[FM 17] If You’re Not First, You’re Last Redux – Redemption For The “Nearly Men” Of Europe

[BoxToBox]

Ouch...

[Willigenburg]

"Cos I'm falling free"... Damn

[ManUtd1]

A bit of breathing room, with a 3-0 win over newly-promoted Brescia.  

I doubt that the switch to Grapefruit 2.0 (the very fluid 4-4-1-1 posted above) really had a ton to do with it.  Switch isn't the right word, though, as it's been one of the tactics I'm training since abandoning PM Libre.  I'm going to stick with 2.0 and avoiding the nearly-overwhelming urgeto revamp my tactics More turmoil is not what we need right now.

[ManUtd1]

Should I be concerned that a suspected 'Ndrangheta Quintino made a point of hugging me like I was his own son after this win?

This is nuts.  But, I'm not going to complain.

[ManUtd1]

Only a cold handshake in Sicily tonight...that was...disconcerting.

Why was he here, anyways...?  

Lucio?  Lucio!  Go start Il Mister's car, ok?!  That's a good lad.  No, no.  I'll catch up in a minute.

[ManUtd1]

As Rugi slots home a penalty in the 67th minute to give us a 3-0 lead over Salernitana at the Artermio Franchi, I start to breath easy again.  Only to catch the Quintino out of the corner of my eye, staring at me intently.  He nods ever so slightly.  On the upswing.  For now.

LUCIO!!!!  How would like to work for Il Mister, full time?

[ManUtd1]

A bastard of a 2-2 draw at Inter is followed by another solid win over the Brits.  What the actual **** is going on?!  

Grapefruit 2.0 FTW.

The Quintino invited me to his house, saying he wants to introduce me to his daughter.  I dare not say no.  This is one task I can't delegate to poor, naive Lucio.

[ManUtd1]

[ManUtd1]

Now that's more like it.  As 2023 draws to a close, we're back where we belong.  Our league form has recovered, and we managed to top our Group in the Europa League, thanks to Everton's wildly inconsistent form.

We're primed for a run at the top 4, and a return to the Champions League.  Gods, how I miss it.  A mere 6 points off Torino's pace.  But, Juve and Inter are lurking in the background and will also be trying to catch up.  Sampdoria is up next in the TIM Cup.

We'll also be returning to the Ukraine for the Europa League knockout rounds.  The lads all know how a run here can set us up for success in the Champions League.

Appollonia Vitelli...Gods, I didn't see that thunderbolt coming, but it hit me.  As sure as I'm breathing.  Her father terrifies me, with his jokes about burying me in a shallow, unmarked grave.  Not funny, Papa.  Not funny at all.  But Appollonia...she's worth it.

Edited December 21, 2016 by ManUtd1
Added screenshot of fixture list

[BoxToBox]

Looks like you can crack on, best thing about a young team like this is that as the season goes on they're better players than at the start.

The hell is wrong with Bayern, though?

[the--dud]

Looks like you have stabilised quite nicely now. The table does look real messy though so I wouldn't take anything for granted just yet

[Joe.]

Ah, it's usually at this stage when I'm picking up confidence that it all goes to pot.. Hopefully you can keep it up!

[ManUtd1]

53 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Looks like you can crack on, best thing about a young team like this is that as the season goes on they're better players than at the start.

The hell is wrong with Bayern, though?

Absolutely. I expect to have a good second half, and hope that translates into results.

This is the second year in a row where they've been crap-tastically inconsistent. They were as low as 11th in the Bundesliga last year, mid-season!

21 minutes ago, the--dud said:

Looks like you have stabilised quite nicely now. The table does look real messy though so I wouldn't take anything for granted just yet

The table is an utter mess. Should make for an interesting few months! I just hope we hold our form.

10 minutes ago, Joe. said:

Ah, it's usually at this stage when I'm picking up confidence that it all goes to pot.. Hopefully you can keep it up!

Exactly what happened in early September!  At least I knew it was my fault. It was looking bleak there before things finally started clicking. 

Thanks for reading, guys, as always 

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

Good to see that you've escaped that run of bad results.

You know what they say, any manager can go on a good run of form, but only the good ones can end a poor one.

Also, who's dominating the Bundesliga now that Bayern are out of it?

[ManUtd1]

55 minutes ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Good to see that you've escaped that run of bad results.

You know what they say, any manager can go on a good run of form, but only the good ones can end a poor one.

Also, who's dominating the Bundesliga now that Bayern are out of it?

Thanks, man.

Bayern hit quite the rough patch in 2022-23, after having dominated the Bundesliga thus far.  They recovered and managed to finish 5th, but are struggling again this season.  The current Bundesliga overview:

2022-23 Bundesliga fixtures, table and manager history:

  

2023-24 fixtures to date:

Bottom line is that they were an utter shambles under Allegri (who is now back at AC Milan), and have yet to recover.

[ManUtd1]

For some reason, Brendan Rodgers really likes me.  This creeps me out a little bit.

