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Vauxhall in 2022 — Did we win the League?

Hello friends and welcome back to the Vauxhall Motors Football Manager 2011 story! Things went pretty well in the first half of the season as we managed to grab all the three trophies that we had played for: the Community Shield, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Championship. However, our position in the Premier League was not too good as we were 4th at the end of December. That was my main concern before the second half of the season but we also had to do our best in the other three competitions: Carling Cup, FA Cup and Champions League.

Let’s start with what probably is the least important domestic competition, the Carling Cup.

Carling Cup Semi Final

After a fairly easy early run we had to face Tottenham in the semi final and that was not an easy task at all. We managed to grab an essential victory in the first leg and that made the return game a lot easier as we had spaces to exploit in the Spurs‘ defence. With room available to run Gilson and Zé Carlos did the damage and pushed us through to the final where we were going to meet Chelsea, the team that we had already beaten in the UEFA Super Cup.

I was quite looking forward to this final to be honest as we had only won the Carling Cup once, back in 2020. However, we had an important absence to worry about as Zé Carlos was suspended after being sent off in a Premier League match.

Vauxhall vs Chelsea (Carling Cup Final)

Venue: Wembley

Attendance: 90,000

Starting line up: Franck Gnahoua — Gary Warner, Gerhard Heinrich, Danny Wilson, Pierre Touya — Da Silva, Indio — Gilson, Tiago — Lucas Cuello, Parana

Team Talk: For the fans!

We enjoyed a good spell of domination right from the start of the game but we were unable to create any clear cut chances and that was mainly because some excellent defending from Chelsea. However, their defence did fail just one minute before the break, Lucas Cuello received the ball seven yards out with only the keeper to beat but he fired wide!

Half time score: 0 -0

Half time team talk: For the fans!

Half time substitutions: Javier Godoy for Touya, Robert Ackermann for Indio

Our domination continued after the break but luck wasn’t on our side either as Gilson rattled the post minutes before the hour mark. That is when I decided to send in Leandro Velasco for Tiago but it was Parana who created panic in the Chelsea defence on 65 minutes and Da Silva fired home to break the deadlock. Velasco stepped up two minutes later with an awesome goal as he performed a beautiful dance around the ball before firing home from inside the penalty area. The flood gates were wide open at that point but we were unable to capitalize as Parana and Ackermann missed great opportunities. Then, right out of nowhere, Chelsea striker Neymar scored a fabulous goal to reopen the game with nine minutes left but the Blues were unable to push for the equaliser as we retained possession very well.

Full time team talk: Congratulations!

Man of the match: Leandro Velasco

Flop of the match: Indio

Video Highlights

Click here to watch the highlights.

Match Stats

The Carling Cup was ours, now let’s see how we did in the Premier League.

Premier League January 2022

The first month of the year was absolutely perfect, we recorded four straight wins, scored 15 goals and conceded none! Zé Carlos did a great job again as he scored four goals but Parana was even better as he bagged five goals! Despite the good run the situation in the league table didn’t improve too much…

… as we were 3rd at the end of the month. Here is a quick snapshot of the situation at the top of the table:

1. Tottenham — 60 points (24 games)

2. Manchester United — 59 points (25 games)

3. Vauxhall — 55 points (22 games)

Premier League February 2022

February was perfect too, I admit that I was thrilled! We managed to keep a clean sheet again for a whole month and the best thing is that we did that in rather difficult circumstances. The game against Manchester United at Old Trafford was simply epic as we had Zé Carlos sent off after just 28 minutes but then fought on and ended United‘s 18-match unbeaten run! (Click here to watch the highlights.)

And we were finally top of the table, I was quite relieved but not too much as the race was still fairly tight:

1. Vauxhall — 70 points (27 games)

2. Tottenham — 69 points (28 games)

3. Man United — 65 points (29 games)

Premier League March 2022

March started with a narrow but deserved win at Arsenal but then we slipped up for the first time in 2022 as we were held to a home draw by Everton. It was a very frustrating match as we squandered six clear cut chances while Everton had just one shot on target, a 40 yarder from Jack Wilshere… Then we had a rough match against Sunderland but snatched the three points before ending the month with a glorious 7-1 beating of Huddersfield.

