Six Continents (take two)

[AsimButtHitsASix]

A lot of first teamers are on their way now

A mixture of clauses being met and players wanting to leave meant these are all on their way. Including captain and vice captain Rodrigues and Furtado. Lanza is a huge loss, I love that b*****d, we have a cracking left back coming back from Villareal in a year and Lorran Silva is adequate cover until then but Lanza was/is a class above. Sosa's ratings and stars are immense but he's never really... clicked for me. He's got 1 goal in 16 this season and half those games have been as a striker so not fussed about him going. Rodriguez and Furtado are amazing to have round the squad but with Tupe at centre back and me very rarely playing a DM C they were free to go with decent bids coming in.

However, with these players leaving, players still at the Olympics, suspensions and injuries we couldn't even fill the bench for the Libertadores game v River



Our left back? Is a 19 year old French striker making his debut. Fucking hell. Despite the result the performance was alright. Fairly confident we can manage something in the return leg. Players still away in the Olympics. Still can't name a full bench.



Fuckers. Their shitty little equaliser near the end and it went straight to fucking penalties. b*****ds. 

Just... try again next year I guess.

[AsimButtHitsASix]

Just reached 500 games in management so let's recap before I rattle through the rest of the Brazilian League

I'm naw happy with ma hands on approach being that low. I mean... I pick the team and sign the players. Just because I'm not deciding my 17 year old 8th choice keeper needs to work on his handling and leaving that up to some U18s GK coach? Anyway... 



Lost exactly 20% of my games and pretty close to 2 goals per game and 1 goal against. I have signed a LOT of players tho. Like... almost one player bought for every game played. I'm putting that down to my time at amateur and non-contract clubs where I signed players in stead of offering trials



Only club I never won a trophy or managerial award was Dauphin Noir. It's going pretty well.



Strolling it. Apart from this fucking Libertadores. 

[AsimButtHitsASix]

First club, Jigawa Golden Stars, dead on favourites for relegation, amateur and not a single player or backroom staff at the club. I got them to a Nigerian Cup Final and challenging for the league title before I left for Yatel in the huff. But they haven't missed me...


They've had another appearance in a cup final and two third place finishes since I left. They're doing great. Chuffed for them. My best player there was, clearly Ibrahim Said. Here's how he's doing...



After Enugu Rangers signed him and he took a year to break into the team he was snapped up by one of the biggest clubs in Africa and went to Club Africain in Tunisia. I had forgot all about him until a scout of mine at GZ R&F said "Here, Mick, you heard about this Ibrahim Said lad?". So I paid over the odds to bring him over. Board were not happy with what I spent on him at the time. 18 sensational months later he was off to Bayern Munich. In half a season he got 12 games and a good rating so was surprising when he was loaned to Villarreal but he was still young. Selling him for half of what they got him for to their nearest rivals was strange. As was Dortmund papping him out on loan after a good season. He's been a success everywhere he's went. I love him dearly.

I wasn't at Malaysia long and never done much with them so let's skip them and go to Yatel



I closed all the Oceanic leagues after winning the OFC Champions League so not much change for them that I can see. Took them from 2nd bottom  of the Vanuata league to Continental Champions in just under a season then fucked off. My hero of that team was Joseph Spokeyjack. Although he was barely needed as we spanked the domestic league and wasn't called up much in the surprisingly simple Champions League win his heroics in the championship play offs were immense. Man of the match for about half the games, saved penalties when required and, even better, scored a few himself. He's remained at Yatel but, amazingly, only ever got two caps for his country. 



We then had an unmemorable period with Sierra Leone. I'm still raging about the injury time goal South Africa scored to deny us qualification for the ANC although that was a blessing in disguise as we then went to Sudan who were a great side quest. Enough about them later.

I returned to Africa as a mid table team in the Democratic Republic of Congo called AS Dauphin Noir and was all set for the long game to get Africa out of the way when, less than a year after joining, the lure of the big money in China drew me away. They've been the same average team I left them as. They've still won f**k all.



I had assembled a good, young team there and was most impressed with a 16 year old centre back called Screve Benteke. I lured him to China after a year but was unable to loan him out. By the time he arrived he was already a full international and he's just broke into the Guangzhou R&F first team. But he also knocked back a loan to me at Gremio so f**k him but, still, what a player.



