DavidBeckham Posted February 9, 2023 Author Share Posted February 9, 2023 ..and a new chapter begins! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted February 12, 2023 Author Share Posted February 12, 2023 England International Update 2028/29 European Internal League The boys were excellent in the group stages but came undone against Germany in the semis due to circumstances we can't control. Firstly, the semi-finals took place one month after the season ended and there was no way to get the whole squad match fit before the game. On the contrary, Germany played with a full squad of perfectly fit players and we matched them all the way but eventually fell to a 0-1 defeat. On the bright side, we were able to secure third place after a topsy-turvy encounter against Portugal, where an Oliver Skipp winner cheered Jermain up a little. We go again! World Cup Qualifiers We were drawn into a decent World Cup qualifying group and things got off to a smooth start with two wins against Andorra and Ireland. We will be very disappointed if we can't secure qualification from here. It's coming.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted February 16, 2023 Author Share Posted February 16, 2023 Juve Reconstruction Juventus hasn't won the Serie A title in the past four seasons and it was little surprise as there were numerous players past their peak in the team. Jermain will only be keeping 1/3 of the squad in the upcoming campaign. Goalkeepers Jermain brought his ex-number one along with him to Italy \o/ The keepers at the Allianz Stadium aren't good enough shot-stoppers in Defoe's eyes and there weren't any who are better than Alex Meret pound-for-pound on the market. Boro kindly allowed us to have him on loan for a season and he will bring his winning mentality into our starting eleven. Lucas Chevalier was last season's number one and he will push Alex hard to win his starting position back. Defenders Jermain wants his right wing-back to provide attacking thrust down the right but there just aren't any who are up to the mark at the club. Enzo Boyomo was brought in from Fiorentina and he has shown consistency in his performances in the last few Serie A campaigns. The Frenchman will start the season as Juve's 1st-choice right-back.. ..with Diogo Dalot as his back-up. The Portuguese is another familiar face who has won a lot with Jermain and we are confident that he will fit into our system seamlessly. There were no right-sided center-backs who were good enough in the squad which Jermain inherited and unfortunately, there weren't any on the market either. We had to settle for the loan signing of Bojan Kovačević eventually, as Jermain values his aerial prowess in both boxes. He will start the season alongside.. ..Gonçalo Inácio, who has been at the club for 7 years since leaving Sporting CP in 2023. The Portuguese is a very smart defender and we are all hoping that his intelligence can cover for his slight lack of pace. Another loanee, Flavius Daniliuc.. ..and a second Portuguese who has been at the club, Filipe Relvas, will provide depth in our central defence. Jermain isn't totally convinced by the quality of our center-backs but there just aren't any upgrades on the market who do not cost ridiculous money Jermain has been one long-time admirer of Destiny Udogie and he has considered bringing him to the Riverside Stadium on numerous occasions. He finally got his hands on the Italian in his first season managing in Italy and the speedy left-back will start the campaign as Defoe's 1st-choice left-back. Miloš Kerkez's loan contract was made permanent this campaign and he will be our back-up left-back in the upcoming year. Midfielders There are no Pirlo successors in the squad and Jermain made the decision to bring Samuele Ricci back to Italy to play in his favoured Regista role. Samuele is an incredible passer and he will be our fulcrum and tempo setter from deep in the upcoming campaign. Utilising his knowledge of the Premier League to the fullest, Jermain brought in Mattias Svanberg on loan from Man City to provide some much needed back-up for Samuele in the deep-lying central midfield role. He's one of our own! He's one of our owwwwwn! Oh Nicolò Fagioli! He's on of our own! Our academy graduate returns home from his German adventure and he is another player who can progress the ball incredibly well during attacking transitions. The Italian will start in the right-sided no. 8 spot in Jermain's favoured 4-3-3 system. As one of our title rivals, we are all surprised that Milan agreed to our loan proposal of André-Franck Zambo Anguissa but Jermain is certainly not complaining having added a player of the Cameroonian's quality for minimal costs. The Serie A veteran will compete with Nicolò for playing time in the Box To Box Midfielder role. Jermain brought back another ex-player in Fabian Rieder and he is another quality passer who is left-footed and can play in the left-sided no. 8 spot. The Swiss will be our first-choice Mezzala in the upcoming campaign. Jermain struggled to find back-ups for Fabian though, as there weren't any in the squad or on the market. Juan Sforza was the best available option and we are hoping that the Argentinian midfielder can provide enough quality alongside Fabian in the David/Bernardo Silva role. Attackers Dejan Kulusevski is a club legend who has been here since 2019 and Jermain will be depending on his creativity for another year to carve open oppositions' defences from the right wing. New signing Luka Romero was signed by Jermain from Dortmund as Dejan's backup and we have high hopes that the Argentinian can add goals and assists cutting in from the right flank in the upcoming year. Assan Ouédraogo is natural in central midfield but Jermain signed him up from Man United to play down our left flank as our inside forward due to his physicality and decent ability to shoot from range. The German will go straight into our starting 11.. ..with much-travelled Gabriel Martinelli as his backup. Club icon and captain Dušan Vlahović will lead our line for another campaign as the incredibly strong forward has fantastic movement and finishing ability. If we are to have a successful campaign, the Serbian will definitely have to shoulder much of the goal-scoring burden for us in the upcoming year. Our striking department is by far the deepest in the squad which Jermain inherited and Dion Drena Beljo is a very capable backup lone striker for Dusan. If we can create enough openings for these two forwards, goals will not be too hard to come by. Luca Ghilarducci completes the trio of strikers who are already at the club when Jermain took over the reins and he is an academy graduate who has lots of room to grow in his game. There is no better place for him to do that at Juve, with Dusan, Dion and his manager providing quality striking advice. Let the Italian adventure begin! