2024
Experience will be key
Espanyol have become accustomed to being the underdogs. Two seasons ago the club were promoted back to division 1 despite being favourites to be relegated from division 2 to 3. Last season was the same story, predicted to go down but retained their division 1 status despite an alarming end of season slump in form.
The Espanyol manager will embark on his 6th season out of 8 in the top flight, making him the clubs most successful manager, With the club previously having only spent two seasons in the top flight. The manager is also the clubs longest serving Manager.
Glen Mullan has wasted no time in getting his close season business underway with the focus on adding experience.
"We have our own model which we have noted others have tried to adopt which has proven successful in our time here. We look each season for 3 or 4 players who can bring experience and ratings to the first team, whilst protecting our main assets coming through the ranks. Obviously we've had to transition as we didn't have the assets when i arrived with me inheriting one of the oldest squads in the league and on the road to deep decline. Fast forward to our 8th season and we've some extremely talented young players chomping at the but to be the next wave to step up from the academy. This season we have secured Benzema, Firmino and Partey to help the first team out given we are once again tipped to go down. Scoring goals last season was never really an issue, it was defensively were we were caught short with our gk 87 and our defence 87.5. Nothing has changed on that front as we head into the new season, though we are hoping updates in these areas will be forthcoming to improve on the stats. We haven't set any targets bar achieve better than predicted. Division 1 will be extremely tough this season. With older players comes the risk of drops in ratings, with younger players comes the risk of upgrades which create concerns and ultimately puts you in a position of play them or lose them. We've seen with Aston Villa this past season that relegation can cost you your job even if its what was expected, so playing the younger players on concerns could have an adverse affect on you remaining in charge. It's all a big rubix cube, a puzzle with dilemmas and a transfer market which brings ridiculous expectations demands. Just this week the quotes on players well into their 30s are off the scale, when the market shows historically that at best if you get a top young player you've done well. Whilst young players people are wanting 3 or 4 big risers which carry a rating already. At some point these players will drop or retire and the opportunity of getting a future asset are gone. We've seen with Kroos in recent weeks how a retirement can rip a big hole in your team with no swap now available. MLS and Saudi clubs continue to track big name players with Van Dyke the latest big name emerging as a target amongst others. Their quest to attract the best don't just fall on older players, as young players are also the subject of interest. You can go to bed with a big asset and wake up owning a player who has lost 80% of sell on value. We feel quite fortunate that buying and selling is not a necesity given our academy set up is thriving and its offset well by older experienced players holding Fort in the first team. The upcoming updates are going to bring delight for some , but anger and distress to others, which will have a baring on each division and each clubs future outlook. Top100 remains ultra competitive and keeping the finger on the pulse this season, perhaps more than other seasons will be key for many teams"
Record Year for Leicester!
The Season
Leicester City made history this season, recording their highest Top 100 positioning of all time.
Following their promotion from Division 2 in season 19, Leicester finished 11th in their maiden D1 season. Hopes were high for the following season, but the club narrowly avoided relegation, with a 16th place finish. This season though, the Foxes have bounced back emphatically, securing 8th in the league, with the 4th best defensive record!
Leicester also won the Youth Shield adding further celebrations to the successful season.
The Future
Despite the progress, the work will not stop. Leicester are hopeful of cementing themselves as a Top 8 side, with an ambition to climb further as their young squad develops. Leicester City started the season with the 10th best squad in the entirety of Top 100. A monumental rise from Earle's first full season, where the squad was the 3rd worst in Top 100. The direction and squad both indicate the best is yet to come for Leicester fans!
It looks as thought the summer window will be quiet for Leicester with key players such as Odegaard, Tchouameni, Romero and Wirtz all signing extensions. The futures of Lewandowski and Jesus have remained in question, but it looks like the duo will remain for another push next season. And so here is how the squad looks for the Foxes currently!
The Squad
Ramsdale holds the starting spot in goal and it looks unlikely that will change. Leicester City do boast a talented trio as his back ups, in the form of Leysen, Loretz and Beadle, all of whom will be keen to impress wherever possible.
Defence is much more interesting with a host of options. The only clear cut option at the moment is Romero holding down the centre. It is likely, following the successful defensive displays last season, that Tchouameni will continue to be utilised along side Romero rather than in midfield. The duo created a formidable partnership last season which Earle will be keen to develop on. Timber, Kossounou and Van de Ven will all likely compete for spots at right back and left back, with one ultimately losing out unless Tchouameni returns to the midfield. Last season Timber and Van de Ven were the preferred options, but rumours suggest Kossounou is making major progress in training and could be set for a bigger role in the upcoming season! Diomande and Couto also add strong depth options in emergency situations.
In the midfield little will change. With Tchouameni deployed at CB, club captain Odegaard will be partnered by Camavinga. The pair worked well together when Odegaard dropped back from AM lasts season. If Tchouameni is to be pushed forward to CM again, it will mean a return to AM for Odegaard to lead from the front. Currently thought, it is Diaz who will occupy the creative space. Originally signed as a back up, Diaz had a stellar season with 5 goals and 7 assists, and has earnt a staring spot for the current season. The 24 year old is also reported to be improving majorly this Summer with his training taking a step up. The experienced Kevin Stoger was also added as a depth option for the coming season. Although it is unlikely he will see much of the field at all, the Austrian will be a mentor to the younger players and still has a lot to offer in Earle's eyes. Arda Guler will be looked to as one to take big steps this year. He had a great youth campaign and will hope for more senior chances this season.
The excitement remains up top for Leicester. Lewandowski is supplied by Jesus and the sensational Wirtz. Despite Lewandowski only joining midway through the season, the trio combined for 34 goals and 25 assists, a number they will look to build on next season. It is unclear exactly how they will like up at the moment, with Earle also experimenting with Diaz out wide as an attacking 4, and even adding Odegaard into the mix for an attacking 5, but one thing is for sure, which is Lewandowski will lead the line! Tel and Roque currently offer the explosive depth needed up front, with the youth duo able to turn a game quickly when needed. Both took advantage of their youth opportunities last season, meaning they will be in contention for 1st team minute moving forward.
Youth Success
Along with a record league season, Leicester also raised the Youth Shield for the 2nd time in their history. The road was anything but easy though with a disappointing group display and playoffs for the Youth Cup relegating the Foxes to the Shield.
