Vauxhall Motors in 2020 — The Grand Finale

Hello my friends and welcome to the last update of the season! As you know the Motormen were mighty close to snatching the third consecutive Premier League title and we also were just one step away from reaching the Champions League final for the second time in a row. That step was quite a big one though as we were going to meet Manchester City in the semi final, the team that had just knocked us out of the FA Cup.

The first leg was away and that was a good sign, I always prefer to play the first leg away and then put the hammer down at home. Let’s see how it went…

Manchester City vs Vauxhall (Champions League Semi Final Leg 1)

Venue: The City of Manchester Stadium

Attendance: 47,405

Starting line up: Luis Guilherme — Gary Warner, Danny Wilson, Marat Bykov, Pierre Touya — Leandro Velasco, Indio, Marcos Fernandez, Tiago — Zé Carlos, Parana

Team Talk: For the fans!

We had played four games against Man City this season, we drew 1-1 and won 2-0 in the league, then won 3-1 in the Carling Cup final but got beaten 2-1 in the sixth round of the FA Cup. This time we started brightly and managed to do some damage after just four minutes: Joe Hart parried a Leandro Velasco shot but the ball bounced back to our right winger who coolly finished it off to put us ahead. That goal sparked life into the match, it was a fierce one until half time but there were no clear chances as both defences were extremely tight. The only notable event before the break was an injury to right back Gary Warner, I sent in Julian Marino to replace him.

Half time score: 0-1

Half time team talk: For the fans!

Half time substitutions: Lucas Cuello for Parana

The game continued to be played at a fierce tempo after the interval but it was rather quiet in terms of chances. I was quite happy with that and we even managed to test Joe Hart again on a couple of occasions after the hour mark. Man City came close later on as they hit the crossbar with a long shot before pushing Luis Guilherme to a huge save eight minutes from time. We held out to snatch a very good result but we lost Gary Warner for the remainder of the season, he was going to be out for six weeks.

Full time team talk: Well done!

Man of the match: Leandro Velasco

Flop of the match: Zé Carlos

Video Highlights

Click here to watch the match highlights.

Match Stats

Back to the league for a quick intermezzo before the second leg, there were three games remaining in the Premier League and we only needed to win two of them to secure the title. The first one was at home against Ipswich and although the three points were extremely important I decided to rest most of my important players for the clash against Man City. Despite that we won the game quite comfortably, Ipswich were unable to question our superiority and we were just one win away from the title…

Vauxhall vs Manchester City (Champions League Semi Final Leg 2)

Venue: Vauxhall Stadium

Attendance: 25,875 (sold out)

Starting line up: Luis Guilherme — Julian Marino, Danny Wilson, Marat Bykov, Pierre Touya — Leandro Velasco, Indio, Marcos Fernandez, Tiago — Zé Carlos, Parana

Team Talk: Encourage.

We had the chance to knock out the team that had beaten us in the final last season, it was a huge opportunity for the club and our fans filled the stands to support us. The lads were ready to deliver and they showed that right away as we took the lead after just 9 minutes when a fine exchange between my two Brazilian strikers released Parana who made no mistake from inside the penalty area. We continued to press forward and could have made it 2-0 on 20 minutes when Hart pulled off an amazing save to stop a close range shot from Indio. Our domination continued and we finally bagged that second goal on 32 minutes when a great move saw Zé Carlos setting up Marcos Fernandez at the edge of the area and the Argentine midfielder put it into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Half time score: 2-0

Half time team talk: Pleased.

Half time substitutions: Walid Mechergui for Tiago

We were almost there, the lads managed to keep things fairly quiet after the break as Man City were unable to display more than a few shots from distance. They came close on 70 minutes though as a corner kick header came back off the crossbar so Zé Carlos decided to put an end to it: he scored a magnificent goal as he skinned two opponents before unleashing a powerful shot that beat Joe Hart and hit the back of the net! It was all over, we were through to the Champions League final again!

Full time team talk: Congratulations!

Man of the match: Zé Carlos

Flop of the match: Tiago

Video Highlights

Click here to watch the match highlights.

