The flying donkeys

Season 10

Current squad

Im ready to move players on and rebuild the team with youth.

First signing nothing flashy but could look better in the next DB.

First player to exit and at a painful loss in the money paid for him.

He never saw the light of day in a Chievo shirt, the club and I wish him the best of luck.

The second player to exit was picked up at the end of last season in a player plus cash deal when Man Utd bought Ben Chilwell.

Flipped for profit painfully going against the club’s objective of youth signings.

But free money is free money at the end of the day.

I’ve had Alisson and Becker since day one and feel it could be time to cash in on one of them, mostly Becker as Alisson has been first choice for a while.

So my next signing is a goalkeeper.

The right-hand side of the players’ stats grabbed my attention mainly. But he definitely has potential.

Manchester City sent offer after offer for one of my players and I caved in.

Sold to finance the future of the club is what I’m thinking, but in reality, it was the mountain of cash sitting on my desk.

Wasn’t in the market for this next player, however I was notified of his availability on the transfer market.

For less than 10M I think I might be able to sell him for more.

Plus he is a really good player and is welcomed to the fold.

We find out our Champions League group

Won our opening game and a debut/man of the match performance from Cristiano Ronaldo is pleasing.

Bruno Fernandes looks really good in this DB and I’m pleased with his contribution but saddened that he got injured before the whistle is a massive blow.

Champions League campaign kicks off

We start with PSV

Comfortable win.

Nice to see Bellingham taking his chance in the team.

I’ve always played De Bruyne and Bruno Fernandes as my two MCs, but the team needs new blood and I’ve had Bellingham for a while.

He deserves a run in the team and with De Bruyne out injured, it’s the perfect opportunity to pick him.

Matthijs de Ligt with a standout performance too.

In the second game of the competition, we faced probably the toughest opposition.

After praising Matthijs de Ligt in the first game he let himself down before half-time as he got sent off after we took the lead from Ronaldo.

Bruno Fernandes made it 2-0 with half an hour left.

But with only ten men on the pitch, Dortmund found a way in and took advantage of the situation.

Bellingham with the assist for Bruno Fernandes.

Their partnership is starting to blossom.

Return to Serie A for a derby day.

These three guys are at it again.

Finally, the news I’ve waited for all season.

A fully fit Kevin De Bruyne.

But like I’ve said earlier. Can’t afford to drop Bellingham, disturbing his form and risk losing what hes bring to the team in all competitions?

Champions league

I stick De Bruyne on the bench and roll with the current norm.

Bellingham got another goal, Bruno Fernandes got the assist for the second goal which was scored by Bastoni who was covering for the suspended Matthijs de Ligt.

And just like in the previous game, another Chievo player gets sent off on the stroke of half-time.

We were too dominant in possession for our opposition to counter a comeback.

I did get a bit nervous when they scored from the start of the second half, but right at the end Messi combined with Ronaldo to secure any chance of a dramatic extra-time winner.

An early bid comes in from Newcastle for Saka. But I’m not really interested in selling him, however, it’s a nice offer.

That’s 10.5M more then what I paid for him.

I have been back and forth for a while for a defender and I finally get an offer accepted.

But the board stepped in.

He looks really good as well.

A couple of games back-to-back bouncing from the league and the Champions League forces the team to go into rotational mode.

With the Champions League group stage looking secure and two very tough teams in the league up next, I don’t go overboard with the revamp, mainly basing it on fitness.

Bastoni stays in and is making a name for himself again, there’s food for thought with his future involvement regularly.

I try all three of my best MC together with Bruno Fernandes more of AMR role which drops Rashford to the bench.

Now Rashford has been hit and miss this season.

This could be the way in for me to fit in Bellingham, Bruyne and Bruno all in together. It’s got NWO vibes is what I’m picturing.

It does pay off as all three contribute to the victory.

With Messi and Ronaldo resting both Martínez and Saka get a runout and take their chance to impress.

I don’t fear the next team and despite it being the Champions League I make 9 changes.