Despite this the club made additions to bolster the team with Tel, Loretz, Akhomach, McGlynn and Valle all joining throughout the campaign.
Towards the end the team stated to click, and with an attacking quartet of Wirtz, Roque, Tel and Guler they scored 22 goals in their 8 Shield knock out games. Wirtz and Roque led the team with the German scoring 9 and assisting 8, whist the Brazilian scored 5 and assisted 10. What is most promising for the Youth Set up, is that only right back Couto has graduated to the senior team, meaning 10 of the Shield winning squad will return next season.
Division 2 Season 23 Stats and Facts
Will Inter double bounce?
Interestingly Inter are the only promoted or relegated club to feature in the play off positions or better. They should be mid table D1 and winning as champions is the minimum the fans expect.
Second in the stats are Sporting good attack and keeper, pehaps defence is the only weakness. Internacional are stronger up front but a little weaker still in midfield and defence. Stoke are a more balanced side but do lack the depth of some of their contenders.
Liverpool are the highest rated side with a sub 90 rated keeper, perhaps they could lose something to pick one up . Schalke will be hoping their strong attack keeps them in the playoff spots. You probably need 224.5 to survive D1 atm so if any of the other teams get promoted they will head back down again the next season.
Fenerbache, Valencia and Udinese should perform well in the cup.
220.5 or less would be around the cut off for relegation from D2 normally but the gap between the best and worst has narrowed considerably and the standard of the division is up around 0.2 on average. This leads to River Plate as being the only solid relegation candidates They have a good keeper but an weak defence needs reinforcements. Celtic are well balanced but lack depth , they could falter as the season goes on. Villa in a similar vein could double drop . WBA go for the top and tail which could keep them safe in what is likely to very tight with 7 team around about the 221 ranking and 6 more at around 222. In reality that means 13 teams with 1 or 2 rating points difference in the starting eleven. Management skill, form and luck will play a huge part in D2.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | |
| Internazionale (P) | 91.0 | 90.5 | 90.8 | 94.0 | 87.0 | 90.7 | 227.50 | 1 |
| Sporting CP | 90.0 | 89.8 | 90.6 | 92.0 | 86.0 | 89.7 | 225.20 | 2 |
| SC Internacional | 90.0 | 89.3 | 89.8 | 93.0 | 87.0 | 89.8 | 224.93 | 3 |
| Stoke City | 90.0 | 89.8 | 90.2 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 89.4 | 224.23 | 4 |
| Liverpool | 88.0 | 90.3 | 90.0 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 89.1 | 224.23 | 5 |
| Schalke | 89.0 | 89.5 | 89.8 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 89.1 | 223.59 | 6 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 88.0 | 89.8 | 89.4 | 90.0 | 87.0 | 88.8 | 222.82 | 7 |
| Hamburg (PP) | 92.0 | 88.0 | 89.2 | 92.0 | 85.0 | 89.2 | 222.80 | 8 |
| Fenerbahçe SK (R) | 88.0 | 89.3 | 89.8 | 90.0 | 87.0 | 88.8 | 222.74 | 9 |
| Manchester United (R) | 89.0 | 89.8 | 89.0 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.8 | 222.50 | 10 |
| Dinamo Zagreb (P) | 89.0 | 89.3 | 88.8 | 91.0 | 85.0 | 88.6 | 222.47 | 11 |
| RSC Anderlecht | 90.0 | 89.8 | 89.6 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 88.7 | 222.33 | 12 |
| Valencia CF (R) | 88.0 | 89.5 | 89.4 | 89.0 | 87.0 | 88.6 | 221.97 | 13 |
| Udinese Calcio | 88.0 | 89.3 | 89.6 | 89.0 | 87.0 | 88.6 | 221.93 | 14 |
| Cologne | 89.0 | 88.5 | 89.8 | 90.0 | 84.0 | 88.3 | 221.90 | 15 |
| Swansea City (PC) | 88.0 | 88.5 | 88.8 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 88.5 | 221.87 | 16 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 91.0 | 89.0 | 88.8 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 88.8 | 221.86 | 17 |
| Aston Villa (R) | 88.0 | 88.8 | 89.4 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 88.2 | 221.78 | 18 |
| Celtic | 89.0 | 89.0 | 89.0 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 88.2 | 221.13 | 19 |
| River Plate | 90.0 | 87.8 | 89.2 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 88.4 | 220.53 | 20 |
Top 120 Roll of Honour
All the winners in Top 120's history!
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Division 5 Season 23 Stats and Facts
Many years in the making Lazio top the stats, can the now walk the walk…
The Lazio fans won’t accept any more excuses, they now have a well-balanced team ranked above any other in the league. AZ have the most potent attack in the league and they will combine that with a good midfield to “score one more than you”.
Independiente go for the top and tail approach hoping the lack of possession won’t really matter as they can score and hopefully the opposition can’t. Bordeaux has an even stronger attack and rated 2 more than any keeper surely, they must top the goals for account this season. Augsburg inherit vast amounts of depth which should see them good for the season. Torino will fancy their chances with good depth and a well-balanced squad. To survive in the division higher you would need 217 ish so as far down as Lyon could get into the playoffs.
