2025
Consistently among the best!!
For the second consecutive season (the third in the history of Levante and always under my management) we are preparing to reach a comfortable salvation, until today we have been constantly in the European zone, but the management of the concerns (point where we must improve) has made us and will make us lose many points, players who have helped us in recent years have left but other players have arrived who in addition to maintaining a good level of the first team, have further lowered the average age. For the next season (but they are already starting now) many of those young people who have made Levante Youth (will we return to the competition??) the strongest team in history in the Top100 will be even more protagonists. In the meantime, let's enjoy this ending, let's try to bring home a trophy and next season we will try to take a further step. Vamoss Levante!!!
Transfer Bans
Current Managers under Transfer Ban
Attilio Bonnici (Standard Liege) one month ban for first offence from 27 October 2025 to 26 November 2025, and sell Floyd SAMBA to external club 24 November 2025.
Managers will receive transfer bans if they either cancel an accepted bid or go over the 50 man squad limit.
If the bid is accepted in error and cancelled that minute then this will not incur a ban.
If a Manager doesn't break transfer rules for 6 months after their ban finishes then they will move back up 1 level...
Managers are able to sell external while on transfer ban, but may not deal with any other managers (even by selling for cash) until they are off their transfer ban.
A player that is signed (transfer) or loaned (loan) that takes a club over the squad limit must be sold to external or returned to the parent club. The player cannot be re-signed post transfer ban of the player or club. The loaned player cannot be reloaned for a period of 70 days either as per the period that an internal player is transfer banned when completing an internal transfer between clubs.
Sanctions
1st level offence:
1 month transfer ban + sell player or players that took them over 50, not allowed to re-bid on them (purchase or loan)
2nd level offence:
3 month transfer ban + sell player or players that took them over 50, not allowed to re-bid on them (purchase or loan)
3rd level offence:
4 month transfer ban + sell player or players that took them over 50, not allowed to re-bid on them (purchase or loan)
4th level offence:
6 month transfer ban + sell player or players that took them over 50, not allowed to re-bid on them (purchase or loan)
Recently completed bans below.
Alessio Tonato (Napoli) one month ban for first offence from 14 September 2025 to 13 October 2025, and sell Montrell CULBREATH to external club 12 October 2025.
Golden Bear (Valencia) one month ban for first offence from 12 September 2025 to 11 October 2025, and sell Miguelito TERCEROS to external club 10 October 2025.
Paulo Lopes (Fiorentina) one month ban for first offence from 1 July 2025 to 31 July 2025, and sell Hayato INAMURA and Edoardo PIANA to external club 29 July 2025.
John McHugh (Basel) one month ban for first offence from 19 June 2025 to 18 July 2025, and sell Kialonda GASPAR to external club 17 June 2025.
Jamie Alldridge (Schalke) one month ban for first offence from 31 March 2025 to 30 April 2025, and sell Rodrigo GOMES to external club 28 April 2025.
Rob Ryan (Real Madrid) one month ban for first offence (more than 6 months since last Level One offence) from 12 March 2025 to 11 April 2025, and sell Luca ERLEIN to external club 10 April 2025.
Carlos Miranda (Saint-Etienne) one month ban for first offence from 26 February 2025 to 25 March 2025, and sell Cleiton SANTANA and Wesley ADEH to external clubs 26 March 2025.
Pedro Vilar (Tottenham Hotspur) one month ban for first offence (more than 12 months since last Level Three offence) from 25 February 2025 to 24 March 2025, and sell Andrés DÁVILA to external club 25 March 2025.
Anthony Guardiola (Hoffenheim) one month ban for first offence from 1 February 2025 to 28 February 2025, and sell Tom Ritzy HÜLSMANN external 1 March 2025.
Nick Wheels (Spartak Moscow) one month ban for first offence from 22 January 2025 to 21 February 2025, and sell Remy Cabella to external club 18 February 2025.
Golden Bear (AZ Alkmaar) one month ban for first offence from 2 December 2024 to 1 January 2025, and sell Tijn VAN INGELGOM to external club 31 December 2024.
Marc Ques (Partizan) for cancelling an accepted deal. Banned from 14 September 2024 until 13 October 2024.
Daniel Wythe (Werder Bremen) – one month ban for first offence from 22 July 2024 to 21 August 2024, and sell Seamus COLEMAN to external club 30 September 2024. (Manager quit.)
Rob Ryan (Real Madrid) – one month ban for first offence from 1 July 2024 to 31 July 2024, and sell Srdjan KUZMIĆ to external club 9 September 2024.
