1st January - 29th May
Previously on Conquer The Turf
The first half of a season had the team flying, having scored 84 goals across only 26 matches in all competitions. Barella and Van Dijk have been excellent signings, with some of the kids coming through. Juventus are absolutely destroyed 8-4 and 5-1 in the group stages leading us to AC Milan in the first knockout round.
Still in all competitions can we go on to win everything to bow out on a high?
Barcelona
The mid point passes and the team has been scintillating. Ridiculous attacking football and so many goals the fans should be ecstatic. A look at the League table shows the draws have really cost us, 16 games in and we have dropped to third, behind the two Madrid's.
On the tactics board I change nothing, just using the comparatively negligible transfer funds (in modern standards) to try and fix the squad deficiencies. Nikola Milenkovic is sold to Monaco for a mere £15.5 million, a massive loss from the £30.5 million I paid Fiorentina 18 months ago. My biggest blunder while at the club which I attempt to rectify Jonathan Tah for £36 million from Bayer Leverkusen. I wanted Matthijs de Ligt but missed out on him to Chelsea several seasons ago, his stats are brilliant and a must have signing for anyone on FM19.
This seasons transfers have hardly been stellar, the largest being Gonçalo Guedes to Manchester United for £112 million. They have been far off the pace in England so like real life are trying to buy their way back to the top of the table. Real Madrid end up the biggest spenders with Marquinhos coming in for £90 million. Weirdly they also buy a 32 year old Robert Lewandowski for £72 million who looks like he is beginning to dip.
With nothing else to spend I press on with the games. As always in Spain January is a ridiculously busy with fixtures. 9 games in 31 days is a lot but after the squad I have built it shouldn't be too much of a problem. In the Copa del Rey we glide past Valencia with a 1-0 away win followed by beating Malaga 4-1 and then 2-0 to setup Real Madrid in the Semi Final!
Wins against Las Palmas and Real San Sebastián sound like normal service but that's nowhere near the truth. We go 2-0 against Real San Sebastián in just 33 minutes with basically a full team out. Thankfully a 87 minute winner grabs us the three points keeping us in the race to defend our title. Relief!
All of this is tempered by yet another draw, this time against Girona. We actually go 1-0 down before equalising in the second half courtesy of the wonderkid Hernández. Due to the fixture pile up I am playing a second string side but even then they should have done better. 10 shots off target showing where this team is going wrong. Subbing on Messi didn't even save the day. The midpoint of the season we are second, four points behind Ath. Madrid.
As usual in the quirky Spanish fixture list I now have to play Real Madrid three times in 12 days, first up in the league at home. Our form against them has been fantastic and even though Belotti (Why always him?!) strikes again on 26 minutes each of my main front three score to ensure a decisive victory.
I had already decided to prioritise the League so that match had my best starting eleven. After seeing how poor they were after we equalised I felt safe putting out some of the kids. Obviously as per I always play my main keeper for every game but ter Stegen has a shocker, letting in a quick brace from Lewandowski. So much for being over the hill! Yet again we come from behind with four goals to set us up nicely for the second leg.
A quick away trip to Ath. Bilbao has us score 4 yet again, the third time this month. Of course we go behind, how else do we win games? This Barcelona team seem the opposite of the real life Manchester City, they score early and cruise the whole game. We concede and then attack for the next 80 minutes… It’s happening so much I expect to win regardless of conceding. Though the lack of clean sheets is becoming a worry, alongside injuries to Dembélé and Milinkovic-Savic from the Bilbao match.
Now after such a hectic run we have our biggest rivals yet again in the second leg of the Copa del Rey but being in such a strong position I feel the kids can easily get a draw, probably even a win. Munir is a capable deputy upfront and even though this leg is away it should be simple enough. Right?
It’s not a bad match to be fair, even for a 0-0 that is slowly closing out. Of the back 5 only Fall is a novice. We play pretty well but nothing startling. A cross into Madrid's area is cut out and played long by Kroos who knocks it wide to Lewandowski who spots an unmarked Salah in the middle. He smashes it home on the 91st minute, bringing the tie to 4-3. No matter, there is only one more minute of extra time.
Semedo’s throw in deep into their half goes straight to a Madrid who yet again smack it long with a carbon copy goal. Salah's brace bringing it to 4-4! Ugh what a gut punch still there is extra time to turn it around.
Nope.
Turns out, the away goals rule applies in the Copa del Rey. Those first leg goals from Lewandowski are the difference and we are out!! There goes the dream of winning everything. Fuck you Salah!!! (No I love you really, don’t leave!)
