Notts County February 2016

Hello dear friends, welcome back to a fresh episode of my Notts County Football Manager 2010 story! January 2016 was probably the best month of our season so far, we ended it with a splendid 5-0 win over Arsenal at Meadow Lane. We had to keep our feet on the ground though, a 5-0 win doesn’t give you more than three points. We also had the Champions League on our minds, the first game against Valencia was coming up.

But until then we had a few more Premier League games to win. The first one was away at 17th placed West Ham and it took us more than half an hour to score the first goal, Rafael Sobis was quick on his feet and took advantage of a defensive error. Andrea Romano doubled our lead in the second half with a placed shot to convert an assist from Rafael Sobis. West Ham clawed one back with a fine shot from 25 yards out but we didn’t have any more problems until the final whistle. The big problem came up after the game, Andrea Romano‘s injury was pretty serious, his arm was broken so he will be out between 5 and six weeks. He has been a very important asset to the team so far and I was quite worried about his absence.

We had another away game coming up, we were traveling to meet 11th placed Sunderland. The first half saw us dominating the game but we were unable to break through Sunderland‘s defense. Ashley Young made the difference eventually, a swift run down the left flank and a pinpoint pass gave Jonjo Shelvey the chance to send the ball in with a ferocious shot from inside the box. We had a rather poor second half, Guilherme missed a huge chance and then Sunderland were denied by a few fantastic saves from Igor Akinfeev. It was a scrappy win but it didn’t matter too much, the three points were ours.

The next game was at home against 10th placed Everton, I was expecting a better performance from my players. In fact, we started the game pretty well but the strikers were missing their chances. When that happens Zapata has to step up, he gave us the lead with yet another corner kick header. We were firing shots from all over the place but the ball just wouldn’t get in. Guilherme finally did it three minutes from time, he ended his 10 hour long goal drought with a header. His last goal was in December 2015, I hope that he will get some confidence back and start scoring like he did last season.

Next up, the FA Cup 5th round game with Newcastle. I decided to send in a few backup players and give them a chance to shine. Young midfielder Carlos Abad looked determined to prove himself and he scored his first goal for the club after a fine run through the opposition defense. Newcastle hit the woodwork twice in the second half but Rafael Sobis closed the accounts, he was brought down inside the box and then stepped up to convert the penalty kick. We could have scored one or two more after that but we failed to convert the chances yet again. We’ll get to meet Championship side Stoke City in the quarter final, I guess we should progress to the last four.

The most important game of the month was coming up, the first leg of the Champions League tie with Valencia. Their main threat was David Silva, 30 years old, but Villa was also in the starting eleven despite being 34 years old. He didn’t cause us too many problems during open play but he made the difference when he got the first chance, he finished a corner kick with a superb volley and Valencia took the lead against the run of play. Simon Kjaer got us back on level terms with a powerful corner kick header but then David Villa did it again, he fired in an unbelievable free kick from 30 yards out! We were trying hard but we were unable to get past their well organized defense. The goal came eventually, Guilherme played a soft touch pass for Hinshelwood and the wonderkid placed it right into the top corner. Chris Gadi missed a couple of great chances in the second half, one on one with Valencia‘s keeper. The result isn’t bad but we could have won the game. Sam Hinshelwood picked up a knock and was going to be out for two weeks. Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.

Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.

The last Premier League game of the month was a tricky away one at Manchester City. We played well during the first 45 minutes but missed two clear chances, we obviously had a problem with finishing without Romano. The second half was totally different, Manchester City dominated the game as my lads looked tired. Akinfeev kept us unbeaten with a couple of miraculous saves but there was another injury report after the game, Guilherme will be out for three weeks.

We were still 7 points clear at the top of the table with two games in hand, I guess we’re heading for another title.

The month wasn’t over yet, we were going to Wembley to meet Manchester United with the Carling Cup on the table. I was a bit worried about all the injury problems but there were good news too, Fabian Delph was fit again after a long recovery. We started the game pretty well but just when I was expecting to take the lead Zapata made a huge error, he played a perfect assist for Valencia and we suddenly were 1-0 down. We got back level eight minutes later, Chris Gadi turned on the ball and left Johnny Evans standing, then unselfishly passed it to Rafael Sobis who pushed it into the empty net. We kept on pushing forward in the second half and eventually took the lead, it was a moment of sheer magic from Chris Gadi who dribbled past an opponent and slotted it home. Then we had to withstand a bit of pressure in defense but not for long, Rafael Sobis curled one in from 35 yards out and it was all over thanks to his sensational goal.

I was quite pleased to lift the Carling Cup once again, that could give the team more confidence for the future challenges. Next month we’ll have to overcome Valencia in the Champions League, that is the most important thing. I also wish to continue the good run in the Premier League and secure the title as soon as possible in order to concentrate on the Champions League (that is if we get past Valencia).

That’s how it was mates, looking forward to your comments. ;)

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