Sheene Ralspunsky (Feyenoord) – one month ban for first offence from 22 June 2024 to 21 July 2024, and sell Marko STAMENIC to external club 31 August 2024. (Manager quit.)
Ricardo Alexandre (Crystal Palace) - one month ban for first offence from 16 June 2024 to 15 July 2024, and sell Jonathan JESUS to external club 25 August 2024.
J Walker (Zenit) - one month ban for first offence from 18 January 2024 to 17 February 2024, and sell Ronald CARDOSO to external club 28 March 2024.
Stephen Beddows (Sampdoria) - one month ban for first offence from 17 January 2024 to 16 February 2024, and sell Riccardo FOGLIATA to external club 27 March 2024.
Dave Oz Osbourne (Dnipro/Malaga) - one month ban for first offence from 21 December 2023 to 20 January 2024, and sell Juan Manuel SANABRIA to external club 29 February 2024 (no longer possible as Dave moved clubs).
Gursimran Brar (Koln) - one month ban for first offence from 25 December 2023 to 24 January 2024, and sell Igor IYONO to external club 5 March 2024.
Pedro (Tottenham Hotspur) - one month ban (extenuating circumstances) from 2 December 2023 to 1 January 2024, sell Jordy MAKENGO to external club 10 February 2024, and a final warning for third offence: any more transgressions and Pedro will quit Spurs.
Andy Martin (Fiorentina) - one month ban for first offence from 25 October 2023 to 24 November 2023, and sell Mattes HANSEN to external club 2 January 2024.
Ignazio Barracco (Marseille) - one month ban for first offence from 7 October 2023 to 6 November 2023, and sell Pau CUBARSÍ to external club 16 December 2023.
r cast (Villarreal) - one month ban for first level offence from 27 September 2023 to 26 October 2023, and sell Michael OLAKIGBE to external club 6 December 2023.
Feargal Hickey (Atalanta) - one month ban for first level offence from 14 September 2023 to 13 October 2023, and sell Jack HENRY-FRANCIS and Mika BIERETH to external clubs 22 November 2023.
Attilio Bonicci (Lokomotiv Moskva) - one month ban for first level offence from 11 September 2023 to 10 October 2023, and sell Nikola ĆETKOVIĆ to external club 20 November 2023.
Pedro (Feyenoord/Tottenham Hotspur) - three month ban for second level offence from 7 July 2023 to 5 October 2023, and and sell Tiziano FULVI to external club 15 September 2023 (no longer possible as Pedro moved clubs),
Walter Gogh (FK Partizan) - one month ban for first level offence from 24 August 2021 to 23 September 2021, and return the loan of Mohamad Simakan to parent club 24 August 2021.
Jamie Alldridge (Roma) - one month ban for first level offence from 3 June 2021 to 2 July 2021, and sell Gaël KAKUTA external 12 August 2021.
Marco G (Twente) - one month ban for first level offence from 21 April 2021 to 20 May 2021, and sell Lorenzo LUCCA external 1 July 2021.
Andrew Achilleos (Shakhtar Donetsk) - one month ban for first level offence from 13 April 2021 to 12 May 2021, and sell Issouf SISSOKHO external 22 June 2021.
Gary Naylor (Dynamo Kyiv) - one month ban for first level offence from 12 April 2021 to 11 May 2021, and sell Alan CARVALHO external 21 June 2021.
Scott Mckenzie (Sao Paulo) - one month ban for first level offence from 2 April 2021 to 1 May 2021, and sell Marc CUCURELLA external 11 June 2021.
Hugo Costa (Celtic) - one month ban for first level offence from 27 January 2021 to 26 February 2021, and sell one of Ellis SIMMS or Yonas MALEDE 7 April 2021.
Mariano Ratero (Boca Juniors) - three month ban for second level offence from 26 November 2020 to 25 February 2021.
DouDou (Torino) - one month ban for first offence from 15 January 2021 to 14 February 2021, and sell Sekou YANSANÉ external 26 March 2021.
Ken Keeley (Besiktas) - one month ban for first offence from 15 January 2021 to 14 February 2021, and sell Liam KITCHING external 26 March 2021.
Andy Evans (Athletic Club) - three month ban for second level offence from 1 November 2020 to 31 January 2021, and sell Thijs OOSTING and Iago DOMÍNGUEZ external 21 December and 2 January 2021 respectively.