Whatever. I am not bitter. I want the Champions League more anyway. A 3-0 away win at Gijon continues the good league form, followed by three consecutive 2-0 wins. Mbappé has been a little quiet of late so a couple of goals for him is a good sign. In shocking fashion another fucking draw crops up, Málaga striking in the 86th minute meaning me drop 2 more points. Now level on 63 points with Ath. Madrid with 12 games remaining. Their 1-0 win means they are above us which means we must win against them by two goals or more in the return fixture in March.
(On a side note: The head to head rule to separate the teams in Spain is a good one and I think the Premier League should look into changing the rules. Would be a bit controversial but teams play each other twice to see who is better so that should be reflected.)
Back to the Champions League and the 1st Knockout round has us against seven time winners AC Milan. They have lost their way a lot in the last few years though they still have some excellent players, in particular Donnarumma in goal. For a game of this magnitude I put out my strongest side, hoping to kill the game off with a bunch of away goals. The first comes from Arthur on 25 minutes and all looks right with the world. Until Messi goes down with an injury and has to come off.
Then Milan start turning the screw and really dominating the game. We go to a more counter attacking mode but this seems to make things worse. They are dominating the possession and are having a lot of shots. This is turning into our worse performance of the season so far but somehow we are still winning.
André Silva is subbed on and in the 91st minute gets their very much deserved equaliser. It ends all square but with 21 shots, 15 of which were on target shows how well they played. We had 5 shots total, with the sole one on target going in. Home leg next and now I am very nervous. What the hell am I supposed to do?
With no Messi I give Malcom the starting berth on the right flank. We are at home so I put faith in the attacking tactics. After the way we were playing I was surprised we scored early, a 14th minute volley from Dembélé putting us firmly in control. Or so I thought. The Brazilian Lucas Paquetá puts one in the bottom corner from miles out to make it 2-2 overall, my away goals advantage gone.
Fuck.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Malcom channelling Messi’s spirit steps up with a mazy run to calmly score, putting us back in front. The second half brings a bad foot injury to Mbappé so with a tactical masterstroke I stick Hernández upfront who duly scores a header. 3 minutes later Barella scores one of his trademark wonder goals from range before Malcom completes his brace. 5-1. Totally blew them away!
With Mbappé out for a week I decide to give another youth a go at the tip of the attack. Camilo Valencia is a Colombian newgen with a lot of pace and thankfully an eye for goal. A brace against Sevilla gives us the 2-0 win. One for the future certainly.
Now I often talk about things I change whether in the tactics or line up that gets us the win. One huge thing I neglect to reflect on is luck. I suppose this is easier to spot in real matches, the highlights in here are so cut down you often miss moments when things go your way. Well not against Ath. Madrid. Playing away we have an awful game, our defence the only area coming away with any credit. Both teams seem pretty well matched but all it takes to separate us is a José Giménez own goal. Lucky? Yep. But it puts us top and three points clear of them. 10 games to go. I love the run in!
To capitalise on that result we go on to beat Villareal and Espanyol before drawing at home to Valencia. Another 91st minute equaliser we concede. It’s becoming obvious where our weaknesses lie.
Still none of that matters. It’s time for revenge! The Champions League quarter finals has us up against Manchester City! Now let's be honest, after last seasons absolute thrashing I was a little worried playing them again. They had strengthened well and even had our former player Rakitic!
Now if you remember I spent a fuck load of money on Mbappé to be the difference in matches like this. That killer edge of pace and goals. Well it only takes him 40 seconds to be that, sprinting on the counter to slot past Ederson. And yet he is not finished, a mere 13 minutes later he flies past both centre backs to put it into the other corner! 2-0 away from home. Why was I worrying?
For the second leg at the Camp Nou we both select identical sides. That's not where the similarities end, 4 minutes in and guess who scores yet again? Mbappé. This time he disappoints by taking a FULL 20 minutes more to get his second.
Kylian Mbappé 4 - Manchester City 0.
What a bargain of a player! Unfortunately for my story telling Dembélé ruins it by scoring a fifth. Still it’s redemption of a kind and sets us up nicely against another English club in Tottenham Hotspur.
Being in control of the league I start to rotate a little more, causing yet more draws. I know I sound whiny over it, I’ve only lost one league match all season so what's the problem? The performances have been so good at times, looking like we may score double figures against some teams it's shocking to have some 0-0's. Coruña and Real San Sebastián both manage this at the Camp Nou which is very impressive, both defences playing fantastically.
