2015 Ashez v Dec - The Fantasy Draft Challenge

[Ashez]

My little brother Lee, he's eleven. He used to play FMH all the time and I used to post careers for him but he's lost interest in the series in recent years.

[Ashez]

Thank God I went for players who can play in multiple positions!

A far from ideal start! It's safe to say training has been toned down a tad!

[Eliseo10]

Wow! Where are you guys training at? The park? lol

[Ashez]

Just bad luck I guess, thankfully I have decent replacements for them if not I'd be screwed lol.

[Ashez]

Just got to January 1st, I'll update at some point .

[Dec]

You have moved fast. I am only in October though I have Ronaldo injured.

[Ashez]

I would have been done if I didn't have tests to run .

[BatiGoal]

Ashez, losing your two starting CB's at the same time is really unlucky.

The pressure on Clichy has tripled.

 

Dec says he lost Ronaldo but that may very well be a mental game he's playing.

That's what having Mourinho as a mentor does to you

[Ashez]

It didn't work out too bad thankfully, unfortunately Mascherano ran into some trouble but I'll go into that in my update .

[Dec]

Waiting for Ash to reveal his results first... .

[Ashez]

Just waiting for the PC to turn on as we speak, almost spooky timing

[JustM1kePlays]

..... let the games begin!

[leecutler]

Cannot wait for the first update

[Ashez]

Ashez Vs Dec

A Fantasy Head To Head

Season One

Part One

 

I shared my expected eleven above but i showed two formations, after more thought i decided to use the full out attacking 433 version. I decided to use this one as my base is somewhat balanced while the quality i have available in the attacking third gave me faith that i could out score any opponent. I didn't stick to it religiously though as i did change it in match in certain cases in an attempt to hold onto a win and to give my squad players more minutes on the field etc. Now that's been cleared up let's jump into the action and see how part one of this journey panned out for me.

 

The Off Topic Section

Champions League and Copa Del Rey

 

As this challenge is based on league performances it leaves the problem of the CDR and the Champions League, instead of "throwing" these competitions i decided to take them seriously. They might mean nothing in the long run but these extra games meant i could rotate my squad fully and keep everyone happy, i fault this was important as with this type of squad i had moral could quickly become an issue. 

 

Champions League

Group

 

 

The group went fantastically well as we managed to secure top spot with the only points dropped being against Liverpool. The question is though who will we face in the next round?

 

 

A favourable tie to say the least, hopefully this will mean i can continue to rotate my squad of footballing Gods!

 

CDR

 

In the first round we managed to get passed Zaragoza with a five one victory on aggregate, this meant we now have a fixture against Getafe

 

 

Thankfully we managed to blow them away in the first leg so a routine second leg will see us progress to the next round, again a fantastic opportunity to rotate the squad, it's not like i have a weak starting eleven available.

 

The Main Event

The League

 

The team gelled fast and we hit the ground running which is always a fantastic feeling, in the opening months of the season we managed to go undefeated while also taking two massive scalps as we overcome Sevilla and Valencia but both fixtures were at home. 

 

 

The month of October however was full of tight games including the big one, after only a few months of the save it was time for Ashez and Dec to square off in the save!

 

Table Before Kick Off

 

 

A fantastic start to the season but Dec's Madrid weren't far behind!

 

The Odds

 

 

The bookies have the home side as favorites! But what do they know?

 

The Match

 

 

An exciting game but a disappointing result! 2-0 down within minutes of kick off! Neuer decided this would be a good match to get his first low rating while Mascherano must have struggled with the height of Lewandowski! Not the ideal game for my first choice central defenders to be missing!

I thought we got back into the game with Suarez's strike so it was heartbreaking to see the flag up from the official! Messi got a consolation goal but we learn't a hard lesson in this match, even great teams can suffer from a slow start!

 

 

My only regret is leaving Mascherano in the defense, it would have made more sense to switch him with Martinez but we live and learn! 

 

This result gave us a slight dip in form as drew our next match with Liverpool while losing at home to Villarreal thanks to a last minute striker after we dominated play. Thankfully we managed to bounce back quickly to extend our previous great form, including a win verses title rivals Atletico Madrid.

 

 

Table On January First

 

 

Leading the table as it stands but Real Madrid are putting up a fight, could that poor four minute spell in the match against them prove costly?

 

Team Information

 

Appearances

 

 

 

 

Fairly well spread out

 

 

Goals

 

 

 

Not as spread out as i'd like but the attacking players are doing great!

 

 

Assists

 

 

 

That's what i like to see as the assists are spread across the team

 

 

Average Rating

 

 

 

 

Only two players below 7 which is fantastic, Alonso has been disappointing so far but at least it's not Clichy sitting at the bottom of the list!

 

 

Moral

 

 

 

 

My rotation method seems to be working a treat , an early exit in one of the two spare competitions could be disastrous though!

 

 

So there you have my first few months as Barcelona manager, hopefully you enjoyed the read!

 

As always thank you for viewing and please remember to leave a comment, especially in this one as i need all the support i can get .

