After 10 years with FM, my first career update

[DodgeeD]

Looks like a good run building up in Europe. Which other teams are left in the draw?

[trman73]

Hey Dodgee, these are the quarterfinal matchups:

• Liverpool vs. Bournemouth
• Leverkusen vs. Roma
• Inter vs. Atletico Madrid
• Arsenal vs. Vigo

If we can pull off a win vs. Leverkusen, there will be some tough competition in the semis.

March 21, 2022 - Serie A: Atalanta (6-10-14, 28 pts., 17th) vs. Roma (14-12-4, 54 pts., 4th)

Incredibly we've drawn six of our last seven matches but haven't really been punished for it at all, as we're tied with Torino for third in the league and are in the quarters of the Euro Cup. But we need to get a result against an Atalanta team that hasn't won a match since January 12 and has gone 0-3-6 since then. This team is ripe for the picking here. After this one we get a much-needed two-week rest before our stretch run. I want to enter that rest period on a high note.

We play on Monday this week (thank God for the extra day of rest), so we know before our match that AC Milan routed Verona (which actually helps us a little since Verona is nipping at us for fourth), and Juventus beat Torino, so with a win or a draw we're back in third. This is my 100th game as Roma manager. Let's make it  good one.

Well, we make my 100th game a memorable one. Atalanta gives us a gift early as they have a man sent off in the 6th minute, and we make hem pay. Salah scores first, in the 9th, and then El Shaarawy adds one in the 32nd and then another right before halftime to make it 3-0. Bernardeschi scores on wicked shot just a couple minutes into the second half to make it 4-0, and this is a rout. Bernardeschi converts another in the 52nd, and I bring in the subs. It's a dominant 5-0 win, and that's 11 straight without a loss.

Not only do we pass Torino for third, but we overcome their goal-differential advantage with this dominant win.

 

Edited June 6, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

April 3, 2022 - Serie A: Roma (15-12-4, 57 pts., 3rd) vs. Inter (12-11-8, 47 pts., 8th)

Inter has not followed up its Serie A-winning campaign from last season with a good 2021-2022 season. They are no threat to challenge for Champions League this year, and with a win in this one we can really put a dent in their attempt to qualify for continental competition at all. We are rested and have Rabiot back for this one, although I am going to start Kranevitter in this match as he's been excellent lately, and I'll try to bring Rabiot in as a sub to get him some game action. Milan and Torino both win before our match is played, so we need to win to keep up.

We draw, 1-1, and lose Stephen El Shaarawy in the process. Inter scores first in the 16th, but El Shaarawy's replacement, Penaranda, ties it in the 34th. That's the end of the scoring, and we now hold a one-point lead over Torino with six matches to go in the season.

[trman73]

OK folks, we've got six games left in the Serie A season and here's where we are...

Our final six matches are:

• at Fiorentina (18th)
• vs. Pescara (11th)
• at Tornio (4th)
• vs. Empoli (14th)
• at Verona (7th)
• vs. Sampdoria (20th)

Not a terribly difficult end to the season. The big one is April 24, when we travel to Torino. A win there and we're in great shape for a top-three finish. I can't believe both Fiorentina and Sampdoria are in danger of going down, and we have a chance to help make that happen.

But first...

April 7, 2022 - Euro Cup Quarterfinal, Leg 1: Leverkusen vs. Roma

Bad news on the injury front as El Shaarawy is on the shelf for six weeks with a broken collarbone. His season is basically over, and we'll rely on Penaranda to fil his spot. I have total faith in him, but El Shsaarawy was the Serie A Player of the Year last year, so that's a loss.

Leverkusen has finished second in Bundesliga for the past four years and is second again this year. After finishing third in a Champions League group that included Real Madrid and Olympique Lyonnaise, they ripped through SK Rapid Wien (6-0) and Ajax (6-2) in the first two knockout stages of this tourney. I'd say we're an underdog here, and with the first match on the road, we need to do something here.

Our worst fears are realized early as Leverkusen's Munir scores in the 22nd and then again in the 28th to put them up, 2-0, which is the score at the break. Salah pulls us back to 2-1 in the 50th, but Leverkusen comes right back to re-establish a two-goal lead in the 62nd, and it looks like we're going to have a hole to climb out of at home next week. But Kevin Strootman scores his first goal of the season to bring us to within 3-2 in the 69th, then Drazic sets up Penaranda in the 82nd for a great goal and it's 3-3! We keep up the pressure, and in stoppage time Strootman is fouled in the box. He takes the kick himself, and nails it! We win 4-3, a brilliant comeback! We've really set ourselves up for the home leg with the one-goal league, and four huge goals. What a comeback!!!

[ManUtd1]

Tremendous comeback! Good luck with the domestic run-in - that Torino match looks like a huge one.

[trman73]

April 11, 2022 - Serie A: Fiorentina (7-6-19, 27 pts., 18th) vs. Roma (15-13-4, 58 pts., 3rd)

Fiorentina has finished in the top half of Serie A eight of the past nine years, but is in serious danger of playing in Serie B next year. Incredibly, they are 1-3-14 in their last 18 matches since December 9. Once again we play on Monday, so we know what's happened with the rest of the league matches - Torino won at home against Chievo to pass us for third for now, but Milan lost on the road at Lazio. With a win here, we're back in third, and just two points back of MIlan with five to go.

We are really clicking offensively, and for the second time in our last three league matches we tear our opponent to pieces in the first half. Drazic opens the scoring just five minutes in, then Salah takes over, scoring two goals in a span of 40 seconds to give us a 3-0 lead in the 25th. Strootman caps a brilliant first half with a goal in the 38th, and it's 4-0 at the break. It's a scoreless second half and another dominant win. We've scored 14 goals in our last four matches and are back in third.

