Lothar Matthaus - Forza Milan

Great results mate! As always, Porto and Benfica are behind you

As long as I win my next league game, they're staying there too

man great just great keep going

2013-01-20 02:03#78094 FM King : man great just great keep going

Cheers King! It's good to know you're following!

Matthaus: "We Have Johnson To Thank"

Sporting manager Lothar Matthaus has heaped praise onto his old friend Nick Johnson, who helped him come up with a tactic that worked superbly in December. This tactic is a False No. 9 tactic, and whilst no strikers are played, Sporting have managed to score 8 in 2 games, both away from home.

"He rang me up a couple of weeks ago and I asked if he could help. He'd been watching closely for a while, and saw how tactics failed to work consitently. He told me about a 4-6-0 tactic he'd developed, and asked if I wanted to use it. If we want to win the title, we need consistency, and so I have started to use it in the last couple of games. To be honest it's been brilliant, I can't thank Nick enough. We've absolutely dominated the last two matches, and ok, we haven't played the greatest teams, but you still need to play well to win away from home, and we have done. We'll get a chance to see how well it works at home, but logically it should be even better."

Matthaus' Sporting lead the Liga ZON Sagres table by two points heading into 2013, and face a game against Porto on the 6th, which could see them move 5 points clear.

Anything I can do to help, I am always here

That's what she said

Matthaus’ Diary – Start of January 2013

Taça da Portugal Quarter-Final Draw

We will play third division side Infesta at home in the quarter final of the Portuguese Cup. I couldn’t have asked for an easier game, and we should win comfortably. The game will be played on the 17th January 2013.

Sporting 3-2 Beira-Mar – TdL R3 – 2.1.2013

Sporting (4-6-0): Boeck, Soares, Boulahrouz, Xandao, Rojo, Schaars, Adrien, Izmailov, Viola, Pranjic, Bruma

Subs Used: Jeffren for Bruma (37), Insua for Pranjic (45)

Red Cards: Boulahrouz (Sporting, 45 mins)

Goals: Pranjic (32), Mendes OG (56, 60); Semedo (23), Camara (82)

MOTM: Xandao (Sporting)

Another win under your belt! How many games unbeaten now?

That run is looking great!

Sporting Seal Demirci Deal

Sporting Lisbon have completed the signing of Muhammed Demirci from Besiktas on a free transfer. The 17 year old has signed a pre-contract agreement, and will join when his Besiktas contract finishes in the summer. He is said to be held in high regard by Lothar Matthaus, who jumped at the chance to sign him for free.

Demirci will be on £3.5k a week until the summer of 2016, and the Sporting staff and players will feel this is a bargain for a player of Demirci's potential. Demirci has been at Besiktas since 2010, but obviously thought the club didn't match his ambitions, and has moved on to Sporting.

Matthaus has made a point of signing young players in his time in Portugal, and will have been pleased at his latest aquisition. His team face Porto in a couple of day's time, bidding to extend their lead at the top of the Liga ZON Sagres table.

Nice signing It will be nice to see how he develops at Sporting aswell as KuPS

2013-01-20 03:30#78106 The FM Rookie : Another win under your belt! How many games unbeaten now?

26 games in all competitions.

2013-01-20 04:08#78114 The FM Rookie : Nice signing It will be nice to see how he develops at Sporting aswell as KuPS

Well better, presumeably

Demirci + Banzai Tiki-Taka?
Nick, what have you done?