Musiala making a name for himself in the game which I find annoying after discovering the Bellingham, Bruyne, Fernandes (which I will refer to as BBB).

Happy with my goalkeeper and debut in CL for Wharton.

Palmer I am easing into the team did okay and Martínez once again showed off his deadly finishing scoring again.

Return to action this time in the league four days after the last game.

Thankfully I’ve had time to rest several key squad players and we can go full strength.

It’s a tough one as Napoli are in the title race.

Full time

They all played well by halftime, so I was happy to roll on as is.

Looking back maybe Bruno could have been subbed as I had both Musiala and Rashford on the bench.

It was poor from Upamecano and this could be the excuse to drop him for Bastoni?

I’m getting fidgety in the transfer market and it’s only October.

But it’s in fairness in line with our plan. Very talented youngster who could well be our future MC.

Last game in the CL group stages sees a thrilling tug of war with goals flying in left right and centre.

Upamecano redeemed himself.

Ronaldo the man once again.

Messi with an injury is the disappointing factor to come from the game.

The group stage is completed and we advance to the next phase.

Literally a few days later we enter the Coppa Italia.

Sticked with the same team and enjoyed a wonderful first half performance to set the tone with Ronaldo sneaking onto the scoresheet to continue his run of goals.

We find out our fate in the Champions League second group stage.

Drawn against some really good teams.

This will be an interesting round.

With Bellingham slightly tired, I went old school in MC and the quality didn’t drop.

Bruno assisting de Bruyne and Rice added a second from a cross from Rashford.

Rashford has been slow off the mark, but he is starting to perform.

Both late goals in the game, Porto defended well and put up a fight.

Short break in fixtures.

We return for the Coppa Italia 2nd round leg 2.

The damage was done in the first leg.

Two early goals killed off any hope of our opposition mounting a comeback on the road.

Draw for the Coppa Italia next round.

Champions League action next and it’s the game I’ve been looking forward to.

Ronaldo is continuing his goal-scoring run across multiple competitions is absolutely amazing to see and a reminder that age is just a number.

Slowly dropping Messi out of the team and testing Musiala on the left.

There hasn’t been much rest between games and it’s only getting worse.

But the form has remained strong and I have faith in the players who will step in when called upon.

Edging closer to the transfer window and I agreed a sell deal early on and now it can be completed.

Painful to see him go, but he can’t break up the BBB and it’s a crime to have talent of his quality not getting game time.

Enjoyed a nice comeback against a very tough team in an away-day fixture.

Inter looked like taking all 3 points with six minutes remaining, however, Chievo fought back with minutes remaining.

Overall team performance was good, I debated subbing Ronaldo off for Martínez. However, my judgment was clouded by what he had done in other games, when in reality as a manager I should have made the change on the 60th or after Inter equaliser.

I check on Jarrod Bowen a former signing of mine that I made when he was still a kid, who I had high hopes for in the future additions and it’s painful to see I was wrong to let him go.

He’s the one I let go and taunt myself with with each DB.

With the January window approaching PSG send in an offer to good to be true.

Goes against the youth build, but nearly doubled my return.

Money talks.

A trip next up against AC Milan and it was an entertaining affair.

I stuck with Saka over Messi and he repaid the faith by bagging a brace before getting injured.

A little bit unsettling towards the end of the game with AC Milan throwing the kitchen sink at us.

Alphonso Davies stood out to me as he fulfilled his duties as a defender as well as contributing going forward.

Mainoo I haven’t talked about what he’s been doing in the background.

He wandered out of the club and failed repeatedly to turn up for training.

He now decides in DECEMBER that he wants to return.

Probably thinking I will sell him in January, which in reality would be the smart move to make if the price were right.

One of the reasons why I bought Wharton.

The January window is now open.

Its time to show me the money and go all out on a revamp.

1st up.

It’s my first sale of the window. He looks amazing but my defence is solid and Bastoni is ahead in the pecking order.

The next two moves see the signing of a young and exciting American prospect.

