Revenge: The Story of the Shadow

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Porto have struggled to find their best form so far in their preseason tour, as the manager claims that the team are just finding it hard to adapt to his playing style, while pundits fear that this could be signs of things to come for the Portuguese giants.

Their first encounter was against Hannover, at the start of their tour of Germany. This match ended 2-2, with goals coming from strikers Christian Benteke and Jackson Martinez, either side of a strike from Artur Sobiech. In the 79th minute, they conceded a penalty, which was calmly put away by Christian Schulz to level up the score.

The next match came against Duisburg, a team in the 3rd division of Germany. Due to the apparent lack of strength in the opposition team, Porto fielded a young side. The final score as 2-0, with new signing Valentin Stocker scoring both goals, in the 29th and 34 minutes.

The third match was Porto's first loss, after a condemning 1-0 defeat against Herta Berlin, where Porto choose to play a second string team. The only goal came from Pierre-Michel Lassoga, who found the net in the 61st minute.

After a routine 4-0 win against the B team, with a brace from Jackson Martinez, and goals from Stocker and Kelvin helping them along the way, they played their hardest opposition in Liverpool. The match ended 1-0 to the English club, with a goal in the 25th minute from Steven Gerrard the difference between the two sides. Although Porto fought admirably without star man Jackson Martinez who was out with an injury, they failed to get anything out of the match, leaving their fans bitterly disappointed.

Next up for Porto is Vit Guimaraes in the Supertaca final, before 2 more friendlies against Galatasaray and Tourizense. They will expect wins against Guimaraes and Tourizense, while hopefully maintaining their honour against Galatasaray, otherwise pressure could grow on boss Arthur Anderson.

2013-09-21 07:29#135391 TVDLC123 : @Pixel I am really sorry, I got a new computer and it has been acting funny, so I am on my iPad. I will try getting an update out today.

okay, good to know

Sorry to hear that you've been having a shaky pre-season. With the team you have, you shouldn't be losing those pre-season matches!

@Pauker Yeah, I hope we can pull it together for the start of the season!

My favourite story on FM Scout, definite SOTM nomination this month or next!

@Nathaniel Maybe next month

We are live here at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto for the traditional curtain raiser of the Portuguese season, the Supertaca final. This year, it will be contested between defending league champions Porto, and last seasons domestic cup winners, Vit. Guimaraes. The team sheets are out for both sides.

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Porto look much the stronger team with hitman Jackson Martinez, and new signing Christian Benteke leading the front line. Valentin Stocker will also make his debut in Portugal, lining up on the left wing. Diego Reyes gets the nod in, ahead of the other new addition, Emmanuel Baku. Guimaraes look less of a threat, with only youngster Machis looking to pose a threat to the Porto back line.

Before I hand over to our commentators for the kickoff, predictions?

Julio- I feel like this is going to be a utter annialation from Porto, 4-0 my guess.
Marc- I also feel Porto are strong, but I thin the minnows can cause them problems, I bet 2-1 with a goal late on.

Welcome everyone to what should be a great match!
7 min- An early chance for Guimaraes, with a volley from Barrientos just missing the target. They have to take their chances of they plan to get anything out of this match.
12 min- Porto look bright here with s good left foot shot from Defour, which was pushed behind by keeper, Douglas Jesus.
17 min- A big blow here, as Varela has to receive treatment for an injury he picked up in a tackle by David Addy.
21 min- The best chance of the match so far and it falls to Porto centre back Otamendi, as he produces a good header from a corner, but it cannons back off the crossbar to safety.
36 min- Benteke has a decent opportunity to score on his debut, but drives his shot into the hands of the keeper.
41 min- A great chance for Guimaraes, as after a break away, Diego Reyes fouls Andre in the box, but the player isn't able to score the penalty, hitting the post.
45+2min- The last chance of the half has fallen to Defour, who attempts a long range effort which fails to trouble Jesus.

HALF TIME- So far Porto have been the dominant side, but Guimaraes have had the best chance with that penalty. It will be interesting to see how they respond in the second half.

65 min- Porto have continued to press, with Martinez latching onto a long through ball by Mangala, but launched his shot high and wide.
76 min- Some good defensive work from Defour as he makes a great tackle to deny Jona a great opportunity.
80 min- It is Defour again, as he fires a free kick narrowly wide.
84 min- The Argentinian is really giving Guimaraes a lot of trouble here, producing a great save from Jesus, with a low drilled shot. Porto seem the much likelier side to win this.
87 min- GOAL! Finally a break thorugh, but it has come for the minnows, as they broke, and found winger Marco Matias, who had a simple finish. Guimaraes 1-0 Porto.
90+4 min- Porto fans are enraged as they feel they should have just been awarded a penalty. Valentin Stocker cut into the box, and was looked to be caught, but the referee saw it a different way, giving Stocker a yellow card for diving.

