2017
Youth Cup / Shield Knock Out Format
As per last year but will be as follows.
Top 4 in each group go through to knock outs. Top 8 group winners get a bye and home tie in Youth Cup 3rd Round… Best 4 3rd places progress to Youth Cup.
Losers in Youth Cup 2nd Round will drop down to the Youth Shield.
Saturday 11th November and Wednesday 15th November will be sub days for any fixtures that need completing.
The Future 1st XI!
With an essay on “Renewable Energy in Cars” due for Monday, I thought now would be a good time to not do that, but to write a piece on our potential future 1st team at Espanyol. Having worked hard for 175 games over a year and a half on the squad, I have seen our 1st team improve from 87s around the pitch with a few 86s here and there and maybe the odd veteran 88 to a squad stocked with talent with 4 players rated 90, all of which are 30 or younger. However, for me its not all about the starting eleven and I have also tried to build a team with depth in risers and high potential youngsters. That said, this is my current future eleven who are 24-years-old or younger.
GK)
Andriy Lunin. 18. Zorya Luhansk. (£630k)
As a free agent signing, I really had nothing to lose in this deal. Lunin joined Zorya from Dnipro this summer after breaking into the first team in the 16/17 season. I expected him to face tough opposition for a 1st team spot at his new club who are a notably stronger team and also play in the Europa League. He has started off far better than I expected and has been the number 1 keeper in the side having missed only 4 games in all competitions. 11 league games, 3 Europa League starts and a cup match take his total to 15 starts, which at 18 is very promising. His European performances have also been strong with an average rating of 7.26 in a group featuring Athletic Bilbao and Hertha Berlin. He has also been outstanding in the youth cup for Fenerbahce where he is on loan in Top 100 where he has earned 4 man of the match awards in just 8 games. So far Lunin is looking set to have a very bright future and if he continues in his current form he may earn himself another move up. I’m hoping to keep him while he develops and hopefully he can work his way up into our 1st team.
CB)
Milos Veljkovic. 22. Bremen. (£2.7 million)
Since joining from Bremen at the start of season 6, I’ve been waiting for him to continue his rise. Having made 10 appearances for Bremen this season he is getting decent game time, however, the side are struggling and he has missed the last 2 games as the manager is trying to find new solidity in the team. However, following a 3-0 loss to Augsburg he may be given his chance again due to poor performances from his replacements. His average rating of 6.62 isn’t anything special but is not overly poor either. At 22 he still has time to progress further and is at a team which have the potential for him to grow. However, for him to reach his peak ability the team must also improve. I hope Bremen and Veljkovic can both pick up their performances and get back on track.
CB)
Stefan Posch. 20. Hoffenheim. (£270k)
After choosing to sign Florian Baak over Stefan Posch at the start of the season, I went back to pick up the 20-year-old in mid October. Joining for £599k, Posch is one I’m very excited about. He started the season in the Hoffenheim second team but following injuries he was promoted to the senior team. He has started 3 league games as well as two Europa League matches where he has averaged a rating of 6.83. At 20 years old he has made a good start and taken his opportunities well. I hope he can continue to play in and around the first team and if he can keep up his play he will develop quickly. I believe he has the potential to grow into a solid first team player in real life and in the game.
CB)
Nathan Ake. 22. Bournemouth. (£10.8 million)
As an already well developed and well known defender in the premier league, Ake is one the closest to being in our first team right now. He hasn’t yet joined us from Boca Juniors but will when his ban is up and will hopefully get a rise soon after. Despite Bournemouth currently sitting 19th in the league, Ake is still one clubs will be following. With an average of 6.81 in 10 games he is showing he still has a lot to give. At 22 his development is far from done and he was even able to pick up game time at Chelsea before he moved. I hope that the team turn their season around to climb to safety, but expect that if they are relegated he will secure a move to another premiere league side. I believe he could be in our first team as early as the next reviews but his teams position may limit his rise. Either way he will be a key player in the long term success of Espanyol.