And a very impressive striker from Holland is making a name for himself, so I act fast at a decent price given what he’s done and at the age so close to his peak level.

He’s got 60m potential as a future sell deal.

We have to put the window on hold for now as we entertain Fiorentina in the second leg of the Coppa Italia quarter finals.

Pulled off a late comeback in the second half with the winner coming from our new signing on his debut.

The next signing wasn’t planned, but with the high-profile player being targeted by offers from Europe and filled my news feed with the story.

I noticed the price they are all going in for, so I think why the hell not.

Messi has been hit and miss, he could be his replacement.

I throw all the new boys in and they don’t disappoint.

It got Messi playing again, must be intimidated by Salah arrival.

Unfortunately, Pavlidis didn’t see out the game. But it was enough minutes to convince me that I’ve signed a good player.

Salah only signed a few days ago and played one game and now he’s off to the African Nations.

A tournament that will pin him down for a long time if Egypt go all the way to the final.

We see off Atalanta in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final.

Pavlidis is again scoring and getting injured. I’m hoping this isn’t going to be a running theme.

With Salah away Saka takes his chances to impress as did Messi when I subbed him on.

The fight for the AML position is on.

Derby day returns.

With Ronaldo well rested, he picks up from where he left off.

Return to the Champions League action.

Two back-to-back fixtures in the group stage against Newcastle.

First game ended in defeat and the heaviest loss we have had all season.

Both our defenders looked lost, and the substituted defender had the same outcome. Just shows Newcastle dominants against us.

The damage was done before Rice got sent off.

Bruno Fernandes didn’t look comfortable at half-time so I gave Rashford a runout who had a similar return in performance.

The second time out against them also ended in defeat.

This time better from our defenders and from Bruno who got the assist for our only goal of the game.

But still it wasn’t enough to stop Newcastle achieving all three points.

Rotation has been in full effect to help balance the fixtures again.

But I went strong against Juventus in the league and I was right too.

The game looked to be heading for a draw, until Bruno linked with Bellingham to grab all three points minutes away from the end.

I liked that game, it was end to end.

Only three days later we are back in CL and again some late drama.

Took an early two-goal advantage, only for Porto to bounce back with two goals of their own.

Saka this time with an individual goal keeps our dream of qualifying to the next round alive.

Jumping back to the league again three days after the last game and it’s a tough game.

A must win.

And the team does just that.

With the African Nations Cup competition over for Salah, he returns to the squad and grabs the winner.

Again with the late drama, not that im complaining.

Three days roll by again and into the CL tournament.

Went a goal down early on, but the old guard restored the faith.

Changes had to be made at halftime and I felt Bellingham was having a stinker.

He did provide the assist don’t get me wrong.

But this is the CL and his halftime stats with his completed passes just aren’t good enough at this level.

So subbed Rashford on for Bellingham and swapped Bruno out of AMR and into MC with his old pal de Bruyne and it worked as Bruno went on to score in that position.

Took the runner-up spot in the group stage to advance to the next round.

Draw for the Quarter finals.

A week goes by and a much-needed rest for the team goes down well conditions wise.

Just in time for the Coppa Italia final first leg.

The goalless draw at half-time in the final forced me to think about changes.

Poor completed passes from Saka and Bruno make it easy for me to attend to the problem.

Super sub Messi led the team to victory but was unable to see out the game. By then the game was won.

Ronaldo was close to being subbed on the 60th. But redeemed himself with the assist.

Time for the CL quarter finals

The game ended in a draw.

Former player Mbappe came back to haunt us.

De Bruyne was a threat throughout the game, unlucky not to get a brace.

I may have reacted too early subbing Ronaldo off, he was ticking most of the boxes I require. But his completed passing likewise with Saka isn’t acceptable in any knockout round.

However, the subs struggled to reach double figures too.

I should have gone as is and chanced the outcome.

Mbappe looks to have settled in well at his new club.

Those kinds of stats I would have been pleased to see if I had paid that kind of money.

