El Chapo's Journey

So it began...

I decided to take over Parma and get them back to Serie A with grand ambitions of returning the club to its former glory. The year 2021.

Transfers
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2714401891

With very little budget and a few key players and loanees already in place, the aim of the season was to stick with the squad you have which is strong for the division and push for promotion.

Best 11
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2714401840

It was clear players like dennis man, tutino and Mihalia were key to success at parma with a target man linking those 3 players into the game.

Final table for Serie B
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2714402010

Yes it wasnt a title win with some key losses, you can see in the schedule below but we did secure the aim, promotion into Serie A.

Summer to christmas break
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2714401715

Christmas to the end of the Season
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2714401764

We struggling in the back end of the year, losing games we should win and faltering when we could have pushed for the title. we had alot of disgruntled players at the end of the year due to the lack of squad rotation, we simply didnt have enough games to justify changing from our best team.

The year is 2022 Parma have returned to Serie A!!!

El Chapo sits down expecting the new TV rights and fear of returning to Serie B to deliver a healthy transfer budget. It didn't, so El Chapo had to move product as El Chapo does.

• Securing Tutino on a permanent deal for 4.7m seemed like a bargain for a promising young player that was key to success in Serie B. It was built into the loan that was agreed pre El Chapo, but good nonetheless.
• My favorite was the free acquisition of Dan "the Axe" Zagadou from Borussia Dortmund. I got a young player years before his prime but he would definitely provide a rock at the back... He was the useful repalcement for Musacchio leaving who was too old for Serie A.
• We also brought in Johaneis Geis, good for this lower level Serie A team, he was free and my replacement for Hernani and Cyprien going out the door.

I got rid of alot of old players as we headed into Serie A which was fine. The biggest disappointment was that we lost Botond Balogh, definitely a future starting Serie A defender on a free to Bologna. He wasn't good enough to start yet in Serie A but would have definitely featured. A prime example of young prospects getting ahead of themselves. I know it isn't real but wish him none of the best.
El Chapo does not negotiate with playing time request terrorists so he had to go.

[img]https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2714401947[/img]

The Serie A Season begins and we are poor. Beat by Brescia, Bologna, Salerntana in the cup, leave us in the relegation battle (as expected).
Draws with Verona, Monza and Genoa offer a point but they must be wins to guarantee a second Serie A season. The high point a 1-0 win over Fiorentina had us thinking we had hope.

It's Christmas!!! Parma are 18th, the board is upset and there is talks of El Chapo being sliced from Parma like a leg of its famous ham. So like a Grinch, El Chapo cancelled christmas and put 3 friendlies in hoping to inflict massive wins on minnows...
We lost to Tencin 3-0 (Who the hell are they).
We drew with Ujpest (who the hell are they and we shifted another 3 goals).
We did beat FC Gronigen but hardly over the moon.

A New Year, the same shit. A draw to Genoa and a lost Torino has El Chapo fleeing for the border. Worried the Parma board are about to excommunicate him into unemployment. I head south for sunnier pastures suitcase in hand.
[img]https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2714401809[/img]

Parma Career.
[img]https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2714401974[/img]

WHERE THE HELL DID YOU THINK EL CHAPO WOULD END UP...

NAPLES MOFO, home of the Mafiosa, the Cartels homeland.

Napoli sit 7th in the league with ambitions to reach the Champions League football. We have inherited a great team.

Insigne (IF) and Lozano (IW) are both great wide assets flanking Osimhen (AF) as a formidable front 3. All at 4 star ability.
Anchoring the middle are (AP) Zielnski and (DLP or CM) Fabian with Deigo Demme as a BWM.
A stone wall back four that features ever brilliant Kouliabaly and a great RB in Di Lorenzo, a solid LB in Caio Henrique. So I head out a bring in a new CB partner as my first port of call in Sterigou, young, great prospect and perfect to sure up the back and let the front players do their thing.
A new keeper by Emil Audero is already looking promising.

We start well with and on a winning run. But we are proving to be more a cup team than a league team as we struggle to find consistency.


Put simply we did not have the strength and depth to compete for the Italian cup, the Uefa Cup and the league. key losses to teams worse than Napoli was evidence I was underestimating teams.

Napoli had gotten through the group stages of the Euros but with a wonderful win against a Borussia Dortmund team that featured a hideously good Erling Haaland. Winning 4-2 on aggregate was dream.

However a big 8-2 thrashing on aggregate to AC Milan in the semi-final of the Italian Cup proved we just arent good enough to compete on 3 fronts and Serie A football had its nuances.

April 2023 saw only 3 wins and 6 losses but a strong January was still keeping us in touching distance for continental football. However it became clear if we did not win the Uefa Cup we wouldnt play in the Champions League next year, which risked my exit from Napoli after only just joining the cauldron that is the Diego Maradona Arena.

We overturned a 1-2 defeat at home to Wolfsburg to win 3-1 away and secure the all important final. Here we had Manchester City. First, WHY THE HELL, are Man City playing B league European football. Second, as a Man United fan in real life, El Chapo couldn't wait to ruin it.

a 1-0 win against Man City from an 88th Minute Osmihen goal was all we needed. 4-5-1 defensive, counter attack only and don't expect the ball. Close down jesus, silva, Mahrez etc Mark De Bruyne and pray.


The Napoli team of the Year featured a key january purchase in Stergiou added depth but it clear Donny Van Beek from Untied for 6 million help with a box to box midfielder to add to Fabian and Zelenski in firming up the middle so that the front 3 can attach at will. Equally paying to loan Cavani was key to having a super sub as he bagged 15 goals in 32 games all primarily of the bench.
osmihen bagged 18 - 28
Insigne 11 goals - 30 games and 7 assists
Lozano 9 goals in 31 games and 8 assists.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199220259088/screenshots/?appid=0&sort=newestfirst&browsefilter=myfiles&view=imagewall


A euro cup, 5th place finished and semi final of serie A season was enough to keep El Chapo in post another year.

https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199220259088/screenshots/?appid=0&sort=newestfirst&browsefilter=myfiles&view=imagewall

Osimhen bagged top goalscorer in the UEFA
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199220259088/screenshots/?appid=0&sort=newestfirst&browsefilter=myfiles&view=imagewall

Osmihen Player of the Tournament, with Insigne in 3rd.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199220259088/screenshots/?appid=0&sort=newestfirst&browsefilter=myfiles&view=imagewall


Team of Tournament including Manolas, Koulibaly, Insigne and Osmihen.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199220259088/screenshots/?appid=0&sort=newestfirst&browsefilter=myfiles&view=imagewall

Viva Naples