Cagliari Calcio — Season 3

Hello friends! I would like the start off by sincerely apologizing for not having posted in so long. It has been exam time at my university, so I’ve been throwing myself into that, which hasn’t left me too much time for Football Manager :( But exams are finally over (it was an awful 2 weeks) and now I have a week to indulge in FM! So, without further ado, let’s jump into my third season with Cagliari, after we recorded a 10th place finish last season. We are at a turning point in this tale. First of all, we finally bought our stadium, the Sant’Elia. Furthermore, we have finished upgrades to our youth and training facilities — they are 5 stars now. All of this is one part of a new era here on the island of Sardinia.

Friends, life for the Rossoblu is good. We are rolling in the money. And I made great use of my gargantuan transfer purse.

Now the press don’t know what I have up my sleeve: a massive squad overhaul. I scoured the World and was able to buy some of the hottest prospects in football. In addition, I made my own tactic, which will serve as my new starter. Johnny’s Barcelona tactic has served me very well over the past 9 seasons, but I want to give my own tactic a try.

Strange? I know. I pretty much left the style of play and whatnot alone from the Barcelona tactic. This also means that I am still using Darren’s set-pieces as well (from his Stoke tactic). But I have radically changed the formation based on some observations and ideas that I had. I left the sweeper keeper and the central defenders (although I contemplated making them a limited defender and ball playing defender pair for a while). The first big change comes from switching my full-backs to wing-backs. I have noticed a steep rise in wing-backs in the game and in real life as well, wing-backs like Evra and Dani Alves are all the rage, so maybe I should give them a try. The next step is the midfield. I opted for an anchor man on defensive duties because I noticed that the team did very well when playing a 5-1-3-1, so I felt that he would be able to drop back and aid the center-backs when we’re being hit with a counter-attack for example. In front of him, a box-to-box midfielder on support duties. The anchor man will be my main supply man, but you can’t have a Xavi without an Iniesta, and that’s what I hope this center-midfielder will become. In front of him, an attacking midfielder with support duties as well. He will be essentially a ball-holder in the final third to lay it off to either the inside forwards on the wings (they will thunder down the side and cut in and the wing-backs will provide them supply and defensive cover) or to the complete forward (who will hopefully wreak havoc in their box). So this formation is supposed to be another very possession-heavy tactic, which deals entirely with supply chains. We will see how it works (which is why I haven’t provided it for download, in case it is a dud).

So this meant I had to really change my squad and luckily I had so much money to spend and that’s precisely what I did!

My most extravagant spending spree, but I almost entirely covered the costs because so many big names had to leave thanks to the formation change. There were a few for whom we received offers that were too tempting so we let them go, most notably Jese! But in their stead we brought in absolute monsters. Take a look:

GK: Godwin Sodje and Asger Thogersen

Sticking with the same backup but I decided to bring in Sodje. The guy is an absolute monster and with some polishing he will really become a top-class keeper. He is already firmly Nigeria’s number 1!

DC: Eduaro Sanchez, Omar Castro, Vittorio Basilicata and Andrea Simoni

Moving Sanchez to the center of my defense was a great idea. Basilicata was a very solid player last season and while Simoni wasn’t as good, he was still a reliable player. Rizzo, a member of their cohort and who was possibly the best of the three, had a terrible season and I decided I needed a new defender. In comes Castro, who was over in Spain. He is young and an absolute monster. I have no trouble playing £5 million for him, just look at his stats! He and Sanchez will be my starters, but Basilicata and Simoni will serve as excellent back-ups. I had to turn down quite a few offers for all three of them, which should give you an idea of their quality.

WBL: Nuno Silva and Sheldon Mokoena

Nuno Silva made me very comfortable with moving Sanchez to the center. He really came into his own last season. When I purchased him, he was raw and had tons of potential and now he has realized it. He is an absolute phenom and I had to fend off many transfer proposals. Mokoena is an extremely physical South African regen who will serve as a good backup.

WBR: Ivan and Martino D’Aqui

Ivan has really come into his own. He has been a top performer at right-back and D’Aqui didn’t really get much time last season but he played well when he got a run out.

DM: Brian Quinton and Marco Foti

Foti was a high potential youth who I promoted and he performed satisfactorily. That’s why I am willing to keep him on as a back-up. Now Quinton, he will be my midfield maestro. I bought him from Crystal Palace, where he was by far their best player. He was doing quite well in the English Premier League and I think he will adjust quite easily to life in Italy.

MC: Walter Ferrari and Josue

Josue has been one of my top performers. I wanted to move him on because I found Ferrari but no one was willing to give me a reasonable offer. Josue is still a top player, no doubt, but Ferrari is in a new league! He made waves in the MLS before he moved on a big money transfer to Qatar, where he dominated the league. I have the pleasure of bringing him to top level football but it’s at the expense of Josue. Still, the Spaniard will be a very valuable player.

