Dan does the Pentagon Challenge

[Dan+]

CAMPEONATO PAULISTA SICREDI

As previously explained we now play in the state Championship from January to April. I've explained the format - it's an interesting quirk of the Brazilian calendar but it's a bit of a procession because the gap between the top 5 and the other 11 is silly. Of the games they played, the top 5 only dropped points against an outsider 4 times. One of them, annoyingly, was our draw at home to Inter de Lameira in the 2nd game - a game that would eventually cost us.

We lost at Palmeiras, drew at Corinthians and won at Santos - slightly annoying how we had to play all three of them away from home. This also means that in the quarter final we will play the other big team, Sao Paulo, away from home.

The bad habit I feel like we're in is conceding late. Corinthians equalised with the last kick of the game. Palmeiras beat us with the last kick of the game. I wonder what was going to happen in the quarter final at Sao Paulo...

93rd minute and a 1-0 defeat. Seconds from penalties but we're out in the quarters for the eighth year in a row. Gutting because we'd given a really decent account of ourselves, but it's the usual result and on we move.

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Oh, and we're out the cup after a pathetic loss at home to Chapecoense on penalties. Maybe playing for penalties would've backfired anyway.

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So we have the Copa Sudamericana and the league. The league I want to qualify for the Libertadores - don't think we're going to push for the title but then I've said this elsewhere and been surprised. The trend in our performances is encouraging and we've been either extremely close, or got results in very tough state fixtures, so I think we can mix it with the majority of this league now. We've had a pretty expensive summer too, with 8 players arriving for a combined £16mil - the second most expensive window I've ever had, with a couple more to follow in August.

We could just qualify for the Libertadores by winning the Sudamericana, something which is also my aim. You have to win your group to go through, only the 8 group winners go through and the round of 16 is made up by 3rd placed finishing Libertadores sides. My group is very kind for once - Defensor (Uruguay), Nacional (Paraguay) and Zamora (Venezuela). Fully expecting progression.

[Dan+]

HARD TO BEAT

Well, in the league anyway.

We kick our season off with a convincing 5-0 win in the Sudamericana against Zamora but we have a huge choke in our trip to Uruguay and lose 2-0 at Defensor. We're at their mercy from this point, and we know that now given only the group winner goes through we need to basically win every remaining game. I beat Nacional 6-0 and it hits me that, while we'll win the goal difference, I don't fancy the other two to put up much resistance to Defensor. We beat Zamora again but we go into the Defensor match on 9 points to their 12. We basically have to win it. We don't. We're stifled and they claim a priceless 0-0 draw before beating Zamora at home on the final day. We're out in the groups. Absolutely horrific.

This means we have a very generous schedule in the league. Well - generous by Brazilian standards, which for context is probably on a par with as bad a league season as you can have in Europe. We've still got to cram 38 games into 7 months. Given that though, I want a strong campaign and given our kindest route into the Libertadores has gone, I demand we make it via the league.

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Luckily, we look good to do so. We've picked up where we left off. I spent a bit of money over the past few months so I'm quite happy with my squad, albeit it's not ideal yet.

I fill out my foreigner limit. The rule here appears to be a simple five maximum at any point in the squad which makes some sense, so no restriction on registration but you can 't play over five.

We keep the unbeaten run of last season going into next, in-fact, further than I imagined...

In what started as making us tougher to break down we seem to have developed a real cohesion and defensive solidity. As per a lot of sides I manage, I feel that once there's a bit of a momentum we become very hard to stop. Lots of these games were at home to sides you would expect us to probably have the better of by now, but most eye catchingly were wins at both Santos and Palmeiras - I seem to be making a habit of getting results at these places and ultimately, they're big scalps for us, but we still haven't beaten the real top sides and that's where the challenge will be.

July was going to be a real test of our credentials though. We passed, with flying colours.

It was after the win at Atletico Mineiro, one of the real juggernauts of the league that I thought that we actually had a shot of winning the league. We're just stupidly good defensively and we seem to be good at taking our own chances as well. This stretched our unbeaten run to a remarkable, improbable 32 games in the league.

We followed it up with another win, away at fellow overachievers Bahia, dubbed the battle of Bahia following the absurdity of the refereeing performances that saw 14 yellow cards dished out, 10 of them including a red to us, but we held out.

