Yeah, awful feeling indeed. Honesty they are still better, absolutely better than us but the difference really didn't show in this match. We just conceded the last goal because of an unlucky mistake, but after all it's been a great match.
Now that I think about it after the usual "cooldown" period, probably one of the most entertaining and emotional matches I had in FIFA 15. And I tend to get emotional at times, I just jumped on the sofa a couple of times during it...
if all games among all teams are leveled, I wouldn't be surprised to see the 'relegation ghost' looming. You need a string of good results....and fast.
Damn, such a brutal month. Need to turn it around quickly or risk a relegation battle instead of a European one
We're working on it. We were too, too weak defending on the flanks lately and I'm planning to switch to a three-at-the-back formation and to let Vyntra and Karampelas recover some energies.
After all also El Adoua, Cabrera and Rodas are on the payroll so it's about time they show what they can do to deserve their salaries.
Meanwhile, we dropped to 14th... And Barcelona are climbing up like there's no tomorrow:
March has just got underway and something incredible has just happened. I've received many messages especially from the fans after my sentence about the table. It became almost viral, I didn't really expect it!
Well, 4 points down you're still 14th, 4 points up and you're 8th... gap to 'getting worried' is still far, nonetheless it's slightly diappointing
So I'm not the only one who thinks so... It's true that we're currently in 14th position, but things are surely going to change soon. And no, not how my old friends, the Plonkers, hope:
But this is not the incredible thing I was talking about before dear journal: the new owner and his wife have landed in Valencia today and he asked to see me straight away, to discuss about the current situation and about the future plans. You know, when a new owner arrives it's difficult at times: you don't want if he's willing to keep you, or if he's willing to replace you or what. You wouldn't believe who the new owner is:
That's right dear journal: Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder and former chairman, is the new owner of the team I'm managing. While it's great to have a fellow American on board, I was a little worried about his football knowledge so I was a bit nervous when he called me in his office.
Now, imagine this office with a big wall of glass through which you can see the training ground. Much like the one Sigi had at the Sounders, more or less. Imagine me entering, shaking hands with him and sitting down.
"So Kasey, anything you want to tell me?"
"Well Mr. Gates, not really. It's just nice to meet you."
"Please, don't call me Mr. Gates. Just call me Bill, like my friends do."
"Got it, Bill... So, what are your plans for the team? I'm just curious to hear them."
"You know what we did at Microsoft, and what Satya and the guys do now. Don't you? We innovate. That's what I want you to do here at Levante. I would like Levante to become a workshop in which young, talented Spanish players are crafted. Just like Barcelona, you know, la Masia and such. How are the youth facilities here?"
"Well, the positive thing about them is that... They exist. I can't recall anything positive about them more than that. I feel there's not a single youth player ready to join the first team this year, let alone one promising enough to be a starter."
"Kasey, look at what we'll be doing. We'll be investing, OK? I'm not the one to have financial problems. We'll rebuild all the youth facilities from scratch if needed, but we will start producing young stars soon enough.
From the next season, I'd like to see three youth players promoted to the first team per season, and at least one of them should remain and join the first team rotation. Could you do this?"
"Well, Bill... No, nevermind. We'll do it."
"Don't be afraid to ask, even to answer back should you feel like doing it. I'm not your average grumpy old chairman that feels he's always right because he's the one putting the money in. I might be old, but I'm still young at heart and open to dialogue and suggestions. So, fire away."
"We could surely try, but the next season will be vital for us: rumour has it that it will be the last season of La Liga as we know it. You know, UEFA are discussing the Superleague thing and it might aswell be that there will be some requirements to fulfill if we want to be in, like ending mid-table or above. I don't think it's really wise to just gamble on youths, especially given the current state of our academy."
"You see Kasey? that's why I'm open to suggestions. I'd really love you to try and do so anyways, but I'll keep in mind what you said. You have my word on it. And well, consider this season as a testing ground: do, undo, experiment... Whatever you wish. I've heard you're willing to try a 3-at-the-back approach: go on, I'm eager to see what happens."
I don't know what to say dear journal. It all seems too good to be true but hey, maybe it is true. Only time will tell my friend, meanwhile we're getting ready for the next matches: the three at the back setup is almost ready, it will soon be time to deploy it.
Well... good to see that Bill gives you time to experiment.
Anyway... lately the results aren't good but I don't think you should worry about relegation. You are closer to Europa League spots in terms of points.
Well... good to see that Bill gives you time to experiment.
