-year-old, Dani Carvajal, who has 50 caps for the national team.

Well, I did not expect this. We come out aggressive but are burned on a counter attack by the Romanians that forces Unai Lopez to make a great save. On the ensuing corner, Romania scores, and we're down 1-0. When they score again in the 42nd, we're in serious trouble, and are down 0-2 at the half.

The second half sees us continue our sluggish play. Finally we break through in the 70th on a goal from Israel Maldonado, and we're in attack mode for the final 20 minutes. Despite controlling much of the action, we fail to tie it, and it's a pretty surprising 2-1 loss for us that sees us fall back of Romania and turn our match in four days against Norway into a must-win.

Edited June 28, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

June 13, 2027 - European Championship Qualifying, Group A, Game 4: Norway (2-0-1, 6 pts., 3rd) vs. Spain (2-0-1, 6 pts., 2nd)

I did not expect to be facing a must-win match this early in the competition, but I am. With a loss, we fall to third behind both the Romanians and this Norway team. That cannot happen.

I don't know what's going on with us offensively, but we play a scoreless first half and we really don't have any clear chances to score that first goal. Things get much worse early in the second, when Norway scores first on a defensive lapse from both of our central defenders that allows an unimpeded run that puts Norway up, 1-0. This time, though, we equalize almost immediately, on a goal from Rivera in the 52nd. We finally take the lead in the 66th on a pretty goal from Adrian Munoz, but incredibly we give it right back three minutes later, and it's 2-2. The game winds down and it looks like a terrible June for us as we'll go 0-1-1.

Not so fast. With three minutes of extra time scheduled, Munoz scores his second of the match off a great pass from substitute left midfielder Nicolas Barroso at 92:40, and we salvage a 3-2 victory on literally the last play of the match. Whew. We really got away with that, and we end the summer session in second place, three points clear of Norway and Azerbaijan.

Edited June 28, 2017 by trman73

[ManUtd1]

Great work with Spain, man. I find that, with international management (especially with a strong/high reputation nation), the opposition really park the bus and often have enough talent to hit you on the break, especially when you're the home side. I may completely dominate, but scoring can be a challenge given how packed they are. Tournaments are the time when teams seem to play less defensively, probably due to less of a reputation gap.  

In other words, qualifying tends to be a bigger challenge than I'd expect, but we're able to play "our game" more when we get to the Euros/World Cup.

[trman73]

Thanks ManU. I found that with the Italians I really dominated the pace of play the vast majority of the time. This Spain team is actually nowhere near as talented as I expected, especially on the back line. With Italy my defenders all were able to clear balls effectively to the midfielders, who were then able to lead passes to the wingers who'd either shoot or, obviously, find the forwards for goals. They were a well-oiled machine. This team is not. Our defense is a lot more erratic and they don't make quality passes to clear the zone. Against the bad teams that doesn't matter. But if we're struggling against teams like Romania and Norway, I don't feel good about Euro matches against the likes of Germany, Italy, etc.

Part of it may have been that I had a players at key positions (left back, attacking right wing, striker, left wing) that had experience playing my formation at Roma. Or maybe that's trying to search for something that isn't there.

By the way, my former team, the Italians, won the International League for the first time during the summer. So that's a European Championship, a World Cup, a Confederations Cup and an International League in the past seven years.

During the summer break I celebrate my first anniversary as head man for Spain. We've gone 6-1-3 in my first 12 months. During that time we've fallen down to the 11th-ranked team in the world. I've hardly set the world on fire during my tenure thus far.

September 4, 2027 - European Championship Qualifying, Group A, Game 5: Spain (3-0-1, 9 pts., 2nd) vs. Israel (1-0-3, 3 pts., 5th)

Andorra's the only team the Israelis have beaten thus far, and they've been outscored 9-2 in their last three qualifying matches. We should get up to 12 points halfway through the competition in this match, but we can't take anything for granted as we did not play well in our summer matches. With wins in this one and then at Azerbaijan on our next match, we will at worst be firmly in control of second place in Group A.

It's yet another slow start for us, but Saiz scores for us in the 28th and we're up 1-0 at the break. In the opening minutes of the second half Israel is called for a foul in the box, and Rivera converts to make it 2-0. Saiz scores again in the 57th, then Rivera gets his second a minute later, and this one's over. We're back on track. We bring in some new faces and call off the dogs in the final half hour, and win 4-0.

Romania beats Azerbaijan to go undefeated through the first half of qualifiers, with us second.

Edited June 28, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

September 7, 2027 - European Championship Qualifying, Group A, Game 6: Azerbaijan (2-0-3, 6 pts., 4th) vs. Spain (4-0-1, 12 pts., 2nd)

Azerbaijan beat Israel and Andorra and is fourth in the group. We handled these guys pretty well in our opening qualifier, and we should again. I make a few subs, and we're ready to roll.

Maureta gets us on the board with a goal in the 8th, and my assumption is that this goal may hold up. But it doesn't, and the Azerbaijanis score in the 17th to tie it. Once again we go through a lethargic stretch, and the half ends, 1-1.

But we explode in the second half. Israel Maldonado scores less than five minutes in, then Andres Querol scores a couple minutes later to make it 3-1. We get two more, and cruise, 5-1. Romania wins again, so we do what we need to do to keep pace in our September matches, and this group looks like it will come down to our trip to visit the Romanians next month.