At the wrong end just to avoid the sack race is the main ambition. Athletic club and FK are rebuilding. Atalanta should finish a bit higher; Newcastle just needs to buff up the midfield a little.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | |
| SS Lazio | 89.0 | 88.8 | 89.3 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 88.2 | 221.13 | 1 |
| AZ Alkmaar | 87.0 | 88.0 | 89.0 | 90.0 | 84.0 | 87.6 | 220.62 | 2 |
| Independiente | 89.0 | 88.5 | 87.4 | 90.0 | 84.0 | 87.8 | 219.98 | 3 |
| Girondins Bordeaux | 88.0 | 87.3 | 87.2 | 91.0 | 84.0 | 87.5 | 219.35 | 4 |
| Augsburg (R) | 89.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 87.0 | 88.0 | 219.12 | 5 |
| PSV (R) | 88.0 | 87.5 | 88.0 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.5 | 219.01 | 6 |
| Torino (R) | 89.0 | 87.5 | 88.2 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.7 | 218.76 | 7 |
| Spartak Moskva | 87.0 | 87.5 | 88.4 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.2 | 218.56 | 8 |
| Dynamo Moskva | 87.0 | 87.0 | 88.6 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.1 | 218.32 | 9 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 86.0 | 87.0 | 87.8 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.0 | 218.21 | 10 |
| Beşiktaş JK | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.2 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.0 | 217.32 | 11 |
| Olympique Marseille | 88.0 | 87.8 | 87.2 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 87.0 | 217.27 | 12 |
| Olympique Lyonnais | 87.0 | 86.3 | 87.2 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 86.9 | 217.25 | 13 |
| Villarreal CF | 87.0 | 87.8 | 87.0 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.8 | 216.99 | 14 |
| Chievo Verona | 88.0 | 87.0 | 86.8 | 88.0 | 83.0 | 86.6 | 216.76 | 15 |
| Feyenoord | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.0 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.0 | 216.63 | 16 |
| Atalanta BC (R) | 88.0 | 86.5 | 86.4 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.0 | 216.40 | 17 |
| Newcastle United | 87.0 | 87.0 | 86.6 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 86.7 | 216.19 | 18 |
| FK Partizan | 87.0 | 85.8 | 87.6 | 87.0 | 84.0 | 86.3 | 215.75 | 19 |
| Athletic Club | 87.0 | 86.3 | 86.4 | 85.0 | 84.0 | 85.7 | 213.89 | 20 |
All Teams Position History Top 120
Here you should be able to see the entire season history for each club in Top 120.
You can also see which teams have finished 1st and last (and everywhere in between) most often.
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Division 1 Season 23 Stats and Facts.
Usual explanations here:
Will Dortmund overcome Hellas?
I use the average rating in Gk, Def, Mid, Att using the best formation, I include the lowest ranked top 18 player who is likely to play and work out an average. Then using a magic formula developed in the early days of T100 the ETOT the estimated total rating of the team.
Teams are then ranked best to worst.
After a great season the top and tail approach of Hellas seems to work better than the all-round strength of Dortmund. Second ranked Dortmund probably would be after a higher rated keeper, not that 92 is bad to round out their team and also more depth. Other than defence Porto in 3rd can match Hellas. Chelsea in 3rd is another similar team but depth is lacking this season.
The other two main contender above 230 are Bayern and Juventus. Juventus maybe not good enough up top, Bayern lack a great keeper and with a lesser midfield that could be a problem.
That leaves a sizeable gap to the rest the Old Boys of Manchester perhaps have 1 or 2 seasons to tilt at the title. Genoa could be a dark horse with the depth in their squad.
Last season 224 or less meant relegation issues. As it stands AC Milan are as good as relegated, they desperately need a keeper and a 90+ striker. Hertha’s main weakness is defence, Espanyol are playing a waiting game on some risers. That leaves one final dropper spot. Levante look most vulnerable with a risk of really low possession and a weak keeper for the league they are in. Juventus & Hellas could be great cup teams as could Genoa, Real Madrid and Leverkeusen.
| Gk | Def | Mid | Att | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | |
| Dortmund | 92.0 | 92.8 | 94.0 | 95.0 | 87.0 | 92.2 | 232.63 | 1 |
| Hellas Verona (C) | 94.0 | 92.0 | 93.0 | 96.0 | 89.0 | 92.8 | 232.36 | 2 |
| FC Porto | 94.0 | 91.0 | 93.2 | 96.0 | 86.0 | 92.0 | 231.36 | 3 |
| Chelsea | 95.0 | 92.0 | 92.4 | 95.0 | 82.0 | 91.3 | 230.51 | 4 |
| Bayern | 91.0 | 92.8 | 90.8 | 96.0 | 86.0 | 91.3 | 230.48 | 5 |
| Juventus | 95.0 | 92.8 | 92.6 | 92.0 | 89.0 | 92.3 | 230.16 | 6 |
| Leicester City | 90.0 | 90.0 | 91.8 | 95.0 | 85.0 | 90.4 | 228.19 | 7 |
| Manchester City (PC) | 94.0 | 90.8 | 92.0 | 93.0 | 85.0 | 91.0 | 228.13 | 8 |
| Barcelona | 92.0 | 91.0 | 91.8 | 93.0 | 85.0 | 90.6 | 227.93 | 9 |
| São Paulo FC | 89.0 | 90.0 | 92.0 | 93.0 | 86.0 | 90.0 | 227.05 | 10 |
| Genoa CFC | 90.0 | 90.0 | 92.4 | 92.0 | 87.0 | 90.3 | 226.96 | 11 |
| Arsenal | 90.0 | 91.3 | 91.0 | 92.0 | 86.0 | 90.1 | 226.72 | 12 |
| SL Benfica | 93.0 | 89.8 | 90.0 | 94.0 | 85.0 | 90.4 | 226.26 | 13 |
| Real Madrid | 89.0 | 90.3 | 91.2 | 92.0 | 87.0 | 89.9 | 226.08 | 14 |
| Atlético Madrid | 91.0 | 89.5 | 89.2 | 94.0 | 85.0 | 89.7 | 225.18 | 15 |
| Levante UD (P) | 90.0 | 90.5 | 89.8 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 89.5 | 224.51 | 16 |
| Leverkusen | 90.0 | 90.5 | 90.4 | 90.0 | 87.0 | 89.6 | 224.46 | 17 |
| RCD Espanyol | 87.0 | 88.5 | 90.0 | 92.0 | 85.0 | 88.5 | 223.24 | 18 |
| H. Berlin (PL) | 90.0 | 88.5 | 89.6 | 91.0 | 85.0 | 88.8 | 222.63 | 19 |
| AC Milan (P) | 88.0 | 88.8 | 88.6 | 89.0 | 87.0 | 88.3 | 220.73 | 20 |
Welcome New Managers
We welcome four new managers to Top 100, plus one returning after a break, all from Top 120.
Chris Taylor has a big job on his hands at Atalanta. La Dea haven't had the same manager for more than three full seasons. Their "glory" days were back in S12-13 under Golden Bear and Walter Gogh! A club crying out for some tender, loving care and nurturing over the longer term after a disastrous season finishing bottom of D4 as expected.
Augsburg were expected to win D4, but got relegated instead! Returning to Top 100, new manager The Godfather has already promised to lead them right back by winning the D5 title next season!
