Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 8 Finale

Eight seasons of groundwork, preparation and learning from our mistakes has left us on the cusp of the ultimate glory once again. Any side can fluke their way to the top but it’s much more difficult to maintain your place amongst the elite. We’ve helped make Tottenham Hotspur a very good side but can we push them one step further and cement our legacy as one of the truly great teams?

The first honour up for grabs is the FA Cup. When you look at how impressive this Spurs side has become, it’s a trophy which doesn’t really make or break our season. That isn’t meant to devalue the longest running cup competition in the modern game but Arsenal fans can attest that winning it doesn’t catapult you into the elite. However, once your team steps out onto the Wembley pitch you don’t want to see them coming off it with just a runners’ up medal either. Every trophy matters and retaining the FA Cup would be a fine achievement.

FA Cup Final

Our chosen XI to face Manchester United is Wells; Villani, Harvey, Sule, Sessegnon; Rice, Camavinga, Gaillard, Foden; Kean and Dembele. Young Keran Tal is obviously missing through injury but everyone else is fit and ready to go.

It definitely feels like this is the season we say goodbye to Dembele as an ‘untouchable’ in our XI, assuming Tal doesn’t inherit Ledley King’s knee. There is absolutely no way I’d consider selling Moussa though. He covered the absence of Harry Kane and then took it onto a whole new level. A club legend in every sense of the word.

The opening 45 minutes see us dominate possession – and attempts on goal – but we’ve been unable to find the breakthrough. Unfortunately Dembele picked up a thigh injury and is replaced by young – is 25 still considered young? – Troy Parrott at half-time.

Approaching the 60-minute mark, I signal for Reinier to get warmed up. Camavinga is struggling to impose himself on the game so the plan is to move Foden back and have the Brazilian sit behind my front two. This change is held off as we have a freekick 40 yards out. Gaillard stands over it. The ball is sent to the edge of the six yard area where young Harvey leaps highest to direct his effort goalwards. De Gea has come off his line and is stuck in the middle of nowhere.. so can only watch as it goes in!

United have to offer more going forward now which should, in theory, allow more space for us to exploit on the counter. However the former English giants are unable to cope with our tempo and remain camped in their own box. Their only hope at the moment seems to be throwing themselves in the way of shots.

Foden twice tries to test the Spaniard in goal but sees his efforts cannon back off a defender. Phil, who obviously hates United due to his City past, is quickest to every rebound and manages to swing in a delightful cross to the back post. It goes beyond Kean and falls at the feet of Villani, who steadies himself before unleashing a wonderful half-volley into the far corner.. and de Gea can’t get there! 2-0. With 11 minutes to go, that should be it.

Two minutes later and the contest is over. What started from a United corner ends with Villani powering down the right, skipping past a couple of challenges as he gets into the box. Despite scoring a fine goal moments earlier, he pulls it back for Moise Kean and the Italian stallion beats De Gea at the near post. 3-0. A mullering. An absolute mullering.

As it commonplace in Football Manager, a collapse usually results in the opposition scoring an obscene amount of late goals. Gaillard sends in another freekick that eventually comes to Reinier on the edge of the area. With no real option available out wide, he plays it back to Gaillard and the French superstar drills a strike along the floor.. through a crowd of people.. and into the bottom corner.

Our academy keeper Chris Wells might be the most significant newgen of the save but Aurelien Gaillard, who cost just 725k and is now worth over 80M, is easily the best one I’ve signed on any Football Manager game. Vive la France!

This turned out to be Niko Kovac’s last game in charge of Manchester United.

And then we move onto Europe. After eight long, but largely successful seasons we come full circle and face Liverpool in the Champions League final.

Bruno Fernandes, Chris Wells, Sandro Tonali and Renan Lodi all picked up minor knocks in the week leading up to the contest. Standard. Dembele’s injury against United was a thigh strain but, with this being the final match of the season, he will have an injection to play and then recover through the summer. Tal is on the bench but not fit enough to play more than 60 minutes.

Champions League Final

Our starting XI is unchanged from the FA Cup final (Wells; Villani, Harvey, Sule, Sessegnon; Rice, Camavinga, Gaillard, Foden; Kean and Dembele). Liverpool are without Dani Olmo, Paulo Dybala, Dayot Upamecano and Antony through injury. Unlucky.

The match starts with Liverpool pushing forward and they get a throw-in deep in our half with only a few minutes on the clock. It’s thrown towards Rosinha, Dybala’s replacement, and is cleared. But wait, the referee has given a penalty. VAR confirms it. Apparently Rice nudged the Brazilian striker. What an absolute joke of a decision. Talk about deja vu.

Fabinho steps up for Liverpool.. and beats Wells. We’re 1-0 down early on in the European final because of a horrible call from the officials. And I’ve just realised that I’m playing a half-fit club legend in attack. Spooky.

Speaking of which, the next highlight is to let me know Dembele can’t continue. Worryingly, it isn’t his thigh but his knee this time. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. I send on the half-fit Tal to replace him.

The match itself is extremely even. I’m sure the early goal helped boost their confidence but on paper, with their absentees, we are the stronger side. Our defence is doing quite well the midfield hasn’t turned up. Either way, these guys are our best shot at turning things around and I don’t want to make another early change because we’ll almost certainly need to take Tal off again before the end of 90 minutes. Big balls or pure stupidity, you decide.

As the second half gets underway Liverpool have a freekick but we manage to clear it. Sander Berge has time and space on the edge of the box as he probes for the killer pass but Tal robs possession from him. The youngster charges forward into the space and it’s two-on-two.. but a fantastic tackle from Jerome Onguene allows the Reds to regroup somewhat.

The ball actually rolls out to Villani on the right, he gets past one challenge and swings a cross into the penalty area.. and there’s Kean! The Italian gets the run on his marker and powers his header into the bottom corner before Alisson can even move. 1-1! Now let’s kick on, lads.

Once again, Liverpool don’t wilt and instead begin to create some chances of their own. Alexander Trent-Arnold is a threat down the wing but we’ve got plenty of cover to limit his options. This means he’s forced to pass inside to Kai Havertz.. but Foden intercepts. It’s three-on-three and Kean has made a great run down the middle.. but Foden opts against playing it.

Damn you, Phil!

The former City man instead plays the ball down the right for Tal but Cannata, Liverpool’s left back, gets there first. However his first touch is awful so Tal pounces on the loose ball before smashing it goalwards.. and Alisson is unable to stop it! We’ve turned this match around in 12 second-half minutes. Cometh the hour, eh? An absolutely massive goal from Tal.

Now it’s our turn to try and handle the pressure.

Sessegnon makes a fantastic header to deny Lewis Cook a golden opportunity to bring Liverpool immediately level. It’s then sent out wide to Trent who swings in one of his dangerous crosses but Sule belts it upfield.

The clearance actually goes all the way to the half-way line where Tal cushions his header into the path of Kean. The Italian has the pace on his two markers and reaches the box. Fabinho is closing down the angle and with no one to aim for across goal, his only option is to shoot. Kean swings his left boot at the ball and it flies towards Alisson’s near post.. he gets a hand to it.. but the power is too much and he can only push it onto the post.. and into the back of the net! 3-1! A Kean brace, plus a goal and assist from young Tal. What a turnaround! Could this be it?

Tal comes off for Tonali. Haidara replaced Gaillard earlier and we switch to a flat-looking 4-4-1-1 (it’s actually more of a 4-1-3-1-1). Kean is left upfront with Foden supporting him but our midfield is packed to absorb Liverpool’s attempts at getting back into the game. However, Pep Guardiola’s lack of attacking options mean he is forced to use Ilaix Moriba as an emergency striker.

And there it is! The final whistle goes and Spurs are once again Champions League winners!

Three finals in a row, two of which were successful, and we banished both the ghost of Pochettino’s past (Liverpool) as well as our own (PSG) along the way.

The fans, board and club legends are all happy with our achievements. There is, however, some bad news. Dembele’s knee injury is a serious one and he’ll be out for 5-7 months.

At 30 years old, this is one of those injuries that shortens a career. However we’ve got Troy to play backup to Kean and Tal until Moussa is ready to return. As long as I’m at the helm, Dembele has nothing to worry about. He’ll retire at Tottenham Hotspur.

End of Season Awards

Maybe Kean’s desire to move upset the fans as Tonali is the new favourite.

Although Kean still sells more shirts than anyone else, so who knows?

And he’s arguably the best striker in the world on my save.

Here is the Champions League’s Best XI

What happens next?

There are a host of budding youngsters coming through, both in the U18s and U23s sides, as well as those I’ve poached from around Europe. Oh, and I agreed to sign Neymar on a free transfer to boost the ‘sign high reputation players’ objective as part of the club’s vision. He’s happy to be an Impact Sub and can cover the attacking midfield role even with limited physical stats. Maybe he can retire at the Spurs just like Lionel Messi did.

My U23 side won the Premier League Cup (finished 2nd in the league) and the U18s won their league, won the Premier League Cup and the FA Youth Challenge Cup (they lost in the final of the UEFA Youth League).

Bruno Fernandes will be sold in the summer and I’m tempted to either promote Rice to captain (from vice) or hand the armband to someone like Kean, who has developed into a real leader of the team.

Sadly a lot of our original season signings are approaching the ends of their careers and, as such, it feels like the rebuilding part is over. The next era should be built in someone else’s vision. As I added to Poch’s groundwork, so must the man – or woman – who follows in my footsteps.

Fernandes, Ake, Sule, Dembele, Haidara and Lodi are all aged 29-32. The vast majority of the youngsters we brought in are about to enter their peaks and there’s a new crop of wonderkids ready to step up.

What happens to our French star Gaillard? Will he establish himself as an icon at Spurs or look to rebuild PSG? Will Keran Tal be able to fill Dembele’s boots, just like Moussa did when Kane left? Those are questions for you to find the answer to, not me.

We’ve also contributed to the future of English football on a national level. Their most recent XI featured seven players who currently turn out for Tottenham, with a couple more on the bench and a few others who we’ve had a hand in their development. The Premier League is also ranked as the number one league in Europe, ousting LaLiga from top spot.

There’s almost 290M in club’s coffers so you won’t have to balance finances like we had to as the team forced their way into upper echelon of world football. I’ve asked Daniel Levy to expand the stadium and he’s kindly agreed. This will see the capacity extended to just over 70,000 going forward.

Our matchday income is already insane and this should help sustain our place at the top. There’s a naming rights deal in place so that’s an extra wedge of cash every season to look forward to. Even my staff are the best in the league across every level.

Basically, Spurs are set up to dominate football for the foreseeable future. It’s the perfect time to say goodbye.

Thank you to everyone who has followed the series, especially during the lulls of updates, and those who recently discovered the blogs during lockdown. I’m not sure what the next project will be. It would be interesting to try out the lower leagues and see if I’m able to learn, adapt and achieve success without the riches of the Premier League.

Maybe I could take over at Scunthorpe United, my hometown team, and try to get them to the top of English football. Or perhaps we could switch countries and attempt to bring say Malaga, or Real Oviedo, back to LaLiga.

Thanks for the memories, Tottenham.

If you want to continue on the legacy of this Spurs side, here is the save game file for you to do just that: Download

Let me know on Twitter how you got on, who you kept, who you sold, etc.

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 8 – Part II

Before we get into the blog, I just wanted to give an insight to my current situation. Like many others during this outbreak/lockdown, my regular sources of income have taken a major hit. If you can afford to – and want to – please consider a pledge to my Patreon page here. The blogs won’t ever be put behind a paywall because we all need distractions right now. More importantly than anything else, please keep safe and stay inside as much as possible.

The January transfer window has closed and that means the current squad is the one tasked with turning this season into a glorious one. After moving on an unhappy Jan Oblak, handing Amadou Haidara a new contract and playing Reinier enough for him to ease his concerns, Ryan Sessegnon believes I broke my promise to him. I don’t get it. He played plenty. It doesn’t matter because I wouldn’t sell Sess even if the transfer window was still open. Might need to tweak his squad role at some point though. Once again, I feel compelled to question Bruno Fernandes’ leadership of this group.

We lose 1-0 to Huddersfield at home in the league because, well, Football Manager loves to create a rage moment in the ‘anything can happen’ virtual realm. That doesn’t really matter but losing 2-1 at the Camp Nou, despite taking the lead, does. Not least because their winner came in the 89th minute through Ruben Neves. Keran ‘The Chosen One’ Tal put us ahead before Bernando Silva equalised almost immediately after. Not a horrible result though.

A narrow 1-0 victory over they-are-so-bad-it’s-actually-funny Chelsea sees us march on in the FA Cup before we complete something of a growing trend by losing ahead of a Champions League knockout tie. Leeds United claimed at three points at Elland Road to keep their top four hopes alive. Now it’s time to head over to Spain and face Harry Kane’s Barça side for the second season in a row.

And, for the second season in a row, we absolutely smash the Catalan giants. Tal and a brace from Moise Kean give us a 3-0 lead before Ousmane Dembele pulls one back for the visitors on the stroke of half-time. I can’t fault the boys though as the contest is over with just over an hour on clock. Tal completes his hat-trick and books our place in the Quarter Final of the Champions League.

There’s more good news as Renan Lodi, Reinier and Claudio Trecco are coming back to full fitness as midweek matches become the norm again.

The Champions League draw has taken place and we’re paired with Thomas Tuchel’s Manchester City. The 1st leg is at home.

Perhaps more interesting is if we get beyond our domestic rivals, it’ll be Hoffenheim or – brace yourselves – PARIS SAINT GERMAIN who await us in the semi-finals.

As for my Youth Intake, it’s a disappointing year. The best candidate is a centre back, the same as last time around, but there isn’t anyone you feel is going to set the football world alight in years to come. Naturally, I poach a lot of the best talent from around Europe to make up for that. The two Chelsea lads remain the best prospects in my U18s side.

A rotation XI that includes Troy Parrott and Moussa Dembele does the job against Aston Villa in the FA Cup and we’re paired with Watford in the semi-finals. The Hornets started the season well but have fallen way, way off the pace and sit down in 11th.

