Your weekly source of information and entertainment, Sports Journal #19 brought to you by our journalists, is here! 📖⚽

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1/ FOOTBALL QUIZ

2/ NEW TACTICS INCLUDED IN THE GAME

3/ “CLASSIC” ENDING?

4/ MATCH REPORT  BELLA CIAO - NIEBIESKIE CHACHARY

5/ BORAT ABOUT THE APOCALYPSE IN FT!

6/ FINDING NEW TEAMS: LA VIEJA ESCUELA CF

7/ HISTORIC ADVANCEMENT OF POLISH FOOTBALLERS TO EURO 2025

8/ COLE PALMER

FOOTBALL QUIZ

👑 The winners of the last edition are: (Speed)

100 Keys 🔑 Premium - kasztan

10,000 ⚡ Energy - Karondor & Maestro

Hello! I'm here with another part of the football quiz series. Of course, there are prizes in the form of 100 Keys 🔑 Premium for the first person to answer correctly and 10,000 ⚡ Energy for two random people with the correct answer. Let's get started!

1.Player Name:

A Belgian footballer known for his exceptional skills and attacking style of play. His career includes notable moments that made him one of the most respected players of his generation.

He was born on January 7, 1991 in La Louvière, Belgium. He began playing football at a young age and his talent quickly caught the eye.

In 2005, he joined Lille OSC where he began his professional career. He made his first-team debut in 2008 and quickly became a key player in the team. At Lille, he won Ligue 1 in the 2010-2011 season and was named the league's best young player.

In 2012, he moved to Chelsea FC for a fee of around £32 million, a club record at the time. At Chelsea, he became one of the best players in the Premier League, winning two league titles, the FA Cup and the Champions League. His ability to score and assist has earned him numerous individual awards, including the PFA Players' Player of the Year.

In 2019, he moved to Real Madrid for a fee that could reach up to €150 million. His transfer was one of the most anticipated in modern football history. However, his time at Madrid was marred by injuries that prevented him from fully demonstrating his talent.

In October 2023, he announced his retirement from professional football. After more than 15 years at the highest level, he decided to retire from football,

2.Club Name:

One of the most successful football clubs in the world. Its history dates back to 1892, when it was founded by John Houlding. Initially playing in the second tier of English football, the club quickly rose to the top flight.

In 1901, he won his first English league title. In subsequent years, the club won further trophies, including the FA Cup and the League Cup. In the 1950s, it went through a crisis, but quickly returned to the top.

In the 1980s, it became a real powerhouse under Ken Dalglish. During this period, the club won seven Premier League titles, two FA Cups and three League Cups. Dalglish created a team that was one of the best in the history of English football.

After Dalglish's departure, the club went through a period of transition. In recent years, it has once again become one of the best clubs in the world, fighting for the English Championship and winning the prestigious Champions League.

The club's history is inscribed with golden letters such as Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Kevin Keegan, Steven Gerrard and Mohamed Salah. These players contributed to the club's successes and are considered to be among the best in the history of English football.

They are doing great this season. After 14 matches, they are in 1st place in the Premier League, with 35 points and a seven-point advantage over second-place Chelsea. This is due to the excellent attitude of the players and the coach.


Author: Wylewinho

NEW TACTICS INCLUDED IN THE GAME

Among the many changes that will soon be available to players, new tactical formations will be included, which we will analyze in this article.

The 3-4-1-2 and 3-2-4-1 formations represent an evolution in football tactics, especially with regard to the use of three defenders. These formations offer an interesting combination of defensive solidity and offensive flexibility, adapting to different styles of play and opponents.

3-4-1-2: Balance and Defensive Solidity

The 3-4-1-2 formation, characterized by two defensive midfielders, a central midfielder and two forwards, offers a good balance between defense and attack. The line of three defenders provides greater defensive cover and facilitates the ball out, while the defensive midfielders ensure the protection of the defense and the transition to attack. The central midfielder acts as a link between the lines, distributing the play and initiating offensive plays.

