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The EFL1 landscape is changing with a merry-go-round of managerial ins and outs both completed and about to happen.
Inter Milan lost their long-term manager GarySean Wilson who replaced by Monaco man Johnboy Reid. Wilson leaving was never unexpected given the amount of issues in the media over the years. Who is right and who is wrong no longer really matters as Wilson decided enough was enough and he now concentrates his career on other platforms. JohnBoy has so far steadied the ship and Inter are in line to finish in the top-8. James Bucknall joined Monaco but he will be first to admit that results have not gone his way so far as Monaco have slid down the table.
Livi was a rather shock announcement when he left a Barcelona side he was still getting success at. However, the bigger shock was the decision by Barca to install Sam Bradwell as manager. Not only has he the baggage of moving clubs too often, he also comes with the controversy of breaking league rules in recent seasons. Results so far for Bradwell have been inconsistent but he should get a crack at next seasons Champions League from here.
The vacant job at Celtic was filled by Matias Finklestein who has taken a club almost certain to finish mid-table to one on the brink of qualifying for the Champions League. They are one of the form sides in the league now and one last push could see them complete the unexpected.
Jason Hopton after putting himself forwards for manager of the season has made the decision to stand down from his job at AC Milan. No information has been released as to why he wanted to move down a league instead of having a go in next seasons Champions League but he has certainly improved his cv for future big jobs. Cheyenne Hollis will return to Ac Milan after having a decent season at Sporting Lisbon.
Last but not least and by no way certain we will likely see Derek Hughes leave Roma to be replaced by Hamza Siddiqui. Atletico have never seen eye to eye with Hughes who comes across online as someone the club would not get on with. No doubt he has performed excellently for Roma but if media is to be believed he has done so by crossing the lines at times. It is doubtful Hamza will be the same transfer rogue as Hughes was but Hamza does seem to have a knack of winning games and so in the short-term at least he may well surprise a few condescending managers who have already attempted to put him down.
Next seasons EFL1 could be the start of real changes at the top. Juventus manager Andy Banks will fancy his chances of breaking into the top-3. With some re-rates still to come the gap will close further and with money in the bank he will be looking to target Roma as the next stepping stone. Despite Atletico's inconsistent season they arguably have slightly edged into the 5th best side. It will be interesting to see whether the changes at Inter and Barca will change this or whether Atletico can try and edge towards Roma and Juve. One things for sure next seasons title race is likely to remain a 3-horse race for now as the gap between Real Madrid, Paris St Germain and Roma is too big to overhaul in the short term. Real and Paris have wily old managers who will more than maintain if not further distance themselves from the rest. They both have huge bank balances, massive playing assets and a deep understanding of how to squad build. Their success often brings their names into the media in a negative way but Atletico see both managers in a positive light. Steve Talbot we have a long association with and he is a top bloke and a great competitor.
Monaco 0 Atletico Madrid 1
The last away game of the season would see Atletico travel to the variance that is Monaco. Monaco with fringe players needing minutes chose to field a couple of weaker players which meant they were restricted to just 3 shots. Atletico could not create as much as they would have liked but did enough to get the one goal that win them the game through Dimarco.
With results going pretty well elsewhere their could yet be a decent finishing position for Atletico but they will finish somewhere between 05th and 11th.
05 Juve 57
06 Barca 57
07 Inter 54
08 Atletico 54
09 Lisbon 54
10 Celtic 52
11 Lazio 51
Manager Simon Marsh commented "Another close fought victory keeps us in the hunt and if we can win our last 2 home games we will get Champions League and put some pressure on those above".
Good game James Bucky and good luck for the future
Atletico Madrid 1 Inter Milan 0
An early Vinicius goal in the 07th minute was enough to settle this close encounter. A 10-6 shot count was just good enough for Atletico to take an important victory that puts them back into the top-8
Manager Simon Marsh commented "We just did enough on the day and gone level on points with Inter. With 3 games to go and 2 at home we have a decent chance of getting that top-8 spot. Monaco next up who have just come out of a poor run of form but who have pressure to play fringe players with a lot of lads likely to be released without game time, They could choose to go strong and ignore the minutes so we wont be sure of their line up".
Good game Johnboy Reid
Bayern Munich 3 Atletico Madrid 3
With time running out for Atletico this season they really needed to win this game. A great start and 0-2 up it was looking good until the chunky world class Willy scored 2 in 2 minutes to stun Atletico. It got even worse when Bayern went in front and whilst Atletico forced a draw overall it might not be enough with only 4 games to go.
Manager Simon Marsh commented "An entertaining game for the fans and its a useful point. We just have to put a good run together in the last 4 games. We have Inter and Lazio are home so we can claw points back on them both and Marseille at home and Monaco away. We have to get 10-12 points".
G_Mancini 27 ita 1 21 17 4 22 1 16 280 329 progressed into a 21-17-4 player.
Good game JB
Atletico Madrid 0 Rangers 1
Just when 7 points from 9 threatened to get Atletico back into the champions league a shocking defeat at home to Rangers takes them to DPT. The Champions League positions have been like an allergy to Atletico. No sooner do they get into them, they get themselves out of them. This game was a tale of 2 issues. A shot count of 23-6 should have seen the home side win by 2-3 goals. However, the shot count may have been higher had manager Simon Marsh put one of those poxy teamsheets in where players swap positions every minute for a third of the game. No evidence is known that these teamsheets effect games but there seems to be much action but the swapping of players.