[trman73]

October 9, 2027 - European Championship Qualifying, Group A, Game 7: Spain (5-0-1, 15 pts., 2nd) vs. Andorra (0-0-6, 0 pts., 6th)

Well we beat these guys 13-0 last time around, and now we're at home. The second team starts this one, as this is the warmup for the big match at Romania in three days. Andorra's scored one goal and conceded 34 in its six matches; we've scored 10 more goals than any other team in the qualifiers. This should be a mauling.

It's not the destruction I expected. We get our first goal in the 18th on a penalty kick by Carles Alena, and Querol scores in the 37th to make it 2-0. In the second half, Alena scores his second on a free kick, but then it's a goal drought, and we win, 3-0. Andorra never gets a shot on goal, but our fans probably go home disappointed from this one, as I suspect they anticipated a double-digit victory.

Romania beats Israel, and we head there knowing we're playing for first in the group.

[trman73]

October 12, 2027 - European Championship Qualifying, Group A, Game 8: Romania (7-0-0, 21 pts., 1st) vs. Spain (6-0-1, 18 pts., 2nd)

At this point it's basically a lock that both we and Romania are going to be in England for Euro 2028. Still though, I'd like to avenge our summer loss to these guys. They've allowed just two goals in group play and have not conceded since our match. They've also moved up to 7th in the world, one spot ahead of us. So there is something to play for here, as the winner will probably wind up as a top seed in one of the six groups of the main competition next summer.

We put the pressure on them early as a great run down the left sideline by Israel Maldonado leads to a perfect cross to Saiz, and it's 1-0 three minutes in. In the 10th a corner from Maldonado finds defender Jesus Vallejo and we're up 2-0. Less than 10 minutes later Maldonado gets another corner, and hits Vallejo again for his second goal and Maldonado's third assist of the half. We're killing these guys. But the rest of the first half is a disaster, and we blow the 3-0 lead as Romania scores in the 27th, 39th, and then right before the halftime whistle to tie it.

The goal-fest continues less than 30 seconds into the second half, as Saiz gets into the act to put us back up, 4-3. Romania refuses to go away, and they generate a lot of chances in the following 30 minutes, but in the 75th they make a mistake when a cross hits off one of their defenders and finds the goal, and we're now up 5-3. Romania scores in stoppage time, but they don't have another multi-goal comeback in them, and we hang on for the 5-4 win that puts us back on top of Group A and all but assures that we'll be headed to England next summer.

We close out qualifiers next month with a trip to Israel and then a home match against the Norwegians.

Edited June 28, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

November 11, 2027 - European Championship Qualifying, Group A, Game 9: Israel (2-0-6, 6 pts., 5th) vs. Spain (7-0-1, 21 pts., 1st)

We've actually got to win these final two matches by something of a wide margin. We've got a 10-goal lead on Romania in goal differential, but they play Azerbaijan and Andorra in their final two, and Andorra alone could be good for a +7 or +8 for them. So we need to keep the gap wide on goals, and win with some style. Still, I'm keeping with my recent trend and starting a fair number of subs against the weaker of our two final opponents. Thus far Unai Lopez is the only player to appear in more than six of our eight qualifying matches.

Other than the first half at home against Romania, this is the worst half of football we've played in qualifiers, and it's 0-0 at the break. Things get a lot worse for us when Israel scores in the 51st. We go into attack mode in the 70th when it's still a one-goal game, but we cannot break through. Israel scores a second in the late moments to take an incredible 2-0 win from us. This is by far my worst match with Spain, probably my worst match as an international manager, and one of the top five worst performances of my career. Unbelievable.

[trman73]

November 14, 2027 - European Championship Qualifying, Group A, Game 10: Spain (7-0-2, 21 pts., 2nd) vs. Norway (6-0-3, 18 pts., 3rd)

After our stunning loss to Israel we close out qualifiers with a home match against Norway. With a win here we're still in the main competition, as we're one of the best second-place teams. But still... to be second in this group is not acceptable, and we've got work to do over the next seven months to be prepared to head to England. I cannot believe we were shut out in Israel.

We get on the board first with a brilliant free kick by Carles Alena, who is fantastic with set pieces. That's the score at the half, but just a half minute into the second, a dribbler bounces off Unai Lopez and into the net for a ridiculous own-goal, and it's 1-1. We keep our composure, though, and score twice in the second. Saiz puts us back up early in the second, and then replacement left attacking midfielder Nicolas Barroso seals it in the 80th. We win, 3-1. We finish second in the group behind Romania, and will be going to Euro 2028.

[trman73]

Euro 2028 Qualifying Nations:

Host - England

Group Winners - Romania, Sweden, Wales, Turkey, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France, Portugal, Holland

Second Place Group Qualifiers - Spain, Belgium, Russia, Albania, Croatia, Greece, Denmark, Czech Republic, Serbia

Sixteen other teams will play a two-round playoff to determine the final four qualifiers, including some surprise teams like Northern Ireland, Belarus, Israel, and Cyprus. Those matches are in March, and the draw for the main tournament takes place in early April.

