Cagliari — Season 2

Hello friends! I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and there weren’t too many neglected SO’s ;) So here we are at the beginning of my first full season with Cagliari Calcio. Last season I came in during the winter  break and managed to guide the team up from 17th place to a 12th place finish, one lower than they had achieved the previous season and one lower what the media predicted us to finish at. This season I am hoping for greater things especially because I want to redeem myself after my poor World Cup.

Pre-Season

Quite a nice transfer kitty. Maybe I am being a little optimistic, but last season we barely missed out on a top half finish so I think the boys have it in them this year.

Media believes we will finish in 11th — the same prediction as last year. But I think we can change that since I have a habit of proving the media wrong, whether it’s good or bad as you saw with my Brazil campaign ;).

We are in a healthy place financially. I really like watching that line go up.

And the transfers:

I sent a decent number of veteran players packing. They were getting to that age where they would start declining and I want to usher in a new era at Cagliari. We have no one over 30 in the squad anymore:

GK: Martino Castelli and Asger Thogersen

Castelli was the back-up last season but with Agazzi hitting 34 and frankly not doing that well, I decided it was time to give the youngster a shot since he has grown quite a bit, which is why I included his picture (but it’s him at the end of the season, sorry).

DC: Eduardo Sanchez, Vittorio Basilicata, Lucio Rizzo, and Andrea Simoni

Sanchez was my back-up left-back last season, but he quickly came to challenge for the first team spot. Easily one of my best purchases, I decided he would be able to help the team better by being a center-back, which he is actually adept at playing. Basilicata and Rizzo were my back-ups and both will have a chance to shine. Simoni was a co-owned player who I managed to buy and he has a ton of potential. I am very happy with this position because after Sanchez, the other 3 are essentially equals.

DL: Marius Jensen and Nuno Silva

Part of the reason I moved Sanchez to the center is because of Silva. He is another high potential player and I am quite surprised I got him because I had to face of Olympique Marseille for his signature. Jensen will alternate with him because I am not quite sure he is ready to jump into the first team.

DR: Ivan and Martino D’Aqui

I promoted D’Aqui from my reserves.

MC: Marco Foti, Josue, Matheus, Davide Natale, Oliveira, and Gabriel Pimba

Not much change. Foti and Natale were co-owned and I bought the rest of both of them, officially making all Cagliari players exclusively owned by Cagliari. I am especially excited by Natale.

ST: Jese, Daniele Ragatzu, Nicolas Floris, Xaropinho, Daniele Benedettini, and Luigi Marino

Benedettini and Marino are decently skilled youngsters. I kind of brought them on board because I wanted to see how well I could develop an average player, not to say I don’t think they won’t contribute. Xaropinho. I broke the club transfer record for him. He is incredible. Several teams were looking at him but I swooped in and captured him. He is such a bright talent. I cannot adequately describe how excited I am to watch him play. I think Xaropinho has the skill needed to become my best player.

Also, I have a new assistant manager, West Brom’s defender Liam Ridgewell, who retired at the end of last season. His stats are phenomenal.

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August

Friendlies: Not much to report. There were no real stand-out performers. The Arsenal performance was shocking because we just rolled over and died. I didn’t have too much concern after any of the other games — the final friendly against Luzern came two days after our cup tie so I fielded a back-up team.

VS Cittadella: My first real game and it came in the Italian Cup against a second tier side. Naturally we dominated with Ivan, Matheus, and Ragatzu scoring. We could have/should have scored more, but I’m not complaining.

September

VS Sampdoria: This was a very even game against a very similar team. We took an early lead through Josue but then we let Sampdoria pull 2 back. We were spared blushes when we received a penalty at the 82nd minute and star striker Jese calmly slotted home.

AT Inter: A tough game but one that we should have done far better in. 35 year old Inter captain Wesley Sneijder gave them an early lead at 9 minutes, before Andrea Ranocchia managed to come above everyone else and head in a corner at 25 minutes. We were being pretty dominated but then during the first 5 minutes of the second half Inter had 2 players sent off! Jese missed the penalty we were awarded after the second player was sent off (the first received 2 yellows). We managed to capitalize being 2 men up and finally scored at 69 minutes. I was expecting to equalize since we were by and far the dominant team during the second half but Inter managed to hit us on the counter at 80 minutes and sealed the encounter firmly in their favor.

