My new Football Manager 2020 save with Sporting CP has gone pretty well so far. Mind you, there have been a few hiccups along the way, not least because the players are still getting used to the physical demands needed to regularly and effectively counter-press.
That being said, my job is very much safe… but will that still be the case as we prepare to head into 2020? Can a good run of form get us back in the title hunt and/or win us the Taça da Liga? Or will I need to delve into my transfer budget for the first time?
Don’t forget that you can catch up on Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 using the links provided if you haven’t read them yet.
BELENENSES SAD vs SPORTING (Primeira Liga – Match 12)
Luiz Phellype‘s double against Boavista last month must have really impressed the Primeira Liga awards committee, seeing as they named him their Player of the Month for November. Could the enigmatic Brazilian frontman fill his boots again when we kicked off December against bottom-of-the-table Belenenses?
Erm… no. Instead, it was up to Yannick Bolasie to produce the goods. Our loanee from Everton had proven surprisingly adept from headers, and he got another one in the 12th minute of this match. Thanks once again to Valentin Rosier for the assist from right-back.
That goal had come after Belenenses had given us a few early scares. They wouldn’t threaten us again until five minutes from time, when Ruben Lima’s angled shot was pushed behind by Luís Maximiano.
That was a vital save from our goalkeeper, but it probably shouldn’t have been. With a bit more creativity, we really could have won this match by more than just the one goal.
Though they’d avoided total embarrassment, this was still another SAD day for Belenenses, who sacked their hapless manager Petit immediately afterwards. Unbelievably, that still wasn’t the most humiliating experience of the former Portugal midfielder’s career.
SPORTING vs PAÇOS DE FERREIRA (Primeira Liga – Match 13)
We then laboured to another victory at home to Paços de Ferreira. Our newly-promoted opponents were flying high in mid-table, thanks largely to a sturdy defence that we found tough to break down – particularly in the first half.
With the half-time score at 0-0, I opted for a change of tactic. The 4-3-3 was replaced with a 4-2-3-1, as I pushed midfield playmaker Mattheus Oliveira further up the pitch. Mattheus inspired us to victory in the second half – but perhaps not in the way I expected.
We already knew how good Oliveira was from free-kicks, but Paços didn’t. In the 49th and 59th minutes, they were left flummoxed by two stunning deliveries from the Brazilian – each of which were headed home by vice-captain Jérémy Mathieu. Just like London buses, the French veteran’s first two goals of the season had come along at once!
Obviously, Mathieu twisted his ankle a few days later, adding to a new spate of injuries. Vietto had pulled his ankle ligaments late on in that game, while defensive midfielder Idrissa Doumbia was living with a hernia. None of them would have played in our final Europa League game against Sparta Praha, but it was frustrating all the same.
SPORTING vs SPARTA PRAHA (Europa League – Group I, Match 6)
A largely second-string Sporting team romped to victory, with Pedro Mendes leading our charge. The young striker converted an early penalty following a handball from Andreas Vindheim, and he then smashed in his second goal after Colombia left-back Cristián Borja had doubled our lead.
I brought on three more rising stars in the second half to join 17-year-old Eduardo Quaresma. It was an unforgettable night for Joelson Fernandes in particular, as Borja set up the skilful forward’s first senior goal. At 16 years and 289 days old, Joelson had become Sporting’s youngest ever scorer!
Gonçalo Inácio also enjoyed a solid debut partnering Quaresma at centre-half. Midfielder Tomás Silva fared less well, losing possession to gift Sparta a consolation on the counter. However, Borja made sure we had the final say in stoppage time with a second assist – this time for stand-in captain Wendel.
Having racked up 16 points, we had ended the Group Stage with the second-best record in the entire Europa League – behind only Porto, naturally. Next up for the Leões in February would be a two-legged Round of 32 tie with Swiss champions Young Boys. (Feel free to make your own jokes.)
VITÓRIA DE GUIMARÃES vs SPORTING (Taça de Portugal – Round 5)
Qualifying for the Quarter Finals of the Taça de Portugal proved a rather more difficult challenge. We were taken to penalties by Vitória in their first game under their new manager – a certain André Villas-Boas.
The first half was a miserable affair, but things livened up after the break. An excellent run from Cabral ended with him chipping the ball over the keeper from a tight angle, leaving Bolasie clear to bury a simple finish.