Speaking of the club legend, I manage to get Dembele to sign a new deal – he had 12 months left on his existing one – and even take a pay cut. The World Cup winner actually wanted a pay rise, despite turning 30, but he eventually settled for 300,000 (25,000-per-week less). After all he’s done, I’m not going to complain. We’re 2M-per-week under our wage budget anyway.

Nathan Ake and Bruno Fernandes are in the same position. My current plan is to give the Dutch defender one last contract as he’s willing to accept a squad role but Fernandes has been disappointing. I’ve not been a fan of his leadership and think, at 32, it’s time to bid farewell to the Portuguese playmaker.

Manchester City come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in good form. They’ve won 10 of their last 12, losing only to ourselves and Leicester City, both away from home.

Camavinga puts us ahead early in the second half but less than 10 minutes later and City are level. Damn you, away goals. Fernandes is struggling and Tal isn’t having much luck in front of goal. Foden and Dembele, their replacements, immediately link up and the legend puts us ahead. He doubles his tally with five minutes to go to give us a 3-1 lead going into the return fixture. I could kiss you right now, Moussa.

In the build-up to that match, we inexplicably lose to then-bottom of the table Derby County. It was a heavily rotated XI as the Champions League is the priority this season but, yeah, I didn’t expect us to be outfought and outplayed by a Derby side who had won just once in their previous 17 league games.

There’s a slight change in our system for the match against City as I drop my attacking attacker into midfield in an attempt to offer more stability when we’ve got to defend. It doesn’t seem to impact our attacking threat as Kean gives us the lead after 16 minutes. That should be it. Max Aarons adds another immediately after half-time and that most definitely is it. The gamble paid off.

PSG won the home leg 4-1 against Hoffenheim so everything suggests they will be our opponents in the semi-finals. As we click continue.. Hoffenheim did win.. but not by enough. They won 2-0, just one goal away from knocking the French side out on away goals. Our on-loan winger Jake O’Neill got on the scoresheet. This does mean it’ll be down to us to end our horrible run of form against PSG if we are to advance.

A Tal brace helps us beat Watford 3-1 in the FA Cup semi-final (Aarons scored the other) before we finish off the month with London fixtures against Arsenal (A) and Fulham (H). Tal bags another two goals at the Emirates to see us strengthen our lead at the top of the Premier League table and also dent their hopes of making the top four. It does, however, come at a massive cost.

Bollocks.

It’s also nice to see Miguel D’Agonstino boosting the confidence of the players going into the PSG clash. I might have to reconsider who I send to all these press conferences if you keep this up, Miguel.

The 11 heros I send out to vanquish the ghost of Champions League past are Wells; Aarons, Harvey, Sule, Sessegnon; Rice, Haidara, Gaillard, Reinier, Kean and Dembele.

Four minutes on the clock and Mbappe gives PSG the lead. I hate this game. Aarons first switches off at a throw-in and then Sess is out-muscled at the far post by Kylian. I wish I could’ve bashed their heads together rather than taking it out on my poor desk. Not again, lads. Not again. Por favor.

The reaction from the team is exactly what I wanted. PSG are being forced further back and all the chances are coming our way. Sessegnon races away down the left before cutting it back for Gaillard on the edge of the area. PSG have five defenders in the box so the world-class midfielder (no longer a ‘wonderkid’) smashes it across goal.. and into the top corner! What a goal! And against the side we poached him from four years ago!

Sadly our dominance (30-5 in shots, 13-2 on target) doesn’t translate to the final score and it finishes 1-1. On reflection, it’s a horrible result. We need to score in France and hope to keep PSG out, despite us failing to keep a clean sheet in the previous four matches against them.

As the world awaits the second leg against PSG, we beat West Ham – who are a point outside the relegation places – and Manchester United at home. The victory over United sees us secure the Premier League title with three matches to go. Five defeats in the competition is our worst record since seasons one and two when we finished 5th and 4th respectively.

After an earful from me, Miguel is much better with his pre-match comments going into the PSG fixture. Así es, Miguelito. Así es.

I make two changes for the second leg with Camavinga replacing Haidara and Foden coming in for Reinier. The Brazilian has really gone off the boil in the last couple of months.

We need someone to stand up and be a hero, someone to create a moment of magic that will go down in Tottenham history. You look to your Keans, Dembeles, Gaillards and Camavingas – this is when you prove your worth as the best around.

As we tick into the 27th minute the ball is with Sessegnon, who might still be questionable in defence but is a live wire going forward, and he charges down the left before crossing into the box. It goes beyond everyone to Aarons, who heads it towards goal from near the edge of the box. It evades Dembele and is too far ahead of Kean.. and goes into the net?! Kepa might have been unsighted or worried about someone getting a touch but who gives a shit? That is an absolutely HUGE goal from Max!

Less than a minute later and PSG equalise. Bollocks. Sessegnon has been pulled out of position so Aaron Wan-Bissaka is in acres of space down the right. He sends in a low cross that (newgen) Dole pokes past Wells. Whatever happens, we’re incapable of keeping a clean sheet against PSG. 1-1 after 28 minutes.

Despite the lapse in concentration, our defence is performing well. It’s in the final third where it just isn’t clicking. Not for us or, thankfully, PSG. Eriksen is hooked for the home side at half-time but we wait until the hour mark to bring on Troy Parrott and (newgen) Lucas Alves – another PSG academy graduate – for Dembele and Foden. Gaillard and Camavinga are continuing to pull the strings in midfield.

It finishes 1-1 and the match is going to extra time. The most surprising thing I’ve noticed from Ancelotti is he’s taken off both Mbappe and Florentino Luis for Cengiz Under and Rodri. Not sure about that one, Carlo.

The first half of extra time is incident-free but we’ve got possession as the match enters the 105th minute. There are tired legs everywhere but Gaillard and Camavinga continue to search for openings. Eventually the latter sprays it out wide to Sessegnon on the left. He gets to the area before crossing to the penalty spot. Alves volleys it at goal but his effort is blocked by a defender.. only into the path of Troy. The man, the myth, the legend has the entire stadium silent. Without even thinking he smashes it towards the near post.. and Kepa.. can’t get there! WE LEAD 2-1 IN EXTRA TIME!

PSG need two goals now in the final 15 minutes.

Alves drops deeper into midfield, Tonali replaces Rice and Ake comes on (for Camavinga) to play as the anchor man, sitting in front of the defence.

It’s all PSG, as you’d expect, but Sule, Tonali, Aarons and Alves put their bodies on the line. Every highlight ended with a block by one of those guys. Maybe it was because of all the history with PSG, maybe it was the occasion. Whatever it was: the team gave absolutely everything they had.

AND WE ARE THROUGH TO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW!

In that final we’ll face.. Pep Guardiola’s Liverpool. They beat Atletico home and away in the other semi-final and I gotta say, I feel confident. Since 2021, we’ve only lost against them on neutral ground once. Sure, it came earlier this season in the Community Shield, but no one really cares about that.

And isn’t it ironic that we’ve come full circle with these two sides meeting in the final again? Rebuilding Tottenham, baby.

So we are left with what could turn out to be the very last entry in this project. An FA Cup final against Manchester United and a Champions League final against Liverpool is what awaits us.

To dare is to do.

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 8 – Part I

The defeat to Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League final hurt. Not because there’s any shame in losing to the French kingpins but because it was supposed to be the happy ending for this generation of Tottenham players. And, in a way, it would have solidified our own legacy and not made the previous season’s triumph not look like a fluke. Now we’ll have to deal with an ambitious squad that will question whether we’ve already peaked and if it’s the right time to search for a new challenge.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

But like Mauricio before me – remember, the Jose Mourinho era doesn’t exist in this virtual world – I’m not going to walk away when there’s still work to be done. There won’t be a massive overhaul of first-team stars because this group is good enough to challenge on all fronts but there are a few big earners who are nearing the end of their current contracts.

Real Madrid offer a deal worth up to 113M for Reinier whereas Barça go a bit higher and feel 119M for Kean is a fair price. I don’t want to lose either of them so I demand over 200M for each and the bids are subsequently removed. Fine by me!

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean I am against streamlining the squad. Brace yourselves, an exodus is coming:

Most of those moved on are U23 players who aren’t good enough to make the step up or who don’t have a natural role in my system. Hoogervorst has all the stats to be world class but with Kean, Dembele, Parrott and young Tal infront of him it feels like I’d end up stunting his development. 47.5M is a fantastic fee though.

Fabbri and Karamoko Dembele are right wingers – “I don’t do wingers” – and their sales cause another issue.

Bruno Fernandes, my captain, is suddenly concerned about the lack of depth on the right wing. We haven’t used wingers, even as a rotational option, for about three years but the fiery Portuguese playmaker is worried. To compound that, 26 players share his concern. Are you kidding me, lads?

I’m actually trying to sell another winger, this time it’s 21-year-old Lamine Negi, but only Porto made a bid and it’s 10.5M. Nah. I then transfer-list Negi and, for reasons only known to Benfica, I receive a 76M offer for the French winger’s services. I’ve never clicked the accept button so quickly. Sorry Bruno.

My man management skills also take a knock as I go on to upset Amadou Haidara. The Mali star wants a new deal, which is fair enough, but he’s after 320,000-per-week. I can’t stretch that far and he’s complaining to his teammates. After some time to cool off, I promise we’ll restart negotiations. When we do, both sides fail to agree on terms. Now I’ve apparently broken too many promises and he wants to leave. Okay. This is fine.

The start of the season produces mixed results. We lost to Liverpool in the Community Shield, then lost to the scousers again in the Premier League. I decided to give Chris Wells the number one shirt at Spurs after Oblak missed three weeks of the season through injury. Naturally, Wells was then ruled out for a month himself. Football Manager things.

Keran Tal, who I want to start ahead of the ageing – and sadly declining Moussa Dembele – broke his ankle at the World Cup so didn’t begin playing until the end of September. Moise Kean also had a spell on the sidelines but my striker options are never a concern.

Speaking of club legend Moussa, he actually scored in the World Cup final. His incredible club form hasn’t transitioned to the national team. In fact, he’s often overlooked (not sure why) but it was nice to see the guy add yet another magical moment to his glittering career.

The tournament also saw Aurelien Gaillard, the French boy wonder, announce his arrival on the scene. He scooped two awards for his performances in the tournament.

I forgot to mention that the fine coaching staff we’ve amassed is drawing interest both domestically and internationally. Joao Tralhao, who’s been with me since season two, is poached by Southampton. Good luck, Joao.

By the end of October, we are top of the Premier League but only by a point. Wolves, under the tutelage of Erik Ten Hag now, are challenging us for the title. They’ve got a nice blend of experience and youth in their squad.

Tal is our joint-top scorer, despite missing the first couple of months, and is level with Dembele on 6. Even more impressive is those 6 goals for Tal have come in just three league appearances so he’s averaging a goal every 45 minutes. Moise Kean is only on 4.

As for Europe, which has to be the main objective for us this season, we were drawn in a group alongside Slavia Prague, Lille and Real Madrid. It’s going well so far and I think this result will put a smile on everybody’s face.

As we enter November, three of my staff inform me they’ll be retiring at the end of the season. Jan Wouters (U18 Assistant Manager), Norbert Elgert (U23 Assistant Manager) and Bryan Klug (Head of Youth Development) have handed in their notices. Two of those are long-serving members of my team. Wouters was one of my first signings at the club and Elgert has worked with the U23 side since 2020.

Another departure, this one immediate, is that of Pepijn Lijnders. When Klopp got sacked by Liverpool in 2022, I added the Dutchman to my coaching staff. He now feels the time is right to branch off on his own and help save Nottingham Forest from relegation in the Championship.

Patience isn’t a quality I possess on Football Manager so I waste no time in bringing in PSG’s Head of Youth Development, Jochen Sauer, and Federico Di Placido to replace Lijnders.

Oblak is unhappy because he wants to start more games. Reinier has the same issue. I’ve got quality across the park so I’m finding it difficult to give my all squad adequate playing time. Yet Bruno, my (dis)loyal captain, is worried about right wingers.

We are still topping the league by a single point, have already secured top spot in our Champions League group and are through to the Quarter Final of the League Cup (vs Crystal Palace). The FA Cup draw will see us face either Stevenage or Scunthorpe United(!). Got my fingers crossed for the Iron. Two stand-out results in the Premier League were thanks to our new Tal-isman.

Manchester United absolutely crush us 4-0 at Old Trafford. I think that might be the heaviest defeat I’ve suffered in eight seasons at Spurs. Brutal collapse from the boys. Thankfully, Wolves have lost two on the spin themselves so we don’t lose top spot.

Scunny beat Stevenage so they’ll be our opponents in the FA Cup 3rd Round. We’re going home, baby. The Champions League 1st Knockout Round draw isn’t as king though as we get Barça. Time for you to come home again, Harry. The Catalan giants came 2nd in their group to Manchester City. Elsewhere on-loan Jake O’Neill has helped Hoffenheim qualify for the KO rounds, as well as lead the way in the Bundesliga. PSG, our arch nemesis, got drawn against Zenit. Hot balls anyone?

Now Sessegnon wants more playing time. Seriously, this kind of revolt would never have happened under Henderson’s tenure at the club. Thankfully, whilst everyone wants to piss and moan at Spurs the chasing pack continues to slip up.

As we enter January, there are a couple of new faces added to the squad. The most high profile of those is an exciting Brazilian full back called Jose Roberto, who can also play on the right of midfield. The others are more with an eye on the future. Although I will point out that my Director of Football actually signed one of them: a young Scottish striker called Dean Martin (“The King of Cool”). He looks really good too.

Oh, and you might be glad to know that after seven seasons Daniel Levy finally agreed a naming rights deal for the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. 20M per season. Hopefully it doesn’t take that long in real life.

We breeze past Scunny and are rewarded with a home tie against Liverpool later in the month. A 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge sees us complete the league double over them. John Terry was in charge of the Blues for the home tie and we’ve just dampened the mood under new coach Zinedine Zidane. We also squeeze past Pep Guardiola’s Liverpool in the FA Cup.

