Liverpool FC - The Future

YEEAAAAHHH!! Another win and it's better when it's against nasty United.

2013-03-22 23:14#86555 Justice96 : Excellent, excellent, excellent! You cease to amaze me, James! YNWA

You mean "You never cease to amaze me, James!"?

Edit: Congratulations on another cup win!

2013-03-23 03:40#86601 PaukerJ : YEEAAAAHHH!! Another win and it's better when it's against nasty United.

Another win and another cup in the trophy cabinet. Was so happy to get one over on Manchester United, especially as it helped me show how they missed out on me becoming their manager at the end of last season. Thanks for reading.

2013-03-23 03:54#86607 Liverbird :

2013-03-22 23:14#86555 Justice96 : Excellent, excellent, excellent! You cease to amaze me, James! YNWA

You mean "You never cease to amaze me, James!"?

Edit: Congratulations on another cup win!

Why thank you. The FA Cup is an important trophy for us to keep winning in as it does contribute to our world rankings which has improved dramatically since I took over. Thanks for reading.

May

Results

This month is still yet to be completed with the Champions League Final against Arsenal FC still yet to come. It is however been a very successful month against some big teams. The month however, despite if the side manage to retain the Champions League trophy for the second season in a row, will be remembered as the month that Pepe Reina played his last game in front of the Anfield crowd. Pepe Reina played the full 90 minutes in front of the Anfield faithful against Newcastle United and helped the team secure the 3-1 victory which was a great way to end the Premier League season. Pepe Reina will not be having his contract renewed as I think the best way forward for the club is for Marc-Andre Ter-Stegen to continue as number 1 with Luca Lezzerini being given game time in the first team. Pepe Reina, under my leadership, played 105 games, conceded 78 goals and kept 52 clean sheets which I see as beyond impressive statistics. He will go down as a legendary goalkeeper at the club and if I can persuade him to become a goalkeeping coach at Melwood I will be overjoyed. As it is his last month at the club I think he fully deserves the player of the month award at least.

Player of the Month – Pepe Reina

Sad to see Pepe go, he was awesome at Liverpool in real life at the start. But as of the last 2 seasons he has lost the plot, but is back in form. Good results as usual.

2013-03-23 14:47#86720 Liverbird : Sad to see Pepe go, he was awesome at Liverpool in real life at the start. But as of the last 2 seasons he has lost the plot, but is back in form. Good results as usual.

It is gutting to see him go but it is time for Ter-Stegen to become the fully committed number one and for Luca Lezzerini to come back from loan and try and stake his place between the sticks. Thanks for reading.

BTW, I forgot to ask, how does ter Stegen play for you? I've always refrained from buying him because of his terrible handling and positioning stats, so I'm just curious.

2013-03-23 16:51#86773 Liverbird : BTW, I forgot to ask, how does ter Stegen play for you? I've always refrained from buying him because of his terrible handling and positioning stats, so I'm just curious.

Last season he played a total of 28 games and kept 17 clean sheets which as I see as a very good season. I am fortunate enough to have good centre back partnerships so he rarely has anything to do. However, I am still fully confident in his ability as a shot stopper so would recommend anyone to him if you can get him for a reasonable price; I paid £15 million which I saw as very reasonable.

This season, in the Barclays Premier League, will go down in footballing history. It was already an impressive feat for the club to go undefeated all last season but the club have managed to do it for a second year in the row. This achievement certainly now over shadows the achievement of Arsenal FC from a previous season. The club have also managed to break several records along the way. 106 points for the season is a new record, but it was a record that we already held and I will be looking to maybe push it up by another couple of points next season. We are also currently on a 121 game undefeated streak in the Barclays Premier league which I am very confident we can continue for a good time yet but all good things must come to an end. We will surely go into next season as favourites and I am 99.9% sure if you wish to take that bet, you won’t be disappointed. YNWA!

Players’ Team of the Year

Manager of the Year

Players’ Player of the Year

Goal of the Season

2013-03-23 17:20#86791 Jamesg237 : This season, in the Barclays Premier League, will go down in footballing history. It was already an impressive feat for the club to go undefeated all last season but the club have managed to do it for a second year in the row. This achievement certainly now over shadows the achievement of Arsenal FC from a previous season. The club have also managed to break several records along the way. 106 points for the season is a new record, but it was a record that we already held and I will be looking to maybe push it up by another couple of points next season. We are also currently on a 121 game undefeated streak in the Barclays Premier league which I am very confident we can continue for a good time yet but all good things must come to an end.

Incredible.

Also,
Stale Solbakken at City. LOL!

Tevez back at the Hammers. (Or is it Villa?)

2013-03-23 17:27#86794 Liverbird :

2013-03-23 17:20#86791 Jamesg237 : This season, in the Barclays Premier League, will go down in footballing history. It was already an impressive feat for the club to go undefeated all last season but the club have managed to do it for a second year in the row. This achievement certainly now over shadows the achievement of Arsenal FC from a previous season. The club have also managed to break several records along the way. 106 points for the season is a new record, but it was a record that we already held and I will be looking to maybe push it up by another couple of points next season. We are also currently on a 121 game undefeated streak in the Barclays Premier league which I am very confident we can continue for a good time yet but all good things must come to an end.

Incredible.

Also,
Stale Solbakken at City. LOL!

Tevez back at the Hammers. (Or is it Villa?)

Solbakken has been at Manchester City for 2 seasons and is yet to win anything so I can't see him lasting much longer. And yes, Tevez made a sensational return last season to Upton Park and ended up being the leagues top goal scorer too. Thanks for reading.

