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[FM17] How Andorra somehow became the Catalan football capital.


MarcxD
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Excellent result, another clutch win.

As for the intake, I think Pelaez can be a good winger or inside forward. But at that age, he can grow to become good or at least serviceable at any midfield or attack position you retrain him to.

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18 hours ago, BoxToBox said:

What a finish to the season!

 

17 hours ago, Sheriff7 said:

Congrats for the title man!!:applause:

 

15 hours ago, Rikulec said:

:applause:

 

15 hours ago, Crispypaul said:

Nicely done!

 

14 hours ago, Toffle said:

Well done!

 

11 hours ago, kidthekid said:

Excellent result, another clutch win.

As for the intake, I think Pelaez can be a good winger or inside forward. But at that age, he can grow to become good or at least serviceable at any midfield or attack position you retrain him to.

Thank you all! 

You might be right about Pelaez. Youth development and certainly retraining is one of the things I'm still learning about...

 

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Season Review 2026-2027

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Young players of the year dominated by my players again.

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Not quite as much players in the team of the year as last but still we're represented.

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Now that youth product Martín has become first keeper this is the first time he is amongst the keepers of the year, second this time.

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Manager of the year for the fourth time in a row...

Best Elevens:

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This guy keeps on developing, still only 21 years old. Amazing. A Lusitans regen as well.... which is why I was able to buy him for 5K!

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But the best youth product I've had so far is not doing badly either. 

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Edited by MarcxD
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3 hours ago, deltablue said:

Fabulous ending to the season! 

Thank you. It's not the most comfortable way to win the title but it's awesome when it does happen.

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And it has led to to this! Love it.

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Pre-Season 2027-2028

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Not much of a change in expectations but the wage budget has increased by a lot, the wages had already increased hugely any way so that had to happen. It's still low compared to the teams around us anyway.

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Another big boost in the TV money will also help with the increase in spending.

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Some sales and a relatively big buy in Flusfeder. Palermo had been a faithful servant but he simply wasn't good enough anymore, he also was filling one of the 3 non-eu spots. Elsewhere a lot of loans again.

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He has some very strong points and some lacking attributes but I'm hoping with a bit of improvement he could be a real star for us. I had wanted to get a first-team midfielder in and any that were better were simply not affordable at this moment in time.

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Some other spending has been approved, but this upgrade won't happen until next season.

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The friendlies were very successful - this time I elected to play pretty much the entire pre-season with the first team in mind and they did well. We also beat Real Madrid in the Supercopa with a remarkable 4-0 win at home (we did not entirely deserve that big of a win but it does look nice).

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We're predicted to finish 4th this season, but the odds of the top teams are very close so it should be less and less surprising for the bookmakers if we win the title again!

To defend our title is obviously a main goal for this season, but I would like to go further in the CL as well. The group we've been drawn in is relatively kind.

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As an Ajax fan myself I'm not quick to underestimate them but surely we should be able to beat them and Sparta Prague. 

 

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August 2027

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Decent enough start of the season with a comfortable win and one of the toughest games of the year already behind us.

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Real Madrid did not manage to win either of their opening matches, nothing else too surprising here.

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September 2027

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Really, really good month! We might've even beaten Barcelona with the chances we've had but it's hard to complain too much right now. Strong perfomances in the CL especially.

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Second because Barca has had a strong start, and Real obviously rebounded.

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Very disappointing injury news this, I do hope it doesn't hinder his development too much. Good news that I got in a better back-up AML (who is actually probably a bit better than Vázquez right now) in the summer in Paniagua.

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This youth product had very good news in contrast, an amazing debut as striker. Hopefully a sign that there's many more to come.

 

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October 2027

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Good results, but some of the performances were pretty lacklustre. Drawing Ajax is not that bad since they beat Liverpool! 

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The top 4 are all close.

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I did have a major milestone this month!

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November 2027

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A perfect month with some slight league wins and convincing CL wins - we're through to the KO rounds as first of our group.

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We're not the only team that keeps winning, Barca and Atlético are having much stronger seasons than the previous years and Real Madrid is 5 points behind but the last couple of seasons have shown that they are always dangerous.

 

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December 2027

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Mediocre start to the month where it seemed we had trouble scoring goals, but we beat Liverpool again and most importantly we beat Real Madrid in their stadium (with a bit of luck). Three comfortable home wins ended the month.

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Very comfortable in the group and Ajax has beaten Liverpool to go through.

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Barcelona keeps going as well, and Atlético is not far behind. 6 points lead on Real Madrid. If all four keep this going this could be the most exciting title race yet.

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The final training facilities upgrade is done! State of the art!

