FM Veteran

WWelcome to part seven of my Glory Hunter series, and thank you for following the journey. If you missed the previous chapter, you can find it here

This summer was time for Euros in Germany, and it was a shocker of a tournament.
The group stage went as it should, without any real surprises. However, in the second round, they came in abundance. The hosts knocked Spain out, France lost 0-2 to Croatia, Portugal went out, and Norway knocked out Italy. The latter is possibly the biggest surprise, and it’s good to get revenge after losing to Italy in the 94 and 98 World Cup. However, I still have nightmares about Christian Vieri from time to time.
Germany lost to Romania after extra time in the quarter-finals, with Hagi scoring the winner. After that, England knocked out Belgium, Croatia won again, and Wales dominated Norway and sent them home to the snow.
Another shocker found a place in the semi-finals when Wales won against Croatia! However, Mason Greenwood(…) and England did get no challenge from Romania and beat them 4-1.
Imagine a Euro final between England and Wales. Wales managed to hold England to a draw in the final itself after Gareth Bale set up Daniel James for the equalizer. However, England proved to be the stronger team in extra-time and eventually won 3-1. I’m not sure what’s the most significant achievement here is, to be honest. England winning a final or Wales playing in one?!

After the Euros, several exciting jobs were available, and I went all-in for all of them. France, Germany, Spain and Portugal didn’t rate me at all. I got used to getting turned down after the last World Cup, so there’s nothing new there.
However, there’s one Nation where I have built up a reputation and have a name, and that’s where I will have my side hustle for the following years.

I can’t wait to get started on this challenge! The first thing I did was bring in Chiellini and Buffon in the backroom staff – I have an idea that their experience will be essential for us after they retire. I also hope to turn Bonucci around and get him to play for Italy again. 

The team has some great players to build around in Donnarumma, Barella and Bastoni. I’m also reunited with Lorenzo Lucca, which was essential for me at Fiorentina. Therefore, I will try to replicate the same tactic that worked so well for the two seasons I spent there. 

Several players were brought in during the summer. I decided to trigger the clause and bring Donny van de Beek in on a permanent transfer. Based on the months he had last season, he will be a crucial player in the team. Botond Balogh arrived on a free transfer to bolster the defence. Melayro Bogarde was brought in from Juventus for £2M. Bogarde is an exciting prospect to work with and a fantastic player on the bench with his versatility. David De la Vibora is another gamble. However, he’s Spanish, cheap and has the potential to grow. For £375K, we can afford to give him a chance here. 

Diogo Spencer was brought in from Benfica for £6.75M and is planned to be the primary challenger to Gonzalo Montiel on the right back. With time he can develop to be the starter we need. 

We saved the best on to last, and I’m really excited to be reunited with Benjamin Sesko. He didn’t get the chances he deserved at Fiorentina, with Mourinho playing with only one striker. He only got three starts after I left, so I guess it’s a mutual joy with this reunion. It’s a pricey transfer for us with £45M+ another 20M in clauses. 

During the course of the summer, another exciting thing popped up. With Thomas Tuchel leaving his job at United to take the job as Manager for Germany, I couldn’t imagine not applying for it. Being my favourite team since I was a little boy, I’m prepared to drop everything I have going to go there and win everything.
When writing this, Carlo Ancelotti is the favourite for the job, but no one has been hired yet.

I’ll leave it there for now, and will give you more on this in the next post. Thank you for reading and following. It’s hugely appreciated!

/ FM Veteran