2025
Sporting - Rebuilding Momentum
Looking Back
Although it is an honour to be the (relatively) new Sporting manager, taking over didn’t come without moments of doubt.
I was coming off a very satisfying period at Wolfsburg, where I had turned the squad around entirely and secured Division 3 football. Moving to another team in the midst of such an exciting time, after several seasons of intense rebuilding, was tough. There were moments of regret — I cannot hide from that.
Thankfully, time heals, and ahead of us stood a new, invigorating challenge: steadying the Sporting ship. Ultimately, Sporting represented a bigger club, a stronger squad, and very clear expectations. After relegation to Division 2 the previous season, the brief was simple and uncompromising — get Sporting straight back to Division 1.
Transfers: Fine-Tuning, Not Rebuilding
Unlike Wolfsburg, this was not a rebuild in the traditional sense. The squad I inherited already had genuine top-end quality. Players like Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, Gakpo, and Gyökeres gave us a strong foundation to work from, and our focus in the transfer market was on fine-tuning: improving balance, upgrading key positions, and aligning the squad with how we wanted to play.
The most debated move came early. We traded Ben Seghir (88), Schjelderup (84), and Vermeeren (87) for Verbruggen (89 → 90), while also moving Mamardashvili (91) for Pavlovic (89 → 90). At the time, it attracted plenty of criticism — it looked risky on paper.
Fast forward to now, and both Verbruggen and Pavlovic have developed to 90-rated players, somewhat vindicating the decision. It was a bet on profile, development, and long-term balance rather than chasing headline ratings alone.
Other notable deals followed a similar logic:
- Upamecano (92) arrived in exchange for Tapsoba (91) & Ugarte (90 → 89)
- Coman (91) & Bazoumana Touré (82 → 84) came in for Lucas Hernandez (91)
- Eric Garcia (88 → 89) for Djed Spence (86 → 88) & Gloukh (86)
- Mainoo (88) in for Gittens (88) & Santiago Lopez (77)
A few minor youth ins and outs under 80 were made as well — nothing crucial this season, but worth monitoring over time.
The overall philosophy was clear: the squad was strong enough to challenge immediately, so transfers were about small margins, fit, and improving consistency rather than a wholesale rebuild.
Finding Our Identity
Initially, we struggled on all fronts. Things just weren’t clicking. I suppose it wasn’t a massive surprise, as the team needed time to adjust after a long spell under club legend João Alves, who built the Sporting we all know today.
We began the season with the classic 4-2-3-1. Unfortunately, we didn’t initially respond well to this formation, so we quickly switched to a 4-4-f*cking-2 (which, nicely, allowed Nuno Mendes and Kerkez to play together). This worked in patches, but wasn’t consistent, so we experimented with a version of the 4-3-3. Again, inconsistency was the answer.
Finally, a 0–1 loss to Augsburg on 30 November prompted a return to the 4-2-3-1. For reasons I can’t fully explain, the formation that failed us at the start has now borne fruit… Roles are clearer, performances more consistent, and we’ve gone unbeaten since the switch (knock on wood). It’s the formation everyone trusts, and now it’s working as it should.
Did someone say Cup? Admittedly, our cup runs were lacklustre. However, this season was always about the league. While Sporting competed in the League Cup, League Shield, and World Club Cup, none were genuine priorities. The Youth Cup was skipped entirely, despite having a strong youth setup. Cup runs were secondary; the focus was singular: Division 1.
Looking Forward
With five games remaining, there is still everything to play for. Although we sit comfortably in first after a recent run of good form, we take nothing for granted. Managing a big team like Sporting brings with it a different kind of pressure — it’s one thing to rebuild an underdog, quite another to step into a club where expectation is immediate and unrelenting. Anything less than winning the league would invite scrutiny, and so we remain extremely humble.
When managing a club of this stature, the challenge isn’t just about getting results — it’s equally about not royally screwing things up. At the same time, standing still is not an option. As Roosevelt once said, "the worst thing you can do is nothing". We continue to test the waters, make calculated adjustments, and take measured risks. After all, That willingness to act decisively, to push the team forward rather than play it safe, is perhaps why I ended up at Sporting in the first place — and perhaps, too, why João Alves ultimately fell short and was let go after the club slipped to Division 2.
On that note, I am wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a fantastic 2026!
ARSENAL Relegation Battle.
A season of turmoil for the Gunners changes to squad and Youth Team tactically changes all seem to have had an impact, we are working hard in the background.
But as you can see below the last minute goal from Hamburger is now brought a decent gap and we are rock bottom.
With 9 games left we role up or sleeves , look at the opposition weekly and will try all the way. When all fir we have a great 11 average of 91 and age nicely down to average of 27.
With a decent bench so we rarely drop under 91 and then a rafter of players with huge potential the first team squad i am very happy with we just have to be patient and the good times will be back.
The Youth Team 29 now, has grown and this weeks 1st leg semi final against A Madrid, it is important as they are and have been a massive plus this season.
Great performance in quarter finals from the 11 below.
The squad is huge with talent to come through, next season under 21 contenders.
The future is bright, the first team is just what i want right now and the bridge to the next batch Marin, Kiwior, Alcarez,Okoli, Balogun is not far away. Tactics are settling down now and I feel we might turn a corner anytime soon, but time will tell.
Till then we work hard in the background, scout, learn, use all our resources great again.
DIVISION 5 — MID-SEASON REPORT:
NAPOLI SET THE PACE AS TITLE RACE HEATS UP
By Paige Turner, Sports Correspondent
As the Division 5 campaign passes the halfway mark, SSC Napoli remain the side to beat — unbeaten in 19 games and sitting proudly atop the table. With 13 wins and six draws, Alessio Tonato’s men have blended attacking flair with defensive steel, boasting a +29 goal difference. Their recent run of six unbeaten matches, including four consecutive wins, underlines their credentials as title favourites.
Hot on their heels, Independiente and AS Monaco are locked level on 40 points, each hoping to capitalise on any slip-up from the leaders. The Argentine giants have shown remarkable consistency, losing just once all season, while Monaco’s occasional defensive lapses have cost them crucial ground despite their attacking prowess.
PSV Eindhoven sit in fourth with 35 points, quietly assembling an impressive record of resilience — only two losses all season. Their mix of youth and experience continues to keep them in the hunt for promotion contention.
In the chasing pack, Atalanta BC and AZ Alkmaar round out the top six. Atalanta’s 46 goals make them the league’s most entertaining side, though defensive frailties persist. AZ, meanwhile, remain tough to beat but lack cutting edge in attack, scoring just 21 times.
Further down the table, Stuttgart and Bordeaux remain competitive, while Lazio and Chievo Verona hover around mid-table, showing flashes of promise but struggling for consistency.
At the wrong end, Club Brugge KV, Spartak Moskva, and Villarreal CF are mired in the relegation fight. Brugge’s alarming run of five straight defeats has plunged them into danger, while Spartak and Villarreal are both desperate for form to avoid the drop.
Among the surprise struggles, Olympique Marseille and Santos FC — both with proud histories — find themselves just above the relegation zone. Their inconsistent results have frustrated fans, with both sides needing a strong second half to climb to safety.
As the season enters its decisive phase, Napoli’s unbeaten streak remains the headline story — but with five teams within ten points of the summit, the race for promotion and survival promises plenty of drama yet.
WCC and WCS knock out starts now!
After Play-In round, we came to knock out phase of this season WCC & WCS tournament.
All rounds will be played in two games (home&away). We start already on 12th of November and continue every Wednesday till the end of the season.
WCC schedule: WCC schedule link
WCS schedule: WCS schedule link
The schedule will be tight. Please stay alert and try to arrange your games as soon as possible. If you need some help, I will happily help. Still, please try to communicate with your opponent to avoid forfeiting the game.
Good luck to everyone and enjoy the biggest competition in Top100.
Youth Cup Carnage
YOUTH CUP GROUP STAGE FINALE: CHAOS, FORFEITS, AND UPSETS
As defending champions Barcelona stumble and forfeit fatigue grips the competition, one match remains to determine who joins the elite in the knockout rounds
They say lightning doesn’t strike twice, but someone forgot to tell the Top 100 Youth Cup. Last season delivered knockout drama that defied belief – Tottenham’s agonising defeat in Fictional Extra Time, CSKA’s maiden triumph – and now, with just one match remaining in the group stage, Season 26 threatens to surpass even that chaos.
The numbers tell one story: 64 academies entered, 32 will progress, and 25 teams have forfeited at least one fixture. The reality tells quite another. This has been a tournament plagued by absent management, squad selection blunders, and the kind of administrative shambles that would embarrass a Sunday league outfit, never mind the supposedly elite Top 100.
The Forfeit Epidemic
Let’s address the elephant in the room. PSV and Standard Liege have essentially abandoned the competition, forfeiting five and four fixtures respectively. Naples and Atalanta join them in disgrace with four no-shows apiece. These aren’t teething problems or isolated incidents – this is systemic failure from managers which makes you wonder how they manage to get dressed every morning.
