Alianza Atletico: Vamos Los Churres

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After my laptop died ahead of its time I lost all my data and I don’t have the heart right now to start again with King’s Lynn so I began to look around for another challenge and I decided after spending 6 years in Peru I should honour my adopted homeland.  I lived in a beach town in the north and after a brief look I found the nearest professional club to my beloved Mancora.

 

 

Club Alianza Atletico de Sullana or simply known as Alianza Atletico.  Based in Sullana in the Piura region.  Founded in 1920 they remained in the 2nd tier until 1988 when they finally achieved promotion they have never won the top flight but have qualified for the Copa Sudamericana three times in the mid 00’s but after they started on a downward spiral getting relegated in 2011, they won promotion back to the Primera Division in 2015.

We will be playing our home games at the Estadio Campeones del 36 our massive 8,000 seater stadium (can hold 10k in total). So we are playing in the stadium of the champions of 1936 despite there not being any league played in 1936 (thanks wikipedia).

 

 

 

Aims

To win the league

To win the Copa Sudamericana

To win the Copa Libertadores

To win the World Club Cup

To become the most successful team in Peruvian history

To create the best youth academy in South America

To win the World Cup with Peru

 

I want a game with both short term and long term goals in order to keep me motivated, I will be signing mainly just young players and although I want to develop the academy I don’t want to limit myself to that restriction.  

Leagues Loaded: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay

 

 

 

As you can see the media doesn't have high hopes for my lot, predicted to finish 15th out of 16 which would see us relegated, my first task seems to be just staying up and thankfully that is all the board demands.  Our facilities need a lot of work especially since later on in the save I want to be able to rely on homegrown players so the facilities will require a lot of work.  I'll post some more information soon

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Opening Stage

 

 

To be fair considering the predictions I am pleased with how the team performed especially with a big win away to Alianza Lima in only our second game, to be fair in the opening stage a few of the bigger guns misfired.  Although I inherited a large squad a lot of them are not up to scratch and most of the squads contracts expire end of the season so I will be able to trim the wage bill and then bring in some fresh faces.  Injuries took their toll and towards the end of the stage we struggled, everyone chipped in with a few goals but we haven't had any of our strikers score on the reg.  Here's how the table is poised at the halfway stage.  We are in the thick of it at the top and I feel if my first 11 can stay fit we can become genuine contenders, our goal difference is weak as when we lose, we lose hard.

 

 

 

 

 

The Tactics

 

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I will continue to tweak and play with this, I only have 2 regular strikers I use and they are Velez and Vinces.  Vinces has been out injured for most of the start and Velez is part of my contingent of Colombian players and in this league you are only allowed 5 non Peruvians in the squad and 4 in the first 11 and 3 of my 5 man midfield and my best centre half take up my four spots.  Aponzo is my best player by a mile so I used him as a false 9 or shadow striker as he can also play up front and hes proved quite a handful.  Got my scouts out and about trying to unearth the next generations Farfans, Pizarros and Solanos.  

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So it turns out we have June off and although loads of other nations transfer windows are open it seems ours isn't to sign and register players.  I lost three players, I wanted to come out unscathed but squad morale forced my hand.  Uribe one of my defensive midfielders was the first to go as he jetted to Mexico managed to get £200,000 with £120k up front.  My left back Fernandez was unhappy and kicking off and at 32 I let him join Uribe in Mexico.  FInally 35 year old veteran Montero wanted a move and I kept turning him down but then the squad revolted and I did my best John Sitton impression, they all turned against me so with just 6 months left on his contract and the fact that his best days are behind him he went home for a pittance.  Good news however in the fact Aguirre, Aponzo and Carranza all signed extensions.  So after the squad got their wish they then all got upset over the squads lack of depth, can't win with this bunch!

 

 

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Closing Stage

7

We picked up some decent results despite losing a few key players, was disappointed to draw 0-0 at home to Comerciantes.  At the start of the season I would of took 6th in a heartbeat but as I found out next, the season is not over.  The league has been split into 2 groups and I will play each time in my group home and away.  Looks like then the top 4 in the overall league table would have a play off to duke it out for the title. I was wondering why their wasn't a cup but if the league is this long I guess that's why.  The saga continues, also for this bonus round in the league the transfer window has re-opened I have already signed a young Brazilian holding midfielder to replace Uribe who went to Mexico.

 

 

 

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So as we enter the third stage of Copa Movistar and the transfer window open again I decided to strengthen the side to try and push for a top 4 spot so I can enter the Championship round.  I signed these 2 players

 

This guy was available on a free after his contract expired end of June with Slovenian outfit Maribor.  Looks great for this level and although he is already 31 I think he will be good enough for a few years while I try and bed some youth into the side.  If the name rings a bell he has been around the block having been on the books of Tottenham and Roma where it seems he failed to make an appearance at either not that we care.  As a Brazilian it meant he would of been my 6th foreign player so I made the decision to get rid of 33 year old Colombian striker a few months early as he went to Union Comercio for £1,500.  We have to pay £170 of his wages till January but I had already unregistered him so he wasn't going to play anyway.  

 

 

Junior Ponce looks like he will take the left wing spot from Aguirre.  He seems to have been around for a long while despite only being 23, after a brief spell in Mexico he also ventured into Europe as he joined Hoffenheim for £250k.  He never played for them and had loan spells back to Peru as well as runs in Portugal and Brazil.  He was recently on loan at Universidad San Martin and when Hoffenheim released him I jumped at the chance to sign him.  He was insistent I put a release clause for foreign clubs so I don't think he plans on sticking around his homeland too long.

 

 

We also got our first youth intake and there wasn't much to shout about but I do have a young centre half who the coaches like and I am hoping some tutoring from Defendi will turn him into our rock for many years to come.

 

 

Next update will be after we have completed the group stage and see what happens next, I'll also be interested to see how the Continental Cup places work.

 

 

 

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Copa Movistar Round 3

 

We showed some good form and managed to pick up some great results to push ourselves back into contention, Juan Aurich who finished the last stage in 2nd faltered and end up finishing 3rd in our group and a lot of the sides dropped points against each other.  On points overall Universidad San Martin had an excellent run of form and have seen themselves get the top seed spot and as we finished 4th on goal difference it is who we take on in the semi finals.  After a 2 legged affair with them we will either be in the final or a third place play off.  Here is the groups and final points tally

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Losing the first leg we knew we were in in for an uphill battle and just couldn't get the ball in the back of the net again.  Still we have one more game to go as we took on Huancayo in the third place play off, they are in woeful form having been top after the closing stage they only picked up 19 points from their next 14 games.  Too our delight their run continued and we dominated possession and picked up the win to match our best ever league finish.  Elsewhere Melgar retained the title overcoming San Martin 3-1 on aggregate in the final.  We also picked up £420,000 for our final league position.  Not sure if that is rated on our 6th place finish after the closing stage, 4th place after the groups or finishing 3rd.

 

 

 

Aponza deservingly cleaning up at the awards, he was our top scorer as well.  A lot of the squads contracts expire end of this season and once I see just how many are leaving i'll know how much wage budget i'll have to play with to bring in reinforcements.  I did raid a few lower division Peruvian sides for some youngsters who will pad out the U'20 squad based on my scouts recommendations.  Overall fantastic season!  Now got to wait and see if we get a spot in the Copa Sudamericana.