We also brought in Real Madrid midfielder Fabao, and Aldosivi striker Alberto Carabajal on free transfers - the latter is a real coup, our best striker now by a mile and somebody I'd contemplated paying £5mil for before I realised he had so little left on his contract.

We stumbled a little this month but the fact I consider another unbeaten month a stumble is enough in itself. If we avoid defeat to Fluminense in our next game, we've gone 38 league games without defeat which is a whole year, which is absolutely mental. In-fact, the 2-3 win at Goianiense was the first time in the whole run we'd let in more than 1.

We beat Fluminense 2-0, but that would be the end of the road, we were tamed by an old foe.

Their winner was the literal last kick of the game as well. I thought we had the point, but they stole it right at the death. Those bastards. I hate them.

So there are 13 games left, we have a quite nice lead at the top, but I do think we're going to face a real fight to hold onto it. We still have to play Atletico Mineiro (on the final day), Corinthians, Flamengo, Santos, Internacional, Palmeiras and Gremio. I think we may just get pipped to be honest. We have the points on the board but the others, Mineiro and Flamengo the two biggest worries for me, are on fire now. Their schedules are also getting quieter. I fear their quality will shine through.

But it's a lot of fun. We've once again totally exceeded expectation.

But did we make them celebrate. They're probably the biggest club in the continent and it was a huge deal for them. We've come a long, long way.

[Dan+]

2041 CONCLUDED

It got worse before it got better. London bus effect. No defeat in a year in the league and then just like that, we have two in four days. We're really, really bad at Internacional. I forgave Flamengo because they're at worst, the second strongest side in this country and they stole it, but Internacional are comfortably better than us on the day. Now I'm panicking. Because our fixtures aren't kind, and the two biggest threats of Atletico Mineiro & Flamengo, look in great form.

The next game however proves to be enormous. We largely outplay Santos but we're pegged back late on, although we bag a winner with literally the last kick of the game. It's about time it was us who had that joy. This sparks another upturn in form, whilst crucially, our rivals seemed to falter.

The real turning point weekend in my opinion was where we won at Chapecoense. Now that wasn't an easy fixture to be honest, but crucially everybody below us lost games I expected them to win. We had breathing space again.

From after this period, it feels like we need to really, really throw it away to not win it. We're unbeaten in 30 home games, although we do still have Mineiro, Corinthians & Flamengo to come here, so we can't be too relaxed.

The title is sealed following a stunning win at Gremio. We lose our unbeaten home run to Corinthians but it doesn't matter. RB Bragantino have a historic Brazilian Serie A title, and I add trophy number 34 to my CV. There is a case that this is my greatest league title achievement yet. Bragantino frankly have no business competing. Small crowds, a good squad but not a great one. I think the stars did align somewhat and as I often seem to find, once I build up some momentum we become unstoppable.

So now my entire focus goes into the big one - I've conequered the hardest league of the region, lets go and get the Libertadores.

[Dan+]

2042 - LETS WIN THIS THING

I'm taking a near enough single minded approach on this season - it's about winning the Copa Libertadores. It's a mammoth ask, it's an absolutely solid competition, but we are Brazilian champions, we should be putting up a fight at the very least.

What will make it harder of course is how many more games we have to play and competing on more than one front. That's one thing this season has that the last didn't. We have to at least get a top 6/7 place (still not totally sure what determines qualification) to get into next seasons should we fail this time around to win it but I'm not expecting us to retain the title or anything. I'm going to be naming some weaker sides in league games to focus on the Libertadores itself.

First of all we play the state Championship. We finally, FINALLY make the semi finals but we fall to Santos after a win away at Palmeiras in the quarters.

In the midst of this though, we receive our Libertadores group. Am I finally going to have some luck in a draw?

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Well, I'm reasonably happy. We draw Independiente of Argentina, Cusco of Peru, and then another draw path which turns out to be, of all teams, Defensor again. We're presented with an opportunity of revenge on the Uruguayans who dumped us out of the Sudamericana groups a year ago.

Our opening fixture is away there and this time, no errors are made. We win 0-3.