Shakhtar, Newcastle, and Dynamo Moscow follow with three forfeits each, though in Dynamo’s case, there may be mitigating circumstances that warrant sympathy rather than censure. The same cannot be said for the dozen sides who’ve forfeited repeatedly. This level of inactivity simply isn’t fair on everyone else and it’s not up to the standards we expect from supposedly “Top 100” managers.
The suspicion lingers around Group B’s triple forfeit from Athletic Club, Montpellier, and Hoffenheim. Strategic withdrawals to dodge the Shield? Possibly. But as tournament organisers have made clear, those who repeatedly fail to fulfil their fixtures have forfeited their right to consolation silverware. Harsh, perhaps, but entirely justified.
The Perfect Three
Amid the carnage, three sides have maintained impeccable records. Espanyol, perennial bridesmaids in this competition, boast 18 points from six matches in Group B. Leicester City match that achievement in Group H, the former champions demonstrating that class remains permanent. But it’s Bayern Munich who’ve produced the tournament’s most impressive football, their Group F campaign yielding not just six wins but a goal difference that makes opponents weep.
These are your genuine contenders, sides that have treated the competition with the respect it deserves whilst others file teams sheets like afterthoughts.
Hamburger’s Unlikely Rise
The story of the group stage, however, belongs to Hamburger SV II. Seeded 28th in a group containing fifth-seeds Dortmund, they’ve navigated the chaos to top Group E with one match remaining. Yes, Dortmund forfeited their meeting with their German rivals, but that should not diminish an achievement that speaks to shrewd management and tactical nous.
Six teams remain in contention for three qualifying spots in Group E – a statistical improbability that reflects both competitive balance and the disruption caused by forfeits. The Zagreb-Dortmund encounter on the final day promises intrigue: a draw suits both parties and likely eliminates the chasing pack. Bremen should dispatch West Brom comfortably, whilst Brugge’s hopes rest on favours from elsewhere even if they beat Hamburg.
Group A’s Four-Way Shootout
Pre-tournament favourites Genoa have justified their billing with 15 points from six matches, their only defeat coming against Tottenham, last season’s runners-up who occupy second place with 13 points. These two have effectively qualified.
The real drama centres on PSG, Roma, and São Paulo, all locked on 10 points and scrapping for the final two berths. Roma travel to Tottenham knowing anything less than victory could prove fatal. Meanwhile, PSG host São Paulo in a straight shootout where goal difference may prove decisive. Three teams, two spots, and the distinct possibility of aggregate chaos determining who progresses. This is knockout football before the knockouts have even begun.
The Quiet Achievers
Group D sees Shield holders CSKA Moscow demonstrating their credentials once more, topping the group alongside Cruzeiro and Olympiacos. The fourth qualifying position remains contested between Independiente, Sampdoria, and Crystal Palace – evidence that squad depth and tactical flexibility trump reputation in this format.
Group G presents an oddity: an “open group” that has effectively closed. Hertha lead, Atletico and Basel follow, whilst Villa occupy fourth. All have qualified regardless of final-day results, yet all face opponents they’re expected to beat. The tournament’s most orderly group stands in stark contrast to the bedlam elsewhere.
Barcelona’s Defence Under Threat
The defending champions sit second in Group C, hardly the position of authority one might expect from last season’s dramatic victors over Tottenham. Manchester City, Barcelona, and Levante lead the group, with Stoke, Ajax, and Leverkusen hoping to join them. Barcelona’s forfeit hasn’t helped their cause, though they should still progress comfortably when Ajax visit on the final day.
It’s worth noting that Barcelona’s triumph last season came via Fictional Extra Time after 180 minutes failed to separate them from Spurs. That kind of fortune doesn’t strike twice, and their stuttering group stage suggests the hangover from that exertion may be lingering.
The Bigger Picture
Strip away the forfeit furore and what remains is a competition that has separated the wheat from chaff with ruthless efficiency. The top seeds – Genoa, Espanyol, CSKA, Bayern – have largely delivered. Of the 12 top seeds, only Brugge have failed to qualify. Mid-tier surprises like Hamburger and Crystal Palace have exceeded expectations.
This is precisely what youth football in a multiplayer simulation should deliver: meritocracy unfettered by real-world reputation or financial muscle. The managers who’ve invested time, tactical thought, and proper squad selection have prospered.
One matchday remains. Thirty-two teams will progress to the knockouts, with the sixteen Round of 32 losers joining the 16 best non-qualifiers in the Shield competition. For those who’ve repeatedly forfeited fixtures, there’ll be no consolation prize, no second chance. They’ve had seven opportunities to prove their commitment. They’ve failed.
The stage is set for knockout football that promises to be every bit as dramatic as last season’s finale. Barcelona will attempt to retain their Cup and Shield holders CSKA will challenge them along with Espanyol, Leicester, Bayern, and Genoa. And somewhere in the pack, perhaps Tottenham again, or a Hamburger or a Stoke will produce the kind of giant-killing run that makes this competition worth the considerable administrative headache.
Football, in its infinite capacity for both ecstasy and agony, prepares to deliver its verdict once more. For 32 teams, the dream continues. For the rest, there’s always next season – assuming they can be bothered to show up.
Youth Cup S26
The Top 100 Season 26 Youth Cup brings together 64 academies across world football in a seeded group stage.
Teams are split into 8 groups of 8, each playing 7 matches.
The top 4 from each group advance to the knockout rounds, where 32 teams battle it out in a single-elimination format until we crown the champion.
All fixtures are scheduled weekly in advance so please send out and accept your friendly requests asap. First matches scheduled for Saturday 20 September.
Youth Cup WhatsApp.
🔗 View Live Tournament Bracket
🔧 Tournament Settings (Top 100 S26 Youth Cup)
Format: Round Robin (Groups of 8) → Top 4 qualify → Single Elimination Knockout
Entrants: 64 (seeded by ratings)
Rounds per group: 7 (one match per week, no home/away duplicates)
Knockout stage: 32-team single elimination (5 rounds to champion)
Schedule: Weekly fixtures every Saturday starting 20 September.
| Seed | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Genoa |
| 2 | Espanyol |
| 3 | Barcelona |
| 4 | CSKA |
| 5 | Dortmund |
| 6 | Flamengo |
| 7 | Hertha Jugend |
| 8 | Juventus |
| 9 | Leicester City |
| 10 | Atletico Madrid |
| 11 | Bayern Munich |
| 12 | Club Brugge |
| 13 | Cruzeiro |
| 14 | Levante |
| 15 | River Plate |
| 16 | São Paulo |
| 17 | Tottenham |
| 18 | Chelsea |
| 19 | Man City |
| 20 | Sampdoria |
| 21 | Sc internacional |
| 22 | Arsenal |
| 23 | Aston Villa |
| 24 | AC Milan |
| 25 | Dynamo Moskva |
| 26 | FC Basel |
| 27 | Fenerbache |
| 28 | Hamburger SV II |
| 29 | Independiente |
| 30 | Leverkusen |
| 31 | Montpellier |
| 32 | Real Madrid |
| 33 | Roma |
| 34 | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| 35 | Stoke City |
| 36 | Swansea |
| 37 | Wolfsburg |
| 38 | Besiktas |
| 39 | Celtic Youth |
| 40 | Manchester United U21 |
| 41 | Spartak Moscow |
| 42 | Sunderland |
| 43 | Atalanta |
| 44 | Bremen |
| 45 | D.K.Y.S. |
| 46 | Anderlecht |
| 47 | Hoffenheim |
| 48 | PSG |
| 49 | SEVILLA |
| 50 | Udinese |
| 51 | AJAX |
| 52 | Crystal Palace |
| 53 | Dinamo Zagreb |
| 54 | Liverpool |
| 55 | naples |
| 56 | Newcastle |
| 57 | PSV |
| 58 | Saint Etienne |
| 59 | Standard Liege |
| 60 | West Brom |
| 61 | Olympiacos |
| 62 | Villarreal |
| 63 | Athletic Club |
| 64 | Valencia |
Season 26 Power Rankings
Biggest Risers from S25: Manchester United, Napoli, Wolfsburg
Biggest Fallers from S25: Shakhtar, River Plate, Tottenham, Fener, PSG
A change in #1: Hellas overtakes Borussia. It must be the going Gold!
Biggest Risers from S20: Napoli, Sevilla, Zenit, Independiente
Biggest Fallers from S20: Schalke, AZ, Werder, Gladbach, Stuttgart (it's tough to be German apparently)
FC Basel, a team once forgotten!
It's been a tumultuous time over in Basel in recent months, with the last 3 managers failing to contribute anything meaningful in terms of trophies, playstyle or consistancy and getting relegated from Division 3 with an abyssmal 15 points making their points tally the second worst in the top 5 divisions during Season 25. The fans taking to social media to berate the previous 3 managers and protesting outside of St. Jakob-Park with the common theme between fans being their beloved Basel had never looked the same since the mighty Josh McMillan left and that Basel looked like they were only going one way, and that was backwards.