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As the new season rapidly approaches I let a lot of the squad players leave and I have managed to shave over £8,000 a week off the wage bill, I also sold a back up winger for £34,000 which was a nice boost.  I've added 8 players in on free transfers so far with 2-3 looking like they could be starters.  Yago is the standout a Brazilian striker who I am paying a lot more than anyone else so I hope he delivers.  Thankfully Rivas got his Peruvian nationality so I was able to sign him.  We got given £920,000 in TV revenue for the season so I managed to convince the board to upgrade the youth facilities and increase junior coaching whilst we were flush with cash.

 

Elsewhere our heroics last season have earned us a spot in the first preliminary qualifiers for the Copa Libertadores

 

I was a little worried with the draw with Lanus playing in one of the bigger leagues on the continent.  I needn't have worried, lets just hope we don't collapse in the 2nd leg

 

 

 

 

 

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We made it through!  Our reward was a return trip to Argentina to take on giants Independiente.  The reward? A group stage spot.  Another cash boost came our way with £370.000 coming our way for winning.  Sadly we crashed out as we failed to overturn a first leg deficit.

 

 

 

In the league we managed to carry on our great form towards the end of the season with Yago filling the goal scoring hole we needed.  Delighted with our performances so far.  Lets hope we can carry it on for the 2nd half of the season.  Alianza Lima have also returned to form while runner ups San Martin have struggled badly.  Melgar look the team to beat,

 

 

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So a great set of results in the closing stages see us finish the second stage in 2nd spot.  We had some great results with the highlight being a 7-1 victory at Universidad San Martin, last years runner ups who knocked us out of the championship semis have gone off the boil.  Yago has been incredible up front having scored 25 goals in 29 games, sadly he has picked up a knock so he will be out for most of the championship round.  We still have the Colombian magician Aponza and my Peruvian poacher Vinces.  One dissapointing factor was the board sold my Brazilian defensive midfielder to Veracruz behind my back the only bonus is it was a decent bit of cash for a player I picked up on a free 2 years ago which will be pumped back into the club and it frees up a coveted fgn spot.

 

 

Delighted we are able to improve the facilities and now we have over £1M in the bank this should still definitely go through at the end of the season I just hope they don't sell Yago. After the collapse of Universidad San Martin I was offered to apply for the job which I promptly turned down, I was then offered an interview at mid level Argentinean club but again I haven't even got started yet with this lot.  Good to see my reputation increasing hopefully the clubs will as well so we can start attracting better players.  Youth intake soon, hope its a good un,

 

 

 

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So the transfer window proved to be quite eventful after Jackson left we then sold one of our other non peruvian players, Palacios leaving for just £7,500 his contract was expiring in January and he was unhappy. So i decided to cash in. Also sold Claudio Garcia for £24,000 he was unhappy at left to join Sport Boys.  We also lost our top scorer Yago as River Plate bombarded us with offers until our chairman let him go, can't argue with the fee though!

 

I decided to splash the cash and using some of that money I purchased the following players to strengthen the first team

 

At just £4,400 from Palmeiras a bargain, he is the direct replacement for Yago.  

 

 

Leandro cost a lot of money at £200,000 but still a fraction of what I received for Yago can also play on the right wing which is handy since I let my back up Palacios leave

 

 

Signed for a bargain £16,000 fills the gap in midfield left by Jackson.  He is earning a bit more than I would like but he looks a star already.

 

I also picked up a young keeper for £16,000, Rodrigo Rodriguez.  The window closes in a few days and I do not anticipate any more transfer activity for me.  I lost Yago but I have 2 quality Brazilian forwards to replace him.  Lets see if we can steal the title from Melgar!

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Champions!  We stunned Melgar in the first leg with Aponza grabbing a hatrick and then Leandro grabbed a brace in the second leg to start repaying back his transfer fee.  We got just under half a million for our final league position and I immediately petitioned the board to use it towards our youth set up and our junior coaching and recruitment has been improved again and we are in the planning stages for an upgrade to the facilities.  The results from the closing stage and play off are below.

 

 

 

Yago may now be in Argentina but he's not forgotten as he wins player of the year with Aponza coming 2nd, more good news for us is after 3 years Aponza now has his Peruvian nationality so it frees up another foreign spot for us.  Next update I will give a proper overview of the squad as we've made a fair few changes since the first season now.

 

 

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2019/2020 Season Squad

 

GK

 Karlo Sanchez, 24 - my number 1 who takes over on the gloves from Reyes who moved to Mexico after last seasons heroics, signed on a free last year. 3*CA, 3.5*PA

Rodrigo Rodriguez 17 - my future number 1 came highly reccomended last season and done well in the reserves and with Reyes departing moves up to the no2 spot.  Cost us £16,750 in compensation will get a chance to shine this year, has already played for the U'20 national side. 2.5*CA, 4*PA

 

RB

Juan Diego Li, 24 - Starting right back, one of the best players at the club signed on a free last season after being released from Veije in Denmark.  Putting his European dissapointment behind him and has been lobbied in the press for a place in the national side. 3.5*CA, 4*PA

Andres Lopez, 30 - Back up right back and occasional winger, one of the few remaining players left who I inherited.  Was ousted as starting right back by Li and found himself featuring more in midfield.  Decent squad player 2.5*CA, 2.5*PA

 

LB

Gabriel Sanchez, 22 - Starting left back after our last one left after his contract expired.  Played a little bit last year towars the end and done enough to get a contract extension. Signed on a free from Union Comercio. 3*CA, 3..5*PA

Jesus Mendieta, 21 - Signed as back up to Sanchez after he got released by Cristal.  He isn't great and barring any injuries probably won't feature much. 1.5*CA, 1.5*PA

 

CB

Jaime Huerta, 31 - Another one of the originals, decent centre half consistent enough but with a few of the younger lads knocking on the door he might find his position under threat this season. 2.5*CA, 2.5*PA

Rodrigo Defendi, 32 - Brazilian centre half signed on a free at the end of our first season on a free from Maribor and made an immediate impact scoring in his first 2 games as we got the Championship round.  Has been a rock at the back and has signed a deal till 2022. I think he could well play till his mid 30's and if not he should be a good person to help train the next generation. 4*CA, 4*PA

Alec Deneumostier, 20 - He was on loan to Melgar last season from lower league club EBG.  He played a few times and done alright but they chose not to sign him so I snapped him up on a free, will challenge Huerta in the middle. 2.5*CA, 4*PA

Patrick Napadesky, 24 - Our back up centre half, was on loan at Juan Aurich last year and done enough to convince me he could do a job so I extended his contract. If Huerta struggles he could find himself competing with Alec to start alongside Defendi. 2.5*CA, 3*PA

 

DM/CM

Tarek Carranza, 27 - Captain and our holding midfielder.  Has played 40+ games both seasons and I tgurned down a few bids of £200K in the transfer window, he isn't our best midfielder according to our coaching squad but he rarely lets me down. 3*CA, 3*PA

Wilder Cartagena, 24 - I spent £17,000 to being him back from Brazil from Barra FC.  He played towards the tail end of last season and done well, will be starting alongside Tarek in the middle. 3*CA, 4*PA