I have scheduled two March friendlies that will serve as my only tuneups before the tourney - home matches against qualifiers Switzerland and Greece.

Edited June 29, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

In December, a huge event takes place - the group draw for European World Cup 2030 Qualifying. The defending champs from Italy host the next tournament, so we won't be in a group with them again this year. We are one of the top seeds in this year's draw, which is a step up from four years ago.

Here's what we've got with only the top seeds to go...

Groups 6, 7, and 9 look like the toughest groups, so I'd like to avoid those, particularly Group 9, which features an England team that did not make it as a top seed.

It doesn't take long to find out where we're placed...

The highest-rated team in this group is Ukraine at 35th in the world. We get Andorra and Israel again, and have a chance to exact some revenge on the Israelis after our defeat a couple months ago. We are the class of this group.

Here's our qualifying schedule...

I'll take this, as we are the clear-cut favorites, and play our two toughest competitors, Ukraine and Scotland, at home first, so we'll have a good chance to be undefeated and untied halfway through qualifiers.

Edited June 29, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

Spain 2027 Season Recap

It was a bit of a weird season for us. We had one thing to do - qualify for Euro 2028 - and we did it. At times we looked great: the win over Romania on the road, the destruction of Andorra, and we scored the most goals (40) had the highest goals-per-game average (4.0) and the highest goal differential (+28) of any team in the qualifiers. But those stats are skewed by the 13-0 Andorra win, so other than that it was a fairly average performance, and we didn't win our group. At 8-0-2, I can't complain too much, but the two matches we lost were ones we should have won. I have to be honest. I'm giving us a B- for the qualifiers.

Here are our final team stats...

Season Most Valuable Player: F Juan Carlos Saiz

Saiz doesn't get a lot of run at Man City, and has appeared in just one game for them this season. But he's a key player for us, and led the team with seven goals. He was our most consistent player throughout qualifiers. Runners-Up: DC Jesus Vallejo was our best defender and even scored a couple goals. The Atletico man is our defensive anchor. And despite appearing in just five games, Man U's AMR Adrian Munoz led us with seven assists, good for fourth among all players in qualifying.

2028 Outlook

It will be a relatively busy year next year, as we've got both the European Championship and the next International League. But the big one is Euro 2028 next summer. Frankly I don't feel too good about it. I cannot imagine us failing to qualify for the knockout rounds, but the team I've seen over these last 18 months just isn't at the level of the Italy's, Germany's, Portugal's, and France's of the world. Our goal needs to be to make it to the semifinals of the Championship. Based on the talent level of the club and the way we're playing, that's going to be a tough challenge. I am already looking ahead to World Cup 2030 as our more likely chance to make real noise in a major competition.

[trman73]

Man one of the real beatings of international managing is just the endless forwarding through day after day after day. I never go on vacation, so it feels like it takes forever to forward through months without playing any games.

A couple interesting things happen during the long break. First, David De Gea announces his retirement effective after the European Championship. He'll be on the squad and I'd love to get him some action to recognize him for a great career. He's been the starting keeper for Man United for the past 17 years, winning 12 Premier League titles, and two Champions League crowns.

Second, in mid-March I am offered an interview at West Ham United. I have always said that I'd drop everything for this job. They have really struggled the last few years, and are about to complete their third straight season where they don't even come close to qualifying for European competition. I am really tempted to interview for this job just to see what happens, and possibly see if I can accept the position at the end of the European Championship. Ultimately, though, I decide that I can't do it. I committed to Spain, and I need to see this through until the 2030 World Cup.

March 24, 2028 - International Friendly - Spain vs. Switzerland

When I managed Italy I always felt like the Swiss were a good barometer of where we stood. Right now they are 21st in the world, and they will be playing in the European Championship in three months. We bring up a few new players for these friendlies to get them a chance to see game action and see what they've got.

If this is a barometer, we have a long road ahead of us. Switzerland scores twice in the first half, we are constantly frustrated offensively, and we fall, 2-0.

[trman73]

March 28, 2028 - International Friendly - Spain vs. Greece

I just want to get through this match without major injury and then spend the next two and a half months just hoping that Good Spain shows up in England and Bad Spain stays home.

Good God, we fall again, 2-0, and we are a mess heading into the European Championship.

Yuck. I immediately check to see if West Ham has filled its vacant coaching position; it has.

[metallimuse]

Supported you all the way through this thread but...as a Scotsman...

[trman73]

The final European Championship spots go to Bulgaria, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Norway. So let's get to the draw for this summer's competition, which I am now anticipating we're going to completely flame out of.

Here's our group...

We'll play Romania first, then the Czech Republic, then Greece. Romania gave us a lot of trouble in qualifiers, and Greece just pummeled us in our warmup match. This is a pretty tough group, and we need to play a hell of a lot better than we have been in recent months if we're going to qualify for the knockout rounds.

The board has set the expectation that we reach the final of the tournament... really???

I'm pretty bummed about where we are right now, and am very pessimistic about our chances of even reaching the quarters.

[trman73]

LOL thanks metal... Scotland is 67th in the world and has not made the World Cup since 1998. But they can challenge Ukraine for second in this group.