[Dec]

Brilliant work Ash, I am not giving my results away yet .

[Ashez]

Brilliant work Ash, I am not giving my results away yet .

 

I'm waiting nervously

[Dec]

 

Real Madrid

Dec's Fantasy Draft Challenge

[hr]

 

So Ashez's attempt was very impressive to say the least as we both update on the 1st January. My luck however has been a mixed bag. With a few injuries such as to Cristiano Ronaldo and Bastian Schweinstieger two of my first teamers were out for a significant time frame, along with a build up of competitive fixtures including the Club World Cup and Spanish Super Cup my small team suffered a lot of fatigue. However despite this my league form has been very good and I am happy with how I am doing against such an amazing player as Ashez is.

 

[hr]

 

The League:

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Goal Difference	Points
15	11	4	0	36	10	26	37

 

Despite a disappointing draw against Espanyol and Deportivo away I am still unbeaten which is very promising. We are also starting to show some promise up front by scoring more goals and not conceding and with 2 games in hand over Ashez the race isn't over yet as it can only take one slip up from him later in the year.

 

[hr]

The Extras:

Champions League:

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Goal Difference	Points
6	5	1	0	17	4	16	37

 

Against a fairly difficult Liverpool and Lille team it only took until the last game to stop us from winning including a 6-1 thrashing over Liverpool. The team really came into their own in the competition and showed some great footballing displays. A few players really proved themselves in this competition and I was pleased to see players lacking game time stepping up their performances.

 

Spanish Super Cup - WON:

0-0 v Atletico Madrid (H)

2-0 v Atletico Madrid (A)

 

Euro Super Cup - FINAL:

0-1 v Sevilla (N)

 

Club World Championship - WON:

4-0 v Osaka (N)

2-1 v Chivas (N)

 

Overall 2 trophies and a tight final where a disallowed goal was the difference late on. Two trophies though in my first season and one over a very good team was a real base for the team and with these out of the way I am hoping I can now focus on the league and bringing that home.

 

[hr]

The Players:

 

Appearances:

Jerome Boateng - 26

Edinson Cavani - 24

Robert Lewandowski - 24

Eden Hazard - 23

Mats Hummels - 23

 

Goals:

Robert Lewandowski - 20

Sergio Aguero - 12

Edinson Cavani - 7 

Eden Hazard - 7

 

Assists:

Eden Hazard - 10

Edinson Cavani - 7

Arjen Robben - 7

 

Player of the Match:

Sergio Aguero - 7

Cristiano Ronaldo - 4

Robert Lewandowski - 3

 

Average Rating:

Robert Lewandowski - 8.20

Sergio Aguero - 7.95

Cristiano Ronaldo - 7.87

[fmhaberdeenfan]

Nice stuff lads! Close so far. Good luck

[xHadex]

Interesting

[JustM1kePlays]

Both quality seasons so far. Bet Ash is continually looking over his shoulder, especially as Dec has those 2 games in hand

[billy2shots]

I think both sets of results show that a lot of thought and effort needs to be applied when playing this game.

 

2 of the best squads ever assembled and presumably hand picked to fit a tried and tested formation, yet neither are steam rolling their way through the competition. Doing well yes but certainly not unbeatable.

 

Anyone who only frequents the tactic section of Vibe looking for an unbeatable tactic with an average team should be directed here.

 

Good luck to both of you, I can see it is going to be tight!

[Ashez]

Ooh this is tight! Hopefully I can keep onto my lead but I'm sure Dec will punish any slip ups!

Thanks for all the comments lads, I've not played the second half as yet but I'll get it done shortly .

[Dec]

Thanks for all the comments guys. I am glad you are enjoying it and I am hopeful of bringing the title home.

[Ashez]

Thanks for all the comments guys. I am glad you are enjoying it and I am hopeful of bringing the title home.

Dream on

[samhardy]

Ash will probably get sacked so Dec should take the title, should be a cheeky bonus for going unbeaten too

[Ashez]

As long as Dec didn't change my owner to Mike Ashley I should be okay

[fmhaberdeenfan]

As long as Dec didn't change my owner to Mike Ashley I should be okay

I think he might have!

[Dec]

Ashez has admitted he is too scared to go first so I will later .

[Ashez]

Ashez Vs Dec

A Fantasy Head To Head

Season One

Part Two

 

Okay Dec is spooky, he wrote that comment above just as i finished the CDR section below! Anyway while he's busy firing shots i'm working on my update, enjoy

 

Part one of this epic encounter was intense as we both had solid starts which resulted in us being fairly close at the mid point, all that means is it all comes down to the second half of the season! So let's see how my last few months at Barcelona went down! 

 

Side Quests

 

As i explained in my opening to this season i wasn't interested in the side competitions in the slightest as i knew only the league results were being considered, however this didn't mean i wrote off the other comps as i knew i'd need them to keep my squad happy. 

 

Champions League

 

First Round

Roma - 3-0

 

Quarter Final

 

 

The big match comes around again as we face off against our rivals Madrid!