Match Stats

As expected, Arsenal beat Galatasaray in the other semi final so we were going to meet the Gunners in what was going to be the second Champions League final in history for both clubs.

But before that we still had to secure the Premier League title. Well, it was a lot easier than expected because we clinched the title even before playing the last two games because Tottenham drew 0-0 at West Brom in their game in hand so the title was ours with two games to spare! We still did a professional job in those two games though as we beat both Hull and Liverpool, I decided not to do any favours for anybody because it wouldn’t be fair!

… but Liverpool did manage to survive the drop, they were quite lucky to be honest. Anyway, we clinched our third consecutive Premier League title and we managed to grab 100 points in the process, I’m quite proud of that. Our home form pushed us to the top this season, we had an 100 percent record at Vauxhall Stadium, 19 wins out of 19!

I’m also proud to report that I grabbed my fourth consecutive Manager of the Season award ;)

There were plenty of awards for my players too, starting with Indio who grabbed the Young Player of the Year…

… and continuing with Parana, the Premier League Golden Boot!

It was a huge season for Parana, he set a new record for the club and the good news is that I think that he can do even better as he’s only 22 years old! Another important fact is that he has just reached the 100 goals scored for the club mark, legend!

My lads also dominated the Team Of The Season, no less than 5 out of 11 plus two on the bench!

And last but not least, Zé Carlos was elected Player of the Year! He didn’t score too many goals this season but he did much more for the team compared to the previous seasons.

All these awards are nice, the Premier League title is nice, but we still had one more dream to achieve: the Champions League! Everything was set for the final against Arsenal, all my important players were fully fit and with superb morale, I was quite optimistic! How did it go? The answer to that question is in the next page. ;)

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

Before the game, a brief history of the previous meetings: 17 games played, 9 won by us, 4 draws and 4 losses. The last game saw us winning 4-0 at home but I remember that Arsenal were the first team (and one of the few) to beat us this season.

Vauxhall vs Arsenal (Champions League Final)

Venue: Swedbank Arena, Stockholm

Attendance: 50,000

Starting line up: Luis Guilherme — Julian Marino, Danny Wilson, Marat Bykov, Pierre Touya — Leandro Velasco, Indio, Robert Ackermann, Tiago — Zé Carlos, Parana

Team Talk: For the fans!

I fielded my usual eleven with just one exception: Robert Ackermann instead of Marcos Fernandez in midfield. On the other hand Arsenal were also in good shape with the extraordinary Kadlec upfront and a great midfield behind him. Let’s see what happened, minute by minute…

2nd minute — Leandro Velasco bends in a corner kick cross, Marat Bykov gets in the header… over the bar!

4th minute — Kadlec spins past Bykov inside our penalty area… shoots… Luis Guilherme turns it behind!

6th minute — Grenier tries his luck from an acute angle… good save from my keeper.

10th minute — Kadlec tries his luck from out wide… Luis Guilherme tips it round the post.

13th minute — Grenier shoots from the edge of the area… the keeper beats it away.

19th minute — Zé Carlos is clean through on a counter attack, he’s free of the last defender and just inside the box… shoots… huge save by Oscar Ustari, huge!

21st minute — Tiago bends in a good cross inside the area, Zé Carlos heads it… over…

22nd minute — Great run from Velasco down the right flank, crosses towards the far post… Tiago attacks it… header… in! It’s in, great work from the two wingers! (click here to watch the goal)

27th minute — We’re on a counter attack, Parana squares it for Tiago inside the box… he’s one-on-one with the goalie… shoots… it’s out of the keeper’s reach… but it goes just wide! Damn, that was a great chance!

31st minute — Awesome through ball from Grenier for Kadlec… the striker advances towards the area… surprising shot from 20 yards… it’s in! What a goal, what a striker! (click here to watch the goal)

37th minute — Tiago skips past a defender, enters the penalty area… he’s tripped! Yes, the referee points to the spot! Robert Ackermann steps up, he rarely misses from the spot… shoots towards the bottom right corner… saved! Oh no…

39th minute — Kadlec unleashes an awesome shot from 30 yards… just wide…

42nd minute — Song header on a free kick… inches wide…

Half time score: 1-1

Half time team talk: For the fans!

