Inter vs Viitorul (Champions League Group F)
Starting Line Up: Hernan Prestia — Lubomir Cerny, Juan Belencoso, Ionut Putanu, Mory Kante — Joaozinho, Silviu Pana, Nenad Grumic — Rodolfo Oliver, Manoel, Daniel Mazzoni
We had one important absence for this game, centre back Georgica Dicu, and considering that Inter were starting with Tevez and Castaignos upfront and Sneijder behind them I wasn’t really hoping for a good result. However, our defence did a very good job for around half an hour and Inter were unable to send any shots on target. But when they did, they scored… The first half ended with Inter leading 1-0 and my team was rather disappointing overall mostly because we were a total failure in attack.
We started showing a bit more courage after the interval and even came close to bagging the equaliser on 57 minutes but centre back Ionut Putanu failed to find the target with a free kick header. Inter were easily handling our attacks and nearly doubled their advantage on 73 minutes when Sneijder hit the crossbar. The Dutch ace did much better from a longer distance four minutes later though and it was all over. Liverpool defeated Shakhtar quite clearly in the other game, 3-0.
Match Highlights:click here to watch
Viitorul vs Liverpool (Champions League Group F)
Starting Line Up: Hernan Prestia — Lubomir Cerny, Juan Belencoso, Georgica Dicu, Danut Gongolea — Christian Kaufmann, Joaozinho, Silviu Pana — Rodolfo Oliver, Rastislav Benko, Daniel Mazzoni
Dicu was back in the starting eleven for this game but another player suffered an injury before the match, left back Mory Kante. Liverpool were looking mighty strong in attack with Luis Suarez as a lone striker and with an awesome trio behind him: Adam Johnson, Douglas Costa and Jordan Henderson. Unfortunately the game started in the worst possible way for us as left back Danut Gongolea passed the ball straight to an opponent inside our own penalty area and we found ourselves one goal down before the first minute of the game was over. My lads reacted well though and Benko nearly made me proud on 11 minutes but he was denied by the goalie. The following corner kick brought joy to our fans though: Benko‘s header came back off the crossbar but Belencoso was there to push the ball in on the rebound. Liverpool were not happy and they started pressing forward after the equaliser. Our resistance lasted just eight minutes as Liverpool got back in front courtesy of what seemed a rather harsh penalty kick. There was no reaction from my lads until half time and that’s why I decided to make a change: I switched to the attacking version of my tactic at the break.
We dominated the match for a while after the break but we suffered a setback shortly after the hour mark when Rodolfo Oliver had to leave the field on a stretcher. Our worries turned into joy on 73 minutes when Daniel Mazzoni produced a fantastic solo effort and scored to make it 2-2! Liverpool threw in Andy Carroll alongside Suarez in an attempt to win the game but it was us who came very close in the last minute of stoppage time as Belencoso‘s corner kick header smashed against the crossbar! So close… The result was good though, unlike the news about Oliver: out for three months! In the other group match Shakhtar pulled of an upset as they held Inter to a 1-1 draw.
Match Highlights: click here to watch
With Rodolfo Oliver missing for such a long time I decided to sign a striker that was presented to my by his agent: young Englishman Scott Ward, a former West Ham player. He has some potential but he can’t be a first team regular yet, just a backup.
Viitorul vs Shakhtar (Champions League Group F)
Starting Line Up: Hernan Prestia — Ionut Peteleu, Juan Belencoso, Georgica Dicu, Danut Gongolea — Christian Kaufmann, Joaozinho, Nenad Grumic — Rastislav Benko, Manoel, Daniel Mazzoni
Considering the previous results this match was the big chance for us to get that first win as Shakhtar seemed a bit weaker than Liverpool despite their position as 2nd seed in the draw. They did have some star players though, especially midfielder Jadson and former Arsenal striker Eduardo. The first few minutes of the match were rather boring but unfortunately Shakhtar struck on the very first chance and made it 1-0 on a corner kick in the 8th minute. My youngsters produced an instant reply though and we restored parity just one minute later: Benko‘s finish was parried by the goalkeeper and midfielder Christian Kaufmann slotted home for his first ever goal for the club! The goal gave us more enthusiasm and we converted that into another goal on 15 minutes when Mazzoni headed home on a corner kick for his 10th goal of the season. We continued to dominate the game quite clearly and came close again on 34 minutes when Benko wrapped up a fine move with a poor finish.