Thanks guys! And yes, he gave us time to experiment and apparently the experiments are going in the right direction:
What I don't really like is that we only managed a draw against Eibar, who are currently struggling not to be relegated... But we also managed a point against Real Madrid, who on the other side are fighting for the title.
Well, UEFA are holding a preliminary meeting in April*, hopefully everything will become more clear then. Stay tuned!
* FINE TEXT ALERT:
I'm by no means buying time, I mean, everything is already defined and ready to go and... Screw that, I have absolutely no idea about how to overcome the last couple of hurdles, but I'm working on it. I haven't given up on the idea yet even if making all the pieces nicely fall into place is more difficult than it seemed at the beginning, especially because FIFA 17 is absolutely not mod-friendly.
some brilliant results there that should push you up the table
Yeah, things are definitely improving. I still don't know if it was indeed the side backs needing some rest, or just that the defence is more compact with the three at the back formation we've been using lately.
Still, the results had us climb up the table a bit so it's safe to say that we'll be sticking with that formation:
Things seem to be picking up, very impressive. Position in the table not changed much but you're looking a lot healthier in terms of points. can afford to look up a bit. Only 5 points between you and 5th.
As others have said. Much improved. The 3 back system seems to be working wonders for you. 5 points from European glory
Thanks guys! Yeah, qualification to UEFA Europa League is something I would seriously consider at this stage.
Bad thing is, we aren't conceding as much as before anymore, but we are also scoring less: three at the back means no fullbacks which in turn means no players overlapping and the difference in terms of scoring opportunities is pretty noticeable. I've also tried a 3-4-3 for the match against Sevilla to have side midfielders and wingers, but it was not balanced at all, despite having two CDM's:
While this is not totally a bad run (I mean, we faced Sevilla which are currently in a spot worth UCL football and Valencia which are still better than us, at least on paper) it's our difficulty to score against Zaragoza that upset me. It's true that they played very tight at the back and that there has been little to no space for us upfront, but still they're currently rock bottom in the table and we should've done better.
Regarding the penalty, there's not much to say: we were given one in Zaragoza which shouldn't have been awarded, this time we've been denied one that should've been given. The two things almost even out.
Yeah, we coud do better against Zaragoza but given the opposition we didn't fare bad after all.
Meanwhile, it looks like MARCA got hold of a couple of leaked slides about the ECSL...
ECSL IS NEAR: WE HAVE THE PROOF!
Dear readers, you may have heard rumours about the so-called Superleague, and MARCA today can confirm you not only that it will soon be upon us, but that everything is almost decided. While not knowing much yet, we happened to stumble upon two leaked slides that will allegedly be discussed at the UEFA meeting later this month. Let's see them together:
First of all, from this slide we can understand the following things: the name of the competition will be European Club SuperLeague (ECSL from now on), and it will feature 92 teams divided into four tiers.
Apparently the teams will come from 22 nations, each of which will bring a different number of teams basing on the UEFA ranking for nations. Spain, for example, will bring 18 teams, 5 of which will enter the Tier 1. England will contribute with 16, Germany with 12 and so on. According to the insider who provided us with the slides, UEFA didn't provide entry rules for the teams: it will be down to the national federations to decide which teams to register. The ECSL will start in the 2016/17 season and the RFEF, according to the insider, will register 15 teams from the 2015/16 Liga BBVA and the three best teams from the 2015/16 Liga Adelante.
The first year will see a fixed scheme, with Tier 1 made by 5 teams from Spain, 4 from England, 3 from Germany, 2 from Italy, France and Holland and 1 from Portugal and Belgium. From the second season, promotions and relegations will be free.
The second slideshow demonstrates the possible new structure of the Champions League and of the Europa league. All the 92 teams will allegedly participate in both of them, with the UEL being more focused on developing the youth players.
The interesting thing is that the top 4 teams of the Tier 1 will join the all-new Club World League, of which we know nothing yet, while the 5th to 8th would join the FIFA Shield which, according to the slide, hasn't been approved by FIFA yet.
What this will mean for domestic leagues is still unknown, but according to our source FIFA and UEFA are working together to give some 'byes' to teams winning the domestic tournaments to participate in the FCWL or in the FS even if they're not playing in the ECSL. But this is pure speculation.
Interesting idea and very official looking presentation. I like it.
Thanks! Glad you liked the idea... It's not 100% ready yet but now I know how to overcome the last hurdles, probably. It would take forever to set up without CM but it can be done!
