If You Count Your Chickens Before They've Hatched, They Won't Lay An Egg

[deltablue]

Looking very comfortable.

[B.W.G]

Looking very good so far.Hope you can keep it up.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Give me a B...

B

Give me an A...

A

Give me a Y...

Y

Give me an E...

E

Give me a R...

R

What do you get?

Bayer Leverkusen.

[SRL88]

Great first half of the season. Going very well in the league.

[rancer890]

Looks like you starting to open up a good gap between you and the rest of the field. Guess Stuttgart will have to settle for 2nd then!

[AK22]

Looking very comfortable.

Looking very good so far.Hope you can keep it up.

Great first half of the season. Going very well in the league.

Looks like you starting to open up a good gap between you and the rest of the field. Guess Stuttgart will have to settle for 2nd then!

Thanks, hopefully so! Actually, I do have a bit of a soft-spot for Stuttgart having visited there and toured the stadium. Doesn't mean that I'm going to let them overtake me though!

Give me a B...BGive me an A...AGive me a Y...YGive me an E...EGive me a R...RWhat do you get?Bayer Leverkusen.

Sounds like you've got all the attributes to be a leading cheerleader, Nobby!

[AK22]

Mexico: The Start Of The Road To France 2030

Qualifying for the World Cup is a must for this proud nation, and there shouldn't be any excuses for failing to do so. Unfortunately, this squad is full of complacent, brain-dead morons who just expect to turn up and win. At times, despite their obvious high levels of skill, they find it almost impossible to string a series of passes together, let alone carve out any decent goalscoring chances. To be honest, I'm now at a loss about what to do with this team, and just hope we can bumble through qualification without too many embarrassing defeats along the way.

CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers 3rd Phase Group 1

Group 1

Really, we should have comfortably topped the group, but El Salvador are unstoppable at the moment! They're considerably higher than us in the world rankings too, so I can't be too disappointed that we only finished second. We still easily qualified for the next round though, where we'll have to finish ahead of the likes of USA and Honduras if we want to make it to the World Cup finals.

Team of the Year 2028 | Overall Best XI

[deltablue]

El Salvador!

[Nobby_McDonald]

You lost to El Salvador.

[AK22]

El Salvador!

You lost to El Salvador.

I know! It's epically embarrassing! :o

[AK22]

Leverkusen: Making Our Mark

After having made such an encouraging start to our campaign, I was eager for this form to continue well into the New Year, so that we would remain in a position to contend for honours come the end of the season.

Unfortunately, off the field, things are starting to take a turn for the worse, as the club is running at a serious loss. Even with the Champions League TV revenue, things are looking bleak, so part of my summer project will be to reduce the wage bill, bringing it in line with the club's income totals. There's also a club takeover on the horizon too, as the chairman status is now set to 'will listen to offers'. Ideally, the new owner will pump a bit of money into the club's coffers, helping to alleviate the financial burden, and give me the opportunity to bring a few new faces in.

Finances | Transfer Summary

Bundesliga 2028/29 End of Season

Position Graph | Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2 | Season Summary | Elf des Jahres

We maintained our stranglehold on the league through the winter months and well into the spring, securing the title with a couple of games to go. Being honest, it wasn't ever in a lot of doubt either, especially after strong showings against Dortmund and Schalke, which helped to consolidate our advantage over the chasing pack. Really, it's our goalscoring prowess that set us apart from the rest of the league, having averaged near-enough three goals a game, whilst remaining reasonably secure at the back too. There's still plenty of work to be done in preparation for next season, though, as I would like to improve our consistency and defensive organisation, but I would still imagine that we will be there or thereabouts again next time too.

Leverkusen 5-3 FSV Frankfurt - This eight-goal thriller was a fantastic game for the neutral! Our defending left a lot to be desired though.

Leverkusen 5-0 Dortmund - Surely one of the most one sided six-pointers? A great win over our nearest challengers!

Köln 0-4 Leverkusen - Another derby-day victory. We won't have the pleasure next season, though, as Köln were relegated on the final day.

Leverkusen 4-0 RB Leipzig - Pure class from Hugo, netting a hat-trick on the way to another convincing win.