Our good display continued after the break and young substitute Ivo Prochazka impressed the crowd with a fine run on 47 minutes but his finish was parried by the goalkeeper. We kept on pressing forward and created another chance on 55 minutes when a good move freed up Manoel inside the penalty area but his shot came back off the post! We were playing brilliantly though and the third goal was just a matter of time. In fact, Manoel bagged two of them on 67 and 85 minutes to wrap up a fantastic performance. Our keeper also managed to have a moment of glory during stoppage time when he pulled off an amazing save to deny Eduardo. We clinched our first ever Champions League group stage win, and what a win that was!
Match Highlights: click here to watch
Inter vs Liverpool ended 1-1 so the group table was quite tight after three games. We were third and we seemed to have a good chance of advancing in the Europa League at least. The away game at Shakhtar was going to be decisive to that respect, we needed a draw there to boost our hopes of finishing 3rd.
Shakhtar vs Viitorul (Champions League Group F)
Starting Line Up: Hernan Prestia — Lubomir Cerny, Juan Belencoso, Georgica Dicu, Mory Kante — Joaozinho, Silviu Pana, Nenad Grumic — Rastislav Benko, Manoel, Daniel Mazzoni
The start of the game seemed to shatter our hopes though as Shakhtar started pushing forward right away and even broke the deadlock after just six minutes courtesy of a wonderful finish from Eduardo. My lads woke up after that goal but we only managed to create our first chance on the half hour mark when Dicu sent a free kick cross just wide with a diving header. We did the damage three minutes later though when Benko sent in a low cross which Manoel somehow pushed into the back of the net. Shakhtar reacted but my defence was flawless until half time.
The Ukrainian crowd was silenced eight minutes after the break when substitute Ivo Prochazka played a beautiful through pass for Manoel who powered home to put us ahead! I admit that I was in disbelief! Moreover, I was expecting Shakhtar to push us against the ropes but that wasn’t the case as my boys were keeping possession very well and the game into our opponents’ half! We did feel some pressure after the 80th minute but my defence coped with that very well and even managed to launch a fine counter attack two minutes from time when Joaozinho wrapped up the game in style with a fantastic lob from 20 yards out! Liverpool vs Inter ended 2-3 so we moved up in second position! (Inter 8 points, Viitorul 7 points, Liverpool 5 points, Shakhtar 1 point). The third position was secured, Shakthar were no longer able to catch us, but we had a real chance of finishing second. Or even first for that matter!
Match Highlights: click here to watch
Viitorul vs Inter (Champions League Group F)
Starting Line Up: Hernan Prestia — Ionut Peteleu, Juan Belencoso, Georgica Dicu, Mory Kante — Joaozinho, Silviu Pana, Nenad Grumic — Rastislav Benko, Manoel, Daniel Mazzoni
A win against Inter would have boosted our chance of finishing in the top two but that’s a lot easier said than done, especially since another bad injury was added just before the match: Lubomir Cerny out for 3 months. However, Inter didn’t seem very concentrated, their defence seemed quite sleepy and Manoel managed to take advantage of that on 13 minutes! Unfortunately the Italians woke up after that slow start and pegged us back in the 27th minute thanks to a great goal from Pazzini. And that was just about everything that this game had to offer, both teams seemed happy with the result. I certainly was happy to add another point to our tally! :) But Liverpool defeated Shakhtar 3-1 so we moved back in third spot, tied on 7 points with Liverpool. We needed a win at Anfield to advance to the first knockout round of the Champions League, quite unlikely but I was determined to fight for that chance.
