Darren — Ultimate European Challenge, Chelsea on all fronts 18/19

Hey guys and welcome back to another update from my Ultimate European Challenge. During the last post you saw Chelsea establish a 12 point gap at the top of the Premier League. We also managed to reach the Champions League first knockout round and the sixth round of the FA Cup. With everything to play for, today’s post will see the end of my 2018/19 season. When all is done, will Chelsea be parading one, two, or even three trophies? Lets find out.

Premier League results and table

Well, March certainly didn’t start well. A loss at home to close rivals Man Utd and a really poor performance. Switching to my secondary 4-4-2 formation completely back fired. However, the lads seemed to settle down after that and get back on track. We won 5 games in a row, before losing to Everton. Another rubbish performance at Stamford Bridge and the 2-0 loss was put down to a weak lineup. Despite such a loss, I stuck by the same weakened team for our next home game against Arsenal. A big derby and my boys didn’t disappoint as Arsenal were beaten 3-1. I then reverted back to my stars for a 2-0 victory at the Stadium of Light, before resting my entire squad for the visit of West Brom. Complacency caught up with us here as the Baggies shocked Chelsea with the 2-1 victory. With Liverpool only needing us to lose three matches, had I done enough? Or did my weakened starting XI’s ruin what seemed like a certain BPL crown.

Of course not, the title was won with ease. Finishing on 95 points meant a 14 point gap to Manchester City. Poor old Liverpool fell off the pace and even missed out on the top four! My beloved Newcastle survived yet another relegation threatened season, while both sides of Manchester still seem the most consistent sides in the league. Man Utd are seriously dangerous, I don’t understand how they can perform so badly in the league.

The FA Cup

One trophy down, just two more to go. The FA Cup was won last season, but I really fancied my chances of the treble, so decided to field my strongest players. The sixth round was away from home against Championship table toppers Stoke. An easy victory I thought to myself, wrong! Stoke must have had some sort of outer body experience. Flying into tackles, making inch perfect 50 yard passes, in fact I stopped the game at one point to check through their team again. I wanted to see the attributes because their performance just didn’t add up. After conceding early on, I seriously feared for my chances. But a stern talking to the lads at half time and a few tactical tweaks turned things around. First of all Blackwell struck from outside the area, then Papadopoulos scored from a corner. 2-1 to the mighty Chelsea and a new found respect for Stoke. ;)

With Manchester City still lurking in the shadows, I was delighted to draw Everton for the semi-final. Again, my strongest starting XI were out to cause havoc and this is what they did. Petrovic scored two great goals, while Godwin played like a true playmaker and finished the match off. 3-1 Chelsea and a trip to Wembley awaits…Man City also won their semi-final with ease, so a tough match awaits.

FA Cup final — Chelsea vs Manchester City

While I have an awful track record against the red side of Manchester, I have always succeeded against City. I just decided to stick by my usual 4-5-1 and try to counter what is an incredible team. Man City have splashed the cash so far on names such as Moussa Sissoko, Jovetic, Babacar, Davide Santon and the best regen ever in Iraola. However, all of those players combined still don’t match up to my super hero, Petrovic! Lets see who had the last laugh, below are the match highlights.

This was an extremely nervy match. Both teams came out of the traps in a sprint with some end to end football. Chelsea had the best of the early exchanges, Petrovic picked up the pieces from Weiss’ saved shot. Then Rakitic stunned the entire stadium with a thunderous equalizer. Half-time saw Chelsea’s two key players substituted, as Godwin made way for Perotti and Petrovic made way for Ludwig. The new striker wasted no time and helped Chelsea take the lead. Then Weiss hit an incredible free kick to wrap things up. 3-1 to Chelsea and a few big risks paid off. Marcelo was rested from the right wing, but his understudy in Weiss was the man of the match.

Despite using a counter strategy, my boys still dominated possession. While City showed some class, they ultimately lost because of a lack of shots hitting the target. Just two shots tested my keeper and one was the long range goal, while Chelsea managed 12 shots on target. The fans were delighted and I have secured the domestic double.