VS Cesena: We got our first win from an inferior Cesena side. They are a weaker team and we rightfully outperformed them with Matheus and my wonderkid Xaropinho scoring. I was especially excited because it is his first goal.

AT Chievo: Xaropinho started off our scoring drive before we gave one up after Chievo crafted a beautiful play, culminating in an easy goal for them. Right before the half, Josue released Pimba who out-ran all the opposition players and slotted past the keeper to give us a lead. We were dividing possession, but my defense was staying tight and we definitely looked the more dangerous team as we were taking the majority of shots. At 77 minutes, however, we met with a tragedy. My talisman, Jese, collided with an opposition player and tore his MCL :( He will be gone for 5 weeks . . . I had used up all my subs at this point so I was playing a man down and sure enough, we got hit on a set-piece and Chievo took a portion of the points.

VS Atalanta: I wish I could forget this game, especially in front of our own fans. Last season’s runner-up top scorer, Lenny Nangis, got 5 goals for himself. He was impossible to mark. He scored a hat-trick in the first half, before my own keeper Castelli rolled the ball out to an opposition player!!! He of course easily scored, but Castelli got a foot to it so it counted as an own goal. So we were down four going into the half, but right before the whistle, Atalanta fouled Floris in the box and had their defender sent off. Maybe we could salvage something being a man up. Floris converted, so we were 1 — 4 at the half. Once the game resumed, Nangis scored another from right outside the box. At this point the game was lost and it was essentially pointless to keep playing since the team was so demoralized and looked like they just didn’t want to be on the pitch. Unsurprisingly, we got hit on a soft counter and at 74 Nangis got his 5th. I was so angry at the team and I ended the game with all 10 players playing defense because we were just so pathetic. That’s right, 5 sweepers, 3 center-backs, and 2 fullbacks. That was literally the only time that I saw my team not capitulating. I was disgusted and I let lose on the team during my post game team talk!

AT Juventus: Of all the games to follow that thrashing at the hands of Atalanta, we had to face last season’s runner-ups and perennial contenders, Juventus, and at their home ground. Great. I decided to depart from the usual 4-3-3 and instead opted for a 5-1-3-1. Trust me, it is not as defensive as it sounds. The tactic worked and it ended in a pretty even game. Of course, it wasn’t an absolutely free-flowing game but we kept the play primarily in the center of the pitch.

October

VS Lecce: Quite an even game but Sanchez received a bruised heel and had to be taken off. The reshuffled back four tried an off-side trap and from the replays they pulled it off, but just barely, but referee said that the opposition player was on and he slotted past Castelli and that was the goal of the game. I am mad at the referee but I can’t be too harsh because it was close.

AT Udinese: Udinese are in form having won their last 6. We gave up 2 quick goals at 11 and 14 minutes and made it unnecessarily hard on ourselves. We were chasing them for the rest of the game and pulled the opposition player in the box near the game’s end. The converted penalty ended our hopes for a draw.

VS Roma: So we are going up against the defending champions — always an unfortunate match-up when your form is so poor. Roma have a stacked team and we gave up 2 early goals unnecessarily again. My team seems to have a tough time hitting the ground running at the start of the game. We started to come back with some great plays and large amounts of possession — it should have been a matter of time before we got our breakthrough. Right before the half, though, Roma got a free-kick and it deflected off my wall into goal. There isn’t much else to report. Near the end of the game the player to score Roma’s 2 early goals, an Algerian regen who is third on the scoring chart, completed his hat-trick. Good for him. Another big home loss.

AT Genoa: Unfortunately, Genoa are a good side. But we got Jese back. Before the game, I had a team meeting to stem the crashing morale. Jese gave us the lead at 44 minutes after he volleyed Xarophinho’s cross. Sadly, Genoa managed to equalize right before the half. The second half was a nail-biter with both teams making so terrible errors but neither of us could capitalize and we ended with a draw.

November

VS Milan: So we got our Rooney, Messi, Ronaldo, Gerrard, Mata, Silva, Van Persie, or whatever else you want to call him back. Jese lead us from the front like a good talisman should and we managed to record a famous win over second place A.C. Milan. All three goals came from our wonderkid and record-breaking transfer Xaropinho, but all three assists were from Jese. We were the first team to score but Milan cam back with two. Xaropinho-Jese managed to pull 2 from the top drawer at the death — 71 and 79 minutes. I went back to 10 defenders for those last nervy minutes and we got out points :P

AT Bologna: This was a punch for punch game. At 21 minutes Bologna scored but Xaropinho, with Jese’s help, pulled us back at 23. At 48, Bologna got another, but Ragatzu equalized with Matheus assistance at 51. Luckily, we got to administer the knock-out blow at 79 when defender and youth product Rizzo rose above the opposition and headed home. Again, I reverted to 10 defenders to keep the lead. I should really stop doing that but I was thinking about maybe why the team is having trouble and I can only put it down to inexperience. I shipped off all my older players, for the most part and I think the youngsters aren’t mentally fit enough yet.

VS Catania: Our opponents had more possession but we were by far the more incisive team. Our striking triad were firing on all cylinders. Jese got a hat-trick and Ragatzu and Xaropinho got braces. Despite the great scoring, Rizzo, our starting center-back, sprained his ankle, and Josue, my Xavi, Iniesta, Scholes, etc., strained his groin and both of them will be out for a month. They are just as important as Jese and I was worried how the team will cope. One thing that was interesting about this game was I got to see Eric Ti-Bie, who I managed at my first team, Evian. He has been at Catania for some time now and has become a fixture.

VS Varese: We capped of our first perfect month with an easy win against third tier Varse. I let my back-up players have an outing and they wrapped it up easily.

December

AT Palermo: Our first game without Rizzo and Josue wasn’t so bad. We were on par with Palermo but at stoppage time they managed to confuse our defense and steal a late-winner.

VS Novara: Another punch for punch game. Though Novara are newly promoted, they are holding their own in this division. Simoni, Rizzo’s replacement and another youth product, headed home from a corner at 8 minutes. Novara responded at 12. Jese scored at 47 and Novara responded at 51. At 87, Jese should have scored what was the winner but while the 4th official was indicating the amount of stoppage time, Novara snatched the equalizer.

AT Brescia: They were last season’s overachievers but we were the better team in the game. It took until the 85th minutes for us to convert our dominance to scoring, but Jese got us the deserved goal.

VS Fiorentina: Fiorentina are a good side but sadly this game had no flow. Both of us were playing what looked more like rugby than football and in the end the draw was deserved. Fiorentina scored at 38 but right after the half Ragatzu saved us a point.

Season Half

We are doing exactly like how the media predicted. I forgot to take a screenshot of the player ratings but Jese was my top performer.

We had a quiet winter break, with only the easy friendly against Piacenza. The break isn’t nearly as long as in Germany.

Always a positive since my youth set-up definitely had loads of potential.

Surprisingly, I did not conduct any transfers. I did not find any compelling players who I needed to sign. I know that sounds weird given our results, but I really think it is because my team is inexperienced. I would much rather give these youngsters more time than shelve them in place of players who are more experienced but frankly not that great. What I really wanted was to get some loans to cover my midfield and defense but none of my targets wanted to join.

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January

AT Napoli: Napoli are a strong team and they outplayed us. They grabbed a deserved victory but we pushed them to the edge. Not terribly disappointed especially since it was an away game.

AT Lazio: Lazio are a team in trouble and we took advantage of it. We got an early own goal when Xaropinho just gave it everything he could and it deflected in. Jese and Ragatzu scored two more. Lazio got a stoppage time consolation win.

AT Sampdoria: Rizzo came back during this game but he re-injured himself and will be gone for 3 more weeks. This time it was his knee. Sampdoria took a lead after about a third of the game passed. Sanchez got a header at the 80th minute but Simoni, Rizzo’s back-up, brought an opposition player in the box and they got the late winner. I was furious because the opponent flopped. From the replays as well the contact was light to non-existent. It’s just so frustrating at times . . .

AT Roma: The last of our 4 game away series was an Italian Cup match against Roma. Roma fielded many back-up players and we punished them for it. Simoni, Ragatzu, and an own goal from a 19 year old Roma reserve players gave us a straight-forward victory.

VS Inter: I was keen to avoid being thrashed like the last encounter so I went for the 5-1-3-1. It was working really well at keeping the game even, but at the 80th minute, defender Basilicata  gave away a penalty and they won through it. It was another dubious penalty call because I am certain the foul happened outside the box.

AT Cesena: We continue our seesaw results with a dominant win over hapless Cesena. Xaropinho scored a brace and Jese bagged himself one as well. We should have had more but I am pleased with the 3 points.

AT Fiorentina: This game really angered me. We were the dominant team but Fiorentina kept fouling us and their negativity kept them in it. They should have definitely had a player sent off but instead hung on while collecting 7 yellows. We took an early lead at 21 minutes, courtesy of Xaropinho, but Fiorentina pulled back at 48. One minute into extra-time, Jese managed to get past the dirty Fiorentina defenders and got himself a goal, but they got a dramatic late equalizer at 118 from a corner. In the penalty shoot-out, we pissed out 6th one and that ended our great run in the cup. I hope Fiorentina get thrashed in the next round (they did, thanks to Udinese).

February

VS Chievo: Last time we played Chievo, we drew. But this time we took all the spoils in a great comeback. Agyemang gave them a two goal lead but we overpowered them in the second half, courtesy of Simon, Matheus, Ragatzu, and an absolutely beautiful long distance chip by Josue. I will make sure to upload it.

AT Atalanta: This team just has our number. We have never beaten them but this time it was quite even. Sadly, we didn’t have the same edge in front of goal this time.

VS Juventus: I can’t believe it! When we faced Juventus in Turin we drew and now we walk away with a famous win to delight our fans! Again, it was thanks to our strikers. Jese scored one as did Ragatzu and the incredible Xaropinho got a hat-trick. Juventus mounted a late comeback thanks entirely to Nelio, another brilliant regen of Xaropinho’s cohort. Both of them are from Brazil and I chased Nelio as well before losing out to Juventus. He is slightly better than Xaropinho at this point but in the long run it will be very close. All in all, I am very happy with this game and Xaropinho.

AT Lecce: Last time we played, Lecce were having a spell of form but now they are barely getting by as the table shows. We went up 3 — 0 very quickly; a brace from Jese and a single from Ragatzu. Lecce decided to turn it into a boxing match but it was too late. We got some justice when we got a late own goal. It was a corner and their player seemed to have actively head it into the goal. I’m not complaining but it was weird how deliberate it looked.

March

VS Udinese: Last time we faced them they manhandled us and I was out for revenge. Sadly, that wasn’t on the books especially since we were far and away the better team. Another piece of bad news: David Natale was probably my most high potential youngster, but his position had too much competition so he didn’t get to play at all. I decided to give him a run out during this match and he hurt his knee in some way so his season is over :(

10 games left to play, here’s the table:

AT Roma: A bittersweet victory over the defending champions. At 25 minutes Xaropinho tore his abdominal muscles and he will be gone for 3 months. My top striker’s season is over and we are nearly at the finish line. I am devastated and I pray that the team can get along without him but that partnership between Jese and him was perfect. We won in stoppage time thanks to Ragatzu but I would have rather lost and still had Xaropinho.

VS Genoa: As you can see, Genoa has had a bad run of games. They have fallen from chasing the title to possibly not qualifying for any European spots. That was great for us but Genoa are still dangerous (they won so many awards last season; their players are still great). They took an early but at 28 minutes Pimba pulled one back from heading in a free-kick. In stoppage time Jese made a thundering run and some sweet footwork led him past a defender and he beat the goalkeeper from a tough angle to give us all 3 points.

AT Milan: We beat the leaders the last time we faced so they were out for blood. We made it hard on ourselves when Sanchez gave away an own goal when he botched his duties as part of the wall by kicking out at the ball as it passed by him. Jese then collected 2 yellows in the second half so Pato and Boateng made good use of the numerical advantage to tighten the Rossoneri’s grip on the table’s summit.

April

VS Bologna: So we Xaropinho and now we also lost Ragatzu, our best after the Brazilian and Jese. He pulled his hamstring and though we had 65% possession, without strikers, we weren’t going to convert.

AT Catania: I am trying to keep my hopes up because we still have Jese and Floris is pretty solid all said and done. This was a game we should have won. We had 65% possession but another own goal from Sanchez (his second or third of the season) this time from a poor header, led to Catania going one up at 18 minutes. After that they parked the bus and fouled whenever we got near. They picked 8 yellows and at the 80th, one of those players got re-carded and was sent off. Pimba took advantage of the numerical advantage during extra time to give us a share of points we rightfully deserved.

VS Palermo: Not much to say other than very even. We both held each other to a standstill.

AT Novara: We were on the back foot the entire time because Basilicata picked up an early red. They missed the penalty but still scored 2 goals over the course of the game thanks to their numerical advantage. Jese scored both our goals, the second being a penalty after the opposing player handled the ball.

VS Brescia: Another punch for punch high scoring draw. They took the lead at 28, we equalized at 35 thanks to Matheus. They scored again at 85; Jese equalized in stoppage. We could have won but 3 players picked up knocks over the course of the match and had to be subbed: Floris, Ivan and Josue. The really bad part is Floris is out for the season having broken his ribs so I am pretty thin in attack now.

May

AT Fiorentina: So I have only 2 natural strikers, Jese and Marino. In addition, I’ve now gone 6 games without a win and this became 7. Morale was plummeting and my players were just lackluster and ordinary. Also Milan won the double. They secured the league after they won their last game and they thumped former holders of the Italian Cup, Udinese, in the final.

VS Napoli: Now 8 without a win and Napoli beat us both times. But we regained some of our composure in goalmouth thanks to my team meeting. Jese scored both our goals and Napoli won on the fast break when they disrupted our own counter.

VS Lazio: This game didn’t matter because our position in the league was secured. Win, lose, or draw we were firmly in 10th but it’s nice to end on a win, especially against the last place team in the league, which was already set to drop. Ragatzu came back for this game and he and Pimba scored.

Sorry I gave away our final position. So 10th, which is an all-time high in the Serie A (remember, Cagliari Calcio have won the Italian top-flight once before, but that was all pre-Seria A). But it is disappointing because I was aiming for a top-half finish like 8th. It took my team far too long to gel and start churning out results. We could have maybe made it if we didn’t have so many injuries at the striker position at the end of the season. As you saw, so many games were draws. A.C. Milan ran away with the table with a staggering 14 point margin so they will be the team to beat.

Jese was my top scorer with 19 and my top player. Xaropinho and Ragatzu were tied for second with 13 a piece. If Xaropinho hadn’t been so unlucky with injury and if he started out stronger I am sure he would have been top scorer, but Jese’s overall contribution to the team cannot be touched. I hope I can keep him especially since Matheus is poised to leave the club. We had only 5 break 7.00 but it was a tough season and very slow start.

Jese made it to the team of the year and rightfully so. He is our only player to make it. The other striker is Atalanta’s Nangis, who is also top scorer (and last season’s runner-up). Jese is this season’s runner-up top scorer, and Pato is 3rd.

This is always nice but the news I am most excited for is:

That’s right, the Sant’Elia will finally be ours! I am extremely excited and next season, now that my youngsters are settling in, I want to see us hit 7th! Stay tuned for the next post!

P.S. For those who are wondering what my initial budget and bank balance are, I will report it at the beginning of the next post. I have not played enough of the summer to find out that info yet.