It isn’t all good news though as Jan Oblak remains unhappy about his playing time. What’s irritating about this is I actually made a massive effort to give him regular games and he still complains. Maybe it’s time to move on big Jan, especially as Chrissy Wells is now considered a better goalkeeper than him. We also lose another coach to a managerial post. Newgen Marco Perri take overs at affiliate club Charlton.

Our defence of the Carabao Cup is ended by apparent bogey-side Manchester United. We drew 0-0 at Old Trafford but then lost 1-0 at home. Not an excuse but it’s by far the least important of the competitions we are involved in.

As the season enters February, it’s time to finish off the winter transfer window. Celtic launch a bid for Oblak and the keeper is desperate for a new challenge. In an ideal world it’d be nice to see him end the season with us but, as was the case with Kane, the fair decision is to let him go. We’ll be paying half of his 230,000-a-week wages but will rake in 30.5M for 34-year-old Jan.

James Terry, one of our academy graduates, is sold to Southampton for 18.5M. He’s been a solid performer but now finds himself as fifth-choice centre back. Barry Kerslake is another academy graduate who spent last season on loan with Charlton. Unfortunately, he doesn’t look good enough to make our first team squad either. Newcastle United offer 40M and that’s probably 20M more than I expected. We also loan out Lucas Eduardo, my rash January signing from last season, to Real Madrid for six months.

In terms of incomings, I toy with the idea of signing Paul Pogba on a free transfer from PSG. The board want high reputation players but he’s 33 now, so I’m torn. We do bring in a solid goalkeeper to be third choice now that Oblak has departed the club. And, as is commonplace in every winter window, I sign a right back – who can also play on the wing. There’s also three world-class options to choose from so why not make it four? He’ll spend the rest of the season at Real Betis but welcome to the family, Eduardo Dumpierrez.

We are drawn against Chelsea in the 5th Round of the FA Cup. As for the internal issues with the squad, I manage to negotiate a new deal with Haidara for much less than the 325,000 he originally wanted (195,000) but he still won’t remove his transfer request. Okay. I have added him back to my Champions League squad though.

It’s been an injury-ridden start to 2027 for Camavinga. The midfielder has only made three appearances (of the 10 matches available) so far. He’s currently out for another two weeks.

Kean is ahead of Tal on the top scorers chart with 14 to Tal’s 13, although he has started eight matches more than the young English striker. Perhaps a concerning stat is the lack of assists from my midfield. Out-of-favour Haidara is highest with five, the same as Lodi, but where are Fernandes, Reinier or Foden?

Despite all that, we remain top of the Premier League after a last-minute victory over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Rotten runs of form for early front-runners Norwich and Wolves mean they’ve slipped down the standings with more familiar faces United and Liverpool rounding off the top three.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this streamlined update as we power through the campaign much more quickly. It’s time to enter the business end of the season with Barça next up in the Champions League, as well as Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Come on you Spurs.

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 7 Finale

Paris Saint Germain have been our kryptonite throughout this entire save. We’ve managed to beat every top side we’ve faced with except for the French champions. To go even further, we haven’t even managed a draw. This is, in many ways, the version of PSG that their fans dreamt of. It’s the one sold to them ever since they were bought by Qatar Sports Investments. None of their stars have left, not even the 34-year-old Neymar, and Spurs old boy Christian Eriksen remains a key part of their midfield.

PSG have invested heavily in the squad but there’s no deadwood like the current one. It’s rock solid. 2026 saw them raise the Ligue 1 trophy for the ninth season in a row. As mentioned in a previous entry, the French giants finally broke their Champions League duck in 2023. They also have one of the best, if not the best, academies on the save. There’s a 20-year-old centre back in the first team who is arguably the best defender in the world right now.

Their starting XI for the Champions League final includes plenty of recognisable names too. Kepa Arrizabalaga; Wan-Bissaka, Marquinhos, Roussel (the defender I mentioned), Reguilon; Florentino Luis, Pogba; Salah, Eriksen, Gaillard (no relation to our wonderkid); Mbappe. On the bench you’ll find Rodri, Pedrinho, Junior Firpo, Neymar, Carles Aleña and Xavi Simons. Hirving Lozano is injured and Cengiz Under was simply left out. Stacked.

Eduardo Camavinga is passed fit but hasn’t returned to full training yet. There’s less good news when it comes to Trecco and Gaillard. Firstly, the Argentine picked up a thigh strain in the week leading up to the final. It was a similar story for my French wonderkid, already valued at 69M, with his injury being minor but serious enough to force him out of the squad. Not ideal but hey, it is what it is.

My XI for the Final is Oblak; Aarons, Sule, Harvey, Lodi; Rice, Haidara, Camavinga, Reinier; Kean and Dembele.

With just two minutes on the clock, Lodi whips in a freekick but Kean’s header goes wide. A nice, energetic start. I like it.

PSG force their first opportunity on goal on the 10-minute mark. After some good work down the right flank, Salah crosses to Pogba on the edge of the box. His effort is hit with a lot of power but whistles over the bar.

Nearly all of our chances are coming from set-pieces. Lodi finds Dembele this time but it’s a poor header from the club legend. He must do better.

With 20 minutes gone, Reguilon sends his cross to the front post and Mbappe’s header is inches away from giving PSG the lead. As if anybody expected any different, this is going to be decided by fine margins.

Kean is putting in a shift down the left hand side and plays it to Camavinga, who has space inside the box. He knocks the ball across to Dembele and the legend smacks it towards the top corner.. but Kepa denies him with a wonderful save. That was the first real chance of the game.

We are growing into the game here after a shaky start. Much better lads.

30 minutes in and Wan-Bissaka finally gets the beating of Lodi. He speeds into the box, looks up and sends it deep to Gaillard, who has been left unmarked by Aarons, and the tall winger beats Oblak with ease. The Ligue 1 giants lead after 35 minutes.

Our momentum has gone now. The half finishes with wave after wave of PSG attacks.

I’m not a happy chappy at half-time and make two changes. Dembele just isn’t working this season. I don’t know if it’s to do with age catching up with him or niggling injuries taking their toll. Keran Tal is thrown on to partner Kean upfront. In midfield, Haidara – not the half-fit Camavinga – is hooked for Tonali.

The first opportunity of the second half goes to PSG. Thankfully Sule, my absolute monster in defence, stops Wan-Bissaka and whacks it down the line for Kean. The Italian stallion powers forward but only has Tal to aim for in the box. Instead, he cuts it back for Rice who hits it first time.. but Kepa pushes it away! Another fantastic stop from the former Chelsea man.

It’s such an open game which, I suppose, benefits us. PSG’s latest attack is broken up by Aarons and he spots Tal in acres of space on the half-way line. A bit like Kean moments earlier, there isn’t much to aim for after reaching the box. He stops, turns back and finds Aarons charging forward. The former Norwich man powers his effort towards goal.. and Kepa denies him! I hate you, Kepa.

We are finally beginning to show what we’re capable of now. Marquinhos dallies in possession and Kean robs the ball off his toes. There’s just open space between the Italian and a chance on goal. Young Roussel keeps up with him but there’s more to Kean’s game than just (a lot of) goals. He lays it back for the supporting Rice and his thunder-bastard is destined for the top corner.. and Kepa is beaten! That was magnificent and fully deserved.

Bruno Fernandes replaces Camavinga who doesn’t have anything else left in the tank.

We are being so, so wasteful from our seemingly endless amount of set-pieces. Lodi and Fernandes’ deliveries are on point but our finishing is wayward.

The real chances to score seem to come from open play. Fernandes pinches possession from Wan-Bissaka and swings in a wonderful cross, one centre forwards dream of seeing, and Tal is there.. but his header goes narrowly over the bar. Was that the chance to wrap it up inside 90 minutes?

Fernandes has been sensational since coming on.

After Rice regains possession for us in injury-time, he finds the Portuguese playmaker and the ball is sent forward to Tal. The youngster continues his run into the box and finds Kean.. but he can’t find the room to get his shot away. It goes back to Rice, who sprays it out wide to Aarons, and the full-back only has one thing on his mind: shoot. He winds up and hits it as sweet as you like and it’s flying towards the top corner.. it beats Kepa.. but smashes off the post!

And that is the end of 90 minutes.

Aarons comes off at the start of extra time because he’s running on fumes but Villani is an able replacement. PSG have moved Mbappe to the right of attack, brought on a young striker called Dole as well as the veteran Neymar.

Most of the chances continue to fall our way but there’s a lot of tired legs on display. Neither keeper is forced into making a save. The final bit of action is marred by two injuries. Wan-Bissaka takes out Villani and both are forced off.

Penalties it is.

Mbappe steps up for PSG. The talisman. He aims right.. and Oblak denies him! Magnificant from the loveable Slovenian. Kean is first for us, our talisman. He smashes it left, Kepa goes right.. but it cannons off the post. YOU CANNOT WRITE THIS SCRIPT.

Neymar goes the same way as Mbappe, Oblak guesses right, but the Brazilian’s effort is too good. 1-0 PSG. Up steps our experienced man, Bruno Fernandes, and he doesn’t miss. 1-1.

Pogba scores. 2-1 PSG. Young Tal has volunteered to go next for Spurs. He looks calm. Like Kean, he goes left.. Kepa goes right.. but like Kean his effort comes back off the post. Bollocks. We need you to do something special again, Jan.

Pedrinho is PSG’s third spot-kick taker. He shoots right down the middle.. and Oblak stands tall! It remains 2-1 but Lodi has the chance to bring us level. He takes a deep breath and goes to his right.. Kepa dives that way.. but it goes in! 2-2. I can’t watch.

Reguilon is the man PSG are trusting to put the pressure back on us. Cool as you want, the full back slots it into the bottom corner. Oblak went the wrong way. 3-2 PSG.

It’s all down to.. Joseph Harvey. Our new centre back signing is showing balls of steel here. He has to shut out the noise, try to reduce the pressure on his shoulders. One last deep breath. He hits it hard enough.. but Kepa pushes it away.

PSG have won the Champions League on penalties. They make it three wins out of three against Tottenham Hotspur and lift the European trophy for the second time.

For the first time during this entire save, there was no doubt we were the best team in Europe. We didn’t need a kind draw or fortune to favour us.

Spurs crushed Barça and Atletico Madrid in the big quarter-final and semi-final ties. And tonight, for long periods of the game, we outclassed a strong PSG side. Aarons was denied a last-gasp winner and then both Kean and Tal hit the woodwork from the spot. Lady luck wasn’t on our side.

In the aftermath of PSG’s celebrations, young Harvey said he would step up again if asked. Great attitude. But right now, it still hurts.

End of Season Awards

Moussa Dembele has finally been ousted as the Fans’ Player of the Year. Don’t worry, he’s still firmly in the legends column. Declan Rice has really stepped up and absolutely loves the club too. Kean makes sense due to his incredible goal return (49 in all competitions) and Tonali is somewhat of an unsung hero. Not to the fans though.

Dembele remains the top shirt-seller amongst the squad, even with a below-average campaign. Surprised to see Foden so high. I guess supporters love themselves an English superstar.

Our 2025/26 season review was so close to perfection. I’ve never seen a return like this since I used to scumsave – what the kids call reloading a save if you get a bad result – in my teenage years. Then again, perfection doesn’t quite align with the Tottenham way.

I really don’t think you can put into context just how good Kean has been. He scored 27 goals in the Premier League, 13 in the Champions League. He also topped the assists chart for the year (16). The very definition of a complete striker. I’m so happy his name appeared when I searched for players similar to Harry Kane. As much as it pains me to say it, we haven’t missed Harry at all.

After the Premier League and Champions League payouts, our finances don’t look too bad. A huge 224.5M is added to the kitty. At one point this season we slipped to 60M in the red. That was the lowest its been since 2023 (74M in the red at that time).

What happens next?

I don’t want to finish this series on a negative but there will probably be a change with how I do the blogs. There isn’t anything left to achieve in the Premier League, or even in the domestic cup competitions really.

Whilst the emergence of newgens and talented kids is great, I want the core to be those we initially brought in and have seen grow at the club. Jordan Henderson and Virgil van Dijk were much older when we signed them so moving them on doesn’t really matter, but we let Nelson Semedo go last summer. Oblak (33), Fernandes (31), Ake (31), Sule (30) and Dembele (29) are all either approaching their peak or near the end of it.

The plan was to rebuild Tottenham Hotspur into a force to be reckoned with. We did that. However, there won’t be a rebuilding process once these experienced figures have departed. There’s probably 2-3 seasons left to do that but I know this save has gone on longer than you or I expected it to. As such, it deserves a fitting ending. After that, you can download the save and take over the next rebuild if you want.

We’ll return on Monday or Wednesday, I’m not sure yet, with a more streamlined version of season eight. Whilst an agonising defeat in a European final might have been the moment Mauricio Pochettino’s project fell short, I’m confident we can bid farewell on better terms.

Unless, you know, Levy decides to cut us short.

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 7 – Part V

It’s crunch time. This is potentially the defining season of the entire save so far with Tottenham Hotspur. We’ve won the Premier League with weeks to spare as well as every single final to date. Aside from the league, every other trophy we’ve picked up has been minor or something you would expect from this dominant team. Yet the two competitions that remain undecided will provide stern tests. Not of our quality, but of our mental strength. Do we want to be simply great or legendary?

Manchester City have been the undisputed FA Cup kings throughout the seven seasons we’ve been in charge of Tottenham. They’ve won three of the six campaigns to date and it was us who stopped them from making it four-in-a-row. Two years it was the other side of Manchester, the red half, who denied us in the final. And in a similar pattern, Liverpool then beat United in the 24/25 season’s curtain call. Retaining the FA Cup isn’t as easy as City made it look.