Back to the Champions League and we have a capable Tottenham to take on. Spurs have fallen away in the League but did beat Dortmund and Napoli to make the Semi. They come to the Camp Nou in the hope of an away goal or two. Fortunately that does not happen and I can go into broken record mode.
Mbappé scores early. This time a header from a corner! Nice change of pace and of course follows up with another just before half time. A typical volley into the far corner. Spurs do very little in this game, Kane in particular is the worst player on the pitch. 2-0 and we can look to the away tie.
Kane was awful in the first leg but turns it around in the return. Now they always say don't get complacent (it's even a team talk option) so of course I totally did. We will score some easy away goals, fun little European tie. Nope, Son scores a very early spectacular volley followed by a Kane header 3 minutes later. 10 minutes gone, 2-2. Game on!
I was really fucking annoyed, this game should have been over. Thankfully away from home we can kill it off, Messi striking just before half time and then a customary Mbappé European goal. That’s 10 in 9 matches now! A 4-2 win and we are in our second consecutive Champions League final.
The opponents? Bayer Leverkusen?!
As for the League we stick 6 past Las Palmas, a rare Messi hat trick securing the points. 4 goals against Girona is a great way to see out the domestic campaign though we end up on only 91 points. Still we win the title by 5 points 10 draws are very disappointing. Weirdly we score 15 more goals and concede 1 less but are 3 points worse off from last season. All semantics, it's the title that counts!
Now you may be wondering how the hell Bayer Leverkusen have made it to the final? Well if you remember we played them last season, winning 8-2 over two legs in the first knockout stage. They actually have a very good team and made the shrewdest of signings last summer. Brazilian wonderkid Rodrygo was signed by Real Madrid a few summers ago who then loaned him to Leverkusen. His 9 goals in the Champions League has powered them past Chelsea, PSG and Ath. Madrid.
They ended up third in the Bundesliga, form deteriorating terribly towards the end of the season but all their efforts rightly going into the European journey. Kevin Volland is probably their best known player and he is out injured for the final. This should be very winnable.
Alas a huge flaw is shown in my FM play-style. One of my rules is that regardless of who is the main goalkeeper the back up should be home grown at the club and be relatively young to save on wages. I never really play them so they are there just in case. For Barcelona this position is filled by Iñaki Peña, whom I promoted from the B side. He hasn't played a game all season and so is obviously pissed off at me for not getting any game time. Totally not match fit but it shouldn’t matter.
But.
With two weeks until the final disaster strikes and ter Stegen breaks his collarbone! Peña gets his wish to play and in the biggest game of the season!
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
His stats are fine. Until I notice that his first touch is 1. 1?!?! That's so bad for a sweeper keeper, expected to play with his feet. Mistakes are coming. Do I change tactics?
Nope. Lets just go for it! The other 10 players are as you were. Barella confirms himself as one of my favourite players on FM19, scoring within 2 minutes as always from range. Now we just need a second and not conced….
Half time is approaching and Havertz heads in from a corner. The keeper is nowhere. Fucks sake! We kick off quick and with every single outfield player touching the ball Dembélé fires home in stockage time. 2-1. Back in control.
No changes from either of us and into the second half we go. Waldemar Anton makes a dangerous lunge while on a booking. He’s gone! Leverkusen down to 10 men and 2-1 down this tie looks over. Now one player has been very quiet so far and after his form you know he is going to pop up. Rodrygo slotting home to give them half a chance to win this match.
I say only half as Messi tucks one away merely 2 minutes later. This game is intense! I make some sensible subs, bringing off the exhausted Busquets and Telles. 3-2. Let’s just play out this match or so I hoped. The match quietens down until the final 5 minutes until yet another mistake happens. Rodrygo is clean through on Peña who rushes out and is easily lobbed.
3-3!! 90 minutes played. Extra time it is. Not quite sure how we haven't run away with this game having an extra man. In fact they even have more possession! My main plan now is to avoid penalties, I do not trust the keeper one bit. We go even more attacking and when Messi’s free kick is easily saved I begin to worry.
No need. Dembélé with the last of his energy scores at the end of a crazy run. 23 minutes left and they are done.
We've won it!!! Finally getting our hands on ‘old big ears’. The Champions League, conquered at last. I didn't Conquer The Turf but I did win the biggest club competition on Earth.
And with that I survey the land and feel like this story arc is complete. This Barcelona team has hit its peak. I am done.
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