(FM23) The World Will Know His Name

[Fudal]

Everyone knows the Champions League. It’s the premier competition in Europe and a prized possession for any club. However, only one winner can be crowned every season. The losers of this esteemed competition are often back the next season to challenge for it. However, some teams haven’t been as lucky. 19 clubs have reached a Champions League final and never won it. I know all too well how it feels to be overshadowed. My father Jan, was a very successful manager in Swedish football, and my whole life has been about following my father's footsteps. I don't want to follow in his footsteps. I want to surpass them. Everyone will know my name. That’s why I'm going to win those 19 clubs their first Champions League.

 

Anton’s List:
Malmo (In Progress)

Arsenal

Atletico Madrid

Club Brugge

Fiorentina

Eintracht Frankfurt

Leeds United

Bayer Leverkusen

AS Monaco

Borrussia Monchengladbach

Panathanaikos

Partizan

PSG

Stade Reims

Roma

Sampdoria

Saint-Etienne

Tottenham

Valencia

Edited September 24, 2023 by Fudal
Switched to first person

[Fudal]

I was welcomed to the club both by the board and the media. However, the reporters got on my nerves quickly by repeatedly asking him questions about his father. I wish people would stop bringing him up. ‘If only they knew’ I thought. I immediately shook the thought out of my head. ‘Nonsense. They wouldn’t know what it’s like.’

After the introductory press conference, I met the squad at the training ground for our first session. I met Captain Anders Christiansen first, and he welcomed me warmly to the club. He told me all the players were excited at my arrival, which was a nice surprise. A Superettan manager jumping up to the biggest club in the country and the players aren’t skeptical? Then I remembered. After all, I was only hired as a successor to my father. These players knew me as my father’s son.

Edited September 24, 2023 by Fudal

[Fudal]

The first few weeks were hard. Having to convince my players that I was capable, and not just hired because of nepotism. We struggled on our tour of Portugal, which didn’t help my case. However, when we came back to Sweden, we beat AIK, BK Hacken, and Djurgardens all by multiple goals.

 

Our first match of the Allsvenskan season was away to Helsingborgs IF, who we dispatched 3-0. It was a simple game, in which we had 10 times more shots than them, 33-3. Goals from captain Anders Christiansen, Isaac Kiese Thelin, and Soren Rieks saw off the underdog. The month of April came and went, and Malmo saw themselves in 4th place, with 4 victories and just one loss. I was slowly proving myself to the players and the fans. The fans, in particular, loved our goal-scoring form, with all 5 games seeing us score at least 2 in each of them.

Edited September 24, 2023 by Fudal

[Fudal]

Fast forward after a couple of very successful months, and we're in September. September 18th, to be exact, where 1st placed Malmo FF are facing 2nd place Djurgardens IF. Only 2 points separate the two sides, and with only 7 matches left including this one, it is a pivotal match.

It was a dominant first 30 minutes for us, and we finally got our breakthrough when Attacking Midfielder Moustafa Zeidan took the ball off of their center-back's foot, and slotted cooly past the goalkeeper. That was the end of the first half, in terms of highlights. 1-0 was not good enough for me. I wanted to show dominance in this match.

However, in the 81st minute, Djurgardens got their goal back, after Magnus Eriksson scored a beautiful chip over veteran goalkeeper Johan Dahlin.

And 1-1 it would end. Brutal. We still are 2 points up, but I can't help but feel that this was a blown opportunity.

[Fudal]

Our crop of youth players came through before the Djurgardens match, and I couldn't help but be impressed by two players in particular. 15-year-old Iranian striker Ali Jalalian is a physical specimen, even at his young age. Already standing 6' tall, and having great strength, jumping and heading, he has a great chance of making it to the very top of the sport. 16-year-old Jens Ingelsson is another bright prospect, and his pace is blistering. He blew by our U19 fullbacks repeatedly in the showcase game, racking up 6 dribbles completed. He has work to do on the technical side of the game, however.