RWB)
Nacho Vidal. 22. Valencia. (£270k)
With a number of other teams interested, I was lucky to sign Vidal for just £3.9 million. Having moved from Valencia B to the first team in the summer, it looked unlikely that he would make much of an impact, however, he featured in the first two games of the season and has played in three other matches for the team who sit 2nd in LaLiga. He offers the team an alternative option to Martin Montoya and has an average rating of 7.18 in his starts. At just 22 he still has a lot of time to progress and develop, and from early signs it looks as though he has a lot of potential and is already at a team who can help him build as a player. I’d like to see him pick up a bit more game time but considering he has only recently been promoted to the squad he is doing well. If he can remain grounded and avoid injury he will have a bright future.
LWB)
Ruben Aguilar. 24. Montpellier. (£810k)
Another free agent signing was Aguilar who cost just £1.2 million due to no other teams being interested. When I saw he was a free agent I was quite surprised, he has featured in 9 games this season for Montpellier and has filled three positions since joining from Auxerre in the summer. Despite the fact that he can’t play LB in game, I have him here as it’s the positon he has taken up more commonly with 4 of his games coming in this area. He has also featured at right back, right midfield and left midfield making him a versatile squad member. He has averaged a rating of 7.02 in his matches and an average of 7.69 while playing at left back. I expect Aguilar will continue to play in a versatile role, filling in where he is needed. He is at a decent side who can help his development but to really peak a move away may be needed at sometime in his career. His good start and consistent performances across a range of positions mean he is looking like a useful acquisition.
CDM)
Boubacar Kamara. 17. Marseille. (£540k)
One of the players that I’m most excited about in my squad is this young midfielder. At 17 he has already represented Marseille in senior games with 1 appearance in the league along with 3 full Europa league games in which he has averaged a rating of 7.3. He is also currently in the France U-19 squad having represented his nation at U-17 and U-18 levels also. Kamara will have to keep in good form if he wants to retain his spot with other exciting midfielders in the side such as Sanson, Lopez, and Zambo Anguissa all competing for positions also. However, at just 17 I am sure this players future is bright. Having broken into the 1st team of one of Europe’s top teams and playing two years up for the national side he is already showing his worth. A good rise is surely heading his way and hopefully he can continue to develop over the next few seasons and I’m sure he will be pushing for a 1st team spot at Espanyol.
CM)
Abdoulaye Doucoure. 24. Watford. (£5.4 million)
Back with us for his second spell at the club, Doucoure has always been one I wanted to bring back and luckily we picked him up just before the start of the 17/18 season where he is beginning to show his talent. He played 23 games last season for Watford but struggled to help the team who looked likely to dance with relegation. This season, however, the team and Doucoure look different. With 10 games gone Watford are 6th and Doucoure has been one of their standout performers with an average rating of 7.14 and 4 goals from his midfield role. I believe he will be able to maintain his good form and could be pushing for a 1st team spot for us very soon. His ability to play in an attacking or defensive role and physical presence makes him very useful in the midfield which could attract attention from bigger teams. I believe he has the potential to help Watford move to the next level or to help a slightly more successful side out if he gets a move.
A New Era Begins: Chopper Morris' Introductory Press Statement
Youth Cup Tables Round 9 and Final Round Preview
Here are the results from last night’s fixtures in the Youth Cup, along with updated tables, and what it means for the final round of group matches before the knockout Cup and Shield stages. Plus any manager updates and pre- and post-match press conferences comments.
Group1
Back to the football, and that leaves Group 1 looking like this (although it is still to be determined what to do about Madrid's results - personally, I think it is fairer to remove them all together, as if they had not been played, as Hamburg's position is only by virtue of Madrid's forfeit):
With Madrid and Basel both out of the competition, therefore, all four remaining teams presumably will qualify for the next stage.
Final round fixtures:
Saturday 4 November
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Group 2
Saturday 28 October
Athletic's draw with Kiev means they are out, while Benfica's victory over West Brom's seniors sends them through as group winners, as expected.
Standard Liege could now snatch second place from Sampdoria, if they can win in Spain next week, and Benfica win at home to Sampdoria.
Final round fixtures:
Saturday 4 November
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Group 3
Group 4
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Group 5
Still, the point is likely to be enough to seal top spot in the group for the Turin side, assuming they can match or better Napoli's result at Manchester City in th final round, when they travel to Besiktas.