[trman73]

OK folks, I'm really regretting not applying for the West Ham managerial job a couple months ago. So on May 23rd, the same day I announce my final 23-man roster for the European Championship, I send in applications for two huge jobs. I won't say who the teams are right now just to build up a little suspense. But if either one of these clubs offers me their head position, and allows me to coach through the Euros, I will be back in club football after six years at the international level.

Also, the draw for the next International League is held. We're in a group with Austria and... wait for it metallimuse... Scotland.

Edited June 30, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

June 10, 2028 - European Championship, Group B, Game 1: Romania vs. Spain

Well we certainly know these guys. In qualifiers, we lost to them 2-1 at home in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated, then we beat them in Romania 5-3 in a game that actually was closer than the score indicated.

We're healthy heading into this one and start all guys who have played big roles for us since I took over. We're going with the best we've got, and we'll see where we stand here. We need four points to secure advancement. With Italy I never had any doubt we could get four points from three games. With Spain, I am legitimately concerned.

It's a sluggish and boring first quarter of the match, and then Romania breaks through on a goal in the 20th that Unai Lopez really should have stopped. That goal holds up at the half, and it's now been two and a half games without a goal for us.

My most difficult decision in terms of club selection for this tournament was to take Iosu Lopez off the squad and replace him with 25-year-old striker Moises Saez, who had a great year for RBL in the Bundesliga. He is called into action for his first cap when Juan Carlos Saiz goes out with a gashed head early in the second half. In the 54th minute Saez makes a great move and fires a shot on net that's saved, but it bounces right to Carlos Velasco, who puts it in the net to tie it. Twenty minutes later, in the 78th, Saez steals a pass from a Romania defender and puts it in the back of the net to give us the 2-1 lead! Talk about justifying my trust. We hang on in the final 15 minutes, and score a huge 2-1 comeback win to open our tournament in a big way. It's a real relief to win this match and get off to a quality start.

Edited June 30, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

June 15, 2028 - European Championship, Group B, Game 2: Spain (1-0-0, 3 pts., 1st) vs. Czech Republic (1-0-0, 3 pts., 2nd)

I forgot to mention that late in the Romania match a key player for us, Carles Alena, picked up a second yellow card and was sent off, and is now unavailable for this match. That's a blow, although his replacement, Joseba Goni of PSG, is a quality player. We're also going to be without Juan Carlos Saiz for this one due to his head injury, so Saez, who played so well after coming on against Romania, starts this one.

Czech Republic beat Greece in its opener, 1-0. They are a quality team, and with Italy I drew with them in the group stage on our road to the 2026 World Cup. With a win here, we're really in the driver's seat to win the group.

For the fourth straight match we fail to score in the first half, and it's 0-0 at the break. In the 69th, the Czechs score to go up 1-0. They completely stifle us for the rest of the match and hang on for the win. We now need a result against Greece to qualify for the knockout stages.

Edited June 30, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

June 19, 2028 - European Championship, Group B, Game 3: Greece (0-0-2, 0 pts., 4th) vs. Spain (1-0-1, 3 pts., 2nd)

Well this is a complicated situation. If we win and Romania beats the Czech Republic, I believe it will come down to goal differential, as head-to-head we'll all be 1-0-1. We can get in with a draw, but we just need to win and we'll most likely be one of the top 16 and be on to knockout play. If we lose this match, my guess is I'll be fired.

We're scoreless for the first 40 minutes of the first half, and neither team is generating many chances. In the 44th, Rivera hits Saiz (back in the starting lineup) with a pass in the box for the goal, and we're up. But in stoppage time Greece neutralizes, and it's 1-1 at the break.

Early in the second half, Maureta gets us the lead back on a pretty goal from the left side of the box. And in the 56th we get a cushion, as Carles Alena scores on yet another free kick to put us up 3-1. We go into defensive mode from there, and despite playing prett sloppy ball for the final 30 minutes, we actually score again on a breakaway by Saiz, and win 4-1. We are on to the knockout stage. That final goal is actually pretty important, as Romania beats the Czechs, and based on goal differential, we actually win the group.

[trman73]

Prior to the start of the knockout phase, I am actually offered one of the two jobs I applied for a couple weeks ago. I cannot tell you what a big club job this would be. Just to add to the suspense, the second job I applied for, and didn't get, was Chelsea. And they were clearly the second choice of the two opportunities. Anyone care to guess?

I'm really torn. During my interview I agreed that if I took the job I'd quit coaching Spain. But here we are in the Euros, with a path to the semis clear. If we do this, it will be Spain's best performance in a major tournament in years. I feel like our World Cup Qualification group is not that difficult, and we're going to be in the big tourney in two years.

I ask for a delay to think about the job, and get it. So it's back to focusing solely on the European Championship.

There aren't really any surprises coming out of group stage. Turkey and Sweden are probably the most surprising teams not to make it out. They are joined by Greece, Albania, Croatia, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Bulgaria as teams that's competition has ended.

As for the knockout rounds, here's the tree...

We get the Danes in the next round. I'm not sure this will actually be the final tree, as I believe last time around things shifted after the second round, but if it is, I'll take Denmark and then either Wales and Russia as potential opponents to get to the semifinals.