There are another 4 or so players who could end up making the first team. 6'2 striker Robin Gustafsson is strong, quick, and can jump, but he is lazy off the ball and isn't composed enough, as of yet. Albanian Center-back Nuredin Neziri is a solid if unspectacular footballer. He turned 16 just 6 months ago, and he's already 6'3. With his physical advantage, he could make it as a no-nonsense center-back in Swedish football. However, with my tactics, I am skeptical. Christian Kristiansson is a versatile midfielder, who can play all along the left side of the pitch, as well as in the center. He's quick, but at 5'8, he doesn't have the strength to hold down a spot in midfield. Goalkeeper Leon Andersson is the final prospect with first-team potential, according to my Head of Youth Development, Greg Miller. He's got catlike reflexes and can catch any ball that comes his way. But he's got a distinct disadvantage in the air, being only 5'10.

[Fudal]

After another dominant month or so, it's the penultimate day of the Allsvenskan season. We're 4 points ahead, with 2 matches to go. We're away to GIF Sundsvall, in a match where we have it all to play for. This is the chance to prove myself.

We started incredibly, with attacking midfielder Sebastian Nanasi scoring twice in the first 40 minutes, and we would go into halftime with the lead. Then, just after the stroke of halftime, Fredrik Lundgren got sent off for GIF Sundsvall. A great chance, and I knew we had it then and there. They would end up scoring, but we secured the win 5-1, with goals from Nielsen, Christiansen, and Buya Turay to secure the title.

[Fudal]

With so much of my focus being on the Allsvenskan, it was almost a surprise that we were second in our Europa League group going into the final match. Roma sit top with 12 points, then us and Sturm Graz on 9 each, where we hold the goal difference tiebreaker. Then Maribor bottom with 0 points, and a -18 goal difference. If we don't win, we're relying on this Maribor team to beat Sturm Graz.

Things couldn't have started worse for us, as Tammy Abraham scored in the first 30 seconds. After berating the team, they finally started playing football. And in the 25th and 26th minutes, Soren Rieks scored twice in just as many minutes to give us a lead and going into half time we're up 2-1! Maribor is even holding Sturm Graz to a draw!

In the second half, things got even better as we scored a third. Buya Turay scored his 10th of the season in all competitions to see us through to the KO Rounds!

[Fudal]

I had never felt so proud of myself. In just my first season, with no transfers, I managed to do something my father had never done. Reach the knockout stage of a European competition. My side also broke the record for most points, goals, and wins in an Allsvenskan season. With the final match of the season coming up on the day of the Europa League KO round draw, I would play our younger players to get some game experience.

The draw came first, and with our name being 4th out of the hat, we will face Rangers.

[Fudal]

Season 1 was one that I wanted to get through quickly. I didn't have a great attachment to the team, as I haven't signed anyone yet. The coming seasons of this project will be much more in-depth on the story.

My first season in management seemed like a blur. One minute the squad was welcoming me to the club, and the next we were lifting the Allsvenskan. Isaac Kiese Thelin led us to glory, scoring 30 goals in all competitions, and I couldn't be more proud of him. Johan Dahlin impressed with 38 appearances and an Allsvenskan victory at age 36. Taha Ali, Moustafa Zeidan, and Captain Christiansen all had 15+ assists. And me? I won manager of the season. My first year is complete, and it is dominance by Malmo already.

[Fudal]

*Breaking*

"Swedish center-back Noah Eile has joined Serie A side Hellas Verona on January deadline day for a flat fee of 2 million pounds. When asked about the low transfer fee, Anton Lundquist had this to say:"

"Well, obviously it hurts to lose a talent like Noah, especially for such a low fee. But it also hurt when he disrupted training sessions, throwing his toys out of the pram when the Wolfsburg bid was rejected."

[Fudal]

I welcomed two new players to the club today. Noah Elie's replacement, 20-year-old Center-back Andrea Papetti joins from Brescia for 4.3m. We desperately needed CB cover after losing Elie, and Papetti will undoubtedly be a starter for us this year. He's faster than most of our attackers, stronger than them, and can play out from the back. Serbian goalkeeper Aleksandar Popovic joins from Partizan for 2.4m, and he looks like a great shot-stopper. He's got quick reflexes, communicates well, and can jump as high as any goalkeeper at the club.