Match Highlights: click here to watch
Liverpool vs Viitorul (Champions League Group F)
Starting Line Up: Xaropinho — Ionut Peteleu, Juan Belencoso, Georgica Dicu, Danut Gongolea — Joaozinho, Silviu Pana, Nenad Grumic — Rastislav Benko, Manoel, Daniel Mazzoni
Unfortunately we had to play without our first choice goalkeeper due to injury but that didn’t seem such a big problem in the opening half hour as we defended very well. Liverpool did manage to break the deadlock eventually on a corner kick and that was enough to get the three points as we were unable to pose any threat at the other end of the pitch.
Match Highlights: click here to watch
So, the dream of advancing past the group stage in the Champions League proved too much for now but I am still very happy with what we managed to achieve this season: eight points compared to last season’s one point!
This achievement allowed us to enter the Europa League first knockout round draw and we got Glasgow Rangers, not too bad I guess. Moreover, if we beat the Rangers we will meet either Fenerbahce or Sparta Prague in the next round. I guess we have a chance of grabbing a few more points for our European coefficient ;)
Now let’s see what happened on the domestic front… The Romanian Cup run was quiet so far, we advanced to the semi finals with ease although we did have a few headaches in the quarter final against Ceahlaul.
The league brought us good results overall as we won all but three games from mid-September to the winter break. We were quite unlucky in those two draws and even more unlucky to lose against Rapid but considering that we also had the tough Champions League matches to play I am satisfied overall.
The satisfaction is even bigger when you look at the league table: we have built a reasonable gap at the top and I guess we’re on course to grab the fourth consecutive title.
The player stats show quite a few lads above the 7.00 average rating mark with Manoel leading the pack thanks to his 18 goals and 5 assists. The Brazilian was second choice to Rodolfo Oliver at the start of the season but when Oliver got injured he stepped into the spotlight and delivered much more than I had expected from him. Rastislav Benko and Daniel Mazzoni did very well too as they bagged 32 goals between them while centre backs Juan Belencoso and Georgica Dicu were in command at the back.
The good Champions League run also added some more money into our account (you get around 300K for each point), so our balance stands at an all-time high at the moment.
That’s all I had to report for now folks, I’m happy that my team finally managed to get some results in Europe while consolidating our domination in Romania. I feel that there are exciting times ahead for this club :) Thanks a lot for reading and for your support, see you in the comments box ;)
C
28 января, 2012 at 19:55
wow great effort in europe! So unlucky not to get through, I bet you do well in the europa league
Johnny Karp
28 января, 2012 at 21:25
Thanks mate, we were pretty close but I don’t think we were unlucky to miss out on the second spot, Liverpool and Inter were better.
Woody
28 января, 2012 at 20:50
looking good domestically his year as expected
very well done in europe this season against all odds hopefully you’ll get past and get more money for going further
anyway well done and good luck
Johnny Karp
28 января, 2012 at 21:26
Thanks Woody, I’m quite happy with how things went so far.
Tom Barnes
28 января, 2012 at 21:11
A BIG improvement in Europe, very well done for that! Domestically I never has any doubts.
With is improvement in Europe, the board is sure to give you more funds next season. Hopefully nobody will notice you and you don’t have any players taken my foreign teams.
Good luck!
Johnny Karp
28 января, 2012 at 21:27
Thanks Tom, I’m sure they will give me more money, maybe they will do that during the winter break. About the players, quite a few of them are wanted but I slapped big price tags on most of them to keep the «predators» away at least for a while.
Tom Barnes
28 января, 2012 at 21:30
Well fingers crossed that the board do so you can make your mark on the Europa league.
That’s good to hear, I’d hate for the next episode to begin with you losing all your top players.