We draw 0-0 at home to Independiente but do largely have the better of the game, but I want that top spot because of a kinder draw in the round of 16. We beat Cusco twice and then seal qualification, and top spot with a sensational 0-3 victory at Independiente where we completely outclass them - a very encouraging game given they finished 4th in Argentina. Though amazingly they don't get out of the group, Defensor come and beat a largely weakened side 0-2 and steal 2nd place. Hilarious really.

So in the round of 16 we will draw one of the 2nd placed finishing sides, but can't get Defensor (for once). We are to get one of Deportivo Cali, Olimpia, MC Torque, Velez, Penarol, River Plate or America de Cali. Now tell me, at a glance, who the one team you want to avoid of those is.

Of course, we draw River Plate.

And just to kick us while we're down, it's probably Flamengo in the quarters if we do it.

[Dan+]

A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE LEAGUE / LIBERTADORES KNOCKOUTS COMMENCE

The league campaign like I said was about ensuring we at least get another crack at the Libertadores should we not win it, of which the odds are in favour of the latter even though I'm throwing my eggs firmly into this basket. That said though you can't 'ignore' the league, it's still the bread and butter and it's still the foundation of your season.

We have a bizarre opening few games where we hardly score and hardly concede. We draw 0-0 at home to Gremio in a disappointing opener before a hammer blow 4-0 defeat to Atletico Mineiro. The kind of result that really makes you doubt our credentials. We beat Goias at home 3-0 but then draw 0-0 in three consecutive games against Corinthians away, Palmeiras at home and Bahia away. None of which are bad results individually but failing to score in 5 of our first 6 is quite worrying, and it prompts me to buy another striker from Palmeiras, named Myller. We break the run by beating Sao Paulo 1-0 which prompts another good run, and we largely retain the defensive strength. In-fact our defensive record becomes absurdly good.

The Libertadores comes around and despite the initial frustration at drawing River Plate I've convinced myself we can beat them nicely because I used to beat them quite frequently when back in Argentina, and they're not quite the beast they used to be - Argentinos are legitimately a better team now, which I like to think I had a hand in.

We put in a very nice performance in Argentina and take home a 0-1 victory courtesy of Carabajal, but part of me really thinks we should've had it sealed there and then. We were better than them throughout and missed some ridiculously easy chances, but we are better at home and I think we're good enough to avoid defeat, and we don't just avoid defeat, but we absolutely take them to pieces and win 4-0. It's a clinic and we're into the quarters, and sadly, it is Flamengo.

We're somehow still in the Brazilian cup too despite me naming frankly disgraceful XIs, but then once I find a settled system I do stick to it and train the whole squad in that, and I feel we're a cohesive unit whoever I throw in at worst, so it's working.

The quarter final arrives following an absurdly loaded August (11 games in one month, shameful). We're at home first this time. This is a huge test. Flamengo aren't having a great league campaign but they're still arguably the best side in the competition, their squad is stacked and I think I'd back myself to win it with them quite comfortably. We gun for them at home, it was only a week before that I got my first ever win over them in a league game (2-0). We go one better here and deliver probably the greatest display of my tenure by beating them 3-0. Resounding. I doubted us early season but we've really found our rhythm now and nobody seems to be able to live with us at our place.

The second leg... so we're 3-0 up, away goals count, and I still can't fully rest at this place. The Maracana does things to us. It's where I lost my year long unbeaten run. I feel that if I was 3-0 up against virtually anyone else this would be no issue, but I feel if there was ever a place where it would go wrong, it was this one.

But my fears are eased massively when we take an early lead on the night and Flamengo need 5 goals without reply.

We look fairly comfortable until about the 35th minute when a shocker from my young right back Ivan plays in their danger man Defilippis and he tucks away. They get a second almost immediately after.

And then a third.

We go in at the break 3-1 down on the night. We've played 135 minutes of this tie, have been comfortably better for 125 of them, and yet all of a sudden they're in my head. They have that almost Real Madrid like ability to turn the entire thing almost at their will. We're in huge, huge danger of going out here I think.