I took on the role at Basel knowing this club, like so many others in the Top 100, need a manager that thinks of the future. The club had 2 fantastic players in Merino and Grealish alongside only 4 players rated 88 or above, with two of them being Thiago Silva and Olivier Giroud whos combined age is 78 and alongside this, Basel had a squad size of 36 with only 8 players under 23.
The plan was simple in theory, harder in execution. Increase the overall quality in the starting 11 whilst investing in the neglected youth project.
And so it began, minutes led to hours of messaging, thinking, analysing the squad, getting out the excel trying to find micro improvements across the board, then the first set of transfers hit, and they were outbounds...
We had to say goodbye to Grealish and Merino to pad the team out, and got 8 players in return. With 35 incomings and 21 outgoings, the team was well underway into becoming a mix of quality and prospect.
Major First Team Signings
Orkun KOKCU
The 24 year old turkish international was part of the first major bit of business undertaken at Basel, packaged together with a 22 year old Yeremay Hernandez, a top talent in Noah EDJOUMA with a futher two under 23 defenders (a major weak area in the youth setup already). A like for like replacement, here's hoping he can really perform whilst on loan at Beşiktaş.
Jadon SANCHO
Looking to revive his career, Sancho was used in a 3 man deal for the in-form Grealish and will be a critical piece of a new look attack. Sancho is 1 of 3 new first team offensive players who will all be looking to feed the ever present Giroud. Blessed with extreme technical ability at a young age, Basel are hoping he can control his temperament enough to become the main man at Basel and get the best out of his prime years.
Wilfried ZAHA
Zaha combines explosive pace, direct dribbling, and strength with a consistent attacking output, making him a constant danger in wide areas and a reliable outlet in transition. An opportunity to sign someone with a lot of experience was too good to turn down, sending Neuhaus to Sampdoria was what was needed to get that deal over the line, at 32 he does not fit the age profile of what we were looking at but sometimes a deal pops up that you have to just grab.
Arnaut DANJUMA
Arnaut Danjuma is a quick, direct winger who thrives in 1v1 situations thanks to his sharp dribbling and explosive acceleration. He is versatile in attack, capable of cutting inside from the left to shoot or drifting wide to stretch defenses. With good technical ability and composure in front of goal, he provides both creativity and a scoring threat. At 28 Danjuma represents a solid investment if he can find his form of 2021 on loan at Valencia.
Amine HARIT
Amine Harit is a creative attacking midfielder known for his close control, flair, and ability to glide past defenders in tight spaces. He thrives on linking play between midfield and attack, often driving forward with dribbles to unlock defenses. While more of a creator than a prolific scorer, his vision and technical skill make him a valuable playmaker. It's a shame De Zerbi can't see his talent at Marseille, but a move away could help him keep his 88 rating, at 28 this is another potentially solid transfer.
Alongside Musso (88), Niakhate (88), Silva (89) and Giroud (89) this gives Basel a strong spine and adds quality across the whole of midfield and attack.
Major Youth Investment
The youth team was where the new manager really wanted to stamp his mark and build a legacy at a club where youth has been neglected. Key under 23 players such as Marlon Gomes, Yeremary Hernandez, Charlie Hughes, Marius Worl and Matheus Alves, all getting plenty of minutes for their respective teams with solid sofascore ratings, were signed as part of a new look youth set up hoping to become decent players in the next few years.
Outside of these, there were a number of youth prospects signed aimed at giving Basel every chance to nurture a hidden gem, all of them getting high amounts of minutes for either the under 21/B teams of their respective clubs or getting small minutes for the first team.
Overall the FC Basel rebuild has so far been short but fast, not the best team in Division 4 but certainly not the worst, they could have easily been a team lost to time as neglect pushed them deeper down the abyss of the football pyramid. Who knows where they will end up, with an outuside chance of promotion it could just as easily be a year for celebration as it could stagnate. Time will tell but for now we take 1 game at a time, 3 points from the first game is a great start to life in the Top 100. Will Basel push for promotion? Will they unlock a gem? Let's see....
Season 26 Division 5 Stats and Facts
Will a weak keeper hold back stats favourites Napoli.
In reality Napoli could sort that out in a heart beat and would be a good head in front of the rest of the chasing pack. Having a 91 rated attack in D5 is really the nuclear option with no team having any keeper or defence above 89.
Brugge strong in attack and defence but lacking depth should be the main opposition this season with Independiente not being far behind, Marseille are the most defensive team in the league and this is favoured in the current SM machine that processes the results. Rubin have a good midfield and attack combo , so plenty of possession and a shield for the defense.
There are clearly a number of teams that are being ahem “ rebuilt “ , though why they need to be quite so uncompetitive is not really within the scope of this article. Stuttgart and Twente have the least depth in any sides we have seen for sometime, Athletic club and Twente have keepers that don’t need to be so weak and they could finish 4 or 5 places higher.
The A.I. sees Torino as a surprise playoff team moving up from 10th to 6th with AZ falling out of contention but Spartak knocking on the door of D4 if they play their cards right.
If we assume 218 is the cut off for D4 then Spartak would be o.k. without much work needing to be done. There is also the work in progress gap that now exist between Spartak and Lazio, food for thought.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | A.I. | |
| SSC Napoli | 85.0 | 88.5 | 89.4 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 88.0 | 221.99 | 1 | 1 |
| Club Brugge KV | 89.0 | 88.5 | 88.0 | 90.0 | 84.0 | 87.9 | 220.46 | 2 | 3 |
| Independiente | 88.0 | 88.3 | 89.4 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 88.1 | 220.85 | 3 | 2 |
| Olympique Marseille | 88.0 | 89.3 | 87.8 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 88.0 | 220.37 | 4 | 4 |
| Rubin Kazan | 86.0 | 87.3 | 88.2 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.1 | 218.73 | 5 | 7 |
| AS Monaco | 88.0 | 87.8 | 89.0 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.8 | 219.48 | 6 | 5 |
| AZ Alkmaar | 88.0 | 87.3 | 88.2 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.3 | 218.32 | 7 | 9 |
| Santos FC | 87.0 | 87.3 | 87.8 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.0 | 217.88 | 8 | 10 |
| Villarreal CF | 87.0 | 86.8 | 87.2 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.0 | 217.12 | 9 | 11 |
| Torino | 88.0 | 87.5 | 87.2 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.3 | 218.37 | 10 | 6 |
| Spartak Moskva | 89.0 | 87.8 | 87.4 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.4 | 218.20 | 11 | 8 |
| SS Lazio | 88.0 | 86.3 | 87.4 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 86.9 | 216.88 | 12 | 12 |
| Chievo Verona | 86.0 | 87.3 | 87.6 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.6 | 216.95 | 13 | 13 |
| Atalanta BC | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.0 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.4 | 215.59 | 14 | 14 |
| Athletic Club | 85.0 | 85.8 | 87.6 | 87.0 | 84.0 | 85.9 | 215.51 | 15 | 16 |
| FC Twente | 85.0 | 86.8 | 86.0 | 88.0 | 78.0 | 84.8 | 214.96 | 16 | 18 |
| PSV | 87.0 | 86.8 | 86.2 | 87.0 | 82.0 | 85.8 | 215.19 | 17 | 17 |
| Celta Vigo | 89.0 | 86.0 | 85.8 | 87.0 | 84.0 | 86.4 | 214.75 | 18 | 15 |
| Girondins Bordeaux | 86.0 | 84.0 | 87.2 | 86.0 | 83.0 | 85.2 | 213.14 | 19 | 19 |
| Stuttgart | 85.0 | 83.5 | 84.0 | 85.0 | 78.0 | 83.1 | 208.81 | 20 | 20 |
Season 26 Division 4 Stats and Facts.
Will Celtic overcome their poor start to be number 1 in the stats.
In an ironic twist the top stat team is after 1 game holding up the rest of the table. Thie main weakness is the keeper but an 88 is fine in D4 a few powerhouse teams do have stronger attacks but a top 3 places should be theirs at least,
Valencia and Lille are closely matched even if different prospects. Valencia are playing the popular defensive game, Lille go all out attack. Lokomotive and Ajax in 4 and 5th are more balanced teams, Moscow have the most potent midfield in the league so if they can convert the possession, they should get a top 3 place could be for them. Liverpool , Palace and Kiev all play the attacking game ,but not all can succeed and if this becomes a “thing “ surely a defensive counter movement will follow.
To survive D3 you would need 219 so Olympiacos or even Partizan could push for a playoff spot without much concern.
Shaktar have mountain to climb pretty much the weakest in all positions. Sassuolo have a decent keeper but not much else. Lyon may escape due to a decent attack, Moenchenglabach are the balanced team amongst the relegation candidates but is that a good idea?
Division 4 lost some profoundly weak teams last season so predicting a cut off is all but impossible. Two really strong teams were promoted and this means the average rating is slightly less. D4 should be even tighter than last season.