AM: Oliveira and Gabriel Pimba

Oliveira has been training and developing very nicely. He played a decent amount thanks to all the injuries and he really impressed last season as evidenced by:

Yep, my old team really wanted him and they tried quite a few times but I just refused to budge.

Gabriel Pimba was surprise performer at the tail-end of last season. I’ll let the old boy run out his contract.

RW: Alisson Ramses Costa Nascimento and Daniele Benedettini

This kid, Nascimento, was an absolute steal. He had a 7.81 rating last season with Lens and they gave him for only £3 million?! I have the next Ribery on my hands (that’s what his bio says as well) and he will be an absolute terror on the right. He will probably be my best ever player since he is already an all-star winger at 18. Benedettini didn’t really do anything last season but he trained well so I’ll let him have a chance this time around.

LW: Kazbek Valeev and Dimos Varvoutis

Valeev is the top Russian prospect and signing him was really tough because quite a few teams wanted him. But I got him and all his explosive speed. He will cause lots of trouble down the left for our opponents. Varvoutis was free and seemed like a decent backup player so I decided to give him a chance.

ST: Xaropinho and Luigi Marino

Xaropinho is currently my best player and could have been my top scorer last season. He has exploded on the scene with a terrific ability and is now establishing himself with the Brazilian national team. I have a real gem on my hands. I didn’t really give Marino a chance so maybe this season will decide his fate.

So, new season, new finances, new tactics, new players and hopefully massive success! Go to the next page to start seeing how they fared!

July

Nothing particular to report with this first set of friendlies. The team is playing well and I am very happy that Valeev has slotted in really well, which I was hoping for given his reputation. I am also pleased by Oliveira’s progress. He is establishing himself as world class. You might notice that I played against both my former teams. Sadly, Evian and Gladbach haven’t been able to sustain the success I brought. They are not bad teams but they aren’t great either. Gladbach could be comparable to Everton — they are always in the top half but don’t quite have the edge to go all the way (sorry Toffee fans). This is despite all the money the team has; they are consistent spenders. Evian, however, aren’t in nearly as comfortable of a position. The players I brought in during my tenure were of caliber, but poor coaches after me caused several poor seasons and the top players left. Now Evian are solidly mid-table, consistently finishing around 14th.

August

This was the month of Xaropinho. 8 goals in 6 games. I hope he can keep up this form in the regular season. Oliveira and Valeev have continued to impress and Castro has started working really well with Sanchez. His height and strength are helping him muscle people out in the box, so he is contributing to the tally. My formation is working pretty well so far but we haven’t faced top tier teams like Milan and Inter yet so we will see. A quick word on how I will be reporting from now on: it is taking too long to talk about each and every game, so I will post all the monthly results and comment on the important games/events. Tell me what you guys think.

September

This was not a kind month as we had to face 3 top teams: Atalanta, Genoa, and Inter (yeah, in 2020 the Serie A hierarchy is quite a bit different).

AT Atalanta: We both started off very explosively with all 4 goals scored in the first half. The own goal was a deflection from a set piece. Castro headed it goal-ward and it bounced off one of their players. Second half was quite boring and quiet as both of us reigned ourselves in to not be so open. Glad we neutralized Nangis, though.

AT Genoa: First loss of the season against a top team. The main problem I saw in this match as well as during the draw to Fiorentina is that my midfield is a little disorganized. The rest of the team is meshing quite well but the 3 midfielders are having trouble with where they are supposed to be. Oliveira is actually fine and he likes running around the final third and scoring goals, but Ferrari and especially Quinton are having a tough time. I guess the problem is gelling more and understanding the formation because the two of them seem to not know where to position themselves. I am hoping they start learning quickly and get out of each others way otherwise we are getting butchered in the midfield!

VS Inter: A great win, helped by the fact that Inter had a player sent off shortly after the half.

Overall, not a terrible first month.

October

Look at those results! The team is finally understanding what I want. Xaropinho is finally getting the service he needs and Oliveira is racking in the assists, which is frankly helping the team a lot more than his goals! Valeev and Nascimento are absolute terrors on the wings — it’s like having two Gareth Bales! Ferrari is understanding his role more and is finally becoming a solid anchor-man and directing the flow of the game beautifully. Quinton is still having a little trouble with where he needs to be but he is learning. He either strays too far up or too far to Ferrari but I think I will figure out the sweet-spot. I mean, look at these results (even if they were against lower teams)!

November

The team is continuing its domination. It’s good to see us getting the results we need against the weaker teams.