Full-backs need to have good defensive and offensive capabilities to cover the spaces left by the defenders.

Some examples of teams that have used or frequently use these formations:

• Manchester City (Guardiola): Manchester City revolutionized the use of the 3-4-1-2 formation. The team stands out for its possession of the ball, the construction of elaborate plays and the numerical superiority in midfield. The full-backs constantly switch positions with the midfielders, creating numerical superiority on the flanks and making it difficult for the opposition to mark.

• Chelsea (Tuchel): Used the 3-4-1-2 formation to give Chelsea more defensive solidity. The team is characterized by intense marking and a quick transition from defense to attack. The strikers have the freedom to float and create goal opportunities.

• Internazionale (Conte): The 3-4-1-2 formation used to build a competitive and organized team. Conte's Inter stands out for its tactical discipline, intensity and ability to adapt to different opponents.

• Tottenham (Conte): Antonio Conte, during his time at Tottenham, also used the 3-4-1-2 formation, seeking a more organized and solid defensive team.

3-2-4-1: Offensiveness and Dominance

The 3-2-4-1 formation, with two defensive midfielders, two more advanced midfielders and two wingers, is more focused on attack. The presence of four midfield players allows for greater numerical superiority in the midfield, facilitating the creation of plays and the arrival of attacks.

Players need to have good speed and transition ability to take advantage of counter-attacking opportunities.

Some examples of teams that have used or frequently use these formations:

• Liverpool (Klopp): Used the 3-2-4-1 formation on some occasions, seeking greater offensiveness and the ability to press high up the opponent's ball. The team is characterized by a vertical game and the search for spaces behind the opposing defense.

• Atlético de Madrid (Simeone): Although Atlético de Madrid is best known for its 4-4-2 formation, it has used the 3-2-4-1 formation on some occasions, seeking greater control of the midfield and the ability to exploit the spaces between the opposing lines.

• Bayern de Munique (Nagelsmann): During his time at Bayern de Munique, he experimented with different formations, including variations of the 3-2-4-1, seeking to adapt the team to different game situations.

And you, the player, especially the team's assistant coach, will you try the new formation, or will you continue using the same tactics?

Have a good week, and see you next time.

Author: Fábio Muri

“CLASSIC” ENDING?

Dear Readers,

It’s me, your dearest Andrzejek! It's Thursday, so it's the penultimate day to write an article for you :) The topic that I want to discuss for you has been on my mind for a long time, so without further ado, let's get started!

On Sunday, December 8, the last matches were played on the classic server, ending the second season on the recently created server. On the FootballTeam discord, you can find different opinions about the "classic", and in my opinion, when it comes to players, it is a solid 50/50. So let's take a look at the situation in the table of the best players.





After less than two seasons of play, the best player at the moment is ErforT AM, who reached nearly 7000 OVR. GWhen we look at the top 5 of the server, we can clearly see the dominance of the Black Stars team, which is very worrying in the context of the development of the classic due to the lack of greater competition.

After seeing the top 5 of the server, it's probably no surprise to anyone which team is in first place. Apart from the team mentioned above, the podium includes 7more7 and Inet Squad, which unfortunately did not pose any competition this season for the fast-paced team Black Stars.

It is worth noting that the match between Black Stars and Inet Squad in the final of the Tournament of Champions will take place on Sunday and it will be the match ending the season, so as long as the ball is in play, the "onet" team may emerge victorious from this competition.

In addition to the above-mentioned teams, the following teams are still training according to the club's ability:  Valiance Crew and KS TRZYNACHA,  where the second team have already triumphed in the National Cup, will probably win the first Italian league and play in the final of the European Tournament.

Will the server name change to Black Stars after the season?

After the entire football squad was assembled by jestemurban and MateoR the BS team is unrivaled in any competition, but is that all?

Let's see... It seems that not only. On the day of writing this article, it is Thursday, and Maxiu69699 has accumulated such a point advantage that only the deletion of this player's account can take away his first TOTW in the history of his player.