The fans will be hoping he can emulate the master himself, Mister TRX, who took the club from D5 to the brink of the D2 playoffs in five seasons (S13-17).
Speaking of masters, Master T masterminded a promotion and two playoff places in his four full seasons at Olympiacos. The club's best ever period was arguably under the four season long reign of Bowers who built on the work of Top 100 legends McLean and Prince before him to lift the club into D3 for the only time in their history. Can Dhawy Al go one better than Master T and beat Bowers' record?
Mark Gardiner built a very good squad at Partizan many seasons ago taking them from D5 also rans to the D4 playoffs twice in nine seasons before it all went Pete Tong and they slipped back into the bottom division again. Gardiner's successor Nuno "El Loco" Marques got them promoted in his first full season and won the D4 title in his second. He handed over to Top 100 legends Walter Gogh and Nuno "El Loco" Bento who combined to undo all Marques's good work.
Ricardo Alexandre stabilised the Serbian club in D5 mid-table leaving fans wondering how and why he was head-hunted for the Crystal Palace job. New boss Marc Ques has a big job on his hands to get the club firing again, but has already made some good signings.
Lastly, but by no means least, Paolo Everland will aim to reclaim the heights of D2 achieved in the Morrison/Rajan era (three promotions in as many seasons), and avoid the McMillan/Pip/Wythe three successive relegations that soon followed. Dan Wythe won Santos their only title last season, and took them to 13th in D4 this time.
Good luck to all of you, be active and have fun!
The Return to the Elite!
Levante returns to Div1!!!! after a long and beautiful season in which in addition to promotion we achieved a second place in the WCS (without ever losing) and above all another Youth Cup where Levante with its manager continues to write history of the competition!! But now comes the tough game and Levante is ready to continue its growth path with the plan that has been clear for some time and with the results that have arrived and have proved the Manager right, all the fans knew that behind the double relegation was a very specific plan of their coach, today Levante continues to be the strongest youth team and has an important team for Div1 with many of the best talents in world football, Vamossssss Levante
CSKA Season Recap
Since CSKA Moscow TX's founding in September 2022, we've obviously had our purchase by private equity, rebranding, and relocation. Chris' Soccer Kids Academy is home to some of the world's best young talent. But have the on-field product and results improved?
From a results standpoint, I took over a team in the bottom of half of D4 at around the midyear point. CSKA Moscow was a yo-yo team between D2 and D3 through the first 10 seasons of Top100 and were an annual D4 team when I took over. We were promoted into D3 in the second full season, then finished 4th from bottom in D3. We have now yo-yo'd back to D3 after a nice run of form in the 2nd half of the season. In order to say that the on-field product has improved, we need to stay in D3 next season. Anything less will be an on-field failure.
From a talent perspective, there really was no youth academy. By my count I believe there were 10 youth players, mostly Scandinavian. I would say Arne Engels or Nanasi were the best inherited youth. CSKA now boast the likes of Kendry, Mastantuano, Konate, Musah, Odobert and many others. All well and good, but the first team is what matters. The team I inherited had Robert Sanchez (88), Denis Suarez (89), Gaetan Laborde (88), and Chris Smalling (88), Seba Coates (89) as it's over 88 players with a smattering of aging 87s who were about to be downgraded (think Luciano Vietto, Bartosz Berezynski-esque). Our talisman is now Marcelo Brozovic (92) along with 7 other 88+ players. I do think the first team has improved and expect the summer ratings will help our cause a bit.
What does this all mean? CSKA is glad to have been re-promoted to D3. But we need to aim higher. If CSKA yo-yos again, the American owners are likely to cut ties with the current manager. The Board's aim is to take the club to the glory and riches of D1 for the first time in club history.
Mia san mia
With the season 22 just finished, I decided to look back at my time in Bayer till today and write short story about it.
I joined Bayern in the middle of the season 11. In second half of the season, we managed to get club to Top 3 after disaster that happened in season 10, when they finished record low at 9th place. After this season I had to decide how to progress with the club. Bayern had done, in seasons before, some of the deals that they were not ideal for a manager who is thinking in long term and see club like a project and not just temporary step in career. Club had a lot of players that they were in late 20s and beginning of 30s. Slowly we started to buy players with lower age and began with systematic scouting for potential future stars that could help Bayern in long term development. At the same time we had to be really smart and also careful. There was contracts/goals to achieve set by bosses of GW. Most of the contracts that we signed had goal set at minimum Top6 or one of the Cup wins. How hard was the system of contracts, having always in mind present and future, can tell us just a quick look where we can nowadays find some of the big names in football. Is just few clubs that they are still there in top 10 if we compare it with the beginning of Top100 GW. On the other side there are some big clubs, institutions in world of football, that we can see today in lower divisions or having hard time in D1.
Even with this challenging task we managed to finish in next ten full seasons three times in Top 4, managed to win Top100 Cup in first full season in charge (season 12) and again in season 17. In following season 18, we managed to win Charity Shield and season later, 19, we won Top100 Shield. In all season under my work here in Bayern we always finished in Top7 (1x 3rd, 3x 4th, 2x 5th, 2x 6th and 4x 7th). Some may call me “Mister Consistency” but I would rather call myself “Mister Stability” which is hard job to achieve in Top100 GW.
This season, 22, we managed to finish 7th. We were hoping for something more, but I can be satisfied with performance and results of the team after Turn 21. Just short statistic input: till end of Turn 21 Bayern had in average 1,476 points per game (31 points). From this Turn till the end, we managed to achieve (next 17 Turns) 2.0 average points per game, 34 points (small input info - title winner this season, Verona, had 2.05 point in average per game in 38 Turns). This significant difference in average points came when we changed our tactic and arrival of Harry Kane, who will be instrumental in next seasons.
Future of Bayern looks bright. This season we said goodbye to Muller and Griezmann - will be big job to replaced them in starting 11. Loosing 92 and 94 player is bad for now but for the future is right decision. Next season will be last one for our servant Kroos so we are preparing that our young players will get more chances and more responsibility in seasons ahead.
Our attack for next season will lead our new captain Harry Kane (30 years), Kroos (34) will be our co-captain. On RW will start Kubo (23) and on LW Doku (22), which goes hand in hand with our policy of development young players and get them ready for future. Substitutions for those three positions will be CF Evanilson (24 years), LW Gibbs-White (24) and RW Brennan Johnson (23).