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted February 16, 2023 Share Posted February 16, 2023 Nice switch of pace here!! I really fancied an Italian save at the start of the game. Doing a southern style save as no one from south has won it for so long. napoli look like that save won’t happen next year as they are flying. is this a final destination? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted February 17, 2023 Author Share Posted February 17, 2023 18 hours ago, SixPointer said: Nice switch of pace here!! I really fancied an Italian save at the start of the game. Doing a southern style save as no one from south has won it for so long. napoli look like that save won’t happen next year as they are flying. is this a final destination? Cheers mate! Managing in Italy is certainly an interesting experience with the non-EU rule! This certainly won't be Jermain's final destination! The aim is to win the Serie A and the Champions League before moving on to another country 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted February 26, 2023 Author Share Posted February 26, 2023 January Update 2030 Serie A Things have gotten off to a solid start in Italy, with Jermain's Juve leading the pack after 22 games. However, Roma is right on our heels and we will certainly need to keep up our form for the second half of the campaign if we want glory back at the Allianz Stadium. Italian Cup The boys also managed to progress in the Italian Cup after a 2-0 victory against Serie B outfit Salernitana. A tricky Lazio tie awaits us in the quarters. Champions League Jermain decided to play his second string in Europe as he wanted full focus in his bid to win back the Serie A title. Thankfully, they were good enough to progress into the play-offs and the journey continues. AS Monaco stands in our way at the next hurdle! Transfers Nicolás González was our first January signing and it wasn't one we were planning on making. One of our best players, Dejan Kulusevski, damaged his cruciate ligaments and was ruled out for the rest of the campaign and the Argentinian was brought in on loan to hopefully plug the huge hole in the squad. After the 1st half of the season, it was clear that central defence was one of the weakest areas in the squad and Diego Coppola was brought in from rivals Inter for just 25 million pounds to hopefully take our defence to the next level. The Italian is a smart and strong defender with great aerial ability and we have high hopes that he will help us over the line in close games for the rest of the season. Stanislav Shopov completes the trio of our January signings and we needed someone to replace Juan Sforza as he hasn't shown enough since coming in last summer. The Bulgarian has loads of tricks up his sleeve and can see passes most players can't, and he will push hard for the starting spot in the left-sided no. 8 position. Meanwhile at Middlesbrough, Klopp has taken over the reins and they are now sitting 7th Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted March 5, 2023 Author Share Posted March 5, 2023 (edited) Season Review 2029/30 Italy has been kind, and Dusan has been superb! Serie A Jermain brought the Serie A title back to Juve in a convincing manner, breaking the record points total after finishing on 103 points ahead of title challengers AC Milan and Roma. Dušan Vlahović was absolutely on fire, scoring 37 league goals and 45 in all competitions \o/ Champions League Things didn't go too well in Europe though, and we were knocked out in the Round of 16 by who else but Jermain's former club on penalties. Why am I surprised? Italian Cup Defoe managed to bag the domestic cup competition in his 1st season in Italy, knocking out the likes of Genoa, Lazio and Napoli along the way to lift the Italian Cup! Goal of the Season Goal of the Season was a decent team move which ended with a great finish! How You Lined Up Jermain's heroes in Italy The Accolades The Accolades which Dušan Vlahović dominated! Looking back.. Back at the Riverside Stadium, Klopp managed to get Boro back in Champions League, finishing fourth and also bagging the UEFA Super Cup in the process. We get the opportunity to face Defoe's former team in the Champions League again Their manager though.. Edited March 5, 2023 by DavidBeckham Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th Man Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 Wow, what a run here. I remember seeing this one early on, but lost track when I took a long break from FM. Middlesbrough winning the PL multiple times? The CL? Fantastic work! The move to Juve seems a nice change of pace too and a solid first season. Got that Serie A title in the bag. Next up CL! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted March 7, 2023 Author Share Posted March 7, 2023 On 05/03/2023 at 14:35, 13th Man said: Wow, what a run here. I remember seeing this one early on, but lost track when I took a long break from FM. Middlesbrough winning the PL multiple times? The CL? Fantastic work! The move to Juve seems a nice change of pace too and a solid first season. Got that Serie A title in the bag. Next up CL! Thanks mate! It has been a fantastic journey and we are looking forward to the challenge of bringing back European glory to Juventus 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted March 7, 2023 Author Share Posted March 7, 2023 Summer 2030 Transfers Ilaix Moriba was brought in to replace last season's loanee André-Franck Zambo Anguissa, who turned 34 and is unfortunately losing physicality in his game. Ilaix won the Champions League with Jermain at Boro and we are hoping that he can bring that valuable experience into the squad to help us chase European glory \o/ This summer was very much about replacing our ageing loanees in the squad and José Ángel Carmona was Defoe's choice to replace Diogo Dalot, who entered the wrong side of his thirties. He will push Enzo Boyomo hard for the number two shirt. Nicolas Fernandez replaces Mattias Svanberg as our backup no. 4 in the squad, who in turn returned to his parent club Man City this summer. The Mexican was a regular at Liverpool