Hope all is well :)
Laxeyman
28 января, 2012 at 21:14
Great effort in Europe Johnny! You’ve certainly improved from last season, and with an easier group, I reckon you’ll qualify for the knockout’s comfortably next season. Hopefully you can go along way in the Europa League, you’ve definitely got a chance :) Good luck!
Johnny Karp
28 января, 2012 at 21:28
Thanks Laxeyman. I’m not sure that we can go all the way in the Europa League but I think we can advance at least one or two more rounds.
Kevin
28 января, 2012 at 21:44
Hi Johnny
That was a very exciting ride through Europe and I really thought you would go through to the knockout round after those back to back wins over Shaktar. The team is improving each year in this competition. I looks like you should have no trouble in retaining the domestic title and some great young players coming up through the ranks too! Great job.
Johnny Karp
29 января, 2012 at 08:52
Thanks Kevin. My hopes were high after those two wins too but Inter and Liverpool were too strong for us.
Darren Smith
28 января, 2012 at 22:37
Well done Johnny, your form in Romania is nothing short of domination and your European form has taken a giant leap too. Every other year you were out matched but this season I thought you may just reach the first knockout round. The elimination wasn’t a bad thing though as your Europa League campaign could provide some brilliant giant killings. I think your squad is growing to a very competitive level now and you are three or four quality signings away from challenging in Europe in my opinion.
Johnny Karp
29 января, 2012 at 08:53
Thanks Darren. I agree, we will need three or four more quality players, especially in midfield, to take the team to the next level.
billy
28 января, 2012 at 23:35
Nice effort in trying to qualify for knockout round. Better luck next time. I also did not see the saved game u said where goin to post.
Johnny Karp
29 января, 2012 at 09:08
I’m sorry mate, I forgot about the file… Here it is: http://www.mediafire.com/?c676zz0kt63r24c
CsAtlantis
29 января, 2012 at 02:09
Wow Manoel not being injured for a change is now banging in the goals, you did really well in the group stages this time, I think getting third place (and a spot in the Europa knockout rounds) is a good achievement considering that Liverpool and Inter had some really nice players (Sneijder, Cabaye, Douglas Costa)
You might be able to challenge for the Europa League trophy itself, who knows :D, keep up the good work Johnny, hopefully Hagi doesn’t accept too many more offers for your players on your behalf
Johnny Karp
29 января, 2012 at 09:05
Thanks mate, I agree that it was a good achievement. I don’t know if we’ll be able to challenge for the Europa League trophy since there are a few strong teams in there like Arsenal or Tottenham but we’ll take it one game at a time and see where it leads us.
denson
29 января, 2012 at 10:44
Your team is improving in Europe Johnny i definitely thought you were going through when you got the two wins against Shaktar, they should be your feeder club!
Two or three more signings and i think you will get through the group stage.
Good Luck!
Johnny Karp
29 января, 2012 at 12:14
Thanks mate, we still need the yearly money that we get from Shakhtar as they still do have much more of that than us :)
Martin - F.M.J.S
29 января, 2012 at 10:53
That was brilliant story Johnny I was thinking you had made it to the first round knockout stage in Europe. Some excellent results. Your team is getting stronger and stronger every year. It looks like you got another League title in the bag? Good Luck with the rest of the season. :)
Johnny Karp
29 января, 2012 at 12:15
Thanks Martin, we should get the league title but I’m curious to see how we’ll fare in the Europa League.
vaibhavc
29 января, 2012 at 12:29
What a performance in Europe Johnny! Even though this group was tough, you still came third and got a deserved Europa League place.
Johnny Karp
29 января, 2012 at 14:50
Thanks Vaibhav.
TheZiggy
29 января, 2012 at 13:02
Brilliant first half of the season, finally getting wins in the Champions League group to progress through into the later stages of the Europa League. Your lead in the League is excellent too, so it looks like you’ll winning that again.
It’ll be interesting to see just how far you can progress in the Europa League now. Good luck.