Sudan was a great laugh. Took over a team somewhere in the 120s and got them up to the 100s in the world and to the ANC 2nd round. Think the average age of my first squad was 21 or 22. All these talented regens came through at once and are still the basis of the current squad. A few of those players have moved to the bigger Asian leagues in China, Qatar, etc. The Sudanese... great bunch of lads. Here's their rankings graph

Then came Guangzhou R&F. Confession time. I only went to them because I got my teams from Guangzhou mixed up. I mean, in the end, it went really well but I was hoping to go there and spend hundreds of millions and have a laugh. I actually had to become a bit of a wheeler dealer and heavily scout every single player of note in China over and over again. It was worth it tho'. Going from bottom of the Chinese League, almost losing my job after a poor start, and straight to Champions League winners in straight seasons was so much fun. I shut off the Chinese league when I went to Brazil but, in the season that remained before it closed, they were third or fourth and the manager got bagged. 

Some of those players tho...

Guo Tong. My hero goalkeeper. £1,000,000 to nick him from Beijing and he never let me down. He was a bit too expensive to take to Brazil but he got his big move to the Bundesliga and is rocking it over there now



John Hou Saeter is a Norwegian/Chinese dual national who was, strangely, released on a free. He was equally adept as DMC/MC/AMC and both wings. Solid when he started and useful from the bench. Captained fantastic. No idea why he's not making the team now. He's only 30.

Pedro Delgado. Portuguese/Chinese dual national was just perfect in every attacking position. Scored free kicks for fun as well. Still smashing it for R&f as well



Jasur Jaloliddinov I snapped up as a fucking bargain from some mob in Uzbekistan. He seemed to save his best games for big games including a hat trick in the knock out stages of the Champions League. He's now worth £26,000,000 and is wanted by PSG

 

And, just for fun, here's the Scotland squad



 

[AsimButtHitsASix]

Update time. Starting off with the side quest. Decided to stick with France to see if I can win the World Cup. Same as last time for the nations league and only played players under 30. This meant about half of my Euro winning team were ditched and, on top of that, Mbappe missed the last few games with injuries so was, practically, a B team. A handful of players made debuts but there is a bit of a gap in the game. A lot of guys are 28/29 and sitting below the first choice guys but not exactly spring chickens whereas, a handful of world class players aside, there's not much in the early to mid 20s. I think after this cycle, and the World Cup, when guys like Lemar and co are on the way out there'll be a gap in quality and I don't want to be here for that. Anyway we were shite.


Came 2nd behind England. Ach well. Gremio time



Won the Copa do Brasil. That fucking Avai game tho'. Fucking up a 4-0 lead at home. Jings

The league?



Had it wrapped up in all but name after that Santos win so played reserves for the last three games. Won it when Internacional drew the week after so was a weird site seeing my players celebrating after a 3-0 skelping at home to Cruzeiro



Gonna try a different, dare I say it, "defensive" tactic for difficult away ties this year. Even if I could come away from trickey Libertadores away ties with a one goal defeat I seem to have enough to smash teams at home. So... let's do this.

Also as it appears the Brazilian and Argentinian leagues are far ahead of other South American leagues and I have no reason or desire to go to teams from those nations I've turnt off those leagues. I might even get rid of the Argentinian league because, to be honest, my best at winning the Libertadores is sticking with Gremio I think.

Internacional just won it for the third year in a row. Scum

[AsimButtHitsASix]

I haven't done much in the way of transfer updated since the start of last season so here's who I have lost since then...


