Its been a roller coaster at Espanyol this season. Manager Glen Mullan who joined from Napoli midway through last season recieved his first full contract with the stipulation of at least a 14th place finish. The squad in general had a decent 1-11 but was always going to struggle with depth and the loss of Sergio Aguero who retired at the end of last season.

The first half of the season was a struggle with Espanyol struggling for goals,and it was only the heroics of Handanovic and the defence keeping the team out of the relegation zone after game 19 saw the club in 17th and with only 21 points. Never affraid to dip into the transfer market, sell key players/assets, Mullan acted swiftly and added Wijnaldrum, Firmino and Suarez to the ranks, sacrificing Oyarzabal, Merino, Pino and Morata.

This proved to be the Catalyst of a much improved second half of the season with the club picking up 37 points from the last 19 games to climb to an unlikely finish of 6th. This included going 16 games unbeaten in the league and Europe and also winning 13 on the trot. In that run the team claimed victories over Chelsea, Porto, Real Madrid and Bayern, whilst also drawing with Juventus.

The grand finale saw Espanyol beat Arsenal in the European Shield 2-0 to secure the clubs first ever trophy and crown an amazing first full season for the manager.

The team ended the season with a run of 8 straight clean sheets and 26 clean sheets for the season giving the team one of the meanest defences in the league.

As the season ends Espanyol have once again completed all their transfer business ahead of next season.

OUT - Alese, Colpani, Charpentier, Gardner-Hickman, Niguez, Vlasic, Barco, Akturkoglu, Aaronson, Suarez, Herrera, Onyango, Nishikawa, Wels, James.

IN Correa, Fofana, Ocampos, Lukeba, Seidu, Aioani, Prestianni, Galarza, Le Douaron, Biancone, Duro, Witzel.

"We got our business done early last pre season and have opted to do so again. We've let some top talent go, but those who are arriving have improvement in them. We do a lot of deals to keep evolving, we have used both internal and external markets, sometimes over paying with the knowledge that in the main most of the squad is under 25. Our reward for exceeding our contract is a free hit next season. We are using this time to move on some players in their Veteran stage, with the focus on players who can improve. Finishing 6th this season which contractually has exceeded where we were estimated to be after 3 seasons gives us a lot of satisfaction given the time and effort we've all put in to keep us evolving. We have sold a few rating and will need some luck on the updates to ensure we dont take too much of a hit next season. Winning the cup, is the icing on the cake and a trophy I won't forget as my first in top100."

With an SMFA European shield Final to come against Arsenal and a 6th place finish in the league secured, the Espanyol supporters and management team are thrilled with whats been one of the clubs best ever seasons.

Last nights 2-0 victory over the Champions Chelsea, set a new club record 7 straight league wins, but also extended the teams unbeaten run to 15. Having only took 21 points from the first 19 games this season, to secure 37 points from the last 19 is some turn around.

There have been some major highlights this season including victories over Chelsea, Real Madrid and Porto, whilst the run to the clubs first ever cup final, has the club daring to dream that they may win their first ever trophy.

A team built on a mean defence with the 4th best defense in division 1, has now found ways to score with veteran striker Luis Suarez recording impressive figures of 11 goals since his mid-season arrival. Meanwhile the manager statistically now holds the clubs best points to game ratio of any manager who has managed Espanyol. When we consider all his games have been in division 1, it makes that stat even more impressive given the club has spent many of the 17 seasoms in top 100 in the lower divisions.

"We were set a contractual finish of 14th this season and next, with a 12th place in season 3. I think when we put that into perspective, to finish 6th in division 1 in the first of these 3 seasons shows how far we've come in my first full season here. Some pretty big clubs, with big stars have finished lower, whilst we've taken 4 points from Chelsea, 4 from Real Madrid, 3 from Porto and also drawn with Juventus. Our close season business is also already agreed which has us looking forward to a quiet break. Monday is a big night for us as we play Arsenal in the cup final, we go into the game in great form, although we are under no illusions how difficult this match will be. We've set our own bar very high here, and have needed to work the transfer market hard to try and remain competitive, whilst keeping one eye on the future. Next season promises to be an even tougher season with all teams continuing to strengthen in their quest to shorten the gaps between the bottom teams and top teams. Some excellent sides are coming up from division 2, whilst we have to ensure we are not next seasons Hertha Berlin, who secured a high finish last season only to get relegated this time around. Since joining top100 its been a slog, from the days of struggling with Napoli to coming to Espanyol and trying to build a team which can compete with the elite. As a Manager i'm confident in my own ability, building successful teams is something i've been accustomed to over the last 12 years. Top100 has certainly been one of my tougher challenges, but its one I enjoy. I have my own style and dont get hung up on any particular player. I'm not affraid to sell my best players, or top young players, if it keeps us competitive. Balance is everything to me, which is probably why we've not suffered with player concerns, i'd rather trade a player who is not a regular than risk them growing unhappy and then lose their potential trade value."

Espanyols 2-0 win over Bayern Munich moved the spanish side into 10th with three games to go, which is a big turnaround from their first half season form.

