We start episode six with a away game against Stoke. The Potters have had a decent season so far, sitting 9th, so I’m expecting a tough game. The lineup I have went with is Alisson (GK), Kolasinac (LB), Ajer (CB), Koulibaly (CB), Toure (RB), Tielemans (CM), Goretzka (CM), Ozil (CAM), Balde (LW), Williams (RW), Lacazette (ST). Below are the highlights.
Well I wasn’t expecting a match like that! A goal down within two minutes only to race to a 1-5 half time lead, with the game finally ending 1-6. I actually had to check the difficulty settings post match to check nothing had been tampered with. Jack Butland was anonymous between the sticks. Good performance though. Another three points on the board and with Everton only managing a 1-1 draw it now gives me two points breathing space at the top of the league.
Next up is the last Europa League match. I would be heavily rotating regardless, but given we are 5pts clear at the top and this is the final fixture it’s irrelevant. The lineup I have chosen is; Ospina (GK), Lukaku (LB), Fosu-Mensah (CB), Mustafi (CB), Bellerin (RB), Tielemans (CM), Xhaka (CM), Asensio (CAM), Bergwijn (LW), Kluivert (RW), Aubameyang (ST). No highlights as the game has been simulated. The Final score was a 1-4 win away to Vitesse. The final group standings are shown below. The draw has been made for the round of 32, we have been drawn against Atalanta. I’ll decide closer to the time whether to continue with simming the games or not.
The next league tie is at home to Crystal Palace. Palace are having a great season, currently sitting 7th in the table. I want to do some slight rotation, but given they are playing so well I’ll need to be careful. Also this game comes three days after the Europa league match, so anyone who played in that is knackered. The lineup I have went with is; Alisson (GK), Lukaku (LB), Ajer (CB), Koulibaly (CB), Toure (RB), Tielemans (CM), Goretzka (CM), Mkhitaryan (CAM), Balde (LW), Williams (RW), Poulsen (ST). Highlights below.
A great 2-1 win against a well organised side. Two great goals as well which is pleasing. Everton returned to winning ways with a 1-0 win over Newcastle, but Man Utd only managed a draw and Liverpool lost, so another successful set of fixtures all round for me. We are now onto four tough fixtures in thirteen days. First Spurs (5th), then Everton (2nd), Man Utd (3rd) and finally Man City (6th). Squad rotation could be a real issue, but we’ll just need to wait and see. Here is the lineup I have chosen for the Spurs must win game; Alisson (GK), Kolasinac (LB), Ajer (CB), Koulibaly (CB), Toure (RB), Tielemans (CM), Goretzka (CM), Ozil (CAM), Balde (LW), Williams (RW), Poulsen (ST). Spurs have Danny Welbeck starting up top with Kane on the bench… Highlights to follow.
Well that was a really poor game. 1-0 up without Spurs having even touched the ball and it was downhill from there. An awful bit of defending allowed Danny fucking Welbeck in to sneak an equaliser and from there Spurs managed to strangle the game very well. Unbeaten run is still in tact, but that was a really disappointing performance and result. In pushing for the winner I didn’t make many subs either, so I’ll now have to rotate against Everton in the next game. Everton won, adding to the frustration, so I’m now back to being top of the league on goal difference alone. Spurs had the joint meanest defence in the league having only conceded 11 goals all season. The other team? Everton. Oh joy.
That’ll wrap up this episode. Part 6 will cover the Everton, Man Utd and Man City game as well as our quest to land Leroy Sane and replace Hector Bellerin. Until then, hit me up in the comments or on Twitter @VizualDze.
VdZe.