Atletico Madrid also have history with the Champions League. And no, I’m not talking about their agonising final defeats to Real Madrid. In the 2019/20, season one of this save, Diego Simeone’s men finally got the monkey off their back by beating PSG in the final. Instead of catapulting them into becoming European juggernauts, the wheels fell off. Three quarter-final exits were followed by a Round of 32 defeat to Liverpool and last year they didn’t even make it out of the group stages. This time around they mean business.

Although we did smash them 8-0 in the group stage. Just throwing that out there.

FA Cup semi-final vs Manchester City

City are first up and I never like facing them on neutral ground. Home advantage is a genuine thing, even in the virtual world. It’s worth remembering we’ve already thrown away a 2-0 lead against this lot at Wembley. Thankfully, we went on to beat them in the penalty shootout of the Carabao Cup final.

Sandro Tonali has been extremely consistent ever since he joined in season two but his form in the rotated side has been sensational. He anchors the midfield with Declan Rice on the bench. Chris Wells is fully fit and will remain our cup keeper. The full XI is Wells; Villani, Harvey, Sule, Sessegnon; Tonali, Haidara, Gaillard, Fernandes; Kean and Parrott.

It’s a feeling out process at the beginning but thankfully the first chance falls to us. Tonali, my other Italian stallion, switches play to the left and finds Sessegnon. He spots Moise Kean hanging off the back of the last defender and loops a long ball to him. Kean brings it down with his left before powering a right-footed effort beyond Sousa. Another fine start.

Five minutes later and this time it’s City’s turn to put the pressure on. De Bruyne floats in a corner that ‘the new Messi’ Cristian Palacios heads towards goal. As Wells moves to block the striker’s effort, Skriniar manages to deflect the ball in the opposite direction. 1-1. That didn’t last long.

As much as it pains me to admit, City are the better side here. De Bruyne is still a creative genius at 34 years of age and Palacios, well, I want him in my side.

We make a triple substitution on the hour mark, standard football management here folks, as I look to spark the team into life. Gaillard, Fernandes and Parrott make way for Camavinga, Foden and young Keran Tal. There’s an improvement, sure, but the scoreline remains 1-1 as we complete 90 minutes. I don’t think Spurs are capable of lucking out in two penalty shootouts in one season.

On the cusp of half-time in extra time, Harvey sends it long towards Tal. The forward, who I have great hopes for next season, wins the flick-on. Kean darts ahead of Skriniar and smashes it past Sousa. What a hit and what an important goal.

Early in the second half, City’s woes are compounded by the fact their right back is sent off for a second bookable offence – and then Kean puts an end to the contest. He’s freed down the left against a makeshift full back before swinging in a cross towards the penalty spot. Running onto the ball is Rice, a former City man himself, who volleys it into the bottom corner. 3-1. We’re going back to Wembley one more time!

In the lead up to facing Atletico at home, I name a rotated side for Chelsea’s visit to North London. We throw away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2. Erling Haaland scores in the 90th minute. That man and his last-minute goals. He’s a cheat code, I swear.

1st leg vs Atletico Madrid (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)

Oblak returns for the first leg against his former side. Young Terry replaces Harvey in central defence due to a knock. Declan Rice returns to anchor the midfield with Tonali moving slightly ahead of him. Camavinga comes in too with Reinier replacing Bruno Fernandes at the point of the diamond. Kean and Dembele, just like old times, lead the attack.

We are in control of the opening 30 minutes but are yet to fashion a clear-cut opportunity. Perhaps Atleti have learnt their lesson from a few months ago. This is a good start though.

…

Lemar sends in a freekick from the byline and Oblak charges out to catch the ball.. but he misses it! Benjamin Nygren, another one of those players I really need to search for in real life, has the simplest of tasks and heads the ball into an empty net. Jan, mate. We’re 1-0 down at home because of another set piece disasterclass. Seriously, that explains the majority of our European failures to date! Bloody hell.

Reinier didn’t make the most of his opportunity and is hooked for Fernandes at half-time. 20 minutes later and there’s still no change in the scorelines. Dembele picks up a knock so I roll the dice and bring on Tal and Gaillard, the French wonderkid replacing a tired Tonali. Come on, lads. Not like this. Not after I brought up smashing these guys 8-0!

My little virtual man is constantly demanding more from the team. He – and I – ain’t happy. After a quick throw-in, Kean plays the ball back for Sessegnon on the left flank. He searches for Tal but the striker is beaten to the ball by the Atleti centre back. It comes back to Kean on the edge of the box, he takes a couple of steps forward before curling it.. into the bottom corner! Now my virtual manager is kissing the Italian stallion’s head, akin to Blanc and Barthez. Cometh the hour, cometh the man!

Now the momentum is fully on our side and Atleti’s confidence is dented. We push and push but, to the LaLiga side’s credit, they’ve been pretty solid at the back this time around. It took a moment of magic to get us back into the contest.

The match edges towards its conclusion but we have a corner. Fernandes aims for the penalty spot but it’s cleared to the edge of the box. Terry heads it across for Camavinga and, with the ball slightly behind him, the Congolese superstar manages to get a shot away. Pavlenka, either unsighted or worried Kean might deflect the ball in another direction, stands still and.. it rolls into the bottom corner! We lead with just three minutes to go!

A much-needed advantage but the tie remains very much in the balance.

2nd leg vs Atletico Madrid (Wanda Metropolitano)

Harvey is fit enough for the second leg but Dembele has to make do with a place on the bench. Haidara, someone you might have noticed wasn’t involved in either of the matches so far, is also regaining full fitness after suffering a pulled abdominal muscle in training. Troy the Boy is injured so Tal partners Kean up top. In midfield, I opt for Trecco to add extra muscle alongside Camavinga.

An early goal would do us the world of good here to cancel out their strike in North London.

As has been quite commonplace this season, the first chance does come our way. We are trying to pass it around Atletico’s high press before the ball eventually goes to Trecco. He immediately pings it forward to young Tal. Showing wisdom beyond his ages, the young striker gets his head up and notices Kean in the penalty area. The cross is perfect and.. Kean sweeps his shot into the bottom corner! We’re ahead at the Wanda! For those relatively new to the series, Tal was actually poached from Everton so our attacking duo both have Merseyside connections.

The home side are in a state of shock, as am I. Away goals can be so big in these matches.

Chances are exchanged before we reach the 30th minute. Sessegnon throws it to Kean, who finds a bit of space and threads it to the lurking Camavinga. The only man in the box is Tal and he’s surrounded by four defenders. Simeone would be proud. So instead, Camavinga evades the challenge of the onrushing defender and lets fly with a thunderous effort.. that goes into the top corner! Unbelievable Jeff! That’s two big strikes in both legs of this tie for the Congolese midfielder.

As we go into the dressing room at half-time I don’t know what to say. They have turned this around and then some. Atletico need to score four to beat us and not even my managerial shortcomings are that bad. No one deserves to come off just yet. Foden is doing okay but we’ll give him until the hour mark. Three players are on a booking – Aarons, Harvey and Rice – which isn’t ideal.

I expect we’ll have to weather something of a storm in the early stages of the second half but the team is in such a strong position. There’s no need to panic.

Aarons is kicked but manages to keep hold of the ball. Cool head, Max. He plays it back to Rice, who finds Aarons, who finds Trecco. The Argentine was a surprise starter but, like Tonali, has impressed with the rotation side. He returns it to the full-back, who sends the ball into Tal’s feet. He shoots.. but it’s blocked. The ball falls back to him and the striker smashes it in at the near post! 3-0 at the Wanda. IN-CRE-ÍBLE! That’s it. We’re going to another European final.

Alvaro Morata comes off the bench and scores a consolation goal for Atletico with 10 minutes to go. Kean and Reinier, on for Foden, make sure the scoreline finishes heavily in our favour though. After beating Barça 5-1 in London, we’ve just beaten Atleti 5-1 on their own patch. For the record, these are the current top two sides in LaLiga.

Premier League > LaLiga

We will face Arsenal in the FA Cup final and PSG in the Champions League decider. We’ve had the Gunners’ number in recent times but the Ligue 1 giants have a 100% record against us. In that same season, the 2022/23 campaign, they went on to win the competition. Damn.

FA Cup Final vs Arsenal

Our North London neighbours stand in our way of making it a clean sweep (domestically). The most depressing part of the build up is losing Eduardo Camavinga for three weeks immediately following the Atletico result. He’s a serious doubt for the Champions League final too. This means our XI is as follows: Wells; Villani, Harvey, Sule, Sessegnon; Rice, Trecco, Gaillard, Reinier; Kean and Tal. On the bench are Oblak, Aarons, Ake, Tonali, Haidara, Fernandes and Dembele.

It’s a nervous start from both sides. Arsenal have a corner and it’ll be taken by one of their originals: Lucas Torreira. The Uruguayan swings it to the back post and Jonathan Tah, clearly not an original, powers his header towards goal and it beats Oblak.. but crashes back off the bar! Yikes. Don’t make me replace you again, Jan.

There isn’t a good opening for us until the 30th minute. Gaillard is 35 yards out but is confident of testing Angus Gunn in goal. I’ll be honest, I hadn’t even noticed he was starting. A quick glance at Arsenal’s squad shows Leno injured himself by falling over the day before the final. Gaillard’s effort is a decent one but Gunn palms it around the post.

Now I’m far from unbiased here but we’ve been the better side. Defences are proving king so far with last-ditch blocks and tackles preventing any other real chances of note.

Speaking of kings, I bring on Dembele for Tal as we might need a bit of experience to break down this Arsenal backline.

Villani is proving to be a menace down the right with his pace. As for the Gunners, Tah is a constant threat from every set piece. I bring on Haidara for Trecco as we need less muscle and more intelligent in the centre of the park.

We’re about to enter the final 10 minutes and Arsenal are still defending for their lives. The switches in play need to be quicker. A throw-in from the left eventually ends up with Haidara, on the right, and he passes it forward to Villani. The Argentine darts into the box, narrowing the angle, before putting all his power behind a shot.. and it flies past Gunn at his near post!

Would Leno have stopped it? I don’t know. Nor do I care. COYS!

Fernandes comes on for Reinier and drops a little deeper. No need to take any risks at this point. We don’t want to see any more goals.

But there is one!

Arsenal’s counterattacks keep falling down at the final moment but they have shown on various occasions that they like a late, late goal. Olivier Ntcham looks to change that by running through my non-existent midfield. He plays it to Traore but his first touch is heavy and Sessegnon recovers possession.

Ryan looks up and sends it long for Kean. The Italian stallion only has Dembele for support but continues to push Arsenal’s defence back. He reaches the edge of the penalty area, cuts inside and sends in a searching cross.. which Dembele nods past Gunn! 2-0! We’re going to win the FA Cup!

Two goals in five minutes (79th & 84th) give us a deserved victory.

According to the media, this means we’ve won the quintuple! Oh, okay then.

My finances are still a major concern. We’re 37M in the red despite raking in a whopping 73M this month. I’d really, really love for Daniel Levy to find a stadium sponsorship deal to ease the bleeding of cash at the club. It’s probably a wise idea to move on some of my higher earners that are either getting too old or I’m shipping out on loan every season.

This blog has already reached the 2500 word limit which means the Champions League final against PSG will have to wait until next time. But don’t worry, you won’t have to wait until Monday. It’ll be posted tomorrow as a one-off special.

For now, let’s bask in the glory of already winning five trophies this season.

Oh, but before you go. Check out this news report on how Jose Mourinho is doing at Stoke City.

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 7 – Part IV

I’m taking the executive decision to try and get us into the pivotal matches and speed through those we steamroller on a consistent basis. Whilst a lesser side like Bournemouth, Southampton or West Ham might surprise us once in a blue moon, we know it won’t happen season after season.

Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, Jose Mourinho has taken over at struggling Stoke City. This sounds like a better match on paper than ‘The Special One’ taking over at Spurs, eh? Mourinho is trophyless since leaving Manchester United and had mixed spells with Roma, Leicester City and Atalanta before returning to England.

The transfer window closed but I did make one signing on transfer deadline day. A group of my scouts aren’t allowed to leave South America and young Lucas Eduardo has been touted as a future star. The squad doesn’t need any more attacking midfielders but with Bruno Fernandes fading and Phil Foden proving difficult to fit in, he could offer a solution. He’ll remain on loan with Palmeiras until the summer.

There was also a, let’s call it a hiccup, with one of my youngsters. Jay Bull arrived from Manchester United 18 months ago for just 650,000. He’s upset that I didn’t name him in my Champions League squad – yeah, okay then pal – and feels I’ve mistreated him. He wouldn’t listen so I put him on the transfer list. Derby bid 14M, his current value, but the board blocked it as they feel 53M is the least we should accept. Erm, Daniel, mate.

We pick up routine victories over Brighton (3-1) and West Ham (3-1) in the Premier League, squeeze past Brentford (1-0) in the FA Cup and beat The Hammers again (2-0) to book our place in the Carabao Cup final against.. Manchester City. Damnit. High-flying Norwich then lose 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium which brings us to Juventus in the Champions League.

I’ve got a full squad to choose from for our trip to Turin. Our XI is Oblak; Aarons, Harvey, Sule, Lodi; Rice, Haidara, Camavinga, Fernandes; Kean and Parrott.

The first highlight belongs to us. Fernandes whips in a corner but Juventus clear it. Eventually the ball is switched to the right and Aarons tries to find Parrott in the box. De Ligt – yep, still there – heads away but only to Rice some 30 yards out. He rolls the ball across for Camavinga and the Congolese international rifles it into the top corner. Take a bow, son! We’re 1-0 up at the ‘Zebre Stadium’ with barely five minutes on the clock.

And to be honest, that was about it. Juventus huffed and puffed but didn’t really test Oblak throughout 90 minutes. Aarons, Harvey and Sule all stood firm. Lodi struggled against Bernardeschi so I needed to deploy Ake at left back for the final 20 minutes. A crucial away victory. Whilst I might be getting ahead of myself, I’m confident we’ll make it to the next round now.

After coming back from a fiercely contested draw in Italy, we have Liverpool at Anfield to deal with next in the Premier League. Once again, it’s a defensive masterclass as the match finishes goalless. Pep’s side actually had the best chance, from the penalty spot no less, but Ilaix Moriba fluffed his lines.