UEFA Champions League 2028/29

Group Stages (A-D) | Group Stages (E-H) | Fixtures

The knockout rounds were a bit of an anticlimax for us in this season's Champions League, having fallen foul at the first hurdle. To be fair, even if we had got past Atlético Madrid, I'm pretty sure Barcelona would have put us firmly back in our box. Currently, we're nowhere near good enough to be contending in the latter stages of this competition, and will need a much more resolute defence to stand even half a chance in the coming years.

Leverkusen 2-2 At. Madrid - We dominated the first leg, but still let a two goal lead slip. Disappointing.

At. Madrid 5-2 Leverkusen - At 2-2 it was looking good for extra-time, or even a shock victory. However, three goals in nine minutes put pay to any dreams we had of making it to the quarter-final.

Squad Overview

Key Players: Hugo (39 goals), Santos (22 assists), Hilmi Bilgiç (13 assists), Marcelo Pérez (13 goals), Chorão

Fans Player of the Year: Hugo

Team of the Year | Overall Best XI

Hugo was undoubtedly the star of this year's show. Not only did he break the club's goalscoring record, he also broke the Bundesliga record for most goals in a season, too. Throw in the fact he was the leading marksman in the whole of Europe, and it's not difficult to comprehend how vital he was to the team. However, I really shouldn't overlook Santos, who also played a pivotal role in the team's success, earning him the accolade of German Footballer of the Year.

As I've said previously, the squad is probably the best in Germany, but it still doesn't feel like 'my team' yet. Ideally, I will be looking to have a bit of a clear out in the summer, and start rebuilding from the back. I'm not convinced that my two best centre-backs really cut the mustard at Champions League level, so could do with a natural born leader and organiser to galvanise the back four. Sure, the current defenders are good enough to contend with the majority of the Bundesliga's strike-forces, but if we're going to make progress in Europe, we're going to need personnel of a higher calibre. Whether I get the money I need to bring someone of that quality in, that's yet to be seen.

Career Summary

Season     Team              League                     Finish    Cups
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2011/12    Unemployed
2012/13    Kingstonian       Blue Square Bet South      3rd       FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round, FA Trophy 2nd Round
2013/14    Kingstonian       Blue Square Bet Premier    3rd       FA Cup 1st Round, FA Trophy 1st Round
2014/15    Kingstonian       npower League Two          16th      FA Cup 1st Round, Carling Cup 1st Round, JPT 1st Round
2015/16    Kingstonian       npower League Two          17th**    **Resigned 19/12/2015
          Hull City         npower League One          6th       FA Cup 4th Round
2016/17    Hull City         npower League One          1st       FA Cup 1st Round, Carling Cup 1st Round, JPT Winner
2017/18    Hull City         npower Championship        2nd       FA Cup 5th Round, Carling Cup 2nd Round
2018/19    Fulham            Barclays Premier League    5th       FA Cup Semi-Final, Carling Cup Semi-Final
2019/20    Fulham            Barclays Premier League    7th       Europa League 2nd KO Rd, FA Cup 6th Rd, Carling Cup 3rd Rd
2020/21    Fulham            Barclays Premier League    8th**     **Resigned 13/11/2020
          Liverpool         Barclays Premier League    6th       Europa League 1st KO Rd, FA Cup 5th Rd
2021/22    Liverpool         Barclays Premier League    3rd       Europa League Winners, FA Cup 4th Rd, Carling Cup QF
2022/23    Liverpool         Barclays Premier League    1st       Champions League Runner-Up, FA Cup 3rd Rd, Carling Cup QF
2023/24    Liverpool         Barclays Premier League    1st       Champions League SF, FA Cup SF, Carling Cup QF
2024/25    Liverpool         Barclays Premier League    2nd       Champions League Runner-Up, FA Cup SF, Carling Cup Winners
2025/26    Estudiantes       Primera División Apertura  4th       N/A
                            Primera División Clausura  3rd       Copa Argentina QF
2026/27    Estudiantes       Primera División Apertura  1st       Copa Sudamericana SF
                            Primera División Clausura  3rd       Copa Libertadores RU, Copa Argentina 7th Rd
2027/28    Estudiantes       Primera División Apertura  2nd       Copa Sudamericana Winner
                            Primera División Clausura  1st       Copa Libertadores SF, Copa Argentina RU
2028/29    Leverkusen        Bundesliga                 1st       Champions League 1st KO Rd, DFB-Pokal QF

[B.W.G]

Congrats on the title win,unlucky in the Champions League but at least you know what you have work on

[cerud]

Tough beat in the Champions League, but its good to know where you stand and what you need to do. Domestic is good, now to concentration on Continental.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Great start with Bayer Leverkusen.

