FM 20XIfio

[Xifio]

back home from an awesome vacation ... thought I'd resume my save with Zed before the semester kicks back up a storm ...

and I re-kick things off with a nice fat loss:

but fate sensationally keeps my record of only losing to the eventually champions intact: the Indomitable Lions are the first-ever African World Champions ... "Comment tu t'appelles? Je m'appelle Samuel!"

lots to be proud of on the individual front ...

Jacobus is an absolute legend, but sadly it is more than likely too late for him to land a big money move despite his World Cup Bronze Boot:

Ema on the other hand is definitely going to be on everyone's radar after this accolade:

this one is for Fili, who will surely be pleased:

and lastly, even FM doesn't agree with FIFA's 2022 decision:

 

[Rocky]

I think you accidentally clicked the 'start thread button' instead of the 'post reply' button, yes?

 

[Filipower]

I'm not pleased at all, Falcao's miles better than Neymar

 

[Xifio]

I think you accidentally clicked the 'start thread button' instead of the 'post reply' button, yes?

twas decided that regulars would get a thread each to post screenies of their exploits ... thought the time was right for mine ... and I kinda like the thread title, which would only work this year ...

I'm not pleased at all, Falcao's miles better than Neymar

hah

 

[Mandieta6]

Starting a thread for a lame pun. Well, there've been worse reasons.

 

[Xifio]

yeah, that's the main reason, just like I said ...

 

[Xifio]

CAN 2015:

my group looked a challenging one ... Tunisia made the quarters in the 2014 World Cup, while Egypt's WC woes had never really affected their Africa Cup performances in the past ... and since we made the CAN 2013 semis and the WC 2014 quarters, Angola would have to be considered the whipping boys ...



we started off against the Pharoahs, who continued to suffer the wrath of FM's giant-killing algorithm ... or maybe they're just becoming a sh!tty team ... the win was comfortable:

Egypt had lost to Tunisia in the other 2nd group match, so the plan was to use the Angola match to boost our goal difference, which would then mean that a draw against Tunisia in the final group match would be enough for top spot ... but that plan got shot to sh!t fast, and it ended up being a real Houdini act to snatch victory at the death:

having already qualified with a game in hand, I decided to rest my tired starters and give the reserves a run out against the Carthaginians ... my boys held their own, I felt, despite eventually succumbing:

Côte d'Ivoire are going down the same road Egypt are: first they didn't make the World Cup, now they're embarrassingly knocked out in the group stages (actually doubly embarrassing for CIV coz they're the hosts) ...

anyway, we play Ghana in the quarters ... maybe I should have gone for top spot against Tunisia; but I couldn't risk having a tired first XI if we ended up facing Ghana anyway ... I'll have all my players fresh for the quarters, which is perfect ... now to sort out what tweaks to make to my tactics to ensure victory ...

 

[Xifio]

took care of Ghana in a wonderfully controlled performance:

but f*cking Gabon have come from nowhere to a position of serious dominance ... consecutive Africa Cup finals, and now a first-ever trophy for the damn Gabonese:

 

[Xifio]

managed to arrange a few quality friendlies in the build-up to the 2017 Africa Cup:

learnt a lot about my newly integrated youths, and the best way to design a system for 'em ...




speaking of youths, the damn Gabonese have the Aubameyang brothers (Willy and Pierre-Emerick) to thank for driving their success ... so I decided to scour the AC Milan youngsters to see what new African youths they are training, and look what I found:

decided to call him up asap, and he accepted!

so far, I've relied on my knowledge of football to locate and convince a few dual nationality Zambians to choose to represent Zed ... but in 2016, I may have to start using a scout utility to search for eligible regen youngsters to convince and cap ...

 

[Filipower]

That's what I always say!

 

[ShiftyPowers]

decided to call him up asap, and he accepted!

so far, I've relied on my knowledge of football to locate and convince a few dual nationality Zambians to choose to represent Zed ... but in 2016, I may have to start using a scout utility to search for eligible regen youngsters to convince and cap ...

Central Mid? Yeah right. Looks like a striker to me.

 

[Zlatan]

His mental stats are not what one would call impressive. Don't be disappointed when he doesn't perform as well as you expect.

 

[Xifio]

Central Mid? Yeah right. Looks like a striker to me.

hah, yeah, definitely playing him up the pitch ...