Jose Manzaneda, 24 - Solid back up, can do a job when required filled in last season ok and I extended his contract to keep him around. 2.5*CA, 2.5*PA

Joseph Juarez, 24 - Signed on a free just to fill the squad out and has impressed me in pre-season may well get a shot. 2.5*CA, 2.5*PA

Jesus Sanchez, 17 - My scouts were in awe of this kid and after some tough negotiations I snapped him up from Universidad San Martin for £100,000.  Will be bringing him in off the bench and may well start him against bottom 4 sides to keep him progressing nicely. 1.5*CA, 3.5*PA

AM R/L/C

Junior Aguirre, 27 - likes to play as an AMC but can also play on either flank and as a result he tends to float about wherever I need him. One of the surviving originals. 2.5*CA, 2.5*PA

Junior Ponce, 24 - Signed him on a free after he left Hoffenheim without playing a game for them.  Has made the left wing spot his own claiming it from Aguirre.  Can also play in the centre when neccessary. Has a release clause of £550,000 but so far he hasn't had a single bid made for him, may that continue. 4*CA, 4*PA

Robinson Aponza, 30 - Colombian attacking midfielder who can also operate as a make shift striker.  No longer qualifies for a foreign spot after taking up Peruvian nationality and he could and should be in the national side.  One of the originals and alongside Defendi one of our best players easily.  Managed to get him to stay till 2022 even if it means paying him £3.000 a week. 4.5*CA, 4.5*PA

Jose Garcia, 17 - The long term replacement for Aponza, snapped up for £40,000 in the summer after my scouts loved him.  I am not convinced and may well send him out on loan to get some football as this is the position with the strongest competiton. 1.5*CA, 3.5*PA

Natan, 22 - Brazilian left winger, decent prospect and was a freebie after being released by Santos I have high hopes for him. 2*CA, 3.5*PA

Forwards

Leandro, 24 - Brazilan number 3 and I splashed out a massive £200,000 for this guy.  He can play on the right wing or up front which is perfect for my 4-5-1 system.  Proved to be an all round handul in his half season with us with 6 goals and 7 assistrs in 15 games, looking for more goals off him this year to justify his fee. 3.5*CA, 3.5*PA

Kaue, 22 - Our main striker snapped up from Palmeiras for a mere £4,400. Scored 2 on his debut but got injured, he came off the bench in the last few games and managaed to score a few more so I am hoping he will stay fit as I reckon he will clean up in this league. 4*CA, 4*PA

Yelson Vinces, 25 - The last of our originals,has scored 20 goals in 60 appearances and always pops up when needed.  Has seen himself fall down the pecking order but I know I can rely on him when needed. 3*CA, 3*PA

 

 

 

 

[ManUtd1]

Nice progress!

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The Season So Far

 

I was genuinely just hoping to not get embarrassed.  We managed to destroy O'Higgins both home and away as the Chilean side were the whipping boys of the division.  San Lorenzo was a sterner test and we managed to steal a win at home but they won the reverse fixture. Palmeiras destroyed us both legs showing the gulf in class between our lot and the big boys in Brazil.  Not surprising since my best players are cast off from Serie A sides. We were awarded with a knockout round against Gremio which will no doubt be the end of us, to emphasise how strong the Brazilian sides are 8/16 teams in the knockout round are Brazilan.  We should get another £500,000 for getting to that stage. Another sell out at home should help the finances too.  The league so far has been relatively straight forward with just a few slip ups.  Juan Aurich have been flying this season after last years disappointment whilst Melgar and Alianza are a little off the pace but still in the mix.  Here are the results so far and the league table at the end of the Opening Stage.

 

 

Elsewhere Peru managed to get to the quarter finals of the Copa America going out on penalties to eventual winners Uruguay.  Juan Diego Li managed to make the squad but failed to get on the pitch, also our keeper from last season Diego Reyes who swanned off to Mexico made the side too.  Just by making the squad has seen Li's stock rise and I turned down £500k from him and eventually managed to convince him to sign a new deal only for the board to accept a bid of £625,000.  I was furious to say the least especially since we have over £2.5M in the black but I successfully petitioned the board to reconsider and they saw sense.  I want 7 figures for him.  Finally it seems my stock is risen as I was asked to interview for one of the biggest jobs in this part of the world.

 

 

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Absolutely gutted it was looking so good till one minute of madness cost us 2 players!  Shocked we didn't lose means we have it all to do in Brazil

 

Quarter finals!  We absolutely stole this, didn't deserve it but I will definitely take it.  Our Brazilian boys Leandro and Kaue running the show.  In the quarter finals 6 of the 8 teams are Brazilian with only ourselves and Boca Juniors making it this far.  We face the Brazilian league leaders next!

 

 

 

 

 

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We enter the Championship round top of the pile by a mile with no real danger of not securing a top 4 spot. A few more of our players have been selected for the national side to join Li.  Wilder Cartagena and Gabriel Sanchez both winning their first caps.  In the U'20 squad we have 4 players.  With the closing stage ending it means the transfer window re-opens and the only person to leave permanently is Patrick Napedesky who joins Muncipal for just £26,000.  I promoted Morales from the U'20 side (from my first intake) and decided he was surplus to requirements.  Out on loan go reserve players Renzo Gallindo (FW) and Freddie Oncoy (DM) I am promoting them to the first team squad next seasons so decided they needed some first team football elsewhere.  Back up centre mid Joseph Juarez goes on loan to Juan Aurich while Junior Aguirre joins Argentinean club Union SF we are getting £2k a month for this one and if they still up we get £115,000.  He won't be back till next June when I will look to get rid of him permanently.

Incoming was Marco Chirinos he's only 17 and I paid £525,000 for him from Alianza, I bid for him last January but he chose to extend his contract then.  He is easily one of the best central midfielders in the league I had to pay him a massive £4,500 a week to sign him and I managed to get him on 3 + 3 contract so I am hoping if we keep our finances in the black I wont lose him for a while and could sell him on for a lot of money.  Expecting when he turns 18 for a lot of interest from overseas.  I also  picked up another CM Sierra who has linked up with the U'20 squad.  Really excited for Chirinos and he has already made an impact as you'll see below!

 

 

 

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And the cup run is over after collapsing at Cruzeiro. I pushed for all out attack when they went down to 10 men but we couldn't get the away goal we needed.  Still a fantastic run that I am thoroughly proud of (Cruzeiro went on to win the the trophy)

 

After cruising through all 3 league stages and comfortably navigating our way through the semi final it saw a repeat of last years final as we take on Melgar who appear in a final for the 4th time on the spin as they look to reclaim the title and they made a perfect start.  3-0 down at half time I was in shock I couldn't believe what I was watching.  After reading the boys the riot act we went back out for the 2nd half and it was ever reliable Aponza who finally made the breakthrough and after a great spell we were level only for us to concede right at the end.  All to play for in the second leg!  Still some comeback, emotionally drained after watching that

 

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I thought at one point the game was conspiring against me or at least Junior Ponce was.  We took an early lead and dominated the first half, Ponce then missed a penalty to make it 2-0, Ponce's day wasn't yet complete as he gave away a pointless free kick which resulted in the equaliser.  Finally a shot from the edge of the area from Aponza saw us take the title on away goals.  So close to losing the title today, would of been heartbroken especially since we scored 15 more points than them over the season.  Still we took the title and we keep moving forward.  I presume on the back of our performances in the Copa Libertadores the Copa Movistar moved upwards again in the competition rankings.  When I began we were 9th and after 3 years up to 7th.  Brazil, Argentina and Ecuador occupy the top 3 spots.  Next is the Brazilian Serie B then Paraguayan and Colombian leagues.  Chile and Uruguay slide down the rankings.  