King Kev the Daddy (Galatasaray) - one month ban for first offence from 19 December 2020 to 18 January 2021, and sell Leonardo GODOY external 27 February 2021.
Mike Scallotti (Standard Liege) - one month ban for first offence from 7 December 2020 to 6 January 2021, and sell Leonid GERCHIKOV external 16 February 2021.
Alessandro Ioli (Dynamo Kyiv) - one month ban for first level offence from 27 November 2020 to 26 December 2020, and sell ISENKO, Pavlo, LAMMENS, Senne, YARMOLYUK, Yehor, STRANNEGARD, Tom, and ALI, Hussein external 5 February 2021.
Alex McLean (Olympiacos) - one month ban for first level offence from 17 November 2020 to 16 December 2020, and sell Gabriel LEMOINE external 26 January 2021.
Mariano Ratero (Boca Juniors) - one month for first level offence from 26 October to 25 November 2020, and sell Julio BUFFARINI, Julián ÁLVAREZ, Elias PEREYRA and Guido HERRERA external 4 January 2021.
Ignazio Barraco (Liverpool) three month ban for second level offence from 25 August 2020 to 25 November 2020, and sell Sotiris ALEXANDROPOULOS external 3 November 2020.
Gordon 'Gino' Kinnear (Tottenham Hotspur), one month ban for first level offence from 3 October 2020 to 2 November 2020, and sell Passos OTÁVIO external 12 December 2020.
Andy Evans (Athletic Club), one month ban for first level offence from 1 October 2020 to 31 October 2020, and sell Alex BLANCO, Callum ROBINSON, and one of Tom HEATON or Ivan SANTINI external 10 December 2020.
Feargal Hickey (Basel) one month for first level offence (cancelling an accepted deal) from 14 August 2020 to 13 September 2020.
Ricardo Ferreira (Malaga) one month for first level offence from 4 August 2020 to 3 September 2020, and sell Lucas NECUL external 11 October 2020.
Alex*** Borel (Chievo VeronaMilan) one month for first level offence from 24 July to 23 August 2020, and sell Kévin THÉOPHILE-CATHERINE and Florian LEJEUNE external 3 October 2020.
Ignazio Barraco (Liverpool) one month for 1st level offence from 12 July 2020 to 11 August 2020, and sell Pedro PELÁGIO external 22 September 2020.
Gianluca Ghio (Independiente) - one month for 1st level offence, from 7 June 2020 to 6 July 2020, and sell Setigui KARAMOKO external 16 August 2020.
Steven Logan (Bordeaux) - one month for 1st level offence, from 5 June 2020 to 4 July 2020, and sell Emanuel MAMMANA external 14 August 2020.
Roberto Downinho (Cruzeiro) - one month for 1st level offence, from 4 June 2020 to 3 July 2020, and sell Rodrigues HEITOR external 13 August 2020.
Nick Wheels (LeicesterFenerbahce) - one month ban for 1st level offence, from 28 April 2020 to 27 May 2020, and sell Shapi SULEYMANOV and Rodrigo CAIO external 8 July 2020.
Walter Gogh (Atalanta) - one month ban for 1st level offence, from 25 April 2020 to 24 May 2020, and sell Andrea Petagna and Keito Nakamura external 5 July 2020.
Jamie Alldridge (Napoli) - one month ban for 1st level offence, from 21 April 2020 to 20 May 2020, and sell Nikola Iliev and Adrien Bongiovanni external 1 July 2020.
Mark Deadman (Celtic) - one month for 1st level offence, from 21 April to 20 May 2020, and sell Emmanuel GYABUAA external 1 July 2020.
Stephen Beddows (Real MadridSampdoria) - 3 months for 2nd level offence, from 13 December to 12 March 2020, and sell Nicholas PIERINI external 22 February 2020.
Dan Wallace (Hertha Berlin) - 3 months for 2nd offence, from 1 December 2019 to 28 February 2020, and sell Noah OKAFOR external 9 February 2020.
Feargal Hickey (Olympiacos) - one month for 1st level offence, from 14 January to 13 February 2020, and sell Davor LOVREN external 25 March 2020.
Anthony Roach (Olympique Lyonnais) - one month for 1st level offence, from 9 January to 8 February 2020, and sell Aritz ADÚRIZ external 19 March 2020 [resigned].
Salvatore Zerbo (Spartak Moskva) - 1 month for 1st offence, from 29 November to 28 December 2019, and sell Eros Maddy external 7 February 2020.
Bogdan Danciu (Lazio) - 1 month for 1st offence, from 18 October to 17 November 2019, and sell Mirko MARIĆ external 27 December 2019.