What does the A.I. think? Lille are predicted to come 2nd , Kiev are expect to get a playoff spot at the expense of Basel. The A.I. thinks Moenchenglabach will displace Bremen maybe the depth of Bremen will help as the season goes on.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | A.I. | |
| Celtic | 88.0 | 89.0 | 89.4 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.5 | 222.10 | 1 | 1 |
| Valencia CF | 89.0 | 90.0 | 88.8 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 88.8 | 221.48 | 2 | 3 |
| Lille OSC | 87.0 | 88.0 | 88.6 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 88.1 | 221.19 | 3 | 2 |
| Lokomotiv Moskva | 88.0 | 88.0 | 89.6 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 88.1 | 220.81 | 4 | 4 |
| Ajax | 89.0 | 88.5 | 88.8 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 88.1 | 220.57 | 5 | 6 |
| Liverpool | 88.0 | 88.3 | 87.6 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.0 | 220.06 | 6 | 5 |
| FC Basel | 88.0 | 87.5 | 88.6 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 87.8 | 219.61 | 7 | 8 |
| Crystal Palace | 86.0 | 87.3 | 87.8 | 91.0 | 83.0 | 87.0 | 219.47 | 8 | 10 |
| Dynamo Moskva | 87.0 | 88.8 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.6 | 219.36 | 9 | 11 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 88.0 | 86.3 | 87.8 | 91.0 | 85.0 | 87.6 | 219.15 | 10 | 7 |
| Olympiacos | 89.0 | 87.5 | 87.8 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 87.9 | 219.09 | 11 | 9 |
| FK Partizan | 87.0 | 87.8 | 88.4 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.4 | 218.88 | 12 | 13 |
| Feyenoord | 87.0 | 87.8 | 87.8 | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.5 | 218.52 | 13 | 12 |
| Besiktas JK | 87.0 | 87.5 | 87.4 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.2 | 218.41 | 14 | 14 |
| Newcastle United | 87.0 | 87.5 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.3 | 218.36 | 15 | 15 |
| Bremen | 88.0 | 86.5 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 84.0 | 86.9 | 217.44 | 16 | 17 |
| Monchengladbach | 88.0 | 87.3 | 87.6 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.2 | 217.31 | 17 | 16 |
| Olympique Lyonnais | 87.0 | 86.3 | 86.6 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 86.8 | 216.77 | 18 | 18 |
| US Sassuolo | 88.0 | 86.8 | 87.4 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.8 | 216.63 | 19 | 19 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 87.0 | 85.5 | 85.4 | 85.0 | 83.0 | 85.2 | 212.37 | 20 | 20 |
Big changes for new look PSG!
There is a saying that goes sometimes you need to take a step back to go forward. PSG are a big club that have lost there way in top 100. Now only a division 3 club. I joined at the start of last season from a successful time at Basel. Fair to say there was some high ratings but apart from Antony , Sarr and Singo they were all in there 30's. I decided to go for the promotion give it a good go but as the season went on the results dried up and players like Lacazette dropped in rating and we dropped out of the playoffs. To be honest halfway through the season I started making changes. We needed something for the future as I couldn't see anything to look forward to. We managed to get Marc Guiu 82, 19 year old Chelsea Forward , Hartmann 23, 88 rated lwb. 23 year old 85 rated midfielder Fernandez who was playing in Saudi but has now joined Bayer Leverkusen and a few more. When last season ended I knew big changes were needed but we didn't have the players to swap to get the best young players around. We had to take some risks and go for more players around 22-26 age range and lower rated but with potential to get better . First off a list of the players who have left us.
Lacazette, Zielinski, Musso, Lenglet, Cristante, Harit, Martial, Biraghi, Alves, Correa,Djiga, we wish them well at there new clubs.
We are delighted to bring in the following players!
MICHAEL COOPER
25 year old Goalkeeper , Michael Cooper joined Sheffield United from Plymouth a few seasons ago and has been arguably the best goalkeeper in the championship. He was Linked to Premier league sides but decided to stay at Sheffield United for the new season. He will be our Back up gk this season. Hopefully our future Number 1 and potentially a England goalkeeper soon.
Stole Dimitrievski
One of only a few experienced players to join , 31 year old Stole 87 rated goalkeeper has come in as our first choice until Cooper gets to the level we feel required to start regularly.
Xavier Mbuyamba
Xavier Mbuyama was a highly rated youth who was on the books of Chelsea in his teen years and highly thought of. Now 23 he's playing for FC Volendam but he's just had the best season of his career and has been linked with a move to Rangers. It's a punt but we are excited to see how he develops.
Adamo Nagalo
Adamo Nagalo joins us on a cash deal. The 22 year old 84 rated cb has had a tough time with appearances for PSV but has undoubted talent. We are hoping he get a chance in psvs team, if he starts playing he could be a great investment.
Anselmo Garcia Macnulty
Anselmo 22 year old 80 rated cb/lb is an Irish defender who has played abroad from his youth career into his senior career. He has been developing very well and last season played 34 times for Pec Zwolle in the Eredivisie
Batista Mendy 25, 87 rated cdm/cb is a highly rated defensive Midfielder who is on loan at Sevilla with a view to a permanent deal from Turkish side Trabzonspor. He is a player I've been after for a long time so we are delighted to get it over the line.
Daniel Braganca
We beat quite a bit of competition to get Daniel. 26 year old midfielder 87 rated who is a regular for Sporting SP. In the last 3 years hes gone up from 82 gradually to 87. 3 Titles and 5 trophy's alltogether while playing for the club. We feel he can only get better.
Tyrhys Dolan
Tyrhys Dolan 23, 83 rated is an exciting pacey player with good dribbling skills. He left Championship side Blackburn recently to join La Liga side Espanyol so it's a bit of a punt to bring him in but if he succeeds at Espanyol we could end up with a very good player.
Tommaso Baldanzi
Tommaso Baldanzi is a talented 22 year old 85 rated attacking player who plays for AS Roma . He hasn't yet shown his true ability but you can see his potential. Hopefully he does bring out his ability this season.
Tim Kleindienst
Tim is one of two experienced players we brought in although younger than the player he replaced. TIM is a 30 year old 90 rated cf who scored 16 goals for Monchengladbach last season.
Julian Carranza
Julian is a 25 year old 85 rated striker, who plays for feyenoord. I've always been impressed when I've watched him but probably has not scored as much goals as he should of hense why he has joined Leicester city on loan. We hope he kicks on at the foxes.
Others to join PSG are Karamoko Dembele 78, Danilo Veiga 83, Tommy Setford 70 (youth) Lucien Mahovo 75 (youth) Ji-soo Kim 77 (youth) Anrie Chase 80 (youth) Julio Diaz 76 (youth) Pau Prim 75 (youth) Jaydan Kamason 70 (youth) Heriberto Jurado 82 (youth) Jemiah Umolu 65 (youth) Victor Musa 65 (youth)
As you can see it's a massive change around. We are now predicted to finish 15th which shows the ratings drops we have had to make. Patience is key but hopefully the future is bright for psg.
CSKA Season 26 - A Return to D2
Season 25 saw a D3 title and promotion D2. As David stated, the jump from D3 to D2 is steep, but CSKA has greater ambitions than even D2 and hope not to regress in season 26. This will be CSKA's first season in D2 under Chris Meida and its first season in D2 since season 14. It has never made an appearance in D1.
GK: We have starting GK Carnesecchi (90) who continues to be solid for Atalanta and is one of the top young GKs in the world. Behind him is Mycael, consistent starter who Brazil U20 and once one of the top GK prospects in the world. However, he's lost his spot in Serie B and will be aging out of the youth team after this season. Behind him we've brought in Miguel Gouveia, a top Portuguese GK prospect.
RB: A two way battle between new West Ham signing Kyle Walker Peters (88) and Alexander Bah (88), the oft-injured Benfica starter. Behind those two are youth players Alex Jimenez (83), new Cherries signing from Milan with a Real Madrid buyback, and Wes Okoduwa, who I believe can develop into a lockdown defender but may need to add to his offensive repertoire. Jean Mambuku is a wild card behind them and Eric da Silva Moreira has now moved to Portugal on loan.
CB: Harry Maguire (90) aka Dursley starts with either Palace starter Chris Richards or Martin Valjent (87s). We continue to have a youth movement at the position. Mamadou Sarr and Jan-Carlo Simic are both 85s and starters at Strasbourg and Anderlecht. Jon Martin (82) is a rotational starter at Sociedad. There is a significant amount of young depth between Tyler Meiser, Freddie Simmonds, Baba Kourouma, and Ben Hawighorst.
LB: Alvaro Carreras (88) has finally claimed the starting spot and has been off to a terrific start for Real Madrid. Kiernan Tierney is his backup. We've recently signed Ishe Samuels-Smith with an eye toward the future. He had been a long-time target of CSKA. In the youth cup Jimenez is likely to switch over here with Jon Martin playing RB.