Edited December 21, 2016 by ManUtd1

[BoxToBox]

It's all well and good until you show great character.

[Cardiovascular]

Read this from start to finish and I've laughed alot. Brilliant career thread! #IsVeryGoodYes

[ManUtd1]

8 minutes ago, Cardiovascular said:

Read this from start to finish and I've laughed alot. Brilliant career thread! #IsVeryGoodYes

Thanks for reading!  Sometimes I worry about getting too caught up in the little, insane things going on in the background...I just hope one person gets a chuckle out of them!  Juan Mata's upscale men's salon (Gato Con Guantes!) has to be one of the most absurd things that has ever crossed my mind.

#HammarDropped

[ManUtd1]

Is it just me, or does Mattia Perin look like the drummer for a Spinal Tap tribute band?

 

[ManUtd1]

Altogether, that was a great start to the year.  I don't really care about the TIM Cup, and fielded my 2nd XI so that the starters could rest for Juve.  

The loss to Juve was painful, as we were right there in the match. Their 2nd came as we pushed forward seeking an equalizer.  Regardless, we're in good shape.  4 points off Chievo for a spot in the CL.  The entire league remains inconsistent as hell, and Juventus has been struggling to make any headway.  I figure it's a three-horse race for the title, and we'll be battling for 4th.  

Edit: Roma and Napoli (away) are up next.  Let's do this.

Edited December 21, 2016 by ManUtd1

[BoxToBox]

42 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

Is it just me, or does Mattia Perin look like the drummer for a Spinal Tap tribute band?

 

He looks like he belongs in every death metal band ever.

[ManUtd1]

5 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

He looks like he belongs in every death metal band ever.

I'll have to talk with Ludwig about him sitting in with Sonic Death Penguin.

[Areolys]

11 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

I'll have to talk with Ludwig about him sitting in with Sonic Death Penguin.

31... Yeah, he's ready to retire and become a Rockstar. I mean, if you get to pick between Milan and Sonic Death Penguin... Nobody would pick Milan. Ever. 

[ManUtd1]

"Let 'em riot. We can take it.  We're Sonic-f*****'-Death Penguin." 

 

Edited December 21, 2016 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

1 point from 6 against the top 2.  Not good enough.  But this year was never about the Serie A title.  It was about qualifying for the Champions League.  Into the stretch run we go, having played Roma, Napoli, Juve and Milan both home and away.  We can do this.

[ManUtd1]

Last update before the final run-in...a tremendous month of February.  

We annihilated Dynamo Kiev and their libero tactic.  After having my wings exploited under PM Libre, I added in "exploit the flanks" instructions as a bit of karmic revenge.  We were clinical in the first leg, and solid in the 2nd.

We've drawn Feyenoord in the next round, which I'm happy with.  Definitely a side we can beat.

Domestically, we're 3 points off of a CL spot.  The more general, league-wide inconsistency continues as teams are dropping points they should never drop.  Juventus are starting to crawl up the table, though.

We have a relatively straightforward run to the end of the season.  The biggest fish are off of our calendar, with trips to Torino and Chievo on the horizon.

The next substantive update will be the full-blown 2023-24 Season Review.

[ManUtd1]

Ok, I lied.  Another round and things are getting tasty.

2 points separate 3rd-6th.  It's a two-horse race for the title.  Juve is lurking with that game in hand.

Edited December 22, 2016 by ManUtd1
I can't count past 2

[ManUtd1]

A straightforward win, but our rivals drop points.  The dream lives on.  Nothing but warm hugs from Papa Quintino tonight...although he really hates it when I call him that.

[ManUtd1]

[ManUtd1]

I may need to have a word with our keeper coach.

Injured his neck while catching the ball...what the actual **** were you doing with him on the eve of a Europa League tie, with Inter sandwiched in between?

FFS, Guiseppe, in TRAINING?!?

[ManUtd1]

I know I said I wasn't going to post anymore updates. I know.

Wait...but...well...yes.  But, the tension is killing me.

We were wasteful in Holland, but the Football Gods looked kindly upon us mid-week.  A solid win over Inter...coupled with Milan getting hammered at home...meant we're in the lofty heights of 3rd.  An automatic slot in the Group Stage is in the cards.

But, first we have to try and overturn a 2-goal deficit against the Dutch...with the Torino match on only 2 days' rest

[BoxToBox]

Goalkeepers get a crazy amount of injuries this year. Lots of broken fingers from trying to stop shots.

[ManUtd1]

This post is brought to you by Phil Connors, with an assist from Microsoft.

I got the blue screen of death, and had to reload my last save (after the first leg of the Feyenoord tie).  Ugh.  We beat Inter, but Milan beat Atalanta.  So we're actually in 4th.  Ugh.

[hasdgfas]

Just found this thread today. It's brilliant. I definitely need to read last year's. Keep up the good work!

[ManUtd1]

Oof...we're out of Europe.

We hit the post 5 times, 4 times in the first 20 minutes.  Guess that confidence was a little misplaced...but at least we can focus on the Serie A now, and try to finish in the CL spots.