At the halfway point of the season Espanyol picked up just 21 points from 19 games and looked destined to be embroiled in a relegation battle. The gaffer acted on the teams slump by strengthening the team, which has seen an impressive return of 28 points from the last 15 matches, and a run to the SMFA European Semi finals where they will meet Bayern tonight.

Mullan showed at Napoli that his sides are always good defensively and that is evident this season at Espanyol with the team having the 5th best defensive record with just 35 conceded. Goals at the other end have started to go in too following the arrivals of Suarez, Firmino and Vlasic. As things stand the club is on course to surpas they close season expectations of a 14th place finish.

Squad wise although some experience has been added, Espanyol have 37 players 25 or under including 18 youth players. Of these Mullan has high hopes for a number of these.

Adam Buksa - he is 25 now but clubs in Italy, France and Germany are monitoring his progress after his impressive form in the MSL and his 5 goals in 5 games this season for Poland as Lewandowski's strike partner. His stock is rising and although still some way off impacting the first team he has potential to get a decent rating from his 85 if he gets the big move and continues to thrive on the international scene.

Kerem Akturkoglu- An impressive season in Turkey with Galatasaray and the international set up , he is expected to move to france this summer. He is an exciting prospect who can create and score goals, and a decent move will propel his status and should have him in and around the first team over the next 18 months.

Jan Paul Van Hecke - after a successful loan at Blackburn where he was crowned their player of the year, he is expected to have a breakthrough season at Brighton next season. Despite the riches of defenders in the dutch set up, this past season has seen him get his first under 21 recognition for Holland. "Having watched him live all season, i really think ge can go all the way to the top. He is so composed on the ball and reminds me very much of Vincent Kompany, he is going to continue to rise in value and will become lomg term a regurlar at the heart of our defence"

Brenden Aaronson- Rumoured to be joining Leeds for just under 30 million, his stock continues to rise. Although his long term future may not be at Espanyol as we see him as a big tradeable asset in our quest to add another first team ready centre back, we are certainly not going to push him through the door and are happy to see him continue to rise in ratings.

"This is my first full season at Espanyol and we've pulled off some impressive results against many of the top teams. We are a dangerous opponent for anyone, as we have that quality in the final third, whilst being able to hold our own in midfield. Rating wise, defensively we are weaker than most, however statistically having the 5th best defensive record would point to us having the right balance. We are a long way off being a top 4 side, thats going to take some time, however providing we can keep moving forwards and show progression each season I will be pleased. The updates are going to be important in terms of when some players drop, whilst overs go up. Hopefully we have some cross over so that the gap between player ratings as a whole decreases. We have four goalkeepers now but Handonovic is way out in front on ratings. We believe in the other three, and need the updates to be kind so they can close that rating gap to an acceptable level before Handonovic retires.

Next season we are not expecting to be very active in the transfer market, bar a couple of defenders we are relatively content with our squad. Stability is key now in terms of player churn, The division is getting harder and harder with good teams going down and good teams coming up. I think some continuity going forwards will stand us in good stead."

The two form teams of Division 1 met in the derby as Espanyol arrived at the Nou camp looking to halt Barcelona's resurgence in the title race, whilst trying to cement their own hopes of qualifying for Europe. The away team welcomed back Firmino after his three match ban, but were without influential midfield enforcer Wijnaldrum and left back Alonso. Espanyol tweaked their formation to accomodate Firmino's return and started the game very well.

For the first 20 minutes Espanyol took the game to the homeside with Saul Niguez dictating the midfield and pulling the strings which Barcelona were struggling to contain. Half chances for Niguez and Suarez and bookings for Bellerin and Son were the main highlights of the opening exchanges.

Benzema and Mane then both went clise to breaking the deadlock but couldnt find a way past Handanovic who was once again showing his importance to Espanyol. The breakthrough came in the 40th Minute as one time Espanyol target Odegaard struck a free kick under the wall which beat Handanovic hands down and sent the home crowd wild. It was cruel luck on Espanyol who had more than matched their talented rivals.

The second half was a scrappy affair, as Barcelona continued to kick lumps out of Espanyol which resulted in Lodi being sent off. No further goals came for either team and the result sees Barcelona join Chelsea at the top of the league although second just on goal difference. Espanyol drop down to 10th although are very much in the thick of things in terms of European qualification.

After the game it was revealed that Espanyol's big signing Firmino who has managed just three games in over a month since signing, picked up a bad injury and will miss at least the next four games, D'ambrosio also picked an injury to add to the clubs growing absentee list.

"on paper it was always going to be a tough ask. We ended up having to change our formation and move players into different positions to the ones which had seen us go on this good run. That being said 1-0 against the reigning champions away from home is not the worse result in the world. I'm growing frustrated with the injuries and suspensions though. Every match we have 2 or 3 key players out and just as one comes back you lose another couple. A team like ours can ill afford to be without the likes of Firmino, Wijnaldrum and Suarez. However since arriving all three have missed more games than they've actually played. Hopefully over the next few weeks that can change and all our players can be available for the run in. The table is tight with only a couple of points separating the top 3. I think beyond those three teams, everything is very much up for grabs and its a case of who can put consistency together. We need to get this game out of our system and try and get back to winning ways against Dortmund. At present I dont think many look forwards to playing us. We dont concede many, but have match winners in our squad who on their day can hurt any team. We've recieved two interesting offers for Saul Niguez this week as other teams look to improve their line ups for the run in, however we've rejected both as they dont meet our valuation. All our business is done for the rest of this season with no ins or outs being santioned. We want to cement our own place in the top 10 and have no interest in weakening the team for the run in"

6 wins , 3 draws, 9 unbeaten what a difference a month makes in top100?