[jaycar]

AK mind sharing your tactical settings? NEVER got a 442 diamond to work properly!

[SnakeXe]

AK mind sharing your tactical settings? NEVER got a 442 diamond to work properly!

I found the opposite, I got it working with pretty much the default settings. Mind you that was in Argentina, where the normal accepted rules of football are irrelevant because everyone spends 90 minutes attacking in every match.

[SRL88]

I like the 4-4-2 Diamond as well. Worked a treat for me in Germany with Hoffenheim. Check the Hoffenheim team thread out in the GPTG if you want to see mine.

[AK22]

Congrats on the title win,unlucky in the Champions League but at least you know what you have work on

Tough beat in the Champions League, but its good to know where you stand and what you need to do. Domestic is good, now to concentration on Continental.

Great start with Bayer Leverkusen.

Cheers guys I've signed a couple of cracking centre-backs in preparation for the new season. Hopefully, they'll be the foundations I need for an improved Champions League performance next time around.

[rancer890]

Solid work AK22. Hope all this winning this early won't get you bored with Leverkusen.

[AK22]

AK mind sharing your tactical settings? NEVER got a 442 diamond to work properly!

I found the opposite, I got it working with pretty much the default settings. Mind you that was in Argentina, where the normal accepted rules of football are irrelevant because everyone spends 90 minutes attacking in every match.

I like the 4-4-2 Diamond as well. Worked a treat for me in Germany with Hoffenheim. Check the Hoffenheim team thread out in the GPTG if you want to see mine.

With the right players, I've found a 4-4-2 diamond very effective.

Here's my current set-up at Leverkusen:

TBH, it's pretty basic, and in the main, the players have the default settings created from the tactics creator. From an attacking perspective, I encourage the two strikers to push the defence back, hence why they are both on attack duty, so that the space is created in 'the hole' for the playmaker (Santos) to thrive in. I also have the two front men swapping position, meaning that it is a more dynamic attack that can cause confusion in the opposition defence. The AMC's main duty is just to sit there and play the killer balls that the poacher can latch on to; I'm not overly interested in him bombing forward, as three central players in the box will tend to get in each others way.

Defensively, it's still a work in progress. Last season, I was disappointed by the amount of goals we shipped, three or four per game at times. Even with an anchor man protecting the centre-backs, we were susceptible to the counter-attack, and often struggled to regain possession when losing the ball high up the pitch. Part of this, I'm sure, was down to personnel, and with two new centre-backs joining the club in the summer, I'm feeling confident that we will be more resolute next season. I've also adjusted the mentality of the two centre backs, reverting from a stopper-cover combination to a defend-defend. Although this may put us more at risk from through balls from the midfield, I'm hoping that the defence will work in a more united cohesive unit.

One other point to note; even though the tactics above shows closing down on 'default', I will increase this to 'press more' throughout the course of the game. By doing this, I find it counter-balances the fact that we play with no natural central-midfielders, and at times, will need to minimise the amount of space available in the centre of the park.

[AK22]

Solid work AK22. Hope all this winning this early won't get you bored with Leverkusen.

Thanks rancer. I'm looking at Champions League victory as the long term goal, and we're still a good couple of seasons off getting close to that, so I'll be sticking around for now!

[jaycar]

Thanks for that Ak, and you other lads that replied re the diamond, I'll have a good play see what happens. :-)

[deltablue]

Thanks rancer. I'm looking at Champions League victory as the long term goal, and we're still a good couple of seasons off getting close to that, so I'll be sticking around for now!

I'm about to stick money on it.