We follow that with a narrow 1-0 victory over Wolves. It was one-way traffic for 90 minutes but Kean’s penalty in the 3rd minute ended up being the only goal. And then it was time for our first piece of (genuine) domestic silverware: the Carabao Cup.

The first chance falls to Tuchel’s City. Tielemans sends a freekick deep into our box but man-mountain Sule clears. It goes all the way back to Sousa – I guess they’re resting Ederson – who hoofs it forward. Camavinga picks off the loose ball, finds Dembele who immediately threads it through to Kean. Despite being 25 yards out, the Italian stallion chips it over Sousa and we’re ahead after just six minutes. A finish worthy of the current Ballon d’Or holder.

Just before half-time and another wild Sousa clearance kickstarts a Spurs attack. French superstar Gaillard gathers the ball and sends it forward to Dembele. It’s been a really slow season for the club legend but he drives into the box and beats Sousa at his near post. 2-0 and we are cruising here.

As we pass the hour mark I bring on Fernandes and Haidara for Camavinga and Reinier to keep the team fresh. Sessegnon is the only guy struggling out there. In his defence, Ryan has been forced to mark Jadon Sancho and later Myron Boadu. Ake replaces him in the 79th minute.

City finally beat our press and my side are chasing shadows. Their young left back, Lopes, sends in a cross that Ake doesn’t quite reach. It falls to Sekou Koita and he doesn’t miss from five yards out. 2-1 with 10 minutes to go. Come on lads, don’t do this to me.

It’s all City now and they have a freekick as we enter injury time. Sule, what a leader, heads it out but only as far as Boadu. He plays it inside to Malcom Boxall – a wonderkid who turned us down to join City two years ago – and the kid’s effort goes through a host of bodies but there’s Oblak.. or not. It evades the Slovenian’s long frame and squeezes into the bottom corner. It’s 2-2 in the 91st minute. Bollocks.

My players are getting tired now. I really could’ve done without extra time, folks. In the 111th minute, Haidara sends a ball forward to Kean, he brings it down and volleys it across Sousa. The fans go wild! But wait.. the linesman has his flag up. VAR rules it out for offside.

Penalties it is!

Kean scores, Riccardi makes it 1-1. Dembele scores.. then Oblak denies Boadu! 2-1. We have a chance to make it 3-1 but Bruno ‘El Capitán’ misses. Koita could level the scores again.. but Oblak saves! Qué grande es, hombre. Harvey scores to make it 3-1 to us. Skriniar makes it 3-2 but Haidara will win it for Spurs if he scores… and he does! We retain the Carabao Cup!

There’s another Cup match up next as we travel across London to face Millwall at The Den. A rotated side gets the job as we comfortably win 3-0. Aarons and Reinier scored the first two and the final goal went to young Keren Tal from the penalty spot. Tal, who was born in Tel-Aviv but has decided to represent England, is scoring goals for fun with my U23s but hasn’t carried that record over to the senior side. It was his first goal of the season. I’m hoping he will step up and replace Dembele soon.

We crush Blackburn 4-1 in the Premier League to go 14 points clear at the top after United draw four in a row. Then we welcome Juventus to North London.

As is becoming a familiar tale this season, Spurs come flying out of the blocks. Juventus are sat deep in their half and just looking to absorb our attacks. To their credit, it’s working. Kean, Dembele and Gaillard are all being creatively stifled. Tonali is pulling the strings in midfield. The good news is that Juventus aren’t creating much either, if anything.

And we’re through! 0-0 on the night means we advance 1-0 on aggregative thanks to our victory in Italy. Tighter than expected, not gonna lie.

As we enter the beginning of April, we beat Aston Villa (2-1) and Newcastle (4-1) in Premier League. Sandwiched between those results is a 1-1 draw away at the Etihad as 10-man Spurs earn a point. Yet it’s the result at home to Newcastle which brings about sooner-than-expected news:

In other competitions we beat Leicester City in the Quarter Final of the FA Cup. Naturally, it was at home (otherwise we’d be out). Goals from Harvey, Trecco, Foden and Tal (!) ensure we’ll return to Wembley. Liverpool, who might miss out on Champions League football, are our opponents.

Speaking of which, the Champions League Quarter Final draw took place and we’ve got FC Barcelona. Yep, after not seeing Harry Kane for four seasons we are now crossing paths for the second – and third – time in less than 12 months. Kane is currently out of the Barça team as new signing Fabio Silva is leading the line instead. Maybe a cheeky low-ball offer to bring King Harry back in the summer?

Barça, and Kane, will come to North London first. Our XI is Oblak; Aarons, Sule, Ake, Lodi; Rice, Camavinga, Haidara, Reinier; Kean and Dembele.

As for the visitors, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Frenkie de Jong and Ousmane Dembele are the only Barça originals still at the Camp Nou. Other well-known names in the XI are Virgil van Dijk, Ruben Neves, Bernardo Silva and Joao Felix. Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Fabio Silva and the aforementioned Dembele are on the bench.

The first highlight goes to Barça. They work the ball around the box before sending a cross to the far post. Felix manages to out-jump Aarons but Oblak deals with it easily. Then it’s our turn to launch an attack. Ake finds Reinier and the Brazilian skips through a couple of challenges but runs into traffic. Eventually the ball goes out to Lodi and he aims for Dembele.. who powers it past ter Stegen! Another early goal on the clock. What a start!

Half an hour in and Lodi is standing over the ball at the corner flag. It’s another wonderful cross that Kean gets on the end of. His effort is palmed upwards by ter Stegen but the Italian reacts quickest to poke the ball into an empty net. 2-0! Whose name is Harry Kane?

…

Two minutes later and Kane scores for Barça. It’s another sloppy goal as Lodi gives away possession to Silva. The Portuguese wide man wriggles his way into the box before sending it across the six-yard line. Ake somehow lets it pass by and there’s Harry, it had to be him, to make it 2-1 and give Barça a vital away goal. Bollocks.

It’s hard to know what to change as we’ve utterly dominated the Catalan giants but they’ve got the individual quality to punish us at any given moment. Haidara is having a nightmare so I bring on Gaillard to add a bit of extra goal threat to our midfield. We need at least another goal this evening to advance.

10 minutes into the second half and Barça have a freekick. Silva is no doubt looking for Harry ‘you’re dead to me now‘ Kane but Oblak plucks the ball from the sky. He sets Aarons away down the right who immediately finds Dembele hugging the touchline. The Mouss cuts inside and sends a cross aimed towards Kean.. but van Dijk heads it away. Only to Gaillard though and the French wonderkid glides the ball into the bottom corner. Ice is running through his veins. Can I get a ‘what an inspired substitution’ in the comments section please?

Dembele and Reinier come off for Parrott and Fernandes just as we have a freekick of our own. Lodi, the man of the moment, remains on set-piece duty despite Bruno being on the pitch. He launches it towards Parrott but Camavinga races ahead of him and powers it past ter Stegen! 4-1. Three headers, too. Are we Bolton in disguise?

We’re approaching the final 10 minutes and Barça are pushing for a second goal. A corner is homing in on van Dijk’s head but Sule clears. The attacking players get a lot of praise but Sule, a player we signed in the very first transfer window, has been nothing short of sensational. Worth every penny of the 70M we paid Bayern for his services.

Another quick piece of build-up play sees Fernandes charging across the halfway line. Parrott pulls off down the left and leaves space open down the centre for Kean. Bruno plays in the Italian, who turns his marker inside out before unleashing a rocket past ter Stegen! 5-1. FIVE. ONE. What a performance.

We lose 1-0 at the Camp Nou but that doesn’t matter. The tie was won in North London. Kane didn’t score this one but he did assist a former Premier League man in Sane. We are through to the Champions League semi-finals where we will face.. Atletico Madrid. LaLiga again.

Both matches against Atletico as well as the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City will feature in Friday’s update. Hopefully it’ll also include a couple of finals too. Is it possible to do what only Real Madrid have managed and retain the Champions League trophy? FC Bayern and PSG are in the other semi.

~~Crucially, we haven’t suffered any major injuries either~~.

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 7 – Part I

Welcome back to season seven and the final few days of the transfer window. It’s been a relatively quiet transfer period for the reigning European and World Champions of the Football Universe. This is mainly due to the fact last season blended into the current one thanks to the Club World Cup’s scheduling. I guess this is the price of success, folks.

It also feels like the right time to let Nelson Semedo go. The Portuguese international is 31, largely injury-prone and is beginning to decline. Max Aarons is already ahead of him in the pecking order and is developing into a world class full-back. There’s a 35M deal in place to bring Luciano Villani in from Norwich so I’m just waiting on a buyer for Semedo.

He sounds like an extra from The Sopranos, doesn’t he? Whadd’ya gonna do?

After negotiations with Inter Milan, we agree terms on a 34M transfer. I turned down the same amount from Wolves because I don’t really want to come up against him. Go conquer Italy, Nelson.

Consider the extra 3.4M a thank you, Nelson

In terms of centre back options to ‘replace’ Virgil van Dijk, I’m torn between Joe Gomez (70M) and newgen Joseph Harvey (41M). I’ve had Gomez on the shortlist since season one, alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold, but neither would force a move despite being unhappy when Liverpool rejected my offers. He’s on the transfer list but they are demanding a lot of money for a 28-year-old. No doubt he’d want a hefty raise from his current 125,000-per-week salary as well. I’m not convinced.

Harvey is someone that came through Manchester United’s academy in the first season, before I knew how and when to poach them away. He actually spent time on loan with us but United were always reluctant to sell.

After signing van Dijk, I distanced myself from all other defenders and the unhappy Harvey actually joined RB Leipzig last summer. Harvey wants out due to “broken promises” and, at 20 years old, is a much better long-term prospect and could learn alongside the experienced duo of Niklas Sule and Nathan Ake.

The Community Shield match against Liverpool goes to penalties, just like it did two years ago. It was a pretty forgettable 90 minutes that ended goalless. Bruno Fernandes, Moise Kean, Amadou Haidara and Eduardo Camavinga all scored from the spot for us. Only Dybala did for Liverpool (Moriba and Fabinho missed their efforts).

Survey says: One more for the good guys.

Semedo officially joins Inter for 34M so I confirm the deal to sign Villani. I also finalise Harvey’s arrival, ahead of Gomez, to fill the quota of four senior centre halves at the club.

Another Harvey, this time Harvey White, is sold to Huddersfield for 3M. To be honest, I’d completely forgotten he was even at Spurs. White simply wasn’t good enough and 3M is a decent return for someone with little room for improvement.

The only notable movement in terms of staff was appointing Regis Le Bris as ‘Head of Youth Development’ to replace the now retired Bruno Conti. I’m not entirely convinced by him but the ones I wanted ahead of Regis were all unwilling to move. The key aspect to Le Bris was his ‘Model Citizen’ personality. He’s earning so little I could sack him if a better option becomes available. I’ll try to be patient though, I promise.

And here we are on the opening day of the season. Without any doubt, the side I hate facing the most on this save is Liverpool. They’ve finished in the top two every season bar one and despite Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino no longer being in their starting XI they’re a force to be reckoned with.

Pep Guardiola remains in charge but the club itself has been in somewhat of a slump when it comes to winning trophies. Back in 2021, ‘The Reds’ claimed the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup. Since then the only cup they’ve lifted was the FA Cup last season. It can’t be too long before the pressure is turned up on Pep.

There’s no point going into much detail about this contest either as it’s eerily similar to the Community Shield snoozefest, The only difference is this one contained a goal – but we didn’t score it. Rayan Cherki holds that honour. Unfortunately for him, he sliced the ball into his own net to hand us the 1-0 victory. We were really flat though.

So that takes us to the Astana Arena in Kazakhstan where we’ll face Marseille in the UEFA Super Cup. I’m going with a largely youthful XI: Wells; Villani, Harvey, Ake, Sessegnon; Tonali, Trecco, Gaillard, Reinier; Kean and Dembele.

A couple of early chances fall our way as it becomes clear there’s a gulf in quality between the two sides. Tonali sprays it out wide to Sessegnon and he crosses it to the back post. Villani latches onto the ball and drills an effort towards goal but it hits Dembele and wrong-foots the goalkeeper. We’re 1-0 up with less than 10 minutes on the clock.

It soon goes from bad to worse for Marseille. They have a corner but Gaillard clears and Reinier picks it up just outside the penalty area. He bursts away on the counterattack and it immediately becomes clear that Marseille have sent too many men forward. Reinier has Kean and Dembele for support but doesn’t need them. With just the keeper to beat, the Brazilian’s effort is too powerful to handle and it ends up in the back of the net.

We don’t make any changes at half-time but there is an adjustment to the scoreline early on. Tonali swings in a corner and Marseille clear it, but only to the edge of the box. It comes to Ake who plays it across to Trecco who smashes it past Ngapandouetnbu. Yes, that’s the goalkeeper’s name.

Camavinga, Foden and Tal come on with the result wrapped up. Marseille, to their credit, grab a consolation goal through Shoya Nakajima but it finishes 3-1. Does that mean we are now the Super European and World Champions?

“Super Champions of the World, you’ll never sing that”

Speaking of which, the Champions League group stage draw has paired us up with familiar foes Ajax and Atletico Madrid, as well as CSKA Moscow. We won’t make the same mistake of underestimating Ajax like we did last time. As long as we beat Atleti at home, I’m confident we can finish in top spot. It won’t be as easy as last year though.

In the Premier League, we secure comfortable wins over both Norwich (A) and Watford (H). The Canaries threatened to put up a fight when Hamza Choudhury cancelled out Kean’s opener but goals either side of half-time from Reinier and Declan Rice saw us claim all three points.

Watford set up to frustrate us at the ‘new’ Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and we had our midfield to thank for the victory. Reinier was again on the scoresheet before a late, late Amadou Haidara goal ended any hope The Hornets had of snatching an unlikely point.