It seems that the Top of the Week Training is reserved for BS players, as in the second season only one player from another team took first place, and that was Manek MT, after him, the winners were only BS players.

Will it be any different in Top Teams of the Week? Has anyone taken up the fight?





As you can see, nothing changes when it comes to the lead. When we look at the competition in previous weeks, in each of them the players of Black Stars team triumphed. In one of the weeks they put the guard down of their main rival Inet Squad, giving them the false impression that they could break their enemy's good streak, but the motivated BS team showed how to train on their server and once again they could enjoy the packages for the Top Team of the Week.

Will anyone take on the Black Stars?

A question that is troubling not only me, but also my teammates from the club's locker room. After the first good week of rivals from Inet Squad  and the loud announcements of the "former" management, we were hoping for a multi-season fight for the highest goals, unfortunately it was just a quick duel like the one in the card duels mode when you play in gold and meet a player from the master rank.

Is the classic server slowly coming to an end?

Let me know in the comments!

Author: Andrzejek

MATCH REPORT  BELLA CIAO - NIEBIESKIE CHACHARY

The final match of the 8th round of the 1st Italian league was the match between Bella Ciao and Niebieskie Chachary. Looking at the potential of both teams, we can say that they will fight for a place in the TOP4, because BAVOVNA, Bars and La Familia seem to be beyond the reach of other teams in the league. In the second row, apart from the heroes of today's match report, there are also Łosie w Kosmosie and these three should fight for a place just behind the podium at the end of the match.

The home team seemed to be a slight favourite. Their own stadium, a higher position at the end of the previous season, several strong players in the attack with a total skill score of over 5000 – all this meant that Bella Ciao could approach this match a bit more calmly. Behind Niebieskie Chachary stood activity - definitely more players activated Engagement, which helped them to some extent compensate for their worse skills.

As expected, Bella Ciao had the advantage in possession at the beginning, although the first dangerous action was carried out by the guests. However, after Pan Dyrektor's shot, Namuel Meuer made a great save, and the whole action was initiated by Kiszon NcH, who first grabbed the ball and then passed the ball forward.

Yamcha was doing his best for the home team. He intercepted, played, even shot, but it didn't bring any results - kudos to Buffonho who saved Chachary from losing a goal.

As the hosts were unsuccessful, the guests tried again, specifically Pan Ego. In the 16th minute, the striker of the Niebieskie Charary took the ball from Bella Ciao’s defenders and hit an unstoppable shot. 0:1!

The guests were not allowed to enjoy their lead for long, because 3 minutes later Bella Ciao, thanks to Rychu, equalized. The action itself was beautiful, because Jonasz showed off his Brazilian technique in the penalty area and passed to Rychu with his back heel, but the shot... enough to say that the ball bounced off the crossbar and both posts. Nevertheless, a goal is a goal, we have a draw - 1:1!

Chachary were very specific in the first half. Even though the game was dictated by the home team, one interception was enough to lead to a dangerous situation. This was the case in the 28th minute, when Assetto passed the ball to Pan Ego, who again beat Namuel Meuer. 1:2!

Until the end of the first half, the result did not change. Bella Ciao did not allow Chachars to spread their wings, but they themselves were unable to threaten Buffonho's goal. When the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half, the scoreboard showed a juicy 1:2.

Did the second half look different? Well, no. Bella Ciao had the ball, but they couldn't get it through the well-organised Chachary’s defense, and when the visitors finally got the ball back, they immediately lost it. A dangerous move was made in the 81st minute, when Assetto had an empty goal in front of him. However, only the defensive midfielder of the Niebieskie Chachary knows  how he managed to miss in this situation.

In defense, Kiszon NcH was the main one filling the gap, but in the last action of the match he found himself in the penalty area during a corner kick by Psychofan Ezeweze. The owner of Chachary jumped highest to the ball and with a sure shot set the result of the match. Bella Ciao 1:3 Niebieskie Chachary!