[trman73]

April 14, 2022 - Euro Cup Quarterfinal, Second Leg: Roma vs. Leverkusen (Roma leads, 4-3)

When the board set the expectation that we reach the semifinal of this tournament I thought it was somewhat unrealistic. Now we're 90 minutes from making it happen.

Heading into the second legs, Inter leads Atletico, 4-2; Liverpool is up on Bournemouth, 3-0; and Vigo holds a 2-0 lead over Arsenal and plays at home. So if form holds there will be two Italian teams in the semis. But we're a long way from securing our spot, and need to play well in this match.

Leverkusen evens the match quickly, in the 8th minute. We then proceed to completely dismantle them in every way. Penaranda puts us back up in the 15th, then he makes it 6-4 with a goal in the 29th. Salah takes over from there, netting goals in the 35th, 53rd, and 56th to make it 9-4, and the rest is just a formality. We win the match 5-2 and the series 9-5. It's one of our most impressive performances of the season, and we have achieved our board's expectation by advancing to the semifinals of the Euro Cup!  We advance along with Inter (6-5 over Atletico), Vigo (3-1 over Arsenal) and Liverpool (5-1 over Bournemouth).

Edited June 7, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

It's time for the semifinal draw for the Euro Cup. Vigo and Inter are both struggling in their respective leagues, while Liverpool is currently second in the Premier League. I have to say they are the team I'd love to avoid.

The first team drawn is Liverpool. And they will play... Inter. That means we get Vigo, with the first leg on the road in two weeks. I like our chances.

April 17, 2022 - Serie A: Roma (16-13-4, 61 pts., 3rd) vs. Pescara (11-12-10, 45 pts., 11th)

We've got just five games left in league play and with two more matches on the schedule now with the Euro Cup semi, fatigue may become an issue. But we're on another impressive run of 15 games without a loss, and we should beat this Pescara team that's been pretty inconsistent all year. The day before our match Milan wins, but Torino falls to Genoa, so with a win we're four points clear of them for third with a road match there next week.

Well, I certainly didn't expect this. Pescara scores 90 seconds into the match, then completely thwarts us and wins, 1-0. We blow a chance to create distance between us and Torino, and fall five points back of AC Milan. Next week's game at Torino is now officially huge.

 

[DodgeeD]

Quite the goalfest with Leverkusen! Good luck in the semis.

Pescara, though - ouch!

[trman73]

April 24, 2022 - Serie A: Torino (18-6-10, 60 pts., 4th) vs. Roma (16-13-5, 61 pts., 3rd)

Well it doesn't necessarily "all come down to this," but with a win here we'll be in great position to finish third in the league this year, as we'll have a four point lead with three to go, and we'll have the tiebreaker over these guys. Torino's been mediocre in the last two months, going 5-2-5 in their last 12 games. We've got to shake off our surprising loss to Pescara and get back on track here. We've got home matches against two of the worst teams in the league in our final three games, so if we can establish this four-point lead, I'll feel great.

We strike first, with Penaranda stealing a pass in the attacking end and immediately putting it by the keeper. Torino equalizes on a fluke goal that bounces off two defenders and right to their player in the box, who puts it in to make it 1-1. In the second half, we have a number of chances that are turned away until Bernardeschi hits Penaranda with a fantastic pass and he scores to put us up 2-1.

In the 76th minute Juan Jesus gets called for his second yellow and is sent off, and we go into defensive mode. Losing two leads in this match would be terrible. But we don't; Torino doesn't break through again, and we grab a huge 2-1 win. It turns out to be a perfect day, as AC Milan falls at Palermo, and we're now just two back of them with three to go. With a win and Milan's loss, Juventus claims the league title.

[trman73]

April 28, 2022 - Euro Cup Semifinal, First Leg: Vigo vs. Roma

Vigo has taken an interesting path to the semifinal. They finished 7th in La Liga last year to squeak in to the tournament. They destroyed Rangers in the Third Qualifying Round, then got into the group stage by knocking off Qarabag of the Azerbaijani Premier League. They won their group over Dortmund, Dnipro and Hajduk, not exactly a Murderer's Row. Then they beat KRC Genk in the first knockout round, a Sampdoria team that's about to be relegated from Serie A in the next round, and knocked off Arsenal in the quarters. So, basically, other than Arsenal, one could argue that they haven't really played anywhere near the schedule we've played. But they've got just as much of a chance to advance to the final as we do, so we need to come out and play well here.

Much like the first leg of the Lverkusen match, we put ourselves in a hole early as Vigo scores twice in the first half. But right before halftime, Salah scores his tournament-leading 10th goal, and it's 2-1 at the break. It appears each team is comfortable with this result as it's a relatively boring second half... until, a complete defensive breakdown on our art leads to just a killer Vigo goal in the 82nd. We fall, 3-1, and have serious work to do at home in the second leg.

Liverpool and Inter draw, 2-2, in the other semi.

Edited June 8, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

May 2, 2022 - Serie A: Roma (17-13-5, 64 pts., 3rd) vs. Empoli (10-8-17, 38 pts., 14th)

Okay, we need to put the Vigo loss behind us and focus on the task at hand: moving closer to securing Champions League qualification. We've already clinched another Euro Cup spot, but that's not cutting it, either for me or the board. We're without two defensive starters here, as both Barreca and Juan Jesus are suspended. But we're much better than Empoli, and should get three points at home here. If things break well for us here, we can clinch third with a win.

Once again we have the benefit of playing Monday. On Saturday, Torino falls hard, 3-0 to Napoli, and the door is open. A win, and we clinch third. The next day, Milan draws 4-4 with Sassuolo, and things are set up perfectly for us. A win and we move into second, and looking ahead, AC Milan finishes the season with a final match against Juventus.