By the way, hopefully you also like the latest results as much as you liked the ECSL idea:
The undefeated run apaprently is still going on... I wonder if we can keep it going till the end of the season (four matches left), it would be some sort of achievement!
Much better results now. That ECSL-idea sounds promising but that would mean you already know that either Levantw will be in it, or you're gonna switch teams #speculation
Pretty confident you can keep the run going for the last 4 matches
Yeah, that's what we're trying to do. But to be honest, even if we don't succeed, I believe we demonstrated something. We're way more solid at the back than we were before and this surely helped us biuld some momentum.
Much better results now. That ECSL-idea sounds promising but that would mean you already know that either Levantw will be in it, or you're gonna switch teams #speculation
Really liking the look of those confidential documents, both graphics wise and the premise
Thanks! About the ECSL subject, well... Spain will have a fair amount of teams and I absolutely expect Levante to finish mid-table at least in the next season, so to be in. And if we won't... Managers can be fired after all!
Thanks for the support, it's important for me at the moment as almost certainly getting everything set up will be a little more difficult than I believed... But there's still the 2015/16 season to play before... And there's still the 2014/15 to end, even if it's almost concluded:
Rated E For Everyone.
Comments
Now that I think about it after the usual "cooldown" period, probably one of the most entertaining and emotional matches I had in FIFA 15. And I tend to get emotional at times, I just jumped on the sofa a couple of times during it...
We're working on it. We were too, too weak defending on the flanks lately and I'm planning to switch to a three-at-the-back formation and to let Vyntra and Karampelas recover some energies.
After all also El Adoua, Cabrera and Rodas are on the payroll so it's about time they show what they can do to deserve their salaries.
Meanwhile, we dropped to 14th... And Barcelona are climbing up like there's no tomorrow:
March has just got underway and something incredible has just happened. I've received many messages especially from the fans after my sentence about the table. It became almost viral, I didn't really expect it! Among these messages of concern, though there was one that made me think: So I'm not the only one who thinks so... It's true that we're currently in 14th position, but things are surely going to change soon. And no, not how my old friends, the Plonkers, hope:
That's right dear journal: Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder and former chairman, is the new owner of the team I'm managing. While it's great to have a fellow American on board, I was a little worried about his football knowledge so I was a bit nervous when he called me in his office.
Now, imagine this office with a big wall of glass through which you can see the training ground. Much like the one Sigi had at the Sounders, more or less. Imagine me entering, shaking hands with him and sitting down.
"So Kasey, anything you want to tell me?"
"Well Mr. Gates, not really. It's just nice to meet you."
"Please, don't call me Mr. Gates. Just call me Bill, like my friends do."
"Got it, Bill... So, what are your plans for the team? I'm just curious to hear them."
"You know what we did at Microsoft, and what Satya and the guys do now. Don't you? We innovate. That's what I want you to do here at Levante. I would like Levante to become a workshop in which young, talented Spanish players are crafted. Just like Barcelona, you know, la Masia and such. How are the youth facilities here?"
"Well, the positive thing about them is that... They exist. I can't recall anything positive about them more than that. I feel there's not a single youth player ready to join the first team this year, let alone one promising enough to be a starter."
"Kasey, look at what we'll be doing. We'll be investing, OK? I'm not the one to have financial problems. We'll rebuild all the youth facilities from scratch if needed, but we will start producing young stars soon enough.
From the next season, I'd like to see three youth players promoted to the first team per season, and at least one of them should remain and join the first team rotation. Could you do this?"
"Well, Bill... No, nevermind. We'll do it."
"Don't be afraid to ask, even to answer back should you feel like doing it. I'm not your average grumpy old chairman that feels he's always right because he's the one putting the money in. I might be old, but I'm still young at heart and open to dialogue and suggestions. So, fire away."
"We could surely try, but the next season will be vital for us: rumour has it that it will be the last season of La Liga as we know it. You know, UEFA are discussing the Superleague thing and it might aswell be that there will be some requirements to fulfill if we want to be in, like ending mid-table or above. I don't think it's really wise to just gamble on youths, especially given the current state of our academy."
"You see Kasey? that's why I'm open to suggestions. I'd really love you to try and do so anyways, but I'll keep in mind what you said. You have my word on it. And well, consider this season as a testing ground: do, undo, experiment... Whatever you wish. I've heard you're willing to try a 3-at-the-back approach: go on, I'm eager to see what happens."