This match shows that teamwork and activity are parameters that have great significance. At first glance, they may be invisible and trivialized, but noticeable to the trained eyes of experienced managers. Bella Ciao, although a very distinguished club with many great players, lost an important match in the context of the fight for TOP4 precisely because of the lack of activity of its players. Will we see such matches more often, when the red and gray dots will lose matches to weaker teams, but make up for it with activity?

Player of the match: Kiszon NcH. The owner of Niebieskie Chachary not only looked great in defense, but also played the ball like the legendary Franz Beckenbauer. In addition, he managed the game very wisely, and the quintessence of this is his goal in the last action of the game, when he moved from defense to attack.

Author: PanEgo

BORAT ABOUT THE APOCALYPSE IN FT!

Good day, dear readers of the sports journal!

First, let me explain that the word "apocalypse" in Greek translates to new knowledge, revelation, or unveiling. Today, I would like to attempt to lift the veil and share my thoughts on the reforms being prepared for us in FootballTeam.

My dear colleague Кот Баюн has already shared his expectations, and I would also like to express my opinion on this matter.

Regarding the Super League, in its current form, I believe it has already burned out and discredited itself. Everyone remembers the tricks teams would do to avoid entering it - removing items, boosting only after league placement, and refraining from training. It’s understandable: being a champion in the first league or a bottom-tier team in the Super League is not the same. Yes, those times seem to be behind us, but entering the Super League now, without getting crushed there, requires merging two clubs. This, unfortunately, often leads to the dissolution of one of them. The same applies to competition within the Super League. As Yoda said, "Always two there are, no more, no less." There are two dominant teams and then everyone else. Sure, you can divide the rest into subgroups, but the competition among them is of little interest unless it influences the distribution of top spots. I remember my time in the Super League when attending most matches was simply pointless - you’d win against some teams and lose against others, regardless.

That’s about the top teams, but what’s happening at the bottom?

In my article about the top OVR players in Polish League 1 teams, I didn’t even bother listing the last two teams because their players' levels couldn’t significantly strengthen other League 1 teams. I also doubt that lower leagues have a wealth of strong players, aside from a few top-tier players who might choose lower leagues for stats. Speaking of such teams, unfortunately, they are frankly weak, with an average OVR of up to 2500. When the number of League 1 teams increases from 64 to 128, the gap will be filled by second-league teams, where the aforementioned average OVR of 2500 is only seen among leaders, while mid-tier teams have around 1000 OVR. Are they expected to face Public Enemies with their 48,360 OVR? That seems like madness!

With enough desire, alternative mechanisms could be explored. For example, instead of introducing 600% boosts for new players, perhaps this principle could be rethought to give boosts based on how much players train in a week. The more they train, the smaller the boost percentage. This should apply not just to energy boost, but to the entire training system, for example reducing Euro costs or boosters.  Perhaps there should also be limits on these bonuses by OVR to prevent top players from taking a week off only to widen the gap further. Or maybe bonuses could be structured by OVR to help lower-tier players to catch up.

The disparity in OVR levels is a very challenging issue. I’ve already written that there is no chance to even come close, let alone catch up, creating a kind of senseless, crazy race. In this situation, pairing top clubs with teams that don’t train at all seems absurd.

Here’s how it works: you play, you train, then you reach a certain level where you start running out of Euros and boosters to unlock specializations. If you can’t invest money into the game, you start fading away. This applies to a large portion of players. These players are less interesting to the administration, which is understandable - they don’t bring revenue. However, they are part of the community, and if the community shrinks, the overall interest in the game decreases. Perhaps a social program is needed for those who can’t donate, to create the feeling of a living mechanism.

Right now, this doesn’t exist, and it’s unclear whether the upcoming changes will have a positive effect. Honestly, I don’t see what could make it work.

There’s a risk of the opposite effect: top players might gradually hang up their boots because there won’t be any competition in the championship. And what the Super League will be for and why remains unclear.