 

First Leg

 

 

Ouch! Real Madrid dominate at home as Barcelona can't control the front three of Dec's side.

 

Second Leg

 

 

The second leg followed the same pattern as the first as Madrid thrash Barca! Embarrassing!

 

Every Cloud

 

 

 

 

 

CDR

 

Quarter Round

Numancia - 3-1

 

Semi Final

Sevilla - 4-0

 

Final

 

 

Yes! Some sort of revenge!

 

The Main Event

 

The Chase For The Title

 

Vs Madrid - Round Two

Table Before Kick Off

 

 

A win for Barcelona here will do them a world of good!

 

The Match

 

 

​A massive win! We've had a mixed season when it comes to the matches verse Madrid, we've held our own in two but been slaughtered in the rest, that Champions League hammering will last in the memory for years to come unfortunately. 

 

 

That's how strong a team Dec built!

 

Dropped Points - Melt Down?

 

 

I need points on the board and the game screws me! Can Dec take advantage or will he have suffered similar matches?

 

The Final Standings

 

 

Yes! I couldn't be happier with how the season went! I dropped points here and there but i also had a few lucky matches where my quality of players saved me in the dying seconds, i guess it all works it's self out in the end.

 

Was it enough to beat Dec though? Only time will tell....I await nervously!

 

Team Information

 

Moral

 

 

 

 

I did i good job i think

 

 

Appearances

 

 

 

 

 

Goals and Assists

 

 

 

A solid attacking line up

 

 

 

Average Rating

 

 

 

Messi was my savior on one than more occasion!

 

 

Okay Vibe was right as Clichy ends up as my worst player, gutted!

 

 

That's it for my update so i'll now hand it over to Dec to see how this clash of the titans ends.

 

As always thank you for viewing and please remember to leave a comment.

 

Come on team Ashez!

[Dec]

 

Real Madrid

Dec's Fantasy Draft Challenge

[hr]

 

My team really hit top form after the last update scoring goals for fun and winning games by big margins early on. Though maybe we peaked too early as it was only for grinding out some results that we managed to amass the points total we did. Overall though a happy season for Real Madrid and I am confident I can pick up the victory.

 

[hr]

 

The League:

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Goal Difference	Points
38	31	6	1	102	21	81	99

 

Annoyingly two draws late on after the title was sealed cost me from getting 100 points. The last game in particular was disappointing as Levante hold me at 2-2 at home. Even more so when my only loss came in to Villarreal as the team were riding high on a streak of 12 back to back wins including a 3-0 domination of Ashez's Barcelona squad.

 

[hr]

The Extras:

Champions League - WON:

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Goal Difference	Points
6	5	1	0	17	4	16	37

 

1-0 v SLB (A)
1-1 v SLB (H)

 

2-1 v Juventus (A)

0-0 v Juventus (H)

 

3-2 v FCP (A)
2-2 v FCP (H)

 

5-3 v Liverpool (N)

 

The Champions League was fairly disappointing as I rotated around. The second leg's at home my team struggled in and nearly got knocked out against FCP but good away performances in the first legs sealed it and saw my through to the final. The final was the epitome of the campaign as Liverpool raced to a 2-0 lead. Yet we managed to come back before Liverpool equalised and the game was only sealed in the 90th minute as Lewandowski hit his hat trick.

 

Spanish Super Cup - WON:

0-0 v Atletico Madrid (H)

2-0 v Atletico Madrid (A)

 

Euro Super Cup - FINAL:

0-1 v Sevilla (N)

 

Club World Championship - WON:

4-0 v Osaka (N)

2-1 v Chivas (N)

 

Spanish Cup - FINAL:

2-2 v Atletico Madrid (A)

3-2 (e) v Atletico Madrid (H)

 

2-0 v Sporting (A)

0-0 v Sporting (H)

 

2-0 v Elche (A)

1-0 v Elche (H)

 

1-1 v Valencia (H)

5-1 v Valencia (A)

 

1-2 v Sevilla (N)

 

Much like the previous competitions. The job was done on the away leg but Sevilla again proved to be our bogey team in finals as they got confidence from our early goal being ruled offside and managed to ride an onslaught by scoring a decisive penalty. I am not too worried about the competition but getting to the final was nice and it would have been good to win it after this.

 

[hr]

The Players:

 

Appearances:

Thiabut Courtois - 58

Robert Lewandowski - 53

Jerome Boateng - 52

Edinson Cavani - 52

Sergio Aguero - 51

 

Goals:

Robert Lewandowski - 54

Sergio Aguero - 21

Cristiano Ronaldo - 17

 

Assists:

Eden Hazard - 19

Sergio Aguero - 16

Cristiano Ronaldo - 16

 

Player of the Match:

Robert Lewandowski - 13

Sergio Aguero - 9

Cristiano Ronaldo - 7

 

Average Rating:

Robert Lewandowski - 8.37

Cristiano Ronaldo - 7.92

Sergio Aguero - 7.90

 

[hr]

 

Well played Ash, a tight encounter in the end and two slip ups cost me. A brilliant season by you and congratulations on the win :).