We were still top of the table but our advantage was quite slim, just two points…The good thing was that Manchester United were out of the title race at the end of March, it was between us and the Spurs at that point.

1. Vauxhall — 80 points (31 games)

2. Tottenham — 78 points (31 games)

3. Man United — 71 points (32 games)

Premier League April 2022

The first two games of the month went according to plan, West Brom and Hull were unable to question our superiority and we grabbed six points before the most important game of the season…

That’s right, our next game was at home with Tottenham, they were our closest rivals so this was the game that everybody thought was going to decide where the title would go. In fact, the Spurs were top of the table before the game because they had played an extra match so we were one point behind them but with a game in hand.

Vauxhall vs Tottenham (Premier League)

Venue: Vauxhall Stadium

Attendance: 38,812 (sold out)

Starting line up: Franck Gnahoua — Miguel Angel Tomas, Phil Jones, Javier Godoy, Pierre Touya — Indio, Robert Ackermann — Leandro Velasco, Tiago — Lucas Cuello, Iain McManus

Team Talk: For the fans!

If you look at our line up you can notice that quite a few regulars are missing and that is because of fatigue as we had an important Champions League match just two days before the Spurs clash. The good news was that the Spurs were in exactly the same situation as they had played an European game the same day but they chose to send in their tired first team regulars in the league match! I thought that our fitness advantage would prove decisive and I guess it did as we broke the deadlock after just 8 minutes when Lucas Cuello ran through the middle of their defence before powering in. We were dominating the game quite clearly and we made that count again on 32 minutes when Tiago played a brilliant pass across the penalty area for Leandro Velasco who slotted home. We were taking the game to the Spurs and could have scored at least three more goals before the break but their goalkeeper did wonders to deny Velasco, Tiago and Iain McManus.

Half time score: 2-0

Half time team talk: Pleased.

Half time substitutions: Danny Wilson for Godoy, Marcos Fernandez for Ackermann, Thiago for McManus

The Spurs were just too tired to reply, the game was totally in our hands and we kept it comfortably quiet until the 86th minute when Leandro Velasco bagged his second goal of the game after receiving a brilliant pass from Indio. It was a great victory and we had one hand on the title at that point!

Full time team talk: Well done!

Man of the match: Leandro Velasco

Flop of the match: Marcos Fernandez

Video Highlights

Click here to watch the highlights.

Match Stats

After the solid display against the Spurs Leandro Velasco scored again together with Zé Carlos to show us past Aston Villa and towards another perfect month in the Premier League.

We had three games left to play at that point and we only needed four points to secure the title:

1. Vauxhall — 92 points (35 games)

2. Tottenham — 90 points (36 games)

Premier League May 2022

Our schedule was not easy though as we had to face Chelsea and Man City in the month of May but we also had an easy game against Southampton who were already relegated. We cruised past Chelsea even though the score was just 2-1, the clear cut chances score was 7 to 1! Southampton were easy enough to beat so the title was ours with a game to spare but we concluded the Premier League season with a great triumph against Manchester City, we just had to give our fans something special in the last home game of the season ;)

We secured our fifth consecutive title and we did that in style as we scored no less than 127 goals thanks to the new tactic. It must have been quite frustrating for Tottenham I imagine, they grabbed 94 points and that is more than enough to win the title in 99 seasons out of 100.

Now let’s see how the other two cup competitions went, the FA Cup and the Champions League.