In midfield will be our wizard Kroos together with Onana (22) and Goretzka (29). Behind are waiting for opportunity three players that we’re really looking forward how they develop in next reviews. Bilal El Khannouss (20), Habib Diarra (20) and Marlon Gomes (20).
In defence experience is always a key factor of stability. Tomiyasu (25) on RB and Robertson (30) on LB will assist our attackers and beside on CB positions we will see Rudiger (31) and Le Normand (27). For the cup games there will be ready players like Dedic (21), Gabbia (24), Lacroix (24) and Mauro Junior (25).
In GK position we are trusting that Onana (28) can keep his head on right place and continue with performance from last two season.
As seen there is a lot of young players that will get a chance in first team in following seasons. But this not all talent that we have in youth team. Amazing youth development department and scouting department managed to bring in some names that are already well know in world of football. Names like Camarda (16), De Cat (15), Cocchi (17), Lewis-Skelly (17), Zeze (18), Guiu (18), Guilherme (18), Uzun (18), Goes (19), Kumbedi (19), De Winter (21) and Rohl (21) are just some of the biggest stars of our youth squad that will represent us in youth competitions in next season and hopefully one day replaced players like Kroos or Kane.
I am proud of story that I managed to do in 519 games in charge. Future of the club is looking bright, and the potential of the team is much higher than when I came to the club. Hopefully our project will develop in right direction and that one day we will be proud on this team when they win Division 1 title - with me being in charge or someone else. It’s a long shot, but we seen already that some of this project, like Verona for example, are working when you give them time. Stability is a key to success in Top100.
Mia san mia (We are who we are)
Division 5 Season 22 Stats and fact review
Shaktar +11 VA and +12 PVA win the title.
It would be hard to deny that Shaktar have the performance of the year in D5, fellow promoted teams Boca and Rubin sit 2nd and 3rd in the stats.
4 more teams have +6 VA, Basel, Villareal, Newcastle and Athletic club showing great managerial talent. Lower down the league Lazio finish as the lowest rated team -13 VA , with Bordeaux who should have finished 2nd on -8 VA and Independiente on -5 VA. Spartak and Dynamo Moscow both have -10VA.
In this division none of the top 3 finished in the top 3 and only Lyon of the lowest 5 finished in the lowest 5 showing that a quick turn around in D5 is easily possible.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | Fin | VA | PVA | |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 87.0 | 87.8 | 87.6 | 87.0 | 83.0 | 86.5 | 217.23 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 12.00 |
| Boca Juniors | 88.0 | 86.3 | 88.6 | 88.0 | 83.0 | 86.8 | 217.60 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 2.33 |
| Rubin Kazan | 88.0 | 87.3 | 88.4 | 89.0 | 84.0 | 87.3 | 219.01 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2.00 |
| FC Basel | 87.0 | 87.8 | 87.2 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.8 | 217.15 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 1.00 |
| Villarreal CF | 86.0 | 87.5 | 87.2 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.5 | 216.83 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0.88 |
| Newcastle United | 87.0 | 87.0 | 86.8 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.6 | 216.23 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0.64 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 86.0 | 87.0 | 87.4 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 87.1 | 218.01 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0.60 |
| Athletic Club | 87.0 | 86.0 | 86.6 | 87.0 | 84.0 | 86.1 | 215.15 | 20 | 14 | 6 | 0.50 |
| Feyenoord | 88.0 | 86.3 | 86.8 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.0 | 216.52 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0.31 |
| FK Partizan | 87.0 | 85.5 | 87.0 | 89.0 | 82.0 | 86.1 | 216.13 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0.27 |
| Besiktas JK | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.4 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.1 | 217.48 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0.22 |
| AZ Alkmaar | 87.0 | 88.3 | 88.2 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 87.7 | 219.77 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 0.00 |
| Olympique Lyonnais | 87.0 | 86.3 | 87.4 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.5 | 216.11 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 0.00 |
| Olympique Marseille | 87.0 | 88.0 | 87.2 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.0 | 217.47 | 11 | 12 | -1 | 0.00 |
| Chievo Verona | 88.0 | 86.5 | 86.8 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 86.9 | 216.60 | 15 | 19 | -4 | -0.16 |
| Dynamo Moskva | 87.0 | 87.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.0 | 217.84 | 8 | 18 | -10 | -0.50 |
| Spartak Moskva | 87.0 | 87.5 | 88.6 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.2 | 218.72 | 6 | 16 | -10 | -0.56 |
| Independiente | 89.0 | 88.3 | 88.6 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 88.2 | 220.86 | 1 | 6 | -5 | -0.67 |
| Girondins Bordeaux | 87.0 | 88.0 | 87.2 | 91.0 | 85.0 | 87.6 | 219.95 | 2 | 10 | -8 | -0.70 |
| SS Lazio | 89.0 | 87.5 | 89.2 | 88.0 | 84.0 | 87.5 | 219.32 | 4 | 17 | -13 | -0.71 |
Division 4 Season 22 Stats and Facts review.
Fiorentina +16 VA lead the stats in the wildest division of them all.
Division 4 was incredibly tight at the start and this has led to some mad VA and PVA.
Fiorentina top of the stats and 2nd in the league with a PVA of +8.50 lead league winners Brugge who were 3 places above expected. Sevilla with +10 VA make the playoffs and Napoli who should have relegated also have +10 VA. Montpellier on +5 VA and Wolfsburg on +4 are notable over performers.