We have an opportunity here, and we waste no time establishing control. Penaranda scores in the 5th and Bernardeschi adds one just five minutes later, and it looks like this will be the clincher. Bernardeschi adds a second right before halftime and it's celebration time. It's a scoreless second half, a 3-0 win, and a trip to Champions League in 2022-2023!

 

Edited June 8, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

May 5, 2022 - Euro Cup Semifinal, Second Leg: Roma vs. Vigo (Vigo leads, 3-1)

With Champions League secured and all of our board targets for the year met, there's no reason to do anything but go all out to try to reach the Euro Cup final here. I make it very simple in the pre-game talk: let's get revenge, and punch our ticket to the final.

Penaranda gets one back for us in the 16th and it's now 3-2 Vigo. It remains that way at the half, and then deep into the second half, as they are playing really well defensively. In the final 10 minutes we go into overload mode, and are just firing whatever shots we can on the net. In the 83rd, Penaranda does just that from about 20 yards out, and it gets past their keeper for the goal we need! Vigo gets a final chance on back-to-back corner kicks in stoppage time, but Rulli comes out to snag their second corner, fires the ball up the field, and the whistle blows. We have come back yet again, and we are on to the Euro Cup final!!!!!

It will be an all-Italian final as Inter and Liverpool draw 1-1, and, like us, Inter takes it on away goals. An Italian team is going to win this tournament for the first time since Inter took it in 1998.

I am thrilled with the guys' fortitude throughout this campaign, and am totally excited to head to Paris for the final.

Edited June 8, 2017 by trman73

[ManUtd1]

NIcely done against Torino and Vigo -- best of luck in the final.

[trman73]

It's back to Serie A play and here's what's happening with two games to go...

We might be in Champions League, but only two Italian clubs go straight to the group stage these days (thanks to our fifth-place European ranking), so there's still something left to play for. One thing to note is the bottom of the table, as Sampdoria certainly looks like it's going down and, shockingly, they might be joined by Fiorentina, which has an incredible -34 goal differential.

May 8, 2022 - Serie A: Verona (14-12-10, 54 pts., 8th) vs. Roma (18-13-5, 67 pts., 2nd)

Verona is playing for its life here as it will be a miracle for them to move into the top five and get into Euro Cup. I'm going to play a couple subs but for the most part these guys are going to get my main team.

Prior to the match, the Roma board proposes contract talks to bring me back. But the Notts Co. job is open in Sky Bet League One, so I don't know. I open talks and expect a hefty raise as I've done everything they've asked over the past two seasons. After agreeing on philosophies, they offer me a three-year, $525,000 annual contract. That's just a $50,000 raise and it's totally unacceptable. I counter with $750,000 a year plus incentives, which they flat-out reject. They offer $538K, I counter with $600,000, and we're done. I'll be back at Roma for the next three years.

I celebrate my new contract with yet another blowout win. We're not here to fool around, and Salah gets us on the board 26 seconds in. He adds another five minutes later, and a third in the 37th minute. Verona plays well in the second half and gets one back, but we win easily, 3-1.

[trman73]

Thanks ManU! If I win this, it will be my first continental trophy since (I think) FM13.

Edited June 8, 2017 by trman73

[Keano16]

An amazing turn around to the season considering the start.

[trman73]

May 15, 2022 - Serie A: Roma (19-13-5, 70 pts., 2nd) vs. Sampdoria (6-10-21, 28 pts., 19th)

Sampdoria's already completed their incredible collapse and will play in Serie B next season. We're up two points on AC Milan and hold the tiebreaker against them, so we need just a point from this game to clinch second, and with Milan hosting Juventus we may not even need that. Still, I am playing a number of subs in this one, as the big prize, the Euro Cup final, is in just three days. I rest Penaranda, Calabria, Barreca,  Juan Jesus (suspended), Kranevitter, and Drazic.

We're outplayed in the first half, and right before the whistle we get called for a penalty in the box and Sampdoria converts to put us down. We trail at the half, and Milan is tied 0-0 with Juve, so things are dangerous here. I the 61st minute of our match I get a flash on the screen that Juventus has taken a 1-0 lead over Milan, so ACM will need two goals in the final 30 minutes to pass us if our score stands. In the 69th, the result of that match becomes less important as Penaranda, on as a sub, equalizes for us and it's 1-1. Milan ties Juventus, but then Juventus comes right back a minute later to retake the lead, 2-1 in the 74th of that match. As time winds down we are in complete control defensively, and we hang on for a 1-1 draw that clinches second place and a spot in group stage of next year's Champions League!

[BadManager]

Its a shame you fell back and couldn't really push for the title. But CL next season is huge, and a Euro cup win would be a nice piece of silverware to mark the season with.

[ManUtd1]

I continue to marvel at the match-by-match reviews - the dedication is impressive!

[trman73]

May 18, 2022 - Euro Cup Final: Inter vs. Roma

Now I can say it... it all comes down to this. Head to head this year, we played Inter to two 1-1 draws. Here's how each team got to the final:

Inter:

• Finished 3rd in Champions Cup Group G (Wolfsburg 11 pts; Tottenham 11 pts; Inter 10 pts; PSV 1 pt.)
• Def. Celtic 4-1 in Euro Cup First Knockout Round
• Def. Sporting 4-3 in Second Knockout Round
• Def. Atletico Madrid 6-5 in Quarterfinal
• Def. Liverpool 3-3 (a) in Semifinal

Roma:

• Finished 1st in Euro Cup Group J (Roma 14 pts; SK Rapid Wien 9 pts; Rosenborg 4 pts; Braga 4 pts.)
• Def. Sevilla 4-3 in First Knockout Round
• Def. Stade Malherbe Caen 1-1 (a) in Second Knockout Round
• Def. Lverkusen 9-5 in Quarterfinal
• Def. Vigo 3-3 (a) in Semifinal

Oddly, each of us scored 17 goals and conceded 12 in the knockout stages. In Serie A, we obviously finished second (19-14-5) while Inter struggled in defense of its title and finished 8th, going 14-15-9.