VS Roma: Facing the runner-up from last season wasn’t going to be easy but we handled them with ease. We dominated possession and my midfield created some great plays. Off-course, Roma are still a tough team so their defense was working overtime and shutting down Xaropinho, Valeev, and Nascimento. Luckily, Oliveira knows how to shoot from distance. I am also really liking how my wing-backs are factoring into my formation. Since my wingers are pretty far up most of the game, the wing-backs are quickly on the scene whenever pressure needs to be relieved in the center of the pitch. They are also distributing the long ball quite well, when needed.

December

Another wonderful month for my man, Xaropinho. The team has pretty much mastered my formation. I also love how the set-piece that Darren created is still working so well. Also, knock on wood, we are pretty injury free. The only thing that happened was Ivan being laid up for 2 weeks.

AT Milan: This was a very even game but we had the better chances and we took them. Props to my back-line for being so watertight. Sodje hasn’t been an incredible keeper, like I was hoping, but he doesn’t make errors and keeps all the poorer shots out. Also, shout-out to Ferrari for helping out in the hole and disrupting opposition play.

VS Juventus: Having back-to-back games against top teams is always unpleasant. My boys were tired so the game ended up being even. I think it’s plain to see that Juventus aren’t quite what they used to be. They are obviously still a threat, but if we were fresher I don’t think the result would have been in question.

So after half the season, let’s see how we fared:

I think the 13 match unbeaten streak might have helped :P And look at how we just outscored everyone! We dominated in goal. I think we might actually have a shot of winning the title!

Xaropinho is leading the team from the front in terms of rating (8.08!) and goals (23). He also has the most MoM awards. Valeev leads the pack in assists (13) and Ivan, my right wing-back, is behind him (10). An incredible 12 players are over 7, and another 2 are right there. The team is in blistering form!

Here are how my players fare with the rest of the Serie A. Quick note, there are a lot of Algerian players at the top of the game. Algeria has started producing fantastic players and are currently in 9th place in my game. Anyway, Xaropinho and Valeev are absolutely dominating everyone. I am extremely pleased. And now let’s take a look at year end awards:

Look at that! We dominated every area!

Check out the next page to see if we ended the season as well as we started!

January

Before I discuss the results, a bit of miscellaneous news:

So I’m going to be giving international football another try. My first attempt was with Jamaica in the U20 World Cup, early in my Gladbach career. We got knocked out in the first knockout round, barely making it out of the group stages. My next foray was with Brazil in the World Cup. Again, we barely made it through the group stages and got knocked out in the first knock-out round by eventual champions, Mexico. I am hoping things can be different this time around with the U.S., who I will be leading to the Olympics.

Apart from another foray into international football, lets look at my measly transfers. Dimos Varvoutis, my Greek back-up left winger was getting antsy, so I sold him to rivals, Palermo, for a cool £3.5. Not bad considering I got him for free. In his stead, I signed Belgian international Nacer Chadil from Arsenal on loan. I won’t be signing him full-time. I just needed a good back-up in case the incredible Valeev gets hurt.

AT Palermo: We started the second half of the season with an annoying loss in the Islands Derby. We had 19 shots to their 7 but we couldn’t convert. They ended up capitalizing on a counter-attack opportunity and punished us with the sole goal of the game. This was not a match we should have lost!

AT Inter: This was possibly our best performance all season. When my attacking 4, Xaropinho, Valeev, Nascimento, and Oliveira play well the team becomes an unstoppable machine. And this game all pistons were firing.

AT Bologna: This was such a frustrating game because Bologna aren’t that good. We have finally gotten hit by injuries thanks to the ridiculously tough schedule (4 games in 11 days, really?). My keeper, Sodje, broke his wrist and will be out for a month, Oliveira strained his thigh and had to miss this game, Quinton, who is playing brilliantly at defensive mid, is going to be out for 6 weeks with a thigh strain and Ivan, my right wing-back, somehow came down with hypothermia (didn’t know that was possible), which puts him out of commission for 2 weeks. My improvised squad just did not do very well. A lot of players were not pulling their weight. And my back-up keeper Thogersen, did an atrocious job. He ended with a rating of 4.

AT Milan: Both teams from Milan aren’t quite where they used to be. So beating AC Milan wasn’t quite the achievement it would be today. Still, my improvised team was much better this time.

February

VS Atalanta: A very important game against a tough team. Nangis scored a brace against us in this very even game but in the end Atalanta managed to pull through. We might have been able to pull something off ourselves, but Oliveira had to be taken off because he hurt his thigh again. He will be out for a month.

AT Fiorentina and VS Genoa: My back-ups have quickly gelled and are doing quite well. Both of these are tough, top teams and we took them apart!