His mental stats are not what one would call impressive. Don't be disappointed when he doesn't perform as well as you expect.

he's not been bad for me so far; has a goal already (a thumper from just outside the box) ... he's made the Milan first team squad, so I'd expect his mental stats to rise a bit too ...

given the limited talent pool locally in Zed, I'm more excited about the fact I have options in other nations, not least in elite clubs' youth systems ...

 

[Xifio]

finally got a chance to continue my Zambia save ...

Africa Cup 2017:

1 win, 1 loss, 1 draw, 0 goal difference, but somehow enough for qualification:

once again, though, the damn Gabonese dumped us out:

not only that, but they went on to win a second, consecutive, Africa Cup:

they've come from nowhere to become the new Egypt: dominating Africa, but failing when it comes to World Cup qualification ...

this game algorithm still puzzles me: of the 5 African qualifiers going to Iberia 2018, 3 were not only eliminated at the group stage of the 2017 Africa Cup, but finished bottom of their respective groups ... the remaining 2 (us and Naija) failed to win their groups, and were promptly ousted in the quarters ... Zed is clearly a beneficiary of the algorithm, so I'm not complaining; just pondering a curious case ...

 

[Filipower]

Your endurance is amazing, man, keep up the great work!

 

[Xifio]

Your endurance is amazing, man, keep up the great work!

cheers ... it's easy when you play just a few games a year, and don't have to worry about all the contracts tedium ... plus, I actually look forward to seeing the Zambian regens FM creates, and trying to scout for youngsters around the world (mostly from the top European leagues) who are eligible to play for Zed ...

all that allows me to just enjoy hilariously awesome occurrences like this:

 

[Xifio]

back down to Earth, thanks to Džeko:

then back up to cloud 9! thanks, in now-classic Zambian fashion, to a last-gasp winner in a come-from-behind win:

lots of upsets in Iberia 2018, not least the Welsh ousting the Englandians:

here's our reward for qualifying to the 2nd round:

not unfairly, we've been given no chance:

I'll be going for it against the Spanish ... there can be no embarrassment even if we lose by a few goals ...

 

[Xifio]

wow! we lost, but on penalties ...

a couple of minnows led by talented individuals (Iceland - Gylfi Sigurðsson; Wales - Bale, Ramsey) announced themselves on the world stage, and Cameroon nearly made some unbelievable history by coming so close to defending their World Champions title:

but while it was not a surprise that we were eliminated when we were, our performance was sensational, considering the level of opposition we were playing:

to control that much of the possession, and dictate that much of the game against the Spanish, was wonderful to see ... we were playing like we belonged at that level!

you know, despite losing on pens, this feels like one of those watershed moments, when a team with potential becomes the genuine article ...

 

[Juventino]

Xifio, I'm enjoying your Zambia adventures, but I was wondering, do you still plan on playing with PAOK in Greece? I remember you talked about taking up that challenge before FM 11 came out. I'd love to see someone else take on a ''Dynamic League Reputation'' challenge like that.

 

[Xifio]

Xifio, I'm enjoying your Zambia adventures, but I was wondering, do you still plan on playing with PAOK in Greece? I remember you talked about taking up that challenge before FM 11 came out. I'd love to see someone else take on a ''Dynamic League Reputation'' challenge like that.

hey, thanks man ... I'd love to do it big with PAOK, but I think it would take more time than I have ... I expect it'll take a decade or more [in-game] to take Greece to the top, even after editing in a few minor sugardaddies around the nation ... and I don't know when I'll have time to take care of that level of detail ... but if I take up a club job, it'll be the DLR challenge with Greece ... meanwhile, I hope you enjoy my less taxing quest to take Zambia [back] to the top of African football ...



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in the Zambia FM universe, we've entered the time when graduating youths players are born in the 21st century! I found a couple of kids from Europe I'm thinking of capping ...

the first is this Englander, who doesn't look like much, but is on Chelsea's books, so I'm keeping tabs on him:

the second is an Andalusian, who looks a little more promising than the kid above ... he's part of the Spain youth setup, so it may take some convincing to get him to play for Zed:

neither are anything special, and considering the solid team I have already developed, I may not even need to cap them ... but I like to have options, especially when these youngsters have the potential to burst into something special through the tutelage they receive at their big European clubs ...