[AK22]

Mexico: A Summer To Forget

With the World Cup qualifying campaign not going 100% to plan, I was looking for a good showing from the side over the course of the two competitions we would be entered into this summer. In particular, due to the class of nations entered, the Confederation Cup would give us a good indication of what would be realistic expectations if we do secure our passage to the 2030 World Cup.

FIFA Confederations Cup 2029

Group Stages

Spain 1-1 Mexico - Not a bad start by us. Spain aren't the all-dominant side they used to be, but it was still a solid point against tough opposition.

Mexico 0-2 Italy - This was a hugely demoralising 90 minutes; having dominated the game, Italy totally robbed the points off of us.

Mexico 0-0 China - Again we should have won, but just couldn't make the crucial breakthrough.

We definitely drew the short straw when the group stages were announced, having to face both Italy and Spain in the opening games. However, all three games were settled by very fine margins, and if we had had our shooting boots on, it was conceivable that we could have won at least two of the matches. Alas, it was, again, our lack of goals that signalled our demise, and saw us crash out in the group stages. The FA wanted us to reach the semi-final, so they're not too happy either!

Knockout Rounds

Overview

Surprisingly, both the European nations failed to reach the final, where China took a shock victory over Uruguay.

CONCACAF Gold Cup

Group Stages

Mexico 0-1 Costa Rica -Not the start I was hoping for. They had one shot all game, and of course, they scored from it! Grrr!

Bermuda 0-5 Mexico - It was as one-sided as the scoreline suggested. This is the type of performance we should be putting in every time.

Mexico 1-2 Guatemala - Another shambles, made even worse by a final minute winner from our opposition.

Knockout Rounds

USA 0-1 Mexico - We had to wait until extra-time to make the breakthrough, but we were still good value for the victory.

Mexico 0-1 Guatemala - Seven players booked, and one sent off; we totally lost our cool in the semi-final, and found ourselves humbled by Guatemala once again.

I don't know what I'm more embarrassed about; the fact that we only just scraped through a routine group stage, or that we crashed out to Guatemala in the semi-final. Having been the favourites, and defending champions, our performance in this competition has been nothing short of totally unacceptable. Factor in our poor show in the Confeds Cup too, and I'm amazed that the Mexican FA haven't handed me my P45. Remarkably, I've got a stay of execution for now, and will need to see a huge improvement in the rest of the World Cup qualifying campaign if I'm going to remain in my position for too much longer. Not that I'm particularly confident of seeing that happen, as to be honest, I'm at a complete loss to explain why we've been so poor, and don't see any easy fixes that will show any immediate improvement.

[deltablue]

I'm not getting my hopes up.

[chile_paul]

Ouch! Can't imagine the Mexican media are giving you an easy ride at the minute!

[AK22]

I'm not getting my hopes up.

Ha, I wouldn't go putting money on it

Ouch! Can't imagine the Mexican media are giving you an easy ride at the minute!

It's pretty safe to say that I'm hardly 'Flavour of the Month' at the moment. I'm sure all will be forgiven if we make it to the World Cup, though

[AK22]

Leverkusen: Pre-Season 2029/30

We were good last season, so I'm expecting another strong showing domestically this time around. The big project will be to make this club one of the best in Europe, and capable of challenging for Champions League honours in a few years time. Unfortunately, German sides haven't been particularly successful in recent continental competitions, with only Dortmund making a final appearance back in 2026. Due to this, there is the very prevalent threat of the Russian Prem'er Liga overtaking the Bundesliga and becoming the fifth best league in Europe, so it's not just down to us to improve our performances; the other German representatives also need to raise their game too.

Board Expectations

Bundesliga: Challenge for the title

UEFA Champions League: Reach the First Knockout Round

DFB-Pokal: Not important

DFL-Supercup: Not important

Media Prediction: 1st

Transfer Budget: £1.26m

Wage Budget: £1.2m per week (currently spending £1.1m per week)

Transfer Summary

Key Signings: Iván Hernández (DC) £3m, Daniel Dladla (DC) £4m, Boris Reutershahn (AMC) Free

I'm a bit disappointed by the meagre transfer budget allocated to me this season, so I've been unable to make as many signings as I would have liked. However, there was still enough to do a bit of wheeling-dealing, and I've prioritised the signing of a couple of centre-backs, who look the real deal, and will hopefully tighten the defence.