Johnny Karp
29 января, 2012 at 14:51
Thanks Ziggy, I am looking forward to the Europa League because it seems we’ll be meeting teams that are more or less «in our league», at least in the first couple of rounds.
Ana Garcia
29 января, 2012 at 19:36
Eight points well done!! :)
That’s your best total I think in the champions league group and it does show your are improving season on season.
Your group was far from easy as well so it make’s it an even better achievement.
Financially it looks as good as ever and with your team sitting on top of the league it will take some effort for them to overtake you, lots of wanted players so hopefully you can hold on to them I and I have my fingers crossed that you chairman wont make those decisions for you. :)
Good luck!!
Johnny Karp
29 января, 2012 at 19:51
Thanks Ana, eight points is by far our best total so far considering that the previous best was… one point! :) I have put hefty price tags on my best players and I hope that will keep the big offers away at least for a while.
Sears
29 января, 2012 at 21:12
Doing incredibly well in the league Johnny, it’s all but wrapped up …. But wow, that was a major improvement regarding the CL. I think next season you could qualify to the knock-out stages, depending on the draw. Best of luck in the Europa League!
Johnny Karp
30 января, 2012 at 07:34
Thanks Sears, it will depend on the draw but we do have some confidence now :)
Malhar Bhadbhade
30 января, 2012 at 01:01
hey johnny,
i think you’re going to dominate the league and the cup for all the seasons that you continue to play this game :) your team is that good. only way is up! i’m delighted that you did so well in the champions league this season, with possibly the hardest group you could get! all the best in the europa league and hope you can advance from the first few knockout rounds…you’re not very far from making it to the knockout rounds of the champions league and thats a realistic target for you next season. keep up the good work! cheers! :D
Johnny Karp
30 января, 2012 at 07:35
Thanks mate, the team has made significant progress this season and I’m delighted with that.
Calin
30 января, 2012 at 07:04
You did great in Europe, Johnny, some really amazing results. I am really glad to see that you managed to continue your trip in Europe (even though it’s Europa League) and you were so close on finishing second in that really tough group! But at least you got Rangers against which you should have no problems considering your performance in CL.
Regarding the domestic league, that’s what we were expecting from you and it’s no surprise that you managed to deliver. It’s still good to know that your position in Romania is getting really solid, so that you can focus more on Europe.
Johnny Karp
30 января, 2012 at 07:35
Thanks Calin, the domestic league is becoming a bit too easy for my team and I just hope they don’t get complacent.
Lye
31 января, 2012 at 01:23
Hi Johnny,
Have been missing the stories here as i am very busy with my personal life. The focus will definitely be in Europe as i just don’t any problems in you retaining the title. A big improvement compared to last season as you progressed to the Europa League in such a tough group. Love to see you going all the way. Good luck.
Johnny Karp
31 января, 2012 at 09:52
Hey Lye, I hope your kid is doing fine! As for the game, I’m quite pleased with how things have gone so far and I hope we’ll do some more damage in Europe.
Martin Pickard
2 февраля, 2012 at 15:32
Brilliant post Johnny…your definitely at the same level as me in the anzhi save, dominating the domestic seen and improving every season in the champions league. Your Champions League campaign this year has been absolutely awesome and the efforts fully deserved a Knockout place, but there’s alway next year. Keep up the good work and I’m looking forward to the next update :)
Johnny Karp
3 февраля, 2012 at 13:18
Thanks Martin, my team is a lot weaker than yours but so is the league fortunately ;)
Bhargav
4 февраля, 2012 at 11:21
Terrific work, Johnny! I knew it was only a matter of time before you had your breakthrough in Europe. And do it against such opposition — that is truly impressive! Congrats mate!
Johnny Karp
4 февраля, 2012 at 11:50
Thanks mate.
billy
16 февраля, 2012 at 15:05
good try on getting 8 points in champions league group stage.
Johnny Karp
16 февраля, 2012 at 19:03
Thanks, I was quite happy with that achievement.