[ManUtd1]

32 minutes ago, hasdgfas said:

Just found this thread today. It's brilliant. I definitely need to read last year's. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for reading, @hasdgfas!  Hope you continue to enjoy the ride 

[Areolys]

1 minute ago, ManUtd1 said:

Oof...we're out of Europe.

We hit the post 5 times, 4 times in the first 20 minutes.  Guess that confidence was a little misplaced...but at least we can focus on the Serie A now, and try to finish in the CL spots.

 

 You'll be back next year. Bigger and stronger. And probably with more Grapefruits!

[ManUtd1]

Just now, Areolys said:

 You'll be back next year. Bigger and stronger. And probably with more Grapefruits!

That's the spirit!  Papa Quintino won't tolerate anything less.  He keeps telling me that his import/export business is really taking off.

[ManUtd1]

A terrible, horrible, no-good very bad day sees us draw against 10-man Torino...yet somehow manage to gain a point on our rivals.

Papa just gives me a knowing wink as Appollonia rushes out to greet and console me.  

[BoxToBox]

12 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

That's the spirit!  Papa Quintino won't tolerate anything less.  He keeps telling me that his import/export business is really taking off.

There's a reason we don't touch the Swiss stuff.

[ManUtd1]

2 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

There's a reason we don't touch the Swiss stuff.

I genuinely don't remember Italy being this frickin mad.  It's delightful.

[BoxToBox]

1 minute ago, ManUtd1 said:

I genuinely don't remember Italy being this frickin mad.  It's delightful.

It's my favourite of the big countries to manage in. Usually Sassuolo, but I've had good times at Avellino(in that Pogba broke his leg, lost a lot of pace, and Juve sold him to us on the cheap, cheap for Pogba that is, and I pretty much turned him into our Cantona), but I had a good save at Fiorentina too.

[ManUtd1]

Nice, man.  I haven't really played here in a while.  Things continue to be interesting, but I'm going to keep quiet about it until the end of the season...per my promise up above...which means I'll probably be back posting in 20 minutes.  30, tops.

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

Ugh, shame about Feynoord. I think you had a chance of beating any one of those teams in that competition.

Nice to see that things are going well over in Italia though. Best of luck getting your top three finish.

[ManUtd1]

Bleh...holidays and work. Hoping to get a good season in this evening!

[Areolys]

you manage to play a whole season in one evening?! It takes me two whole days per season :/

[ManUtd1]

Hah!  I meant "session" but my phone was feeling a bit more ambitious!  

[ManUtd1]

Alright...we had quite the run-in.  Our run of good form generally continued, although the general madness was also present...a week-by-week recap follows.

 

Week 31 saw us draw 1-1 away to Torino, while Chievo and Milan dropped points.  All alone in 4th.

 

The following week, we knocked off Lazio and moved into 3rd, thanks to Milan dropping points at the San Siro against 20th place Brescia.

  

A hard-fought away win away to Bologna followed, with Milan losing at Palermo the following day.  Our grip on 3rd was tightening! Roma also dropped points to make things interesting at the top.

  

So much for that tight grip on 3rd, as we travel to Verona for a scoreless draw against Chievo.  But Milan conspire to lose at home to Salernitana!  And Roma lose away to Brescia!  Suddenly, we're only 7 points off the top of the table with 4 matches left...and 5 points clear of Milan for automatic qualification into the CL Group Stage...

 

So, of course, that meant that we had to blow a lead at home against Parma.  Leaving us with a 3-point gap, with 3 to play.  Brescia, the giant-killers, draw at Napoli...but Roma fail to capitalize and can only draw.

  

A close win over Sassuolo means that we're guaranteed to play Champions League football next year!  Napoli drop points to give Roma a 4 point lead, with 2 matches to play.  Milan knocks off 5th place Torino, to leave them 1 point above their Turin rivals (and we all know what's going to happen here...).

  

At home to Udinese...we beat Milan twice, so we hold the tiebreaker.  Win, and we're guaranteed to finish 3rd.  Instead, we need Dias' 92nd minute goal to salvage a draw.  But, Milan drew away to Lazio, so we're confirmed 3rd!  Elsewhere, Napoli draw at Salernitana in the early match, giving Roma a chance to seize the league...which they promptly blow at Inter.  And, Juventus knocked off Torino to leapfrog their cross-Turin rivals.

  

In the final round, we suffer a disappointing loss to Sampdoria.  But it is a completely irrelevant result.  Milan had drawn the day before, and we already had 3rd locked up.  Roma and Napoli both won, leaving Roma 3 points clear and Champions.  Brescia's giant-killing efforts were for naught.

The full season review will follow.  This was quite the run-in, at the tail end of an already bonkers year.

Edited December 24, 2016 by ManUtd1

[Areolys]

Nice season finish! 

Looks like you're ready for the quarter finals next year. (Although I wouldn't be surprised if you went ahead and just won the whole damn thing next year. The way you're going everything seems possible )