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Group 6
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Group 7
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Final round fixtures:
Group 8
Villa manager Justice sentenced his team to another 0-3 loss and one point penalty, which all but ensures the Claret and Blues are out of the competition, too.
That win for Southampton gives them an outside chance, however unlikely, of finishing top of the group, if they can beat Chelsea at home and leaders Everton crumble at last placed Lyon.
Upcoming fixtures:
Group 9
Milan led from the 2nd minute until the 88th, but had to settle for a draw at home to leaders Anderlecht.
Genoa, flush with newly acquired young talent, overcame Brugge to record their first win of the campaign. They will need to pull off a shock win at Anderlecht next time out to have any chance of qualifying, though.
Torino beat Monchengladbach with an overage team, and so lose the game 0-3 and sacrifice what could be a vital point. Torino will want to beat Brugge next weekend in order to prevent any chance of Genoa sneaking past them into the fourth and final qualifying spot.
Final round fixtures:
Saturday 4 November
Group 10
All or Nothing at Espanyol!
The inability of the team to take their chances seems to be a regular occurence with most of their defeats coming from games which they have completely dominated. Only one team in the top half of the table has conceded more goals this season than Espanyol have, which has lead to questions asked of the defence and keeper, however, their attacking play has also been underwhelming with just 25 goals in the league despite a huge number of chances created. As expected at the start of the season, Iago Aspas has led the team in goals, assists and performance rating. In his 19 league appearances he has assisted 5 goals and netted 10 of his own putting him 3rd in the goal scoring tables. Luis Pizzi and Eduardo Salvio have also shown their worth to the club picking up 7 goals and 7 assists between them. Another stand out performer, despite fairly poor defensive displays, has been Nicolas Pareja who has contributed 4 goals so far which makes him the 3rd top scorer in the squad.
Despite several strong individual seasons, it still seems that most of the players have been struggling. The club were knocked out of the Shield in Round 1 after suffering a 3-1 loss to PSG and lost to Chelsea in Round 2 of the Cup after a bye in the first round. Similarly, poor results saw them drop out of the World Club Cup at the group stages after just 1 win out of 6 games. There are two players, however, who are experiencing cup success this season. Andriy Lunin and Ezequiel Barco have both featured in the Youth Cup while loaned out. Barco has picked up 3 assists and a goal for Sporting in 8 appearances while Lunin has been a standout performer for the Fenerbahce youth team by earning 4 man of the match awards in his 8 games. Earle has praised the two teenagers for their performances and has said he believes they have the potential to be first team players soon.
Earle has been unusually quiet in the transfer market during the season and has held faith in the players he brought in at the start of the season to do their jobs. The only first team addition was Joshua Guilavogui who joined from Marseille in mid September. However, due to the disappointing standing of the team, Earle has now made some changes. Club captain Roque Mesa has been sold to Boca Juniors in a deal which will see Nathan Ake join the Spaniards later in the season. To fill the midfield Earle has swooped in to sign Roberto Pereyra from Division 1 side Valencia. French duo Aldo Kalulu and Alexandre Mendy both left in the other direction and will be followed by Nacho Gil at the end of the month. Fans were shocked that Earle was able to convince Pereyra to join the club who are 4 Divisions below his former side. Jimmy Durmaz was also confirmed to be joining Espanyol after growing concerned at Malaga. Free agent Ruben Aguilar has also arrived in Espanyol for contract talks and is expected to sign later today. Espanyol have also been strongly linked with Miguel Veloso and are believed to have made several bids for the midfielder although it now seems that a move is off. Thomas Delaney is another who Earle has been chasing but so far no offers have been accepted. With some of the younger players in the squad moving their way up, some of the older members have also been Transfer Listed. Robert Snodgrass, Pedro Leon, Edgar Barreto and Juraj Kucka have all been told they can leave if the correct offers come in. The club have said that there are still a few players that they are looking to bring in if possible but they may struggle to attain some of their targets.
Despite the lacklustre performances so far, Earle has stated that he still believes the club will gain promotion due to the quality within the squad. With 57 points on offer in the final 19 games, Earle has set the team a target of 40 which should see them move up the table. A personal target has also been set for Iago Aspas to beat Anthony Modeste's goal record of 17 last season, and with 10 already to his name, he should be able to. With the added creativity of Pereyra in the middle and several other players starting to push for first team places, it looks as though they may be on the up. If the defence can tighten up and more chances are taken by the forwards then there is no reason the team cant move up the league and into automatic promotion spots.