FA Cup

We didn’t have the easiest of runs, we conceded in every single game, but we made it to the final. The most difficult matches were against Chelsea and Manchester City but fortunately we pulled through although we were not far from being eliminated by the Blues. We will meet Tottenham in the final and I guess they will want revenge after we robbed them of the Community Shield and the Premier League title…

Champions League

Well, Tottenham have even more reasons to hate us as we knocked them out of the Champions League too! But not before cruising past Shakhtar Donetsk and beating Real Madrid both home and away, that was quite pleasing :) The semi final clash with Tottenham was incredibly nervy and that was mostly due to the first leg result, a very frustrating 1-1 draw. It was one of the most frustrating matches I have ever experienced as we wasted seven clear cut chances and hit the woodwork twice! The second leg was fierce, we took the lead through Parana but then the Spurs scored a late equaliser and the match went into extra time. Left winger Tiago scored the decisive goal in the 113th minute to avoid the penalty shoot out and see us through to the final where we will meet Portuguese giants FC Porto.

With two games left before the end of the season Zé Carlos is in contention for every award on the planet as his record so far is just amazing: 47 goals and 19 assists plus a superb average rating. Fellow Brazilian Gilson, our right winger, is also having a great season as he scored 15 goals and provided no less than 24 assists!

So, we have two finals left and I am hoping to perform that clean sweep that I wanted, that would make seven trophies in a season! We should have a clean bill of health before the FA Cup final so I think we have a reasonable chance of winning it and then worry about Porto in the Champions League final.

I think that it’s now safe to say that the new «Bulldozer» tactic is pretty good so I am going to reveal more details about it in a special post that is going to be published this weekend. Until then, thanks a lot for reading and for your support, I’m looking forward to your special comments ;)

30 комментариев

30 Comments

  1. Dan

    26 августа, 2011 at 18:20

    Great season Johnny, your Bulldozer tactic is working a treat. :) As for your players they look good both on paper and on the pitch, Ze Carlos and Gilson are footballing machines! Good luck for the FA Cup and Champions League finals, not that you need it! :)

    • Johnny Karp

      26 августа, 2011 at 18:31

      Thanks mate, I admire my players too :) Now about the finals, I think it will be tough against Tottenham but I don’t know about Porto since we’ve only met them once in a friendly game (and they beat us back then!).

  2. Sears

    26 августа, 2011 at 18:46

    Absolutely storming season mate, goals galore! Really interested in seeing this tactic, as you seem to create a large number of clear cut chances every game and you don’t concede an awful amount of goals either. Congrats on the league, and I’m sure you’ll prevail against Spurs and Porto to claim a clean sweep of all the trophies. Good luck mate!

    • Johnny Karp

      26 августа, 2011 at 20:34

      Thanks Sears, I hope I’ll be able to publish the tactic tomorrow or Sunday. I had a look and we created at least 2 clear cut chances in every game and also managed to score in every single game so far.

  3. Darren Smith

    26 августа, 2011 at 19:13

    Wahhoooo, what a run of form Johnny!! Your side look unstoppable and that tactic is more than good, it looks bloody incredible. I look forward to the special post on that and especially the two finals which I think you’ll win. The Brazilians have been your rock and your side is officially closing in towards a clean sweep. Great work.

    • Johnny Karp

      26 августа, 2011 at 20:35

      Thanks Darren, I wasn’t expecting such a good second half of the season. I hope we will those two remaining trophies.

  4. Jack

    26 августа, 2011 at 19:37

    I hate cliff hangers!!!! You’ve done it in style so far Johnny! Can’t wait for the next post and the bulldozer article, keep ’em coming!

  5. Nicholas Phipps

    26 августа, 2011 at 19:58

    Another great season and your team look absolutely unbeatable. Great ending and it was pretty clear that you would win the league from Febuary onwards :D. Looking forward to seeing your new tactic revealed in it’s full glory and also how the Champions League final unfolds (although I’m fairly sure you’ll win it!):)

    • Johnny Karp

      26 августа, 2011 at 20:37

      Thanks Nicholas, I was a bit fearful before the Tottenham game but it seems that our fitness advantage was decisive. I don’t know what to expect from the Champions League final since we never played against Porto before and they should be pretty good if they got this far.

  6. Laxeyman

    26 августа, 2011 at 20:49

    Wow, the new tactic is fantastic Johnny, an amazing amount of goals scored :) Congrats on winning the league again, and I’d be surprised if you don’t win either or both the CL and FA Cup Finals. Good luck!

