After 10 years with FM, my first career update

[trman73]

March 3, 2030 - Serie A: Juventus (19-7-1, 64 pts., 1st) vs. Verona (11-5-11, 38 pts., 9th)

It's back to league play although my mind is on the two cup competitions, especially after our great performance against City. We're probably not going to have a tougher opponent than them, so could this happen again for us? That would be awesome. Take that, Watford. Jeesh.

After giving up goals in two straight games, we collect our third straight clean sheet in this one, and Ayala scores in each half to give us a good, solid 2-0 win. We've now got a 14-point lead in the league with 10 matches to go.

[trman73]

March 6, 2030 - Italian Cup Semifinal, Leg 2: Genoa vs. Juventus (tied, 1-1)

For some reason I really want to win this match and go to the final. The league isn't even really a priority anymore as it's a foregone conclusion we'll win it. So I'm just hungry for trophies, and with a good performance here we'll have a chance. The winner of this match will play Roma, which had a tough time against Serie B bottom-dweller Melfi in their semi. We've handled Roma pretty well in my four matches against them with Juventus, so let's get to this final.

And we're on to the final. We do what we do, getting a goal from Ayala in the 34th and then completely shutting down the opposition. I set a goal to win four trophies this year. That's going to be tough, but we got the Club World Championship, we've got Serie A locked up, and it's up to the Italian Cup and Champions League. We're one win away from the Italian Cup now.

This loss actually costs Genoa's manager, Cristian Altinier, his job. Tough luck.

[trman73]

March 9, 2030 - Serie A: Ascoli (10-6-12, 36 pts., 11th) vs. Juventus (20-7-1, 67 pts., 1st)

Ascoli has done an incredible job in its first season back in Serie A since 2007, and it looks like they are going to stay up as they are a healthy 12 points from the relegation zone.

Ascoli may be having a good season but they are no match for us. We get goals from Carlsson in the 5th, Ayala in the 54th and Costa in the 63rd, and coast to another shutout win, 3-0.

[metallimuse]

As I'm sure you've worked out I'm Scottish but living in Leeds. Actually just moved here 3 months ago from Watford so I'm gutted you didn't get that job as I'd loved to have watched what you could do with them.

Really looking forward to your next job.

[trman73]

March 16, 2030 - Serie A: Juventus (21-7-1, 70 pts., 1st) vs. Inter (13-9-7, 48 pts., 4th)

we're back on a five-game shutout streak and are on 520+ minutes without conceding. I've love to put a dent in Inter's European chances next year with a win here, but the big match this week comes in a few days with the second leg against Man City, so Inter gets to see some of our reserves. Who would have thought that at the beginning of year we'd consider a home match with Inter to be borderline unimportant?

The team certainly plays like it has a bigger match in a few days. We concede in the 22nd to end the shutout streak, are down 1-0 at the half, and mount a feeble challenge offensively until we bring in Ilir Beqaj at forward. He scores in the 66th to tie it. We'll take the draw as we've got bigger fish to fry against City in four days.

I'll be gone the next couple days with no time to fool around with games. It's Baton Rouge, Louisiana for me. Everything I wrote about Denver the other day, take the opposite and you've got Baton Rouge. Good times.

[trman73]

March 20, 2030 - European Champions Cup, First Knockout Round, Leg 2: Manchester City vs. Juventus (Juventus leads, 2-0)

This is huge. Knocking these guys out of the tournament would certainly be our biggest victory since beating them in the final least season. Surely they are going to come out firing in this one, but if we can somehow get a first-half goal, it will probably end things as I cannot see any team in the world putting four in the net against us.

Di Benedetto is suspended for this one but he's our only regular not in there. We rested some key guys in the Inter match, so we are ready to roll.

City gets one back quickly on a goal in the 8th. And in the 25th minute, our Leg 1 advantage is gone. As expected, City has brought the firepower and it's a new match. But less than 10 minutes after that tying goal, in the 32nd, Davidson Costa hits Ayala as he flies past City's center defenders, and he nails a perfect shot to give us a huge goal... it's a 3-2 lead and that crucial road score that now forces City to score twice more.

They just might. In the 53rd Nikolo Bojovic scores his third of the match, and we're tied 3-3 on aggregate. Man oh man this is a fantastic match, as Nikola Andric sends a pass from behind the midfield line up to Ayala in the 60th, and he scores again to make it 4-3! In the 82nd City pulls to within one yet again, and it will be a tense final 10 minutes. Wow... just a minute later, Ayala finds Peranzoni, on as a sub, and he scores the seventh goal of this match to make it 3-4 for the match and 5-4 for us overall!!!!! We need to hang on, and we do!! We lose the battle but win the war, and we're on to the Quarterfinal, knocking out the five-time finalist in the process!!!

[trman73]

March 22, 2030 - European Champions Cup Quarterfinal Draw

Here's how the First Knockout Round played out...

• Monaco def. Bayern, 3-2
• PSG def. Dortmund, 4-3
• OM def. RBL, 2-1
• Leverkusen def. AC Milan, 2-2 (a)
• OL def. Sporting, 7-1
• Barcelona def. Chelsea, 4-2
• Arsenal def. Galatasaray, 6-1
• Juventus def. Manchester City, 5-4

So with Chelsea and Man City gone, that's two of last year's four semifinalists. Only Arsenal remains of the EPL clubs. Half of the remaining teams are French, along with us, Arsenal, Barca, and Leverkusen. I definitely see beatable opponents here, as PSG is the sole team that I'd really like to avoid.

Onto the draw!

• Leverkusen vs. PSG - Mission accomplished: PSG avoided. They should rip the Germans.
• Monaco vs. OM - There will be at least one French team in the final. This leaves OL, Barcelona, and Arsenal for us.
• Juventus vs. Arsenal
• Barcelona vs. OL - I'll take Barcelona in this one.

Okay, Arsenal. Currently sixth in Premier League, winners of this year's EFL Cup, and in the semis of FA Cup. A great test for us, but definitely a team we can defeat. I predicted in the season preview that we'd be knocked out by an EPL team, but I don't think it's these guys. Quick picks - your final four of the 2030 Champions League are PSG, Monaco, Juventus, and Barcelona.