We head to the final with no suspensions and a clean bill of health. I start Penaranda over El Shaarawy at forward, because he's earned it and El Shaarawy just doesn't look like he'll be able to give me much coming off injury. I do choose him as my forward sub though. I also start Kranevitter over Rabiot at central midfielder, as he's been excellent for us over the past two months. Our opponent is also completely healthy. This is the best we've got against the best they've got. May the best team win.

The first 30 minutes see each team generate chances but no one score. Then, in the 31st, Bernardeschi maneuvers around a defender and into the box, where he's fouled for a penalty. He takes it himself, and steps up and scores to make it 1-0. The rest of the half remains a back-and-forth affair, with Rulli making some great saves for us, and it's 1-0 at the break.

Well gang, after all the close calls, all the comebacks, and all the late heroics this season, we come out in the second half and absolutely put this one away. Bernardeschi takes a screaming shot from outside the box that finds the net just a couple minutes into the second half to make it 2-0. In the 51st, Penaranda gets into the act, scoring on a pass from Salah. And in the 59th, Bernardeschi makes another great move to get by a defender, draws two men to him, and finds Salah with a perfect pass to make it 4-0!

The rest of the match is basically a coronation. Inter gets some chances but can never get one past Rulli, and we win, 4-0. WE HAVE WON EURO CUP!

I'm so happy to win this thing. I won Champions League with Manchester United and reached the final with West Ham and Sampdoria in previous saves, but this is a really satisfying victory. I'm glad I took this thing the one time I decided to chronicle my career.

Woo Hoo!!!! Enjoy some screen shots!

 

 

[trman73]

Thanks guys!! I'm ecstatic to win this thing.

As for the game recaps, I used to be a sports reporter and have covered all sorts of sports. But I transitioned to news and then got out of the business because, well, newspapers. It was the early 2000s and I got out before I was going to be let go. So this stuff kind of comes naturally.

I've really, really enjoyed doing this. Honestly my passion for the game really dwindled with FM16. I just hated it, and I wasn't good at it. So I'd go back to FM15 and start seasons two years prior to real time, and after my initial save (with Sampdoria, which I've reported on in this thread), I never got that into it again. As I wrote at the beginning of this project, my save in this game is called "Last Chance Save," because I was seriously thinking about putting this game away for a while.

NOT ANYMORE!

[ManUtd1]

Many of us have been in those shoes, man. I'd lost my passion for FM a few years back - couldn't get into a save, wasn't enjoying it anymore. I decided to do a youth academy only save in Sweden, and it changed everything for me - how I play the game, what I enjoy about it, and started my active involvement on the boards after years of lurking. Bottom line - glad you're enjoying yourself. Keep up the great work!

[trman73]

Roma 2021-2022 Season Recap

Last year we dominated awards season... this year, despite finishing two spots higher in the table, not so much. This tells me that we got contributions from all over the roster, and didn't rely on a few dominant offensive players for our success.

But we do appear on some year-end lists:

• Mohamed Salah is named in the Serie A Team of the Year
• Salah finishes second, behind Gonzalo Higuain, for Foreign Player of the Year
• Federico Bernardeschi wins Midfielder of the Year
• Salah is the top goalscorer in Euro Cup, with 11 goals

We also receive some nice cash for our successful season:

• $4.8 million for our second-place league finish
• We get $7.28 million for winning Euro Cup
• We also score $11.46 million for Euro Cup TV revenue

Our team awards are the following:

Serie A: 19-14-5, 71 pts., 2nd

At the beginning of the season I predicted a record of 22-9-7, which is 75 points. I said we'd top 70 and reach the board's goal of qualifying for Champions League. We finished four points short of my prediction, but hit our target with the second-place finish. We lost a couple of surprising matches early in the year to some poor teams (Lazio, Cagliari, Sassuolo), but honestly, I can't look back at any particular thing and say "had we done this, we would have won the league." We had great wins over Juventus, AC Milan, and others. We drew too many matches, but that's life. I knew we'd be good, and we were. Grade: A

Euro Cup: Champions!

I've exhausted everything I have to write about this. It was a phenomenal tournament for us. We go 9-5-1 in our 15 matches. We dominate the final. We lift the trophy. Grade: A+

Italian Cup: Lost to Sassuolo in Semifinal

Who cares. I should be noted though, that Cesena, a Serie B team, won this thing over Sassuolo. Grade: B

Most Valuable Player: F Adalberto Penaranda

This was a tough choice, but as I look back at the season, no one did more for us than this guy. He replaced an injured Salah, and he replaced an injured El Shaarawy. He didn't lead our team in goals, assists, rating, or anything else. But I have no idea where we would have been without him. He spent his first year with us riding the bench, with just one goal and two assists in 15 games. He was a huge catalyst during our incredible unbeaten stretch in the middle of the year. And he's just 24 years old and with us for the next two years. This guy is a future building block for our team. Runners-Up: AMR Federico Bernardeschi finished with 11 goals and 12 assists last year. This year he has 11 and 10. He was excellent again. And while Mohamed Salah was great for us, I'm giving the other runner-up award to the entire defense: DL Antonio Barreca, DC Juan Jesus, DC Kostas Manolas, DR Davide Calabria, and GK Geronimo Rulli. In a season where we scored 17 fewer goals than the year before, we allowed 14 fewer, conceding 44, good for sixth in the league.

I acknowledged that Rulli wasn't living up to expectations a couple months ago, but here are his stats the last three years...

• 2020 - 38 matches, 42 goals, 10 shutouts
• 2021 - 38 matches, 44 goals, 8 shutouts
• 2022 - 38 matches, 44 goals, 7 shutouts (played every minute of every match in all competitions)

Overall 2021-2022 Grade: A

[trman73]

I thought I might have a shot at Manager of the Year, but it goes to Massimiliano Allegri of Juventus. Fair enough.

No surprises in Europe - It's Real Madrid, Juventus, PSG, Man United, and Bayern winning the biggies. In the Champions League Final, Man City destroys Barcelona, 4-1.

We have nine guys named to World Cup squads: Salah (Egypt), Rabiot (France), Manolas (Greece), Rulli and Kranevitter (Argentina), and, for Italy, El Shaarawy, Sturaro, Barreca, and Calabria. No sport for Bernardeschi on Claudio Ranieri's squad, which disappoints me.

Here's a look at how some of our outgoing transfers fared with their new clubs:

• Radja Nainggolan, our starting center midfielder a year ago, was terrible with Watford, collecting a 6.42 season rating.
• Salomon Rondon is doing great in China, with 12 goals and 8 assists in 12 games thus far.
• Defender Andrea Marcucci was also terrible at Watford (6.36 rating).
• Stefano Sensi scored three goals with five assists in 22 matches for OM.
• Alisson started 19 games in goal for Monaco, conceding 19 with five shutouts. They finished second in Ligue 1 again.
• Riccardo Marchizza, who I got a surprising transfer fee for, played 22 matches on Spartak Moscow's defense and had a 6.88 rating.
• And Gerson, who complained all year, wound up serving as mostly a sub for Barcelona, getting in seven league games as well as the Champions Cup.

Next up - World Cup 2022!

Edited June 9, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

Off-Season Roundup

Our off-season priorities this year are to add yet another winger (Drazic has been really good but we can still upgrade here); add another center defender; bring in a backup a central midfielder (we're going to let Sturaro go), and that's probably it. I will also be evaluating some of our younger guys to potentially fill those spots. I'm going to list a few players, including Rabiot, who didn't seem to gel with the rest of the team, and Gabriel Barbosa, a backup forward. I'm assuming we'll also have to deal with the usual issue of guys wanting to leave for bigger clubs, so I'll handle that on a case-by-case basis.

Watford immediately makes a $2.6 million offer for Barbosa (what's with all their offers for my players?), but I can do better. Bournemouth and Leicester come in with bigger offers, in the $4.5 million range, which I accept. I make an offer for a talented young striker from Red Bull Salzburg but lose him to Newcastle. Watford ups its offer for Barbosa, and signs him.

I also accept an offer from Stade Rennais for right back Kelvin Amien Adou, who is blocked behind Calabria and for whom we have a home-grown replacement. He accepts their contract and is gone as well.

2022 World Cup

The World Cup starts up June 10, and I'm going to predict a final four of Italy, France, Argentina, and Brazil. Why not.

Some pretty big surprises in the group stage:

Jamaica makes it through the group stage, but the US does not. The US won its first match over Colombia then fell 4-3 to Poland and was destroyed 3-0 by Germany. Italy wins its first two but then falls to Portugal to finish second. And Kosovo advances to the knockout phase, which looks like this...

Italy-Argentina, Portugal-Belgium, and Brazil-Holland are good battles. England gets Kosovo; will it be another Iceland result from Euro 2016?

 

[trman73]

In 45 days we face Manchester City in the European Super Cup. I'm starting to think that we're going to bring a lot of 22-23-year-old guys up this year to serve in backup roles, and may not make much noise in the summer transfer window. I am keeping Rabiot after all, and I just like this team as is. But it's a long way to the start of next season, so you never know.

Here's are your World Cup quarter-finalists:

Greece wins over Poland 4-2 on penalties. Italy gets two in stoppage time, and El Shaarawy grabs two assists after not playing at all in group stage. England and France get easy wins, as expected, and other than Portugal scoring in the 118th and 119th to beat the defending champs, the bottom of the draw is blowouts. All four semifinalists from 2018 - Mexico, Argentina, Belgium and Holland - get knocked out.

Let's just head right to the next round...

The dream is over for Italy as they fall to Greece 4-2 in penalties. France bounces England with Rabiot scoring the first goal. And Portugal and Brazil just keep rolling.

Edited June 9, 2017 by trman73

[Keano16]

[trman73]

Vive la France! After easily dispatching Greece in the semifinal, France moves on to face Brazil, which defeats Portugal. (Note that I had both France and Brazil in my final four prediction.) France scores on an own-goal in the 67th and hangs on to win the 2022 World Cup.

Okay, now back to Roma.

I let a third player go, backup right back Nura Abdullahi, who never played for me. He goes to OL of Ligue 1 for $4 million.

I still have some surplus to deal with, but I also need to make a couple signings. So I bring in two players - center midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia from Inter, and then a really nice forward from Leverkusen, 25-year-old Brazilian Felipe Vizeu. As we head into friendly season, those will probably be my only two signings.

I chose a formidable friendly schedule this year to prep us for a campaign that will obviously feature an increased level of competition. This is what we've got:

• July 24 - at PAOK
• July 27 - at Anderlecht
• August 3 - vs. Arsenal
• August 9 - vs. Man City (European Super Cup)
• August 15 - vs. Gent
• August 20 - vs. BMG

[trman73]

Uhhh.... welll.... ummm....

Holy cow. I need to think this through. Anyone want to throw an opinion out there? I have not coached a national team in many years.

[trman73]

Well, here's what I'm thinking:

Pondering the Italy job

Pros:

• It's one of the most prestigious jobs in world football
• They are the 5th-ranked team in the world
• Talent pool is incredible
• Chance to be considered a world-class manager
• Eight times my current salary
• Legitimate chance to win a major international trophy

Cons:

• I love this Roma team and love coaching club football in Italy
• Incredible pressure to win immediately, and a lot. (Claudio Ranieri went 40-9-5 in four years and one day in charge, and won the 2020 European Championship)
• Failure could have adverse affect on my career
• International football is just far, far different from club football

This is an incredible opportunity and I still need to think it through some more.

[Johnny-Trotter]

I say - go for it, combining the club and country jobs - it looks like a reward for your efforts with Roma, and should help with reputation boost for the next job, what ever that can be.

[trman73]

Thanks Johnny.

On May 24, 2016, I was a 42-year-old American coach trying to make a name for myself, with no coaching background at all and a random job with a mid-level Chilean club.

Six years and two months later... I am the manager of:

ITALY!

Ultimately the chance to make a name for myself in world football, and the opportunity to take the most prestigious job ever offered to an American manager in the history of soccer, is just too much to pass up. I leave behind a job I loved, to take on one that could ultimately reap huge rewards for me.

Some Thoughts on Roma

I thought about the Italy job probably for longer than I should have. Had someone said that I'd be offered this job when I was coaching Santiago Wanderers at the beginning of this career, I would have hit "Accept" and the immediately saved just to make sure it wasn't a joke or a glitch that would go away. But again, I absolutely loved coaching Roma. We achieved every goal the board set for us, and lifted a continental trophy for the first time since 1961. Last year was just a magical season, and I'm left to wonder whether this team will take the next step this year, possibly challenging for the Serie A title and reaching the late stages of Champions League. There were some world class players on that team, and guys I brought in - Rulli, Penaranda, Calabria, Drazic, Rabiot - became key Roma starters and star-level players in Italy. Some of the guys will no doubt be making appearances for my national team.

With all that being said, I don't think I've coached a national team since FM12. I know I coached the US once and Poland once way back when, but this is a whole other level. I'm ready to roll.

Edited June 10, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

Italy - Background and Current Assessment

Obviously, there are few nations with the football tradition of Italy. Here's just a quick rundown of their major accomplishments:

• 4-time World Cup Champions (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006) plus 2-time runner-up (1970, 1994)
• 2-time European Football Champions (1968, 2020) plus 2-time runner-up (2000, 2012)
• 2021 Confederations Cup winner

Their younger sides won the 2020 Olympics, five Under-21 European Championships since 1992 (the latest being 2004), and the Under-19 European Championships three times (last in 2003).

As for the current club, their most recent major competitions have been:

• 2022 World Cup - Knocked out in Quarterfinal by Greece on penalties
• 2021 Confederations Cup - Beat Belgium in Final
• 2020-2021 International League - Second in Division A Group 1
• 2020 European Championship - Beat Ukraine in Final
• 2018-2019 International League - Lose to Portugal in Semifinal
• 2018 World Cup - Did not advance past group stage
• 2016 European Championship - Lost to Germany in Quarterfinal
• 2014 World Cup - Did not advance past group stage

Claudio Renieri had been their coach for the last four years before retiring right after the World Cup. He led them to two titles - The 2020 Euros, and the Confederations Cup. Their coach before him, Giampiero Ventura, was far less successful, and before him was obviously Antonio Conti.

The World Cup has been the big issue for this team. Since winning it in 2006, they failed to get out of the group stage the next three cups, and lost to an inferior Greece team this year.

Our next major competition starts in a month, as the 2022-2023 International League kicks off. We're obviously in Group A, and our pool this year also includes Switzerland and Wales. We play each of those teams twice, and then the winners of the four groups advance to the semifinals, while the last-place group teams move down to the second tier in the next competition.

In terms of staff, I plan to stock the senior team, Under 21s, and Under 19s with a head coach, assistant coach, goalkeeping coach, and fitness coach, and a physio, with the big club also having two additional coaches (one for offense, one for defense) and an additional physio. We need to make those changes/additions now, then I'll assess the roster and the national pool.

[trman73]

I fill my coaching spots and now it's time to assess the national team - both its current players and potential additions. I am going to go with my 4-2-4 formation as I see no reason to change what's worked for me throughout the course of my career. Of course, if I look at the personnel we have and it's not a fit, I'll re-assess.

We've got a little less than a month before our first two matches: a friendly in Mexico, and the a road game in Wales for our first International League match.

My former team, Roma, decided to hire 67-year-old Fernando Santos, who left the Portuguese National Team after the World Cup, as my replacement. They won the European Super Cup, 2-1 over Manchester City.

[trman73]

National Team Selection

I've got my 23-man roster set for our first friendly, and barring injury it will be my squad for the International League.

Here's my starting lineup:

• GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan) - At 23 years old he's already got 48 caps. I named him captain of the team.
• DR Davide Vitturini (AC Milan) - The backup is my old Roma player, Davide Calabria.
• DCR Daniele Rugani (Bayern) - This guy is our most valued player at $47.5 million, and I've installed him as vice-captain.
• DCL Alessio Romagnoli (AC Milan) - That's three Milan guys in my back five.
• DL Antonio Barreca (Roma) - A familiar face, I know I can count on him.
• MCR Leonard Capezzi (Juventus) - The best team in Serie A gets a man in the starting lineup.
• MCL Marco Verrati (PSG) - Total stud; valued at $45.5 million. One of the best central midfielders in the world.
• AMR Domenico Berrardi (Monaco) - Another of my former players, Bernardeschi, is the backup.
• AML Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma) - This is a weak spot for us and he's actually our best option, not just a player I like.
• DLF Manolo Gabbiadini (Tottenham) - Solid playmaker.
• AF Andrea Belotti (Liverpool) - Top-flight scorer.

Overall this is a good, solid team. I'd say defense is our strength, and we could stand to have an influx of talent over the next couple years in the attack. In terms of team makeup, 11 of our 23 players play in Serie A - four players from AC Milan, four from my former Roma squad, two from Juve, and one from Inter. I've got four Premier Leaguers, three guys from La Liga, two Ligue 1 players, and one each from the Bundesliga, the Portuguese Premier League, and the Ukrainian Premier Division.

Edited June 11, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

August 31, 2022 - International Friendly: Mexico vs. Italy

Mexico also has a manager who's leading his first match, as Juan Carlos Osorio resigned following the World Cup after almost seven years in charge. Their new coach is Matias Almeyda, who has coached all over South America, as well as leading Chivas of the Mexican League. Mexico is ranked 11th in the world, so this is a nice test for us in my first match as manager.

This match actually takes place at Toyota Park in Chicago, which has a large Italian population, so we'll have a lot of supporters here. This may only be a friendly, but I know how things go in international football, so I want to make an impression in my debut as we head into our first tournament match against Wales next week.

Well folks, I can't think of a better way to start my career as Italy manager. We score 1:41 into the match as Manolo Gabbiadini puts one in on a pass from Andrea Belotti. Gabbiadini is nowhere near done, as he nets a second in the 26th, then completes his hat trick in the 33rd, and we're up 3-0. Mexico gets one back in the 40th, and it's 3-1 at halftime. In the 60th, Belotti finds Gabbiadini for his fourth goal of the match. Domenico Berardi caps off a fantastic game with a goal in the 86th, and it's a dominant 5-1 win over a good Mexico team in my home country.

[trman73]

September 6, 2022 - European League, Division A, Group 1, Match 1: Wales (0-0-1, 0 pts., 3rd) vs. Italy (0-0-0, 0 pts., 2nd)

With his four goals against Mexico, Manolo Gabbiadini became the all-time leading goal scorer for Italy with 38 goals. A great accomplishment for him, and I expect him to find the back of the net many more times for us.

The only downer from the big win over Mexico is the Stephan El Shaarawy got nicked up with a twisted knee and will miss our first match of the European League. Still, we should have plenty in the tank to defeat a Wales team that has not played well in the last couple years. Man U's Lorenzo Insigne takes El Shaarawy's spot in the starting lineup for this one. We're a heavy favorite on the road here. Wales played well but lost to Switzerland, 3-2, on a goal in stoppage time in the first match of our group.

Gabbiadini gets us off to a good start again with a goal in the 25th. But Wales ties it in the 42nd, and we are tied at the half. After a slow-moving start to the second half, in the 60th Verratti fires a shot that their keeper saves, but it bounces straight to Berardi for the goal. Five minutes later it's the same thing, as a shot by Berardi is saved but lies dead in front of the goal, where Belotti gets to it first and slams it in for the 3-1 lead. That's the final, and we win our first match in European competition.  

[ManUtd1]

Congrats on the Italy job! Well earned 

[trman73]

Thanks ManUtd!

It's really strange having such a huge gap between matches. Last year with Roma we played 57 competitive matches from August through May. With Italy, Ranieri managed 54 matches in four years. We've got a maximum of eight matches between now and the end of the league season in Europe.

We've got a hole in our schedule next month, and everyone else important has matches already scheduled, so we arrange a friendly at home against the 59th-ranked team in the world, Iraq.

On my break I decide to check in on our Under 21s and Under 19s, who are each playing in tournaments.

The Under 21s are in the Euro Under 21s Championship Qualifiers. They're in a battle in a group that includes England and Belgium. We're tied with the English with 16 points from eight matches, with Belgium two points behind. There are two games to go, and only the nine group winners automatically advance. The top four second-place teams qualify for a playoff, and the two winners of those, plus the host nation (Portugal) make up the 12 teams that advance to the championship. We should at least qualify for the playoff.

As for the Under 19s, they're about to kick off the Under 19s European Championship qualifiers, which is two rounds long and ultimately results in just eight teams advancing to the final stages. In the first round we're in a group with England, Armenia, and Luxembourg, with two teams making it to the second qualifying round. We should be fine.

A quick update on Roma - They've won their first two league matches, as well as their First Champions League match, against Feyenoord. It's going to get tougher from here though, as they are in a group with Bayern and Arsenal. I really want them to advance. Juventus has just one point from its first two Serie A matches.

October 7, 2022 - European League, Division A, Group 1, Match 2: Italy (1-0-0, 3 pts., 1st) vs. Switzerland (1-0-0, 3 pts., 2nd)

After a 30-day break, we're back in action with our first home match of my tenure. El Shaarawy is back replacing an injured backup forward, although I'm not going to start him. If we can get a home win here, we'll be in really good shape to make the semis of this competition.

We go down for the first time in my tenure in the 29th minute, and are not playing well. But we pull it back even right before the half on a goal from Belotti. Unfortunately it takes just a minute into the second half for us to concede, and for the next 20 minutes we again don't play very well. But the final 20 minutes is all us, as we control possession and dominate. Verratti ties it on a great individual effort, then El Shaarawy, on as a sub, sets up Belotti perfectly on a run to give us our first lead. Bernardeschi scores the one to seal it for us in stoppage time, and we take it, 4-2, in a game where we played poorly but turned it on when we needed to. Big performances from my former Roma guys. If we can get a result in Switzerland in our next match, we'll be through to the semis.

 

[Justin_Case]

Been following this career from the start, loving the pace of the updates.

I've never left a club to manage a country before, I've always combined the two, not sure I could put up with the months of nothing!

[inthisspace]

Just curious, why not take on the Italy job while remaining in charge of Roma? I thought that would allow you to continue your good progress with Roma poach the younger, talented Italians over to Roma, and at the same time, boost your rep as Italy manager. 

 

Congrats on winning the Euro Cup and  thanks for giving us exciting updates all these while! 

[ManUtd1]

Doh - I though you'd kept on with Roma as well. Regardless, looking forward to seeing how you do 

[trman73]

Hi guys... does anyone actually do that? I looked up all the major nations' national teams and didn't see anyone who remained coach of their club team as well as managing their countries. Even in the US, which is on a totally different domestic playing schedule than Europe, Bruce Arena resigned from LA when he took the USA job over from Klinsmann last year.

My assumption was that while it was an option in the game, the concept of double coaching club and country was not really plausible.

[ManUtd1]

Definitely not the most realistic thing ever, especially in the modern era, but very common on FM. That's all 

[trman73]

I guess since I suspended disbelief enough to assume that Roma would offer me their job, I could have done the same in this case.

Oh well, it's no biggie. And I will admit that when I love FM the most is once the current players have all retired and it's just AI players. So I am hastening that here.

[Johnny-Trotter]

Now you can watch out for any possible club jobs that interest you as the time flies by with Italy and then try to assess how you might balance double-jobbing, so to speak.

[trman73]

October 11, 2022 - International Friendly: Italy vs. Iraq

I'm starting a whole new set of guys for this match against an Iraq team that should not pose any threat. I'm including my former players - El Shaarawy, Calabria, and Bernardeschi - in the starting lineup, although I am resting Barreca.

Our Under 19s qualify for the second qualifying round of the European Championship, but shockingly, our Under 21s do not make the main tournament of the Championships, losing out to England on head-to-head despite having the better goal differential and beating their final two opponents by a combined score of 13-2. Oh well. The new coach I installed for that team did a good job in his four matches, winning all of them handily. We actually have some really promising looking 17-19 year-olds.

The Iraqis hang with us for the first 30 minutes or so, and they're playing pretty inspired defensive football. But El Shaarawy breaks through in the 35th, and that opens the floodgates. Capezzi and Belotti add goals before halftime, and it's 3-0 at the break. I bring in the rest of the guys who haven't seen much action in my first three matches. Iraq gets one in the second half, but it's a pretty thorough thrashing of them and our fourth win in four matches. El Shaarawy is the man of the match with a goal and an assist.

We're off again until November, when we play the final two matches of our European League group before we (hopefully) qualify for the semifinal.

Edited June 11, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

A quick check-in on my former club...

In the Champions League, things are not good:

They've got a tall task ahead of them to qualify for the knockout rounds. Their last two are Feyenoord on the road and then Arsenal at home. If Arsenal can get a point from Bayern in the next match, Roma will probably be back in Euro Cup.

In Serie A though, things are better:

They were the last team to drop a match and have a one-point lead, although they've yet to play AC Milan or Juventus in the first half of their season. Bernardeschi is tearing it up for them with five goals and seven assists in 11 matches.

I miss coaching that team, but I certainly can't complain about how my tenure at Italy has gone so far. We've got just two matches left in 2022, and I'd love to win them both to go 6-0-0 in my matches.

November 11, 2022 - European League, Division A, Group 1, Match 3: Switzerland (2-1-0, 6 pts., 2nd) vs. Italy (2-0-0, 6 pts., 1st)

Switzerland came from behind to beat Wales in the October 11 match, so qualification for us is not a foregone conclusion. If we lose, we'll need a solid win over Wales at home in our finale to advance. If we win or draw here, we advance based on head-to-head with the Swiss.

Just a minute into the match El Shaarawy goes down with an injury and has to come out. But just a few minutes later, his replacement, Insigne, crosses a ball into the box and Switzerland is called for a foul. Verratti nails it and we're up 1-0. But seconds before the halftime whistle, the Swiss score on a free kick, and it's 1-1 at the break. Early in the second half, we have a corner, and Switzerland is called for its second penalty of the game! Berardi takes this one, and we're back up, 2-1. Switzerland ties it back up in the 64th, and I ponder going into defensive mode to secure the draw and a place in the semis. But I want to extend our win streak and I'm confident we can break through again, which we do in the 81st on a goal by Insigne. We hang on for the win, and regardless of what happens in our final match, we are in the semifinals of the European League.

 

[trman73]

November 11, 2022 - European League, Division A, Group 1, Match 3: Italy (3-0-0, 9 pts., 1st) vs. Wales (0-0-3, 0 pts., 3rd)

With just one more match to go in this league, here are the tables...

We've won Group 1, but the semifinals are determined based on your record in group stage. So if we get just a point from this one, we'll be at home for both the semifinal, and, if we advance, the final. We've played in probably the weakest group of this competition, but we've taken advantage of it, leading the competition in goals scored and with a win will also have the best goal differential. We've yet to score less than three goals in any of my five matches thus far.

El Shaarawy is out, and I'm resting a number of other starters for this one, as I want to get a look at some of our younger players. Already four guys have gotten their first caps for Italy under my leadership.

This is our last match until March, when the semifinals of this tournament will take place.

Well, I guess I couldn't convince the team that there was a whole lot to play for in this one, because we play an uninspired match that ends in a 0-0 draw. Still, we finish with the best record in the group stage of this competition, and are the only team not to lose a match. We will get Germany at home in the semifinal.

Well, we're off for the rest of the year. We will start European Championship qualifying in March, then play the last rounds of this tournament in June, and then it's more Euro 2024 qualifiers throughout the second half of 2023.

Edited June 11, 2017 by trman73