Our lead didn’t even last a minute before Vitória’s on-loan Wolves striker Léo Bonatini headed in a quick equaliser. The Vimarenenses then tightened up for the last half-hour of normal time – and then an extra 30 minutes – before the tie was finally settled in a shoot-out.
Fortunately, Villas-Boas’ elaborate gameplan for spot-kicks went out the window. André Andre hit the post with their second penalty before Florent Hanin’s third was saved by Maximiano. Having scored our first three penalties, we just needed Cabral to finish the job, which the young winger did with aplomb!
It wouldn’t get any easier in the last eight, mind. While Porto and Benfica each got favourable draws against lower-league opposition, we would have to travel to Braga.
ACADÉMICA DE COIMBRA vs SPORTING (Taça da Liga – Round 3 Group A, Match 3)
Just four days after our dramatic cup win, we enjoyed a smoother passage through the Taça da Liga. We need to beat Académica to top our group, and a big win comfortably saw us through to the Semi Finals – ahead of the Briosa and fellow challengers Covilhã on goal difference.
Eduardo Henrique fizzed in a low drive after just nine minutes to kick off the rout, which Luiz Phellype then continued with a powerful close-range finish. Our third goal of the first half was a maiden Sporting strike for teenage winger Rafael Camacho, who finished off an excellent passing move.
That meant we didn’t need to push ourselves too hard in the second half. Victory was all but secured in the 57th minute, when Borja’s attempted low cross to Luiz Phellype was turned into the net by visiting defender Silvério.
The usual suspects had all won their groups, so we were guaranteed a tough Semi Final draw regardless. We would play Benfica on 21 January, with Porto facing Braga the following evening ahead of the Final three days later.
Meanwhile, as 2019 came to an end, we found that Braga had pushed us down to 4th in the Primeira Liga – though we had a game in hand. It was also worth noting that, after winning their first 13 games, Benfica’s perfect record had been blotted with a 1-0 loss at mid-table Tondela. We would host the champs in our second game of 2020…
…which began with Jesé catching the ‘flu. (No, it wasn’t THAT.)
Anyway, we kicked off the year by hosting Rio Ave, who were managed by the charismatic Carlos Carvalhal and would leapfrog us with a victory.
SPORTING vs RIO AVE (Primeira Liga – Match 14)
With Borja suspended and Marcos Acuña injured, I fielded a barely-fit Rosier at left-back. It didn’t go well, as the Frenchman was booked after nine minutes and then twisted his ankle a quarter-hour later. That meant 17-year-old Nuno Mendes came on for his league debut.
It got even worse in the 27th minute. Rio Ave’s winger Lucas Piazón – now on the EIGHTH loan spell of his Chelsea career – showcased his abilities by latching onto Filipe Augusto’s killer ball and turning past Stefan Ristovski before finding the net.
At least we always had our set-piece prowess to rely on. A blinding free-kick from Miguel Luís just before half-time produced an equaliser, as Bolasie scored his sixth goal of the campaign – his fourth from a header.
We then attacked Rio Ave relentlessly through the second half before coming up trumps with another free-kick on 80 minutes. Cabral’s delivery into the box was nodded to the far post by Battaglia, where Neto did the rest. That was followed nine minutes later by a stunning assist for Miguel Luís, who volleyed Bolasie’s cross short to give Luiz Phellype a simple finish!
We had extended our unbeaten run to 11 games, and our scoring streak to 21… but now the Águias awaited. Would those records finally be ended when Benfica arrived at the Estádio José Alvalade?
SPORTING vs BENFICA (Primeira Liga – Match 15)
Unbelievably, no! Benfica might have taken just three minutes to move ahead through Swiss striker Haris Seferovic’s header from a Gabriel cross, but we didn’t let that get us down.
Our fightback began in the 15th minute. Miguel Luís’ goalbound free-kick was spilt by Benfica goalie Odysseas Vlachodimos, and Battaglia reacted quickest to bury the loose ball. That wasn’t the last time one of Miguel’s set-pieces forced a costly mistake out of Bruno Lage’s side.
After 27 minutes, skipper Sebastián Coates hit the far post with a header from Miguel’s corner delivery. Visiting left-back Álex Grimaldo hesitated to clear the ball off the line, and he was punished by Andraz Sporar, who poked in his first goal since September!
We fearlessly took the game to Benfica, reaping the rewards again 12 minutes into the second half. Our midfielders did love a long shot, and Battaglia was no different, finding the top corner from 30 yards as the Águias were left scratching their heads. They’d conceded three goals within an hour, having only shipped nine in their previous 16 league games!