[trman73]

March 24, 2030 - Serie A: Palermo (11-7-12, 40 pts., 11th) vs. Juventus (21-8-1, 71 pts., 1st)

We lose Mark O'Shea in training for 6-7 weeks with a broken toe. He's been a quality piece of the puzzle for us this year at center midfielder, appearing in 21 matches across all competitions and posting a 6.94 rating. But he's hardly a key player, so we'll get by.

Palermo has been one of the most up-and-down teams in Serie A in this save, following up each good season with a bad one. They are struggling this year, and we should get a result here. With Champions League the key focus for the remainder of our season, this match and the next at home against Fiorentina are just ones I'd like to escape from without injury. We can clinch a spot in next year's Champions League with a win here, which, yeah, we're probably going to qualify.

Alejandro Ayala has been on an absolute tear, and he opens the scoring in this one in the 21st. Five minutes later Davidson Costa gets one and it's 2-0. We trade goals in the second half (with Ayala getting his second) and win, 3-1.

[trman73]

April 6, 2030 - Serie A: Juventus (22-8-1, 74 pts., 1st) vs. Fiorentina (10-8-12, 38 pts., 13th)

Fiorentina just hired a new coach and this is his first match. He gets a rude welcome to Serie A as we are in control throughout this match. Ayala notches two more and now has six in his last three matches, and we win, 3-1.

Next up: Arsenal.

[trman73]

April 9, 2030 - European Champions Cup, Quarterfinal, Leg 1: Juventus vs. Arsenal

It's our second straight Premier League team in this competition, and we need to have a first leg similar to what we had against City, where we don't concede, and then see if we can put one or two in ourselves. Arsenal has a lot of work to do to get back to this competition next year, as they are in fifth in the EPL and four points back of fourth with six games to go. They did win the EFL Cup. They defeated Galatasaray, probably the weakest team to advance to the knockout stages, in the last round of Champions League play. I think we're the favorites in this matchup.

It's that man once again! Ayala opens the scoring with a shot from the box that bounces off an Arsenal defender and goes in to give us the 1-0 lead in the 20th. Arsenal is not bringing its offensive arsenal in the early going, as we are dominating play. Ayala's goal winds up being the only one of the game. I'm pretty surprised at how feeble Arsenal's attack is, and we're feeling good halfway through this series.

In the other matches, OM draws 0-0 at Monaco, OL does the same at Barcelona, and PSG destroys Leverkusen at home, 4-1.

[trman73]

April 13, 2030 - Serie A: Lazio (17-7-8, 58 pts., 3rd) vs. Juventus (23-8-1, 77 pts., 1st)

Well, it doesn't take a math major to figure out what's at stake in this game...

With a win we clinch Juventus' seventh straight Serie A title, and we'd do it with five games to go. Two of our next three matches are against Lazio and Napoli, the two teams vying for that second Champions League group-stage spot next year. I'd like to hand each of them a loss. I'd also like to get this over with and pop the champagne for this season right now. We've got a quick turnaround and have to be in England for the Arsenal game midweek, so I am going to rest some guys. Alejandro Ayala has scored in eight of our last nine matches overall, putting in 12 in that time frame. He stays in the lineup, with Humberto Ramirez alongside him. At this point Ayala is almost a lock to lead Serie A in goals, and perhaps pick up Player of the Year honors. I'd love to get him 25 league goals.

Ayala gets his 23rd of the season in the 23rd, but Lazio strikes back in the 32nd to tie it. Our defense has slipped a bit in league play here lately, and that's now the fourth straight Serie A match in which we've given up a goal. 

The game slogs along and it's 1-1 deep into the second half. But we get a goal, what could be the league championship clinching goal, from the most unlikely source, as in the 78th defender Stefan Bashliev scores the first goal of his career on a corner kick to put us up 2-1. But... no. With Peranzoni on the sidelines nursing an injury, Lazio ties it with a shot from far out, and it's a 2-2 draw. We'll have to wait and see what happens with Napoli tomorrow, or else we'll wait another week to clinch this thing.

Napoli wins, and we're up 15 with five to go. We can clinch at home in our next match.

[trman73]

April 17, 2030 - European Champions Cup, Quarterfinal, Leg 2: Arsenal vs. Juventus (Juventus leads, 1-0)

Monaco and PSG punch their tickets to the semifinals the day before our match, and France can get a third team in the final four if OL can beat Barcelona at home. French football has been great in this save, as PSG, OM, and Monaco have all won Champions League in the 13 years of this career, with PSG taking it twice.

But enough of that. We have the slimmest of leads against Arsenal here, and once again we're going to (I assume) be seeing our opponent's best effort. Man City put four in on us. I don't expect Arsenal to do the same, but I do expect them to score, and we need to as well.

We're pretty sloppy in the first 20 minutes, with mistakes by Deman and Di Benedetto in the back leading to chances that Arsenal can't take advantage of. I don't like how we're playing in the first third of the match. In the 35th minutes, our poor defense continues as Bedoya is called for a foul in the box and it's a penalty for Arsenal. Their striker steps up to tie the quarterfinal, and Valdes saves it!!!!! Outstanding! This doesn't change the fact that we are not playing well, but maybe this will spur us to improve. We do play better in the latter portion of the half, but it's 0-0 at the break, and we're lucky not to be down.

We continue to give Arsenal chances in the first 10 minutes of the second half, and they continue to let us get away with it. Then, in the 55th, Ayala gets a ball right at the top of the box, and fires it into the left corner of the net, and somehow, we are up 2-0! It's a huge mountain to climb for Arsenal now, as they need three. Just six minutes later, Ayala finds D'Onofrio with a pass, and he puts it in for the 2-0 lead in the match and 3-0 lead overall. Arsenal has absolutely got to be kicking themselves for all the missed chances, as they went from dominating this match to their Champions Cup run basically being over in less than 10 minutes.

Arsenal folds up following the D'Onofrio goal, and the last 10 minutes sees a couple feeble chances on their part but nothing more. We win, 2-0, and take the quarterfinal, 3-0 overall.

[trman73]

April 19, 2030 - European Champions Cup Semifinal Draw

Barcelona drew at OL, 1-1, so they won on away goals. That means Monaco, PSG, and Barcelona join us in the semis (the four I predicted, just for the record). Again, I'd like to avoid PSG and would prefer Barcelona. So let's see...

The first team drawn is... Barcelona. And they get... PSG.

That leaves us with a very good Monaco team. We're drawn first, and we will open at home. Monaco's just three points back of PSG in Ligue 1, and they won this competition in 2027. This will be a great matchup.

[trman73]

April 20, 2030 - Serie A: Juventus (23-9-1, 78 pts., 1st) vs. Bologna (10-6-17, 36 pts., 16th)

We need one point to clinch Serie A, and we should get it against this terrible Bologna team. They are just three points clear of relegation, and at -20 have the second-worst goal differential in the league. We are +52. We should lift the trophy today at home.

In the 12th minute D'Onofrio has a point blank shot saved, but it bounces to Carlsson, who passes it to Ayala, and Ayala does not miss. It's 1-0, and the fans can feel it. When D'Onofrio hits Ayala for his second goal in the 24th, it's celebration time. Antonio Campos scores in the 54th. We're rolling, but in the 70th my fears are realized as Lucas Bedoya goes down with a groin injury and needs to come off. Oh man, he is a key player and an anchor in the back with Deman. We just need to have him against Monaco, but groin injuries... ugh. UGH. I immediately pull Deman out of the game as we just can't chance it.

I'm putting this out of my mind for now, because as the clock winds down, it's time to celebrate. We defeat Bologna, 3-0, and for the second time in my two years as manager, and the seventh straight season overall, Juventus has won Serie A!

After the game, we learn that Lucas Bedoya's groin injury will keep him out for up to three months... in other words, the rest of the season. That's just terrible luck for us, but for now, we'll spend the night celebrating another league title.

[trman73]

April 27, 2030 - Serie A: Napoli (20-6-8, 66 pts., 2nd) vs. Juventus (24-9-1, 81 pts., 1st)

Normally a matchup between the top two teams in the league with just four matches to go would be huge. But this one isn't. Napoli has a six-point lead over Lazio for second, but I have no reservations about starting subs in this one.

This is my 400th match as a head coach. But there's another person who is celebrating a milestone far more important than mine:

Ayala has been an absolute monster for us in the second half of the season, and it's great to see him break this 104-year-old record.

We play Napoli to a scoreless first half, but they break through in the 64th. We tie it on a goal from Humberto Ramirez 10 minutes later, and it looks like we'll settle for a draw. But Napoli scores late to take it and hand us just our second loss of the season. We're back home in a few days for the crucial first leg against Monaco.

[trman73]

April 30, 2030 - European Champions Cup Semifinal, Leg 1: Juventus vs. Monaco

Monaco has finished in the top three of Ligue 1 every year of this save. They are great both on offense and defense, scoring 82 goals and allowing just 24 in their 35 league matches (although admittedly Ligue 1 is a very top-heavy league). They defeated Bayern and their country-mates OM (two Champions Cup winners in this save) to get here, while we've obviously beaten Man City and Arsenal. I really like this matchup and am looking forward to playing these guys. We've had good luck thus far in the first legs of our matchups, conceding no home goals to either City or Arsenal. That will be tough to do again, and I wish Bedoya wasn't out, but we're ready to go.

Ayala has an incredible wide-open breakaway just two minutes in, but he fires it wide and that's a huge missed opportunity. But in the 15th, Campos gets a free kick right outside the box, and it bounces off the wall and in! 1-0! But later in the half, Kylian Mbappe, who's got to be one of the last remaining real-life players still playing big minutes, ties it, and it's 1-1 at the break. That's the first home goal we've allowed in the knockout stages.

Just a couple minutes into the second half, Monaco gets called for a foul on another great chance from Ayala, and we get the penalty. D'Onofrio hits it, and we're back up, 2-1. We've got to hold this lead, and in the 82nd we almost extend it as Ayala hits the post with a shot. That looks like it will be the last exciting moment of the match, but in the 90th Ayala crosses a ball that finds D'Onofrio, who scores an absolutely huge goal to put us up, 3-1. That closes the scoring, and we're in good position heading to France next week.

[trman73]

May 4, 2030 - Serie A: Juventus (24-9-2, 81 pts., 1st) vs. Genoa (13-8-14, 47 pts., 11th)

I hate to disrespect the league, but we've put ourselves in a position where we won't need to field our full starting team for any more Serie A matches. The midweek match with Monaco is just way, way more important than this game, and I want a rested first team. So the subs are in again for this one.

This is an ugly, ugly match that features 11 yellow cards and a Genoa player being sent off late in the first half. It takes a while for us to capitalize, but we do in the 68th on a goal from Humberto Ramirez. Mark O'Shea adds a goal in his first game back in the 72nd, and it's a workmanlike 2-0 win.

[trman73]

May 8, 2030 - European Champions Cup Semifinal, Leg 2: Monaco vs. Juventus (Juventus leads, 3-1)

Once again we head into the second leg of a knockout stage with a lead, and once again it will be up to our defense to hold our opponents down. This time, though, a trip to our second straight Champions League Final is on the line. This is obviously just a huge match. Again, we're without Bedoya in the back, but everyone else is ready to go.

The winner of this match will play PSG in the Final, as they beat Barcelona 2-0 on aggregate. I'd love to see what we can against those guys, and the next 90 minutes will determine if we get the chance to do just that.

Well folks, we put this one to bed in the first half. Jairo Riedewald kicks off the scoring with a goal in the 20th on a pass from Campos, then Campos takes things over all by himself, scoring on not one but two free kicks, in the 25th and 31st, to give us an insurmountable 6-1 aggregate lead with 45 minutes to go. Monaco gives us nothing in the second half as they know it's over. They get a meaningless goal in the 80th, but that's it. We win the game, 3-1, and the series, 6-2.

We will play for our second consecutive Champions League title!!!

[trman73]

May 12, 2030 - Serie A: Torino (14-13-9, 55 pts., 7th) vs. Juventus (25-9-2, 84 pts., 1st)

It's our last road match of the Serie A season and it's against a team with something to play for, as Torino is just four points back of AC Milan for fifth. That's not enough incentive for me to not play a bunch of reserves though. I'll start half the regular team in this one and the other half in the home finale next week against Chievo. I'd love to get to 90 points in the league, but that's secondary to both the Italian Cup and Champions League Final.

I'm pleased to announce that our Under 18s won their league for the first time ever (although that's only been tracked since the start of this save), so the future looks bright for Juventus.

In practice this week we get bad news as Nikola Andric has a sports hernia and his season is basically over. He's been very good for us again this year, sporting a 7.19 rating in league play, but Adrian Dan has been sharing time with him for the past couple months and will fill in just fine.

It looks like Torino is going to hand us our third league loss of the season, as they score in the 11th and we proceed to not do anything for most of the match. But they get called for a foul in the box with 10 minutes to go, Ramirez hits the PK, and we draw, 1-1. We'll take it. One more warmup to go before we end the season playing for the two cups.

Edited July 30, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

May 18, 2030 - Serie A: Juventus (25-10-2, 85 pts., 1st) vs. Chievo (6-11-20, 29 pts., 20th)

It's the last game of the league and there's no drama at all. We win the league, Napoli and Lazio join us in Champions League next season, and Inter and AC Milan advance to Europa League. Roma can still make it to Europa League with a win in either its final match or against us in the Italian Cup. Chievo was relegated a while back, so they have nothing to play for but pride, and we literally have nothing to play for at all and I would prefer to not play this game, to be honest. My big thing right now is scouring the staff page for openings once the league seasons end this weekend.

With the Italian Cup Final in just four days, it's most definitely the B Team for this match. Valdes is the only starter in the game at the start of this one.

It's a party for our fans in our last home match of the year. We get first half goals from Ramirez, Peranzoni, D'Amico and O'Shea and are up 4-0 at the break. We get the easy win, 4-1, but don't accomplish our main objective of avoiding injury. Danial Peranzoni sprains an ankle and joins Bedoya and Andric on the shelf. We're down two center midfielders, and it will be up to Dan and Melegoni to carry the load in the final two games.

Serie A ends with us finishing 26-10-2, good for 88 points and a dominant league victory.

Edited July 30, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

May 22, 2030 - Italian Cup Final: Juventus vs. Roma

With the Champions League Final a full 10 days away, there's no reason not to go all out for this trophy, the only Italian club trophy I have yet to win. Along with our three injured players, Antonio Campos is also out for this one, so Mark O'Shea will play in the final. Juventus actually hasn't won the Italian Cup in nine years, and has only been to the final twice since then, losing to Inter in 2025 and AC Milan in 2027. Given how dominant we are in the league, that obviously shows the importance the club has placed on this competition in recent years. But hey, we're here, so let's go for the hardware!

Roma comes out aggressively and is the better team for the first 20 minutes. Then we start to turn it on. In the 25th a wicked shot from Ayala hits the post and bounces away, but just a few minutes later a shot from way, way out by Davidson Costa also hits the post, but we get the friendly bounce and it goes in for the 1-0 lead. That may be the farthest out of any goal I've scored in this save. Ayala has another great chance that's knocked away in the 40th, but right after that Roma has a man sent off with a straight red, and we're up a goal, and a man, at the half.

We take advantage quickly in the second half, as a cross from Di Benedetto finds Ayala and he scores in the 47th to make it 2-0. Just two minutes later, Ayala scores again on another shot from outside the box, and, barring a total defensive breakdown in the final 40 minutes, we are going to win the Italian Cup. Instead of breaking down, we keep the pressure on throughout the second half, win 3-0, and I added the Italian Cup to my trophy case!

[trman73]

At the beginning of this season I set a goal of winning four trophies. We've won Serie A, we've won the Italian Cup, and we've won the Club World Championship. If we win the Champions League, I think we can safely say this will be the greatest season in the history of Juventus football, possibly the greatest season by a single club in the history of Italian football, and one of the great seasons for a single club of all time.

As expected, when the Serie A awards are announced for the 2029-2030 season, we dominate.

• Alejandro Ayala win the Serie A Player of the Year.
• Ayala also wins Top Goal Scorer with his 24 goals (and he rested a lot of the final three or four matches).
• Pietro D'Onofrio wins the Italian Media Italian Player of the Year.
• Jonathan Valdes is the Goalkeeper of the Year.
• Albin Carlsson is the Defender of the Year.
• Ayala is the Striker of the Year.
• I win my second straight Coach of the Year award.
• And this...

Nine players in the Team of the Year, including the entire defense. It's weird that Jairo Riedewald gets the nod over Di Benedetto at left back and that Adrian Dan gets in, but whatever. A dominant league season leads to domination in awards season as well.

So here we are. I've got one game left in the season, and honestly I expect, and want, the Champions League Final to be my last match as Juventus manager. I cannot do any more at Juventus or really in Italy, and I am bored with this. Last season was fun. This one was just dominant win after dominant win. There are some openings I'll discuss after the CL Final, but I have a mind to announce to the team before the PSG match that this will be my last time leading them on the pitch.

Edited July 31, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

June 1, 2030 - European Champions Cup Final: Juventus vs. Paris Saint-Germain (Millennium Stadium, Wales)

Prior to this match I am awarded the Serie A Managers' Manager of the Year Award. Also prior to this match, we lose a huge player in training, as Pietro D'Onofrio has a double hernia and is gone. Humberto Ramirez, who started in last year's final and who got a lot of playing time for us over the past month, will take his place.