I don't know what to say dear journal. It all seems too good to be true but hey, maybe it is true. Only time will tell my friend, meanwhile we're getting ready for the next matches: the three at the back setup is almost ready, it will soon be time to deploy it.
Anyway... lately the results aren't good but I don't think you should worry about relegation. You are closer to Europa League spots in terms of points.
I wonder what will happen with the Superleague.
What I don't really like is that we only managed a draw against Eibar, who are currently struggling not to be relegated... But we also managed a point against Real Madrid, who on the other side are fighting for the title.
Well, UEFA are holding a preliminary meeting in April*, hopefully everything will become more clear then. Stay tuned!
* FINE TEXT ALERT:
Screw that, I have absolutely no idea about how to overcome the last couple of hurdles, but I'm working on it. I haven't given up on the idea yet even if making all the pieces nicely fall into place is more difficult than it seemed at the beginning, especially because FIFA 17 is absolutely not mod-friendly.
Still, the results had us climb up the table a bit so it's safe to say that we'll be sticking with that formation:
I'll also follow these UEFA meetings with interest.
3 actually. The 6th position is a EL spot in LaLiga. The other one is for the Copa winner.
Bad thing is, we aren't conceding as much as before anymore, but we are also scoring less: three at the back means no fullbacks which in turn means no players overlapping and the difference in terms of scoring opportunities is pretty noticeable. I've also tried a 3-4-3 for the match against Sevilla to have side midfielders and wingers, but it was not balanced at all, despite having two CDM's:
While this is not totally a bad run (I mean, we faced Sevilla which are currently in a spot worth UCL football and Valencia which are still better than us, at least on paper) it's our difficulty to score against Zaragoza that upset me. It's true that they played very tight at the back and that there has been little to no space for us upfront, but still they're currently rock bottom in the table and we should've done better.
Regarding the penalty, there's not much to say: we were given one in Zaragoza which shouldn't have been awarded, this time we've been denied one that should've been given. The two things almost even out.
Well, the UEFA meeting is supposed to be held soon... Maybe if we're lucky they'll solve the last problems with the new competition.
Meanwhile, it looks like MARCA got hold of a couple of leaked slides about the ECSL...
ECSL IS NEAR: WE HAVE THE PROOF!
Dear readers, you may have heard rumours about the so-called Superleague, and MARCA today can confirm you not only that it will soon be upon us, but that everything is almost decided. While not knowing much yet, we happened to stumble upon two leaked slides that will allegedly be discussed at the UEFA meeting later this month. Let's see them together:
Apparently the teams will come from 22 nations, each of which will bring a different number of teams basing on the UEFA ranking for nations. Spain, for example, will bring 18 teams, 5 of which will enter the Tier 1. England will contribute with 16, Germany with 12 and so on. According to the insider who provided us with the slides, UEFA didn't provide entry rules for the teams: it will be down to the national federations to decide which teams to register. The ECSL will start in the 2016/17 season and the RFEF, according to the insider, will register 15 teams from the 2015/16 Liga BBVA and the three best teams from the 2015/16 Liga Adelante.
The first year will see a fixed scheme, with Tier 1 made by 5 teams from Spain, 4 from England, 3 from Germany, 2 from Italy, France and Holland and 1 from Portugal and Belgium. From the second season, promotions and relegations will be free.
The interesting thing is that the top 4 teams of the Tier 1 will join the all-new Club World League, of which we know nothing yet, while the 5th to 8th would join the FIFA Shield which, according to the slide, hasn't been approved by FIFA yet.
What this will mean for domestic leagues is still unknown, but according to our source FIFA and UEFA are working together to give some 'byes' to teams winning the domestic tournaments to participate in the FCWL or in the FS even if they're not playing in the ECSL. But this is pure speculation.
But these news are huge. Definitely an interesting idea. Eastern European clubs won't like it much though...
By the way, hopefully you also like the latest results as much as you liked the ECSL idea:
The undefeated run apaprently is still going on... I wonder if we can keep it going till the end of the season (four matches left), it would be some sort of achievement!
Thanks! About the ECSL subject, well... Spain will have a fair amount of teams and I absolutely expect Levante to finish mid-table at least in the next season, so to be in. And if we won't... Managers can be fired after all!
Thanks for the support, it's important for me at the moment as almost certainly getting everything set up will be a little more difficult than I believed... But there's still the 2015/16 season to play before... And there's still the 2014/15 to end, even if it's almost concluded: