Darren — Ultimate European Challenge, Chelsea Aug-Nov 18/19

Hey guys and welcome back to another Ultimate European Challenge update. During my last post I shared a rather expensive pre-season at Stamford Bridge. While I am not a fan of spending the big bucks, the spree was necessary to challenge for the Premier League title. One defender and three midfielders amassed a total of £82 million. Crazy money, but my hands were tied by the quality on offer. My goal is to stop both sides of Manchester from dominating English football. Man City and Man Utd both have incredible players, but I believe Chelsea are finally ready to challenge again.

Just after my first league game, Juventus tabled an offer for one of my best CM’s. Mikel has been unhappy and demanding a move away for months now. I had no choice but to transfer list the Nigerian. With the Italian giants offer of £4.5 million been accepted I started my search for a replacement. Jon Obi Mikel is now 31 years old and starting to decline, so I saw this as a huge chunk off my wage bill and the chance to find young talent. The search ended in Brazil, surprise, surprise. I found a 20 year old called Paulo Roberto. He plays in central midfield and has the ability to handle both defensive and supporting roles. I had to part with a further £21.5 million, but this regen seems well worth it. Paulo will be used in my rotation system alongside three other national compatriots.

Before we dive straight in to the new season, I have some news to share. After winning the Copa America, Confederations Cup and World Cup I have resigned as manager of Argentina. They are an incredible nation with amazing regens, but I have won all there is to win. Plus, I wanted to leave before Messi and Aguero retire from International duty. :) A sad announcement, but one that will help me focus on Chelsea.

Premier League results: August-September

I was eager to start the new season well, but my opening fixtures were far from easy. My squad struggled to blend during the first game, misplaced passes and a slow tempo almost lead to a draw. Then my favourite centre back, Phil Jones, popped up from the corner to score a late winner. Following this 1-0 victory over Fulham, was an away day against Manchester City. A team that have spent no less than £100 million every single year for the past eight years. Now, prepare yourself, because I almost fainted during this game. My boys played City off their own park. Marcelo showed some signings of his inflated price tage, while Godwin and Petrovic stole the show. The game finished 3-0 to Chelsea and was followed by two more victories. The first at home to Middlesbrough in a comfortable 2-0 scoreline. The second not so easy, but just as valuable with a 1-0 win at Upton Park.

September finished with a disappointing performance to Birmingham at Saint Andrews. The Midlands club had the better of us in every area. In fact, I was relieved to walk home with a 1-1 draw. The opening two months went very well and much better than anticipated. Godwin (click name to see profile) seems to have settled after signing last January and Petrovic has continued his goal scoring form of last season. My favourite result was a scorcher against Man City, so before we look at October, lets see those highlights.

Simply stunning football and my counter strategy paid off again. Marcelo opened the scoring with a calm finish, then Godwin unleashed a deadly free kick for 2-0. However, my favourite was watching Petrovic wonder into the perfect position for a through ball, then avoid City’s offside trap. A beautiful move and one that fills me with confidence for the season ahead. Talking of the season ahead lets move onto October.

Premier League results: October

Due to my Champions League group games, October saw just three Premiership fixtures. I also had to rest the odd player to keep everyone fit and happy. Tottenham were the first to visit Stamford Bridge and it wasn’t a happy ride home for our rivals. Chelsea dominated the match and walked away 4-1 victors. Cairney scored his first of the season, while Petrovic and Jones continued there great form. The ageing McGeady also chipped in from the bench. My players seemed to carry their confidence over to Saint James Park. We beat my beloved Newcastle 1-0 thanks to a late goal from third choice forward Tafer. Then the final game of October saw us back at Stamford Bridge to face Wolves. Petrovic (click players name to see profile) found his shooting boots yet again as we won 3-0. The season had started very well, 7 wins and a draw from 8 games. Lets see if the form continues through November. Before that, its worth mentioning my League Cup, third round elimination. A weakened side lost at home to Man City 2-1. Very disappointing, but that trophy isn’t top priority so I can get over it.

Premier League results: November

November featured a relatively easy fixture list, apart from Man Utd away. We started well, beating Coventry 3-0. My combination of Petrovic, Godwin and Marcelo struck again. Then a sticky tie at Old Trafford ended in joy. United were probably the better team, but couldn’t budge my back four. A great performance and fine goal from Tom Cairney helped us win 1-0 and gain the title initiative. The lads were in fine form leading up to our game against Ipswich. Stamford Bridge was treated to a fine attacking display as a very weak starting XI took the three points in a 3-1 victory. Bolton put up more of a fight at the Reebok, but still went down 1-0. Then Petrovic capped off some fine form with a hat trick against Reading. The last three months have seen me unbeaten just losing one game. But how did this effect the table?

Eight points clear at the top and victories away from home to Man Utd and Man City. What a great run of form. I still have loads of tough matches to play, but this is the best start possible. With the league going so well, maybe Europe had taken a back seat. Its now time to see if Chelsea could challenge for the Champions League too.

Champions League group stages

The opening match was a real shocker on so many levels. Firstly, I got the tactics all wrong playing a 4-5-1 out of habit as opposed to a 4-4-2. Secondly, I decided to rest a few key defenders (what was I thinking.) And thirdly, I didn’t see Chelsea strike one shot or deadly pass. An all round nightmare against Barcelona finished 3-0. Thankfully, I learned how to manage again after this and we won the remaining four games. Dortmund of Germany have a good team, but were embarrassed at home 2-0 and then travelled to Stamford Bridge for a 3-0 mauling. PAOK got a taste of what awaits in the last tie after losing 4-0, but my return match against Barcelona was the best. Stamford Bridge was packed out despite our previous thrashing and the players responded with a 4-0 scoreline. The highlights are below.

The real beauty of this game is I learned from my previous mistakes. I dropped the 4-5-1 for the first time this season and used a 4-4-2. I included a few key players but also offered opportunities to the usual substitutes like Tafer, Ludwig and Weiss. If you thought Barcelona could play, just watch the video above. My boys play them off the park. :) This match made a big difference to the group too. I am now on top and need just three points from my last match against PAOK.

After enjoying the perfect start to 2018/19, I was left to question where it all went right. I can confirm that while my defence are the most consistent, my more attacking players can be prolific. Especially Petrovic who has scored 13 goals from 14 starts. I was also impressed with Marcelo, a lot of you were concerned by his transfer fee (including myself) but the Brazilian has done well with 3 goals and 9 assists. Daniel Groves was brought up from my reserves. He plays right back and enjoyed a great start at the age of 19, I was delighted by his 7.52 rating. Marcos has been the biggest disappointment so far. After paying Juventus almost £20 million I thought I’d found one of the best CM’s in the world. But Marcos is either struggling to adjust or been used in the wrong position.

My next post will cover December-February. However, if this takes too long I may do a two part post instead. Either way, the next three months will decided my season and what we’re fighting for. Losing my first two games away to Everton and Arsenal isn’t an option. They’ll be tough but losing would ruin morale and offer United, City and Liverpool a way back in. Some tough fixtures, but you have to play em’ all at some point I guess. :)

Well that is all for today guys. I hope you enjoyed the post and please feel free to comment. For anyone who is inspired to start the European Challenge please read the UEC rules to learn more. Until next time, thanks for reading guys! ;)