[trman73]

June 24, 2028 - European Championship, Second Round: Denmark vs. Spain

Denmark was actually the 16th of 16 teams to advance, as they finished third in Group A with four points and had a -1 goal differential. They lost 0-3 to France, beat Turkey 2-0, and drew with Norway 3-3, scoring late to get the point that put them through. They are ranked 35th in the world, and we are the favorites for this match.

Oh my goodness. Just 35 seconds into the match, Rivera steals a pass and lobs on to a streaking Saiz, who beats the defense to it and scores. We're up, 1-0. Denmark ties it in the 33rd, but just a couple minutes later Saiz returns the favor to Rivera by finding him for a goal that puts us back up, 2-1. In first-half stoppage time, Denmark is called for a foul in the box, and Carles Alena scores it to make it 3-1 at the break.

In what is shaping up to be a great match, Denmark opens the second-half scoring in the 51st to make it 3-2. But 10 minutes later, Antoni Maureta makes a fantastic move past a defender in the box and scores on a solid strike, and we're back up by two, 4-2. In the 73rd Saiz finds Rivera again and he scores into basically an empty net to make it 5-2. That's the final, and we're on to the quarterfinals.

[trman73]

Here's how the first knockout round played out...

I'd say we had the most dominant performance of the second round, and now we get another favorable matchup. Wales is ranked 47th in the world. They were one of the lowest-ranked teams to make this tournament, and now they're our opponent in the semis. The far juicier matchups are in the other half of the draw, particularly the Italy-France matchup pitting the defending European champs against the defending World Cup champs.

My dilemma right now is this: the Wales match is probably my last one before the club team I'm flirting with will demand an answer on their job offer. If we beat Wales, that will be Spain's bets performance in a major tournament since the 2012 Euro Cup win. And we'll probably be favored to make the final against either Serbia (22nd) or the host England (31st... yikes). We could legitimately make the final here, and then you never know. I simply am not going to do double-duty with club and country, and I promised this club I would not do that. So I've decided - if we beat Wales, I'm rejecting the offer. If we lose, I'm gone.

The day before our match, the team approaches me, and I take my chances by asking for another delay. They accept, and I've got one more week to mull this over.

July 1, 2028 - European Championship Quarterfinal: Spain vs. Wales

As I wrote, Wales is 47th in the world and is by far the least-talented team left in this competition. We've played really well in our last two, winning by a combined score of 9-3. So we should get goals here, and should advance. Wales got here by upsetting Sweden and then beating Northern Ireland in their group, then beat Russia in the first knockout round.

Wales scores first, in the 26th, but we're playing fine. But as the game marches on, we're creating fewer and fewer chances. As we head to the final 20 minutes it's not looking good, and we go into attack mode. But it's not happening. In the final few minutes we get two corners that we don't do anything with, and then in stoppage time we have our final chance on a run by Rivera. But he loses control of the ball, Wales clears, and that's it. We are stunned by Wales, 1-0, and we are out of the competition.

 

[metallimuse]

We always LOOK like we should be challenging for second in our groups but then mess it up against a diddy team

Can't wait to see you back in club football as that's what I prefer to read about but I'm interested in what Scotland can do and how they fare in your tournaments lol.

Hmm, bigger clubs then Chelsea? I've got to think either one of the big Italian or Spanish clubs or Bayern. All I'm saying is it better not be Man Utd or I'm gunna have to stop supporting you

[craiigman]

Just finished reading up on this, been a great read! Interested to see which club you go for next

[ManUtd1]

Wales? NO!!!

Kidding aside, I'm looking forward to seeing where you land.

[trman73]

Hey guys... I feel like those judges scores could basically be for my entire run with Spain.

OK enough teasing... exactly one week after we fall to Wales in an incredibly disappointing result, I decide it is time for my tenure with the Spanish National Team to end. That's because the team that approached me to take over as manager, and the team that I will try to continue the great tradition of, requires an answer from me. On July 8, 2028, I make my return to club football as the manager of...

JUVENTUS!

Well, there are two things I have yet to do as a club manager - win my league, and win the Champions League. (I actually haven't even played in Champions League, as I resigned from Roma to take over for Italy the year we made it.) Juve's last manager was Zinedene Zidane. He left to take over Chelsea after four years with Juventus and four Serie A titles. Obviously this is a huge club with huge expectations. I'm ready to take this on.

[trman73]

Final Thoughts on Spain

First off, I simply cannot believe how superior the talent pool was in Italy vs. Spain. I guess I took over the Spain job just assuming there would be world-class players all over the pitch. There simply wasn't. The goalkeepers were nowhere near top international level, the defenders weren't either, and no one new really came up over my two years there.

With that being said, I was not a good manager for this team. I didn't adjust, holding firm to my 4-2-4 tactic that simply didn't work for my personnel. We should have played a 4-4-1-1, but I was stubborn and never did it, assuming that everything would be okay.

As I reflect on it, I really should never have taken the job. I should have taken Justin's advice and gone right back to club football. I had visions of doing something that is just really hard to do - win two World Cups. From the first International League competition right after I was hired, I knew I'd made a mistake. I wasn't that into it, and coasted with my managing of the team in a way I never did with Italy. If I could go back in time, I would have taken the West Ham a couple months ago job and tried to see out my managing days turning that club into a contender. Spain was a dud, and unless something unexpected happens, I will not coach a national team again.