That brings us onto our first real test away from home against Chelsea. Much like in real life, The Blues aren’t afraid to change managers to try and find a solution. The current man in the dugout is Leonardo Jardim. I’m actually surprised he’s still there to be honest.

Chelsea finished outside of the European places for the third season in a row last time out. Jardim only arrived in January, which is what probably saved him, but there’s a real crisis going on at Stamford Bridge.

I’ve stuck with young Chris Wells between the sticks ever since the Super Cup triumph. He’s done really well in that spell, no pun intended, and whilst Oblak doesn’t deserve to sit on the bench it’s probably time to start giving more minutes to the budding youngsters in my squad. Our XI in full is: Wells; Aarons, Sule, Ake, Lodi; Rice, Trecco, Camavinga, Reinier; Dembele and Kean.

Dele Alli, who still hates me, starts for Chelsea as they switch to 4-4-2 themselves. Is this a sign of Gaffney’s influence on English football? Move over, Pep. There’s a new bald fraud in town. Jordan Pickford has asked to leave The Blues but starts in goal for them, as does Erling Haaland after failing to secure a move away in the summer.

It’s yet another uneventful half of Premier League football. We’re the better side but the only significant incident was Nathan Ake picking up yet another injury. The Dutch international has missed so much football over the last 18 months that if young Harvey establishes himself in the XI, it might be time to bid farewell to another first season signing. We’ll see how bad it is first.

Chelsea come flying out of the blocks at the start of the second half and look to find Dele in the box. Camavinga robs him of possession. He plays it out wide to Lodi and the Brazilian then finds his countryman, Reinier, in acres of space in the centre of the park. He is tackled but the ball fortunately goes to Aarons on the right hand side. His pull back is aimed towards Dembele and the legend smashes it goalwards – but it’s blocked. Yet in another slice of good fortunate the deflection drops to Kean who blasts it past Pickford to give us a 1-0 lead.

Determined to get back on level terms, Chelsea launch attack after attack. Our defence holds firm and the ball is now with Wells. He throws it long to Reinier and, just like Forrest Gump, he feels like running.

No one can stop him and once he reaches the end of the box, he unleashes a thunderous strike.. which goes into the top corner! An outstanding strike from Reinier and Chelsea, to quote Football Manager, have a mountain to climb.

We are forced to play largely on the counter but Chelsea are struggling to find a way through our impressive backline. Aarons pinches the ball off the winger and sends it down the flank for Dembele. Moussa doesn’t have many options available so drives towards goal, beats two men and shoots at goal. Pickford pushes it out but the ball hits Ampadu and rolls over the line. 3-0.

The home team and their supporters are crushed – and it soons gets even worse. Chelsea can’t clear a corner and Haidara passes it into Reinier’s feet. The Brazilian dazzles his way into the box before Matheus Henrique wipes him out. Peter Bankes points to the spot and it’s time to see if Dembele can get the goal his overall performance deserves.

Pickford guesses the right way but Dembele’s effort crashes into the sidenetting. 4-0 at Stamford Bridge and Jardim must be preparing his farewell party.

And the verdict on Ake’s injury is.. not good. He’s out for 3-6 weeks. Fortunately, we’ve got quality cover in the squad and there’s now a two-week international break.

Speaking of which, Phil Foden picks up an injury with England. He’s out for 2-3 weeks but I’m struggling to find a place for him in the first XI anyway. Reinier is having his best start to the season and Fernandes is my captain. Foden hasn’t excelled playing behind the front two and he’s got Camavinga and Gaillard for competition in the ‘Mezzala’ role. I’m certain that I don’t want to sell Foden but I’ll need to manage his general happiness this year.

During the international break I toy with the idea of signing Ansu Fati for no other reason than he was available for about half of his market value. That doesn’t mean to say he’s actually worth the 60M it says, but 35M does sound cheap. After a lot of deliberation I decide it would be a waste of our transfer budget to sign someone who excels in a role we don’t even use. Sorry for wasting your time, Ansu.

In the next update our Champions League campaign gets underway plus there are six-pointers against Arsenal (A), Manchester United (H) and Manchester City (A) in the league.

Rebuilding Tottenham – Season 6 Finale

It’s time to follow in the footsteps of Mauricio, Jesus and Toñi by leading Tottenham Hotspur into the Champions League final. One thing’s for sure, there’s a lot more pressure on us to succeed than there was Pochettino. We’ve become the undisputed kings of English football but have constantly fallen short in Europe. Maybe breaking our duck would signal an era of dominance similar to that of Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid. Who knows? Right now, we have to focus entirely on just winning it once and not collecting a second runners up medal for Tottenham Hotspur.

Bayern Munich, our opponents, are certainly favourites to lift the trophy but I fancy our chances against anyone.

It’d be unfair to say our route to the final was difficult. Shakhtar, Benfica and Celtic were all poor in the group stages. We crushed FC Porto in Portugal, then squeezed past Napoli before knocking out Arsenal on away goals. Although it’s worth pointing out we dominated the majority of those knockout ties. Late collapses meant we put our supporters through the wringer but would you expect any less with Spurs?

Bayern have yet to lose in this season’s competition either and have beaten Valencia, PSG and FC Barcelona to reach the final. Unai Simon (formerly of Athletic Club) is their first-choice goalkeeper. Benjamin Pavard, Lucas Hernandez, Joshua Kimmich, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry are still at the club. David Alaba (injured) and Leon Goretzka (transfer listed) aren’t in the first team picture it seems. Some other recognisable names in their squad are Malang Sarr, Gedson Fernandes (COYS), Fiete Arp, Philippe Coutinho, Julian Weigl and Timo Werner. It’s a strong squad, one which should be respected, but I’m not convinced it’s one to fear.

Moise Kean is, without any doubt, a huge miss upfront for us. He’s returned to light training but isn’t even ready for a late sub appearance. It’s gutting to be honest. Moussa Dembele scores most of our goals but Kean consistently hits double figures and is a lot more creative in the final third. Troy Parrott is a fine striker but doesn’t possess the all-round game that Kean does. Then again, who am I to doubt the Irish Prince?

We line up with Oblak; Aarons, Ake, Sule, Lodi; Camavinga, Haidara, Gaillard, Fernandes; Dembele and Parrott. The big calls were Ake in for young Terry and Gaillard for the semi-fit Rice (moving Camavinga to CDM).

The first chance comes to us with barely 90 seconds on the clock. Bayern initially float in a freekick but we clear our lines and the balls ends up at Dembele’s feet. He charges forward and despite Parrott being up alongside him only has one idea in his mind. He skips past the last defender’s slide tackle and is one-on-one with Simon. He smashes it across the keeper.. but the Basque man is equal to it! Troy can’t quite get to the rebound.

We are in complete control during this opening period. Lodi tests Simon with a fizzing long-range shot before Gaillard’s effort goes just over the bar.

With 23 minutes on the clock, there’s another highlight and Haidara brings down Hernandez. The problem here is that my Malian international is already on a booking. The referee is charging over to him and brandishes a second yellow! Are you kidding me?! Where is the quiet, one-on-one chat to let a player know he needs to calm down? “This is the final. Don’t ruin your day.” Well, Gianluca Rocchi doesn’t think so and we’re down to 10 men after 23 minutes. Bollocks.

However, there’s no need to panic just yet. For some reason, my teams tend to maintain their threat going forward even if I don’t have an attacking midfielder sitting behind the strikers. Maybe that’s due to the defensive – and playmaking – attributes of my other three midfielders. But bloody hell, Haidara. I check and see he only picked up his first booking five minutes earlier. Awful, awful temperament. Tonali comes on for Gaillard (sorry) and Fernandes moves back into midfield.

Then Fernandes brings down Goretzka in the middle of the park – and he’s already on a booking! There are just 30 minutes on the clock here, guys. HE’S OFF! What is this, witchcraft?! Spurs and Champions League finals. And just like Haidara, he’d only been booked a couple of minutes earlier.

Rocchi, I want you sent to the freezer next season. Whatever happened to managing the occasion? This is a shitshow from the referee. We’re down to NINE men with at least 60 minutes to go.

If you were hoping for some words of wisdom, I’ve got nothing. This time I have to sacrifice Troy to add an extra body in the centre of the park. Reinier comes on to play ahead of Tonali and Camavinga, who are positioned deeper now to try and keep Bayern at bay. I’m gonna need to produce something special from a set piece here. I’m fuming.

One thing’s for sure, Jordan Henderson wouldn’t have got sent off and let his side down. Come back, El Capitán.

“Their manager will not be happy with their lack of discipline!” – Captain Obvious

Unsurprisingly, Bayern are beginning to create some decent chances now. Oblak manages to get keep out Coman’s shot and Goretzka sees his strike take a deflection and go wide. This is going to be a long, long game of football.

But wait! We have a freekick. Lodi floats it into the mass of bodies inside Bayern’s penalty area but we are forced to build up again. Eventually, Aarons gets down the right-hand side and plays in Reinier. Dembele is in the box but he uses the forward’s run to unleash an effort at goal – and Simon pushes it onto the post! Be still my beating heart. We have to be clinical on these counters as Bayern are going to dominate possession.

We reach half-time and it’s 0-0. More importantly than that, we haven’t had anybody else sent off. What am I supposed to say to the lads? Bollock them and demand more? It isn’t their fault that two guys lost the plot and couldn’t stop kicking people. Instead, I praise their work but say we only need one goal and we can win this. Which, you know, is true but it’s going to be difficult to keep Bayern out for another 45 minutes. Do us proud at least, fellas.

We waste a freekick before Bayern launch yet another attack. Pavard beats his marker and floats in a cross to the edge of the box. Gedson is there and volleys it towards the bottom corner – but Oblak saves it! What a magnificent save from everyone’s favourite Slovenian.

Lodi sends a long ball over the top and Dembele races clear. He’s one-on-one with Simon but the keeper palms his effort away. The referee calls it back for an offside but it’s encouraging to see we are still creating some chances when we get forward.

Oblak denies Hernandez as my defence starts to tire. In the 92nd minute, Turkish youngster Abdulkadir Omur drives into the box and he too is denied by ‘The Wall’. What a performance it’s been from Jan between the sticks. Even at 32, I wouldn’t swap him for any other goalkeeper in the world.

We end 90 minutes on level terms. I really can’t believe it. What’s more surprising is that despite being down to nine men, we’re creating better chances than Bayern. Aarons, Sule, Ake and Lodi haven’t put a foot wrong at the back but three of them are carrying bookings (Sule being the odd man out).

I notice that Bayern have made some unusual substitutions throughout this game. Werner was replaced by Zirkzee, who is a Dutch striker that is leaving them at the end of the season to join Real Betis. Okay then. Gnabry and Goretzka were also replaced inside the opening 90 minutes. Let’s hope I don’t live to regret dismissing what a striker valued at 2.6M could bring to football’s biggest match.

At the beginning of extra time, the Germans swarm forward but Aarons pinches the ball off Coman as he’s ready to pull the trigger. Bayern then earn a corner but Oblak claims the ball and immediately throws it up to the isolated Dembele. He holds it up long enough for Reiner to join him but the Brazilian loses possession. Thankfully, he immediately wins it back and puts Bayern on the backfoot. He rifles a shot from the edge of the box that cannons off the bar and into Simon’s hands. Was that the chance?

It’s end to end stuff now. Zirkzee – remember him? – holds it up on the edge of our box before finding Kimmich. The utility man finally beats Lodi and drives into the box. Kimmich smashes it across goal and Oblak, with his fingertips, pushes the ball onto the post. Ake reacts quickest to clear the danger and that’s the closest Bayern have come to scoring all game.

Reinier then tests Simon again! And the Spaniard denies the Brazilian… again. What an intriguing battle those two are having. Dembele, bar that one (onside) chance, hasn’t had much to work with. For the record, I’m not blaming him either. Dembele then heads straight at Simon from our next highlight. Nearly 100 minutes in here and it’s still 0-0.

Coutinho is standing over a freekick for Bayern and I’m suddenly reminded of how set pieces have been our undoing in the previous two Champions League campaigns. The ball is floated to the UNMARKED Weigl at the front post and his header beats Oblak.. but not the crossbar! Aarons heads it off the line and finally Camavinga hooks it upfield.

Not an aimless punt either as Dembele gathers the ball 15 yards into his own half and beats the defender for pace. This could be the chance.. until Hernandez hacks him down. Just a yellow card according to Rocchi. Argh!

It’s half-time in extra time. I bring on Declan Rice for the exhausted Camavinga. What a shift the Congolese international has put in not long after coming back from injury. I can’t fault any of our team when it comes to attitude and desire though. We’ve played 75 minutes with just nine men. Absolute warriors.

We’ve got a freekick that is just too far wide to have an effort on goal. Tonali curls it towards the back post and it misses everyone. But wait, the referee thinks he’s seen something. Rocchi believes there was a push and VAR confirms it. Penalty to Tottenham!

Can I just shock you? I like Rocchi.

It’s Dembele to take. Funny story but I actually moved penalty duties onto Kean because Moussa was missing from the spot far too often. Yet without Moise to call upon, and Bruno sitting next to me after being sent off (ffs), the responsibility falls on our top scorer’s shoulders.

A short run up and Dembele aims it for the bottom right-hand corner and Simon guesses the right way – but can’t keep reach the ball. WE ARE 1-0 UP IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL! 9-MAN SPURS LEAD! What a turnaround and what a moment for the club legend. Nerves of steel to score his 43rd goal of the season, his 10th in this year’s Champions League. Now we must hold on. Please hold on.

We go defensive and hope, pray and cross everything. The onslaught is coming.

Coman gets in behind the backline but Aarons manages to stick out a foot at the last minute and block his shot. What a performance from the former Norwich man. It falls to Hernandez but he’s closed down by Rice. Bodies on the line. I love it. Dig in, lads. There’s just eight minutes to go.

We are really struggling to find Dembele and getting him to ease a bit of the pressure on my defence. Another clearance goes straight back to Bayern. Kimmich, sitting deep in midfield, plays a fantastic ball over Lodi’s head and Omur is in. He doesn’t even consider crossing it and volleys it at the near post and Oblak can’t keep it out. BOLLOCKS!