There are six teams that have dominated Europe in the 14 years of this save:

• Manchester City (4 Champions League titles, 2 Premier League titles, 12 total trophies)
• Real Madrid (12 La Liga titles, 27 total trophies)
• Bayern (11 Bundesliga titles, 2 Champions League titles, 32 total trophies)
• Juventus (11 Serie A titles, 1 Champions League title, 29 total trophies)
• Manchester United (11 Premier League titles, 2 Champions League titles, 31 total trophies)

The fifth is PSG. The numbers are just staggering:

• 13 Ligue 1 titles in 14 seasons
• 2019 and 2024 Champions League titles
• 2026 Euro Cup title
• 2019 and 2024 Club World Championships
• Three European Super Cups
• Three French Cups
• Two Coupe de la Ligue titles
• 38 total trophies over all competitions
• A 623-89-89 overall record

City has appeared in seven Champions League Finals in this save. PSG is second with four, winning two and losing two. They haven't been here in five years, but to say these guys know how to win is a huge understatement.

But... we know how to win too. I am 77-21-15 in my two years at Juventus, and we've won six trophies. That outpaces either of our previous two head coaches (Zidane won seven trophies in just under five years; Allegri 16 in nine years). And we won this thing last year. This... will be an incredible battle.

We are without three starters (DC Bedoya, MC Andric, and F D'Onofrio), as well as Peranzoni for this match. Here's who we're going to war with.

I'll take our chances. With a win here, we join an elite group of teams that have won back-to-back Champions League titles. It's time. Let's kick off the 2030 Champions League Final!

The first half sees nothing find the back of the net, but we're the more aggressive and better team. Ayala has a couple of good chances but can't convert, and all of PSG's chances are weak ones.

We continue to control play early in the second half, and finally, in the 50th minute, after controlling possession for at least two minutes without PSG touching the ball, Carlsson lays a pass onto the head of Humberto Ramirez, who puts it in to give us the 1-0 lead!!

We get to the 60th minute and I'm starting to wonder if PSG is going to mount their challenge, because they really aren't making anything happen. In the 69th, we make things even harder for them, as Davidson Costa leads Ramirez with a pass and he scores his second of the game to make it 2-0! We are 20 minutes from back-to-back European titles!!!! But just two minutes later, PSG finally gets it together and puts one past Valdes, and it's back to a one-goal game.

They never mount another challenge. The clock winds down on this one and we are in complete control. And folks, JUVENTUS HAS WON BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TITLES!!!!!

 

Edited July 31, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

Juventus 2029-2030 Season Review

Four of our players are named to the Champions League Dream Team: Di Benedetto, Carlsson, Deman, and Campos.

I'm going to make this season preview easy. We basically get an A+ for everything. We were in six competitions, and the only two we did not win were the preseason single-game cups in Italy and Europe. We dominated Serie A, and won Champions League. There's no reason to get into further detail.

Our player of the year is Alejandro Ayala, who was the best offensive player in Serie A and scored 39 goals in all competitions this season. The runners-up are the entire defense. 

My time at Juventus is over. There are no good jobs out there right now, and I hope to find a new position before the start of the season, but it is time for me to move on, and it's only fair to give the incoming coach a full off-season to make his own decisions. If I don't get a job, I'll chill out, watch some World Cup matches, and see what's out there as next season progresses.

On June 5, 2030, I resign as manager of Juventus.

[trman73]

2030 World Cup

Here are the World Cup 2030 Groups. The tournament is being played in Italy.

I will take Italy, Brazil, Germany and France as the final four, with Italy and France in the final, and France winning it.

After group stage and the first knockout round, here are the eight remaining teams...

Yet another group stage exit for the US, as they finish third in Group H behind France and England. Mexico, a finalist in the last cup (and losers to my Italian team), also failed to make it out. Not many surprises after that. Italy comes back from down 0-2 against Serbia, scoring in the 120th minute. The tourney ends for the English on penalties to a better Belgium team. And France, the team I had winning it, is out at the hands of Turkey. Both my former teams, Italy and Spain, are still in it.

And the final four are...

An all-European final four, with both Italy and Spain still in it. Maybe my leaving Spain was the best thing to happen... for them.

And finally...

The Italians get to the final but they run out of gas, and Germany has won the 2030 World Cup!

[trman73]

I have one target for my next coaching position: The Premier League. It's the final frontier for me. I am offered interviews at Gelsenkirchen, Vigo, and Monaco. I turn them down.

On August 4th, I get an interview for a job that I will take in an absolute heartbeat if it's offered. Four days later, I am asked to recommend coaching staff changes, which has to be a great sign. And on August 9, 2030, I agree to a three-year deal at $3.25 million per year to become the new manager of...

LEICESTER CITY!!!

I am incredibly excited to take this job. It checks all the boxes. Premier League. Struggling team. Huge challenge. Predicted to finish 17th in the league. This team has been a mess since the miracle championship of 2016.

I am the man for this job. YYYYYYYEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!

There's a ton of work to do here and the season starts in eight days. I need to fill out the staff, assess the team, pick a formation and starting squad, and be ready to face Huddersfield on August 17.

Edited July 31, 2017 by trman73

[Malaussie]

Awesome job on back to back Champions League titles! It's awesome you got the Leicester job I read a book on their 2016 run and it has made me appreciate the team a lot more. Good luck mate! 

[Johnny-Trotter]

Interesting new challenge. Good luck with it!

[trman73]

Thanks guys. I am very excited about taking over this team. Which brings me to...

Final Thoughts on Juventus

I must say, after the initial joy of taking over a team that is so clearly dominant in its league wore off, I actually did not enjoy managing Juventus all that much. Again, that first year was great. But I felt like managing them was too easy. I could acquire players basically at will (within reason - their payroll and transfer budget it not the same as the Real Madrids and Man Uniteds of the world, but still, we had way more resources than any other Serie A team), and we had the depth to rest guys and start quality backups that other teams in the league just don't have. Honestly, by the second half of last season I wasn't even enjoying the run through Champions League that much. I was really at a loss as to how we were winning all these games. I don't really do anything all that innovative tactically, and I wasn't making in-game adjustments as we were just beating team after team without me doing much.

So again, great to get all the trophies, but the playing experience wasn't all that great. I am way, way more excited to take over this Leicester City team.

[trman73]

Initial Thoughts - Leicester City

Obviously any preview of Leicester City starts with the incredible, miraculous run of 2016. But since then, this team has gone back to being a bottom-feeder in the Premier League. Here's how it's gone...

