Vauxhall April 2019: Title Race Hots Up

Hello folks and welcome back to the Vauxhall Motors Football Manager 2011 story, it’s time to see how the fierce battle for the Premier League title unfolded in the month of April 2019! As you know Tottenham were top of the table at the end of March, just one point ahead of us but with a much easier schedule for the end of the season. However, we had the direct match against them at the end of April and that game was considered to be the title decider. We also were doing pretty well in the cup competitions as we were qualified for the Champions League quarter finals and for the semi finals of the FA Cup. Let’s see how it went…

The first game of the month, at home against Hull, could have ended with another frustrating result for us. We played pretty well but our finishing was quite wasteful again. Luckily Parana managed to score his 20th goal of the season to give us the valuable three points.

The next game saw us taking a nice trip to Italy as we were preparing to meet A.C. Milan for the first time in the club’s history. Their team was filled with exceptional talents: Diego Renan and Musacchio in defense, Adem Ljajic in midfield and a strong 29-year old Pato upfront. If you add a few awesome regens then you can understand why we were not the favorites on that day…

A.C. Milan vs Vauxhall (Champions League Qtr Final Leg 1)

Venue: San Siro

Attendance: 57,204

Starting line up: Luis Guilherme — Emanuele Santoni, Javier Godoy, Marat Bykov, Hans Larsson — Leandro Velasco, Indio, Robert Ackermann, Tiago — Zé Carlos, Parana

Team Talk: You can win today!

We started the game well even if our good possession didn’t bring us any good chances to score. The silence was broken on the half hour mark and unfortunately it wasn’t us who did that, a long ball forward saw Pato beating Javier Godoy in the air and flicking on for the other striker who found the back of the net with a perfect finish. Our reply was swift though, a simple move saw Robert Ackermann passing through for Parana who slotted home to make it all square. The remaining minutes were fairly quiet, we kept possession very well while Milan picked up two yellow cards while trying to get the ball.

Half time score: 1-1

Half time team talk: Pleased.

Half time substitutions: Abdallah Yaisien for Velasco, Walid Mechergui for Tiago

I sent in fresh legs on the flanks at half time and the move paid off, especially on the right flank where Abdallah Yaisien was creating danger with his runs. The Frenchman wasted a very good opportunity on 62 minutes but then he made amends just a minute later when he made a good interception before squaring for Parana who blasted home from just inside the penalty area. We continued to play well and Zé Carlos could have doubled our advantage five minutes later but he missed a pretty good chance. I made my last change on 70 minutes when I sent in Graham Howson for Indio and the game seemed to be going our way as Milan were not creating too much danger. Things changed 15 minutes from time though, the home side made it all square thanks to a fabulous goal, a wonderful lob from distance that left Luis Guilherme totally stranded. We received another blow two minutes later, Marat Bykov had to leave the field so we were down to 10 men and without our best defender. Milan saw the opportunity and started to push forward but my lads held firm until the 90th minute. Unfortunately the referee indicated no less than 5 minutes of injury time and that was just what Milan needed: they hit the crossbar on 93 minutes and then finally found the back of the net again in the sixth minute of added time! That was a cruel result, I think we were the better team but Bykov‘s injury denied us the opportunity to get a good result. He was going to miss the return leg as well, his injury was going to keep him on the sidelines between two and three weeks…

Full time team talk: Sympathise.

Man of the match: Parana

Flop of the match: Walid Mechergui

Match Stats

Video Highlights

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Before the second leg we had to deal with another Premier League match, away at 16th placed Ipswich. We didn’t put on the best of performances but our defenders were clinical in front of goal, left back Pierre Touya scored his first ever goal for the club while centre backs Louis Laing and Mervin Simon brought us joy again with their headers.

The second leg against Milan was coming up, a 1-0 draw would have booked our passage to the Champions League semi finals for the first time in the club’s history and I can say that I was quite confident before the game.

Vauxhall vs A.C. Milan (Champions League Qtr Final Leg 2)

Venue: Vauxhall Stadium

Attendance: 23,581

Starting line up: Luis Guilherme — Emanuele Santoni, Javier Godoy, Mervin Simon, Pierre Touya — Leandro Velasco, Robert Ackermann, Marcos Fernandez, Tiago — Zé Carlos, Parana

Team Talk: For the fans!

The team started the game just like I wanted them to, they were pushing Milan inside their own box. However, we could have been punished early on as Mervin Simon gave the ball away 20 yards from our goal but Luis Guilherme repaired his mistake with a fine save. Our domination continued until half time with Leandro Velasco having two pretty good chances. Unfortunately he missed them and Milan were leading on aggregate at the break. I had the feeling that we were by far the better team but we were just not doing enough to prove that on the scoreboard…

Half time score: 0-0

Half time team talk: Where’s the passion, lads?