    • Johnny Karp

      26 августа, 2011 at 22:38

      Thanks mate, I guess we have to wrap up such a season with another two wins but that might not be too easy.

  7. Sayam Khan

    26 августа, 2011 at 21:07

    Hi Johnny, so the new tactic seems to be working great, I’ve noticed your scoring lots of goals! Ze carlos is amazing, he has come a long way, I remember the post when he was signed. I think you have a good chance of completing your goal, so good luck with that!

    • Johnny Karp

      26 августа, 2011 at 22:39

      Thanks Sayam, I remember when I signed Zé Carlos and that I spent a lot of money on him at that time, 6.5 mil! :)

  8. Birdy

    26 августа, 2011 at 21:15

    Very nice work Johnny, your tactic was starting to work wonders with the motormen.
    Good luck in the finals, I hope you can win them with the talent you have in the squad. Ze carlos is having a beautiful season it would be great for him to dominate in those last two games

    • Johnny Karp

      26 августа, 2011 at 22:40

      Thanks Birdy, I hope that Ze Carlos will score a few more to reach 50 goals this season.

  9. Kevin

    26 августа, 2011 at 21:18

    Ah….a cliffhanger!!!
    Johnny — This new tactic is working tremendously for you with some stunning results from February onwards. Congrats on adding the league and Carling Cup to your growing trophy cabinet and i’m syre two more will be added soon. Ze Carlos is flipping amazing!!

    • Johnny Karp

      26 августа, 2011 at 22:41

      Thanks Kevin and sorry for the cliffhanger, I just didn’t want to play those two games before the weekend (I want to sit back and enjoy them :) )

  10. vaibhavc

    26 августа, 2011 at 21:53

    Hey Johnny
    The bulldozer is incredible. The Carling Cup has been won again, as well as the title. It must be so frustrating for Tottenham as you denied them in everything, and now you have the FA Cup to win against them.

    • Johnny Karp

      26 августа, 2011 at 22:41

      Hey Vaibhav, you are right about Tottenham and that’s what might push them to play really well in that FA Cup final. We can play better though :)

  11. MRDNRA

    26 августа, 2011 at 23:46

    Incredible season so far, best of luck for the finals.

  12. Lye

    27 августа, 2011 at 01:15

    Hi Johnny,

    No doubt once you hit the ground running, your bulldozer tactics is going to sweep all opponents coming your way. You have a wealthy attacking talents and combining with your new tactic, it’s a dream match. Tottenham and Porto will be brush off and you will be adding those two trophies to your shining cabinet.

  13. CsAtlantis

    27 августа, 2011 at 06:49

    Wow, 101 points and +102 goal difference, very nicely done, looking forward to see whether you can take the last 2 trophies, two big matches in the space of a few days, good luck Johnny!

    • Johnny Karp

      27 августа, 2011 at 08:33

      Thanks mate! Actually there will be seven days between the two finals and I’m quite pleased with that :)

  14. Stromson

    27 августа, 2011 at 15:06

    Well done Johnny, great job once again! I’m looking forward to the second half of your cliff hanger, and hopefully you’ll be able to knock off Tottenham and Porto without too much trouble (unless the Portuguese league has somehow become amazing). I’ll admit I’m secretly hoping this «Bulldozer» tactic has an absurd, bulldozer-like shape. ;-)

    • Johnny Karp

      27 августа, 2011 at 16:25

      Thanks mate, it was a pretty good season so far :) About the tactic, I’m afraid it doesn’t really have a bulldozer shape, it’s just a 4-2-4 :)

  15. cak

    28 августа, 2011 at 15:58

    hey johnny
    congrats on winning the league and the carling cup, im sure all tottenham fans now cringe when they hear the name Johnny Karp :D
    the new tactic is bloody awesome and good luck with the fa cup and champions league

    • Johnny Karp

      28 августа, 2011 at 16:16

      Thanks mate, I do feel a bit sorry for the Spurs, especially since I want to beat them in the FA Cup final as well :)

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