When it went wrong it really did. Augsburg who should have won the league were relegated and Ajax have had a mighty fall on -10 VA. Tornio also relegated on – 10 VA. The only predicted relegation team to drop were predictably Atalanta. 6 of the top 7 did finish in those positions.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | Fin | VA | PVA | |
| ACF Fiorentina | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.2 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.8 | 216.67 | 18 | 2 | 16 | 8.50 |
| Club Brugge KV | 88.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.6 | 219.41 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4.00 |
| SEVILLA | 88.0 | 86.8 | 87.6 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.1 | 216.91 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 1.83 |
| SSC Napoli | 88.0 | 87.0 | 86.8 | 87.5 | 85.0 | 86.9 | 216.64 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 1.22 |
| Olympiacos | 88.0 | 87.5 | 88.0 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 87.7 | 219.13 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1.00 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.6 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.3 | 217.76 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0.63 |
| Montpellier HSC | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.2 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.0 | 216.79 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 0.50 |
| Lokomotiv Moskva | 88.0 | 87.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 83.0 | 86.8 | 217.72 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0.40 |
| AS Monaco | 89.0 | 86.8 | 88.6 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 87.9 | 219.13 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0.40 |
| AS Saint-Etienne | 87.0 | 87.3 | 87.2 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 86.9 | 217.40 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0.36 |
| CSKA Moskva | 86.0 | 87.8 | 88.8 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 87.5 | 219.73 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.33 |
| Atalanta BC | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.2 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 86.8 | 216.52 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0.05 |
| PSV | 88.0 | 86.8 | 86.8 | 89.0 | 82.0 | 86.5 | 217.09 | 15 | 17 | -2 | -0.06 |
| AS Roma | 87.0 | 88.3 | 87.2 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.1 | 218.20 | 11 | 14 | -3 | -0.14 |
| Santos FC | 88.0 | 87.8 | 88.3 | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.8 | 219.00 | 8 | 13 | -5 | -0.31 |
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | 88.0 | 86.8 | 88.2 | 89.0 | 83.0 | 87.0 | 218.33 | 10 | 16 | -6 | -0.31 |
| Torino | 89.0 | 87.3 | 88.2 | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.9 | 218.68 | 9 | 19 | -10 | -0.47 |
| Lille OSC | 90.0 | 87.3 | 88.8 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 88.2 | 219.81 | 2 | 7 | -5 | -0.57 |
| Ajax | 89.0 | 87.5 | 88.6 | 89.0 | 82.0 | 87.2 | 219.25 | 5 | 15 | -10 | -0.60 |
| FC Augsburg | 89.0 | 88.0 | 88.2 | 89.0 | 87.0 | 88.2 | 219.93 | 1 | 18 | -17 | -0.89 |
Division 3 Season 22 Stats and Facts review.
Swans sail away majestically with 1st in league best VA and PVA in division.
Always a strong favourite to over perform with a lethal attack Swansea never the less finished 6 places above expected. Playoff bound palace 2nd in the stats with a VA of +6 are ranked just above Zagreb who came in 2nd in the league. Another team with +6 VA is Dnipro; while finishing 9th they should have been 15th so a return to form to the overperformers of the past. A shout out to Beddows and Sampdoria who on +4VA were the other notable over achievers.
It all went wrong for Liege who just escaped relegation on -9 VA and Galatasaray who didn’t also on – 9 VA. Borussia Monchengladbach also fell into the relegation hole on -6 VA. The top of the table was fairly close to what was predicted and lower down there was a fair correlation with the predicted relegation teams usually 2 to 3 places higher if they escaped.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | Fin | VA | PVA | |
| Swansea City | 87.0 | 88.3 | 88.6 | 91.0 | 87.0 | 88.4 | 221.51 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 7.00 |
| Crystal Palace | 88.0 | 88.3 | 88.5 | 89.5 | 86.0 | 88.1 | 220.46 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 1.17 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 89.0 | 88.8 | 88.6 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 88.7 | 222.03 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1.00 |
| Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 88.0 | 87.3 | 88.8 | 88.5 | 86.0 | 87.7 | 219.21 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0.78 |
| West Ham United | 89.0 | 88.5 | 88.8 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.5 | 221.34 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0.43 |
| Sampdoria | 87.0 | 88.0 | 87.8 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.4 | 219.13 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 0.42 |
| Cruzeiro | 89.0 | 88.8 | 88.8 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.9 | 220.12 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0.27 |
| US Sassuolo | 88.0 | 86.8 | 87.6 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.1 | 217.44 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0.27 |
| TSG 1899 Hoffenheim | 86.0 | 87.0 | 87.6 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 86.7 | 217.40 | 19 | 16 | 3 | 0.25 |
| Hamburger SV | 92.0 | 89.3 | 89.2 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 89.1 | 221.97 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.25 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 88.0 | 89.0 | 88.8 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 88.0 | 220.85 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0.20 |
| FC Twente | 87.0 | 85.0 | 85.8 | 86.0 | 83.0 | 85.4 | 212.90 | 20 | 19 | 1 | 0.11 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 89.0 | 87.3 | 88.6 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.6 | 218.76 | 17 | 18 | -1 | 0.00 |
| Sunderland | 89.0 | 89.5 | 89.0 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 88.3 | 221.53 | 6 | 8 | -2 | -0.13 |
| Málaga CF | 88.0 | 88.8 | 89.2 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 88.0 | 220.97 | 10 | 13 | -3 | -0.15 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 87.0 | 87.8 | 88.4 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.4 | 219.41 | 14 | 20 | -6 | -0.25 |
| Internazionale | 90.0 | 90.3 | 90.6 | 91.0 | 87.0 | 89.8 | 225.07 | 1 | 3 | -2 | -0.33 |
| Flamengo | 88.0 | 88.8 | 89.8 | 91.0 | 87.0 | 88.9 | 222.99 | 2 | 5 | -3 | -0.40 |
| Galatasaray SK | 88.0 | 89.0 | 89.4 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 88.3 | 221.45 | 8 | 17 | -9 | -0.47 |
| Standard Liège | 91.0 | 88.0 | 89.6 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 88.7 | 221.70 | 5 | 14 | -9 | -0.57 |
Division 2 Season 22 Stats and Facts review
+14 VA Milan top the stats
A team that was a relegation favourite gets auto promotion is a great success story. 5 pts clear of 4th and a well-deserved promotion for AC Milan.
Man City may feel that they did all they could and won the league with room to spare in the end but that is what they should have achieved so they are 2nd in the stats. Play off Stoke on +4 VA and their companions in the lottery Hertha are 3rd and 4th in the stats. River Plate also escaped the relegation zone and have +5 VA.
The big flops in division 2 were relegated Celta on -5VA and more so Everton on -10 who also go down. Liverpool and Sporting would hope for much better next season.
