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FFO in pre season at Christmas is without a doubt the quietest time in terms of activity in the league. In an effort to keep the diehards happy, to give them something to do other than twiddle their thumbs or cause arguments on the manager only whats app channels a pre season tournament was organised by the FFO admin team to alleviate some pent up aggression.
32 teams entered the tournament including some big name teams such as PSG, Inter MIlan and Arsenal. Despite initially somewhat dismisfully declining the invitation, Steve Talbot and Real Madrid did eventually join them in the tournament and accept the chance to stretch their legs and get a general feel for the new upcoming season 3.
Real Madrid was entered into Group A alongside fellow EFL1 team Bayer Leverkusen and English Championship teams West Brom and Stoke City. A group they should easily progress from, although Leverkusen might offer a tough challenge now that they've shaken off the limitations imposed by their former manager, Jason Hopton, who has now taken on a different role at AC Milan, a team also positioned in the mid-table power rankings.
The games would all be played at neutral venues, so no home advantage to either team and Talbot decided to mix the tactics up in the first 3 games, playing one game each of A, P and E.
Group A
Real Madrid
West Brom
Bayer Leverkusen
Stoke City
Group game 1 - Real Madrid 6 - 0 West Brom
The first game in the group saw an A v L contest as WBA sought to frustrate Madrid with the long ball. This approach was not successful though as La Real romped home 6-0 winners, with a hat trick from main man Rodrygo, two goals from Leao and one from Doku completing an impressive win after a 34-9 shot count. Rodrygo was unsurprisingly Madrid's man of the match.
Group game 2 - Real Madrid 5 - 2 Bayer Leverkusen
P v C this time but the tactical advantage didn't help Leverkusen with a 26-16 shot count producing a comfortable 5-2 win. Another hat trick, this time from Sterling and a goal apiece from Dest and TAA sealed the win. Sterling the elder statesman in attack at 28 years of age was Madrid's man of the match.
Group game 3 - Real Madrid 5 - 0 Stoke City
A switch to E saw Madrid catch Stoke's C out here. A 25-6 shot count was as comfortable as you can get really. What was funny was all the goals came from defenders or the DM, with two from Kimpembe and one goal each for new signing MVD, Guimares and TAA completing a dominant win. Kimpembe was a monster both in defence and attack and took home the deserved man of the match.
Table
Pl Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts Form
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Real_Madrid 3 3 0 0 16 2 14 9 wwW...
2 Bayer_Leverkusen 3 2 0 1 9 8 1 6 wLW...
3 Stoke_City 3 1 0 2 5 10 -5 3 Lwl...
4 West_Brom 3 0 0 3 4 14 -10 0 LLl...
Real Madrid as predicted easily topped Group A with 3 wins from 3, and 16 goals scored and only 2 conceded for a +14 goal difference. Madrid managed to score an average of over 5 per game. Much tougher contests would be up ahead though starting with the Los Blancos drawing newly promoted Celtic in the last 16.
Last 16 - Real Madrid 2 - 2 Celtic AET (4-2 on Pens)
Talbot and Sam Bradwell had spoken pre match with Steven K. predicting a narrow victory for Madrid over Celtic. Celtic are newly promoted but they are about 8th to 10th in terms of strength in the league in the eyes of the 5 times league winner Talbot, so he had imagined they would be no mugs and a good pre-season test.
As predicted it was a close game with A coming up against an expected C. Madrid had the edge throughout and twice led the game only for Celtic to peg things back with late goals from Nkunku on 78 and Salah deep into extra time on 118 minutes to force a penalty shoot out. Madrid's superior shooters duly won the shootout 4-2 with new recruit the veteran Tadic scoring the winning penalty and perhaps proving already to be a shrewd signing from arch rivals AS Roma. A 25-21 shot count shows it was indeed a tight but deserved win in the end with the two goals coming from Doku and Rodrygo.
Quarter Finals - Real Madrid 4 - 2 Rangers
From one Glasgow based team to another. Rangers gave it a good go resulting in an A vs A game and a 35-21 shot count output. A great game if abs could be earned, alas not in this tournament. Sterling was on the scoresheet again with 2 goals, alongside goals from MVD and TAA in what was an accomplished and more straight forward performance than the Celtic game.