[trman73]

First Impression - Juventus

The numbers are staggering: Juventus has won Serie A in 14 of the last 17 seasons dating back to 2012. They've had just two managers since the start of this save: Massimiliano Allegri lasted more than eight years, and Zidane lasted four. During that stretch they have 23 total trophies, including 11 league titles, four Italian Cups, and eight Italian Super Cups. It's safe to say that if a trophy is not won every year you're there, you're probably going to get fired.

However, not everything is so spectacular when it comes to Juve's place in Europe. Have a look at this...

For all their domestic success, Juventus has been knocked out of the first knockout stage of Champions League in eight of their 11 appearances. The last time they escaped that round was six years ago. They are the Arsenal of this save. Throw in a 2024 Euro Cup appearance in which they were also knocked out in the opening knockout stage (by Feyenoord of all teams), and it has not been a good run at all for this team in Europe.

In terms of the roster, there's obviously a ton of talent here that I'll dig into later. But one really odd transfer move this offseason is bothering me.

I'm not sure what led to this divorce, but man, this guy was a real rock in the net. He was the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year for each of the past two years, and at just 26 years old looked like he was well on his way to becoming Juventus' goalkeeper of the future. We are actually left with two youngsters and a journeyman, so we need to replace Lopes in net before the start of the season.

Other than that, what I see is a team with a great defense, but not a team that has the personnel to play my formation. I have decided I am not going to force it on them. It is time for me to play to my team's strengths. I'll do a full evaluation of both the staff and the roster, and with two weeks to go until a tour of China kicks off our friendly season, I'll need to make some additional moves to prepare for the upcoming campaign.

[Justin_Case]

Good luck, interested to see how this pans out. I'm starting to loose all track of the date in this as the years tick by, I have to keep checking when it is!!

[DodgeeD]

Nice job to get back into club football.

I guess the international years have had the advantage (imo) of forwarding the game several years to get more game-generated talent at the top levels (I personally love finding new players rather than simply playing in a world of the same players I see on TV every week).

[Justin_Case]

You've both said that you guys love it when the real players are put of the game and the regens have taken over - I find this weird! This is when I always loose my interest in the game - normally resulting in a new save.

[trman73]

Interesting. Yeah, I'm definitely with Dodgee... I love getting to 2032 or so when even the 16-year-olds who start off in the game are either gone or winding their careers down. To each his own... that's what makes it fun.

[trman73]

Just to close the door on Euro 2028, Holland won it, beating England on penalties in the final. The Dutch beat Italy in the semis, prompting the Italians to fire Stefano Pioli despite him going 17-6-1 during his two years there.

Juventus Off-Season Update

Juventus has played a 4-3-1-2 formation for years, and it's worked for them, so I decide to stick with it. I make some adjustments to the coaching staff, which is huge. I get rid of six scouts who have knowledge only of Italy, and replace them with guys who know Spain, England, France, Germany, Eastern Europe, Portugal, and South America. That should cover it. I also bring in a defensive and an offensive coach to my staff who know the formation.

As promised during my interview, I'm given a pretty hefty transfer budget of more than $80 million, and an additional $30 million is salary to spend. Our first priority is finding a replacement for Geancarlo Lopes in goal, and we find him. I make my largest-ever transfer spend to bring in 27-year-old Mexican goalkeeper Jonathan Valdes, who spent the last two years as net minder for Sporting, leading that team to back-to-back league titles, their first since 2002. He was the third highest-rated goalkeeper in my search, and I spend a hefty $40 million fee to bring him in. But I just can't head into the season with anything less than a world-class goalkeeper, and we had the money.

I also bring in a guy who can play both right and center back, 25-year-old Vincenzo Laurenti, who also has the added bonus of having been trained by us a few years ago, so he counts toward our needed four player trained by the club that will let us carry 25 over-21 players for the year. We also get a high-quality attacking center midfielder, Davidson Costa, on a free transfer, and finally, we have an offer in on Argentinian central midfielder Daniel Penaronzi for depth.

New guys...

In terms of outgoing players, we lose...

• GK Geancarlo Lopes - a big loss offset by the acquisition of Valdes. He goes to Dortmund for $33 million.
• ML Miroslav Tasin - a 21-year-old who plays a position that we don't utilize. Goes to Leverkusen for $4 million.
• AML Johan Lambert - a young Frenchman also without a position on our club. Joins RBL for $7 million.
• MC Danilo - A mainstay in our midfield for the last eight years, but now 32, with diminished skills. Goes to Palermo on a free transfer.
• MC Robbert Elbers - Over 21, foreign, and without a spot on the squad. Surplus.
• GK Cascao - We've got four keepers with the acquisition of Valdes, so this guy goes to Man U. as a backup for $1.5 million.

We also have a couple other surplus players who are on the block as we need to dump them since they won't make our final 25. But in terms of acquisitions, assuming the Penaronzi deal goes through, we're good.

Friendly Report

We play four friendlies before our first match that counts, which is the Italian Super Cup against Inter. Then we've got two additional friendlies against lower-level Italian clubs, and it's time to start the proper season. We have some guys out on international duty and some guys nicked up, but nothing serious.

Quanjian 0, Juventus 2

We open in China, and get a goal right before halftime and then midway through the second half to take this one.

