We made it to the final in Istanbul. How we got there? Easier than expected. On the back of Hoxha's incredible 10 goals and an Avdic brace in Madrid, we managed to win quite easily in every KO round. What a team.
The road to Istanbul:
2022-2023 Europa League Final
VfB Lübeck - F.C. Internazionale
The stage: Ali Sami Yen Arena
Line-Ups:
Ayala misses the match due to injury. Kourkoulas had a pretty stunning Europa League campaign, so I gave him the starting spot over Diaz/Zatma. I also prefer his style next to Esser.
Avdic and Mejic don't just deliver in the Bundesliga, but are now a force in Europe to be reckoned with.
It was quite a night for ''The Empereur'' of Milano, I say (their left back). He scored the opening goal, but then it all went to sh*t for the little Empereur. He was sent off in the final minutes of the game, kicking and screaming of grave injustice. Awesome name though.
SAVE GAME FILE
Closing thoughts & factoids:
- Mejic finished shared Bundesliga top scorer with 20 goals. He's an absolute star in the making, expect him to command a bigger contract (deservedly so).
- Ivan Marchetti suffered some injuries since he arrived in January, but he can be a star for Lübeck like Avdic. Amazing dribbling and insight.
- We are super talented in midfield. Esser finished as the team's best performing player with a 7.5+ av. rating. Future captain of this team, I believe. I didn't have a hard time balancing playing time between Ayala, Esser (my top two), Kourkoulouas, Zatma and Diaz, but it will be tougher as they make progress. Diaz is my least favorite of the bunch, but it's up to the next manager whom he decides to go with.
- German Leverkusen defender Ransford Abbey is a dream signing for his name alone. I imagine he dresses like this (Ransford is black aswell):