 

 

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January 2028

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Kind of a bizarre month. 6 games won, 5 times 1-0. The only 2-0 was away at Barcelona, who hadn't lost yet. 

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Gotten into #1, but all is still very close.

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I've sold our 3rd best central defender because the fee was pretty good and I could get in a decent replacement for cheaper. He was also bothering me about playing more. 

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And I've signed a Brazilian to replace him.

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This guy left. Pretty decent and performed well.

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This was his replacement. Some of the pure CD attributes are better, while some attributes are weaker. Still a strong third choice by any means.

 

 

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February 2028

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A really strong month, happy that we started a lot more goals again. Through to the final in the cup for the first time, where we'll face... Real Madrid. Of Course. A very good first leg in the CL as well. Counter tactic still works at times :thup:

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But the rest keeps winning as well, Barca still very close, Atlético is on a winning streak and I'm sure as hell not counting them out. Not even Real for that matter, even though they have a bit of ground to make up. Notice the incredible gap between 4th and 5th already. Still 12/11 games to be played.

 

Edited by MarcxD
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Very good progression at club developping and in the league of course, you established yourself as a top tier team in Spain.

Could you write a post about your tactical thinking? Do you build the squad with a club DNA in mind, or you buy promising players and change the tactics around them?

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30 minutes ago, w_x said:

Inspirational stuff. Apologies if you answered this already but whats those letters after the youth product names? Like these -> (yp3d)

YP simply means youth player, 3 the 3rd intake and d the 4th best PA according to the stars at that intake. I've seen it in other threads and I've found it's really useful to keep track of the players that have come through the intakes throughout the years.

27 minutes ago, BillHoudini24 said:

Very good progression at club developping and in the league of course, you established yourself as a top tier team in Spain.

Could you write a post about your tactical thinking? Do you build the squad with a club DNA in mind, or you buy promising players and change the tactics around them?

Thank you. See my next post :)

13 minutes ago, Rikulec said:

Ridiculously strong.

Cheers!! 

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Just now, MarcxD said:

YP simply means youth player, 3 the 3rd intake and d the 4th best PA according to the stars at that intake. I've seen it in other threads and I've found it's really useful to keep track of the players that have come through the intakes throughout the years.

 

Nice, excellent idea

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A note on tactics

Because @BillHoudini24 asked for it, here goes.

I get in players based on the tactic, not the other way around. I've created the tactic myself with a clear idea of what kind of football I'm trying to play, although I have taken notes on successful tactics I've DL'd in previous years and saves. The tactic itself is relatively basic, I think, and I'm by no means any tactical genius. I don't dabble in "hipster tactics" because I don't understand them enough to make them work. 

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The name says it all. The basic one is a controlling tactic, the two others are mostly the same just on different mentalities, attack and counter, depending on who we're playing and if we're playing at home or away. Right now I'm playing 80% of matches on the controlling mentality, with the really tough away games (barca, real, atletico, some CL) on counter and some of the easier home games on attacking mentality to try and get some more goals in.

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These are the positions and player roles I'm using and have been using for pretty much this entire save.

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These are the team instructions, I've barely touched any of this since the start. The idea for this tactic is extremely possession-based. It's kind of a boring possession football, think a Louis Van Gaal Dutch football tactic IRL but just a version that's successful haha. We're just playing it around. The idea is that the keeper plays it to the midfielders, the midfielders play around with the wingers/full backs and pass it around until there's an opening and hopefully a chance.

It all needs a strong defensive core so that's why the midfield is actually relatively conservative, with a defensive ball winning midfielder, a deep lying playmaker and a box to box midfielder. Definitely the 2 mc's are tasked with a lot, since they should perform both defensively and attacking. Stamina, strength, team work etc are not an option but compulsory. The 3 attackers are the ones who need to have the creativity and score goals. The rest of the team is mostly there to help them and to defend. 

Perhaps this is why I get a lot of these messages:

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There are also player instructions for most positions, so if you want to see those just ask - all simply decided on what I would want a player who fills a certain position to be doing.

Honestly though, I don't precisely know why this is working so well. I don't really focus a lot of FM time on the tactics side of things, for the years below La Liga most of the years I've mostly been busy with scouting. Right now the scouting apparatus is so strong (with 25 scouts) that I'm barely doing anything, just checking on it a couple of times per season. Whereas with tactics I've looked at it a lot when I started this save when I decided this was the way I was going to try to play football, but after that I've barely changed anything.