Manager Simon Marsh commented "What a pile of tosh. 23 shots and only 6 on target. Rangers managed to got 5 on target from 6. Thats the sort of luck we have had the majority of the season - bad! Loads of injuries, loads of points lost and then I cant even send a decent teamsheet in after a long time studying. Roll on the end of the season!"
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F-_Dimarco 25 ita 1 18 20 12 24 1 832 824 7 improved his shooting to a 18-20-12 player. He is looking a top talent with tackling and passing approaching upgrades.
Celtic 1 Atletico Madrid 2
Celtic went into this one with two players missing, a rarity for Atletico to play against this season. This was a tight knit affair with the home side playing long ball tactics. Atletico had yet another goal disalllowed but Van-de-Ven was not to be twarted a second time when he opeded the scoring. Celtics illegal signing Ben_Yedder equalised on 61 minutes but Vinicius restored the lead 2 minutes later. Atletico brought on some defensive players to hold for the victory. A shot-count of 13-12 overall meant Atletico were lucky to win with their more clinical finishing.
Manager Simon Marsh commented "We edged a very important win for us. I felt confident with Celtic enforced into playing a 15-rater but we didnt quite perform as well as I would have liked. On the night that extra little quality shone through. Its amazing what a couple of victories does and suddenly we are challenging for 06th place again. If we can get another little run together then there is no reason why we cant finish the season on a high"
Good game Mati
Atletico Madrid 6 Borussia Dortmund 2
The inconsistent Atletico side picked tonight to come out, play and be clinical. 6 difference goalscorers from all over the pitch gave the home side their first victory after 6 winless fixtures. A shot count of 26-18 flattered Atletico but they wont grumble at improving the goal difference for the business end to the season.
Manager Simon Marsh commented "We have spent a number of weeks struggle to gain tactical advantage so decided to change ours every 5 minutes of the game. The result was a very open game as my players didnt really have a clue what was going on. Thankfully they were able to express themselves amidst the confusion so whilst it may look like a genius move to the fans the reality is it was sheer desperation".
No players have upgraded recently. Stevens still needs 13 minutes with on-loan Kilman a minimum of 41.
It has been confirmed that Nainggolan will leave the club this saturday in a £5.2m deal.
Stepanenko is believed to signed a new one-year deal to stay on next season following the realisation that he will have far reduced playing minute requirements next season.
Good game Niall
Juventus 2 Atletico Madrid 2
This one will go down as a baffling esms game for sure. Atletico in their last 2 matches despite being at home but without TA couldn't muster any sort of effort. Today away from home and against TA Atletico could somehow find a performance and goals to gain a point. A very odd game to a very odd season.
Manager Simon Marsh commented "We probably needed more than a point but its a very good one considering recent form. 8 games to go and our run-in should hopefully see some improved results. We need a strong finish otherwise it will be failure to reach the champions league after 4 seasons involved".
Minutes news
E_Stevens needs 18 more minutes.
On-loan M_Kilman needs 53 more minutes.
Good game Andy Banks
Atletico Madrid 0 Sporting Lisbon 1
Another terrible performance from Atletico who were out-thought and out-fought in this one. Comprehensively outplayed.
Manager Simon Marsh commented "The season just gets worse for us and next up it does not get any easier with Juventus. We seem to have had the same issues playing against the teams we struggled against in the first 10 games of the season. Hopefully once we get past the Juve fixture we have 8 games left against sides we did better. 6th place is still not beyond us but results are going to have to drastically change soon".
Good game Cheyenne
Atletico Madrid 1 AC Milan 3
The research didnt pay off here with manager Hopton spicing things up by going attacking with Marsh expecting the usual countering tactics used when Milan travel to the better teams in the league. Fair play to Hopton who is having a great season getting the most from his side. Things were certainly not helped with the home side having to change a 25 keeper to a 20 and a 14-21-15 midfielder into a 13-18-5 one early in the game.
Manager Simon Marsh commented "Another frustrating game for us. After a long unbeaten run got us back in with a decent chance of finishing high up the league table we have hit a sticky patch of bad form with only 1 win in 6. I think off the field things are going well. Finances are good, we are pleased with the transfer work that has occurred and the team has improved. On the field is a mess really. We have had so many more injuries than previous seasons and red cards. Couple that with some terrible luck in the first 10 games of the season and being out-tactic'd too many times we are back languishing in 10th place. 06th place is still a realistic target with some scratchy seasons for others around us but in truth we will be glad when this season is over".
Marsh spoke about manager Hopton surprise decision to leave Milan at the end of the season "Yeah I was surprised by that move. Mr Hopton is a very under-rated manager who has copped for some unnecessary stick over the years. I thought he would want to enjoy the fruits of his labour by having a go in the Champions League next season. I know from experience we surprisingly got there in my first season here and had no hope of winning it but it was enjoyable all the same to try and battle against all the top sides. It would be a shame to lose Hopton from EFL1 with a few other top managers already departed".
The decision has been made that Nainggolan and Stepanenko will leave the club shortly leaving only Stevens to get 18 minutes over the rest of the season.
Transfer news : Following the game last night Inter Milan made Martinez available for transfer. It seems new manager John Read had a major fall out with the player. WIth Musso's form being below the standard this season an agreement was made for the players to exchange clubs. Perhaps a change for both players will result in better form".
Good game Jason
Roma 1 Atletico Madrid 0
Not sure how to respond to that one. Is it a wind up or a serious post match comment? Hughes continues to write drivel in small quantities.
Looks like first goal was the crucial goal. Roma got it.
Muani up to 23 rated.
23/25 players made their minutes
Nothing more to say.