Werder and Southampton were relegated as predicted, 7/8 of the predicted top 8 finished in those positions. Perhaps indicating the top of D2 in less random than the lower half.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | Fin | VA | PVA | |
| AC Milan | 88.0 | 88.8 | 88.8 | 89.0 | 87.0 | 88.3 | 220.89 | 17 | 3 | 14 | 5.00 |
| Manchester City | 94.0 | 90.8 | 92.8 | 93.0 | 86.0 | 91.3 | 228.89 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.00 |
| Stoke City | 90.0 | 89.8 | 90.2 | 91.0 | 87.0 | 89.6 | 224.35 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0.75 |
| Hertha BSC | 90.0 | 89.0 | 89.4 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 89.1 | 222.99 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0.50 |
| Levante UD | 90.0 | 90.8 | 91.2 | 91.0 | 87.0 | 90.0 | 225.95 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.50 |
| Udinese Calcio | 88.0 | 89.0 | 89.6 | 89.0 | 87.0 | 88.5 | 221.73 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0.44 |
| River Plate | 90.0 | 87.5 | 89.0 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 88.1 | 220.05 | 19 | 14 | 5 | 0.43 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 91.0 | 89.0 | 89.0 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 88.6 | 221.37 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 0.33 |
| Celtic | 89.0 | 88.8 | 88.8 | 89.5 | 86.0 | 88.4 | 221.18 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0.31 |
| RSC Anderlecht | 90.0 | 89.8 | 89.4 | 89.0 | 87.0 | 89.0 | 222.41 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0.10 |
| Werder Bremen | 88.0 | 88.8 | 88.0 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.8 | 220.01 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0.05 |
| Southampton | 89.0 | 88.0 | 89.2 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 88.0 | 220.49 | 18 | 19 | -1 | 0.00 |
| 1. FC Köln | 89.0 | 88.5 | 89.0 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 88.3 | 221.38 | 14 | 16 | -2 | -0.06 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 88.0 | 90.0 | 89.2 | 90.0 | 87.0 | 88.8 | 222.86 | 9 | 11 | -2 | -0.09 |
| FC Schalke 04 | 91.0 | 90.0 | 90.2 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 89.6 | 224.55 | 5 | 7 | -2 | -0.14 |
| SC Internacional | 90.0 | 89.5 | 89.8 | 93.0 | 88.0 | 90.1 | 225.25 | 3 | 5 | -2 | -0.20 |
| Liverpool | 88.0 | 90.3 | 88.8 | 89.0 | 87.0 | 88.6 | 222.09 | 11 | 15 | -4 | -0.20 |
| Celta Vigo | 88.0 | 87.5 | 89.6 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 88.4 | 221.71 | 13 | 18 | -5 | -0.22 |
| Sporting CP | 90.0 | 89.8 | 90.4 | 92.0 | 86.0 | 89.6 | 225.04 | 4 | 8 | -4 | -0.38 |
| Everton | 89.0 | 90.5 | 90.8 | 90.0 | 84.0 | 88.9 | 224.30 | 7 | 17 | -10 | -0.53 |
Division 1 Season22 Stats and facts review.
All Hail Hellas.
For those new to the league VA = Value added , how many places above your predicted position your club finishes.
PVA = Positional value added, which takes into account where you finished.
The top of the table leaves you little room to get a good PVA in D1. Hellas finished 1 place better than they should and top the stats and the league. Chelsea who finished 1 place behind are also 2nd in the stats, with over performing Sao Paulo with the best league VA of +6 3rd in the stats. A shout out to Geno also 4th in the stats on +4 VA.
The only shout out underperformers were Juventus, 4 places below predicted and Atletico on -7VA who are the worse place statistically. Only Espanyol escaped relegation as predicted with all 4 relegated sides coming from the 6 lowest rated and all 4 top side from the 4 highest rated.
| Gk | Def | Mid | Att | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | Fin | VA | PVA | |
| Hellas Verona | 94.0 | 92.3 | 92.8 | 96.0 | 89.0 | 92.8 | 232.40 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2.00 |
| Chelsea | 95.0 | 92.0 | 93.3 | 95.3 | 85.0 | 92.1 | 231.83 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1.50 |
| São Paulo F | 90.0 | 90.0 | 91.2 | 92.0 | 86.0 | 89.8 | 225.88 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 1.40 |
| Genoa CFC | 90.0 | 90.8 | 90.6 | 90.0 | 87.0 | 89.7 | 224.82 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0.50 |
| Barcelona | 92.0 | 91.0 | 91.8 | 93.0 | 86.0 | 90.8 | 228.05 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0.50 |
| Leicester City | 90.0 | 91.3 | 91.2 | 92.0 | 85.0 | 89.9 | 226.76 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0.38 |
| RCD Espanyol | 88.0 | 87.0 | 91.0 | 89.7 | 87.0 | 88.5 | 221.68 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 0.31 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 90.0 | 89.8 | 90.6 | 90.0 | 87.0 | 89.5 | 224.02 | 16 | 15 | 1 | 0.13 |
| Real Madrid | 89.0 | 90.0 | 90.4 | 92.0 | 87.0 | 89.7 | 225.24 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0.08 |
| SL Benfica | 95.0 | 89.8 | 90.0 | 91.3 | 86.0 | 90.4 | 224.87 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0.08 |
| Fenerbahçe SK | 88.0 | 89.3 | 89.9 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.6 | 222.69 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0.06 |
| Aston Villa | 88.0 | 89.5 | 89.6 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 88.4 | 222.54 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 0.00 |
| Bayern München | 91.0 | 91.8 | 92.8 | 94.0 | 86.0 | 91.1 | 229.98 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 0.00 |
| FC Porto | 94.0 | 91.5 | 93.8 | 96.0 | 86.0 | 92.3 | 232.20 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 0.00 |
| Valencia CF | 88.0 | 88.5 | 89.6 | 92.0 | 86.0 | 88.8 | 223.16 | 17 | 19 | -2 | -0.05 |
| Manchester United | 89.0 | 90.5 | 90.0 | 91.0 | 83.0 | 88.7 | 224.19 | 15 | 17 | -2 | -0.06 |
| Arsenal | 90.0 | 91.3 | 91.6 | 92.0 | 86.0 | 90.2 | 227.20 | 9 | 11 | -2 | -0.09 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 92.0 | 92.8 | 93.8 | 95.0 | 87.0 | 92.1 | 232.47 | 1 | 3 | -2 | -0.33 |
| Juventus | 93.0 | 93.3 | 92.4 | 92.0 | 89.0 | 91.9 | 230.16 | 5 | 9 | -4 | -0.33 |
| Atlético Madrid | 91.0 | 90.8 | 90.6 | 95.0 | 86.0 | 90.7 | 228.07 | 7 | 14 | -7 | -0.43 |
Most Last Place Managers
I did think twice about posting this, as I don't want to upset anyone. It's just a game at the end of the day, and these are just stats which don't always tell the whole story.