Half time report.
Youth Cup Tables Round 8 and Final Rounds Preview
Here are the updated Youth Cup tables after round 8’s games last night, and a few comments from me on each of the groups - where we all stand and what could happen in the final two rounds of matches, bearing in mind that the top four in each group qualify for the next stages.
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5
Group 6
Group 7
Group 8
Group 9
Group 10
Ireland appoint Scot for make or break run in with England
The Republic of Ireland have appointed PSV Manager Garry Crawford as their new Head Coach before next months crucial qualifying match at group leaders Bosnia Herzegovina following the sudden departure of Martin O'neill which left their world cup preperations in Chaos.
Reports that O'neill, who left his post on friday for personal reasons, had recommended Crawford to the FAI were confirmed as Crawford was revealed at a press conference in Dublin tonight.
'I'm obviously delighted to be given this chance to step up into International management and thank both the FAI for making my dream come true and also Martin Oneill for the trust he's shown in me by recommending me to take over his team that I know means a lot to him. He's left us in a fantastic position sitting in second place in the table with only four games remaining and i just hope I can finish the job that he started and take these incredible fans to the World Cup.
Ireland currently sit second behind Bosnia on goal difference with both teams on 9 points, two points ahead of third placed England who were favourites to top the group before last months 1-0 defeat to Bosnia.
'Oviously all the talk has been about the showdown with England on December 8th, especially now Ireland have appointed a Scottish Manager which turns up the heat even more, but we are totally focused on the Bosnia game at the moment, and wont even think about England until after the 10th of November'.
Both Ireland and England know the next two games are vital in the race to qualify for China and this appointment will no doubt add even more pressure to the already under fire England boss Heath Brown.
Youth Cup Tables Round 7
Quick roundup of the latest Youth Cup tables.
To see the full list of results, forfeits (columns marked C) and round by round tables look here: https://goo.gl/MgZ5aP (each group has its own worksheet tab at the bottom, feel free to add comments!).
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5
Group 6
Group 7
Group 8
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Group 9
Group 10
PSV steal precious point in one sided Glasgow thriller
With Celtic sitting 3rd top and PSV sitting 3rd bottom in the current league standings, the Dutch cracks were going to need to be at their best to get anything from the game and avoid the type of defeat that the Celtic fans would no doubt be expecting
With the memory of last seasons 1-0 away win, in a result that kickstarted their sensational relegation avoiding run, PSV went into the match injury free and without the over riding fear that most visiting teams have when they face the Bhoys in front of their own fans.
Crawford knows the biggest factor in Glasgow is the incredible home support and told SMnews today that ’the biggest factor facing away teams going to Celtic Park is that incredible 12th man and the amazing lift they give their team over the opposition, but this team have went their before and taken all 3 points from them when they were going for promotion, my players were fearless that day and i just had to make sure i had them in the same frame of mind before they crossed the line on saturday’
Celtic, playing their normal 4-2-3-1-B formation, started the brighter and had the visitors on the backfoot almost straightaway but despite the huge share of possession (65%), the Dutch side managed to keet the game at 0-0 as the teams went off at the break.
The second half started in much the same way as the first half did with the visitors under constant pressure from Celtic’s attractive pressinge game until a moment of magic stunned the Glasgow crowd into silence once again when Camara fired them into the lead in the 59th minute.
Celtic upped the tempo almost immediately and pressed relentlessly for the equaliser and were rewarded with a well taken goal in the 81st minute from Chadli who was on the recieving end of a world class through ball from Saponara.
Celtic continued to press as they looked for the second goal to claim the 3 points their attacking play deserved, but the Scottish giants were dealt a hammer blow in the 87th minute when a two footed tackle by Paulinho on Stanovik earned the Brazilian midfielder a red card which seemed to knock the stuffing out of the home side allowing PSV some well needed breathing space as they played out the remainder of the game.
This result sees Celtic fall out of the top 4 and takes PSV to within 2 points of Marsailles who they play next on wednesday.