 If anything I can say that having a tactic with a clear identity and idea behind it is a good idea, at least for me. Again, that's why I don't do hipster tactics. I'm just not smart enough for them! I think about the football that I watch IRL and the club I support IRL - Ajax, and the kind of football they play. That means a relatively traditional 433, "Dutch" style of football - although I'm more patient of a manager than I am as a fan! All those 1-0's in January with 60% possession would not really get me raving irl, let me put it at that. 

 

Edited by MarcxD
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@MarcxD This kind of setup is pretty interesting. No high block press, just a patient and relatively safe approach with wingers feeding the Advanced Forward and perhaps the Box to Box midfielder, pretty simple but effective.

This kinda woke me up, I've been looking into the tactical side of the game far more than the rest, trying new stuff, from old school 4-4-2s to hipster Guardiola/Klopp stuff, having occasional success here and there but at the end of the day football can be a lot simpler.

I used to play a tactic like this in FM15, only with a number 10 playmaker behind the striker. Nowadays I only use wingers in 4-4-2 and in it's variations and only in the MR/L positions. 

Two questions based on what you've seen until now:

1) Do you see any attacking problems every now and then since your main outlet is one forward?

2) How do you defend? A medium block lead by your Ball Winning Mid (lead statisticaly in defensive stats) or is it a collective effort? I mead, do the wingers track back or you defend with 7 players?

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4 minutes ago, BillHoudini24 said:

@MarcxD This kind of setup is pretty interesting. No high block press, just a patient and relatively safe approach with wingers feeding the Advanced Forward and perhaps the Box to Box midfielder, pretty simple but effective.

This kinda woke me up, I've been looking into the tactical side of the game far more than the rest, trying new stuff, from old school 4-4-2s to hipster Guardiola/Klopp stuff, having occasional success here and there but at the end of the day football can be a lot simpler.

I used to play a tactic like this in FM15, only with a number 10 playmaker behind the striker. Nowadays I only use wingers in 4-4-2 and in it's variations and only in the MR/L positions. 

Two questions based on what you've seen until now:

1) Do you see any attacking problems every now and then since your main outlet is one forward?

2) How do you defend? A medium block lead by your Ball Winning Mid (lead statisticaly in defensive stats) or is it a collective effort? I mead, do the wingers track back or you defend with 7 players?

1) Yes. There are matches where we don't get a whole lot of chances, the tactic does rely on some brilliance from the players if that is the case. That might be one of the reasons why we're not scoring huge amounts of goals compared to the teams around us in the league. Another issue can be the striker himself. I got in a load of trouble a couple of season ago when my first choice striker Simms got injured and I did not have a good enough back-up. A consistent striker is really important here, maybe more so than in other tactics. But obviously not all the goals come from him, the wingers and midfielders also contribute quite a bit, combination football gives multiple players chances if things go right - but all players need to be able to have a decent amount of vision and passing ability for this to work obviously. 

2) It's up to the 7 players behind the front 3. The midfielders are especially important (which is why I don't have a purely creative or attacking midfielder on the pitch) to catch the opposition. The wingers are not asked to a whole lot of defending (but obviously they are not allowed to just doze off...) PI's: 

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I've always prefered to use AML/R's opposed to ML/R's but to balance it out I find you need a stronger defensive midfield behind them, I think this is the right balance. It's not perfect by any means, it's not the best looking football ever, but it seems to be working.

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March 2028

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A straightforward month, when you look at the fixtures, but we've done really well. Too bad about the 0-0 to end the month but you can't expect to win every single match. In the champions league we'll be playing Manchester City next. Really hard game, but if you want to win the CL you'll have to beat them at some point I guess.

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Our opposition really is not letting up. This might be another season where the last day will decide who will be champions... one thing that speaks in our favour is that we only have to face Real Madrid at home, we've already played Atlético and Barca twice. And not lost... which seems kind of incredible. Can we keep that going? 

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April 2028

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You can't really ask for more. Through to the semi-final in the CL and a good first leg so we have a serious chance to qualify for our first CL final. In the league a lot of small wins with a super important home win against Real Madrid to finish the month (and them) off.

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Atlético is doing equally, almost shockingly, well. Two more matches, we need to win both.

We can win up to three trophies this season still, the league, the CL and the Copa del Rey. We can also win zero...

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No! At least we saved a draw at the end. Poor. 

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If we win the last match of the season, at home against Eibar, we'll finish with 96 points and an unbeaten season but we might not even be champions... Atlético will be playing Real Sociedad away, not the easiest but in their form they will probably win...

 

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I've just been browsing through this and it's absolutely amazing!

I'm in total disbelieve about you not getting the title after an unbeaten season, that is just unreal. Keep going though, the top clubs must be shaking in their boots by now.