in the past two campaigns and is also a seasoned Mexican international with 47 caps. He will add great passing ability and technicality to our squad to help us navigate a challenging year. The signings of Bruno Callero and.. ..Martin Geri complete our summer businesses and they were brought in as long-term investments. With time on their side, they can potentially grow to be our future number 7 and number 10 after a couple of solid years of development World Cup On a more sour note, Jermain was sacked for the first time in his career after an unlucky World Cup campaign with England in the summer. We were knocked out in the quarters by Haaland-led Norway despite us out xG-ing them 1.92 to 0.73. I guess that's the price we had to pay after losing our 1st choice no. 9 (Tammy Abraham) right before the start of the World Cup campaign We really want another shot at the England job and hopefully the opportunity will come around if Defoe can keep up his successes in club football. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGoodRebel Posted March 7, 2023 Share Posted March 7, 2023 Great career so far, unlucky with England If you land the Champions League this season, will that be 'job done' for Italy and off elsewhere? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted March 8, 2023 Author Share Posted March 8, 2023 22 hours ago, TheGoodRebel said: Great career so far, unlucky with England If you land the Champions League this season, will that be 'job done' for Italy and off elsewhere? Cheers mate! I really wanted to win something with England and that sacking is really a tad harsh! Hopefully we can get another shot at the big job! As for club matters, if we bag Champions League this campaign, Jermain will definitely look out for job opportunities in another country which he hasn't worked in! Has to be a more exciting club, if not as exciting as Juve though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted March 15, 2023 Author Share Posted March 15, 2023 January Update Things have been going well in the league, and we currently lead our nearest rivals by 5 points at the top of the table. It's just 5 points though and we will have to keep the work rate up if we want to retain the title this campaign. Italian Cup We managed to progress in the Cup too, knocking out Fiorentina in the Third Round to face our city rivals Torino in the quarters. Jermain will continue to play his second string in this competition and hopefully they can bring home the cup for the third consecutive season. Champions League The second choice players have also done well in Europe, winning 6, drawing 1 and losing 1 to finish.. ..6th in the table to qualify for the next knockout round \o/ This competition is definitely our ultimate goal as Juve has not won the Champions League since 1996. We keep going! Transfers Defoe only brought in one in January and it was due to the departure of our backup keeper (Lucas Chevalier) to Barcelona. Slobodan Popović arrives for 2 million pounds and the decent shot-stopper will take his time and develop his game, while providing backup for our number one (Alex Meret). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th Man Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Solid work! Was a bit confused that Middlesbrough was up there in the CL…but I quickly remembered that Dafoe had brought them up to great heights already. Must be good to see that the old club is still well set up, at least so far. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted March 16, 2023 Author Share Posted March 16, 2023 14 hours ago, 13th Man said: Solid work! Was a bit confused that Middlesbrough was up there in the CL…but I quickly remembered that Dafoe had brought them up to great heights already. Must be good to see that the old club is still well set up, at least so far. Cheers mate! Boro had a tricky campaign under Klopp when Defoe left and the German was sacked at the end of season. Luis Enrique came in and restored some order! They are now 2nd in the league and managed to progress to the Champions League semis! It has been great seeing the good times continue at the Riverside Stadium, but we certainly don't want to be knocked out by them again in Europe though 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th Man Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 12 hours ago, DavidBeckham said: we certainly don't want to be knocked out by them again in Europe though Thought the same thing, but didn't want to 'make' it happen by saying it. Because I can obviously control all that with my thoughts you know. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted March 17, 2023 Author Share Posted March 17, 2023 4 hours ago, 13th Man said: Thought the same thing, but didn't want to 'make' it happen by saying it. Because I can obviously control all that with my thoughts you know. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted March 17, 2023 Author Share Posted March 17, 2023 Season Review 2030/31 \o/ Serie A Jermain's Juve are the Invincibles! The boys finished the campaign with 31 wins, 7 draws and 0 defeat to bag the title with 100 points, 11 ahead of our nearest rivals Milan. Incredible, resilient efforts displayed by everyone associated with the club! Champions League We certainly weren't invincible in Europe though, but look at the state of our draws! Bayern, PSG and Man City in three consecutive knockout rounds. We overcame two, but failed against Haaland in the semi-finals who absolutely slaughtered us. We go again next year! Italian Cup We failed at the hurdle before the final again, losing on penalties to Inter after an aggregate 1-1 draw. Lady Luck wasn't smiling on us and we failed to bag a hat-trick of Italian Cups in 3 consecutive years Goal of the Season Goal of the Season was the game winner in the Champions League Group Stage against Olympiacos. A beauty of a curler by our backup Regista The Finances Our fans definitely won't be too overjoyed this summer as our top two jersey sellers may be replaced in the squad as they are in the wrong end of their thirties How You Lined Up The Invincibles \o/ The Accolades The fruits of our labour :**) Looking back.. Jermain still has a soft spot for his ex-club and unfortunately, Luis Enrique-led Boro finished trophy-less again. They managed to climb back up to 2nd in the Prem though, and it was no mean feat having faced the prowess of Man City in Europe. Defoe was also rooting really hard for his old team in the Champions League Final, but they were unable to take revenge for him 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGoodRebel Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 Stunning performance in the league - congratulations! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th Man Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 Invincibles! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted March 19, 2023 Author Share Posted March 19, 2023 On 17/03/2023 at 19:37, TheGoodRebel said: Stunning performance in the league - congratulations! On 17/03/2023 at 21:57, 13th Man said: Invincibles! Thanks lads! That made us slightly happier after the two semi-final exits! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted March 26, 2023 Author Share Posted March 26, 2023 (edited) Transfers 2031/32 Summer Jermain brought in his fellow countryman to replace Kulusevski down our right wing in the starting 11. Harvey Elliott is a lovely technician who is really hardworking as well and he will have a major role to play in whatever successes we may have in the upcoming season. It was a summer of upheaval as another club legend (Vlahovic) wanted a new challenge and demanded to leave the club . Benjamin Šeško was the best striker on the market for Defoe's 4-3-3 system and we wasted little time to bring him in. As excited as we are, there is still some lingering doubt if he can replace all of Dusan's goals this campaign Shakur Omar replaces the outgoing Gabriel Martinelli, who turned 30 and was allowed to leave for Inter in a 35 million pound deal. His replacement cost just 5 million pounds and we are hoping that he can push Assan Ouédraogo hard for the first team spot down our left flank. Jermain reunites with his Champions League winning midfield general at Boro! We needed an upgrade in the left-sided no. 8 position and Ivan Ilić is way better than his predecessor Stanislav Shopov. He will bring composure, vision and winning mentality to a squad which lacks that winning experience, especially in Europe. It was a summer of reunion as we brought back Giorgio Scalvini to strengthen our central defence. Like most top quality Italian center-backs, Giorgio is focused on his defensive responsibilities throughout the 90 and is incredible in the air too. He will definitely take our defence to the next level in the upcoming campaign \o/ January We didn't want to do this deal but we were forced to bring in Marcos Leonardo after Beljo was ruled out for most of the campaign in December. The Brazilian is one of the most composed players in front of goal and we are hoping that he can replace Bello's goals in the second half of our season. Our second and last deal of January 2032 was another forced move as Luka Romero refused to sign a new contract and moaned for a move mid-season. We are not sure if Montader Madjed is a bette player but Jermain had no choice but to bring someone in. The Swedish midfielder is the best on the market though and he will bring decent physicality down our right flank for the rest of our campaign. Edited March 26, 2023 by DavidBeckham 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th Man Posted March 26, 2023 Share Posted March 26, 2023 A lovely reunion! Overall, good value signings. Summer looked a bit more fun than January, but still good work. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted March 29, 2023 Author Share Posted March 29, 2023 On 26/03/2023 at 23:02, 13th Man said: A lovely reunion! Overall, good value signings. Summer looked a bit more fun than January, but still good work. Cheers mate! January was horrible with players we wanted to keep leaving but on the bright side, the ex-players have settled seamlessly into our system! We are approaching a really exciting season end too! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtown1414 Posted March 30, 2023 Share Posted March 30, 2023 This has been a great read! Good job with Juventus. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted March 30, 2023 Author Share Posted March 30, 2023 3 hours ago, dtown1414 said: This has been a great read! Good job with Juventus. Cheers mate! Have absolutely enjoyed the ride in Italy too but it may be approaching its end soon.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted March 30, 2023 Author Share Posted March 30, 2023 Season Review 2031/32 Jermain has only gone on and done it! Champions League Les grandes équipes.. The champions!!! We have finally bagged the big one at the third time of asking! The draw wasn't too kind as we drew all the English teams in the knockout rounds leading up to the final but we overcame the obstacles to beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the final to lift the Champions League trophy. What a ride it has been!! Serie A The Champions League win was at the expense of our league campaign though. We very much had to play our strongest 11 in Europe from the knockout stages due to our tough luck with the draws and as a result, the second string dropped a couple of points domestically. A number of injuries and painful departures in January didn't help things but if we were offered the Champions League title and a 2nd-place finish at the start of our season, Jermain would've taken it without hesitation. Italian Cup We managed to wrestle back the Italian Cup though, and it was no mean feat as we had to face the biggest teams all the way to the trophy. Our defence was great and we only conceded one goal throughout the cup run. Cup double let's go!! Goal of the Season Goal of the season was an absolute screamer from Fagioli, and it was one of the best goals Defoe has seen in his managerial career. What a hit son! How You Lined Up The Champions League winners \o/ It has been an incredible three seasons at Bianconeri. Is it time to.. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th Man Posted April 1, 2023 Share Posted April 1, 2023 (edited) A treble is never easy, and I think the supporters will take the CL over the league! Edited April 1, 2023 by 13th Man 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGoodRebel Posted April 2, 2023 Share Posted April 2, 2023 Unlucky with Serie A but at least you landed the main one you wanted to allow you to move on. Looking forward to seeing where Jermain ends up next! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted April 9, 2023 Author Share Posted April 9, 2023 On 02/04/2023 at 00:16, 13th Man said: A treble is never easy, and I think the supporters will take the CL over the league! Yes mate, any day! We were getting obsessed about the Champions League like Man City and PSG, so it was great to finally get that elusive trophy! On 03/04/2023 at 04:46, TheGoodRebel said: Unlucky with Serie A but at least you landed the main one you wanted to allow you to move on. Looking forward to seeing where Jermain ends up next! Cheers mate! The next chapter is about to begin 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted April 9, 2023 Author Share Posted April 9, 2023 The Next Chapter Jermain parted ways with Juventus after winning the Champions League and had to wait two full seasons for a project which excites him. Barcelona came along after they finished 5th in the previous season and decided to replace Xavi with the Englishman. Unsurprisingly, the Spanish giants had an ageing squad and a major rebuild is required to restore the good, old days. A new chapter begins! Goalkeepers Jean Espinoza is our new number one and the Chilean got his big move after plying his trade with Norwich in the Premier League. He is no better than Alex Meret, who won Champions League with both Middlesbrough and Juventus under Defoe's management, but he was the best on the market and we are all hoping that there is still room to grow for the 24-year-old. A familiar face arrives in the summer to complete our goalkeeper department, which was non-existent in the squad which Jermain inherited as there were no senior goalkeepers. Slobodan Popović won the Champions League with Juventus as Defoe's number two and he is very close to that number one jersey at the Camp Nou. I won't be very surprised if he manage to dislodge Jean in the starting line-up some way into the season as our two keepers are very close in quality. Defenders Jairo Soto arrives from Man City to fill one of our three non-EU slots. The Colombian has great physicality and he will go straight into our starting 11 to play in the right wing-back role. There is an obvious lack of quality wing-backs on the market and Héctor Fort was the best available back-up right-back who caught the scouting team's eye. The Spaniard arrives on loan from Cadiz and the fact that he is one of our own made the decision to bring him back slightly easier. He will be Jairo's backup at right-back in the upcoming campaign. Hörður Geirsson is a typical Icelandic defender who is extremely capable in the air and he rejoins Barcelona after a short stint a couple of years ago. We have a slight concern with his ability to play out from the back but he is too good a defender to keep out of the starting 11. He will partner.. ..Sergiu Iordan in central defence, who is another aerial monster of a defender and he can time his challenges extremely well. The fact that the Romanian is left-footed allowed him to get that starting spot and his experience with Real Betis will also help him settle quickly at the Camp Nou. João Fonseca just misses out on the starting spot but he is an incredible center-back with no real weakness physically. The Portuguese's leadership qualities in a squad with so many newcomers will also be vital in any success which we may have in the upcoming season. Another familiar face completes the quartet of center-backs at the club and Bojan Kovačević knows Jermain's game inside out having had three campaigns with the Englishman in Italy. Arriving on loan from Napoli, the Serbian will be our fourth-choice central defender and he is definitely a capable one. Alejandro Balde is the only defender in the original squad who will be registered in the La Liga and Europa League squads. The Spaniard has been a one-club man and is still one of the best attacking wing-backs in the league. He will be our first-choice left-back in the upcoming campaign \o/ His back-up was also an academy graduate 13 years ago and as mentioned earlier, it was incredibly hard to find back-up wing-backs of the require quality on the market this summer. We had to settle for an ageing one in Mika Mármol, but he is still very capable at this level despite his declining ability. We will attempt to slow down his decline and have him share Alejandro's game time at left-back. Midfielders Jermain brought his metronome over from Juve to Spain and Samuele Ricci is another familiar face who knows the manager's system to a tee. The fantastic passer will be playing at the base of our midfield trio in the very important Regista role, with.. ..Devyne Rensch as his backup! This will be the flying Dutchman's fifth season at the Camp Nou and the versatile 'Swiss Army knife' will get lots of game time in a very busy season ahead. Gavi has been at the club for 14 years and he has grown from one of the hottest young prospects in the game to a polished club legend. The Spaniard will start in the right-sided no. 8 position and his movement and vision will be a huge part of our attacking transitions. Gavi's back-up has been at the club for four years too and João Veloso is a similar type of player who walks into most teams playing in Europe. The Portuguese complements his technical game with decent physicality and he will push the club legend hard to play in the Mezzala role in Jermain's system. There is a distinct lack of left-footed central midfielders on the market and Jermain went back to another familiar face in Ivan Ilić to start in the left-sided no. 8 position. The Serbian was Jermain's midfield general in England and Italy, and we are all hoping that he will make it a hat-trick of domestic titles with Barcelona in the upcoming campaign. Like Ivan, his back-up has history with Jermain and if you remember, Charlie Patino was the Englishman's left-sided no. 8 in Middlesbrough's 1st two campaigns back in the Prem. The midfield technician has since accumulated a variety of playing experience in Eredivisie and La Liga, and he will get lots of game time covering for the ageing veteran in the Box To Box Midfielder role. Attackers The squad which Jermain inherited is strongest in the attacking wide areas and Yaser Asprilla is the perfect player to play down our right flank in the inside forward role. Defoe has been a long-time admirer of the Colombian from afar and did not hesitate one bit to register him in one of the three non-EU slots. He will start in the no. 7 position, with.. ..Endrick as his back-up. It is a surprise to many that the talented forward has not gotten his first call-up to the Brazilian national set-up. Jermain is hopeful that he can be the final push to the Brazilian making his mark on the international stage. Like Gavi, Pedri