For one thing, there are plenty of managers here who have won titles and trophies as well, and who are active and valued members of the Top 100 community. Sometimes it just needs a change of luck, club, or maybe perseverance to stay with one club to achieve success.
Obviously, Most Bottoms is a record no one wants, but the stats (and the bottoms) are there staring me in the face so it's impossible to ignore.
Now, it should be noted at this point that while those managers winning title after title and never finishing lower than 2nd place are great managers, those managers finishing bottom more often than most are simply unlucky. The SM algorithm was out to get them. The match engine is rubbish. They had bad teams given to them. Real life got in the way.
All these are perfectly valid excuses, of course, and if it wasn't for the guys occupying positions 4-20 in the table every season there would be no winners or runners-up.
And without their perseverance in the face of season after season of hopelessness there would be no Top 100.
So, without further ado, let's get right down to it, and see the faces behind these bottoms, as it were, er.
In reverse order....
There are quite a few managers who have TWO bottom place finishes on their record. Jamie Alldridge, Alex Borel, Padraig Corcoran, Gareth Crisp, Joao Alves, Nicky Thomson, Walter Gogh (two and a half, really). Some of those were double relegations, some were double relegations with different clubs.
On THREE 20th place finishes, we have Lee Adams, Gianluca Ghio, Feargal Hickey, Ashley Holtom, Alessandro Ioli, Rahul, Gerrit Vogeleer.
Lee Adams starts us off. If you look at Lee's overall record, you can see he also suffered five more relegation seasons.
So in EIGHT out of his sixteen seasons in Top 100 he got relegated. I don't know how he stuck it out so long. Ironically he quit last season after his best ever finish in 8th with Spartak!
Independiente are currently 6th in D5 under manager Ginaluca Ghio with one to play. Gianluca had the misfortune to start Top 100 with three successive last place finishes! They're doing a lot better now, and even won the Top 100 Shield last season!
Only Jimmy Gouldie at Southampton last season amassed fewer points in a season than Ginaluca in his first season.
Feargal Hickey has not had the luck of the Irish with him for his hattrick of bottoms, and now a fifth relegation with Stuttgart this season.
Hattrick for Ashley Holtom! Five clubs in six seasons. Two successive 20th places was enough.
Alessandro Ioli had a tough start in Top 100 with three last place finishes in his first five seasons at Bordeaux.
Within two seasons of leaving, he won D3 with Dynamo Kyiv and is undoubtedly their most successful manager.
Now, I think that Rahul is held in very high regard by most, if not all, of us as a manager and for his work on ratings predictions (particularly on the old forums). But Rahul also has three bottom places to his name.
Last of the triple fallen crown winners is Gerrit Vogeleer. I remember Gerrit in the early seasons seemingly always finishing bottom, and wondering what he had done to merit such bad luck season after season no matter which team he had.
Are there any managers who have FOUR bottoms? YES! There is one. But he also has FIVE bottoms!
Here he is, our winner! Golden Bear!
Now, to be fair to GB, I know last season was a difficult one for him personally. He's another like Gerrit who I remember having an incredibly unlucky run back in the early days with five relegations in seven seasons, including three back-to-back each with different clubs.
Let's finish on a positive note - Bear is a mainstay in Top 100 from the beginning, and took Atalanta to the D5 title in S12 (although he quit to take Anderlecht before the final games and so doesn't have that officially on his record), took Anderlecht back to D1 in his first season there, and won D5 again with his current team AZ. He's got an outside chance of the top three again this season, and must have a good chance in the playoffs otherwise.
Games of the Week
D5
- Boca v. Lyon
- Lyon sit bottom of top 100 but can still play spoiler as Chris Union's Boca look to secure promotion to D4.
- AZ v. Independiente
- AZ could leapfrog Boca with a Boca loss (or a resounding win coupled with a Boca tie). Independiente is comfortably in the playoffs - will Gianluca look to rest his team?
- Lazio v. Shakhtar
- Lazio need a point to stay out of the bottom 3. They take on runaway league leaders led by Dan Wallace. Could we see an upset with one team playing only for pride?
D4
- CSKA v, Sevilla
- A point will see CSKA promoted while Sevilla likely need a win. It should be a cagey match.
- Olympiacos v. Wolfsburg
- Wolfsburg are look to climb back into the playoffs while Olympiacos have an outside chance at automatic promotion.
- Zenit/Augsburg/PSV/Ajax/Torino
- None play each other, all can be relegated. The bottom of D4 is tight.
D3
- Inter v. Sunderland
- Assuming any point deductions for the Italian side will take effect next year, Inter is playing for auto promotion while Sunderland led by Alessandro look to make it into the playoffs
- Hamburg v. Stuttgart
- Stuttgart look to play spoilers and keep the commish's team in the playoffs.
- Gala v. Sassuolo
- Attila v. Hussain as Sassuolo look to stay above the relegation zone, which is likely barring a 2 goal defeat.
D2
With promotion and relegation decided (!!!) the last playoff spot is the only thing up for grabs. Schalke take on Liverpool, Sporting face Manchester City, and Udinese take on a hapless Celtic team. Only one will be playoff-bound
D1
- Hellas v. Chelsea
- It's the game of the week as league leaders Hellas take on Chelsea. Chelsea need a win to secure another playoff title while Andre's Hellas side can squeak by with a draw.
- Espanyol v. Sao Paolo
- Another McKenzie will be seeking a win to finish top 4. In his way is Glen's Espanyol team, which is doing a deep dive to end the season as it looks to stave off Manchester United in the final relegation spot.
- Manchester United v, Bayern
- Bayern can't move much in the table but Bojan can ease Glen's worries by getting a result against Tharani's Man United side.
Youth Cup Final
Levante won their fifth Youth Cup beating Benfica 4-1 over two legs.
The Spanish team dominated both games to win their fourth Youth Cup in a row.
Benfica lost in the final for the second season running.
Congrats to Salvo, and commiserations to Gregg.