I sub both full backs - the only two players I played in the draw at Gremio at the weekend that started this have both been woeful and it can't be a coincidence. We do seem to regain some control of the game again but I'm weary of how quickly they turned the tide in the first half and we've got to be careful. 80 minutes gone and the carelessness kicks in, as Heitor concedes a penalty. Thankfully it's deemed just outside the box but all of a sudden, I get that sinking feeling that the beast has woken up and within two minutes of the initial warning, Raylan, experienced Raylan goes and does exactly the same and this time it's given. 4-1.

I'm completely bricking it. I was reluctant to go too defensive because I feel once you do that you're locking yourself in no matter what, but we're at a point now where it's late enough to get away with it and if we do cave in, then so be it. It's frankly abysmal we've allowed it to get to this point and it doesn't fill you with much confidence, but I do remember that these are vastly superior to our squad.

It's 4-1-4-1 time. We pack the midfield and hope to waste time by holding the ball down the wings. We clear crosses. There can't be extra time. Just don't cave in, I beg of you.

We don't. Our players drop to their knees and it's over. Flamengo are beaten. We fucked up a 4-0 lead, but we did it. It was as tense as any game. I feel this was on a par with the Macarthur win when at Gangwon - the potential turning point.

It's utterly unconvincing, but knocking Flamengo out is a huge achievement for us. They are deadly. It's an all Brazilian line up in the semis. We will be facing Santos while the other tie is between Palmeiras and Corinthians.

We're close.

[Dan+]

THE CLOCK IS TICKING

I'm really running out of time to do this with FM23 out soon. While I'm not obliged to dive straight into 23, it's a hard temptation to resist and I'm wanting to get this done, so it would be really, really handy if we could go all the way this season so I can tick this pissing continent off. Fair play South America, you've really, really stumped me - although I've not helped myself with my club choices.

We face Santos in the semi finals and after the way we've dumped out a superior Flamengo, albeit in quite dangerous circumstances, I think we can do it. But it just never quite clicks. We're not great in the home game and we leave it with a 1-1 draw, one that I think is probably going to put us out of the tie.

We go to the away leg with a fully fresh side, I've picked my semi final side and then changed the XI for the league game at Gremio at the weekend. I've specifically favoured players who relish big matches. I feel at this point it's our only hope.

Problem is you can't find out which players have this trait until they turn 22, and I'm stung by my 19 year old right back, Ivan, heading into his own net under little pressure. What a disaster start.

We peg them back not long before half time with an excellent strike from Almir. Away goals count so I think we're in our best position yet. Sadly though, the second half is a damp squib and we go 3-1 down, I just know it's a step too far.

It ends 3-2. It's a semi final defeat.

This, combined with losing Almir to Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia on a release clause, makes my mind up that I'm going to have to move again. I'm not blessed with time. I need a top side. I will go to Europe if needs be.

Oh and we finish 2nd in the league. Great.

[Dan+]

CHEAP FLIGHTS THIS WEEK

Decision is made. We're coming back to South America. Fair play. You won. For now. I'll be back for a third time lucky attempt and I will be joining only one of the likely winners. I'm not ducking the challenge, I am simply running out of time and the decision was between either biding my time, hoping for a top job in South America, or going to Europe.

 

 

There was something in particular I fancied in Europe. As ever, it struck the balance, where the success was realistic, but a challenge. I'm also not quite in a position to waltz into Real Madrid or Manchester City, so my timing of leaving Bragantino was spot on. There was a job that I had no second thoughts about wanting to go for.

 

 

Ha, thought it was in England did we?

Nope! It appears FM22 is another where I'll not be dabbling England properly. Maybe that's one for FM23.

 

 

You have to say, even if I don't take all five trophies, what a journey it's actually been. From a sunday league reputation at Terengganu in Malaysia, all the way to this.

 

 

Welcome to AC Milan.

[Dan+]

THE JOB AT HAND

I don't think the name AC Milan needs much selling. It's an enormous club, truly by far the biggest I have managed on this save and to be honest, maybe even ever as I don't tend to manage top clubs. A bit of context on what's happened in Italy during my time...

It seems to go through different phases of dominance from one team but nothing close to a Bayern/PSG scenario - which is every bit as farcical on this as you would imagine it. Italy makes a claim to be one of the most competitive leagues about these days. The 20s saw four different winners - Juventus, AC Milan, Inter and Napoli. These four won a league each between 2029 and 2032 before AC Milan turned it into four straight. Inter took it in 2037 but Lazio were forming the new Roman empire in the background, albeit with their Korean money. They've won the last five straight and are now the indisputed powerhouse of the Italian game.