As expected, Benfica pushed forward in the last half-hour, with midfielder Gabriel pulling one goal back midway through that spell. They then had several chances to level – their best falling to Portugal Under-21s winger Jota in the 89th minute after a wayward clearance from Borja. Only Maximiano’s fingertips kept Jota at bay as we recorded a stunning 3-2 win over the champions!
SPORTING vs SANTA CLARA (Primeira Liga – Match 16)
Our impressive form continued against Santa Clara, who put up less of a fight than they had done in our past two meetings. I pity the eight souls who travelled from the Azures just to watch their boys get completely outclassed.
Jesé had recovered from the sniffles and was back in the goals after just six minutes, curling in a magnificent strike from just outside the area. The centre-backs then combined for our second goal, as Neto’s parried shot was finished by Coates.
That was as good as our afternoon got. Right-back Ilori strained his thigh shortly after Coates doubled our lead, and despite dominating the second half, we were thwarted by some brilliant goalkeeping from Marco, who produced 17 saves. Tim Howard, eat your heart out!
Nonetheless, the win was all that mattered, and spirits remained high as we headed to Braga for our Cup Quarter Final.
BRAGA vs SPORTING (Taça de Portugal – Quarter Final)
Mattheus got us off to the perfect start after six minutes, thundering Bolasie’s square ball home for 1-0. That proved to be our only goal, thanks to some shocking finishing from Vietto, who’d looked more like his Fulham doppelganger since his injury woes began.
Braga offered little attacking threat in that first period, but they really began to push us after the break. Eventually, after 74 minutes, young winger Galeno restored parity with a tidy finish from David Carro’s volley to the edge of the six-yard box.
Extra-time was looming, but we had one final chance to secure a Semi Final place within normal time. Sadly, Mathieu’s header from Mattheus’ corner went over the bar, condemning us to a gruelling additional 30 minutes, followed by penalties.
Both teams converted four of their initial five penalties, as Sporar wasted our first chance before Wallace gave us hope with a spot-kick so awful that it left Gromit speechless. Unfortunately, sudden death proved too much for an injury-hampered Acuña, who hit the post before Rolando sent Braga into the last four.
Our Taça defence was over, though we could take solace from the fact we’d been knocked out by another strong team – as opposed to Porto, who’d been defeated on penalties by second-tier Nacional de Madeira. As it transpired, the Dragões would visit us for our next league fixture.
SPORTING vs PORTO (Primeira Liga – Match 17)
After a promising start, this match could have gone horribly wrong after Porto hit us on the break in the 15th minute. A surprisingly poor free-kick from Mattheus was intercepted before the visitors played their speedy frontman Zé Luis clean through, leaving him with a simple finish.
Porto took control from that point, and when Acuña tripped Jesús Corona in our box just before half-time, it looked like they would go 2-0 ahead. Despite pulling his hamstring earlier in the match, frontman Moussa Marega stepped up to take the penalty, which Maximiano pushed away to his left!
Maximiano made a couple more vital saves early in the second half before we started to test his counterpart Agustín Marchesín a bit more regularly. Neto and Vietto couldn’t take their opportunities…
…but Luiz Phellype made the most of his seven minutes from full-time. Porto’s centre-backs momentarily dozed off as Ristovski lofted a long free-kick to the big Brazilian, who dribbled through on goal before blasting in a 20-yard leveller! A draw kept us five points behind our 2nd-placed foes, but with a game in hand.
SPORTING vs BENFICA (Taça da Liga – Semi Final)
We had a little over 48 hours before we were back in action – and back in Braga for the conclusion of the Taça da Liga. While I had to heavily rotate my team for the Semi Final, Benfica had enjoyed a slightly longer rest and could field most of their big guns. Uh-oh.
As expected, this was a bridge too far for a Sporting team that’d been stretched to its limits. The attacking energy and prowess we were well-known for just wasn’t there at any point in this Semi.
Benfica bossed the first half, with only Maximiano’s brave goalkeeping keeping the scoreline at 0-0. Sadly, the 21-year-old’s efforts proved for nothing midway through the second period. Andrija Zivkovic’s free-kick was headed into our area by Dyego Sousa, where Germany midfielder Julian Weigl outjumped Doumbia to break our resistance.