That is the big sales of all of last season and so far this season. A wee bit of detail on each. 
Last season
David Sosa - talented young Argentinian midfielder I signed for £5,000,000 in my first season. Had just won his first caps but was playing poorly that season so happy to get that for him
Patryck Lanza - A genuinely irreplaceable left back who was here when I started but his release clause was met
Badé - An expensive signing for ourselves from another club in Brazil who looked good, but not great, as an of the D/M/RC positions. Squad player in his first season but turned out to be first choice right back in his second. 
Gabrield Furtado - A really good DMC, a position I barely used, but who also done a good job in DC and MC. Vice captain but can be improved on in both positions
Sebastian Rodriguez - Originally signed to play DC but was a great MC who I think I could have got more for in the end
Lazaro - A bit shite and rarely featured. I robbed Bristol City
Matheus Martins - Like Lazaro but right footed. Spent most his time away on loan
Eliemar Schneiger - A young D RLC I never rated. I thought he would be cheap, versatile backup but had to play through necessity and had an average rating of nearly 7.5. His attributes are defensive as f**k with not much going forward so accepted that bid but could have got more. Has been hopeless since leaving.
Jose Enamorado - Highly rated midfielder who never got going for me and barely played. Doing well at Palace
Jori - Dropped to 2nd choice keeper so sold to be 2nd choice at Leicester
Luca Franco - A bit shite. Never played much. Has been shite since leaving
This season
Tupa - Possibly the best defender in the game right now. Only 20. Brazil's best player. Got him for £20,000,000. He stormed the league and Copa America and was desperate to leave.
Marc Diabaté - Signed him on the cheap from some lot in Ivory Coast. He played a handful of games and was punted out on loan and came back world class only to go in the huff when we knocked back a £2,000,000 bid from Roma. Eventually knocked back enough bids to get his price right up.
Vicente Ohlsson - Chilean left winger signed as back up for the Argentinian lad I brought in last season. Played well when he did play, which was a reasonable amount, but happy to punt him when a decent offer arrived
Joao Sahdo - Young winner I got for £1,000,000 who never played, could still come good, but wanted game time now.
Pepe - Sold, before my arrival, for nearly £20,000,000. I got him back on a two year loan a year after he was sold when I arrived. He was released six months after his loan with us ended. I signed him on a free and he was a useful option off the bench last year. Sold him for another tidy profit. Club icon as well. 
Abilio - One of my first signings for nearly £3,000,000. Never got going. Written him off
Wesley Giordani - Signed by Leicester when he was 16 but had to wait til now for him to leave because he was under 18. Don't think he'll actually be good enough to play for them

And the players that came in?



Last year
Tupa/Ohlsson - Already discussed
Eder Roberto - I had a sneaky suspicion Tupa would be off and this young centre back had brilliant ratings. Only worth £500,000 but met his release clause because, f**k it, he'll be a world beater.
Jamaica - Capped for Brazil at right back but never kicked off for me last year. First he was stuck behind Badé at right back and never really done much when he left. He's away on loan to Malmo for a year (and £125,000 per month)
Gonzalo Tanzi -Probably the next player to be snatched away by a big European side. Right footed left winger who continues my proud tradition of left wingers smashing in goal after goal
Alejandro Moreno - Mexican striker, only 19, looked decent. Third choice now and getting a bit huffy but will get decent game time over the year
Adalgasio - Scouts raved about him. Been shite for me and been papped out on loan where he continues being shite
Fernando Jose - Had him on loan as back up D/DM/MC for two years but they wouldn't let me keep that up so I bit the bullet and signed him. Rarely played
Marlon Mendez - The D/DM/MC thing is very popular in South America. He looks good. out on loan
Goncalo Eduardo - I genuinely have no recollection of signing this guy. 

This Year
Jefinho - 19 year old who broke into the Palmeiras team last year. Now my most expensive signing. MC and his important stats are already massive. Not quite as good as Lucas Paqueta yet but a very similar player. 
Pachequinho - 22 year old who's been at Man City for four year. Tried getting him in on loan every year I've been here and he's KBd it to go to Bundesliga or La Liga clubs. Not far off Tupa's quality 
Ariel di Biasi - Direct replacement for Lanza. Payed over the odds because I need a solid, reliable left back who can go forward just as well
Luiz Lopez - Talented young centreback. Probably going out on loan
Gabrial Vinicius - DL/AMC and has the stats to do both. Weirdo. Right footed tho'. 17. Met his release clause. Will be in the reserves this year
Marquinhos - Brazil legend in his final six months of his contract with PSG. Had still played 17 league games in the first half of the season with a rating above 7.5 so clearly a lot left in the 34 year old
Water Barrionuevo - Young Argentinian utility man. Already out on loan





 

[AsimButtHitsASix]

Anyway here's what I would suggest is my best possible starting XI this season.