has been at the club for the longest time and he is one of the most composed player in world football with world class vision on the pitch. The club legend will start down our left flank in the inverted winger role. Jermain has the best pair of no. 11s at his disposal in club football and Ansu Fati is another player who has been playing at the Camp Nou all his life. Despite losing some pace in his game, the 122-capped Spaniard still has lots of weapons in his armoury and there will be lots of goals and assists to come from him. Jermain plays with inverted wide players and he is in the process of retraining Cezão into an inverted left-winger. If he can pull this off, he will have another player on his hands! While Jermain has lots of talent down the wide areas, we needed a couple of players who can lead the line and Javi is his favoured choice. Defoe saw him impressing for his ex-team at the Riverside Stadium and decided to splash the cash to bring him in. The Spaniard will start the campaign as our first-choice no. 9 in the upcoming season. Elvio Elia offers a different kind of threat and has incredible ability, agility and balance to beat a man. Having arrived from Olympique Lyonnais in the summer, the Argentinian will push Javi hard and offer a goal threat from the bench in the upcoming year. Academy graduate Smaïl Sadiki is one of the hottest prospects at the club and he will learn all he can from Jermain and hopefully grow to be a quality frontman like his manager \o/ 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th Man Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 A fitting new adventure! A good side still, but getting on in age. You’ll have a good platform, but it’s going to take a lot of work to refresh the club and getting them back up to the top it seems 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGoodRebel Posted April 10, 2023 Share Posted April 10, 2023 Good luck in Spain. How are the club finances looking now? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich ruzzian Posted April 10, 2023 Share Posted April 10, 2023 Nice move, ageing squad. Guess you need a few transfer periods to get the squad at the level that Barcelona used to be. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted April 13, 2023 Author Share Posted April 13, 2023 On 09/04/2023 at 23:01, 13th Man said: A fitting new adventure! A good side still, but getting on in age. You’ll have a good platform, but it’s going to take a lot of work to refresh the club and getting them back up to the top it seems Cheers mate! The fact that we are playing in Europa League this year gives us some room to accommodate some of the ageing guys! We will certainly need to start refreshing the squad soon though! On 10/04/2023 at 20:19, TheGoodRebel said: Good luck in Spain. How are the club finances looking now? Thanks mate! Seems like debts are still a concern On 10/04/2023 at 22:00, rich ruzzian said: Nice move, ageing squad. Guess you need a few transfer periods to get the squad at the level that Barcelona used to be. Thanks mate! We will need to get the squad ready by the time we return to Champions League! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted April 23, 2023 Author Share Posted April 23, 2023 Season Review 2034/35 \o/ La Liga Things couldn't have gone better in Jermain's maiden campaign in the La Liga! The boys finished the season unbeaten on 104 points, scoring 124 and conceding 13 to bag the Englishman's 1st Spanish domestic league title on his 1st attempt. What a year it has been! Europa League Despite not playing in the Champions League after last season's 5th place finish, the lads enjoyed their football in Europe and stormed to the Europa League trophy. The fact that it was Defoe's old foe in the final makes things a lot sweeter too! Spanish Cup We were unable to complete the full sweep though, losing out to Real Sociedad in the quarters after a 1-2 defeat. We go again next year! Moments to Remember The memorable moments of the campaign! The Finances With no Champions League football this season, it was no surprise to see our finances take a bad hit. Hopefully, we can see a recovery next campaign! On a brighter note, it was pleasing to see our new striker capture the hearts of our fans, selling a lot of shirts after settling well into life in Barcelona. Best Eleven With the exception of our goalkeeper and right-back, the rest of our best eleven were actually from our second string. Their domination in the Europa League helped them secure the spots in our best 11. The Accolades The awards and recognition \o/ Old Friends Defoe's 1st love finished the campaign with some silverware but lost out to Man City in the bigger competitions, finishing runners-up in both the Prem and Champions League. It was great to still see them challenging for big things though :**) It was also great seeing Juventus staying top of the pile in Italy, bagging the domestic double. See you both in Europe next season! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGoodRebel Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 Congratulations on winning La Liga and the Europa League - in such style too! What are Jermain’s plans if he wins the Champions League next season? Will he retire or continue somewhere else? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted April 28, 2023 Share Posted April 28, 2023 Still smashing it on this save, well done mate! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted April 30, 2023 Author Share Posted April 30, 2023 On 28/04/2023 at 15:49, karanhsingh said: Still smashing it on this save, well done mate! Cheers mate! Progress has been slightly slower due to work in real life but we will keep going! On 23/04/2023 at 16:56, TheGoodRebel said: Congratulations on winning La Liga and the Europa League - in such style too! What are Jermain’s plans if he wins the Champions League next season? Will he retire or continue somewhere else? Thanks mate! Jermain is far from retirement and he still wants to experience at least the Bundesliga! If a project is worth taking in France, he may take it too! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted April 30, 2023 Author Share Posted April 30, 2023 Summer 2035/36 Jermain's old pals agreed to let us have Giorgio Scalvini on loan for this campaign, and even though the Italian's game is on the way down, he is still a very capable center half. We are very happy to have him as our 3rd or 4th best center back in the squad. We struggled to find our left-back for the long term again and Vitalie Becker on a loan deal was the best we could do this summer. Despite his limited ability, the German's level of performances stay very consistent and he tends to show up in the big games. We will continue to source for a long-term replacement while he plugs the gap. Jermain continues to make best use of his connections with the Italian giants as we brought in another quality player on loan. Noël Aséko Nkili won the Champions League with Defoe at Boro and went over to Juventus right after the Englishman left Italy. We are hoping that he can bring that Champions League winning experience to the squad in the upcoming season. The German will go straight into our starting 11 as our 1st choice holding midfielder \o/, with.. ..another familiar face in Khephren Thuram, Jermain's midfield general for most of his tenure at Boro, as his back-up. Like the left-back situation, we struggled to find quality defensive midfield cover on the market, and we had to settle for the ageing Frenchman, whom we are more than happy to have after signing him on loan from Real Madrid. Hopefully, our rivals' loss will prove to be our gain! We were delighted to find a player of Jaap Drost's quality on the market this summer and the Dutchman is a rare left-footed no. 8 whom Jermain badly needs in his system. Like Becker, he is incredibly consistent and performs on the biggest stage, and we jumped at the chance to bring him in for just 24 million pounds. He will fight for game time with.. ..Unai Blanco, whose game is very similar to the Dutchman's. The fact that Unai is a Spaniard makes the decision to bring him back to Spain from England very easy. His passing ability and decent reading of the game will be vital in our attacking transitions in the upcoming campaign. Jermain has a good history with Norwegians and Kristoffer Holmström is another hot prospect who can grow into a decent squad player for Barcelona. He will take his time to develop his game and there's no better place to do it than the Camp Nou. With Asprilla past his thirties, it was a no-brainer to let him go for 39 million pounds and use a fraction of it to bring in his replacement for just 15 million pounds. Franco Ibáñez is one of the fittest and most composed players you can find on the market and he will compete with Endrick for the no. 7 position down our right. Does this player remind you of anyone in modern football? No words needed 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted May 8, 2023 Author Share Posted May 8, 2023 Diego Coppola was brought in on loan from PSG as our solitary January signing as our 1st-choice center-back (Sergiu Iordan) suffered a torn hamstring and was ruled out till March. The Italian won the lot with Jermain at Juventus and we wasted little time to bring him in. Hopefully, his winning mentality can further galvanise the squad \o/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted May 8, 2023 Author Share Posted May 8, 2023 Season Review 2035/36 Campione, campione olé olé olé! Campione, campione olé olé olé! La Liga Jermain managed to bag his second La Liga in as many seasons, finishing on 99 points, 8 ahead of rivals Real Madrid in another good year for the Englishman \o/ Champions League We have also managed to bring the European Cup back to the Camp Nou after overcoming three English teams in the last three hurdles. Lady Luck was smiling on us in the final too as Man City went down to 10 men early in the game. What a year it has been!! Spanish Cup Jermain completed a perfect year after his 1st Spanish Cup win, beating Real Betis on penalties after a 1-1 draw in a tough 120 minutes. The boys are treble winners! \o/ Goal of the Season This has got to be the most underwhelming goal of the year but the fact that he is Haaland's reincarnation may have gone a long way to convince the judges Finances Champions League football has helped Barca's finances recover a little! How You Lined Up The treble winners :**) The Accolades Well-deserved by the boys \o/ Is this the end of another memorable chapter? 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 Still going strong here I see! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th Man Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 Defoe has now won the CL with 3 clubs! Is there more to prove? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich ruzzian Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 Greatest amanger ever! Or almost. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGoodRebel Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 Well done on a clean sweep! Can’t wait to see where Jermain ends up next 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted May 18, 2023 Author Share Posted May 18, 2023 On 09/05/2023 at 10:42, karanhsingh said: Still going strong here I see! Definitely mate! Jermain still has many years left in him On 09/05/2023 at 23:11, 13th Man said: Defoe has now won the CL with 3 clubs! Is there more to prove? There is! Jermain wants to win the Champions League with French and German clubs too On 09/05/2023 at 23:49, rich ruzzian said: Greatest amanger ever! Or almost. He is not quite there yet! Statistically the 8th best now! On 10/05/2023 at 02:33, TheGoodRebel said: Well done on a clean sweep! Can’t wait to see where Jermain ends up next Thanks mate! Jermain is learning French now 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted May 21, 2023 Author Share Posted May 21, 2023 Fourth French Chapter It is well-known that Jermain wanted two further chapters in his football management story in France and Germany. The perfect opportunity came along when Unai Emery left PSG for Liverpool right at the start of the campaign. It is a pity that the Englishman took over the reins after the summer transfer window closed, as the squad is full of players who are approaching the end of their careers. As a result, we could only start rebuilding the squad from January. And yes, PSG still hasn't won the Champions League.. Goalkeepers Jermain struggled to find a good enough French-speaking shot-shopper on the market and we had to settle for an ageing Diogo Costa, who was already in the squad which we took over. However, it is clear that the 37-year-old is not agile enough for the level we want to reach and there is a desperate need to strengthen the goalkeeping department next summer. Diogo's back-up isn't a good enough shot-stopper too and we have also not seen a keeper who loves to punch