Tottenham vs Vauxhall (Carling Cup 3rd Rnd)
Venue: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 52,712
Starting line up: Luis Guilherme — Julian Marino, Mervin Simon, Marat Bykov, Pierre Touya — Leandro Velasco, Robert Ackermann, Marcos Fernandez, Tiago — Zé Carlos, Parana
Team Talk: You can win today!
We got off to a flying start at White Hart Lane, the Spurs were shocked as we scored twice during the opening 8 minutes. The first goal came after just two minutes when Julian Marino found Parana inside the box with one of his trademark long throw-ins, the Brazilian striker fired a shot that deflected off Leandro Velasco and went in. Eight minutes later Parana did some damage again, his shot was blocked this time but the loose ball fell to Zé Carlos who applied the finish. An injury to Pierre Touya diminished our enthusiasm but the lads kept on pushing forward forcing goalie David De Gea to a string of awesome saves. Tottenham‘s left back got sent off two minutes before the break and that concluded an almost perfect first half for us.
Half time score: 0-2
Half time team talk: Pleased.
Half time substitutions: Louis Laing for Bykov
The Spurs started to play better after the break despite the numerical disadvantage and they pulled one back after eight minutes on a corner kick. They continued to press forward after that goal, it was quite an impressive performance from them to be honest, but we managed to hold out courtesy of some resolute defending and a few more good saves from Luis Guilherme. I was pleased to have qualified despite an unlucky draw but the next round will not be a lot easier as we are going to meet Aston Villa… Oh, and Pierre Touya‘s injury was not a light one, he’s going to be out for a month and a half.
Full time team talk: Well done!
Man of the match: Leandro Velasco
Flop of the match: Robert Ackermann
Match Stats
Video Highlights
Click here to watch the highlights.
Arsenal vs Vauxhall (Premier League)
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,226
Starting line up: Luis Guilherme — Emanuele Santoni, Mervin Simon, Marat Bykov, Hans Larsson — Leandro Velasco, Indio, Marcos Fernandez, Tiago — Zé Carlos, Parana
Team Talk: You can win today!
Arsenal again… They had a good start in the Premier League despite that Community Shield defeat, they had four wins and a draw before the clash at Emirates Stadium. They surely wanted revenge though, I could feel it, and the initial minutes of the game were fairly even as a result. However, we took the lead on a dead ball situation as a free kick cross from Indio was knocked home by Russian centre back Marat Bykov! That goal surely upset the Gunners as they started pouring forward but Luis Guilherme kept the score intact with a pair of great saves on Kadlec.
Half time score: 0-1
Half time team talk: Encourage.
Half time substitutions: Abdallah Yaisien for Velasco, Graham Howson for Fernandez, Walid Mechergui for Tiago
The equalizer did come shortly after the break though and Arsenal surely deserved it, Kadlec slotted home again. We reacted after just three minutes and we did that in style: a wonderful team move saw the ball traveling from Mechergui to Parana, then to Howson, then to Zé Carlos who fired in off the post! That goal gave the lads more courage and we came close again on 62 minutes but Zé Carlos missed what appeared to be an easy finish. Things turned sour three minutes later, Walid Mechergui had to leave the field due to an injury and we were down to 10 men. I decided to move Ze Carlos back as a makeshift left midfielder, Arsenal were putting us under great pressure. We managed to survive though and even delivered a fatal blow four minutes from time when my magical Brazilian made a fantastic run from inside our own half before firing into the bottom corner of the net. I think that we deserved to win this one although the match stats show four clear cut chances for Arsenal and none for us. I guess those numbers are always debatable, I counted three for Arsenal and around 5 for us (we had seven half chances according to the match analysis screen).
Full time team talk: Well done!
Man of the match: Zé Carlos
Flop of the match: Tiago
Match Stats
Video Highlights
Click here to watch the highlights.
Six wins out of six, not bad so far in the Premier League! Moneybags Man City have already lost twice, that makes me even happier! (Sorry Jake, it’s about Mourinho, not you :) )
New signing Marat Bykov received the September Player of the Month award, he surely deserved it after scoring three goals and putting in some very good performances at the back.
The top five average ratings are not too relevant at this point as some players had only a couple of games but I think that it’s safe to say that Zé Carlos proved to be our best player again. He scored nine goals in 8 games and he also provided three assists while Leandro Velasco has six assists and two goals to his name.
Aaron gave me an idea by commenting on the last post, he wanted to see some of my youngsters from the reserves so I will introduce the best of them one by one from now on. Fabio Ortiz is one of the most exciting youngsters in the reserves team, he joined us last year for 1.5 million pounds from San Lorenzo and has already made his debut in the first team last spring (he even scored on his debut too!). The assistant report shows 2.5 stars under current ability and 3.5 stars under potential ability but I think that he’s not ready for the first team yet and that’s mostly because of his speed. The coaches are working hard on that aspect with him, he already shows signs of improvement, so I hope that he’ll be fully prepared to make the big step next summer. If not, I already have refused a few 7.5 million pound offers for him so I will surely make a profit if he doesn’t become first team material.