DM: Jordan Henderson (89) will start the season alongside Pape Gueye (88). The oft-injured Romeo Lavia (87) will be backup as his progress has stagnated. The manager believes he still has the potential to be amongst the best at his position. Celtic captain Callum McGregor (87) is a good depth piece as well. From a youth perspective, we have Sekou Kone at Man United and compatriot Hamidou Makalou. Ze Lucas, Pape Diong and Saimon Bouabre, now amongst Neom's French connection are the youth options.
CM: Hakim Ziyech (88) holds down the starting spot with Brazilian Matheus Pereira (87) behind him. Kendry is finally old enough to be in Europe. Lorran has left for greener pastures and we now see Shakhtar-bound Isaque in his role.
AM: Iago Aspas (89) and Adingra (88) continue to be starters. Bertrand Traore is the main backup. Madrid newboy Mastantuono and Odobert are the main backups. Irankunda is off to a hot start at Watford and Cavan Sullivan continues to impress despite being so young he has barely piqued Trump's interest. Joel Ndala has been brought in through the Lorran trade.
CF: Ciro Immobile (89) is the undisputed starter. We have a few players who can pop in as backup from other positions. Karim Konate should be returning soon from his torn ACL. Jayden Danns stuck around Liverpool this offseason, which was surprising. We continue to be excited by N'guessan and Bro Hansen's potential as they see some gametime.
Marketing: The “Bro” campaign was a huge success last year. With HBO releasing the Harry Potter series in the near future and captain Harry Maguire's uncanny resemblance to Dursley, he is appearing in our new marketing campaign: "Snuggles with Muggles."
Likely starting lineup: Carnesecchi, Bah, Maguire, Richards, Carreras, Gueye, Henderson, Ziyech, Aspas, Adingra, Immobile.
Youth lineup: Mycael, Martin, Sarr, Simic, Jimenez, Lavia, Paez, Irankunda, Mastantuano, Odobert, Konate
GinoBet-Frank100 S26 Betting Odds
<div class="ginobet-header">
<h1>🎰 GinoBetFrank100 🎰</h1>
<div class="subtitle">Season 26 Betting Odds - Post-Miracle Edition (CORRECTED)</div>
</div>
<div class="miracle-banner">
<h2>⚡ AFTER THE MIRACLE WINS ⚡</h2>
<p>USA beat England on penalties in World Cup Final! 🇺🇸<br>
AC Milan SHOCK treble-winners Hellas Verona in Charity Shield! 🏆<br>
Multiple underdog triumphs - The odds have been REVOLUTIONIZED! 📈</p>
</div>
<div class="division-section">
<h3 class="division-header">🏆 DIVISION 1 - TITLE ODDS 🏆</h3>
<div class="odds-grid">
<div class="odds-column">
<h4>Elite Tier (93+ ETOT)</h4>
<div class="team-odds favorite">
<span class="team-name">Hellas Verona (Treble Winners)</span>
<span class="odds">6/5</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds favorite">
<span class="team-name">Borussia Dortmund</span>
<span class="odds">2/1</span>
</div>
<h4>Elite Contenders (91-93 ETOT)</h4>
<div class="team-odds">
<span class="team-name">Chelsea</span>
<span class="odds">7/2</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds">
<span class="team-name">Barcelona</span>
<span class="odds">4/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds">
<span class="team-name">FC Porto</span>
<span class="odds">5/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds">
<span class="team-name">Leicester City</span>
<span class="odds">8/1</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="odds-column">
<h4>Post-Miracle Stories</h4>
<div class="team-odds miracle-pick">
<span class="team-name">AC Milan (Charity Shield Winners!)</span>
<span class="odds">150/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds miracle-pick">
<span class="team-name">Hamburg (D2 Champions)</span>
<span class="odds">66/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds underdog">
<span class="team-name">Stoke City (D2 Runners-up)</span>
<span class="odds">100/1</span>
</div>
<h4>Relegation Battles</h4>
<div class="team-odds">
<span class="team-name">Málaga CF (Weakest Squad)</span>
<span class="odds">1000/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds">
<span class="team-name">Dinamo Zagreb</span>
<span class="odds">800/1</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="division-section">
<h3 class="division-header">🥈 DIVISION 2 - PROMOTION ODDS 🥈</h3>
<div class="odds-grid">
<div class="odds-column">
<h4>Elite Tier - Should Dominate</h4>
<div class="team-odds favorite">
<span class="team-name">Sporting CP (91.4 ETOT)</span>
<span class="odds">1/2</span>
</div>
<h4>Strong Contenders</h4>
<div class="team-odds">
<span class="team-name">Genoa CFC (89.1 ETOT)</span>
<span class="odds">3/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds">
<span class="team-name">Bayer Leverkusen (89.1 ETOT)</span>
<span class="odds">7/2</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds">
<span class="team-name">Manchester United (88.2 ETOT)</span>
<span class="odds">4/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds">
<span class="team-name">Real Madrid (89.0 ETOT)</span>
<span class="odds">5/1</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="odds-column">
<h4>D3 Promoted Newcomers</h4>
<div class="team-odds miracle-pick">
<span class="team-name">RSC Anderlecht (D3 2nd Place)</span>
<span class="odds">25/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds miracle-pick">
<span class="team-name">CSKA Moskva (D3 Champions)</span>
<span class="odds">50/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds underdog">
<span class="team-name">Everton (Playoff Winners)</span>
<span class="odds">80/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds underdog">
<span class="team-name">FC Augsburg (D3 3rd Place)</span>
<span class="odds">100/1</span>
</div>
<h4>D1 Relegated Teams</h4>
<div class="team-odds">
<span class="team-name">1. FC Köln (Experienced)</span>
<span class="odds">12/1</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="division-section">
<h3 class="division-header">🥉 DIVISION 3 - PROMOTION ODDS 🥉</h3>
<div class="odds-grid">
<div class="odds-column">
<h4>Championship Favorites</h4>
<div class="team-odds favorite">
<span class="team-name">West Bromwich Albion</span>
<span class="odds">6/4</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds">
<span class="team-name">Boca Juniors (Mo Salah!) ⚡</span>
<span class="odds">2/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds">
<span class="team-name">CR Flamengo</span>
<span class="odds">7/2</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds">
<span class="team-name">Sevilla FC</span>
<span class="odds">4/1</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="division-section">
<h3 class="division-header">🎯 SPECIAL MIRACLE BETS 🎯</h3>
<div class="odds-grid">
<div class="odds-column">
<h4>Post-Upset Specials</h4>
<div class="team-odds miracle-pick">
<span class="team-name">AC Milan Win A Trophy</span>
<span class="odds">25/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds miracle-pick">
<span class="team-name">Another Promoted Team Upsets Elite</span>
<span class="odds">8/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds miracle-pick">
<span class="team-name">Hamburg Top 6 Finish</span>
<span class="odds">20/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds">
<span class="team-name">Sporting CP Straight To D1</span>
<span class="odds">2/1</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="odds-column">
<h4>Manager & Player Specials</h4>
<div class="team-odds underdog">
<span class="team-name">David Marsden Manager of Season</span>
<span class="odds">6/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds underdog">
<span class="team-name">Mo Salah Top D3 Scorer</span>
<span class="odds">3/1</span>
</div>
<div class="team-odds underdog">
<span class="team-name">Any D3 Promoted Team Survives D2</span>
<span class="odds">12/1</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="legend">
<h3>🎲 Betting Analysis</h3>
<h4>Key Insights After The Data Review:</h4>
<ul>
<li>
AC Milan’s Charity Shield Shock: Beat treble-winners Hellas Verona against all odds
<div style="margin: 20px 0">
<span class="legend-item legend-favorite">Elite Squads (90+ ETOT)</span>
<span class="legend-item legend-underdog">Value Bets</span>
<span class="legend-item legend-miracle">Miracle Picks 🔥</span>
</div>
<div style="background: linear-gradient(45deg, #fff5f5, #ffe8e8);padding: 20px;border-radius: 8px;margin-top: 20px;border-left: 4px solid #ff6b6b">
<h4 style="margin-top: 0;color: #721c24">🏆 THE MILAN SHOCK & UNDERDOG REVOLUTION 🏆</h4>
<p style="color: #721c24;margin-bottom: 10px;font-weight: 600">
AC Milan's Charity Shield victory over treble-winners Hellas Verona has sent shockwaves through the football world!
Combined with Hamburg's miraculous D2 title and USA's World Cup triumph, underdogs everywhere are believing again.
</p>
<p style="color: #721c24;margin: 0;font-style: italic">
Result: Cup competitions are wide open, squad ratings matter less than ever! The beautiful game embraces chaos! ⚽
</p>
</div>
<div class="disclaimer">
<strong>Disclaimer:</strong> All odds based on ETOT ratings, historical performance, and the chaos factor introduced by tactical innovations.
No real money involved - pure entertainment based on Soccer Manager Worlds Season 26 data!