[deltablue]

Look like excellent deals.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Lost to Guatemala again.

[SRL88]

A poor couple of tournaments with Mexico....especially with China getting through the group stage and being knocked out by Guatemala :confused:.

[AK22]

Look like excellent deals.

Thanks delta. Given the lack of money available, I feel I've done a reasonable job bargain-hunting!

Lost to Guatemala again.

A poor couple of tournaments with Mexico....especially with China getting through the group stage and being knocked out by Guatemala :confused:.

I really hate Guatemala!! Since taking over the Mexican national side, my record against them stands at played 4, lost 3, drawn 1. Terrible! :o

[AK22]

So, I've had worse job offers...

I did half consider it, but don't really want to be leaving Deutschland yet.

[AK22]

Leverkusen: Keeping It Consistent

After having such a strong first year at the club, it was important that we didn't become complacent this season, and lose our grip on the Bundesliga trophy. Obviously, I will be looking for a bit more progress in the Champions League this time around, but I still feel that the league is the main priority, and wouldn't want to sacrifice our domestic form for European glory. Tactically, it's still the same too, playing a 4-4-2 diamond in the majority of matches. Simply put; this worked last season, so I've got no reason to change things at this current moment in time.

Bundesliga 2029/30 Winter Break

Fixtures

Not quite as convincing as this time last season, where we had a seven point advantage at the half way stage, but we've still done enough to be top of the tree at Christmas. Dortmund and Stuttgart both look capable of putting in a title challenge, and considering we've already dropped points against both teams this season, they could easily close the gap on us in the spring. Most surprisingly, is the demise of Bayern Munich, who find themselves down in seventh place, and twelve points off the pace. They're still comfortably the richest club in the land, so it's quite a shock that they can't put together a team that could challenge for the title.

Leverkusen 5-0 Freiburg - What a way to start our title defence, with Hugo picking up from where he left off last season!

Leverkusen 5-0 Hoffenheim - Another dominant performance, another Hugo hat-trick.

Stuttgart 4-0 Leverkusen - We crashed back down to earth with this demoralising defeat to one of our challengers.

Werder Bremen 1-4 Leverkusen - Our best performance on the road so far.

UEFA Champions League 2029/30 Group Stages (Group F)

Fixtures

We were second seeds again, so I wasn't overly confident that we would top the group, especially with Man Utd being the top seeds. However, due to results between the two teams, we, somehow, managed to secure first place, and a tie against Arsenal in the next round.

Leverkusen 3-1 Man Utd - A great win over the top seeds, even though we weren't the better team on the day.

Man Utd 2-1 Leverkusen - Possibly the dirtiest match I've seen; 14 bookings and two red cards!

Bari 1-3 Leverkusen - This looked a tricky game on paper, but in the end, it was a more than comfortable victory.

[AK22]

Mexico: Meeting Expectations

After our shocking summer, it was crucial that we completed the job in our World Cup qualifying campaign. I'm only just hanging on to my job by the skin of my teeth, so failing to qualify would surely be the final nail in my coffin. I've gone back to basics tactics wise, lining up with a bog standard 4-4-2. To be honest, performances can't get much worse.

FIFA World Cup CONCACAF Qualifiers 4th Phase

Considering the precarious nature of my job status, you could say I was relieved to qualify as group winners! We still can't beat bloody Guatemala though, as they continue to be a constant thorn in our sides, being the only side that we dropped points against in the qualifying campaign. Asides from that, it's very much 'job done', so we can now look forward to a trip to France in the summer.

Mexico 4-0 USA - USA are pretty crap now, so it's no big surprise that we comfortably beat them by four goals.

Guatemala 1-0 Mexico - Aargh! Why can't we beat them?! They totally bossed us too!

USA 1-2 Mexico - A solid away win against our rivals.

Mexico 2-2 Guatemala - A huge crowd saw the most one-sided of matches to end in a 2-2 draw!

Team of the Year 2029 | Best Overall XI

[deltablue]

USA bottom? Excellent. And far better this time. You're half-forgiven.