In other news looks like Gabriel Sanchez is off as we accepted a £450,000 bid to Paraguayan outfit Cerro Porteno, I've already signed his replacement as 19 year old Robert Zegarra joins from Universidad San Martin for £275,000.  He looks very promising and joins in January.  Finally here is the profile of my star signing Chirinos.  Since joining us he has also burst onto the International scene scoring on his debut in a 4-0 win over Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier.  His stats are very impressive I am especially excited by the 20 for Determination. Long may he stay

 

 

 

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2020/2021 Season

 

Gabriel Sanchez turned down a move to Cerro Porteno so I ended up with 3 left backs after agreeing to sign Zegarra from Universidad San Martin.  Emelec took an interest in the 19 year old I recently signed and are paying us £20,000 a month to look after him for a year on loan which in itself is paying his transfer fee.  Sanchez then decided he wanted to move after all and ended up joining divisional rivals Melgar for £250,000. Also sold Manzaneda and Juarez for nominal fees.  I signed two Brazilians on free transfers Alex an attacking midfielder who can play anywhere across the top and Junior a left back who fills the gap left by Sanchez and will compete with Zegarra next season.  I thought we were going to make it through the window relatively unscathed until disaster struck

 

So the boy wonder lasted just 6 months and all my previous protesting came back to haunt me, I hope we will at least benefit in the future with the 40% sell on clause.

 

 

 

4

 

Despite losing Chirinos we had a great start to the season and I was extremely happy with our performance in the Copa Libertadores with big results against the Mexicans.  With the summer break coming the aim is to make it through whole.  Kaue is attracting a fair bit of interest and I am hopeful we could get a seven figure sum should we sell.  The training and youth facilities have been upgraded to average and we still have over £3.5M in the bank.  We got given a tough draw in the Copa Libertadores and as you can see from the draw its very Brazilian heavy

 

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I was stunned to see Peru qualified for the Olympics, I applied for the job but wasn't deemed good enough.  4 of my players made the squad with 3 of the starting back 4 all being Atletico Alianza players and they were definitely the surprise package of the tournament

Overcame all challenges until they met Donnarumma and co in Tokyo on the final.  Still a great run for the youngsters Chirinos running things in midfield and after looking at the squad I stole another young midfielder from Alianza Lima this one cost £625,000 and I hope he sticks around longer than the last one. I'll be happy when our youth gets up to scratch so I can stop paying over the odd for my rivals top prospects.

 

 

 

Elsewhere we were undone by more Brazilians as Botafogo who won the Copa Sudamericana last year beat us both legs. 

 

At least someone in Brazil likes me as I was asked to attend an interview for Sport Recife they are struggling at the bottom and I am tempted to see what Brazil has to offer.

 

 

 

Decisions Decisions

 

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So I turned down the job, was very easy in fact. After Cristal took us all the way at home in the 1st leg of the Championship play off final in a 1-1 draw, we had it all to do in the return fixture.  If we lost this after winning the league by a clear 15-20 points I would be furious thankfully an Alex wonderstrike was enough to get us to the promised land

 

So another season done and another title wrapped up, just.  With the season over the exodus began and a few long term players left the club.

Tarek Carranza left for £205,000 to join Emelec, he was Captain but his game time was becoming more limited and I have some excellent DM prospects that needed game time so he left.

Junior proved to be a one season wonder unfortunately as the Chairman sold him behind my back for £325.000 as he joined Leon in Mexico

Andres Lopez approaching 33 and back up full back wanted a new challenge and he deported for £17,000 to Sportivo Luqueno

The Chairman was up to his old tricks as Alex the hero of the day in the final left South America to join Turkish club Bursaspor for £625,000 I was hoping for 7 figures minimum but off he went

Wilder Cartagena was a Peruvian player I rescued from Brazil from Barra for £17k at the start he has been instrumental in my midfield and he had one year left on his contract he wanted £10k a week to sign a new deal which I was not prepared to pay.  I think my squad is good enough in the league without him so decided to get rid now and he packed his bags to join Argentina with San Lorenzo for £750,000.

Yelson Vinces was the last big name to leave he has been there from the start scoring 50 league goals in 122 games and with one year left on his deal I decided to cash in on him selling him to Alianza Lima for £400,000.  They are fairly flush as a result of me poaching their star youngsters past two seasons in a row.

 

To fill these gaps I signed ex Man City forward Jo on a one year deal to see if he is good enough to still do a job, three young Peruvians join the reserves Cruzado (RB), Yovera (CB) and Mayuri (AMC).  These will play in the U'20 squad and may well get some league games against poorer opposition.  The best signing was Brazilian DMC Andrey on a free from Vasco, better than Cartagena for half the wages.  Hopefully the Chairman will not sell this one so quickly.

 

In other news our old TV deal expired and I presume on the back of our recent success it has doubled our yearly income to £1,84M per year.  That will do nicely.  I have used the income from selling players to improve our junior coaching and get our facilities for training and youth upgraded.

 

Our Copa Libertadores group has been drawn for the new season and it is our toughest yet as we are in with San Lorenzo, Colo Colo and Corinthians.

 

[argento]

So after the mini clear out I changed things slightly ditching the wingers and going 4-4-2 in the typical Brazilan manner of 2 DMC's and 2 AMC's.  I did this as I have 4 strikers and with just one position in the 4-5-1 meant that they were always moaning about first team football I figured this would give me as many goals while using the better range of the squads talents.  So far the move has been okay we haven't scored as many but we haven't conceded any either.  We have struggled to see off a few games and at the end of the opening stage we are not top!

Cristal sit top and took us all the way in the final last year so they could well be a force again this year.  I mentioned in the last post that we were in a group of death in the Copa Libertadores and after qualifying from our group the last two years this time we came up short as San Lorenzo and Corinthians were too strong. Third place does mean we move into the Copa Sudamericana which we enter in the 2nd round and we have been drawn with Danubio of Uruguay.  We avoided some of the bigger boys and happy to dodge any Brazilian sides at this point! 

 

In other news we have a new board and they have given the club more money which has helped us improve our youth recruitment to an established level!  I am hoping this guy doesn't sell all my star players on the cheap especially since with their injection it takes our bank balance to £7M in the clear.  Not bad at all.

 

 

 

[argento]

So we cruised past Danubio in the 2nd round of the Copa Sudamericana and up next was Independiente Del Valle of Ecuador. I was expecting a sterner test but they folded at home and the damage was done

 

So I eagerly awaited the quarter finals and we managed to secure an all Peru tie!  Surely one team guaranteed in the semi finals of this comp will also help the league co-efficients?  Looking at the sides left in I think we could potentially get to the final if we avoid the Brazilians!