As you can see, they were a top-half team the few seasons after their title, but they have actually been relegated twice in this save, and just came back up last season. They finished 11th a year ago with a record of 11-12-15, good for 45 points. Their manager last year was... Jamie Vardy, the hero of 2016. He left to go manage the English National Team, leaving the spot open for me to take over. Vardy was their best manager since Claudio Ranieri, although many of his wins came in the Championship League.

In terms of personnel, oh my God. It's a collection of has beens and never weres. I wish I had a full off-season to bring some of my own guys in, but I don't have that luxury. So I am going to see what I can get for some guys before the end of this window, and then go shopping during the winter. We're spending $97 million of our $123 million payroll, and have $34 million for transfers.

I'm going to go ahead and play the 4-3-1-2 that worked so well at Juventus, and see what happens. The team had been playing a 4-2-3-1, which I don't want to do.

We've got a quality goalkeeper and decent defenders, along with a couple of good forwards, but the midfield is terrible, and we have a lot of work to do. We've got one more friendly and then the season begins. It's going to be a busy week.

[metallimuse]

Ahh finally a challenge! 

Well done on the success at Juva but I'm delighted to see you back at a club where YOU have to build them into something again.

[trman73]

Thanks metallimuse, my thoughts exactly. This is an actual challenge.

Okay...

We do have time to make a couple moves. Since I'm playing with three central midfielders and an attacking midfielder, basically all of the left and right midfielders on the squad are surplus. And they are all either old or not up to snuff anyway. So I list seven guys, and set out to spend some cash.

Prior to our opener, we only bring in one new face, but it's a good one. Micheal Platt is a 23-year-old attacking midfielder who Manchester United had loaned out for each of the past two seasons, and he played well in those loan spells for Wolves and Fulham. So we make an $8 million bid for him, and we get him. He instantly becomes our starter at attacking midfeilder.

I'm really happy with this signing.

We've got three more offers out that I'll post when, and if, they happen. As for outgoings, we get $3.9 million from Bournemouth for a 22-year-old left midfielder who appeared in five games for us last year and who had no future with our team due to the formation. I've got free transfer offers for two 30+-year-olds who also will never see the pitch for Leicester City again.

[trman73]

2030-2031 Leicester City Season Preview

Premier League - Board Expectation: Avoid Relegation; Media Prediction: 17th

The media is predicting only Bournemouth, Burnley, and Derby, the three teams promoted last year, to finish below us. I don't think we'll be relegated, but I also am not sure we'll equal last year's 11th place finish. There are just some glaring weaknesses on this club, although I am confident in being able to fill a few of those holes before the summer window ends. I am really at a loss in terms of my own expectations here. In going through the full schedule and making match-by-match predictions, I came up with 10-10-18, which would give us 40 points and would traditionally put us in 15th place. I will make one prediction though: we will be better in the second half of the season than the first half.

FA Cup: Board Expectation: Reach Fifth Round

EFL Cup: Board Expectation: Reach Fourth Round

As for the cups, we all know that in many cases it's the luck of the draw. The second-round EFL Cup draw was kind to us, as we will host League One side Stevenage in just 10 days. I'm going to say that we go ahead and make the fourth round of EFL Cup, and fall a round short by losing to a Premier League team in the round of 32 in the FA Cup.

Roster

Goalkeepers

Thankfully, this is a strength, as 23-year-old Christy Smyth has the potential to be one of the league's best keepers in the next few years. He started all 38 league matches for us last year. If we can build a better defense around him, we're good here.

Defense

Right back appears to be a big weakness and I am trying to remedy that right now. Rudy van Leeuwen posted a dismal 6.49 as the starter last year, but he's our best option. In the middle, we start Italian Enrico Pazzaglia and 21-year-old Moroccan Mohamed Alaoui. A 21-year-old in center midfield makes me very, very nervous. Our best defender is the left back, Chris van Eidjen, who is entering his 10th year with us. Depth behind these guys is a serious, serious problem.

Midfield

I already shared the card of our new attacking midfielder, Michael Platt. In the center midfield we've got a veteran, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, playing essentially the defensive midfielder role, and he'll be flanked by Cesar Meneses, who's on load from Stoke, and Francesco Sabbatini. This is an area that needs a real upgrade, as all of these guys are essentially defensive midfielders. Again, depth at this position is a huge issue as well.

 

Forwards

Along with our goalkeeper, this is the other position where I feel we're fine. Les Burton has scored 33 goals for us in the past two years, and we've got a 21-year-old Argentine, Claudio Navarro, paired with him. He's new this year. Somehow, we only have one other forward on the roster, so this is, yet again, another area where depth is needed.

Well, there it is... a roster that right now is far closer to relegation-level than European competition-level. I've got my work cut out for me, but I haven't been this excited about taking over a club since I took the Italy job eight years ago.

On to the season!!!

 

Edited August 1, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

Really quickly, I want to give an update on my former club, Juventus. It appears that Unai Emery is happy to tear down everything we built there. Lucas Bedoya now plays for PSG, Mark O'Shea was basically given to Milan, and in the biggest shock of all, Jonathan Valdes, who I believe is the best goalkeeper in the world, now plays for Chelsea and has been replaced in net by... no one. Our backup, Ricardo Capucho, is now their starting keeper. Good luck buddy.

[trman73]

August 17, 2030 - Premier League: Leicester City vs. Huddersfield

My first Premier League match of this career. I am incredibly excited to get this thing going against a Huddersfield team that finished 15th a year ago. This was one of the 10 matches I put down as a win when I did my season preview. Unfortunately, we'll play this one without a key man, as forward Les Burton is suspended. Lee Wilding, who scored 11 goals last year in 22 games for us, takes his place at forward.

One thing I have to get used to is only naming seven subs vs. the 12 we had in Serie A. So I pick the team, and it's time to kick off my career in the Premier League!!!