Espanyol recorded their biggest win of the season with an impressive 4-0 home win against a good Hertha Berlin side.

Before the game the Espanyol manager spoke about players unavailable but also the impact Vlasic had made since his arrival from Porto. It took just 15 minutes of this fixture for Vlasic to hit the headlines again with a sublime finish in the top scorer after being tee'd up by fellow new arrival Luis Suarez. Niguez went close to making it 2-0 , before another new recruit Ilicic found Weigl who smashed home to extend the home sides lead. It was bittersweet for the manager who had moved Weigl back into midfield from defence to fill in for the absent Wijnaldrum. Hertha had a few half chances to get back in the game before a penalty was awarded on the hour mark, and Suarez made no mistake from the spot to put Espanyol 3-0 up and put the game to bed. In the 65th minute the impressive Vlasic found Suarez who expertly finished to send the home crowd wild and with it conplete the scoring at 4-0.

"every game is tough, even more so when you have players out, however today everything just clicked. It was a painful wait, waiting for Suarez to be available following his transfer to the club. He arrived needing to serve a 3 match ban, but since serving that he has 3 goals in 3 games and a couple of assist. His contribution has made a massive difference. The quality delivery from wide areas that Ilicic and Vlasic have brought too, has us in a really good place at present. The only negative from the game was Alonso getting a booking which means he is now added to the list of players unavailable. We have Barcelona the champions next who are in excellent form. A derby game, and one you'd like to be at full strength for, however its not going to be the case. However we go there under no pressure, in great form and looking to keep our own run of good form going. A month ago we were sat down in 18th place, we were struggling to score goals and in real danger of being embroiled in a relegation scrap. That win against Hertha has now allowed us to open up a 14 gap on 18th whilst putting us in contention for a place in Europe. There is 14 games to go, 42 points to play for and we will be going all guns now to try and secure as many points possible to see if we can exceed this seasons expectations of 14th"

Espanyol pulled off another shock result as they beat Real Madrid at the Bernabau. Espanyol who came into the game bang in form raced into a 3 nil lead with Suarez getting his first goal for the club, Herrera his first goal since his return and Niguez also finding the net. Suarez also had a goal chalked off for offside, as the away side dominated. Real did get a couple of goals back in the last 15 minutes which coincided with Espanyol taking key players off. It set up a nervy finish, but Espanyol held on to take their unbeaten run to 8 games and with it, move up to 10th.

"We were really on it for the first 75 minutes, creating chances which thankfully we put away. Sadly for us Wijnaldrum has picked up an injury and will miss the next few games. With Bardhi also injured and Firmino still suspended, this puts a strain on the team and limits our options. We play Hertha Berlin next followed by Barcelona, so these injuries couldn't have come at a worse time for us. We've moved 11 points clear of the drop, which gives us some much needed breathing space. Our focus now is trying to finish as high as we can. With a full team, we can cause anyone problems which our results so far this season have shown. We are still waiting to be able to put a full strength side out, since our new arrivals came, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out. We wont make changes for the sake of it, and those playing well will keep the shirts. Its upto the likes of Firmino, Bardhi etc to try and dislodge those doing ever so well. Suarez has started well with two solid games in Firmino's absence, and will continue to lead the line whilst in form"

After registering just 13 points from their first 15 games, Espanyols season has kicked into life recording 15 points from their last 7 games, in which they have remained unbeaten.

In a season which has been built on a solid defence, the goals are starting to go in at the other end.

Tonight Espanyol beat Standard Liege 2-1 with Joe Gomez and Ilicic on debut bagging the goals. Espanyol went into the match without new talisman Firmino who started a 3 match ban, but were able to call on the services of Luis Suarez for the first time since signing, who had a good debut coming up with an assist. The result moved Espanyol to a season high of 12th in the table, 8 points clear of the drop zone.

"we have come out of an awful run of form, which saw us drop into the relegation zone, and are now in the best form since I arrived. We are picking up points against good sides, whilst more importantly getting the important points against the sides we are expected to beat. We continue to turn players over as a trading club, but for the first time since I came we have genuine options up front with Firmino, Suarez and Ilicic capable of leading the line. We've still 38 players aged 27 or under, so have not dropped our objective of lowering the overall age of the squad. We continue to tweek tactically in every match and its paying dividends at the moment. We've some tough games coming up, but we've certainly given ourselves every chance of securing our season objective of 14th. We are still suffering with injuries and suspensions with Rodriguez now added to Firmino and Bardhi in being unavailable. However it gives someone else a chance to come in a stake a claim, and make that shirt their own"