Semi Finals - Real Madrid 5 - 1 Arsenal
Madrid had not played Arsenal since the Gunners knocked them out of the Champions League a couple of years ago at this same tournament stage after a famous big D performance. No such heroics from the London based club this time though as they were almost routinely dispatched and dismissed after an A v P game. A 34-20 shot count shows the game a little closer than the scoreline suggested but not by much. 2 goals from Rodrygo, and singular goals from Sterling, Guimares and Leao completed a rousing win as Madrid progressed into the final of the pre season tournament where they would face Inter Milan's conquerors Sporting Lisbon.
Final - Real Madrid 0 - 1 Sporting Lisbon
After playing all the knockout games with the clubs main tool the A tactic, the manager did consider switching his tactics up for this one to perhaps an E or a P. On second thoughts though Talbot decided to 'play it again Sam' as he had done for all the knockouts to play their best formation and tactic and if countered, to see how they would cope with that.
New Lisbon manager Cheyenne Hollis who joined the Lisbon Lions after a quick cup of coffee at Rennes did in fact switch up his tactics going for an N tactic which can sometimes spring a good result often at the expense of good abs. No abs to be earned in this tournament though and it seemed Cheyenne really wanted the win in this friendly tournament as Lisbon dropped the big D on 69 minutes after an early goal from Alaba on 29 minutes got them ahead. Good practice on closing out games for Lisbon perhaps. Despite a 19-15 shot count in favour of Madrid showing they were unlucky and perhaps deserved the win, they didn't really get anything going in the final and Sporting took the win and won the pre-season tournament.
Overall, the preseason tourney was a solid warm-up for Real Madrid. They shook off some rust without giving away too many secrets about their plans for the new season. As the season kicks off, many pundits haven't been giving Madrid the credit they deserve. People are divided, with some leaning toward PSG (who surprisingly flopped in the tourney) and the ageing Roma for the title. Despite a not-so-great performance in the last league season, Madrid clinched the title in season 1 and has a strong track record with five championships under Talbot. Some folks argue that Madrid's rivals are disrespecting them in the preseason, but it's on Real Madrid to set things straight in season 3. They need to prove to the FFO world that they're still a powerhouse and shouldn't be underestimated.
Article 1: Talbot's Swagger: Real Madrid's Season 3 Comeback (643 words)
Article 2: Hey Jude, Don't Leave Madrid Blue (705 words)
Article 3: Some might say sunshine follows thunder (1,004 words)
Article 4: Real Madrid's pre season odyssey (1,301 words)
Total: 3,653 words
32 teams entered the tournament including some big name teams such as PSG, Inter MIlan and Arsenal. Despite initially somewhat dismisfully declining the invitation, Steve Talbot and Real Madrid did eventually join them in the tournament and accept the chance to stretch their legs and get a general feel for the new upcoming season 3.
Real Madrid was entered into Group A alongside fellow EFL1 team Bayer Leverkusen and English Championship teams West Brom and Stoke City. A group they should easily progress from, although Leverkusen might offer a tough challenge now that they've shaken off the limitations imposed by their former manager, Jason Hopton, who has now taken on a different role at AC Milan, a team also positioned in the mid-table power rankings.
The games would all be played at neutral venues, so no home advantage to either team and Talbot decided to mix the tactics up in the first 3 games, playing one game each of A, P and E.
Group A
Real Madrid
West Brom
Bayer Leverkusen
Stoke City
Group game 1 - Real Madrid 6 - 0 West Brom
The first game in the group saw an A v L contest as WBA sought to frustrate Madrid with the long ball. This approach was not successful though as La Real romped home 6-0 winners, with a hat trick from main man Rodrygo, two goals from Leao and one from Doku completing an impressive win after a 34-9 shot count. Rodrygo was unsurprisingly Madrid's man of the match.
Group game 2 - Real Madrid 5 - 2 Bayer Leverkusen
P v C this time but the tactical advantage didn't help Leverkusen with a 26-16 shot count producing a comfortable 5-2 win. Another hat trick, this time from Sterling and a goal apiece from Dest and TAA sealed the win. Sterling the elder statesman in attack at 28 years of age was Madrid's man of the match.
Group game 3 - Real Madrid 5 - 0 Stoke City
A switch to E saw Madrid catch Stoke's C out here. A 25-6 shot count was as comfortable as you can get really. What was funny was all the goals came from defenders or the DM, with two from Kimpembe and one goal each for new signing MVD, Guimares and TAA completing a dominant win. Kimpembe was a monster both in defence and attack and took home the deserved man of the match.