Jamie Alldridge (Napoli) - 1 month for 1st offence, from 21 September to 20 October 2019, and sell Felix AGU external 30 November 2019.
Josh McMillan (Cruzeiro) - 1 month for 1st offence, from 19 September to 18 October 2019, and sell Felipe MELO external 9 November 2019.
Mark Stewart (Benfica) - 1 month for 1st offence, from 21 August to 20 September 2019, and sell Danilo BARBOSA and Gedson FERNANDES external 30 October 2019.
⚡⚡David The Fox Piero⚡⚡ (Espanyol) - 1 month for 1st offence, from 18 August to 17 September 2019, and sell Neil Etheridge and Aster VRANCKX external 27 October 2019.
Geoffrey R (Saint-Etienne) - 1 month for 1st offence, from 12 August to 11 September 2019, and sell Kévin MONNET-PAQUET external 22 October 2019.
Mariano Ratero (Boca Juniors) - 1 month for 1st offence, from 27 July to 26 August 2019, and sell Juan CAVALLARO external 5 October 2019.
Gursimran Brar (Anderlecht) - 3 months for 2nd offence, from 24 May to 23 August 2019, and sell Kingsley MICHAEL external 2 August 2019.
Roy Keane (Torino) - 1 month for 1st offence, from 12 July to 11 August 2019, and sell Tanguy COULIBALY external 18 September 2019. [sacked]
MaggioGod ( EL COMANDANTE ) (River Plate) - 1 month for 1st offence, from 2 July to 1 August 2019, and return one loanee asap.
Niall Taylor (Southampton) - 1 month for 1st offence, from 14 July to 13 August 2019, and sell Éric EBIMBE external 22 September 2019 [resigned].
Dari Saviano (Levante) - 1 month for first offence, from 28 May to 27 June 2019, and sell Karamoko DEMBÉLÉ external 6 August 2019.
Lana Del Rey (Sao Paulo) - 1 month for first offence, from 25 May to 24 June 2019, and sell Gonçalo RAMOS external 3 August 2019.
Dan Wallace (Montpellier) - 1 month for first offence, from 11 May to 10 June 2019, and sell Boubacar FOFANA external 20 July 2019.
Greg Bilboa (Valencia) - 1 month for first offence, from 4 May to 3 June 2019, and sell Sigurd GRONLI external 13 July 2019.
Stephen Beddows (Real Madrid) - 3 months for second offence, from 10 Mar to 9 June 2019.
Gursimran Brar (Anderlecht) - 1 month for first offence, from 26 Mar to 25 Apr 2019, and sell Erkan EYIBIL external 4 Jun 2019.
RJ Alston (Everton) - 3 months for second offence, from 17 Feb to 16 May 2019.
Prince Michael William (ex-Santos) - 1 month for first offence, from 3 Apr to 2 May 2019, and sell Grejohn KYEI external 12 Jun 2019. [resigned]
Jay Jones (Internazionale) - 1 month for first offence, from 19 Feb to 18 Mar 2019.
Taking Risks with PSV: Betting on Youth to Save the Season
Managing PSV has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. I came into this season with high hopes and big plans, but as things stand, we’re sitting in 17th place in Division 5. It’s been a tough start, and the pressure is mounting. But instead of panicking, I’ve decided to double down on a risky strategy: trusting in young players with lower ratings but high potential.
A Rough Start
Let’s be honest—this season hasn’t gone to plan. A few disappointing results and some underwhelming performances from senior players have left us battling near the bottom of the table. I could’ve gone the safe route by chasing quick fixes in the transfer market or sticking with experienced players, but that would only paper over the cracks.
My Youth Strategy
Instead of chasing short-term gains, I’ve shifted my focus to building for the future. I’ve scouted several young players who might not have the highest ratings right now but show immense promise based on their real-life performances. Players like Maxi Araujo, Pavel Sulc, and Matthias Seidl have become the foundation of this rebuild. Their current ratings might not blow anyone away, but I’m confident they’ll rise—and quickly.
The Risks Are Real
Of course, this strategy comes with its risks. Low ratings are inconsistent, and when you’re in 17th place, you need every point you can get. But I’ve made peace with the idea that this season is about more than just avoiding the sack. It’s about building a team that can dominate for seasons to come.
To balance things out, I’ve kept a few experienced players in key positions to provide stability. Their ratings help to buffer the younger players, but I’ve also started to give the kids more minutes. They need to learn through playing, even if it means a few growing pains along the way.