AT Sampdoria: I decided to give my back-ups some run-out time, especially as many of them as whining about time. They did fine, they should have won, but we gave away a late penalty, needlessly in stoppage time and let Sampdoria get something :/

AT Inter: They have a new manager, Laurent Blanc, and he caused them to play surprisingly well. It was a seesaw game and in the end, they’re the ones who got the points thanks to a terrible miscommunication between my players, which left their man unmarked to put in an easy header.

So after some grueling games against top sides and a few results that didn’t quite go our way, we are still at the top of the table, though not quite as comfortably. Atalanta are playing quite well, while Genoa have gone the other way. Inter are also doing better.

March

VS Udinese: I wanted the team to rebound after a pointless loss to Napoli due to complacence. It was quite an exciting game. I thought we were going to close it out as going into stoppage time we were up a goal. But then Quinton pulled an opposition player down right around the box and the ref gave away a penalty! Looking at the replay it’s hard to say if he was in the box or not (I don’t think he was but the game could have rendered incorrectly). Sadly, the man stepped up and slotted it away home to salvage a draw for the away side.

AT Brescia: I HATE this team. I need to get my revenge on them. They hurt Nuno Silva (LWB) and Omar Castro (CB), both important players. Silva will be out for a month while Castro will be gone for 6 weeks. They played quite dirtily and aggressively and earned a BS victory.

It’s getting a little crowded up near the top . . . I am getting a little worried . . .

April

No much to report about this month except for more annoying injuries :( Xaropinho, Veleev, and Ivan are out for 3 weeks, and Oliveira is out for 2 months, so his season is over.

Our lead has also been cut to 2 points but we’ve secured Champions League football for next season! With 3 games to go in May and the final of the Italian Cup against Genoa, let’s see what happens on the next page!

May

Always wonderful and welcome news :)

VS Palermo: We lost both legs of the Islands Derby but Atalanta lost their game as well so we were still 2 points ahead. This game didn’t concern me too much because we didn’t actually play badly. Palermo just struck very lucky. But still, it was somewhat nerve-wracking.

AT Novara: This was a terrible loss. We just didn’t show up to play and we let Atalanta take the lead. They are ahead by one point and they get to end the season against 13th place Torino. Our season is pretty much over. So close to the title but we blew it . . .

Italian Cup Final

I thought we should take a quick break from the last game of the season and focus on the Italian Cup Final.

Cagliari have won the Italian Cup! My first bit of success in Italy. The statistics are a little skewed. During regular time we were actually pretty even, though we did have an edge. But during extra-time was when we exerted our brilliant dominance and got to hoist the Cup.

VS Parma: So the last game of the season. Our weaker second half form caused us to squander our lead and end up in second by a point. Atalanta were also facing Torino, who they are likely to beat. If Atalanta lose we need to at least draw. If they draw, we have to win. If they win or we lose, well it was a fun season and we can console ourselves with the Italian Cup. As you can see we won the game, and quite easily I might add, but what about Atalanta?

That yellow half circle has never made me happier. CAGLIARI HAVE DONE THE DOUBLE!!!

What a crazy season! These boys did it! We’ve won the league and cup after having come in 10th place season. Next season I will stay on with Cagliari because I think this is the best team I have ever forged and I think we could be contenders for the Champions League. Also, I need to win the Italian Super Cup :P

That’s always a fun site to see. We demolished everyone in scoring. But next season I need to tweak my formation to avoid conceding so many.

The awards we’ve won and how we did compared to the other players in the league. Xaropinho outshone Nangis this year :) Also, nestled in there, you will find my name. I am now the greatest American manager!

10 players broke 7 and Xaropinho dominated the scoring chart with a mammoth 37 in 39. In second we have Nascimento with 15, followed by Castro and Oliveira with 13, and Veleev with 12. In assists, Ivan led with 19, Veleev followed with 18, Noscimento pitched in with 17.

Some more award stuff. Notice how we dominated! Also, Omar Castro and Noscimento were the signings of the season!

I also got 2 job offers from Juventus and Roma, which I happily declined.

Our finances are in a great shape, although they decreased because:

So quite an awesome season. I am looking forward to taking this team to the next level next season!

See the next page to find out how I did with America!

Sorry to end on this note. I couldn’t think of a better place to put it. To balance my joy with the Rossoblu, I couldn’t giude the United States to Olympic Qualification. For some reason only one nation from North America gets to make it and reigning world champions Mexico beat us on penalties to take that spot :/ Oh well. Maybe I will get to break my bad international luck sometime else. Overall it was a great season! Expect my next update in the next few days! I look forward to your comments!