As you might remember I also have a nice extra job now, I’m managing mighty Argentina. There isn’t too much excitement this year as we only have a few friendlies to play but I am planning to test a few tactical setups in these four matches. We have already played two of them and the results were not too bad, 2-0 against Northern Ireland and a goalless draw in Italy.
October will be much tougher, at least the first week will as we’re going to meet Bayern away in the Champions League and then Man City in the Premiership! I hope to remain unbeaten through October but it will be difficult…
And now, before wrapping up, some news from real football: I’ve just bought my ticket for Romania vs Bosnia, a make or break game for us that will be played tomorrow evening in Bucharest. I’m quite disappointed by our national team to be honest but this game is our last chance to stay in the qualification race for Euro 2012, we have to win it and I thought that I must give my support to the lads.
That’s all I have for you today folks, thanks a lot for reading and don’t forget to submit your entries in the Goal of the Month Competition! Feel free to make any requests/suggestions in the comments section below, I’m listening! :)
Laxeyman
2 июня, 2011 at 16:55
Brilliant start Johnny, you’re dominating the league already, and I’m confident that you’ll win it again. The Champions League draw isn’t that hard, you’ll go through to the knockouts I reckon, and with a world class player like Ze Carlos anything is possible. Good luck!
Johnny Karp
2 июня, 2011 at 18:35
Thanks Laxeyman, I hope that Ze Carlos and Parana won’t get injured this season. If they don’t then we might have a chance to play the CL final.
Sibo
2 июня, 2011 at 17:18
Great start, dominating the league! I agree with laxeyman, the CL draw isn’t too bad and with your squad you will easily qualify!
Good luck to Romania, I am sure it should be a good game between two good teams! Out of interest, does Mutu still play for Romania ‘cos he has kind of gone of the radar a bit…
Well done on a great start, good luck! :D
Johnny Karp
2 июня, 2011 at 18:37
Thanks Sibo, I agree that we should qualify from that group. About Mutu, he made a return to the national team earlier this year and he will surely be playing tomorrow. I don’t like him too much but he’s our best player at the moment.
Sibo
2 июня, 2011 at 18:44
Better than Chivu? :O
Johnny Karp
2 июня, 2011 at 18:45
Chivu has just announced that he isn’t going to play for the national team anymore…
Sibo
2 июня, 2011 at 18:50
:O Shock! :O
So is tomorrow his last game or is it already over? :O
I’ll tell you who I like. Bogdan Stancu. I saw some clips of him playing for Galatasary courtesy of a Turkish friend. He is pure class.
That’s a shame about Chivu but he is getting on. 31?
Johnny Karp
2 июня, 2011 at 18:58
Chivu won’t be playing, it’s over. Yes, he’s 31. Stancu has some talent, he’s among our best youngsters, but he’s having some fitness problems so he might not be playing tomorrow so we’ll probably have Mutu (Fiorentina) and Marica (Stuttgart) in attack.
Stromson
2 июня, 2011 at 18:01
Those are some fantastic results Johnny, but I’ll confess I’m much more interested in that ticket picture! I’d love to be able to go see my national team, and I really hope Romania are able to pull out the win. Well done as always sir, keep up the good work.
Johnny Karp
2 июня, 2011 at 18:38
Thanks mate, I’ll try to shout out some tactical advice from the stands tomorrow :)
Stromson
2 июня, 2011 at 18:59
So are you flying from England, or do you still live in Romania?
Johnny Karp
2 июня, 2011 at 19:01
Haha, no… I’ll be taking the subway, I live in Bucharest. :)
Stromson
3 июня, 2011 at 13:39
That makes so much more sense now. :-p Enjoy the game!
Jack
2 июня, 2011 at 18:19
Hey Johnny,
Great start the season, your new signings are looking good too! I think you’re going to win the premiership this season fairly comfortably. Also with a good draw in the knock outs of the CL who knows?… You’ve invested really well in your youth policy and boy is it paying off! About the Romania game Dzeko and Pjanic are two of my favourite players, but hopefully Romania will qualify it seems an age since they were in a major tournament. Good luck with the rest of the season!
Johnny Karp
2 июня, 2011 at 18:39
Thanks Jack, I’m quite happy with how things have gone so far. About Bosnia, they have a very good team especially in attack, Dzeko will surely torment our lads tomorrow.
Sears
2 июня, 2011 at 19:16
That was a superb start to the campaign Johnny, I’m sure you will have no trouble winning the PL again. Have fun at the Romania game as well, try not to be to harsh if they lose :-D :-D Good luck mate!
Johnny Karp
2 июня, 2011 at 19:37
Thanks Sears, there’s still a long way to go but the good start surely gives us some confidence. About the Romania game, I rarely am harsh but I will surely be sad if we’d lose….
Darren Smith
2 июня, 2011 at 19:26
Well done Johnny, a fantastic start to the season. Just what you needed and I sense the squads morale may well keep this run going a little longer. :) Looks as though your side have gelled already and that can only get even better with time. I have also noticed a lot of players bought without a profile been shown. So its good to see your reserve players, I think you’ll be doing something similar to me, but looking at the number of signing you make maybe on a bigger scale.