Small Wins, Big Hope
Despite our position in the table, I’m starting to see signs of progress. Some of the young players have already improved their ratings, and the team is beginning to gel. It’s a long road ahead, but I’m confident that by the end of the season, we’ll be in a much stronger place—whether that’s avoiding the sack or simply a squad with players ready to shine next season.
Looking Forward
So, here we are—17th in Division 5, but full of hope. It’s not where I wanted to be, but it’s where I am. Trusting in youth is a gamble, but one I believe will pay off. It might not save the season entirely, but it’ll set us up for a much brighter future. The question is, can these young players rise fast enough to turn things around before it’s too late? Only time will tell.
WCC and WCS knockout stage S24
So we came to the second part of this season WCC and WCS competition. Below you can see the links for both competitions and also schedule for it.
First round (R32) in both competitions will be decided in one match, from then on we will always have two matches to get a winner.
Schedule for WCC: https://challonge.com/12zm0kq6
Schedule for WCS: https://challonge.com/ojzrvljc
Please arrange your games as soon as possible!
S24 - The Halfway Mark
We are at the halfway mark of Season 24. Let's see how the races are shaping up in the league...
We'll start in Division 5 where the spotlight rarely shines (perhaps due to D1 historically having the most active managers - though Gursi does appear to have forfeited EVERY cup match). Besiktas and Olympiacos head the table while the Italian teams in Chievo and Lazio appear to be off to a slow start. AZ should have had a "walk in the park" according to Malcolm's stats. They sit in 9th but a lot of games left to play. Chievo appears to be struggling on both sides of the ball as they have scored the fewest and conceded the most.
Division 4 appears to have a table split in two. Five points separate the top (Bremen) from 9th. And then only 8 points separate 10th from bottom of the table. If you believe in regression to the mean, Montpellier will feel hard done to be in the relegation zone given their +1 goal differential. I don't see too many outliers from Malcolm's data. It should be an interesting second half as teams jockey for position in the two groups.
Division 3 is a tight race from top to almost bottom. Southampton sit top of the table with only 11 points separating 1st from 18th (that'd be me, unfortunately - more to come on this topic!). Celta Vigo and Monaco appear to be stuck at the bottom of the table for now. This is the tightest of the divisions.
Division 2 has Aston Villa 7 points atop, which is a pretty nice achievement given the initial disparity in the beginning of the season rankings that showed Genoa, Internacional, and Stoke as favorites. Those teams remain in the hunt, though Stoke appears to be underperforming thus far. The bottom of the table is pretty tightly packed with only 10 points separating 7th (Hertha) from 20th (Anderlecht). Super Samp have given up a whopping 40 goals - might need to stick Balotelli in net.
Moving to Division 1, heading into the season it looked like a 2 man race between Dortmund and Hellas Verona. Hellas is well clear of the pack and has allegedly already booked a venue for the championship ceremony! The CL places are a close race. Moving to relegation contenders, Schalke appear doomed while Benfica and Real Madrid have their work cut out for them. Still, there are only 8 points between 10th and 17th. Espanyol as always continue to outperform. I write this as I watch their legendary manager Pochettino manage the USMNT against Costa Rica.
For CSKA, it has not been a great start to the season. We sit in the relegation zone, which is disappointing for me. Some highlights are qualifying for the knockout rounds of the Cup and the Youth Cup, where we are the 14th seed and will only see one player age out (Alvaro Carreras, who put Lamine Yamal out of the game until his little dive earned a PK, but I digress). In addition to my enthralling posts, hopefully the rest of the admin team recognizes my keen eye for talent if the season continues as it has. But we have hope in Texas....
Youth Cup and Shield Knockout Stages
The Group Stage finished* last Saturday. You can see all the results and tables on the Challonge tournament website.
*Juventus play Arsenal this Saturday.
Thanks to The Old Lady's and the Gunners' tardiness, I can't tell everyone exactly who they will be playing in the first round of the knockout stage until their result is known.
