Great update Walt

great story

Neal wat
Pompey thank you
Pepeu Thanks mate

Preparation Is Key

June/July 2014

I'm here, finally here! I've never felt happier in my life, getting this job, but I knew it was time to get down to business and win over the dressing room, seeing as though I'm fairly inexperienced. First, though, I think you should know about my style as a manager. I definitely am a Mourinho disciple so to speak, and all those years as his tactical coach and my time in the dugout under other managers means I've learnt a lot about the tactical side of the game.

I've always watched how different managers deal with different players and personalities within a dressing room. You must know how to get the best out of different players and also know how to motivate a team in a big clash.

Finally, my time as a player means I've got a bit of experience with coaching the technical side of the game, as well. Playing as a central midfielder in my heyday means I got to attack and defend and hopefully I can pass on tricks I learnt to the squad I've inherited.




The squad I've inherited is one filled with players of all nationalities and ages. We've got young talents such as Juan Fernando Quintero and wing backs Danilo and Alex Sandro. Some of the older talents include 28-year old striker Jackson Martinez, who (OOC: let's be honest, is an absolute f***ing tank) is being courted by many of Europe's top clubs. Alongside him on the wing is Quaresma, one of football's more enigmatic talents.

Aside from that, the general playing squad is, kind of annoyingly, made up of a big Spanish contingent. In addition, the bulk of these signings made by the former manager are loans, meaning even if I do survive this first season lots of the squad will have already left and I'll have to sell some more in order to free up funds for replacements.

Casemiro's loan was terminated early on, by me.


Tactics wise, I'm going to start off with two tactics. Both are controlling, but one is more attack-oriented whilst the other is purely about dominating possession and having a slow, patient build-up.

*Note: All screenshots are taken later in game as that's when I decided to write the story.


The 4-2-3-1 will be the main tactic as I want to build the team around Colombian starlet Quintero. His passing and long shots are very good so having him play off target man and Colombian compatriot Martinez should make for a good combination. Out wide we've got two wingers who have license to cut inside and shoot or search out a man in the area.

In midfield we have a chief ball-winner, most likely to be assumed by Hector Herrera, while alongside him there'll be a Deep Lying Playmaker. The two wing backs, Alex Sandro and Danilo, will be key this season as they will be creating extra numbers up top and their crosses will be a vital part of this attacking side.


I won't be elaborating much on the 4-3-3 but this is for games where the main purpose for the team is to dominate possession and maintain a slow, patient build up where retaining the ball is key. The defensive midfielder offers protection for the back four and the roles are otherwise generally the same.


Pinto da Costa informed me I'd still have a few million to spend but I decided I didn't need to waste it all, instead leaving some spare funds in case of an emergency and to just keep the financial situation clean in regards to Financial Fair Play Rules, which the chairman will be updating me on.

The first signing was an easy one. Due to Porto's big South American scouting network I was informed of a big Colombian prospect whose name is still quite unknown to the rest of Europe (OOC: not FMers, though). I'm positive he'll be a success.



Other than that, the squad looks set already, my only fear is that we may need another tenacious midfielder in the squad as Jose Campaña and Oliver are more playmakers and Hector Herrera can't do it all on his own.


For preseason I've scheduled around five games to boost morale and fitness alike. They're against smaller opposition, the most notable of our opponents is Clube Brugge. Whether that is a disadvantage I don't know, but here's the plan for the next month or so.

• Work on Ball Control and Attacking each week for the duration of preseason
• General Training will be based around a mix of Fitness Training and Team Cohesion in order to make a smooth running machine
• Match preparation will mostly consist of Tactics work in order for the team to become familiar with our style of play

Balanta

Balanta is a very good signing! Lots of options, but I'm surprised to see a few names in there. Campana and Kelvin, mainly, as I thought you'd go for Ruben Neves and Brahimi/Tello instead. Nice insight into your plans

Balanta is of course a great signing, and should fit in well with what is, a very good squad you have! Interesting to see your tactics, and will be even more interesting to see how they work out. Best of luck for the season, Walter

Great job signing Balanta, hopefully Jackson Martinez (Smooth Criminal) does well for you!

again great updates, and bringing in Balanta is a huge sign ! keep this up

Justice ikr he looks heavenly.
P-KIDDY I must admit I only found out about Ruben Neves a bit of the way through the season so he'll be making an appearance later on. And Kelvin is actually very good! Him, Tello, Quarsema, Adrian and others will be making an appearance as well.
pompeyblue Cheers pompey. I'm really looking to dominate the possession but with a hint of flair and attacking play that is easy on the eye. Hopefully with that comes trophies and silverware!
Feliks You already know!
Red Devil Thanks once again mate, Balanta will be key to my season.

Preseason 2014

Nearly as soon as I arrived at Porto preseason began. I tinkered with the schedule in order to give us a few games to give us some rest in between matches and an opportunity to play with freedom and a chance to put some tactics in to match situations.



As you can see preseason was a huge success. Goals, goals.. and more goals.We also kept a very good defensive record - only three goals conceded over the course of six games. The highlight of preseason was definitely the 10-0 drubbing of lowly Padroense.

Some things I took from these friendly fixtures are that we have a quality central defensive partnership in Brazilian Maicon and Colombian Éder Álvarez Balanta. They both provided a sturdy defence and it could mean that Dutchman Bruno Martins Indi and Mexican Diego Reyes are kept out of the side for the foreseeable future.

Most of our goals came from floated crosses to Jackson Martinez from our attack-minded full backs. Danilo and Alex Sandro both provided quality balls into the box and more often than not Martinez capitalised.

Other players, such as Quaresma, Cristian Tello and Kelvin also impressed on the flanks and they are a great source of not only assists but timely goals as Martinez can't do it all alone.


It was a no brainer, really. The Santos product produced the goods in all six games, racking in three player of the match awards, eight assists in six games and two goals to go with it. A fantastic performance all round. The only scare is that these performances, especially if they translate into competitive fixtures, will only intensify the interest that's already surrounding the Brazilian. As I write this PSG and Manchester City are reportedly showing interest.



Get your tickets, because this is the biggest game of the Portuguese season, and it's coming in the very first round! SL Benfica are our first, and biggest challenge of the domestic season. It's on home soil, too, meaning we need to win to please the fans. Winning will also prove our title credentials in our attempt to return the title back to Porto!

• General Training will be focused on improving our tactical familiarity. We need to be fully accomplished in this section to get the best out of it
• Match Preparation will vary between Tactics and individual training depending on opponents
• Again we're looking to train up our Ball Control and Attacking Play
• For the Benfica match we will work on 'Attacking Set Pieces' as Jorge Jesus is known to use zonal marking at free kicks and corners

A wonderfully high-scoring pre-season!

Wow, in motion already from the get go. Pummeled poor Uniao de Leiria, too. No mercy for the less fortunate. Danilo is one of those players you won't want to let go!

A great pre-season! Lots of goals being scored, and I'm happy to see that Danilo is doing well.

Very good pre-season Walt, with a ton of goals being scored. The real challenge will be in the competitive games, but I'm confident you can bring even more success to Porto, starting with a great win against Benfica! ;).