Champions League Final

The bookies are making us firm favourites to win the trophy for the second season in a row. Arsenal FC have had a strong side this season despite not getting their hands on any silverware so I am not going to take these odds for granted. My Liverpool FC side have managed to dismiss some challenging opponents including the formidable FC Barcelona. Arsenal FC on the other hand has managed to dismiss the two Manchester clubs on their way to the final in the San Siro. This Champions League final promises to be a tight affair.


Arsenal FC have been on a baron run of cup wins and haven’t had a trophy for a very long period of time. They are still yet to win the Champions League so will be putting in well above 100% grit and determination into their performance. My side have the chance to retain the trophy and also win it for the seventh time in our illustrious history. The 12 games leading up to the final have seen us score 27 goals and concede only 8, therefore, we are the inform team.

Pre-Match Preview

Arsenal FC, since I took charge of my beloved Reds, has only managed to get one win against us which occurred near the beginning of my tenure. The games have however been close affairs with there not being much difference between the goals for and against for each team. Olivier Giroud has been in scintillating form in the Champions League so I will be looking to the partnership for Varane and Papadopoulos to hold back the onslaught he is surely to provide the Gunners.

Team Line-Ups

Both myself and David Moyes (the current manager of Arsenal FC) have not held back in putting out an attacking team. Giroud will be expected to lead the line for Arsenal FC with the flair and attacking prowess of Santi Cazorla and Andriy Yarmolenko being expected to cause problems.

For my Liverpool FC side, Steven Gerrard will be playing his last game in a Liverpool FC shirt and what a stage has been provided with to fulfil that. He will go down as one of the Liverpool greats and will always be seen as a legend of the club. He will be given the opportunity to captain the side out at the San Siro with the intention of helping the team to get into a comfortable lead so he can be brought off to the standing ovation that he deserves.

Half Time Score

After 90 Minutes

Extra Time First Half Score

Final Score

Another amazing, stressful, tense and tiring season at Anfield that has seen us achieve every trophy possible bar the European Super Cup. This Champions League final was a very tense affair that I was engrossed in until the final whistle blew. I was more overjoyed that the legend that is Steven Gerrard was able to enjoy cup success one final time with the club his has loved since he was young. Retaining the trophy was just rewards for the sheer effort the team have put in over the course of the season. This latest trophy win will inspire the younger players, the likes of Mark Fisher who has encountered first team football this season, to push on even harder so they can enjoy this kind of European success in the future. I will already be planning the next step which is to ensure we retain this trophy for the third year in a row.

Throughout this latest successful season a number of readers have asked different things, for example, what tactics do you use and how is Raheem Sterling doing? In this season review I plan on sharing a number of things which are listed below. The updates will be done in instalments to avoid the one update going on forever. If you have any requests to include anything in particular then please do ask.

• Tactics
• Players – present and future
• World Rankings
• My Accomplishments

Tactics

A few people have requested to see the tactics I use in conjunction with the team instructions so they can emulate it with their own teams. I can assure you that the tactics used are not complicated but instead adhere to the player’s preferred roles and is suited to getting the best out of the playing squad.

First Choice Tactics

This is the main tactic that I used in 95% of the games I play. The formation was slightly altered half way through the season with the left winger being brought inside alongside the advanced playmaker and being given the role of inside forward. This alteration seemed to work at first but then the performances declined so I reverted back to this original method. The formation allows the team to control possession from front to back and if you have the quality front men I possess (Cavani, Borini and Suarez) you will certainly get goals. The most important roles in this formation is that of the deep lying playmaker and advanced playmaker. It is vital that these two link up well together and are allowed to form a good partnership in the middle. The inclusion of the ball winning midfielder role allows you to remain responsible at the front. The defence are kept at the back as I am not a fan of the full backs bombing forward in attacks but instead only the centre backs will come up for corners so good heading attributes is important.

The team instructions are far from complicated but instead are suited to the style I want the team to play with. I don’t like the team expressing themselves with flair too much unless we are ahead plus I think it is important for them to be responsible for their defending duties. I do like a counter attacking side so it is important to ensure you have pacey wingers who the ball can be played out to on the break.

I think it is clear from my results and the unbeaten run we are on in the Barclays Premier League that it is a successful formation. However, you need to ensure you have the quality of player to fulfil all the vital roles.

Second Choice Tactics

The main purpose of this tactic is to allow the team to see out a comfortable lead or if we are coming up against a team that have a superior attacking potential to us, for example, FC Barcelona who have the likes of Messi and Falcao for starters. The formation and team instructions have a huge focus on defending but also making the most of the opportunity to attack the opposition on the break; and with the players I have at my disposal it is something we have done well in the past. In this formation every player knows their role and are aware of their duties.

I feel that the most important role in this formation is defensive midfielder as it is vital that they don’t leave the defence for too long; Lucas Leiva is sensational in this role. Despite the striker being left alone up front compared to my first choice tactic, when on the counter attack, having the wingers set to attacking helps get players forward when we have an opportunity to break.

FINALLY managed to catch up with this fantastic story! Great work James, keep it up

Was Wilshere injured or something? He wasn't in the starting lineup, which is odd, 'cause he's Arsenal's best player.

About the tactics, have you altered any of the player instructions? What match prep, OIs and shouts do you use?

Congratulations on the Champions League win, I hope to see this story(and the cup winning!) go on longer.