Shenhua 0, Juventus 2

Our quick trip to China wraps up with another good defensive performance and solid win.

Besiktas 0, Juventus 3

Our first friendly against a European team is our best performance of the pre-season, as we demolish a pretty good club in Turkey.

West Ham 1, Juventus 4

West Ham scores the only goal against us in our four friendlies, but we destroy them.

Edited July 2, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

August 5, 2028 - Italian Super Cup: Juventus vs. Inter

We've won this official kickoff to the season each of the last two years, but when we played Inter three years ago, they beat us. Each team has a number of key players out on international duty or banged up. We're without our top goalscorer, Alejandro Ayala, for the match. (I'll do a complete roster report prior to the start of the Serie A campaign.)

I'm excited to get going, and would love to get a trophy, even this minor one that the board considers unimportant, in my first match. I actually won one of these Super Cups way back when I was managing Santiago Wanderers in Chile.

This is also the first of my 294 career matches where I will not be playing the 4-2-4 formation.

We get off to a good start in just the 5th minute, when a corner kick finds the head of defender Lucas Bedoya, who scores to make it 1-0. We hold that lead at halftime, and we're playing well defensively. But Inter ties it in the 61st on a corner of their own, and we head to the final 10 minutes all even. We bring on new signing Davidson Costa, and in the 82nd minute, he scores from way out, at least 30 yards, and we get the game winner. We hang on for the 2-1 victory, win our third straight Italian Super Cup, and I have my fifth trophy as a manager. My Juventus career is off to a good start.

[trman73]

I dump one final player before our last two friendlies, as 24-year-old Brazilian striker Jailton is sent to Stuttgart of the Bundesliga. We had six quality strikers and needed to drop him to get to our final 25-man roster, which is now set. Unless a major injury occurs to a key player, this is the roster we're going with...

Our last two friendlies are basically practices, as we beat lower division side Sanmauro 5-0 and Serie D side Chieti 7-0. So we go undefeated in our six friendlies and the Italian Super Cup, outscoring our opponents 25-2. We also emerge from the pre-season injury-free, and are ready to roll to kick off the Serie A season. The Champions League group stage draw will come after our first league match.

Pre-Season Expectations

Serie A - Board Expectation: Win Title; Media Prediction: 1st: Well, there's no ambiguity here. Everyone expects us to win the league for the sixth straight time. Clearly anything less will be a huge disappointment. When I took over this team I knew this would be the case. I have never been in a position where my team has been favored to win the league; this will test whether I can take a team from the favorite position and accomplish what's expected of us.

Champions League - Board Expectation: Reach First Knockout Round: Obviously recent disappointments in this competition have lowered the board's expectations. But I feel like the best team in Serie A should also be one of the top eight teams in Europe, so I am setting my own expectations higher here.

Itallian Cup - Board Expectation: Not Important: I'd love to be able to do the domestic triple (Italian Super Cup, Serie A, Italian Cup), and we've got a draw that should see us to the semis (we'll face a Serie B side in our first match, then likely either Sassuolo or Fiorentina in the quarters). Still, of our three remaining competitions this one is certainly least important, and we'll almost certainly start backups in these matches.

My Predictions: I'm going to say we fulfill the board's expectations in both of our major competitions. I think we win Serie A at 27-6-5 (87 pts.), and reach the final of the Italian Cup. As for Champions League, I'm going to say we make it out of knockout stage and then win in the first knockout stage, and fall to either Man City, PSG, or Man United in the quarters.

Edited July 2, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

Juventus - 2027-2028 Roster

Goalkeepers:

Coming in on an enormous transfer fee, I obviously expect a lot from Jonathan Valdes. Back when I had Emmanuel Rulli at Roma, I knew I'd have him in the net for every match. That's my expectation for this guy. Our backup is 22-year-old Portuguese keeper Ricardo Capucho. I don't want to see him very much at all.

Defenders:

Defense has always been Juventus' bread and butter, and the defense should be solid again. Albin Carlsson is a young Swede who I am trusting to step into a starting role on the right, but there are quality backups if he falters. The rest of the starters are the same as a year ago.

Midfield:

A familiar face manning the center here as Leonardo Capezzi was a mainstay for our Italian team and is a World Cup champion. We've got good depth here and this is a solid group. Veteran Dani Ceballos starts at the attacking midfield spot, but newcomer Davidson Costa was fantastic in the pre-season and will get a lot of run as he prepares to take over as the start in the next couple years.

Forwards:

Another familiar face here as one of my World Cup heroes, Pietro D'Onofrio, starts for us. The other starter is Alejandro Ayala, although he's tired for our opener. This is a really good collection of scorers.

[trman73]

August 21, 2028 - Serie A: Palermo vs. Juventus

We open on the road against a Palermo team that finished sixth in the league a season ago. This is a good test for us, and our next match is home against Inter, so we'll get a sense of where we stand against two of the top teams in the league. I need to rest a couple of starters who are back from the Olympics (which Italy won), so we're without our starting left back as well as Ayala, who is still getting his legs back after a training injury.

