FM 20XIfio

[Xifio]

ah, what nostalgia! just like in 1994, we are runners-up once again in 2019, losing the final 2-1 to the best team on the continent ... and just like in the 90s, we produced dominant wins against some of the biggest nations along the way ... Zambia have truly returned to the upper echelons of African football!

when we beat the Atlas Lions, we had not only qualified for the quarters, but won the group ... so I rested all the regulars, and gave everyone else (including both reserve keepers) time on the pitch in the final group game ... ironically, it eliminated both the North African nations, and allowed Mali to progress ... also interesting to note is that the Gabon era has ended with a whimper:

the team kept producing in the knockouts, but Cameroon was just a step too far:

 

[Xifio]

Friends, Romans, countrymen: lend me your eyes, lend me your ears! My men have fought, and toiled, and slain a great many. We are weary from a long journey, yes ... but it is in victory that we now stand before you! So rejoice with me, brothers, for the dominion of Zed is here!

​

 

[ShiftyPowers]

Took you long enough

 

[Xifio]

meritum ex philosophia, man; it's a 10 year minimum ... but the dividends are being reaped thick and fast now ... 2021 truly marks the renaissance of Zambian football ... and soon we go Down Under to attempt the impossible ...





I found out the juniors got to the 2021 CAN U20 semis, which means a spot at the U20 World Cup:

but then I found out that Zed is hosting (!) the U20 World Cup:

so I decided to advertise for a new U20 manager, and the responses were of a pleasantly startling high quality:

and I went with the best, and most obvious choice:

 

[Filipower]

That's right, son!

 

[ShiftyPowers]

Wow, that U20 Host Nomination must have been more corrupt than Qatar. Exactly what kind of stadiums will these games be played?

 

[Xifio]

Wow, that U20 Host Nomination must have been more corrupt than Qatar. Exactly what kind of stadiums will these games be played?

hah, if we had the cash to buy the nomination, we'd have the cash to build the stadia ...

in real life, the Chinese are hard at work, building this up in Ndola:

 

[Xifio]

Wow, that U20 Host Nomination must have been more corrupt than Qatar. Exactly what kind of stadiums will these games be played?

hah, if we had the cash to buy the nomination, we'd have the cash to build the stadia ...

in real life, the Chinese are hard at work, building this up in Ndola:

and now work has begun on the new stadium in Lusaka:

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on topic: can't wait to keep going on this save, but time is just not willing ...

 

[Xifio]

reading the Dukla thread got me wondering about the Greek challenge again ... decided to make a few quick cosmetic edits, to see what my customized team would look like ... without further ado, presenting the Myrmidones of Phthia, based in Volos, Thessaly:

still don't see when I'll have time to actually get this started, but it's nice to see what it'd look like when I do ...

 

[Xifio]

having decided that I'd leave taking my Myrmidons to war for FM 12, and with no PSN to connect to, I carried on with my Zambia save:



firstly, I went to watch my good buddy André V-B try to get some U20 host nation glory ... I think he did enough to make the nation proud:

since they opened Clairefontaine, France have always produced an abundance of talented youth; no shame in losing to them ... and taking Germany -- another talent machine -- to extra time in a 3-2 thriller is not bad at all ... plenty there to build on for the future ...





I, meanwhile, managed to get the seniors to Oz 2022:

most points, highest goal difference, and the biggest goal-getters in the group: the qualis seemed straightforward enough ... but it took some late drama in the last match against a familiar foe to clinch qualification:

EDIT (QUICK UPDATE):

not a bad draw ... as a fellow manager from a parallel universe said: "Thats.... possible?"

- we gave the Spaniards a fright in their own backyard at the last World Cup by taking them to pens; why not go one better?
- the Welsh seem a relatively easier 2nd seed opposition, but don't forget: they were the surprise semifinalists at Iberia 2018 ... I may have to call up double agent Robert Earnshaw for the inside intel
- Panama will surely be whipping boys ...

it'll be the last World Cup for a lot of my stars, and I'm hoping to see that they've saved the best for last ...

 

[Xifio]

update from the land down under:

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we didn't manage to hand out a shellacking to the minnows, but a toned-down start to the World Cup isn't the worst thing ... lots of cards as usual of course ...

the showdown for second place against the 2018 semifinalists didn't live up to expectations; Sam Vokes' goal made for a slightly tense finish, but it was otherwise a very comfortable match ...

having qualified with a match to spare, I could have decided to go for top spot ... but with France almost guaranteed to finish second to the Czech Rep. in Group D, I played my second string, which included quite a few precocious young talents who I brought along for the experience ... if we had managed to pull off the upset, then I'd have given the 2nd team another shot against the Frenchies ... they didn't, which is perfectly fine: my first team is rested and refreshed to face the Czechs, and we successfully avoided France in the 2nd round ...

South Korea made the biggest splash by pipping Brasiu to qualification in Group E, while Egypt and Escobarland dumped out zee Germans ...

we're off to the MCG!