Table
Pl Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts Form
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Real_Madrid 3 3 0 0 16 2 14 9 wwW...
2 Bayer_Leverkusen 3 2 0 1 9 8 1 6 wLW...
3 Stoke_City 3 1 0 2 5 10 -5 3 Lwl...
4 West_Brom 3 0 0 3 4 14 -10 0 LLl...
Real Madrid as predicted easily topped Group A with 3 wins from 3, and 16 goals scored and only 2 conceded for a +14 goal difference. Madrid managed to score an average of over 5 per game. Much tougher contests would be up ahead though starting with the Los Blancos drawing newly promoted Celtic in the last 16.
Last 16 - Real Madrid 2 - 2 Celtic AET (4-2 on Pens)
Talbot and Sam Bradwell had spoken pre match with Steven K. predicting a narrow victory for Madrid over Celtic. Celtic are newly promoted but they are about 8th to 10th in terms of strength in the league in the eyes of the 5 times league winner Talbot, so he had imagined they would be no mugs and a good pre-season test.
As predicted it was a close game with A coming up against an expected C. Madrid had the edge throughout and twice led the game only for Celtic to peg things back with late goals from Nkunku on 78 and Salah deep into extra time on 118 minutes to force a penalty shoot out. Madrid's superior shooters duly won the shootout 4-2 with new recruit the veteran Tadic scoring the winning penalty and perhaps proving already to be a shrewd signing from arch rivals AS Roma. A 25-21 shot count shows it was indeed a tight but deserved win in the end with the two goals coming from Doku and Rodrygo.
Quarter Finals - Real Madrid 4 - 2 Rangers
From one Glasgow based team to another. Rangers gave it a good go resulting in an A vs A game and a 35-21 shot count output. A great game if abs could be earned, alas not in this tournament. Sterling was on the scoresheet again with 2 goals, alongside goals from MVD and TAA in what was an accomplished and more straight forward performance than the Celtic game.
Semi Finals - Real Madrid 5 - 1 Arsenal
Madrid had not played Arsenal since the Gunners knocked them out of the Champions League a couple of years ago at this same tournament stage after a famous big D performance. No such heroics from the London based club this time though as they were almost routinely dispatched and dismissed after an A v P game. A 34-20 shot count shows the game a little closer than the scoreline suggested but not by much. 2 goals from Rodrygo, and singular goals from Sterling, Guimares and Leao completed a rousing win as Madrid progressed into the final of the pre season tournament where they would face Inter Milan's conquerors Sporting Lisbon.
Final - Real Madrid 0 - 1 Sporting Lisbon
After playing all the knockout games with the clubs main tool the A tactic, the manager did consider switching his tactics up for this one to perhaps an E or a P. On second thoughts though Talbot decided to 'play it again Sam' as he had done for all the knockouts to play their best formation and tactic and if countered, to see how they would cope with that.
New Lisbon manager Cheyenne Hollis who joined the Lisbon Lions after a quick cup of coffee at Rennes did in fact switch up his tactics going for an N tactic which can sometimes spring a good result often at the expense of good abs. No abs to be earned in this tournament though and it seemed Cheyenne really wanted the win in this friendly tournament as Lisbon dropped the big D on 69 minutes after an early goal from Alaba on 29 minutes got them ahead. Good practice on closing out games for Lisbon perhaps. Despite a 19-15 shot count in favour of Madrid showing they were unlucky and perhaps deserved the win, they didn't really get anything going in the final and Sporting took the win and won the pre-season tournament.
Overall, the preseason tourney was a solid warm-up for Real Madrid. They shook off some rust without giving away too many secrets about their plans for the new season. As the season kicks off, many pundits haven't been giving Madrid the credit they deserve. People are divided, with some leaning toward PSG (who surprisingly flopped in the tourney) and the ageing Roma for the title. Despite a not-so-great performance in the last league season, Madrid clinched the title in season 1 and has a strong track record with five championships under Talbot. Some folks argue that Madrid's rivals are disrespecting them in the preseason, but it's on Real Madrid to set things straight in season 3. They need to prove to the FFO world that they're still a powerhouse and shouldn't be underestimated.
Article 1: Talbot's Swagger: Real Madrid's Season 3 Comeback (643 words)
Article 2: Hey Jude, Don't Leave Madrid Blue (705 words)
Article 3: Some might say sunshine follows thunder (1,004 words)
Article 4: Real Madrid's pre season odyssey (1,301 words)
Total: 3,653 words