[rancer890]

Why is USA so crappy in your save? (and Canada didn't make it to the Hex )

[Pooku]

I love that in the screenshot for Hernandez he has reacted badly to a recent comment. Nice of you to make him welcome

[B.W.G]

Looking very strong on both domestic and international fronts.Keep up the good work

[cerud]

Looking good all over the place. That Man Utd. match was crazy with the number of cards!

[AK22]

USA bottom? Excellent. And far better this time. You're half-forgiven.

Why is USA so crappy in your save? (and Canada didn't make it to the Hex )

USA have been pathetic recently! I've even got the MLS loaded, so I would have expected them to stay as one of the CONCACAF powerhouses. They're down to 70th in the World Rankings now, just above Trinidad and Tobago!

Canada were in the same group as Guatemala and Honduras, and everyone knows that you can't beat Guatemala!

I love that in the screenshot for Hernandez he has reacted badly to a recent comment. Nice of you to make him welcome

Well, I like them to know who's boss from day one! There's no point bigging them up from the get-go!

Looking very strong on both domestic and international fronts.Keep up the good work

Looking good all over the place. That Man Utd. match was crazy with the number of cards!

Cheers fellas! The Man Utd game was a bit of a bloodbath, but as it was such a pivotal game for both teams, I wouldn't have expected anything less. Anyway, it kept the referee busy!!

[AK22]

Leverkusen: The Unexpected Successes

With the improvement in the club's finance, this season, the board have agreed my requests to improve the training and youth facilities. They've also deemed it appropriate to expand the stadium by 5111 seats too, so next season we'll boast a capacity of 65000, the third highest in the division (behind Bayern Munich and Dortmund). All of this is extremely good news, and will help to ensure we continue to grow the stature of the club into one of the major forces in European football.

Finances | Transfer Summary

Bundesliga 2029/30 End of Season

Position Graph | Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2 | Season Summary | Elf des Jahres

After having a three point advantage at the half way stage, I was delighted that we managed to extend this to nine with only a handful of games remaining. Dortmund gave us a good fight, but ultimately could not get close enough to us to put us under any severe pressure, meaning that we had the league title sewn up with two matches left to play.

We, perhaps, haven't been as pleasing on the eye as last season, having scored 16 less goals than the previous term, but we've definitely been good enough value for our success. Other positives for the season include our improved defence, as we haven't had as many high-scoring thrillers, and the fact we've been good at grinding out results from adverse positions. All-in-all, a very solid trophy-defending campaign.

Freiburg 1-4 Leverkusen - Our first game after the break, and we continued where we left off.

Dortmund 1-0 Leverkusen - A tough six-pointer, where we were played off the park by our nearest challengers.

Leverkusen 6-0 Gladbach - One of the performances of the season. Hugo scored another hat-trick.

Leverkusen 3-2 Stuttgart - A true battle of a match, which saw us take the lead twice, only to be pegged back within two minutes twice.

Leverkusen 1-1 Werder Bremen - This was the point that secured us the title with two more games left to play.

DFB-Pokal - I may have heavily rotated the team in the early rounds, but getting to the final certainly did enough to grab my attention to this competition. A full strength team took the field for the final against Gladbach, and with the help of extra-time, we lifted the trophy for the first time in twelve seasons. This certainly wasn't the highlight of our season, but was still a good accolade to achieve, and adds another winners medal to my increasingly collection.

Gladbach 0-2 Leverkusen - Gladbach missed a penalty, and their opportunity to pull off a shock victory. We punished them in extra-time, with Hugo scoring the crucial goals.

UEFA Champions League 2029/30

Group Stages (A-D) | Group Stages (E-H) | Fixtures | Champions League Dream Team

What a unbelievable triumph this was, making it a treble-winning season!

I certainly didn't expect to make it all the way to the final, but after scraping past Arsenal in the First Knockout Round, I was quietly confident that we could at least make the final four. Celtic were a lot tougher than I expected, maybe I under-estimated them, but we were still comfortable winners over the two legs. This set up a mouth-watering semi-final against the great Barcelona, where we put in two top-drawer performances to pull off the shock of the season, and secure our place in the final.