But wait.. Omur is offside. It’s ruled out. I need to lay down.

Just as I praise him, Aarons then makes two mistakes within 30 seconds. He gave the ball away but Lodi won it back. Then he’s beaten by Coman and Ake has to come across and mop up. It does come at the expense of a corner though. Weigl beats Dembele to the ball but can’t keep his header down. Goal kick. Four minutes to go. I feel sick.

Two minutes later (118th minute) and Bayern have a freekick. It’s played down the wing as they have the numerical advantage – did I mention that already? – and Gedson swings in a cross towards Zirkzee but he can’t get much on it. Sule clears and Reinier has a chance to launch a counter and put this game to bed. It’s 2-on-2 and no one can catch the Brazilian. He gets into the box and fires his shot at Simon.. who denies him yet again!

I can’t change my tactics as the corner is ready to be taken. It would have been the ideal time to play it short and waste as much time as possible. Lodi sends it into the box and unsurprisingly Bayern clear and it’s their turn to break. Coutinho is away and it’s 2-on-2. Tonali gets across and pinches the ball off Coutinho’s feet. The Italian Stallion coming up clutch. Less than a minute to go, lads.

The pressure from the Bundesliga giants is relentless. Kimmich works the ball into the box but the eventual effort is blocked by Lodi. Grande, Lodi. Grande! And now we have a chance to see this game out. Tonali finds Dembele who lays it off for Reinier. Guess what he does? Yep, runs forward towards Simon in the Bayern goal. Yet this time he decides to pass it back to Dembele but ends up giving it away. No! Reinier, keep it simple. Smash it out of the stadium like Harry did at Old Trafford. Just don’t give the ball back to Bayern.

We’re into the 120th minute and Coutinho has another freekick to deliver. Dembele stays upfront but everyone else is back inside our box. There’s only a minute of added time so this is likely to be the final attack we need to repel. It’s sent into the mixer and there’s Oblak, flying like a budget Superman, to pluck the ball from the sky and fall to the floor with it still within his grasp. I’d like to think my virtual team is collectively patting him on the head or kissing him right now.

And the whistle blows…

WE’VE DONE IT! SPURS HAVE FINALLY WON THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!

Words cannot explain the emotional rollercoaster those virtual 90 minutes were. From frustration, to anger, to joy, to concern and finally.. relief. It had everything. Red cards, a penalty, a disallowed goal and both sides hitting the woodwork countless times.

Rice lifts the most famous trophy in European football. Kyle Walker-Peters, Ryan Sessegnon and Troy Parrott are finally able to call themselves Champions League winners. The work that began with Mauricio Pochettino in 2014 has finally been completed at the Camp Nou in 2025. His belief in young players and giving them a chance has remained a key part of the ethos behind the squad we’ve amassed today. The difference being they were allowed to gain that experience together and become better because of that.

Moussa Dembele is crowned the ‘Fans’ Player of the Season’ yet again with 52% of the vote. Rice was 2nd (20%) with Camavinga 3rd (17%). Argentine youngster Claudio Trecco is our ‘Signing of the Season’ and Camavinga picks up the ‘Young Player of the Season’ award.

The Champions League is added to the Carabao Cup and Premier League wins so that’s a treble in my book. The media considers it a quadruple as they’re including the Community Shield. Not sure about that one, folks.

Dembele wins the Champions League’s Golden Boot, to sit alongside his Premier League one. That mantlepiece of his must be overflowing with individual awards by this point.

Dembele, Parrott, Haidara (I forgive you) and Gaillard make the Champions League XI too.

Elsewhere, my relatively new ‘Head of Youth Development’ Bruno Conti announces he’s going to retire next month. Thanks for the advanced warning, pal. And we also broke another European record but this isn’t one to shout home about. Although having seen the final, I can’t image it’s entirely surprising either.

worst disc — Bad boys, bad boys. Whatcha gonna do?

And that is how the season ends. We finally carried over our domestic form to Europe, aided by a kinder draw, and somehow managed to beat an all-conquering Bayern side despite playing the majority of the match with just nine men. Maybe we’ve established a new definition for the term “Spursy” in world football.

The victory does see us qualify for the Club World Cup which takes place in July. I’m not sure whether I’ll add the results and progress from that competition to another blog or just leave the save here. It felt like the objective was to finish off the work Mauricio started and by lifting the Champions League trophy, we’ve done that.

Do I carry on and try to cement theirs and my legacy, not only at the club but in world football? Do we aim to create a dynasty or simply leave it unanswered and allow people’s imaginations to decide the fate of this special Spurs squad?

Another option would be to upload the save game file and allow everyone to play out their own destiny with this golden generation of talent. I’ve not decided yet.

For now, let’s just enjoy being European Champions.

COYS!

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 6 – Part IV

It wouldn’t be a Football Manager save without a serious injury threatening to derail your plans. Moise Kean broke his ankle against Liverpool and will miss the rest of the season. Troy Parrott, the man who many Spurs fans wanted to ‘save our season’ before this Coronavirus decided to make an appearance, is now the man we must rely on alongside the ever-dependable Moussa Dembele.

We are in the middle of March and Huddersfield kindly allow us to rediscover our shooting boots as we hit them with a five-star performance. Dembele, Ake and Sessegnon put us 3-0 up with less than 20 minutes on the clock. Aarons and Parrott added another two late on.

It feels strange to say the Premier League title is secondary but it really is. Speaking of which, we’ve got a Champions League warm-up against Arsenal next. A trip to the Emirates is never easy and common sense might suggest heavily rotating the squad, but when has common sense ever been a thing at Tottenham? I have rested Virgil van Dijk, Niklas Sule, Max Aarons and Renan Lodi which is my current Gala XI defence.

Dembele gives us the lead just past the hour mark but we concede a 91st-minute equaliser. Not ideal but hey, it isn’t a loss either.

Manchester City, who are falling apart ever since Liverpool crushed them at the end of March, have lost away to Stoke City. They’ve picked up just one win in their last five matches (3 losses, 1 draw). Zinedine Zidane has gone from the greatest coach in the game to producing relegation form with a world class squad.

Zidane’s at the wheel…

Now it’s time for the big one. Well, the first part of the big one. Our XI is Oblak; Aarons, VVD, Sule, Lodi; Rice, Haidara, CAMAVINGA, Fernandes; Dembele and Parrott. Aside from the absence of Kean upfront, that’s as strong as we can be. Go out there and become heroes, boys. Anything less and we’ll be mocked for years by those lot down the road.

Aarons has a throw-in down the right and finds Dembele, who lays it off for Haidara. The Malian international shifts inside to find a bit of space to get a shot off but it hits Dembele and allows Arsenal to launch a counter through Piatek.

Big Virg makes an outstanding last-ditch challenge and the balls rolls to Aarons again, this time inside his own half. He spots Dembele upfront, one-on-one with his marker, and opts to go long. The French striker wins the header and nods it down for Fernandes who is joining in the attack alongside Parrott. He plays Dembele through on goal and the club legend smashes it past Leno. We’re 1-0 with barely six minutes on the clock!

Three minutes later and there’s another chance. Arsenal can’t seem to break down my midfield and send it long themselves. Van Dijk gathers the ball and we restart from the back. Sule sprays it to Lodi, who plays a wonderful ball over the top which Dembele runs on to. No one can catch him and he cooly slots it into the far corner, leaving Leno with no chance at all. We aren’t even 10 minutes in and it’s already 2-0.

We are continuing to control proceedings but don’t create many chances of note. Parrott isn’t having much luck out there so young Keran Tal is handed 30 minutes to see what he can produce. Camavinga and Haidara are also replaced in order to preserve them for the second leg.

Despite 23 shots, 13 on target (compared to their 7; 0 on target) we don’t add to our lead. The only notable incident in the second half came in the 91st minute when Olivier Ntcham was given a straight red for Arsenal.

Feed the Mouss, feed the Mouss, feed the Mouss and he will score

Advantage Spurs. But not by much.

There is some bad news in the run up to the Norwich game though. Breakout star Aurelien Gaillard joins Kean on the treatment table with a pulled abdominal muscle. It’s a relatively minor one so he’ll only miss the next couple of games, but that does include the 2nd leg against Arsenal.

Turns out we will win the Premier League with victory over Norwich but we still name a heavily rotated side with only Camavinga and Parrott retaining their spots in XI. The first to gain match sharpness and the Irishman in the hope he’ll score to boost his confidence.

The Canaries make us work hard for the victory but goals from Parrott and Tonali ensure we claim all three points – and the Premier League title! City’s woeful end of season form saw them drop far too many points and, as it stands, they will be lucky to finish 2nd. Liverpool are one point behind and Zidane’s men travel to the Emirates in the penultimate set of fixtures.

Our success isn’t only limited to the first team. My strong U18s side have added the FA Youth Challenge Cup to their U18s Premier League triumph to crown a fantastic achievement for the youngsters. It seems acquiring the best talent from around Europe does pay off.

The future’s Lilywhite

But all attention soon turns to the Champions League semi-final 2nd leg against Arsenal. I name the same XI which performed so admirably at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and pray for a similar result. An away goal would do nicely to calm the nerves but, if I’m being honest, this is one of those matches where it’s a toss of a coin. Be it a virtual management simulation or real life, one moment of magic or one mistake, could trigger an entirely different outcome. It could make or break someone’s career.

The opening period is proof this won’t be as comfortable as the 1st leg. Arsenal are well up for this and need to score early to get the momentum on their side. The first goal is crucial and you sense neither side wants to hand the other the initiative.

Lodi plays a nice one-two with Parrott down the left before uncharacteristically cutting inside. He then whips in a delightful ball and there’s Dembele, rising above his marker and looping his header over the onrushing Leno. DREAMLAND! Arsenal now need four goals on the night to reach the final. More importantly, there’s no chance of this going to penalties.

I don’t need to say much to the lads at the break. I’m proud of the performance and ask them to keep it going in the second half. 15 minutes in and my message seems to have gone down well. And then, like all emotional and ill-tempered affairs, there’s a twist.

Arsenal win a freekick and Ricardo Rodriguez — still playing — sends the ball to the far post and it goes out for a goal kick. But the referee has seen a push, or what he believes is a push, from Amadou Haidara on Emile Smith Rowe. VAR gives the thumbs up to the decision and out of nowhere Arsenal have a chance to get themselves back in the game.

Piatek steps up.. and despite Oblak going the right way, it hits the back of the net. There’s still no real need to panic though as we’ve only got 30 minutes to go.

Nathan Ake comes on for Parrott and I switch to five at the back. This isn’t the time to take chances and throw away a commanding position. With 10 minutes to go, I throw on Reinier for the ineffective Fernandes. Even if he didn’t perform well, I’d like to think the Portuguese star’s influence was important in keeping our shape and not letting this game get away from us.

Arsenal score. It’s a really sloppy goal to concede, more so when you’ve got five defenders on the pitch. They switch it to Rodriguez on the left and he’s given the time and space to run into the box and hit his shot across Oblak and it goes in. There’s some question marks over the goalkeeping but with eight minutes to go, this was the last thing we needed. The crowd are going to be red hot — well, as red hot as the Emirates can be — and this incoming storm must be weathered.

Arsenal score again. STRAIGHT FROM KICK OFF! We were calmly playing it around the back when van Dijk — of all people, it has to be him — plays a back pass which is neither to Ake or Oblak. Young Palmer races onto it and instead of trying to slot the ball past Oblak, instead unselfishly lays it back for Piatek to grab his second and Arsenal’s third. Suddenly seven minutes feels like an eternity.

A minute later and Bissouma is given license to run into the box but thankfully his effort flies wide. LADS!? We have to wake up here or we’re going to be memes forever. Reinier finds some space on the edge of the box but can’t keep his shot down. That’s better but I would’ve preferred to see him driving towards the corner flag for, I don’t know, say five minutes?

How slow is this clock going and why are there suddenly so many highlights?!

Rice, Sule and Ake produce fantastic clearances as Arsenal swarm all over us. Every block goes out for a throw-in or corner. If we gain possession, it invariably ends with an aimless punt upfield as the pressure begins to tell. We enter the final minute of injury time and Rodriguez swings in a dangerous cross that Oblak plucks from the sky. That might just be it. Blow your whistle, ref.

AND HE DOES! WE ARE THROUGH TO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL ON AWAY GOALS!

Like Coronavirus, this match wasn’t for the faint-hearted

Be still my beating heart. Holy shit.

I didn’t think we could top winning the league on the final day of the season but that final 10-minute period was absolutely brutal. At times, I was literally begging for there to be no more highlights. Not even if they were for us! Just end the bloody game. But they kept coming and coming. We did it. By the skin of our teeth, sure, but we did it.

The U23s also claimed their league title. It’s raining success (and heart attacks) in N17.

We’ve created one of the most complete football clubs of all-time

In our final Premier League matches of the season we drew 0-0 away to Newcastle United and then crushed Leicester City 6-1 to wrap up the domestic season. Parrott (2), Gaillard, Terry, Reinier and Foden all got on the scoresheet.

Perhaps those names are a sign that we should give the kids a chance to lead the way next season. Foden is actually the oldest of those who scored against Leicester at 24. Parrott and Reinier are 23, Terry is 21 and Gaillard a year younger than him.

This is one way to react after losing 6-1

At some point, I’ll need to throw young striker Keran Tal (21) in the mix to see if he can sink or swim in the first team picture. My goalkeeper prospect, Chris Wells (22), will also need more consistent playing time if he’s to reach his five-star potential but Oblak is still world class. It’s crazy to think my newgen goalkeeper is the same age as our midfield lynchpin Eduardo Camavinga. For all the success we’re currently having, there’s a really bright future for this Spurs group.