 

 

 

 

 

Despite all that money we are still a selling club it seems as we were hammered in the summer window.

Junior Ponce who I snapped up early on I forgot about his minimum release clause and America (MEX) picked him up for £700,000.  Next out was Leandro our Brazilian striker we signed from Internacional as the Chairman eventually sold him to Boca Juniors for £1.2M which could eventually rise to 1.5M.  He then accepted a bid for Valledores which I protested he then agreed to let me keep my rising star.  Velez came in with a bid for £3.8M just shy of his £3.9m but with 40% sell on. The Chairman left it to me and I decided to keep him only for a week later for him to accept a £1.6M bid from PSG this time without an option for me to protest, trying my luck I transfer listed him and offered him out and managed to get £2.9M from Real Madrid so not as good as the Velez deal but a bit better at least.  PSG unhappy at this then stole one of my youngsters out on loan on a free transfer to leave in January it would be the only one I forgot to put an optional contract extension on.  Right at the end of the window I also allowed Andrey to leave for £750,000 to Botafogo with a 50% sell on, even better he doesn't join them till January so I have him for the run in as well.

 

So with the squad looking smaller I signed 2 rising Peruvian players. Christian Aucca for £300,000 from Cristal and Yoshi Jimenez from Alianza for £425,000.  Yoshi can't play for us yet as he has already played for 2 clubs in the past 12 months but he will be ready for us in January, here is how he looks.

 

 

We head into the Copa Movistar round and Cristal fell away during the 2nd stage losing 5 of their 15 games as old rivals Melgar return to 2nd sitting 8 points behind me.  Our squad is a bit thinner than I would like and I will be resting players in and around the Copa Sudamericana games to keep the key players injury free.  Up next quarter final action!

 

[argento]

 

We got past Universidad San Martin after a 3-0 win at home and then we laboured to a draw in the return, if I had lost to a Peruvian team would of been gutted since how we have been dominating the league past few years with only Melgar and Cristal giving us any problems.  I was hoping for anyone but the Brazilians and low and behold we got Vasco.  We travelled to Brazil for the first leg and we did take a surprising lead when Sergio Pena scored.  Pena is a Peruvian player who had been playing with Granada in Spain the past 4 years and  after getting released was happy to return to his homeland and what an impact!  The lead didn't last long but we have an away goal and we are still very much in this!

 

 

[argento]

 

Wow I was absolutely speechless after this game, dream start and when Jo scored that goal at the end to seal it I knew they wouldn't be able to catch us.  We got past the Brazilians and are in the final.  In the small history of the Copa Sudamericana only one Peruvian side has ever won it and they have since drifted into obscurity (at least in my game) I hope we don't suffer the same fate.

 

 

[argento]

 

Kaue the best £4,400 I have ever spent.  He has delivered time and time again.  Just as I was thinking we would have it all to do in Argentina.  A great performance all round. 

 

Champions.  We lifted the Copa Sudamericana. The Europa League of South America now its time to aim for the big one.  Aponza who has been with me for a start scored a great goal from outside the area to get the ball rolling, Jesus Sanchez worked it in from a corner to have us looking comfortable at half time.  I brought on Jo and Andrey on for their last cameo as Sullana players.  Newells pulled one back but a defensive lapse saw Kaue break down the left and square it to Jo who made no mistake from 8 yards to sign off with a goal.  Newells weren't done and scored again but with time running out Kaue the hero of the first leg scored from distance coming in off the cross bar.  We made another £1.3M for winning the trophy.  

 

With funds looking good the board showed us their plans for the future...

 

I know its only 19,000 but £1M is cheap for a stadium, whats it made of????  Still it nearly doubles our current capacity so that will surely help the finances once its up and running, going to take a few years to build but the work has started so hopefully it won't get cancelled now.  Nearly joined Corinthians after the semi final first leg defeat so happy I didn't now.  There has been a lot of squad changes again with the ever revolving door of life at a selling club so I wil give an overview of where we are at and how are facilities are looking.

[argento]

So as we head into the 2022/2023 season these are the transfers so far

In

Thalles, free - Brazilian forward signed for Atletico Mineiro in 2018 for £5.25M but he failed to nail down a first team spot and was released, I splashed put £7.750 a week to nail him down to a three year deal, be surprised if he lasts the year if my Chairman has anything to do with it. Looks a beast

Cesar Correa, free - 21 year old right back I scouted him a few years ago and looked a god prospect he hasn't developed that well but if I get him down to my feeder club hopefully regular football will improve him

Damian Serrano, free - 19 year old left back from Argentina. Left a third division Argentine club and his agent pushed him onto me and after a trial I signed him as back up, my coaches liked him so I took a gamble considering he will take up a valuable fgn spot.

Gonzalo Aliaga, £925,00 - From rivals Cristal, I tried to sign him at the start of last season but he opted to stay where he was it has cost me considerably more to sign him but the good thing is he has developed well having played every week.  It's a lot of money but some of the boys from Brazil were monitoring him so I paid his minimum release to get him before he set his eyes on a bigger move.

Bernardo Calderon Loan - Argentine youngster from Boca Juniors dubbed the next Messi, bit of a stretch but still looks phenomenal for my level.

 

Out

Rodrigo Defendi - Brazilian centre half has been with me for 5 years but at 35 he was no longer first choice and wasn't justifying his £3,000 a week wages I tried to sign him asa  player/coach to keep him on and have him transition into coaching but he was having none of it, so sadly he left.  Was the first signing of a player I had heard of, will  be missed.

Jo - Had him on a one year deal and was contemplating re-signing him as despite a dissapointing return in the league he had a knack for goals in the Copa Sudamericana.  He has since announced he is going to retire, thanks for the memories Jo

Roberto Zegarra £1.8M Galatasaray - Moved to the Turkish giants has been unhappy for a while so I cashed in, Universidad San Martin took a large chunk of the fee from their sell on clause but it recoups the money I spent on Aliaga

[argento]

First Team Squad 2022/2023

 

GK

Karlo Sanchez, 26 - First choice keeper has been for the past 3 years.  He has won a cap now for Peru but has failed to nail down the no1 spot for Country.  He has been attracting interest from Turkey as of late but I wanted at least £500,000 for him.  He has recently signed a new 3 year deal. 3*CA, 3*PA

Ricardo Rodriguez, 20 -  Signed for just £16.750 plus add ons over 3 years ago has started to mature into a decent keeper started 17 games last year with 7 clean sheets, I will try and give him more game time so he doesn't get his head turned and want to leave. 2.5*CA. 4*PA

 

Defence

Juan Diego Li, 27 - Has been at the club since 2018 after a failed spell in Denmark.  Has won 12 caps for his Country now and I have been turning down £1M bids for him, he was recently installed as Captain which is a kiss of death around here so I expect he wont be here much longer. 3.5*CA, 3.5*PA

Jose Cruzado, 20 - Back up I signed last year for £35,000, he had a loan spell at Sport Boys last year but failed to make an impact, have kept him this season as main back up for Li. 1.5*CA, 2*PA