Of course, I'd been to the final of the Champions League before. Twice, in fact, with Liverpool, and had lost them both, the latter time courtesy of an AC Milan victory, so I was determined to make it third time lucky and avenge my previous disappointments! We started the game slowly, and quickly found ourselves a goal down. However, seven magical minutes saw Santos score a brace, turning the tie on it's head. We held Milan off for the remaining 25 minutes, even seeing the game out with ten men, and lifted 'Big Ears' for the first time in the club's history.

Arsenal 1-1 Leverkusen - A tough first leg, so I was delighted to go back to Germany level-pegging.

Leverkusen 2-0 Arsenal - Bit of a snatch 'n' grab, but a great result.

Celtic 1-1 Leverkusen - Our trip to Scotland didn't quite go to plan, but having scored an early away goal, it was always likely that we would still go through.

Leverkusen 2-0 Barcelona - A confident first leg performance, putting us in a commanding position for the return match.

Barcelona 2-3 Leverkusen - The shock of the season! Barcelona will feel hard done by, as we clinical took our chances when they came along.

AC Milan 1-2 Leverkusen - Such an uncomfortable match to watch! Thankfully, Santos earned himself legendary status by scoring the goals that won the trophy.

Squad Overview

Key Players: Hugo (37 goals), Santos (20 assists), Chorão (Av R 7.41), Lamari Mazari (22 clean sheets)

Fans Player of the Year: Hugo

Team of the Year | Overall Best XI

Undoubtedly, the key to our success this season was the improvement to our defence, with the signings of Daniel Dladla and Iván Hernández being the two individuals that made the most amount of difference; it's really quite staggering that they only cost me a combined £7m! We've also had more than our fair share of good luck on the injury front too, as I've had the luxury of a full squad to choose from in the majority of matches, so we've been able to keep the team fresh and vitalised throughout the course of the season. I can honestly say that there was no point this season where I could validly had a small grumble about the players unavailable for selection.

Going forward, there's still areas I'd like to improve upon. As well as looking to strengthen the wide areas of fullbacks and midfield, I'm also looking to add another proven goalscorer to the ranks. I think we've become heavily reliant on Hugo to produce the goods on a week-by-week basis, and even though he's in the form of his life, his deputies just don't seem clinical enough to step in when needed. If he gets a long-term injury, it could possibly ruin our whole season.

Career Summary

Season     Team              League                     Finish    Cups
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2011/12    Unemployed
2012/13    Kingstonian       Blue Square Bet South      3rd       FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round, FA Trophy 2nd Round
2013/14    Kingstonian       Blue Square Bet Premier    3rd       FA Cup 1st Round, FA Trophy 1st Round
2014/15    Kingstonian       npower League Two          16th      FA Cup 1st Round, Carling Cup 1st Round, JPT 1st Round
2015/16    Kingstonian       npower League Two          17th**    **Resigned 19/12/2015
          Hull City         npower League One          6th       FA Cup 4th Round
2016/17    Hull City         npower League One          1st       FA Cup 1st Round, Carling Cup 1st Round, JPT Winner
2017/18    Hull City         npower Championship        2nd       FA Cup 5th Round, Carling Cup 2nd Round
2018/19    Fulham            Barclays Premier League    5th       FA Cup Semi-Final, Carling Cup Semi-Final
2019/20    Fulham            Barclays Premier League    7th       Europa League 2nd KO Rd, FA Cup 6th Rd, Carling Cup 3rd Rd
2020/21    Fulham            Barclays Premier League    8th**     **Resigned 13/11/2020
          Liverpool         Barclays Premier League    6th       Europa League 1st KO Rd, FA Cup 5th Rd
2021/22    Liverpool         Barclays Premier League    3rd       Europa League Winners, FA Cup 4th Rd, Carling Cup QF
2022/23    Liverpool         Barclays Premier League    1st       Champions League Runner-Up, FA Cup 3rd Rd, Carling Cup QF
2023/24    Liverpool         Barclays Premier League    1st       Champions League SF, FA Cup SF, Carling Cup QF
2024/25    Liverpool         Barclays Premier League    2nd       Champions League Runner-Up, FA Cup SF, Carling Cup Winners
2025/26    Estudiantes       Primera División Apertura  4th       N/A
                            Primera División Clausura  3rd       Copa Argentina QF
2026/27    Estudiantes       Primera División Apertura  1st       Copa Sudamericana SF
                            Primera División Clausura  3rd       Copa Libertadores RU, Copa Argentina 7th Rd
2027/28    Estudiantes       Primera División Apertura  2nd       Copa Sudamericana Winner
                            Primera División Clausura  1st       Copa Libertadores SF, Copa Argentina RU
2028/29    Leverkusen        Bundesliga                 1st       Champions League 1st KO Rd, DFB-Pokal QF
2029/30    Leverkusen        Bundesliga                 1st       Champions League Winners, DFB-Pokal Winners