It takes just 42 seconds for us to get on the board, as Melegoni fires a pass from the midfield line to a streaking D'Onofrio, who is all alone and puts it past the keeper for the 1-0 lead. A great way to celebrate D'Onofrio's 150th game in a Juventus uniform. We control play and hit the crossbar twice in the half, but need a brilliant save in stoppage time by Valdes to go into the break with the 1-0 lead.

Valdes makes another couple nice saves in the first 15 minutes of the second half, then in the 62nd a corner kick from Capezzi finds defender Sylvain Pierre-Mesniere, and it's 2-0. The rest of the match is a relatively boring affair, and we take our opener, 2-0.

Edited July 2, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

August 24, 2028 - Champions Cup Group Stage Draw

We're one of the first seeds in the draw, and we're drawn to Group F. With three teams left in the next pool, Man City, Leverkusen, and Arsenal remain, and we draw... Leverkusen.

From the third pool, our possibilities are Milan, Galatasaray, and FCP. We won't get Milan, so we get... FCP.

The last three teams remaining in the final draw are Shakhtar, Legia, and Celtic. And our last opponent will be... Celtic.

Here's our schedule:

• vs. Leverkusen
• at FCP
• at Celtic
• vs. Celtic
• at Leverkusen
• vs. FCP

Leverkusen has been a top-four Bundesliga team for the past 14 years. FCP has finished second in Portugal each of the last two years, and Celtic has won 17 straight Scottish titles. Got to get off to a good start in that opener vs. Leverkusen in three weeks.

The biggest news of the draw is that OM and Man City, which played for the championship a year ago (with OM winning) are drawn in the same group. Those will be two good matches.

[trman73]

August 27, 2028 - Serie A: Juventus (1-0-0, 3 pts., 3rd) vs. Inter (0-0-0, 0 pts., 13th)

Inter had to play in the Champions League playoff vs. Rijeka of the Croatian League (Inter won, 4-0 on aggregate to make the CL), so they didn't play on Serie A opening weekend. We beat these guys a few weeks ago in the Super Cup. The last two times I've faced these guys I've left with hardware, as you'll recall they were our final opponent in my Euro Cup run with Roma back in 2022. I think we're better than they are, so we should get a result in our home opener. I start all the players I consider to be my main starting lineup for this one.

We don't score in the first minute, but we get on the board first on a goal from D'Onofrio in the 35th. That's the halftime score again and things look good, particularly after Inter has a man sent off in the 37th. But in the 62nd they pull even. I sub out an ineffective Ayala for Moises Eboko, and in the 71st he scores to put us back up. We go into defensive mode, but amazingly Inter pulls even again in the 82nd. In the closing moments, a wicked strike from distance by Capezzi finds the net for the game winner, but we're called for offsides, erasing it. The game ends 2-2. We give up two goals a man up. It's a disappointing result against one of our main competitors for the Serie A title.

[trman73]

Prior to our next match is deadline day. One of my key players, defender Lucas Bedoya, puts in a transfer request, and I honor it. But no one makes an offer for him, and he stays. I'm glad that's the case. I make no moves at the deadline, content with our squad.

We get terrible news while the team is on international break, as striker Alejandro Ayala goes down on Uruguay duty and will miss 5-6 weeks with a knee injury. But we have good depth at forward, and will get by.

September 9, 2028 - Serie A: Lazio (0-1-1, 1 pt., 15th) vs. Juventus (1-1-0, 4 pts., 7th)

With a huge midweek match against Leverkusen coming to kick off Champions League, I give some guys a bit of rest. Davidson Costa gets a chance to show his pre-season performance was not a fluke, as he starts at attacking midfielder.

Lazio is struggling, and we should get a result here. I really don't want to go two straight games without winning.

For the third straight match, D'Onofrio opens the scoring, and for the second time he does so in the opening minute, this time netting a goal 24 seconds in. Lazio ties it right before halftime, but we're dominating play and we're going to get goals in the second half.

In the 65th, Carlsson crosses a ball from the right side and it bounces off a defender for an own goal to put us back up, 2-1. Just a couple minutes later, Humberto Ramirez, who came on for a fatigued D'Onofrio, gets a goal and it's 3-1. That's the final, and we're 2-1-0 and head home to prep for Leverkusen midweek.

[trman73]

September 13, 2028 - European Champions Cup, Group F, Game 1: Juventus vs. Leverkusen

Leverkusen was one of my victims on the road to the 2022 Euro Cup, and we scored nine goals on them in our two matches. Since then, they've dipped a bit from being the clear-cut second-best team in the Bundesliga, but they remain a dangerous team and our most difficult foe of the group stage. A loss here at home would be damaging.

Yet again we come out strong early, and when an errant cross from Carlsson is miraculously kept in play by Eboko and he finds D'Onofrio right in front of the net, it's our fourth straight early lead. This time, though, we don't allow our opponent to pull even, as D'Onofrio scores again in the 28th to make it 2-0, a lead we hold at the break. Less than two minutes into the second half Eboko scores on a breakaway, and we're rolling, 3-0. Leverkusen gets one back in the 57th, but then Humberto Ramirez, on again as a sub, scores in the 74th to make it 4-1. When Ramirez finds Eboko in the 80th to make it 5-1, this one is a laugher. Eboko completes his monster day with a goal in the 84th, and although Leverkusen get two late, we roll, 6-3, and get off to a fantastic start in Champions League.