FULL TIME- There is the final whistle, as the world is left in shock, after a truly astonishing result. Guimaraes celebrate a trophy while Porto are left shocked and angered at the loss. Despite the giant's superior possession, and massively superior shot tally, they have somehow come away from this as losers.

Final Score- Guimaraes 1-0 Porto

Next move: murder half the first-team squad.

Training the next day started off as the worst experience of my life. The gloomy mood in our camp, was reflected by the weather, as it remained dark and grey. I had no words, what could I say? Everyone sat there solemnly glancing at their feet, waiting for the brave lad who choses to speak first. As time went on, I felt to pressure, as the boss, to speak up, but my mouth was pursed shut by an invisible hand. Finally, after what seemed like a decade, a small lad, who was known as Quintero, glanced up and asked,' Come on boss, say something!'

I sighed as I saw the desperate expression on the poor kid's face. He was hurting, just like the rest of us. I could not let him or any of the other guys suffer. I may be a murderer who hated the very guts of this wretched game, but I still had a heart.

'Look, I am not going to beat around the bush. We tried our hardest, every single one of us, last night. I am not going to say that we didn't deserve to lose, but I am going to say this. I do not blame any one of you for the game. In all honesty, our tactics didn't work, and that's my fault. I am sorry for letting you guys down, but I want to promise you that I will do my hardest to fix this. Let last night be a reminder to us all, as we push to achieve the very best, that even in failure, we stand united. We are Porto FC, and we are the best club in this country! Now, lets go prove a point shall we?'

The dressing room erupted in joyful cries, as the players sombre faces, turned into expression of determination. This loss had brought our squad closer together than all of preseason.

'We are going to win the league, just you watch us!'

Great update TV.. Some inspiring words to the team, even though, you did deserve to win the final! Search for a goalkeeper, now that Helton is older and may be rusty.. Rui Patricio perhaps (I prefer players from their own country than outsiders as they have more experience at that league)

Some great updates. Sad to see that you lost but oh well there are more important things to be won

@Pauker Thanks a lot, I will definitely be having a look at some!
@wellsy1498 Thanks for the support mate!

Also I would like to thank everyone for the support I have been getting on this story, marked by two great accomplishments, in 100 comments and 2000 views. This really means a lot to me, and I want to just say that your support is greatly appreciated.

Quite inspiring tbh, unlucky vs Guimaraes though.

@Jack Thanks mate, I hope we can do better in more important matches!

Didier Drogba (6, 19) Wesley Sneijder (30,32) Engin Baytar (41) Aydin Yilmaz (55)

An absolute catastrophe. I left my assistant manager in charge for 1 game, and he does this. Somehow, he thought it would be a good idea to play my youth team against the biggest club in Turkey. I feel sorry for the fans to have to witness that, and I immediately removed the assistant manager from his role. In his place I got a man called Michel Lindeman. He shares my views and targets for this club, and I feel confident having such a talented man to rely on.


Josue (35) Francisco Costa (67)

I took control of this game myself, and allowed the youth members who did so badly last game, to have a second chance. This time though he were playing against a team much lower than us in the Portuguese Second Division. We dominated the match and came out clear winners, although our inability to put away chances is still worrying be going into the start of the season.


N/A

The first game of the season, and it just so happened to be against our arch rivals, and the only other potential challenger for the league, Benfica. However the match did not have the high tension drama that normally comes with this derby, as we both were getting used to our styles. Benfica had slightly more shots, but we edged it in terms of possession. A fair result, and a decent start to the season.


Luis Pinto (15)- Christian Benteke (28,58) Alex Sandro (45)

The next match was a game I expected us to dominate, but it starts off badly after we conceded a goal from a corner after just 15min. This didn't faze the lads though, as they fought their way back, with 2 goals from new signing Benteke either side of a strike from Alex Sandro, just before the break. Benteke won man of the match as we held it together for our first league win.


Jackson Martinez (22)

Our last game of the month was a home ecounter against Gil Vicente. The match was drab, with only a single goal being scored by Martinez, on his return from injury. The game was full of rash tackles and constant stoppages, as the opposition tried to stop us from playing good football. We ended with 13 shots, compared to their 2.

Month Review

An fairly good start to the season with two wins out of three, and an unbeaten run still intact. I hope the addition of a better assistant manager can help us reach new heights, especially with the Champions League starting new month. Our league form has left us to 3rd in the table.

Player of the Month

With only 3 competitive games being played, it was hard to pick one man for Player of the Month, but due to his good start in a Porto shirt, I have decided to give it to Christian Benteke. The Belgian has scored 2 times in 2 games, and is really showing me why he cost so much.