[deltablue]

Great treble given you were nowhere near the pokal or CL last year, so great winning jumps forward in both.

[B.W.G]

Congrats on an amazing season

[Niebiescy]

Just read the whole thread. Looks like you've had a great career. I'd recommend leaving Germany soon. It's great fun to play there for a bit, but the Bundesliga is just too easy to win on FM. I'd suggest Italy as a far better challenge due to there being less money unless you fancy Spain (non Barca, Real, Valencia, Malaga, Atleti teams).

[cerud]

Great seasons! Congrats on the Champions League as well as the dometic title.

[SRL88]

Cracking season mate.

[HotChocolate]

I've missed a lot, great work with Leverkusen!

[AK22]

Great treble given you were nowhere near the pokal or CL last year, so great winning jumps forward in both.

I certainly didn't see it coming based on last season's performances! However, I'm concerned that we may have peaked now, and probably won't be able to match it again.

Congrats on an amazing season

Great seasons! Congrats on the Champions League as well as the dometic title.

Cracking season mate.

I've missed a lot, great work with Leverkusen!

Thanks chaps! It was a great season, unlikely to be repeated. I am delighted to have broken my Champions League hoodoo though

Just read the whole thread. Looks like you've had a great career. I'd recommend leaving Germany soon. It's great fun to play there for a bit, but the Bundesliga is just too easy to win on FM. I'd suggest Italy as a far better challenge due to there being less money unless you fancy Spain (non Barca, Real, Valencia, Malaga, Atleti teams).

Yeah, I tend to agree with you Niebiescy.

Even though I've still got another three seasons left to run on my current contract with Leverkusen, I'd be amazed if I see it out to the end. We're pretty dominant domestically now, so the main challenge this coming season will be to defend the Champions League trophy. Saying that, I do enjoy the German Leagues, with it's 34 games per season and only one cup competition, so I'm in no immediate rush to jump ship. However, when I do eventually leave Leverkusen, Spain and Italy are certainly on the radar for my next destination.

[AK22]

Mexico: A Fortnight In Italy

So, we finally made it to Italy 2030, virtually unscathed from our qualifying campaign. The FA wanted us to reach the second round, which was a pretty realistic expectation, but given our flaky previous performances, I couldn't take it for granted that we would get out of our group.

Fortunately, I was able to select the strongest possible squad, favouring the majority of players who helped secure our passage to the final.

Squad Overview

FIFA World Cup 2030

Group Stages

Mexico 0-0 Columbia - Columbia are now one of the best teams in the world, so there was no shame in taking away just a point in our opening fixture.

China 1-1 Mexico - The winners of the Confederations Cup were up next, and once again, a draw was a fair enough result.

Croatia 2-3 Mexico - A must win match, and that we did. Just. Omar Diaz scored a great hat-trick, which ensured we went through to the next round as group runners-up.

A few shocks in the groups, with Brazil, Netherlands, Portugal and England all having shocking campaigns. Even France struggled to get through, having to rely on their slightly superior goal difference to advance to the next stage.

Knockout Rounds

Italy 2-0 Mexico - If we had won the group, we would have got Tunisia. Unfortunately for us, we didn't, and had the tough ask of having to face the hosts. Italy were just too good for us, comfortably winning by two goals, and sending us packing back home.

What a tournament! Not just to first ever African finalists, but also the first ever all-African final; Mali triumphed with a 2-0 victory over Cameroon.

FIFA World Cup Dream Team