I’ve struggled to replace him really. Messi is hot and cold.

Just moved forward to the return leg .

I decided not to tinker and roll to the 60th going in and Im glad I did.

Ronaldo was more clinical in front of the goal and the team as a whole looked elite.

Upamecano six rating is a bit harsh.

I nearly took Saka off, but from a defensive point of view, he was contributing and managed two shots on, the second-best shots on.

It’s set up for a rematch against Newcastle.

Four days later we are away to Lazio.

Some of the regulars sat this game out.

Happy to gamble with the team selection for the good of the players’ conditions.

We have the quality to take anyone on and we grab all three points.

This meant we had won the league with games to spare.

Lost only one game all season so far. The power in are attacking play is too good.

We’ve gone two goals down and still scored three more before the final whistle.

The key to any elite winning side.

Just the cup games remaining and first up is the semi-finals first leg.

Getting the away goal in the second half puts us in a good spot for the home leg going in.

Newcastle had their chances. Luckily for me, they lost Wilson early on.

Made three changes at half-time as I wasn’t convinced about their performance.

Bruno in particular was having a terrible game, so I replaced him with Rashford who had an equally terrible game.

What a fall from grace Rashford has been considering how well he played in his debut season.

Can’t really complain about Martínez, he had a similar experience upfront as Ronaldo only positive difference is that he completed every pass he made.

Messi’s individual goal reinforces my right decision to sub him on.

He’s not had the best season and showed that also with similar game stats as Saka.

But legends do what legends do and step up to the plate in important games and he did just that.

A week goes by and we return to CL for the second leg.

I restored Messi over Saka for the return leg in the hope that what I said before about elite players turning up in big moments would be true, and he did just that again.

Scored early on and contributed with an assist in the second half.

Bellingham rounded off the game thanks to Alphonso Davies quick thinking to pick out the Englishman unmarked to slot home the third goal.

The draw for the CL final.

The next game is the Coppa Italia final second leg and the chance to complete a domestic double on the table.

I took a gamble on fringe as we prepare for the CL final and it backfired on me.

We took the lead extending the aggregate by three goals only to be battered in the second half as Juventus came out swinging with their gloves off in the pursuit of a cup upset.

But it wasn’t to be and we won the final on away goal rule to complete the double.

It’s all down to the last game of the season to do one better than a domestic double and win the treble just like last season.

Just need to overcome Arsenal.

And we do just that.

Chievo are Champions League two seasons on the bounce champions and a treble completed for the second season in a row.

There is no stopping this team.

Arsenal looked to be the more attacking side of the two, but could only put one of those chances away.

Whereas we only managed half the shot attempts and half their shots on, but we put every shot on in the back of the net

Bruno struggled in the first half so I took him off.

Bastoni played in the final as Upamecano was injured and to be honest, looked shaky.

But I stuck with him as he was on par with De Ligt.

Let’s just say Gushi was warming up on the touchline for most of the second half.

End of season player stats.

The three players who stood out.

He’s so good De Bruyne I don’t have a bad word to say about him and I’m pretty sure by now he’s been in my top three standout players of the season on a regular bases.

Bellingham is making a name for himself not only in Italy but also in Europe as a top player.

I’ve gone for Ronaldo as my third choice. Arrived on a free and showed his quality as an elite player.

With the treble completed we just pause for a moment and look at what we achieved.

It’s unbelievable and extremely impressive. We are by far the best team on paper in the world. Nobody even comes close.

But the work never stops and we address the squad as a whole based on this season and continue to recruit young talent before moving on to the next DB.

So I go a bit crazy moving fringe players on for the project.

Outbound we say goodbye to the following players.

Rashford was a flop this season and I was happy to let him go for 10m plus profit.

Reluctant to let Martínez go, however I’ve already signed a striker this season with Pavlidis and return on my investment back from my FIFA days is too good to be true.

With Rice commanding the DMC position and his understudy waiting for his chances, accompanied by Tchouameni’s lack of game time as a result makes this sell an easy one to accept.