Jose Peralta, 18 - After Zegarra departed he has been thrust into the starting berth at left back, he's probably the weakest player in the first 11 but my coaches rave about his potential so I figure I will give him a season and if he nails the spot down we could have a long term solution. 2*CA, 4*PA

Damian Serrano, 19 - Argentine left back, just back up for now. 2*CA, 3*PA

Eduardo Morales, 21 - From my original youth intake has been playing regular for the first team now for past 3 seasons making over 100 league appearances already and has won a solidarity cap. Future Captain. 3*CA, 3.5*PA

Marco Aucca, 20 - Snapped up from rivals Cristal for £300,000 last August he is already a beast so I don't expect him to stick around too long and he has already won 5 caps. 4*CA, 4*PA

Alec Deneumostier, 22 - Competing for a starting berth at CB, has been reliable for the last 3 years but hasn't developed as much as those who play around him. 2.5*CA, 3*PA

Pier Yovera, 19 - Signed for £100,000 last season mainly stays with the u'20 team but more than capable of deputising.  Will try and give him more game time this year. 2.5*CA, 3*PA

 

Midfield

Jesus Sanchez, 20 - Was signed when he was 16, he broke into the first team last year after I found out I was selling Andrey. I normally play 2 DM's but he is more comfortbale at CM so I might tweek the formation to get the best out of him. 2.5*CA, 4*PA

Brandon Asenjo, 20 - Signed from Cienciano last year for £100,000 but part of the deal saw him stay there on loan, could well start for us this season. 2.5*CA, 3*PA

Freddy Oncoy, 21 - Back up. was on loan a our feeder club in the lower division but didn't make much of an impact. 2*CA, 2*PA

Sergio Pena, 26 - Back in Peru after 4 years at Granada, will compete for one of the 2 AMC berths, surprised he has remained uncapped. 3.5*CA, 3.5*PA

Jose Garcia, 20 - Has struggled for game time as back up for Aponza but I will try and give him so more time, can also play CM so can deputise for Sanchez in the tweeked formation. 2.5*CA, 3.5*PA

Gonzalo Aliaga, 19 - Overpaid for him but as is the way for young Peruvian talent.  Will compete with Pena for a starting slot. 3.5*CA, 4*PA

Bernardo Calderon, 19 - A class above, on loan from Boca for the year, has been dubbed tghe new Messi, maybe Messi light.  Still will be a great addition for a season. 4*CA, 4*PA

Robinson Aponza, 32 - Colombian veteran the only surviving veteran, 2* Copa Movistar player of the year and now our record top scorer. He turns 33 mid season and his influence has wained but I will still probably give him another year, has had Peruvian nationality for a while yet but they never called him up. 3.5*CA, 3.5*PA

 

Forward

Kaue, 25 - Signed for just £4,400 back in the first season has scored 61 times in just over 100 appearances, has had a few injuries but keeps bouncing back. 4*CA, 4*PA

Thalles, 26 - A huge coup for the club the former Vasco and Atletico Mineiro man coming on a free, smashed the pay structure but this man will get goals. 4*CA, 4*PA

Renzo Galindo, 21 - Signed on a free from a lower league club over 3 years ago but struggled a lot had a loan spell at Universitario but managed just 3 goals in 24, had a long spell with us without a goal but scored 18 times in 43 appearances as he finally broke into the side. 3*CA, 3*PA

Yoshi Jimenez, 18 - Snapped up from Alianza last season after he impressed me on loan at CNI where he scored 11 in 23. Will mainly be used off the bench but if one of the Brazilan lads leave he will be thrust iinto the spotlight. 2.5*CA, 3.5*PA

 

 

In other news after our success last year we were 2nd seeded in the Copa Libertadores group stage giving us more chance of qualifying but we still got a tough group with Cruzeiro, Penarol and Pumas.

 

Also Continental success has worked wonders for our leagues standing in the game as we are now ranked 3rd in South America.  I want to get above the Brazilian 2nd division next

 

 

[argento]

 

These are the two players I am most excited about this year even if Calderon is just a loan he is a great addition for a year.

 

The Copa Libertadores has been miserable this year we opened with a win against Penarol but then lost to Pumas now this humiliation.  As long as we get a result with Penarol in the last fixture we will at least finish 3rd and have another run at the Sudamericana.  Marco Chirinos ran the midfield against us, he has developed into a beats and is worth over £10M so I am hoping if he has a good World Cup he might get a big move and we can finally cash in on that 40% sell on.

 

 

As I mentioned Peru have qualified for the upcoming World Cup and they qualified with ease.  Argentina were made the hosts after they dropped Qatar. Ecuador and Uruguay both failed and if Peru weren't the surpise story then Venezuela making their first finals after beating Haiti in a play off certainly was!

 

Peru have been drawn in a tough group with European giants France and Italy with Democratic Republic of Congo rounding our the group

 

 

 

 

[argento]

Wasn't pleased with our form in this especially after being 2nd seeded, losing to Pumas was the kicker.  So we move into the Copa Sudamericana and have been drawn with Argentine giants Independiente we played them back in 2018 when they knocked us out of the prelims of the Libertadores, hopefully we can exact some revenge.  The board want us to get to the quarter finals but this is a tough one especially since its during the world cup when I am missing 5 key players.  Uh oh

 

[argento]

Despite a late scare in Argentina we managed to hang on and make it into the 3rd round, delighted with this considering we were missing some big names.  Our back line was weakened but thankfully our attacking players all remained at the club.

 

 

Only three Brazilian clubs and we drew one of them, I am just thankful we dodged Santos!  The league sees us top at the summer break but we have lost more times already than we did all of last year.  We are currently 4 points clear of Juan Aurich after 20 games,  In August we have the Copa Recopa which is the equivalent of the European Super Cup as we take on Fluminese.

 

 

[argento]

Croatia pulled off upset after upset to lift the trophy for the first time in their history.  Peru finished bottom of their group. Their first match a 4-0 loss to Italy was followed by 1-0 loss to France and then with their fate already sealed they drew 2-2 with Democratic Republic of Congo

[argento]

 

We snuck through and we were drawn against Atletico Paranaense in the quarters, there is at least one guaranteed Peruvian side in the semi finals as Juan Aurich take on Universitario.  Looks like if we are going to win it this year we are going to have to do it the hardy way.

Looks like the national manager has taken notice of our side as he called up 8 of our players for the first friendlies after the World Cup with potential first caps for Ricardo Rodriguez and Yoshi Jimenez.

 

 

[argento]

I wasn't expecting to win but after our dismal showing in the Libertadores it was good to see that we were at least competitve

 

Any hopes of retaining the Copa Sudamericana were dashed after a dramatic collapse.  After a 3-0 win at home I figured we were home and dry and into the semi finals.  When we took the lead in Brazil even better a 4 goal cushion with an away goal.  But then the good times ended and we were finally put to the sword in the 86th minute.  Was a bitter pill to swallow.  On the domestic side we won the title for the 5th year in a row

 

Thalles who has been sensational since he joined struck 38 goals in all competitons and was duly named South American player of the year and was included in the South American team of the year.  That should seal his exit especially as the club lost £11M this season, partly due to the fact we were charged twice for the improving of our training and youth facilities. We also picked up a £7M tax bill based off of last years earning so we are back to square one.  I have already agreed to let a few players depart and I'll be updating next with the transfer window.