This is how the tables look seeded by position in the groups, points, goal difference and goals scored (where it makes a difference).
| Forfeits | Group Seed | Team | Ave. rating | Group position | Pts | GD | GS |
| 2 | Leicester City | 85 | 1 | 15 | 16 | ||
| 4 | Espanyol | 84 | 1 | 15 | 13 | 15 | |
| 14 | Chelsea | 81 | 1 | 13 | 8 | ||
| 17 | Sampdoria | 81 | 1 | 13 | 6 | ||
| 5 | Juventus | 84 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 13 | |
| 10 | Inter Primavera | 82 | 1 | 11 | |||
| 9 | Hertha Jugend | 82 | 1 | 10 | 6 | ||
| 11 | Leverkusen | 82 | 1 | 10 | 5 | ||
| 3 | Barcelona | 84 | 2 | 12 | |||
| 32 | Manchester United | 78 | 2 | 11 | |||
| 8 | Cruzeiro | 82 | 2 | 10 | 6 | ||
| 42 | Hoffenheim | 75 | 2 | 10 | 5 | ||
| 1 | 20 | Club Brugge | 80 | 2 | 10 | 2 | |
| 22 | CSKA | 80 | 2 | 9 | 5 | ||
| 47 | Everton | 72 | 2 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 12 | Aston Villa | 81 | 2 | 7 | |||
| 1 | Genoa | 86 | 3 | 10 | |||
| 25 | Feyenoord U21 | 79 | 3 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 7 | MAn City | 83 | 3 | 9 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 38 | Athletic Club | 76 | 3 | 9 | 0 | |
| 18 | Bayern Munich | 80 | 3 | 8 | |||
| 19 | Benfica | 80 | 3 | 7 | 1 | ||
| 37 | Stoke City | 77 | 3 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 29 | Dynamo Kyiv young stars | 78 | 3 | 7 | -1 | ||
| 34 | Sevilla | 78 | 4 | 7 | -3 | ||
| 21 | CR Flamengo | 80 | 4 | 6 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 16 | Real Madrid | 81 | 4 | 6 | 0 | |
| 40 | Santos FC | 76 | 4 | 6 | -5 | ||
| 23 | Milan | 80 | 4 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 13 | Atletico Madrid | 81 | 4 | 5 | -1 | ||
| 27 | Udinese | 79 | 4 | 5 | -2 | ||
| 34 | Besiktas | 77 | 4 | 5 | -4 | ||
| 1 | 28 | Arsenal | 78 | 5 | 6 | -4 | |
| 46 | St Ettiene | 73 | 5 | 4 | -1 | ||
| 45 | Valencia | 74 | 5 | 4 | -4 | ||
| 1 | 43 | Lyon | 75 | 5 | 4 | -5 | |
| 2 | 24 | Fenerbahce | 79 | 5 | 4 | -6 | |
| 2 | 26 | Marseille | 79 | 5 | 4 | -7 | |
| 33 | São Paulo | 78 | 5 | 3 | |||
| 15 | Montpellier F.C. | 81 | 5 | 2 | -6 | ||
| 6 | Dortmund | 83 | 6 | 4 | -3 | ||
| 1 | 41 | Schalke | 76 | 6 | 4 | -5 | |
| 44 | Tottenham | 75 | 6 | 1 | -7 | ||
| 31 | Hamburger SV II | 78 | 6 | 1 | -8 | ||
| 36 | Olympiacos | 77 | 6 | 1 | -9 | ||
| 2 | 30 | Dynamo Moskva | 78 | 6 | 1 | -10 | |
| 39 | Dinamo Zagreb | 76 | 6 | 0 | -7 | ||
| 48 | Villarreal | 72 | 6 | 0 | -18 |
Everton, Hoffenheim and Manchester United did particularly well considering their starting average team rating. Sampdoria and Chelsea topped their groups in surprisingly impressive fashion, too.
Biggest disappointments were 6th seed Dortmund who ended up bottom of their group. They drop into the Shield where they must be hot favourites to win - on paper. Montpellier and the two Madrid teams will also be disappointed with their efforts.
The draw for the Cup is here: https://challonge.com/top100s24yc
Some fixtures depend on the outcome of the Juventus vs Arsenal match on Saturday.
The first round games are one leg only, and the losers drop into the Shield.
The draw for the Shield is here: https://challonge.com/top10024ys
The first two rounds of the Shield are one leg only.
Net Transfer Spend - Div 1
With a lot of debate in the GW lately, I present a quick and easy update regarding net transfer spend Div 1. In what I can only describe as eerily similar to real life, Barcelona is the biggest & most wreckless spender in the division. Closely followed by Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Man City... Sound familiar? Equally, the German sides are all extremely financially prudent, with the exception of Schalke - just like in real life.
I think we are all getting tired of opinions on the matter, so I'll just leave this table here, otherwise uninterpreted, for now. Anyway, I'm off to watch the Dortmund - Leverkusen game. Have a nice evening all!