Perhaps I would do the opposite - reduce the number of leagues to allow teams to be brought up to par through mergers. However, this path also raises doubts, as it could discourage those who don’t qualify for the mergers.

Of course, let’s see what the future brings. Maybe I’m misunderstanding the idea and drawing conclusions too early. To be fair, many changes have been more successful than we thought. Perhaps this one will reveal something not immediately apparent in the planning stage.

Author: Борат 

FINDING NEW TEAMS: LA VIEJA ESCUELA CF

Hello, welcome to edition #19 of the Football Team Game diary. This note is dedicated to a new team in the game: LA VIEJA ESCUELA CF, founded on 10/07/2024, when a group of friends from school founded the Club. 

Its name does not hold many secrets, since a group of friends from school after several years of graduating got together to found the club …. SCHOOL is for having been together for 12 years and VIEJA is for having graduated from it many years ago …. LA VIEJA ESCUELA.

One day after the foundation, the name was registered, and the first Board of Directors was formed, its owner being MAY and his assistant JESLAY. As a result of the assembly that would be in charge of all the reorganization work of the aforementioned club, this committee would continue to be the meeting place for the leaders. With the foundation of the club, the shirt would arrive, light blue with black sleeves.

They already have 16 players, with an OVR of 374. Their main players are the forward MAY (657 OVR), TELA METO (530 OVR), and their midfielders RONALDIHO (490 OVR) and JESLAY (466 OVR), among many others. A few days ago, they suffered the loss of their star forward KAMADO NEZUKO, who decided to go to another team, but this departure was replaced by their DC MAY.

LA VIEJA ESCUELA CF has not yet won any league. They are currently in 1 DIVISION OF ITALY, occupying the 8th place with 27 GAMES PLAYED (41 points, 13W, 2D and 12). I am sure that it will not take long for them to come back and be one of the best teams in the league in which they play and that they will be able to fight for the top positions in some of them…. This is their starting 11 with the tactic: 3-5-2:

This is just the beginning of this new team… LA VIEJA ESCUELA CF… What will their goals be? Will they aim to win the famous treble? As time goes by, we will see why they were formed. Until the next edition.

Author: BUFALO FUNES (ID 1183)

HISTORIC ADVANCEMENT OF POLISH FOOTBALLERS TO EURO 2025

The Polish women's national football team achieved historic success by advancing to the European Championships, which will be held in Switzerland in 2025. This is the first such success in the history of Polish women's football, resulting from the determination, consistency and hard work of the entire team.

source: sport.tvp.pl

The course of the qualifiers: fighting for every goal

The Polish women's road to the final tournament was long and full of challenges. They began in Division A of the UEFA Nations League, where they faced Germany, Iceland and Austria. The Polish team gained valuable experience in clashes with such demanding opponents, but finished last in the group, which meant that they had to play in the play-offs.

In the first round, the opponents were Romania. In the away match, the Polish women won 2:1, and in the return match in Gdańsk, they showed offensive football, defeating their opponents 4:1. Key roles were played by the team leaders, such as Ewa Pajor, who scored key goals, and goalkeeper Kinga Szemik, who saved the team from conceding a goal many times.

In the decisive two-legged match, the Polish team faced Austria, who had previously shown solid form. In the first match in Gdańsk, the Polish team won 1-0 after a goal scored in the second half. In the return match in Vienna, despite great pressure from their rivals, the White and Reds won a draw, which guaranteed them a historic promotion.

Preparations for Euro 2025:

The European Championship will be held in the summer of 2025 in Switzerland, and the 16 best teams in Europe will participate in it. Poland will be among such powerhouses as England, France, the Netherlands and Germany. The draw for the tournament groups is planned for the spring of 2025, which will allow the Polish team to meet its first opponents.

The promotion to Euro 2025 is a breakthrough moment for the development of women's football in Poland. This success not only attracts the attention of fans, but can also contribute to increased investment in infrastructure, training of young players and development of women's league games.