 

[argento]

New Season has begun and despite our low bank balance we managed to hold onto most of the squad with only 2 players leaving. Pier Yovena who I signed for £100k 2 years ago joined Universidad Catolica for £800,000 rising up to £1.2m and there's a sell on clause as well.  I decided to cash in as he wanted £6k a week for a new contract and he wasn't worth that.  

Next out was Alianga, now I didn't want to lose him as he was the planned successor for Aponza, I managed to make a fair bit of profit and with the add ons and the sell on I could make a fair bit of profit if he is a success.  I decided to sell him on my terms than potentially lose him on the cheap like we have in the past.

 

I signed two players for the first team both from Alianza Lima who must be sick of me raiding them, first up was back up right back Miguel Olaya for £425,000. I tried to sign him last year but he opted to stay where he was.  Next up was Miguel Araujo for £525,000 at 27 he makes a change from the younger players I have been signing he is probably my best centre back now and has been capped 10 time by Peru.

Also on a free transfer I signed Christian Cueva , 31. Recently released by Sao Paulo after spending the last 7 seasons there. He has 55 caps and will be a great replacement for Alianga even if it is a temporary measure.

 

Elsewhere we were 2nd seeded for the Copa Libertaodres and was drawn in a group alongside Sao Paulo, Olimpia and Newells Old Boys. I am fairly hopeful of qualifying from the group

[argento]

It's almost been a perfect season so far, we have barely set a foot wrong.  We also managed to qualify from our Copa Libertadores for the first time in 3 years as we take on Internacional in the next round.

]

 

 

The summer window came and the first player to leave was Marco Aucca who departed for a massive £5.75M to Newells Old Boys as they matched his release clause. Also Marco Chirinos finally got his move to Europe as he joined Real Madrid and we received quite the windfall.  With our bank balances well in the black I got the board to improve the youth and training facilities.  

 

The vultures where circling around Thalles and he was attracting some decent fees and before we get stuck with another huge tax bill and our finances take a nosedive I figured I would cash in.  Even better is because of the transfer windows not matching up with Brazil we get to keep him till the end of the season

 

[ManUtd1]

Shame to lose players, but at least you're pulling in good transfer fees.  What do your finances look like overall?

[argento]

59 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

Shame to lose players, but at least you're pulling in good transfer fees.  What do your finances look like overall?

 

Things are good for now we have £20M after cashing in on a few sell on clauses as well.  Our finances yo-yo and without selling players we lose money. We lost £11M last year and we are up £16M this year with £17.5M coming in from player sales and add ons. As we have become more successful on the continent we have been given larger budgets but the income does not match up.  Our wage budget has quadrupled in the last 6 years I try not to use it all but I am paying over the top wages to keep my best Peruvians here.  Aucca said he would stay but wanted £45,000 a week, my whole budget is £110,000 roughly per week.  I can offer up to £11.5K but I have tried to keep it under 8 unless an opportunity for a cant miss player comes up.

We edged past Internacional 3-2 in the 2nd round and we have been drawn against Sao Paulo in the quarters who were also in our group. We are the only non-Brazilian club left in it.

[ManUtd1]

Thanks for the info -- very interesting to see, as I haven't played a proper South American save in ages. 

[argento]

 

 

Transfers

Out
Thalles 9.5M Sao Paulo - As agreed last season, he moves to the Copa Libertadores winners
Freddie Oncoy £51,000 Universitario - just not good enough for our squad 
Renzo Gallindo £750,000 Universidad Concepcion - Back up striker, good enough bid so accepted
Robinson Aponza retired - club legend in my eyes, hangs up his boots at 34
Julio Mayuri Loan Libertad - Potential first team player. Will get some much needed playing time and net us £6k a month

In

Yelson Vinces free Alianza Lima - Our ex-striker returns after a 3 year stint in the capital
Lucas Boye Free - ex-Torino Argentine forward direct replacement for Thalles
Jose Moreno £525,000 Cristal - Promising young forward one for the future
 

Squad 2024/2025

 

I've included some of my better U'20 prospects that aren't on loan to show you what I have at my disposal.  I really didn't need to get Vinces back but he was on a free so figured he would be worth a punt, it was only after that I managed to steal Moreno away from Cristal for just half a million.  We also got a boost to the kitty when Andrey swapped clubs in Brazil netting us another £2M.  Finances looking very good and we are now about to debut our new stadium.  The Atletico Alianza Stadium with a massive 19,318 capacity and it can be extended to 38,636 seats.  Very bright future.

 

 

[argento]

2024/2025 Mid Season Report

 

 

 

The league has been a breeze so far with only 2 slip ups so far, Cristal not too far off the pace either they are definiutely becoming more consistent.  The trouble is I pinch the best players from Cristal and Alianza so they struggle to maintain that form for a whole year.  Theres already a big gap from the top 4.  Yoshi Jimenez has been the main man up front with 11 goals so far, Boye has been good but not had as much of an impact as I thought.  Kaue is being courted by River but it will take a big fee for me to part with my record scorer.  Still smile the fact he only cost me £4.400 from Palmeiras

 

 

 We were blessed with an easy group to be fair as we have had a great record against Chilean teams so far and it continued against O'Higgins, also a Venezuelan side qualified and were the groups whipping boys.  Corinthians were too strong for us although we are getting closer to the top of the South American pyramid.  The shock of the group stage was Alianza Lima also qualifying with River Plate winning that group and Gremio only finshing third. We were drawn in the 2nd round with Palmeiras. Who we duly dispatched

 

 

Delighted with our quarter final draw we managed to avoid all the Brazilian sides and for the first time we have a genuine shot at the semi finals!

 

Transfers

Out

Yelson Vinces £85.000 Melgar - Always a bad idea to bring someone back for nostalgia he was only ever back up and made just one appearance since his return
Karlo Sanchez £675,000 Gremio - He was getting restless and Rodriguez is more than good enough to step up so I cashed in before lost him for nothing
Alec Deneumostier £1M Belgrano - He moves to Argentina after a 6 year stint allows me to being up Campos from the U'20s

In

Nelson Perez Free Unattatched - Back up keeper signed to replace Sanchez
Giovany Tejada £375,000 Universitaro - 19 year old AMC, will mainly play for the U'20 side but will serve as back up for Pena and Garcia
Carlos Bravo £120,000 Bolognesi - 20 year old holding midfielder, back up to Asenjo.  

I don't expect any of these signings to make much of an impact yet, the two outfield players have potential and I'm hoping they will make an impact when required.  Will most likely be regulars in the next 18 months as other sides cherry pick my players.

 

Whilst we are still in the black financially I managed to get the board to agree to improve the youth facilities, they didn't agree to improving the training facilities this time but i'll settle for the youth. Also got them to agree to expand the stadium, funny the whole stadium cost just £1M but the expansion is 4 times as expensive.  Still a pretty decent expansion and the revenue it brings in for Copa Libertadores and season tickets should help in long run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[argento]

One of our old stars Yago came back to haunt us as he opened the scoring and we were on the backfoot from the off.  Yoshi brought us back in it but when they scored twice more I figured all was lost but Kaue gave us a glimmer of hope and then Lucas Boye grabbed the last goal in this 7 goal thriller.  So we are a goal down but we have 3 away goals that could prove vital.  I definitely think we can still get into the semis from here.  Big game coming up!