Remember: After Milan's miracle and multiple upsets, anything is possible in football! ⚽🎰
</div>
</div>
Season 26 Division 3 Stats and Facts
Can West Brom beat the Mo Salah led Boca team, the stats say yes.
Boca with Salah were nearly untouchable in D4 but D3 is a different matter. West Brom should win the division the strongest team in 3 of the categories and 2nd best in attack. Boca’s season in 2nd spot rests in 1 man, a few injuries and they would be a mid table outfit at best. Flamengo in 3rd are a solid outfit 90 keeper and 90 attack will be hard for most D3 teams to cope with. Zenit in 4th in the stats have a strong midfield but are they too weak at the back to cope with some of the mighty attackers? Seville in 5th are not a Boca clone with much more depth than most teams. Swansea in 6th have such a strong attack and midfield combo but recently defensive teams such as West Ham have been favoured. Can Sampdoria match the expected 9th spot with their strong attack but weak keeper?
As you would only need 220.5 to survive D2 promotion is a realistic prospect down to at least Sunderland in 11th spot.
Relegation , Schalke look likely to suffer yet another drop unless something is done, while last season was a bit mad a general cut off of 219 from relegation could be applied. This leave the 2 Turkish teams who are near identical in stats battling Dnipro who so often over perform and Fiorentina .
As for the A.I. it sees Sevilla gaining a 2nd promotion instead of Flamengo, Sunderland are expect to do somewhat better but the relegation teams still sit firm.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | A.I. | |
| West Bromwich Albion | 91.0 | 90.5 | 90.8 | 91.0 | 87.0 | 90.1 | 225.55 | 1 | 1 |
| Boca Juniors | 89.0 | 86.8 | 88.2 | 96.0 | 84.0 | 88.8 | 223.12 | 2 | 2 |
| CR Flamengo | 90.0 | 89.0 | 89.2 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.8 | 222.18 | 3 | 4 |
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | 88.0 | 88.5 | 89.0 | 90.5 | 86.0 | 88.4 | 221.71 | 4 | 5 |
| SEVILLA FC | 88.0 | 87.5 | 88.4 | 92.0 | 87.0 | 88.6 | 221.52 | 5 | 3 |
| Swansea City | 88.0 | 88.5 | 88.8 | 90.0 | 87.0 | 88.5 | 221.34 | 6 | 6 |
| West Ham United | 89.0 | 89.3 | 89.6 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 88.4 | 221.28 | 7 | 8 |
| Wolfsburg | 88.0 | 89.0 | 89.2 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 88.0 | 221.17 | 8 | 10 |
| Sampdoria | 87.0 | 88.5 | 88.2 | 91.0 | 85.0 | 87.9 | 221.15 | 9 | 7 |
| Hoffenheim | 87.0 | 88.8 | 89.0 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 88.0 | 220.81 | 10 | 11 |
| Sunderland | 88.0 | 87.5 | 89.4 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 88.0 | 220.78 | 11 | 9 |
| AS Roma | 89.0 | 87.8 | 88.8 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.9 | 219.97 | 12 | 12 |
| AS Saint-Etienne | 89.0 | 87.8 | 88.6 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.9 | 219.81 | 13 | 14 |
| Montpellier HSC | 88.0 | 87.5 | 88.0 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 87.7 | 219.66 | 14 | 13 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 87.0 | 87.5 | 88.0 | 90.0 | 84.0 | 87.3 | 219.42 | 15 | 15 |
| Galatasaray SK | 87.0 | 88.3 | 87.0 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 87.5 | 218.81 | 16 | 16 |
| Fenerbahçe SK | 87.0 | 88.0 | 87.2 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.2 | 218.12 | 17 | 17 |
| Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 88.0 | 86.3 | 88.2 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.3 | 217.64 | 18 | 18 |
| ACF Fiorentina | 88.0 | 87.8 | 87.5 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 87.1 | 217.51 | 19 | 19 |
| Schalke | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.3 | 88.5 | 85.0 | 86.8 | 216.77 | 20 | 20 |
Season 26 Division 2 Stats and Facts
Sporting the clear favourites.
A team that should be mid table in D1 should romp to the title with room to spare. They can only realistically be beaten in the keeper position but should not have a problem. Then things get much closer. Genoa just in 2nd spot maybe a little weaker in defence but still a tough all round team. Leverkusen are a more defensive outfit but maybe lack a little depth.
Man Utd are in 4th spot but will the keeper be a real weakness. Real Madrid will run the top teams close with that potent attack but as is true of Cruziero perhaps a little weak lower down the order.
Liege are a classic top and tail team but does that still work in division 2 , time will tell. Interestingly on Sporting have what it takes to survive in D1 all the other prospects face instant relegation.
At the wrong end of the table anything less than 221 leaves you in danger, River Plate it is hard to see how they can survive with the weakest attack and defence in the league. Spurs can hope that a good defensive showing keeps them up , where as Augsburg must hope to knock a few in as they will probably ship a few at the back. CSKA will look to depth to avoid the drop hoping Cologne , Espanyol or Atletico will get a few injuries
The A.I. does see things a little different , it doesn’t rate Man Utd as highly and sees them finishing around 10th maybe due to the keeper and lack of depth. The A.I. predict Real Madrid to come 2nd and Liege to come 3rd if this comes to pass it would be interesting to see.
Division 2 is a tougher division than last season around 0.5 points across the board.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | A.I. | |
| Sporting CP | 89.0 | 91.5 | 91.4 | 92.0 | 88.0 | 90.4 | 227.36 | 1 | 1 |
| Genoa CFC | 88.0 | 89.5 | 91.0 | 90.0 | 87.0 | 89.1 | 223.90 | 2 | 5 |
| Leverkusen | 89.0 | 90.3 | 90.2 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 89.1 | 223.86 | 3 | 6 |
| Manchester United | 87.0 | 89.5 | 89.6 | 92.0 | 83.0 | 88.2 | 223.48 | 4 | 10 |
| SC Internacional | 91.0 | 89.3 | 90.0 | 90.0 | 87.0 | 89.5 | 223.26 | 5 | 4 |
| Real Madrid | 89.0 | 88.8 | 89.2 | 92.0 | 86.0 | 89.0 | 223.16 | 6 | 2 |
| Cruzeiro | 89.0 | 89.0 | 89.8 | 91.0 | 85.0 | 88.8 | 223.07 | 7 | 8 |
| SL Benfica | 90.0 | 89.0 | 89.4 | 91.0 | 85.0 | 88.9 | 222.87 | 8 | 7 |
| Standard Liège | 93.0 | 89.0 | 89.4 | 90.0 | 87.0 | 89.7 | 222.82 | 9 | 3 |
| RSC Anderlecht | 89.0 | 88.5 | 89.6 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 88.8 | 222.63 | 10 | 9 |
| Everton | 87.0 | 89.8 | 89.4 | 89.0 | 87.0 | 88.4 | 222.05 | 11 | 12 |
| Atlético Madrid | 89.0 | 89.0 | 89.0 | 90.0 | 84.0 | 88.2 | 221.66 | 12 | 13 |
| Udinese Calcio | 89.0 | 89.5 | 88.8 | 89.0 | 87.0 | 88.7 | 221.61 | 13 | 11 |
| RCD Espanyol | 90.0 | 87.5 | 89.4 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 88.4 | 221.02 | 14 | 14 |
| Cologne | 89.0 | 88.8 | 86.8 | 92.0 | 82.0 | 87.7 | 220.76 | 15 | 16 |
| CSKA Moskva | 90.0 | 88.5 | 88.4 | 89.0 | 87.0 | 88.6 | 220.61 | 16 | 15 |
| Southampton | 88.0 | 88.5 | 89.0 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.7 | 219.96 | 17 | 19 |
| Augsburg | 89.0 | 87.5 | 88.2 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 87.9 | 219.94 | 18 | 17 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 90.0 | 88.0 | 88.8 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 88.2 | 219.76 | 19 | 18 |
| River Plate | 88.0 | 87.8 | 87.4 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.4 | 218.20 | 20 | 20 |
CA INDEPENDIENTE - Season 25
TEAM PRESENTATION
GOALKEEPER
After 17 seasons and 526 games played we decided to say goodbye to our captain José Sà. He was the last player bought by the previous manager, so the slow revolution started 5 years ago is completed. For next season we'll bet on a young prospect, Senne Lammens, sure he will be our goalkeeper for a long time. Torop will play his last season as youth competitions goalkeeper.
DEFENDERS
The couple of centre-backs hasn't been changed, Danso and Medina are probably not top class players but they played a lot of games together and they can do very well again. We added Lindelof to bring in some experience, with Ahmedhodzic as 4th choice. For our youth team we paired up an exciting duo formed by Filippo Mané and Abdoulaye Faye.
