[FM18] From Unemployed to Hexagon - Chapter 1: Conquering Uzbekistan

[noikeee]

8 hours ago, rodesire said:

That went from an amazing season.. to slightly less amazing one

Yeah something went wildly off balance after the split here, not sure what.

[noikeee]

 

[noikeee]

Neftchi Farg'ona - November 2019

 

Well, at least we managed to win a match after the split.

 

[noikeee]

Neftchi Farg'ona - Season review 2019

 

New year, old career. I'm gonna try to go back to Uzbekistan and revive this. Maybe. Not sure on doing IR anymore, I think I'm gonna go back to actual managing matches, doing IR was a big cause of the massive downturn in form the 2nd half of the season, I think.

 

Best 11 and statistics
 

You guys know the tactics. Same as last year, as my old MTK career etc.

After a month without loading this save I don't really remember much of the squad anymore.

Top 5 players

Well I'm gonna try to remember who were the best players by looking at the numbers.

5. Otabek Isroilov (AML)

 

Great player in theory but just 5 goals and 6 assists is a bit disappointing.

4. G'ulomjon O'runov (DR)

 

The ratings aren't brilliant but 10 assists from a RB position is amazing. This is the guy I'd taken with me from Obod, 2 divisions below, that he managed to keep up performing at this level is surprising.
 

3. Islom Xolikov (AMR)

 

Not brilliant on paper but 10 goals + 8 assists was a very very nice attacking contribution.
 

2. Darcy Mbaka (ST)

 

I remember he was amazing at the beginning of the season then tailed off a bit. Still 16 goals + 6 assists is a pretty good contribution.
 

1. Luke Woodland (MC)

 

7.40 ratings is ****ing great, 7 goals and 4 assists from midfield not too bad. The Filipino-English midfielder looks a level above everyone else in the squad.

Prospects

 

A fairly promising CB I have on my reserves.

  

The star from my youth intake.

Career progress table

Thoughts on this season and the future

The downturn in form was really disappointing, but it was great that we toyed with a 2nd/3rd place position for most of the season, which we shouldn't have been able to do. I want to build on this and actually finish in those spots for next year, depending on what I can get on the transfer market. Foreigner player limits is a nuisance because otherwise we've got cash to splash in the squad.

[noikeee]

We already had plenty of money, but thanks, I guess.

[noikeee]

World of football - 2019

 

International competitions

Copa America 2019 - Brazil win at home on penalties over Colombia. 

Continental competitions

UEFA Champions League - Mourinho's Man Utd tanks Real 1-0 in the final with a Lukaku goal. What an alternate universe.

Copa Libertadores - It's Santos' year as they beat San Lorenzo in the final.

Asian Champions League - The title goes to China as Paulo Sousa's Shanghai SIPG beat Al-Ahli from Saudi Arabia. 

African Champions League - South African side Bidvest Wits just about misses out on a 3rd consecutive title after being beat by DR Congo's TP Mazembe, one of the perenial favourites for this competition as they grab their 6th title.

CONCACAF Champions League - Another standard all-Mexican final sees Monterrey overcome América.

Oceanic Champions League - I'm sorry to report this seems permanently bugged out. No CL was held again.

Domestic leagues

England - It's the double for Mourinho as Utd finish well clear of Conte's Chelsea. Guardiola is sacked and Luis Enrique takes City to 3rd.

Spain - Barça reclaim the title after 2 years of Real and it's an incredible season with 35 wins in 38 matches to finish 18 points clear of Atlético. Valverde is still in charge of them. Matthijs de Ligt is their "hot prospect" of the moment.

Germany - Boring stuff as Bayern win their 7th straight title, an insane 22 points ahead of Leverkusen. The big news is Simeone has joined them for 2019/2020.

Italy - Much the same in Italy with Juve's 8th title. Allegri has now left Juve to join Real though, and for now Inter is leading the Serie A in the new season.

France - Monaco win a crazy 3rd title in a row, yet again finishing just ahead of PSG. This gets Leonardo Jardim a promotion to move to Juve, Didier Deschamps returning to Monaco to replace him.

Portugal - FC Porto strike back, in dominating fashion, 16 points over Benfica. 

Individual awards

Ballon d'Or - Ronaldo gets his 6th, equaling Messi, and it's a bit weird that Messi didn't make the top 3 at all - Man Utd's Paulo Dybala and Bayern's Harry Kane came 2nd and 3rd instead.

[Rikulec]

Good to see this back.

[noikeee]

Neftchi Farg'ona - Pre-season 2020

 

Looking back at this, I'm surprised I hired this many players because it doesn't really feel like I've improved the side much.

One of the best new players, he's naturally a DM but can also play CB, being a very good fit for my system as CB due to being quick and also good in the air. He might however start the season as DM as I figure a way to place my best players together.

Also a DM, he doesn't look quite as impressive in my opinion (although he can pass a ball pretty well), also has just picked up an injury that will stop him for about 2 months, so not the best start to the career in the new club.

A casting error? He already played for me before at Obod, I just needed some sort of decent backup LB for the season, he might be a bit too crap a player even for a backup though, at least he has pace which is the most important for the position.

Not a new player, already played on loan for us last season but now he's ours permanently. A good midfielder with an array of various skills and some major weaknesses too, but with still some potential to grow.

New backup CB.

New backup GK, he's a teenager that can improve a lot though.

New backup RB. Can run very quick and tackle very well and is a bit crap otherwise.

Our big investment for the season, I splashed 325K on him. Still just 17 years old, I see his future as a destroyer-type DM not as a RB, due to his relative lack of pace to play on the backline. I've begun positional re-training but for now he shouldn't play a lot yet.

This Ozzie centerback might be one of the best signings, just a pretty damn well rounded player which is very hard to find in Uzbekistan.

I went for a bit of a gamble with this tiny, lightweight Peruvian winger/inside forward. I'm not entirely sure it's worth it to use a foreigner slot on him, but he impressed on a trial, has potential, and the other foreign winger I had (the Cameroonian Ema'a Atcham) didn't have a very good season last year anyway, so I got rid of him for this new kid.

Our final signing of the season is a striker, who can also play on either wing. I wasn't planning to get a striker as Mbaka's doing well there, but this guy is an Uzbeki national, young (22), and has one thing over Mbaka - he's pretty decent in the air, beyond doing pretty much most things Mbaka can do.

It's a marginally better squad than last year's, but I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't really hire a truly outstanding player that can clearly improve us.

Friendlies always go well because I play my best players against crap teams. There's a few random names here, they were trialists that didn't get signed.

[noikeee]

One of our best signings, that had started the season well playing both as DM and CB.

[noikeee]

Neftchi Farg'ona - March 2020

A good start puts us in an early 2nd place position. Esonkulov's poker against Qizilqum was particularly nice to see, with all 4 assists by winger Xolikov!

 

[noikeee]

Neftchi Farg'ona - April 2020

 

 

I think I can call this another good month, even if all the wins have been very tight. We could even have climbed to 1st place in the last match, but capitulated against Lokomotiv Toshkent which are the best team in the country but have started the season badly.

As it stands we continue 2nd putting the pressure on Paxtakor, who are the leaders for now. Signing Javoxir Esonkulov continues to be the star player, already on a superb 11 goals.