Champions League

I finished my last post with a disappointing performance away to Ajax in the Champions League first knockout stage. The 1-1 draw was far too flattering, but should set us up nicely for the second leg. The Dutch giants never stood a chance at Stamford Bridge, as Chelsea won with ease 3-0. The quarter-final draw could have been worse, I was to face my old club AC Milan. An emotional return, but not one with mercy. I destroyed Milan away from home 5-1, all five goals were scored by different players. I then decided to use a defensive strategy for the home leg. With the tie already wrapped up, Milan threw too many players forward. Chelsea scored four goals on the counter and won the match 4-1 and the tie 9-2. If this wasn’t a battle cry I don’t know what is.

With Man Utd still in the competition, I managed an easy looking draw against Marseille. The French side had beaten rivals and their only domestic challenge Lyon in the quarter-final. I used a full strength starting line up for the first leg at Stamford Bridge and we dominated possession. However, Marseille are extremely dangerous from set pieces and we could only draw 1-1. A worrying result, but I went into the second leg with confidence. OM just didn’t turn up, using my counter strategy the lads kept hitting Marseille on the break. We won 3-0 thanks to an outstanding performance from Marcelo. Through to the final, but my boggy side await in the form of Manchester United. The one team I always dread playing and also the winners of last years Champions League. Guess who they beat in the Semi-final, none other than my former club At. Madrid!!! This just proves how good they are.

Champions League final — Chelsea vs Manchester United

I am usually the favourite to win most matches and therefore picking a strategy is always easy. However, I am rarely favourite when playing Man Utd. This always puts me in a difficult spot. Do I choose counter strategy which I’m more familiar with, or go with defensive strategy which is designed for such games? Well, I usually pick counter, and it doesn’t always work. I think I’m a little worried a defensive strategy will bring on too much pressure…today I decided to change my ways and pick the defensive strategy. A first for me in Cup finals, but one I feel is necessary.

I had the usual line up and now maybe you’ll see why Petrovic and Godwin were subbed at half-time in the FA Cup. This Champions League final was three days after our success against the blue half of Manchester. I also rested Marcelo in that game because he’s been amazing in Europe. With Rooney, Pastore, Alexis Sanchez, Galeano and my favourite Argentine regen Becerra, Man Utd look strong. Lets see if I paid for a change in strategy, or if my tactical switch made things tick. Below are the match highlights.

Haha!! I just love it when a tactical risk pays off. Chelsea dominated the first half and looked set for the trophy. 2-0 at half-time and not a care in the world. Then some sloppy defending helped Martinez score from a corner and make my last 20 minutes very uncomfortable. However, my side defended like troopers as we held out for the 2-1 victory. A great result and my third Champions League trophy with three different teams, in three different countries. If you didn’t watch the highlights, I suggest watching the first goal. It just sums up Petrovic!

A wonderful achievement. This final was very even in terms of match stats, but to watch I think we deserved the win. The board were ecstatic and to be honest so was I. Never mind winning the Champions League, I beat my boggy team in the biggest of stages.

The hero’s of Chelsea

After an incredible season, I was shocked to realise only four players really shone. While the rest chipped in here and there, I could only think of four players that really made the winning difference. First off we have the amazing Ivan Petrovic (click any name in blue to see profile.) 45 goals and 11 assists from 43 games, finally a striker has broken the goal per game ratio for me. Then we have Marcelo, a lot of concern for his transfer fee pre-season, but he has proven more than worth the cash. 18 goals and 32 assists makes sure of that. On the opposite wing, Nigerian Mike Godwin ran a good show. 14 goals and 11 assists weren’t his best asset, Godwin also threatened every defence and was more valuable for his presence. Talking of presence, Phil Jones has been a rock in defence all season and scored 9 goals to back it up. These four players are my main reason for success and all have been bought by myself since taking charge within the last two seasons.

Well I loved managing Chelsea, the squad I pulled together could dominate world football for many years. But I still have the French part of this challenge to complete. Therefore I have resigned as manager and will be looking to find a job across the waters in France. Lyon or Marseille would be perfect, but I can’t see them ever sacking the current managers. Therefore I will be looking at the likes of Bordeaux, Toulouse, Monaco etc.

That’s all for today’s update guys. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the ride. My Ultimate European Challenge is closing in on its end. Until next time please feel free to ask any questions below and I look forward to reading your comments.

ps I will be resuming my Newcastle story soon. In preparation I examined the clubs finances, not very good at all!! Therefore I am writing a financial guide to help you all keep your team in the green! Should be a special post so watch out for it. :)