Our first goal of the season is scored by a guy playing his first match for us, as Claudio Navarro nails a great shot off a pass from Cesar Meneses in the 35th to put us up. We play a great defensive match for the next 50 minutes. But late, in the 86th, Huddersfield gets a corner opportunity, and scores on it to tie the match 1-1. That's how it ends. We are the better team throughout, but we manage just the one point in my Leicester City debut.

[trman73]

Prior to our next match, we round out what will be our team for the first half of the season, as we bring in three additional players. I'm very, very pleased with what we were able to add in a short period of time.

First up... 29-year-old midfielder Jean-Paul Meert. The Belgian comes to us after spending the past three seasons at Inter. He started 36 games for them two years ago, averaging a 7.01 rating. He will fill one of the starting midfielder spots moving forward.

Next we upgrade at right back by bringing in Walter Morales from Tottenham. He hasn't had a great career, but he's better than what we've got.

Finally, we bring in a forward, 29-year-old Irishman Bill Armson. He comes in on a free transfer after some up-and-down seasons at Fulham.

So that's it. Some quality here and some depth added. I'm pleased, and ready to move forward with the season.

[trman73]

August 25, 2030 - Premier League: West Ham (1-0-0, 3 pts., 2nd) vs. Leicester City (0-1-0, 1 pt., 12th)

Our first road match of the season is at the stadium I hope to one day call home before the end of this career. West Ham destroyed Bournemouth 4-0 in its opener and is coming off a 7th-place finish a year ago. This will be a tough one for us, and we're incorporating Meert and Morales into the starting lineup. But we get Les Burton back at forward for this one, and I am cautiously optimistic.

West Ham outplays us throughout the first half, but toward the end we absolutely explode, as newcomer Jean-Paul Meert finds Claudio Navarro in the 41st for a goal to put us up, then Navarro scores off a bad clear from West Ham to make it 2-0! That's the halftime score, and then Meert gets a goal of his own in the 61st to put us up 3-0. This is exactly what I need as a new manager trying to establish myself with this team. West Ham gets one back in the 69th on a defensive breakdown by us, but just a few minutes later they have a man sent off, and that basically ends it. We cruise to a huge 3-1 win and we're 1-1-0 to start the season.

[trman73]

August 28, 2030 - EFL Cup, Second Round: Leicester City vs. Stevenage

Jean-Paul Meert is named to the Premier League Team of the Week after his first match for us. That's a great sign of things to come, I hope.

We should handle this League One side without any problem, so I get a chance to see some of our reserve guys in action for this one, along with our new forward, Bill Armson. Hopefully we can put these guys away early.

We absolutely blitz these guys from beginning to end, but manage only a single goal from Wilding right before halftime, and win 1-0.

The Third Round draw takes place two days later, and we get... a road match at Liverpool. Hmph.

Next up on the schedule is a home match against Manchester United.

[metallimuse]

After living in Watford I'm happy to see Stevenage up in League 1, that's great for them.

Interesting to see where you go with this big man.

[metallimuse]

With my Aberdeen team I play with a variation of what you play, 3 at the back, wingbacks, two in midfield, 1 attacking midfielder & two up top. Find it gives me gives me width while still having a strong core midfield but the wing backs tuck into midfield aswell at times.

[fridge73]

Nice start in a job that looks tricky but will challenge you. 

Regarding tactics, I have always been keen on 4-1-3-2 (def mid sitting in the hole between def-mid) and I always sold off the extra wingers as you did. When needing goals I sub out the def mid and change into either 4-3-1-2 or 4-3-3.  The right players are the key ingredients as Tom has just shown us. 

Keep it up! 

[Justin_Case]

It's interesting to see where this save goes - considering it's smashed all expectations from the start! Are you still going to try and crack the MLS cup in the future i wonder...

[trman73]

August 31, 2030 - Premier League: Leicester City (1-1-0, 4 pts., 4th) vs. Manchester United (1-1-0, 4 pts., 3rd)

As if facing Man U at full strength isn't bad enough, we lose goalkeeper Christy Smyth in training and he'll miss this match. We get a two-week break after this game so he'll be back for our next match, but I have to think that if we secure a draw here it's a tremendous result.

United scores first, in the 13th, but in the 30th they make one of the biggest mistakes I've seen in this career, as their right back gets the ball and just passes it right in front of their keeper, where it is immediately intercepted by Les Burton, who scores easily. Yikes. It's 1-1 and I'm starting to believe as we're playing well even without the United gift. In the 38th we take the lead on a goal from Cesar Meneses, and we're up 2-1! That's the score at the half.

The second half is absolutely crazy. United's Pedro Borges ties it in the 47th, but then we take the lead back with a goal from sub Lee Wilding, who comes in for an injured Navarro. It's 3-2, but not for long, as Borges ties it again in the 65th. Things get bad for us in the 75th as defender Chris van Eidjen gets sent off with his second yellow. But United doesn't take advantage, and as the clock winds down it looks like we'll salvage a great draw.

But we won't. Just 15 seconds before the final whistle, Borges cuts through our central defense and nails a shot past our keeper for his third goal, the game winner. It's a really tough loss to take, and a wasted opportunity to really create fantastic momentum to start the season. AAAARRRGGGGHHHH.

Edited August 2, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

Wow thanks guys! I didn't see those comments until after I posted the last game recap.

metallimuse, just for you, here's Stevenage's history in this save...

You can see they've been up and down, but they look like they are trending up in League One. Nice.

Fridge I have the 4-1-3-2 as my backup formation because we have a bunch of good defensive midfielders. Maybe after conceding four to United I should consider it.

And Justin, at this point I would have to do something to get me thrown out of Europe to even consider coaching in MLS.

[trman73]

I make one move at the transfer deadline, switching out 31-year-old attacking midfielder Marcus Edwards, who goes to Palermo on a free, for 23-year-old Englishman Gary Smyth, who was stuck on the bench at Manchester City. We get him for just over $1 million.

This is basically just switching out old for young, and bringing in another home-grown player. Nothing of huge consequence here, but we're transitioning out the old guard and bringing new blood in.