About full-backs, we were looking for a progressive right-back as Meunier is a good short-term option and Assignon has a lot to show yet. So we made a little investment on Aaron Hickey, who has shown some qualities at Bologna and Brentford before a serious injury; he can also be a good option on the left where Sergio Gomez will be the starter. We have also some youths in the position, Nkoudou and Neffati on the right and Norheim and Nagida on the left.
MIDFIELDERS
Danilo Pereira arrived in a straight swap for Sahraoui and will be the starter as defensive midfielder, waiting for the grow of Morton who looks the player in the role for the future. The central midfielders will be Gabriel Sara, who has shown very nice things at Galatasaray, and the new added McGinn, with Nico Dominguez still on the market but probably meant to stay fighting for a place. To complete the first team Luka Sucic, new arrival Lucas Da Cunha and former French under21 international Felix Lemarechal.
In the youth team, we sadly said goodbye to Tohumcu, but Ordonez, Abdoul Ouattara and Verstraeten seem to be good prospects.
FORWARDS
Last season both Trincao as right winger and Strand Larsen as central forward had a good season, but the players who took turns playing on the left didn't do very well. So we decided to buy an experienced player and we found a good opportunity by recruiting Croatia international Kramaric. The back-up trio will be Akgun, Stassin and Borja Sainz, they are developing well and we are very confident for the future. Piroe seems to be a surplus so if a good offer arrives he could be sacrified. Daghim, Bermont, Ngoura and Thiago Fernandez are the option for the youth team.
TRANSFER MARKET
IN
Lindelof CB 88 31
Omobamidele CB 83 23
Faye CB 75 20
Hickey RB/LB 87 23
Neffati RB 77 20
Danilo Pereira DM 89 33
Da Cunha CM 87 24
Mcginn CM 90 30
Ilcin CM 65 16
Kalpakli RW 60 16
Kramaric CF 90 34
OUT
José Sà GK 89 32
Igor Julio CB 87 27
Soyuncu CB 88 29
Doucoure DM 88 25
Stengs CM 87 26
Richards CM 73 18
Tohumcu CM 83 21
Will Alves AM 76 20
Bangura-Williams RW 76 21
Sahraoui LW 86 24
Gondou CF 86 24
LIBRAS-BOAS CLAIMS TREBLE CROWN AS TOP 100 HONOURS OUTSTANDING SEASON 25 ACHIEVERS
Luis André leads dominant display in Manager of Season awards as David Marsden’s transformation earns recognition
The votes have been counted and the verdicts are in from Season 25’s Manager of the Season awards, with Luis André Libras-Boas of Hellas Verona claiming the Overall Manager crown in emphatic fashion after delivering the campaign’s only treble triumph.
OVERALL SUPREMACY
Libras-Boas swept to victory in the Overall category with a commanding 59% of the vote (36 from 61 cast), his treble haul of Division 1, SMFA Champions Cup, and Charity Shield proving decisive in what many considered the most competitive season in Top 100 history. The Portuguese tactician’s achievement in successfully defending his Division 1 crown whilst conquering Europe made him the standout candidate.
David Marsden of Hamburger SV claimed a respectable second place with 23% (14 votes), his extraordinary transformation from 17th-placed predictions to Division 2 champions earning widespread admiration. The Englishman’s +16 VA improvement represented the highest value addition across all divisions.
Adam of Barcelona (8.2%) rounded out the podium, his multi-generational mastery evident in capturing both World Club Cup and Youth Cup honours, whilst Scott Mckenzie (6.6%) and simon thomas (3.3%) completed the quintet of nominees.
DIVISIONAL DOMINANCE
The divisional categories showcased the depth of managerial excellence across the Top 100 pyramid:
Division 1
André Libras-Boas collected another emphatic victory with 64.5% of votes (40 from 62), underlining his complete dominance of the top flight. Scott Mckenzie’s remarkable statistical transformation from 15th prediction to 4th place finish earned him 17.7% recognition, ahead of Adam (9.7%) and Bojan H (8.1%).
Division 2
Delivered the most one-sided result of the night, with David Marsden claiming an extraordinary 96.8% of the vote (61 from 63). His championship triumph from such lowly expectations represented arguably the season’s greatest individual achievement, leaving Dave Oz Osborne’s play-off heroics with Málaga trailing with just 3.2%.
Division 3
Proved similarly decisive for Chris Meida of CSKA Moskva, who secured 81% of votes after combining league success with Youth Shield glory. Jamie ᚺ’s tactical excellence with FC Augsburg earned 15.9%, whilst Mike Scallotti’s remarkable underdog promotion story with Everton collected 3.2%.
Division 4
Provided the evening’s most competitive contest, with Stuart Monteith of Montpellier HSC edging victory with 46% following his automatic promotion charge from 14th predictions. Chris Union’s title triumph with Boca Juniors earned 22.2%, ahead of Fredrik Johansson (19%) and the statistically exceptional ruts66 (12.7%).
Division 5
Marc Ques of FK Partizan claimed 47.6% recognition for his clear championship victory, narrowly ahead of Bruno Neto^^'s exceptional statistical display with Olympique Lyonnais (31.7%). Wayne Bullough’s individual overperformance with Athletic Club rounded out the leading trio with 17.5%.
CUP COMPETITION EXCELLENCE
The Cup Competition Excellence category delivered a thrilling three-way battle, with Adam’s multi-competition mastery ultimately prevailing with 55.6% of votes. His World Club Cup and Youth Cup double demonstrated exceptional squad depth and tactical versatility across multiple age groups.
André Libras-Boas and simon thomas deadlocked on 22.2% apiece, the former’s SMFA Champions Cup triumph complementing his league success, whilst the latter’s Top 100 Cup victory from 20th predictions to 12th finish exemplified the great escape narrative that defined much of Season 25.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
The voting data revealed fascinating insights into the community’s priorities:
- Transformation narratives proved particularly popular, with managers exceeding predictions by significant margins earning substantial recognition
- Value addition statistics heavily influenced voting patterns
- Trophy collection remained the ultimate arbiter of excellence
- 438 votes cast across seven categories demonstrated continued Top 100 community engagement
FINAL THOUGHTS
Season 25 will be remembered as the campaign where defensive champions thrived alongside transformative underdogs. Libras-Boas’s treble represents the pinnacle of sustained excellence, whilst Marsden’s Division 2 heroics epitomise the unpredictable beauty that makes the Top 100 game world so compelling.
As attention turns to Season 26, these award winners have set the benchmark for what constitutes managerial excellence in the modern era. The voting has spoken, and the message is clear: consistency, transformation, and silverware remain the holy trinity of Top 100 success.
Leicester City Season Preview
Leicester City will want to put last season behind them as quickly as possible. The Foxes finished 13th in the league, dropping from 2nd the season before!
On top of that the U21 team failed to win a youth trophy for the first time in 3 seasons after losing in the semi final.
The senior team lost 2 more semi finals too, leaving the season trophyless.
The offseason has seen a couple of key areas addressed, with a slight pivot away from a full youth focus after their youth dominance came to an end, and long time captain Florian Wirtz became ineligible after turning 22.
Key Additions
There have been 2 key additions to the squad this season, both in positions which have been tough to fill for some time.
Goalkeeper has long been an issue for the Foxes. It looked like Aaron Ramsdale would be the long term option, but the Englishman's form dropped off and he was sold, leaving a void held by short term option Péter Gulácsi with a host of younger options vying for the position in the long term. But both the short and long term solutions have been found in the same player, Giorgi Mamardashvili.
The Georgian joined Leicester from Sporting CP following their relegation. He started all but 1 game in the last 4 seasons quickly becoming one of the most sought after shot stoppers in the world. He immediately takes the number one spot, with Gulácsi already departing the club after losing the role.
This was not the first time that Mamardashvili has been to Leicester though. 4 years ago Earle was one of several clubs trying to sign the then 20-year-old, and even gave the player a tour of the training grounds and stadium. But it was not to be, as he picked Bordeaux, and has since played for Malaga, AC Milan and of course Sporting.
Fans were sad to see Aleksandar Pavlović move in exchange, but rumours had been swirling that the 21-year-old was unsatisfied with his lack of opportunities and so the move took care of two birds with one stone.
The second key addition was Lucas Digne who made the move back to Division 1 from the bottom of the footballing world, with his exact role unclear. Jurrien Timber held the left back role last season with Éder Militão and Aurélien Tchouaméni deployed at right back and centre back respectively. Through adding Digne, the option came to move Timber, Militão and Tchouaméni to more natural positions, or continue with last seasons formula depending on which tactic was preferred. That was until Militão came to Earle and let him know that he would no longer play at right back, seeing as an alternative option was now available.
Digne was quick to express his excitement after joining the club, after suffering at AZ last season as the club finished last in Division 5.
"It is crazy to be training again at a proper club! At AZ it seems like the club had no plan, the manager didn't know what to do, and I don't even know when we last won. I feel like I have escaped the worst situation around! All I can say is good luck to those new arrivals there, although I suppose it cannot get any worse than 20 points in 21 games..."
Many noted their shock at the low cost of the defender for a position historically tough to fill!