GKP - Rodrigo Antonio. 58 games in his first season. 61 in his second. I think he's reached his peak and he's not going to get any better. £7,500,000 seemed excessive at the time but he's been solid and reliable. A couple of our young keepers will be matching him in quality next year so this might be his last as undisputed number one. 

DR - Lucas Felipe. Young right back made his debut last year and ended up with a few games in the state league but then started pushing £10,000,000 signing Jamaica to the bench. With Jamaica away on loan and Badé left this is his chance to make this spot his own. However the guy we're about to see at DL is equally adept at right back.



DL - Lorran Silva - Signed for £4,000,000 in my first season he's played over 30 games each year since. Mostly sub appearances in his first season, half and half in his second and last year he finally became a reguarl starter after Lanza left. I have just signed a new left back so he might be playing as much at right back as left back this year



DC - Marquinhos needs no introduction. Brazil and PSG legend. He's 34 and his pace and acceleration remain in the double digits. Probably his last year as a top quality centre back but could precisely be what I require to bring home the big cup. Pachequinho played 15 times in the league for Man City this season with an average rating of 7.11 so he's just as good. He was stolen from Internacional without playing a single game by Man City for £13,000,000 and since then, has played (on loan) for Schalke, us, Fiorentina and Hertha Berlin with nearly 100 top flight games across the leagues.




MC - Bruno Gomes is our destroyer. Here when I arrived. Always playing 40+ games a year. Ratings never go too far above or below a solid 7. Exactly what's required in the centre. Lucas Paqueta was released after nine years at Milan (and a year on loan at Juve) and was happy to return to the land of his birth. He's been amazing. Scores goals for fun.




AM R - Reyner here is on the verge of being punted every year because I think I can get better but he keeps doing well as an inside forward. His dribbling is obscene. He's always ghosting past three or four players and pinging in crosses and shots for fun. There's a bit of the Ted McMinn about him as he often fluffs the end product. Wins a lot of free kicks as well which I tend to score a decent amount from. Was first choice winger when I arrived. 37 goals in 119 games for me in the last three years.



AM L - Gonzalo Tanzi - Signed last year. Almost tempted to play him as a striker one of these days because of the goals he scores. Already one of my favourite players in this save evenif he tailed a way a bit toward the end last season



AM C - Oscar Ramos - one of two Argentinians I signed for £5,000,000 each in my first season which looked like a huge outlay. He's been a reliable player in MC, AMC and AMR as well. His best position is behind the strikers tho' and he'll be there more often than not this season



SC - Da Silva - My first bid I made for Gremio was getting this guy on loan. I've extended it every year. He's at Inter Milan after signing for £2,4000,000 from Cruzerio. He never played for Cruzerio, he played once for Inter, he's played 99 games for me and scored 38 goals. His 99th game saw him break his ankle so he's out for four months. Certainly a striker who relies more on his physical qualities than his technical ones. But he's a battering ram upfront who makes a nuisance for others and while he scores 1 in 3 it lets my AM players also get about 1 in 3 or 1 in 4. 



 
 

[RandomGuy.]

You're reminding me how much I enjoy managing in Brazil. After a few years the quality of youth floating about is unreal.

If they could just sort of their league season

[oneteaminglasgow]

Aye, Brazil would be great if the system wasn't an absolute mess - sure I ended up playing over 100 matches in a season...

[AsimButtHitsASix]

2 hours ago, RandomGuy. said:

You're reminding me how much I enjoy managing in Brazil. After a few years the quality of youth floating about is unreal.

If they could just sort of their league season

I am not a fan of it at the minute. Here's how my season goes

January: Blood a few young players, sign a few players of quality and realise I have both an exceptional first XI and some quality youth players coming through to my squad a brilliant mix. Surely the Libertadores is on its way this year
June-August: English and Italian clubs unsettle all my best players and I lose three or four of them
September: Get knocked out of the Libertadores because of a shite away performance
September-December : Scout replacements for all the quality players I lose in the summer.
Repeat.