the ball as much as him. However, Jan Chavarría was the next best keeper at the club and he takes his place on the bench as our backup goalkeeper. Defenders It is really unbelievably tough to find wing-backs of the right quality on the market and Jermain had to settle for Geoffroy Van Damme, who was brought in on loan from RC Lens as a stop-gap. The very average Belgian will compete with.. ..Wisdom Amey for the number two jersey. The Italian is a decent, all-rounded wing-back but Jermain is concerned about his competitive streak which can get him sent off during crucial games. There is no one better on the market though and we will have to bear the risk for at least one campaign while we source for a long-term replacement. Jermain was delighted to see Diego Coppola at the first team meeting as the Italian won the lot with him at Juventus and Barcelona. The experienced center half will help the Englishman set the tone both at the back and in the dressing room. Defoe loves left-footed center-backs to help him play out better from the back and Danny Harenbrock was brought in for this exact purpose. The German is a team player and has decent qualities for a center-back. He will get lots of game time as our left-sided center-back in the second half of our campaign. Kingsley Diallo is by far the best youth prospect in the squad which Jermain inherited and is incredibly strong in the air. We have also not seen another player who is more determined to succeed than the Ghanaian and he will get lots of game time in our central defence. Our fourth-choice center-back is another youth prospect who was already in the squad which we took over and the 20-year-old is another very capable center half for his age. Jonas Malada will take his time to develop his game while providing backups for the other three seniors. Joško Gvardiol certainly isn't quick enough to play in the left wing-back spot of Jermain's system but the Croatian was already at the club and we struggled to find wing-backs of better quality on the market again. We are hoping that his experience and strong mentality can help plug the gap while our scouting team sweeps the market for his successor. His back-up was brought in for the Champions League's homegrown quotas rather than his ability. Noah Mezine was one of the three replacements we could make in the mid-season Champions League squad registration and his versatility will be crucial in our very thin Champions League squad. Midfielders Jermain had been a long-term admirer of Nico's game and it is a pity that the opportunity to manage him only came after the Spaniard turned 35. Notwithstanding, he is still good enough to get playing time as our Regista in the upcoming season despite his lack of pace. He will compete with Imad El Haddadi for game time in the midfield holding role, who was brought in for 6.25 million pounds in January as we needed numbers in the midfield. However, the Moroccan won't be playing Champions League football as he was not one of the three players who were registered after the January transfer window. Jermain was pleasantly surprised to find a midfielder of Marvin Dinanga's quality in an unbalanced and ageing squad. The Frenchman's passing, defensive and physical qualities made him one of Defoe's first names on our team sheet in the upcoming campaign. Luis Eduardo Alcántar will attempt to wrestle 1st team football away from Marvin, but the Mexican's lack of size and aerial ability mean he will start on the bench in Jermain's first foray into French football. David Schreiber is arguably the best player in the squad which Jermain took over and the German is one of the most composed midfielder you can find in world football. He can also see a pass like no one else can and he will be our first-choice Mezzala in the right-sided no. 8 position, with.. ..Ludovic Soulard as his backup. While Jermain made the decision to bring the Frenchman in from Reims in January, he will not be able to play in Europe like most of our signings due to the registration restrictions Attackers There are no good enough left-footed number sevens in the squad which we took over and Jermain turned to the loan market to bring in Loïc Riviere, who has incredible balance and flair in his game. He will get most of his game time in the league as he is not one of the three players whom we registered for the Champions League squad mid-season. We registered Daniele Bove though, who is a similar player to Loic and he will get most of his game time in Europe as our right-sided inside forward in the no. 7 spot. Jermain was also delighted to find Augusto Palumbo in the squad as he is the perfect player to play in his preferred inverted winger role down our left flank. His incredible agility, balance and crossing ability will keep him ahead of.. ..Yeremy Pino, who is a tad too old and slow for this level. However, he will stay in the squad as our back-up no. 11 while we buy time to bring in his replacement. Our number nine is the Egyptian king, who has 54 goals in 79 caps in international football. Eslam Ahmed is good enough to play as the lone striker in Jermain's 4-3-3 system with his fantastic movement, ability to hold onto the ball and aerial prowess. However, he is injury-prone and we will have to manage his game time carefully to ensure his long-term availability. His backup is another familiar face who has won the lot with Jermain in Spain. Elvio Elia came in on loan from Defoe's last club and he will provide solid backup for the Egyptian king as our number nine in the second half of our season. Kacper Kitliński completes Jermain's squad building for the second half of his first campaign in France, and the Polish attacker is also the third player whom we registered for the Champions League due to his ability to excel in both the no. 7 and no. 9 positions. He will be our third-choice right-sided inside forward and pressing forward in the second half of our campaign. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th Man Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 A bit rough to take over a cheat code side like PSG, but they are the one realistic French team that could win a CL so it makes some sense! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich ruzzian Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 THat squad is not utterly strong. How much money do the Qatari give you to reinforce the team? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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