It was also suggested that Earle discussed sending Gulácsi to AZ, but the German said he would rather retire than be sold there.
Depth and Cover
Last season, injury cover was near non existent, with Pavlovic stepping in to cover most positions when needed. This took it's toll when 2 or more players were out with injury or suspension and the quality of the team dropped.
This season significant depth additions have been made, spearheaded by Pablo Gavi, who played in every league game last season. The 21-year-old will continue to pick up a lot of opportunities, but will need to fight back to a starting spot, if he stays at the club.
Alexandre Lacazette was another big name addition adding depth in attack. The Frenchman has netted 71 goals in the past 5 seasons at PSG, with a further 36 assists. He will hope he can keep up that form, although his starting opportunities will be reduced.
Tyler Adams also joined, filling the gap left left by Pavlovic. At 26, he still has a lot of time on his side, and he showed his quality last season, netting 5 goals from midfield for Club Brugge.
Mario Götze, Miguel Almirón and Joaquin Correa also joined the Foxes to add depth to the midfield and attack, whilst brining in some experience to help guide the youngster in the squad.
In defence, Ricardo Mangas was brought in to add depth at left back, whilst Souffian El Karouani has already been confirmed to be returning after he accidentally boarded a plane to Stuttgart after a drunken night out.
Still to Come
Whilst most of the clubs business is done, there are still options being explored.
Pablo Gavi has expressed slight concern at prospectively losing his starting spot, and has attracted offers from several clubs as a result.
The 21-year-old is in Earle's short and long term plans though, so will remain at the club unless a strong offer comes in.
Filip Jorgensen was also rumoured to be disappointed with the arrival of Mamardashvili, which has blocked his long term path to the number 1 position. As a result, the club has sanctioned a loan move to Shakhtar for the coming season to get more game time and aide his development.
Leicester are also one of several clubs who have tracked the availability of Lautaro Martinez ahead of the new season. The Argentine is said to be furious with his situation at Hellas Verona and is desperate to leave. Rumours suggest that he has a room at the stadium as the club are fearful that the striker might run away if he gets the chance! Despite his unhappiness at the club, it not stopped him from showing up to collect his 4 consecutive Division 1 winners medals! And if he were to leave, he would have to accept that any club he goes to will be a downgrade from Hellas. Despite their interest, it looks unlikely that Leicester will be able to meet his valuation.
The staring XI looks all but set to go for the new season and will spend the next few friendlies building fitness and tactical familiarity.
Season 26 Division 1 Stats and Facts.
All looks set for a Hellas repeat?
First the preamble for any new managers
I look at the average ratings for GK, DEF,MID,ATT, the top 18 player
Then using a tried and ( mostly ) trusted formula work out the ETOT the cumulative score.
Occasionally I have to add a little human common sense if formations look odd or a team has loads of goalkeepers etc..
This year I have also involved A.I. in developing a new prototype formula to include balance and depth , the finishing position according to me is Pre, according to A.I. is A.I, all my comments below are on my predictions we will compare with A.I. at the end.
There is little doubt that strength and depth hard to beat and Hellas have that, they have the best defence in the league and one of the best attacks, crucially any injury is easily covered. Dortmund sit a little way behind them but well ahead of the rest , they have a better attack but do lack in depth. Chelsea in 3rd have less depth but a great keeper and midfield should keep out the opposition while creating chances.
Barcelona have the joint strongest attack in the league ,maybe their defence is a little weak for a title run. Porto are a well balanced team , no real weakness which places them just above Leicester. Juventus are the only remaining strong challenge at least 1 whole point above their rivals.
As for relegation , around 223.5 would have been a cut off last season. This place 3 teams in the direct line of fire. Zagreb are a point adrift of the rest and they will struggle for possession and have a weak defence. Malaga another 1.5 points from their rivals are more balanced but an 89 keeper won’t cut it in D1. Hamburg sit just under the cut off but are by no means relegation fodder. Milan with a weaker keeper and defence could struggle more.
For the first time in a while D1 is slightly weaker than last season by 0.07 points.
So what does the A.I. do different. It flips 3 and 4th Chelsea and Barca around., similarly with Leicester and Juve. Levante get bumped down 3 spots . The 3 lowest teams remain the same but the AI sees Stoke being relegated rather than Milan.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | A.I. | |
| Hellas Verona | 93.0 | 93.0 | 93.0 | 95.0 | 89.0 | 92.6 | 232.39 | 1 | 1 |
| Dortmund | 92.0 | 92.5 | 92.8 | 96.0 | 85.0 | 91.7 | 231.88 | 2 | 2 |
| Chelsea | 95.0 | 92.5 | 93.6 | 94.0 | 83.0 | 91.6 | 231.34 | 3 | 4 |
| Barcelona | 92.0 | 91.3 | 93.0 | 96.0 | 84.0 | 91.3 | 230.92 | 4 | 3 |
| FC Porto | 93.0 | 92.8 | 93.2 | 93.0 | 87.0 | 91.8 | 230.81 | 5 | 5 |
| LEICESTER CITY | 91.0 | 92.0 | 93.2 | 94.0 | 85.0 | 91.0 | 230.38 | 6 | 7 |
| Juventus | 95.0 | 91.8 | 92.0 | 93.0 | 89.0 | 92.2 | 229.53 | 7 | 6 |
| Levante UD | 91.0 | 91.8 | 93.2 | 91.0 | 85.0 | 90.4 | 228.23 | 8 | 11 |
| Bayern | 93.0 | 89.8 | 91.0 | 95.0 | 87.0 | 91.2 | 227.95 | 9 | 8 |
| Internazionale | 92.0 | 90.0 | 91.4 | 94.0 | 87.0 | 90.9 | 227.70 | 10 | 9 |
| São Paulo FC | 90.0 | 90.8 | 92.0 | 92.0 | 86.0 | 90.2 | 227.12 | 11 | 12 |
| H. Berlin | 92.0 | 89.3 | 90.8 | 94.0 | 87.0 | 90.6 | 226.62 | 12 | 10 |
| Arsenal | 91.0 | 91.8 | 90.6 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 90.1 | 226.27 | 13 | 15 |
| Aston Villa | 88.0 | 90.0 | 90.8 | 93.0 | 86.0 | 89.6 | 225.97 | 14 | 14 |
| Manchester City | 93.0 | 90.0 | 90.2 | 92.0 | 86.0 | 90.2 | 225.44 | 15 | 13 |
| Stoke City | 90.0 | 90.0 | 90.8 | 90.0 | 87.0 | 89.6 | 224.34 | 16 | 17 |
| AC Milan | 89.0 | 89.3 | 90.2 | 91.0 | 88.0 | 89.5 | 223.95 | 17 | 16 |
| Hamburg | 90.0 | 89.8 | 90.0 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 89.2 | 223.42 | 18 | 18 |
| Málaga CF | 89.0 | 89.0 | 89.2 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.6 | 222.06 | 19 | 19 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 90.0 | 88.5 | 88.4 | 90.0 | 87.0 | 88.8 | 221.26 | 20 | 20 |
Top 100 First Take: Gav Harmer on Atletico's Ambition
Podcast Episode Summary
In the inaugural episode of the Top 100 podcast series, host Regan Thompson chats with Atlético Madrid manager Gav Harmer, a “real life legend” and “veteran of the game” who is part of the 1,000-game club.
Gav reflects on Atlético Madrid’s heartbreaking end to last season, where they missed out on a playoff place due to an 89th-minute goal from Tyrone Mings — “in the last minute of the game”. Despite the setback, he remains optimistic for the future, saying his side is “starting to get better, get bigger, bigger ratings” and that “things are looking good.”
The conversation then turns to key player movements:
- The successful acquisition of Pedro, now “banging them in for Chelsea.”
- The “big move” of Ilya Zabarnyi to PSG, with his stock expected to rise quickly.
- Angelo Stiller, described as “too good for Stuttgart.”
- Robert Sánchez, who has regained his “number one spot” at Chelsea.
Looking ahead, Gav recognises the tough competition awaiting in Division Two. Strong sides like Sporting Lisbon, Espanyol, Tottenham, and Cologne have all come down from Division One, while clubs like CSKA Moscow and Augsburg are coming up from Division Three.
His strategy is firmly focused on developing his current squad, explaining he’s “very happy with the team” and doesn’t expect much transfer activity “unless something major happens.” He likens the journey to “taking two steps back to take one forward.”
The episode wraps up with Gav praising the community spirit and offering a big thank you to David Marsden for his “absolutely fantastic” work on the archive.
Very Brief Timeline Guide
- The Near Miss: Atlético Madrid’s playoff heartbreak and the infamous Tyrone Mings last-minute goal.
- New Season Challenges: Insights into strong relegated sides from Division One, new arrivals from Division Three, and big transfer moves (Pedro, Zabarnyi, Stiller, Sánchez).
- Future Outlook: Gav’s development-first strategy, his “two steps back” philosophy, and appreciation for community contributions like David’s archive.