 

[argento]

 

Oh away goals how I love you right now.  When we conceded late on I thought they might cruelly equalise but we held firm to deny them and march into the semi finals for the first time as we enter unchartered territory for the first time.

 

 

Gremio in the semi finals, so I was wrong when I thought they were knocked out early seems it was Botafogo.  We eliminated Gremio in 2nd round in our first season in the Libertaodres.  Can history repeat itself?  The other semi is a Sao Paulo derby as Sao Paulo last years winners take on Corinthians who have beaten us numerous times.  Excited that we may have a shot at the final but we shall see can't look past Gremio yet

[argento]

 

Managed to squeeze in first leg before work, great start and I would of had us heavy favourites if we kept our 2 goal cushion, away goals could come back to haunt me here.  Looks like I will be needed a draw minimum to get to the final!  Corinthians beat Sao Paulo 2-0 in the other game so could be a rematch from the group stages if we both hold on!

[argento]

so things took a turn for the worse as we missed our chance at reaching the final, they were just too strong.  Still was a fantastic effort and I think we can definitely eventually win this competition in a few years. I have the bulk of my squad on long term contracts with big release fees so as long as I sell the odd player and keep in the black I shouldn't lose any of them for pennies.

 

 

 

Then the biggest shock of the season as we got smashed by Alianza, we won the return leg 2-0 but alas the damage was done. So despite finishing 37 points ahead of them they moved onto the final and won the league.  So after 6 years of winning it in a row we have been knocked off our perch.  It also means we will have to qualify for the group stage of the Copa Libertadores through the preliminary stages.

 

We managed to finish 3rd to salvage it slightly.  If we would of finished 4th I would of been gutted.  Great season overall just one collapse cost us the title and then we only went out in the Libertadores in semi finals on goal difference.  We need to get back on track domestically and keep trying to push the Brazilian sides all the way.

 

 

[argento]

So we move into the new season and with us in the black the board agree to our now nearly annual increase of the training and youth facilities, I am sure we will start getting some top quality players emerge from within now as our Junior Coaching is exceptional and we have a well established youth recruitment set up.  The board also pressed ahead with the stadium expansion and it will cost a little bit more than first advertised but it is a must in order to generate more money long term also very happy with the stadium we are temporary locating to for the season as it has a decent capacity so it wont hinder us.  After spending around £13M to improve facilities and a rather large tax bill last season we ended up losing about 8.5mill last season so I have sold a few players who I would of preferred to keep but money talks

 

With our shock in the league we start in the 1st Preliminary round and I was hoping to avoid any Brazilian side, my prayers were unanswered.....

 

 

 

[argento]

Probably our finest hour

 

 

Kaue continues to be a hero amongst men with his 5 goal haul.  He is now in his 7th year with us and I am surprised he hasn't gone for his Peruvian residency and gone for the national side since I doubt he will ever get capped by Brazil.  With a four goal cushion to take to Brazil I am confident of making the next round.  

 

Jose Peralta finally left he goes for a decent fee and there is some very achievable add ons there which I expect to cash in on.  He already plays LB for Peru so that one for sure is very achievable.  He is my best left back but considering I signed him for a fraction of that I decided to cash in, only £3.6M of it was up front and we will receive another £200,000 a month for the next year which should help stem our losses through the year.  After we took a loan out against the stadium expansion our finances are rated as insecure so before the board let players go for peanuts I am prepared to sell some of my top players if they meet my fees now.  I can always scour for more talent across Peru I have a big scouting team now.

 

[argento]

We lost 4-2 in Brazil in the return to go through on aggregate 9-7!  Our reward is yes you guessed it another trip to Brazil.  We are really going to have to do this the hard way if we are going to qualify as we have to take on Sao Paulo who signed Thalles off us for big bucks a year ago, will he come back to haunt us?

 

So Peralta wasn't the only name leaving us as the following players also departed

Luigi Cardenas £325,000 Juan Aurich - Signed for a measly £500 way back when and 4 loan spells of varying success has seen him move on, he is a good player just not consistent enough for us. So time for him to leave
Roberto Garcia £250,000 Raja Casablanca - Done alright on loan at our feeder team in the second division but not good enough to compete for the AMC spot.  Strange move but maybe this might open some doors for me.  Maybe some African players might want to join us?  I can scout freely now and have dispatched two scouts to scour the continent for potential gems
Lucas Boye £5.5M Atletico Paranaese - Was actually being negotiated between the Copa Libertadores tie between us, good player but Kaue has cemented himself as my number 1 striker and with great Peruvian talent in Jimenez and Moreno I decided to cash in and help the bank balance
Julio Mayuri £500,000 Universidad de Chile - Has been with us for about 4 years but has been on loan at rivals Melgar and in Paraguay and hadn't shown me enough for me to keep him not with these kind of fees being chucked about.

A few players left on loan and a few younger players got released

In

Bruno Kong £42,500 Alianza - Had a cool name and was recommended by my scouts, 20 year old striker has been sent on loan to Sporting Huancayo in the 2nd division
Reinaldo Free Gremio - Centre back who can also operate at LB, good player for this level and with Peralta leaving could fill in there while Olaya keeps developing
Elias Parisi Free Lanus - DMC back up to Asenjo, was overlooked in Argentina he could be surprise package
Hugo Hurtado £650,000 Santa Fe - 23 year old Colombian striker looks class for this level and with the Copa Movistar now rated as better than the Colombian league and with our rising stock I was able to convince him to join us, he scored 10 in 21 for them last year and I reckon he will thrive here.  Screenshot to follow

 

Here is the squad for the season with a few youth players who may well deputise at somepoint

 

 

 

[argento]

 

We move to the group stage!  Thankfully we have been able to do the job at home and that has seen us through.  Because we finished 3rd in the league we were 4th seeded so I was panicking that I would get a big Brazilian side and then Boca (strongest 2nd seeded side) but we got a draw I am happy with, because we dispatched two Brazilian clubs in the qualifiers they only have 7 teams in the last 32 and I managed to get the one group without a Brazilian side. River are a tough side but we beat them over 2 leagues last year and I fancy our chances against any Ecuadorian and Colombian side. I am hoping if we win our group we can avoid anymore Brazilians till the quarter finals.

 

I turned down a 12.75m bid for Jesus Sanchez to be fair I would normally have took it, but we already in £15M profit for the season and so if we keep it there we will have another huge tax bill next year and that will cause our finances to spiral again, if I can attract those bids still next season that will off set my tax.  

In other news I brought back some old faces Tarek Carranza who was with us at the start till he departed to Ecuadorian side Emelec for the twilight of his career, he struggled there and hung up his boots at just 32 I brought him back to be assistant manager of the U'20 side.  Also returning is Rodrigo Defendi who was one of my first key signings he spent 5 years here and I tried to get him to join the backroom staff but he decided to try and kept playing and moved to Colombia and he finally hung up his boots last year aged 37.  He joins as Head of youth development.  As one of my better defenders i've had I hope he brings a few class acts through for me.  His first crop arrive in August!