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