Half time substitutions: none

Half time stats

48th minute — Holtby skips past Bykov, shoots from a tight angle… saved!

54th minute — Holtby looks lively again, passes through for Kadlec… great save from Luis Guilherme!

59th minute — Throw-in for us close to Arsenal‘s penalty area, Marino throws it long… intercepted… long ball for Ramsey… they are on the breakaway… wow, what a finish from Ramsey! What a shot! But still, what a stupid goal to concede, unforgivable! (click here to watch the goal)

64th minute — Tiago plays a nice through ball for Zé Carlos, he enters the area and shoots… great save…

65th minute — Radek Vecera in for Velasco, Marcos Fernandez in for Ackermann, Walid Mechergui in for Tiago. We had nothing left to lose at that point…

72nd minute — Danny Wilson gets in a corner kick header… saved…

81st minute — Radek Vecera makes a great run down the right flank, cuts inside, enters the penalty area… and he’s brought down! It has to be a penalty kick! And it is, well done ref! Zé Carlos steps up… come on… shoots… the keeper parries it! It bounces to Marcos Fernandez… shoots… get in! (click here to watch the goal) Holly mackerel, we missed two penalty kicks but thankfully Fernandez bagged that one on the rebound… My blood pressure is reaching dangerous levels…

84th minute — Vecera weaves his way past a couple of defenders again, he’s inside the penalty area… shoots… the keeper parries it and then the defenders cannon it away from danger…

90 minutes score: 2-2

90 minutes team talk: You can do it!

96th minute — Zé Carlos is looking determined to do some damage, he skips past a defender… enters the penalty area… rounds the onrushing goalkeeper… and stabs it home! Get in there! We’re almost there, almost there lads, just hang in there! (click here to watch the goal)

100th minute — Fabulous shot from the edge of the area… Luis Guilherme flies and turns it away! Brilliant save!

Half time in extra time: No substitutions left, no team talk available, I just switched the strategy from «attacking» to «counter». Come on lads, just 15 more minutes!

106th minute — Grenier gets sent off! He was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Fernandez, now things are really going our way!

107th minute — Indio curls in a vicious free kick shot from no less 35 yards out… it’s looking good… but thunders off the crossbar!

110th minute — Another phenomenal run from Zé Carlos, he enters the penalty area, then the six yard box… tries to squeeze it in… turned behind by the goalkeeper!

112th minute — Zé Carlos dazzles the defenders again, he’s inside the penalty area and shoots… just wide…

120th minute — Long throw from Julian Marino, finds Vecera inside the penalty area… he turns and shoots… saved!

121 minutes and 12 seconds — The ref puts the whistle to his lips… and it’s over! It’s over, the Motormen are the Kings of Europe! Haaaaleeelujah!

Full time team talk: Congratulations!

Man of the match: Luis Guilherme

Flop of the match: Robert Ackermann

Video Highlights

video

Match Stats

That is called a famous treble, I’d call it a thrilling treble!

Here’s a list of what we have won until now, everything except the League Two and Championship titles and the Club World Cup! It’s too late for winning those first two titles but the Club World Cup will be our priority next season.

My players were wonderful this season, I don’t know where to begin with the praises… It was a season that did justice to Parana, he had a rough time after joining the club with a couple of severe injuries hindering his progress but now he has finally shown what he’s made of! Danny Wilson, our most expensive signing ever, also had a pretty good season while Indio is beginning to show glimpses of his immense talent.

Our finances are not looking very well though, I spent a lot on new players and contracts and that might not give me a good transfer budget next season. Then again, I don’t really need too many new faces as there are a few youngsters in the reserves team that might be ready to join the big boys come July.

That’s about it folks, thanks a lot for reading this and for supporting the Motormen throughout this memorable season. As always, I’m looking forward to reading your comments but before you ask I’d like to let you know that there might be a while before the next update, I’m terribly sad at the moment (read about the reasons here) and I really don’t feel like playing FM these days. I’ll still be here to keep in touch with you though and I hope to bring you another episode soon enough.