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4 hours ago, Reggiana said:

I can't believe you've gone unbeaten and not won the league! Still an incredible season despite that.

Pelaez picked a bad time for a red in the semi, must have been a nervy finish.

I know, right. Oh it kinda was, but they did not have any big chances so it wasn't that bad.

3 hours ago, BoxToBox said:

Unbeaten, 96 points and runners up, madness!

Bet the CL win made up for it, though!

It's still hard to believe! The CL win definitely made up for it. Actually the thrill of the title race kinda did too..

3 hours ago, Luke Cro said:

nevermind national title, but you have won major club tournament and you are in chance winning euro super cup and intercontinental cup... one of better saves..well done

Thank you man. You're right of course! But it still is a bit galling to miss out on the title.

1 hour ago, Repsalty said:

I've just been browsing through this and it's absolutely amazing!

I'm in total disbelieve about you not getting the title after an unbeaten season, that is just unreal. Keep going though, the top clubs must be shaking in their boots by now.

Thank you, welcome! It is unreal haha. We're one of the top clubs now!

23 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

never seen a season like that. but it was still amazing though

Me neither, astonishing. And to think it wasn't even barca or real madrid who beat us in the end, but had good seasons as well!

23 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

Utterly insane season. You're well on your way, though. Next year will be incredible.

It was insane wasn't it? I hope you're right about next season, it could very well be. I'm not taking anything for granted though. I'm confident in our abilities but when the opposition is this strong...

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Season Review 2027-2028

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Glorious season if not for the second place.

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Young player of the year goes to Borges (Silva is too old now!). 

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This is perhaps the best sign how well he's playing and how important he has become! 

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Gauld had another good season (although not as good as before) and was rewarded a third place in player of the year.

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Martín had a full year as first choice keeper and he won his first keeper of the year award.

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5th Manager of the Year award!!

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Well represented in the team of the year, while the champions have zero players...

Best Eleven's:

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Good performances all around, the only disappointment perhaps is the setback of Vázquez after his injury.

Decided to link a bunch of profiles this year, the most noticeable first team players and youth products.

Andre SilvaAnthony SimmsLaureano OrtíLiam GauldAlejandro Paniagua

Nuno Borges (yp6c)Carlos García (yp6b)José López (yp9a)Eloy Martín (yp7b)

 

 

Edited by MarcxD
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With the stadium having sold out for two seasons in a row it's a logical thing to happen, although I would've liked to see a bigger stadium... hopefully there's quite a bit of room for expansion.

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13 hours ago, john1 said:

Wow! Unlucky to miss out on the title to Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid :( But superb season on unbeaten but to finish 2nd :eek: I rather win Champions League than La Liga ;) 

I agree with the CL over La Liga simply because I had won it the previous year but this season I want to win both haha. 

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Pre-Season 2028-2029

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Wage budget increase, still not enough to keep up with the pay-rises, of course this also includes a bunch of players I will loan out so no big deal.

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Another boost to the TV money.

A very busy transfer window, especially outgoing:

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Yep, 183M. A couple of big decisions: I decided to sell Gauld to PSG because their bid was the best I could've gotten (his minimum release fee was actually 84M, they paid 70M in advance and 14M over the next couple of months plus future fees for games played etc) and I was able to sign a replacement. Fabio Conti never became a key player for Real Madrid so they sold him to me for 45M. I had gotten in Gauld as a replacement for Conti and now I'm getting in Conti as a replacement for Gauld. The Conti transfer has some more benefits because for some reason there was a 50% future fee clause in it (even though they paid his release fee):

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So in reality they made a loss on him.

To be honest though, I also had to pay a hefty percentage to Aberdeen because of a clause I agreed to when buying Gauld, but at least I did make a (big) profit... remember I bought him for 3M.

I've also sold Adrianão and Flusfeder. They both were okay but not more than that and filled non-eu places. I had gotten in another non-eu player already in Connor Cooper so I had to get rid of at least one but in the end I got rid of Flusfeder too since I made a bit of profit and he was not playing the way I wanted him to. I've also sold Vázquez to Ajax, his development got stalled last year thanks to his injury and he was moaning about new contracts which he did not deserve in my opinion. Ajax could be a good club for him to develop further.

The other incoming players that I paid money for, Gómez en De Weijze, are back-up/rotational players as replacements for Adrianao and Flusfeder, De Weijze is more of a defensive midfielder where we needed a better back-up for Garcia (yp6b).

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The pre-season friendlies went well against a bit tougher opposition than in previous years and we won the Super Cup quite easily against Schalke, we were defeated by Atlético in the Spanish super cup though.

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This year we're predicted to finish 2nd! We also have a 5* reputation now.

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