Coach Nina Patalon's charges have shown that they are able to compete with the best, despite financial and organizational limitations. Qualifying for the championship is also a chance to promote talents such as Ewa Pajor, who is already considered one of the best players in Europe.

European Championships in Switzerland: what awaits the Polish women?

The tournament in Switzerland will be held in eight stadiums in six cities, including Zurich, Bern and Geneva. Expectations for the Polish women will be high, but the qualification itself gives them enormous opportunities, both sporting and image-wise. Meetings with the best teams will allow the players to gain invaluable experience, which may bear fruit in subsequent tournaments.

Thank you for reading my article! If you like this type of content or have ideas for further topics I should write about, leave your suggestions in the comments. 

Best regards!

Author : Kiero DS

COLE PALMER

Hello, everyone. Today, I’m going to talk about a very talented player you all know well. I hope you find it interesting.
It’s Cole Palmer - a Manchester City academy graduate who has become a leader at Chelsea.

Academy and the start of a professional career

At just eight years old, Cole joined Manchester City’s academy, where he spent his entire youth career, progressing through all the club's and national team’s age groups.
In the 2019/2020 season, he reached the pinnacle of youth football, captaining the team and eventually earning a call-up from Pep Guardiola to join the first team.
With the senior squad, he managed to win the Premier League, the FA Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the UEFA Super Cup. He also became an European champion with England’s U21 team.
However, Palmer received very little playing time. Over several seasons, he barely managed 1,500 minutes across all competitions. For comparison, in his first year at Chelsea, he logged over 3,000 minutes on the pitch. He usually started only a few matches per season.

Move to Chelsea

It was due to the lack of playing time that Palmer didn’t hesitate, when the opportunity to switch clubs arose. He moved to Chelsea, where he aimed to gain more match experience. This decision wasn’t random, as Mauricio Pochettino, who took over as head coach in the summer, valued Palmer on Raheem Sterling’s recommendation - Sterling knew him well from their time at Manchester City.
The biggest advantage Palmer gained at his new club was freedom of action. Pochettino didn’t restrict him to a specific position, which allowed Palmer to fully unleash his potential.
He got the chance to play in various midfield and attacking roles, but most often, he played either as a winger cutting into the half-space or in the “number ten” position. This versatility allowed him to drift wide, join attacks from deep, or drop into the center to help in buildup play.

Statistics and achievements

From his very first season at Chelsea, Palmer amazed everyone. Last year, he became the league’s most efficient player, even surpassing Erling Haaland. Despite the club’s instability, he registered 33 goal contributions in the league alone.
To date, the Englishman has been named Player of the Match more than 20 times. In April 2024, he became the first Chelsea player since 2018 to win the Premier League Player of the Month award. Palmer was also recognized as Chelsea’s Player of the Season, England’s Young Player of the Year, and the PFA Player of the Year.

This season, he has maintained excellent form, with 9 goals and 6 assists in 14 matches so far. Recently, he scored his 30th league goal for the club - only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink reached this milestone faster.
Palmer’s average goal-scoring rate is 0.55 goals per match, the best in Chelsea’s history since the early 1960s. For comparison, Diego Costa and Hasselbaink averaged 0.49, while Didier Drogba managed 0.43.
If Palmer continues at this pace, his name will soon be listed among the club’s legends.

P.S. Goal Celebration

“Cold Palmer” - that’s what fans call Cole for his ice-cold composure. The celebration itself was inspired by his friend Morgan Rogers.
Cole’s name sounds similar to the English word “cold,” and fans started calling him “Cold Palmer” last autumn due to his calm penalty execution and assured play in Chelsea’s chaotic attack.
Palmer embraced the fan-created nickname. In late December 2023, after scoring against Luton, he hugged his shoulders, pretending to shiver from the cold. Fans loved it, and after the match, Cole admitted he borrowed the celebration from his friend Morgan Rogers.

Author: Zidane