I'd be intrigued to see how my players would do in the Champions League. On one hand, going by scout ratings once I got to Brazil, I over rated my Chinese players but the couple that I signed on free transfers never let me down. Both left with average ratings above 7 in the handful of games they play. I guess the hidden attributes do a good job even if the visible ones and scout reports say otherwise so you can trust players that done well even at a lower level.

[AsimButtHitsASix]

The state league is a bit.. meh but here's the results. As I lost both finals to Internacional on pens there was no need for an overall final. Now I said I would be using a more "defensive" formation for games against bigger/equal clubs away from home after two bad performances away from home saw me papped out the Libertadores. I would be more than happy with a 1-1 draw away from home against Internacional, Palmeiras, Boca or River in the big cup. Even the 1-0 defeat wouldn't be the end of the world. So... pretty confident going into the league.

Not lost any other players so far and not brought anyone else in. Time to get the league going. Won 3-0 away to Botafogo in my game and qualified through to Libertadores group stages. 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Have you considered buying Internacional's best players?

[Stellaboz]

I've won every competition possible with Nexaca including the North American Champions league past two seasons and I'm jumping ship again to help the fight against Celtic's domestic dominance. Sevco awaits!

[AsimButtHitsASix]

11 hours ago, Miguel Sanchez said:

Have you considered buying Internacional's best players?

Yes. They've no interest. I have managed to snatch a few talented youngsters away from them but nae first teamers.

Especially frustrating is all my best players get poached by European clubs but they don't seem to sell anyone. Their team has barely changed while I've been in Brazil

[Stellaboz]

What's the foreign rules like in Brazil? I can't remember if I asked before but in Mexico you need 9 nation-born players in the matchday squad, opening up a lot of room for some quality foreign talent. 

 

[AsimButtHitsASix]

It's the same across the domestic game in Brazil (Cup, state league, Serie A) No squad limits at all. 5 foreign players maximum in matchday squad (Syria and Haiti treated as domestic players)

Copa Libertadores/Sudamerica - 30 man squad but no restrictions on age/nationality

[AsimButtHitsASix]

Been a while eh?

I'll get onto the league in a minute. Here's the other cups



Libertadores: took a humping v Argentinos Jrs in the group stage but went on to win the group anyway. Copa de Brasil got papped out in the quarters against Flamengo but was shite in the first round v Mineiro. Was unlucky in the World Club Cup. Biggest ever win in the tournament v ES Tunis before losing three goals in the last ten minutes v Man City to get papped out. The European teams are just so much better than the South American teams. 

Smashed Cristal in the Liberatadores and saw Internacional got put out leaving only Argentinian sides in my draw. Set up a bit defensively in the first leg, happy with a draw, hit the post three times and they got a penalty right at the start of the 2nd half. Just "one of those games" that seems to always happen in the big cup around this time.




Should win the league again. Always finish strongly in Brazil and no other competitions to worry about.



I knocked back a £25,000,000 bid for Tanzi from Atletico. He demanded a huge wage increase. I offered it. He accepted it. Atletico just came back and hit his release clause. Another cracking player on their way out. Wont go for a replacement right away. Give some youngsters a chance to grab that place before I decide to spend money.



I've built the best team in South America and, despite constantly having to sell my best players, I maintain the best team in South America year on year. Yet... I keep shiting the bed in the Quarter Finals of the Libertadores. I cannae figure out why. 

Also what the f**k is the game with my keeper? He cost me £7.5 million, has been first choice ever since, can't fault him and he's now worth 5% of what I paid.

Edited July 8, 2020 by AsimButtHitsASix

[Stellaboz]

Is he getting paid shit for a shirt term deal?

[Stellaboz]

The Libertadores was a piece of piss for my FLA team. Two years in a row. Left them to take over Black Panthers in South Africa only to get fucking relegated as they had a team full of utter shit, and after the transfer window closed. Waay after.

[AsimButtHitsASix]

It's my fucking Everest. I finished that season (finished 2nd in a very tight three way race) and been busy with other things but finished the Gaucho regional league. Ready to launch a new assault on it whenever I can be bothered getting back into it

[Stellaboz]

Good luck. Brazil is almost 12 months of non stop football, fucking bang tidy if you follow it! Those bloody cups at the start, Copa L begins all before the league.