Premier League Awards

The goals dried up a little after Xmas but Dembele remains on another level to the rest

Camavinga continues to set the standard in midfield

Slightly concerned by the amount of Liverpool players in this

Ake, Semedo and Reinier all come to me with issues. The first two want more playing time and the young Brazilian wants a new contract. It feels ironic that Ake wants regular minutes after missing almost a third of the season through injury. As for Semedo, it’s probably (reluctantly) time to move him on and search for a younger player to rotate with Aarons. Reinier will get a new deal soon.

And there’s another issue at the club involving van Dijk. His experience and leadership are great assets but he’s on huge wages and won’t sign a new deal. I’ve avoided playing him too much in the league but he’s featured in every important Champions League tie. On the eve of the Champions League final, he wants to discuss his playing time. I told him young James Terry was in the form of his life right now and deserved his spot in the team (his value has shot up to 41.5M).

Virgil doesn’t react well and claims there’s nothing special about Terry. Not very sporting, mate. Eventually, we agree that I’ll give him more playing time going forward. Yet when I try to negotiate a new deal he isn’t interested and wants to keep his options open. Sorry Virge, but this club is bigger than you and your ego. I place him on the transfer list and decide that he won’t play in the Champions League final either.

Tottenham Hotspur or Harchester United? It’s hard to tell at times.

Next up: Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. COYS.

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 6 – Part III

Despite the fact we’re second in the Premier League table, it feels like this team is genuinely capable of beating anyone at the moment. The sheer volume of goals being scored by Moise Kean and Moussa Dembele is unprecedented. Our defence hasn’t been as watertight as in previous campaigns but our squad depth has been key in avoiding any serious injuries. Well, aside from Nathan Ake. But with Virgil van Dijk, Niklas Sule and young James Terry we’ve had more than enough quality to cope with his absence.

After placing the League Cup into our trophy cabinet, it’s time to deal with the frantic pace of the fixture list pile up as the season draws to a close. Thankfully, most of our big domestic games are at home but we’ll still need City’s slide to continue if we’re to have any hope of retaining our league title. First up are Manchester United.

Diego Simeone’s side are currently sixth in the Premier League but have picked up form in recent weeks and, like us, are favourites to advance in their Champions League tie (beat Lazio 1-0 away). The animated head coach wasn’t shy about splashing the cash in January either. He added Svetozar Markovic (46M from Napoli) and Lautaro Martinez (80M from Inter) to the squad so they shouldn’t be shy going forward.

Yet this was a setup befitting of El Cholo. There was no real intent to take risks and his plan was to absorb our attack. It’s a bold strategy, I’ll give him that, and one which has also worked in the past. They survive the first half onslaught and we enter the break goalless. However, there was one bit of good news as United were reduced to 10-men. Federico Chiesa was sent off for an ugly tackle on Renan Lodi.

It didn’t take long for us to find a gap to exploit. Rice finds Haidara in acres of space in the middle of the pitch. He plays it to Bruno Fernandes, who obviously joined United in real life, and the Portuguese midfielder bends his effort beyond de Gea’s reach and finds the bottom corner. Relief at last.

United don’t really have an answer and seemingly settle for a low-scoring defeat. Okay then. It finishes 1-0 and everyone is happy. Well, I am anyway.

It’s then time for the simple task of seeing out the 2nd leg of the Champions League Round of 16 against Porto. I know that resting key players has cost me in previous seasons, usually in the group stage, but being 5-1 up – five away goals, remember – means this is basically a free hit. Chris Wells (young GK prospect), Terry, Simpson (midfield prospect) and Foden all start. Dembele is rested completely.

French wonderkid and easily our breakout star of the season, Aurelien Gaillard, scored the opener before Kean made it 2-0 less than half an hour in. That’s how the game finished and we move on to the quarter-finals. Ironically, or rather disappointingly, this is as far as we’ve got in the competition to date under my leadership. Mauricio Pochettino set the bar too damn high.

Before the draw can take place we’re greeted with our latest youth intake. This is the first one under the new ‘Head of Youth Development’ Bruno Conti. The majority of our prospects are central defenders which isn’t the worst thing in the world. The standout prodigy from the previous batch was also a centre back and he’s excelling in my youth team at the moment. There’s also a couple of strikers who could become really solid squad options. Ottimo lavoro, Bruno.

Centre backs and strikers are the flavour of the month

Because I’m now a fully established member of the football elite, this is also the perfect time to poach promising youngsters from other Premier League teams. I’ll keep you informed of who I manage to bring in to strengthen my already impressive U18 squad.

We beat Stoke City (2-0) and Brighton (1-0), both away from home. That’s made even better when I notice that City have lost 3-0 to Liverpool at Anfield. This sees the gap at the top of the table reduced to just one point now. I wonder if Zidane can hold his nerve, unlike the man who just beat him: Pep Guardiola.

The Champions League draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals take place and we’re handed a tie against Napoli. The 1st leg will be at home which, I think, is actually a blessing. It feels better to set the bar in these kinds of matches. Then again, it’s been our home form in Europe that has let us down. Fuck knows then. Look, I’m confident we’re good enough to get past Napoli over 180 minutes.

If we advance to the semi-finals, English opposition will be awaiting us. United were drawn against Arsenal and the winner of that tie will face Spurs (1st leg of that is also at home). The other side of the draw will feature Bayern or PSG versus Liverpool or FC Barcelona. All things considered, that is about as good as it could get. No injuries now, por favor.

Finally a favourable quarter-final draw

And we’ve avoided the big boys in the semi-final too

Back to the league. Wolves are in amongst the European places but can barely string a pass together against us. First-half goals from Camavinga and Haidara are enough to see us claim all three points. It isn’t all good news though as Camavinga twisted his ankle and will miss 2-3 weeks. You see, this is why I should keep my thoughts about us remaining injury-free quiet in the future.

Phil Foden and Ryan Sessegnon pick up knocks whilst on international duty with England but thankfully won’t miss more than a couple of weeks. Neither will be available for Liverpool at home though.

I successfully poached youngsters away from Chelsea (3), Liverpool (2), Watford, Milan, PSG, Dortmund and Inter. One of the Chelsea boys, Scott Orr, has five-star potential. Nice.

APRIL

If you followed the blogs from the previous campaign, you’ll know that Liverpool went on a rotten run of form in the final 6-8 weeks and finished 2nd to us on goal difference – on the final day of the season. This year has seen them fall way off the pace at the top and they are instead embroiled in 3rd/4th place battle with Arsenal.

Speaking of the top of the table, City suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Norwich and we are now two points ahead. Oh, Zizou.

Our XI against Liverpool is: Oblak; Aarons, Terry, Sule, Lodi; Tonali, Haidara, Gaillard, Fernandes; Dembele and Kean. There are a couple of surprising selections in there, granted, but both van Dijk and Rice came back exhausted from international duty.

Liverpool’s success against us has come from set-pieces and after just seven minutes, had the ball in the back of the net. Dybala’s delivery found Onguene, who flicked it on for Antony to poke home. They celebrate but thankfully the linesman has his flag up and VAR lets him know he got it right. Phew.

Yet that relief didn’t last long as Kean pulls up and signals to be taken off. Please don’t be serious. Please don’t be serious. Please don’t be serious. Please don’t be serious.

Troy Parrott replaces the Italian after half an hour. Now I’m distracted.

We have a corner but it’s cleared by the first man. See how realistic this game is? Eventually, it goes all the way back to Oblak and the team looks to build up another attack. Aarons races down the right-hand side but is doubled up on and plays it inside to Haidara. He finds Tonali who drives forward before passing into the feet of Gaillard. One-touch passing at its finest as the Frenchman pokes it to Parrott who lays it off for Lodi. The full-back smashes his effort goalwards but the ball hits the post.. and goes in off Alisson! A goal’s a goal.

Fernandes and Haidara are struggling for both form and fitness so Trecco (Argentine newgen) and Reinier replace them. We continue to control proceedings but 1-0 is a dangerous scoreline in football so I’m reluctant to push too hard for a second in case they hurt us on the counter.

Five minutes into the second half and Liverpool are pressing the action down the left-hand side. Robertson and Mane are trying to get past Aarons and a fortunate deflection sees the Scotsman with time and space inside the box. He picks out Firmino, who has raced ahead of young Terry and guides it into the top corner. Bollocks.

We enter the 89th minute and Liverpool are playing it out from the back, as you’d expect any Pep side to do. However, they are being harried and pressed by our strikers in the hope they’ll mess up or simply go long and return possession to us. Fabinho’s pass is under-hit and there’s Dembele racing into the box with just Alisson to beat – and he does! 2-1 at the death.

Sit back down, Pep. There’s a new bald messiah in town. Now all that matters is the injury report on Kean. Please don’t be serious.

A big win.. but at what cost?

And now I’m dreading the message which is awaiting me in that inbox. Anything longer than two weeks would see him miss BOTH matches against Napoli and it’d be a rush to have the guy back for Arsenal at the end of the month. If it’s nearer a month out then he’s likely to miss any potential semi-final ties too but would be available for the final. Are you ready? I’m not, but here goes.

Football Manager, why do you do this to me?

TWO MONTHS! He’s out for the rest of the season and the curse of the Champions League quarter-finals has struck once again. It’s time to put our faith in Troy the Boy to stand tall and replace the goals we’ve lost with Kean. Es lo que hay.

Our XI for Napoli: Oblak; Semedo, Sule, VVD, Lodi; Rice, Tonali, Haidara, Fernandes; Dembele and PARROTT.

The football gods taketh away and the football gods giveth. With 19 minutes on the clock, Ndombele and Sabitzer – yes, him – are trying to work an opening before the Austrian midfielder plays the ball back. However, Troy is there to intercept and charges forward. He’s one-on-one with the keeper and beats Meret at the near post to give us a 1-0 lead. What a little star.

Unfortunately, our lead doesn’t last long. Yet again it’s a set-piece that proves to be our undoing. Nabil Fekir floats a freekick to the back stick where Joachim Andersen beat Tonali to the ball and Oblak is unable to keep his header out. They didn’t deserve that goal.

Fernandes is replaced by Reinier at half time as we look to go again, hoping for someone to step up and swing this match in our favour.

Step forward Renan Lodi. The full-back is inside his own half but has the whole flank to attack, which he promptly does. Lodi’s pace is too much for Sabitzer and he continues down the line. Their right back, a newgen called Kalnoki-Kis, dives in but just like Sabitzer is unable to get the ball or the man. Lodi turns inside and with his right foot looks to curl it into the far corner. Meret gets a touch but can’t stop it from crossing the line. We’re ahead again! Messi-esque from our left-back.

Gaillard comes on at the hour mark and almost immediately makes an impact. We’re playing some great football and once the tempo picks up, Napoli are reduced to chasing shadows. The ball eventually goes out to the right-hand side and Semedo floats in a delightful cross. It’s behind Dembele but there is Gaillard to power home a wonderful header. A great leap from the little man. Actually, I’m not sure if he’s short or not. Let me check. 6’0. Okay, not a little man. Still, what a great leap!

As we enter the 90th minute, Lodi has the ball down the left. He crosses for Reinier but his header cannons back off the defender. The good news is it lands straight back to the Brazilian who rifles it in to the back of the net. 4-1. That’s a commanding lead to take over to Naples for the second leg.

But Football Manager, and football itself, is never so simple. Four minutes were added on for injuries but in the NINETY-SIXTH minute Napoli snatch another, potentially game-changing goal. We fail to clear our lines from a throw-in and a cross reaches Sigurdsson (thankfully not the one you’re thinking of) whose header ends up creeping over the line. Oblak made a hash of that. 4-2. We’ve gonna have to score in Italy at least once now.

Troy comes good but that late goal means Napoli have half a chance

We beat Bournemouth 1-0 at the Vitality (Reinier) but all eyes are on the return leg against Napoli. Before we head to Italy, it’s worth adding that City did beat Brighton but then drew with West Ham. We are now four points clear having played the same amount of games.

Check out the next blog to see how we’ll fair on Italian soil without our Italian star.

Only kidding! I wouldn’t leave everything in the balance like that. Fair play if you’re still reading at this point. You’re the real OGs.

Camavinga isn’t quite ready to play but it’s more or less the same XI which started the first leg but with Gaillard replacing Tonali.

It’s scrappy. And I mean, really scrappy. After 70 minutes, the only thing of note is that there have been eight yellow cards (four to each side). 0-0 suits us down to the ground though and, just to make sure we remain solid, I take off Dembele and leave Troy upfront by himself.

Then a penalty is awarded.. to Napoli! And I’m not just saying this because it’s been called against my team but what an atrocious decision. All the offsides and penalties I’ve seen in the game up until this point have been spot on. It even has VAR!

Lodi won the ball cleanly and it should be a corner to Napoli. What the referee has seen, and later VAR confirms, I don’t know. Highway robbery is what it is, is what it is.

Vincenzo Millico – the former City striker who only ever seemed to score against us – steps up and converts the spot-kick with 10 minutes to play. I drop back to defensive and cross every available part of my body. Please don’t let us go out in the cruellest of fashions, game.

We hold on! Spurs are through to the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in the save! The next page lets us know that we’ll be facing.. Arsenal!

Despite UEFA’s best efforts, we’re into the semi-finals of the Champions League

I need to lay down. Kean is out for the season but we’re in pole position to reclaim our Premier League crown and only need to beat our noisy neighbours to reach the Champions League final. This season could be the greatest campaign in our history. At the same time, a defeat to Arsenal would take the shine off any of our domestic achievements yet again.

Three matches against Arsenal in 10 days will define our season

To dare is to do?

Andrew Gaffney

Ramblings from Spain.

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Tag Archives: Spurs

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 8 Finale

FA Cup Final

Champions League Final

End of Season Awards

What happens next?

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 8 – Part II

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 8 – Part I

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 7 Finale

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 7 – Part V

FA Cup semi-final vs Manchester City

1st leg vs Atletico Madrid (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)

2nd leg vs Atletico Madrid (Wanda Metropolitano)

FA Cup Final vs Arsenal

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 7 – Part IV

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 7 – Part I

Rebuilding Tottenham – Season 6 Finale

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 6 – Part IV

Premier League Awards

Rebuilding Tottenham: Season 6 – Part III

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