Half time substitutions: Hans Larsson for Touya, Abdallah Yaisien for Tiago

Parana could have given us the lead just 20 seconds after the break, he was unmarked at 10 yards but his shot was palmed away by the goalkeeper. Our domination continued, Milan were forced to defend but they were doing that pretty well so we were unable to create any more clear cut chances. Time was running out and it seemed that Milan were going to hold out for a goalless draw… It was the fourth minute of injury time when we had our very last chance, a corner kick… The ball flew into the area, Mervin Simon headed it on… And Javier Godoy dived onto it… Header… It’s in! Get in! Hurray, we’re through to the semi finals!

Full time team talk: Well done!

Man of the match: Marcos Fernandez

Flop of the match: Pierre Touya

Match Stats

Video Highlights

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The draw decided that we were going to meet Lyon in the semi final while the other match was going to see Manchester City taking on Barcelona. But you’ll know more about that later, we had another important event coming up: the FA Cup semi final against Chelsea. The Blues surely remembered that we had beaten them 4-1 at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League in December, it was a heavy defeat for them and I was looking forward to causing them more sorrow ;)

Vauxhall vs Chelsea (FA Cup Semi Final)

Venue: Wembley

Attendance: 90,000

Starting line up: Luis Guilherme — Julian Marino, Javier Godoy, Mervin Simon, Pierre Touya — Leandro Velasco, Indio, Marcos Fernandez, Tiago — Zé Carlos, Parana

Team Talk: For the fans!

The opening minutes were just as I expected them to be, we were dominating while Chelsea were constantly trying their luck with shots from distance. We were not looking too well in attack but neither were our opponents, I was expecting a goalless first half as we entered the final 15 minutes. That was not the case though, a terrible blunder in our defense gifted Chelsea the opening goal. The mistake was that everybody made a step up to play the offside trap, everybody except one player, and that left the Chelsea striker all alone inside our penalty area. His initial finish hit the bottom of the post but he had all the time in the world to rebound and fire home. Our terrible defending continued and Chelsea had another chance after just two minutes, Neymar robbed Mervin Simon but fortunately Luis Guilherme stopped the Brazilian striker. The lads woke up after those two mistakes and we could have made it all square a couple of minutes before the interval but Tiago headed wide from six yards.

Half time score: 0-1

Half time team talk: Sympathise.

Half time substitutions: Robert Ackermann for Fernandez, Walid Mechergui for Tiago

The equalizer did come after the break and we didn’t have to wait too long either, a good team move on 50 minutes freed up Zé Carlos who made no mistake from inside the penalty area. The game reverted to the initial state, we were dominating while Chelsea were still trying lots of shots from distance. Our attacking moves were much better now though and we created quite a few good chances. Unfortunately Parana, Zé Carlos and Walid Mechergui missed the very best of them and we could have been punished two minutes from time when another error from Mervin Simon left Neymar unmarked but the wonder striker missed the target. Fortunately we managed to score the winning goal on the stroke of full time, Robert Ackermann played a great long ball for Zé Carlos who fired a low drive into the back of the net. We were through to the final where we were going to meet… Tottenham, who else?

Full time team talk: Congratulations!

Man of the match: Zé Carlos

Flop of the match: Tiago

Match Stats

Video Highlights

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We had three more games before the end of the month: Sunderland and Tottenham in the Premier League and the first leg against Lyon in the Champions League… The situation at the top of the table was unchanged before the Sunderland game, the Spurs were still top and they still had one point more than us. We had to beat Sunderland and we did it, it wasn’t a great game but our finishing was lethal with Mervin Simon bagging a nice double to make up for the mistakes against Chelsea.

A 5-0 win is a good enough reason to celebrate but on that day we had something a lot better: Tottenham were beaten 3-1 at Blackburn! That was the slip-up we were waiting for, we were back in top spot and Tottenham were two points behind us before the derby! It was a good psychological advantage to take into the big match at White Hart Lane but we still had to face the mighty Spurs and make sure we don’t get beaten there… What do you think, did we weather the storm at White Hart Lane? Go to the next page to find out!

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

Tottenham vs Vauxhall (Premier League)

Venue: White Hart Lane

Attendance: 53,461

Starting line up: Luis Guilherme — Julian Marino, Javier Godoy, Mervin Simon, Pierre Touya — Leandro Velasco, Indio, Marcos Fernandez, Tiago — Zé Carlos, Parana

Team Talk: You can win today!

There was no storm though, at least not in the first half. We dominated most of the opening 45 minutes and could even have broken the deadlock eight minutes before the break when Parana was denied by a spectacular double save from Spurs keeper David De Gea. The home side did have a chance too, they broke through on a counter attack on 41 minutes but Luis Guilherme pulled off a nice save to keep the score level.

Half time score: 0-0

Half time team talk: You can win today!

Half time substitutions: Hans Larsson for Touya, Robert Ackermann for Indio, Walid Mechergui for Tiago

Tottenham started the second half with a more attacking attitude and that could have paid off after just five minutes, Dzeko had a huge chance but he fired well wide from inside the penalty area. The home crowd was totally silenced a minute later, a quick move saw Zé Carlos exchanging passes with Parana, Zé was clean through after receiving the return pass from his Brazilian friend and he fired into the bottom corner! We were 1-0 up and the title was looking a lot closer! The goal gave the lads even more confidence and we could have scored again on the hour mark but Walid Mechergui‘s effort from 5 yards was pushed away by a fantastic De Gea. Two minutes later it was Mervin Simon who could have doubled the lead but his corner kick header went inches wide of the post. Tottenham rallied the troops and started pushing forward in the last 20 minutes and they could have made it all square after a fine move but their finishing was poor once again. I decided to switch the strategy to counter for the last 10 minutes and the change paid off, we kept the Spurs away through good possession and we clinched the massive three points!

Full time team talk: Well done!

Man of the match: Parana

Flop of the match: Tiago

Match Stats

Video Highlights

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The five-point cushion means that we only need four more points out of the last three games to secure the title. By the way, last season we had won the title with 87 points…

We’ll talk more about the Premier League later, we had a trip to France before the end of the month. Lyon were not totally unknown to us as we had met them in the Champions League group stage in 2017 and we did pretty well back then as we recorded a 1-1 draw away and beat them 2-1 at home. However, their current team was much better as it featured last year’s striker of the year, a Brazilian wonderkid named André.

Lyon vs Vauxhall (Champions League Semi Final Leg 1)

Venue: Stade des Lumières

Attendance: 58,140

Starting line up: Luis Guilherme — Emanuele Santoni, Javier Godoy, Marat Bykov, Pierre Touya — Leandro Velasco, Indio, Robert Ackermann, Tiago — Zé Carlos, Parana

Team Talk: You can win today!

The opening minutes of the game showed that we were totally up against it, Lyon were dominating as their skillful players were finding it quite easy to move the ball around. They broke the deadlock after just 8 minutes but the goal was a bit fortuitous, a free kick shot bounced back from the wall and then was fired home. We tried to react after that goal but that didn’t do us too much good, Nani unleashed a beautiful shot on a counter attack and Lyon were 2-0 up after just 15 minutes! It seemed that we were heading toward a disastrous evening but the lads did react quickly and we could have pulled one back after just two minutes, Zé Carlos was denied by the keeper and the ball bounced into the path of Parana, my striker had the empty net in front of him but he hit the post! We continued to push forward after missing that huge chance but our hopes received a big blow 10 minutes before the break, Parana caught an opponent with his elbow and the referee showed him the red card! Luckily we did manage to score on the stroke of half time, Javier Godoy played a perfect long ball for Leandro Velasco who displayed a great first touch before firing into the roof of the net. That goal was just what we needed given the numerical disadvantage.

Half time score: 2-1

Half time team talk: Sympathise.

Half time substitutions: Abdallah Yaisien for Tiago

We were down to 10 men but that didn’t really show on the pitch until the 70th minute, my boys were playing with great courage and determination and managed to dominate the game until those final 20 minutes. Then we ran out of gas and Lyon started to push us back but my defense held out beautifully until two minutes from time. That’s when our numbers were reduced even further, Javier Godoy left the field and as I had already made the other two substitutions we had to play the final minutes with just 9 men and a totally improvised defense. That could have proved costly but the lads were simply heroic during those final minutes, Pierre Touya did a great job as a centre back while Walid Mechergui played his heart out as a makeshift left back. It was a defeat but I think it’s a great result given the circumstances. We still hold a chance to qualify if we win the second leg, it will be tough especially since we will miss suspended Parana and injured Godoy (out for a month).

Full time team talk: Good effort!

Man of the match: Leandro Velasco

Flop of the match: Parana

Match Stats

Video Highlights

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The players’ top five suffered a few modifications this month, Marat Bykov leads the charts now with a 7.42 average rating but Zé Carlos and Parana are not too far behind. Mervin Simon made his way into the top five as he scored quite a few goals lately but he wasn’t as good in defense to be honest. Javier Godoy is having his best season at the club but unfortunately he picked up that injury against Lyon and he will probably miss the whole month of May.

This month’s youngster comes from Sweden, a 17-year old striker named Christoffer Brannstrom. I paid a small fee to IFK Goteborg for this lad, just 300K, and I have already received offers for him from the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal. My assistant believes that he can become as good as Zé Carlos, I surely hope that he’s right. He still has a lot of work to do but I believe that he’s willing to work hard and improve over the next couple of years. If he doesn’t, I’ll cash in ;)

So, we need four points to defend our title but those won’t be easy to get given our Premier League schedule. However, we meet both Manchester United and Chelsea at home and I hope that we will get those points in those two games. The return leg against Lyon will be fierce, we will surely try to beat them and advance to the final but it will be a very difficult game. Last but not least, we will make our return to Wembley to meet Tottenham in the FA Cup Final, we beat them twice this year and I’m looking forward to making it three wins ;)

That’s it for now my friends, I guess the month of April couldn’t have gone any better! The Premier League title is ours to lose now while the Champions League and FA Cup campaigns went better than last season. Thanks a lot for reading, I hope to see your thoughts in the comments.