Our hopes of winning a third consecutive Taça da Liga would go out with more of a whimper than a bang. Though Camacho did bang a shot into the Águias’ net in the 89th minute, the right-wing prospect was easily offside when Bolasie crossed to him. Benfica strolled unscathed into the Final, where they would defeat Braga 2-0.
The Sporting scoring streak had ended after 25 games, and we had gone three straight matches without winning – our worst run of the season. Could we click back into form quickly when we resumed our league campaign against Vitória de Guimarães?
VITÓRIA DE GUIMARÃES vs SPORTING (Primeira Liga – Match 18)
Things were going to plan after just nine minutes, when Vietto’s lung-busting run into the Vitória box was halted by a barge from Mascarenhas. Sporar then put his Cup penalty miss aside to send goalkeeper Miguel Silva the wrong way and draw first blood.
AVB’s boys gave us an almighty scare in the 22nd minute, when Borja had to clear centre-back Pedro Henrique’s header off our goal-line. Sadly, another of the hosts’ Brazilian players would fare better just before half-time, as forward Davidson swept João Carlos Teixeira’s free-kick into our goal.
The second half was similary competitive, with both teams enjoying good chances to move in front. That precious third goal eventually came seven minutes from the end, when Vietto’s delivery across the six-yard box caught Silva off guard, allowing Cabral to volley us into a 2-1 lead!
That wasn’t quite the end of the drama, though. Once again, Maximiano came to our aid with a late save to frustrate Teixeira and give us the win. With Porto only managing a 2-2 draw against Vitória de Setúbal, we got ourselves within three points of Sérgio Conceição’s giants.
GIL VICENTE vs SPORTING (Primeira Liga – Match 19)
We finished January by travelling to Barcelos to play Gil Vicente. Our opponents were in the third division last year but were awarded a place in the Primeira Liga after a 13-year legal case involving the Angolan striker Mateus finally went their way. I can’t make head nor tail of it, but suffice to say, we were leagues apart in all but name.
We blitzed our way to a 3-0 half-time lead, thanks to a ‘greatest hits’ collection of Sporting goals. It began with one of Miguel Luis’ trademark screamers, and was followed by a second Acuña assist for a Bolasie header. Lastly, Cabral’s mazy run into Gil Vicente’s box led to a string of comedic defensive errors, which allowed Jovane to finally put the ball in the net!
Both teams lost their left-sided forwards early in the second half, as Bolasie picked up a serious calf strain before his home counterpart Bozhidar Kraev was sent off for a second booking. Gil Vicente battened down the hatches and, to their credit, kept the scoreline down until Eduardo Henrique applied the finishing touch to an injury-time Coates header.
4-0 was our biggest away win of the season, but there was more good news to come when we looked at the league table…
Porto had lost at Santa Clara, meaning we were now level on points with the boys in blue – having played one match fewer! If we could win that game in hand, we would go within five points of our Lisbon rivals at the top! Could we yet get ourselves back in the title race?
YOUTH WATCH
I loaned out a host of reserve and youth players during the winter transfer window to give them some extra first-team experience. Today, I’ll be focussing on a couple of them:
Gonzalo Plata is an Ecuador international forward with plenty of pace and technical ability, though his work ethic leaves a bit to be desired. After a promising half-season in our Under-23s, I sent the 19-year-old out to Standard Liège in Belgium, where we’ll find out if he’s ready for that next step up.
Bruno Paulista made 13 appearances for Sporting this term, but I doubt the midfielder will ever become a first-team regular. While Bruno is a fine jack of all trades, he’s not really the masterful holding midfielder or playmaker we need. He’s gone back home to Brazil, where he’ll play for Ponte Preta until I decide his long-term future.
Other players who’ve been loaned out include centre-back Gonçalo Inácio, who we looked at last time and is ending this season at CasaPia in the LigaPro. Also playing in the second tier is third-choice goalkeeper Diogo Sousa, for Cova da Piedade.
Playmaker Tomás Silva has gone to Arminia Bielefeld, scoring on his German second-tier debut. I couldn’t find a buyer for the transfer-listed Francisco Geraldes, so the midfielder has been loaned to La Liga strugglers Leganés.
And in case you ask, I did make ONE new signing before the transfer window closed. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until next time before I can introduce him to you.
There’s plenty more to look forward to when Part 5 goes live next Monday, as the league campaign heats up and the Europa League knockout rounds. I hope you’ll join me for that.
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