 

[Xifio]

Oz 2022, Part 2:

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it was a lot more comfortable against the Czechs than I expected, and we coasted to victory:

the absence of big names in the upper section of draw meant that we faced the Aussies for a spot in the semifinals! the partisan crowd couldn't have expected the beat-down their team would get at the hands of the African champions:

the Dutch had faced an equally easy route to the semis, so this was going to be an interesting match ... it ended up being a really tight match with plenty of late drama:

when we got the penalty in the 80th, and Mwewa converted, I thought we could ride it out to the final whistle ... but I guess my boys were busy counting their chickens, coz they allowed the Dutch an instant reply ... and before we knew what hit us, it was 1-2, and we were the ones suddenly scrambling to find an equalizer ... I told my players to pour forward to find that goal; and wouldn't you know it, they hit us on the counter to bury the match ...





a crazy last 10 minutes there, from having one foot in the final, to being dumped out of contention ... the Dutch then went on to break their WC hoodoo and finally put a star on their shirt:

but at least we had a chance not to leave Oz empty-handed -- we faced the Frenchies, who we managed to successfully avoid in the 2nd round, for Bronze:

despite the fact that I wish we played like that (^) in the match against the Dutch, I was still proud of a pretty incredible World Cup, ending on a high, with medals and awards:

Agripa Biemba, my Italian-Zambian, etched his name alongside some of greatest players in World Cup history ... a tremendous achievement for Zambian football!

 

[Xifio]

nous avons fait comme les Camerounais!



​

Cameroon were the first side to defend the modern African crown in its current form ... emulating them is no mean feat, but it was fairly comfortable:

just 6 months after that epic 2022 WC, decided to go with virtually the same squad instead of picking youngsters from Villas-Boas' junior squad, and it paid off ... we've instantly doubled our entire trophy haul!

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this also means we'll be going to the Confed Cup in Mexico in 2025, which should be fun ... éjibé jibé é, éjibé jibé zangalewa!

 

[Xifio]

OMG awesome!

Villas-Boas! who doesn't love this guy?

my seniors only have friendlies till mid 2024, but 2023 is super busy for the juniors ... and AVB is doing exactly what I need from him: discovering young starlets, and developing their potential through combined style and success ...



speaking of which, look at this kid Villas-Boas found -- he's not just going to be a national star, he's going to be one of the world's best:

I then went scoured the rest of the U20 tournament squad, and found me a new Charles Bimbe-Renken!!

he looks quite the talent, and he's unsure about his national loyalties; so I wasted no time in capping him!


that leads me to my final point of the day:

when this (^) happens with the oriundi in Italy, it is realistic; but just like it didn't happen to Giuseppe Rossi when he chose to play for Italy, Robin Gillett choosing to play for the nation of his ancestors, not birth, would not cause outrage back in Zed ...

 

[Filipower]

Andrééé

 

[Xifio]

Africa Cup qualis were as routine as ever ... but in the midst of it, I found out that -- despite not having a defined U23 side -- we had made it to the Olympics ... so instead of losing my Assistant Manger for a month, I thought I'd hire a temporary appointment to take the "U23s" to Marrakech 2024 ...





the applicants had a few familiar names, and I was tempted to hire Saša Kolarov, just for kicks :

but I ended up going for an English-speaking unknown who had good stats, and who could be let of fairly easily after the Olympics:

he repaid my faith in full, doing an amazing job:

I guess it's time to promote more of these youngsters, coz I've only assimilated a few youths into my established, but admittedly aging, team ...

maybe CAN 2025 will be the perfect platform to experiment, coz, no matter what, we'll be going to México for the Confed Cup in the winter ...



the draw has been very kind, and we've been given an awesome chance to make the quarters in what is unchartered territory for us:

Iran v USA should be fun

 

[Xifio]

while the nation revelled in Olympic acclaim:

and parents/grandparents reminisced about the Olympic glory days of old:




my team and I jetted off to Cameroon, to defend our crown, and to try and equal Egypt's record of 3 straight titles ...





everything went according to plan in Group Stages with 3 wins out of 3 ... we even spared Zims a humiliation to allow them to progress along with us

and everything was going according to plan against the Carthaginians, as we dominated the possession, and the match ... but somehow the ball wouldn't go into the net, and in typical fashion on such days, we succumbed to the smash-and-grab counter ... it was nothing short of floodlight robbery ...

it looks like a new continental order has been established, with North Africa mounting a resurgence ... for our part, I thought my blend of youth and experience worked well, but it wasn't to be this time ...

 

[Xifio]

from a land where, once, a Zambian hero walked tall:

... comes a story of hope, belief, adversity, and triumph:

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first to fall was the Persian empire:

then it was the turn of the Belgian Kingdom:

but the might of the new Roman republic exposed our frailties:

Mars, however, favoured our voyage, and steered us clear of the Flying Dutchmen:

we would face El Tri, in Jalisco, the land of the Mariachi ...

 

[Xifio]

the hosts were disappointed by their nation's tame exit:

... but rallied behind us against the Gringos, in what was a domineering performance:

the Confed Cup may not be rated as a trophy, but our victory certainly raises collective global eyebrows:

our young starlets did brilliantly, despite the outfielders being played "out of position" ... notice with the Golden Glove category that Tim Howard is listed as an Englishman:

​