Enjoy the game mate, fingers crossed for Romania my second country :)
Johnny Karp
2 июня, 2011 at 19:39
Thanks Darren. About the youngsters, some of them will never make the first team but I will surely make a profit on them :) I try to sign a lot of youngsters (mostly cheap ones but with potential) to compensate for the lack of talent in my youth squad. That way I’m having a good solid base of backup players that can provide cover in the future or provide financial benefits to the club.
vaibhavc
2 июня, 2011 at 19:55
Hey Johnny
Very good start to the season, you already have silverware with the Community Shield won. And about that, the Community Shield game has premier league instead of Community Shield next to Vauxhall vs Arsenal.
P.S. I finished the Federation Cup, but I will only post the results tomorrow!
Johnny Karp
2 июня, 2011 at 21:14
Thanks Vaibhav. I don’t understand where you spotted a problem with that Community Shield game though. Looking forward to your update!
Johnny Karp
2 июня, 2011 at 21:23
Oh, I saw it now, I’ll correct it asap. Thanks for the heads up.
Ana Garcia
2 июня, 2011 at 20:25
Well the perfect start to a season as you could have wished!
Good group also in the champions league, I dont want to jinx you but I think you will be able to qualify from that group.
Am happy also to see Man City struggling for the same reason as you, a dislike for their manager!
I wish you good luck for the rest of the season and good luck to Romania, if things are going badly at half time maybe you you can pop into the dressing room and turn it around! :)
Johnny Karp
2 июня, 2011 at 21:15
Thanks Ana, we should qualify from that group since we were seeded second. About the eventual half time team talk, I guess the stewards might catch me before I get to the dressing room, I’m not as quick as I used to be :)
Sayam Khan
2 июня, 2011 at 20:43
Hi Johnny, Excellent start in the league and you will most likely retain your title if you continue this form! Good Luck!
Also, good luck to Romania also, I hope you win!
Johnny Karp
2 июня, 2011 at 21:15
Thanks a lot Sayam!
Daniel
2 июня, 2011 at 21:11
Hey Johnny,
great story! i like that youth player! really good potential. Can you possibly post vaclav kadlecs profile in your next post please? would mean a lot,
hope romania win, have a good time,
Daniel :D
Johnny Karp
2 июня, 2011 at 21:16
Thanks Daniel, I will post Kadlec’s profile in the next post ;)
Kevin
2 июня, 2011 at 21:23
Hi Johnny
Delighted to see you have a ticket for tomorrows game. Unfortunately no TV Stations in Canada are showing Englands game this Saturday unlike last time :( Well on to Vauxhall and a terrific start to the season with a nice little double over Arsenal. Good luck with your trip to Munich. Oh decent youngster you have there in Ortiz too :)
Johnny Karp
2 июня, 2011 at 22:35
Hey Kevin, it’s a shame that they don’t show the England game in Canada but maybe you will find a way to watch it on the internet. About Ortiz, he’s a good prospect but I might have better ones to show in the coming episodes :)
Lye
3 июня, 2011 at 01:35
Hi Johnny,
Can you hear me shouting » The era of Johnny Kapp and Motormen have arrived» Great start winning every game so far. With Bykov solid at the back Ze Carlos firing up front, things are looking good. The Champions League draw is good and you have no problem progressing. Enjoy your match tonight. I will be helping to cheer for Romania.
Johnny Karp
3 июня, 2011 at 07:50
Hi Lye, I can hear you :) Thanks for the encouraging comment.
CsAtlantis
3 июня, 2011 at 03:43
Great stuff showing off your talented youngsters Johnny, we might see more of them in the near future I assume? :D
That new stadium sure looks like it will pay itself off really quickly, your gate receipts will at least double, and the stadium will surely be packed to the rafters during those European nights, great job in beating Arsenal 1-3 twice, and a good start to the league, I believe your team can make an impact in the Champions League too, good luck with Romania too
Johnny Karp
3 июня, 2011 at 07:51
Thanks CS. I’m going to show one youngster per post so there will be more of that to follow ;)
Martin
3 июня, 2011 at 09:11
Hey Johnny! Great start to the season…6 out of 6 is fantastic. Also nice to see that you’re new stadium is nearly full for home games too :). I can definately see you qualifying to the Champions League Knockouts.
Good Luck for the rest of the season and also good luck to Romania tonight…i’ve always looked for their results in competitions since they all bleached their hair in the last group match at the 1998 world cup…crazy guys lol
Johnny Karp
3 июня, 2011 at 09:39
Thanks Martin, I hope we’ll have a sell-out soon at Vauxhall Stadium :) About Romania, I didn’t really like that gesture back in 1998. That was our last World Cup, never managed to qualify since…
Liddane
4 июня, 2011 at 15:41
Hi i’m new here and have tried Vauxhall Motors before but epically failed, what tactic do you use ?
Johnny Karp
4 июня, 2011 at 17:05
This is the tactic that I’m using: https://www.footballmanagerstory.com/2010/11/download-my-football-manager-2011-tactic/
Liddane
4 июня, 2011 at 18:35
Thanks a million!!