As for AC Milan, well the decline has clearly kicked in. An abject 8th placed finish last season meaning no continental football at all for only the second time in 20 years. The manager was abruptly sacked in the summer.

Their replacement, Dutchman Wesley Spieringhs, fared even worse, and the void is left open in December with AC Milan sat in a pathetic 12th place.

It's a tricky one because the squad is blatantly better than that, but there is a big rebuild job coming. The age profile of the squad is terrible though. That's the real obstacle here. There are plenty that need to go and thankfully, a lot of them are retiring in the summer so there is the opportunity to really overhaul the squad. I have promised the board a conference league finish though, so I need 7th at worst - I promised it thinking it was the balance between being attainable, fairly ambitious given the position, but enough of a pull to actually make them go for me, and they did. With no Europe, it's that that I'm aiming for.

[Dan+]

SHUTTING UP AND GETTING ON WITH IT

This is still going ahead, don't you worry, I've just been ploughing through it somewhat rather than doing detailed updates but a bit of an overview...

2042/43 - I take over with the club sat 12th but I've promised them continental football, even if it's just a conference league finish. This means finishing in the top 7 or winning the Coppa Italia. It's a biggish ask but it's attainable I think with our obviously pretty good, underachieving squad. We pull it off with a 6th placed finish, although Sassuolo winning the Coppa Italia has dropped me into the Europa Conference League rather than Europa League which is annoying - albeit it's a better chance of winning a trophy.

2043/44 - I'm given some money and I reshape the team. 4-3-1-2 is our main formation. I have signed around 8 players, virtually all aged between 22-25 as I believe that's the best age profile of player to bring in for a side that wants short term success without compromising the longer term. The squad value shoots up over the season and, yet again, my second season at a club yields a league title. We take it fairly convincingly in the end but we were really pushed by the likes of Roma, Inter and Juventus. We score 102 goals, win 18 of our 19 home games (fucking Lazio) and amazingly beat Inter 7-0 at home in the most mental last 10 minutes of a game I've seen on this (it was 2-0 after 80 minutes). Moneybags Lazio underachieve by finishing 5th but actually win the Champions League. We flunk the Coppa Italia in the quarters with a horrible home loss to Bologna, and we fail to secure the Conference League. We absolutely stroll our group of Famalicao, Sarajevo and St Pats Athletic without a point dropped or a goal conceded, but we fall to Everton in the quarter finals. We are screwed over by the scheduling which gives us a crucial game with Juventus just two days after the first leg and I rest players, losing 1-0. We absolutely batter them in the second leg but are terribly wasteful and only manage to win 1-0 ourselves, before losing on penalties. It's sickening but I also feel we were very unlucky too - but it's hardly the sign of a side that are going to lift the Champions League anytime soon if they can't even make the Conference League semis.

2044/45 - A couple of first team players depart in the summer but we have another decent summer of recruitment with plenty of money left over, and we look even better in the league. Half way in we're top of the league, unbeaten, and have remarkably scored 50 goals with just 4 let in. Crucially though the Champions League. We are through to the knockouts but not overly convincingly. We are given a crap group of Man City, Porto and Alaves. As a pot one side, that is tough. Man City are Man City, Porto are tough for a pot 3 side and Alaves are only in pot 4 because they've not got the history, but they're a good team to finish in the top 4 in Spain so again, it's about the toughest side we can get. We lose at opener at Man City which I can forgive, but we lost to 10 men - again, my aim is to win this competition, absolutely no way does a potential winner lose to 10 men. We beat Porto and Alaves at home (though Alaves are beyond infuriating to break down) before then losing in Spain, again, horrifically unluckily. We qualify by winning at Porto (though come very close to throwing a 3 goal lead) and draw at home to Man City. So we're through but I think it'll be a bit of a miracle if we win the whole thing. We have RB Leipzig in the round of 16 which is extremely tricky, as German teams are ominously good now.

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I do have a lot of money to spend now though and a world class left back arriving on a free next summer. My aim is to win it probably next season, but the clock is ticking.