Edited August 2, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

September 14, 2030 - Premier League: Fulham (0-2-1, 2 pts., 17th) vs. Leicester City (1-1-1, 4 pts., 10th)

The international break was not kind to us injury-wise, as we are down Mohamed Alaoui, who's out for a couple weeks, and backup forward Bill Armson, who will miss this match. With van Eijden suspended after his red card, that's two starting defenders. Thankfully, Fulham is not playing well at all, and we do get Christy Smyth back in net, so we may be able to get our second straight road result here.

This is a sloppy, ugly, boring game for the first 70 minutes and it has 0-0 draw written all over it. But the final 20 minutes are a thing of beauty for us. First, Walter Morales hits Burton with a long pass from our own zone, and he streaks forward and beats the keeper to make it 1-0. Just a few minutes later, Fulham is called for a penalty on an ugly challenge, and Navarro nails it to make it 2-0. That's the final. With two backups on the back line, we get our first clean sheet of the Premier League season, and we get back on track after the bad beat vs. Man United. I had us down for 1-1-2 in our first four; we're 2-1-1 instead. Not a bad start at all.

[trman73]

September 21, 2030 - Premier League: Leicester (2-1-1, 7 pts., 5th) vs. Bournemouth (0-2-2, 2 pts., 19th)

It's our second straight match against a team that's struggling to start the season. Bournemouth was destroyed by both West Ham and Man U in its first two matches, being outscored 7-0. Since then they've drawn with Fulham and Middlesbrough. We need to get these matches, as in a few weeks we'll have Arsenal, Man City, and Chelsea in a four-game stretch, so we need to bank as many points as we can now. I like how we're playing so far, and the new guys Morales (7.13), Meneses (7.13) Meert (7.80) and Navarro (7.43) are all playing well. Of my signings, only Michael Platt (6.60) is really struggling. (To be fair, Navarro and Meneses weren't my signings, but they are newcomers.)

My God, we lay an absolute stink bomb in this match. In the first half we concede on two free kicks from way, way out there... one bounces off a defender and in, the second Smyth just doesn't save and it's called an own goal. We never recover, and lose, 2-0. This is probably the worst match I've played since Wales beat my Spain team in the Euros back three years ago. Yuck. We have a lot, A LOT, of work to still do.

[trman73]

September 25, 2030 - EFL Cup, Third Round: Liverpool vs. Leicester

We only have a few days to lick our wounds before facing the team that's won more EFL Cups, eight, than any other. But Liverpool hasn't been to the final of this tournament since 2017, so they are hardly unbeatable. I give Gary Smyth a chance to show me what he's got at attacking midfielder in this one, as Michael Platt hasn't been getting it done. Burton also rests today in favor of Lee Wilding.

We play to a scoreless first half, and then in the 51st, after getting burned on free kicks twice in our last match, we score one ourselves, as Francesco Sabatini does the honors to put us up 1-0. Liverpool doesn't really come at us until late in the match, and Christy Smyth makes some good saves down the stretch to give us the 1-0 win. That's three road wins in three matches to start the 2030-2031 campaign, and we have met our first board expectation by advancing to the fourth round of the EFL Cup.

A few days after the match the draw for the next round is held. There are 11 Premier League teams in the final 16, along with five teams from the Championship and a single League One club, Brentford. Obviously I'd like to draw a lower league team. When all is said and done, when the tournament picks up again in a month, we'll be heading to Stamford Bridge for a road match with Chelsea.

Edited August 3, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

September 30, 2030 - Premier League: Middlesbrough (2-1-2, 7 pts., 12th) vs. Leicester (2-1-2, 7 pts., 9th)

We've been outstanding on the road thus far, outscoring our opponents 6-1 in three straight wins. We are right where I expected when I was plotting out wins and losses in my preview, although only the Man U loss went as expected. I thought we'd beat Huddersfield and Bournemouth, draw with Fulham on the road, and lose to West Ham and United. That last-minute loss to United still eats at me. Very, very frustrating.

Oh well, it's on to Riverside Stadium for this one. I keep Gary Smyth in the lineup at attacking midfield. (I realize that I have two Smyths on this team and will have to differentiate in these write-ups, especially if Gary winds up supplanting Platt in the regular lineup.) Middlesbrough has lost to Chelsea and City but in their other matches they've played well. We need to do much better than we did against Bournemouth here. We're the Monday match, so everyone else has played, and if we win we'll move up to 6th or 7th. The big news thus far is the struggles of United, which sits in 14th place at 2-1-3. City fails to win for the first time this week as they draw with a Wolves team that's playing great thus far. I'll post the table after this match.

No goals in the first half and well into the second, but in the 65th Lee Burton breaks out of his funk and gets one for us on a pass from Meneses. Middlesbrough isn't really challenging, but then they get a fluke goal on a bad clearance in the 74th to tie it. It's looking like a road draw, but we luck out in the 81st as Middlesbrough is called for a penalty. Enrico Pazzaglia steps up for it... and it's saved. Oh no! Argh. The game ends in a 1-1 draw, we get another result on the road, but man, we left two points out there today.

The draw leaves us right in the middle of the table six matches in.

[trman73]

I must say just a few games in I am loving being in Premier League and loving having a team that is going to take at least two years of work to build up. There's a huge gap between the quality of my old Juventus team and this team, but the more we play the more I see who will be part of the future of Leicester City and who will need to be transitioned out. I am totally digging this. Of course, I am also always watching the status of West Ham out of the corner of my eye, and will jump ship from Leicester immediately for them.

October 5, 2030 - Premier League: Everton (3-1-2, 1 pts., 6th) vs. Leicester (2-2-2, 8 pts., 10th)

It's our third straight road match, which may be a good thing as we're 3-1-0 on the road and 1-1-2 at home. But Everton's a good team, and we'll need a better performance than we've had in either of our last two matches if we're going to keep this road run alive. We're at full strength for this one and we've got a two-week break for international play after this match, so let's see what we can do.

We hold our own for the bulk of the first half, but in the 38th a bad pass in the back leads to a breakaway for Everton, and they take advantage for the 1-0 lead. That mistake costs us the match, as we never break through despite some quality chances late in the second half, including a point blank shot from Burton in stoppage time that's batted away. The loss drops us to 14th in the league.