Football Manager Blog | Football Manager Guru | Wolves Overcome The Odds

This was an extremely important period of time for us. We were leading in the Premiership, we were into the semi-finals of the League Cup. Games are now going to come hard and fast, and me and the boys have never been tested this much within short period of time. This is the time where the depth of the squad will be tested and everyone has to pitch in to ensure our amazing run this season goes on.

As the transfer window opens, players might be distracted by transfer rumours, and I can only hope it does not affect their performance on the pitch.

Our first game required us to travel to Goodison Park to play Everton in the FA Cup. The place that is now ranked as my #1 most hated place to travel to in England. Not Old Trafford, Not ‘This is Anfield’. But Goodison Park. I can never win there.

In the early minutes, Ebanks-Blake used his pace to get behind the Everton backline, his shot was saved by Tim Howard who always seems to have the game of his life when he plays against us. In the 24th minute, it is once again Tim Howard who denies Milveskyi from scoring.

Tim Cahill did the inevitable in the 27th minute, when he scored from a header from a cross. Frustration mounted in the 36th minute, when Howard pulled yet another fingertip save from Krivets’ shot. Just when I thought nothing is going to happen, Hasebe who was lurking outside the penalty box, smashed a shot from distance that Howard was unable to save (this happens once in a blue moon). Inler layed the ball off sweetly for Hasebe.

After the restart, Milevskyi and Ebanks-Blake turned up the heat against Everton. I realised that Everton had troubled coping with a real pacy striker like Ebanks-Blake. Too bad he lacked world class finishing.

Berra almost scored the winner for us, but it was no surprise that his header from a corner was cleared off the line. I played Marco Verratti on in the late stages of the game for Inler, and he was almost able to conjure his magic in the 88th minute, but his swerving shot crashed against the crossbar.

Everton broke our heart, when they scored the late-late winner right before the game was heading for a draw. Leighton Baines scored a left-footed freekick. We had returned home from Goodison with nothing yet again. To make things worse, Inler was injured for a few weeks.

The next game, was absolutely crucial for us. We played Tottenham in the League Cup Semi-Finals, and like I said previously my squad was gunning for the League Cup as it securs a Europa spot. We also wanted to erase the horrible memory of Goodison Park.

However, I had a problem even filling the substitute benches! Inler was injured, Forren (my multipurpose utility man) was injured.

Both sides had a nervy start to the game, passes were misplaced, tackles were mistimed. Berra had his header cleared off the line in the 15th minute (once again, justifying my theory that he is finding it harder to score from corners this season).

Krivets tested Spurs keepers Gomes in the 16th minute, but his shot was saved. In the 17th minute, Milveskyi turned his marker, and just when he was about to shoot, he was pulled to ground. Milveskyi missed the penalty and it was an absolutely shocker considering his penalty attribute is so high. What a save by Gomes!

My squad was a little shaken up after the penalty, and it was only in the 44th minute, they seemed their normal self. Milveskyi made up for his penalty miss in the 44th minute, after sprinting onto a crossfield pass made by Krivets. He ensured Gomes had no chance this time.

Immediately though, right before half-time, Spurs equalised. Aaron Lennon showed great pace down the right to cut past Shevchuk to poke the ball past Enyeama. In the 2nd half, Spurs seemed contented to sit in their own half and not come out to attack. Maybe they felt a 1-1 draw was a great away result for them. Gomes made yet another remarkable save in the 62 min when Milveskyi shot was parried into the path of Ebanks-Blake who was about to bury the rebound, when Gomes saved again. Some spectacular keeping ensure my squad did not make full use of our home ground advantage. The 1st-leg ends 1-1. Shevchuk also picked up a knock in the game, making our injury crisis much worse.

We had tough games after tough games, as the next game we head to Anfield to play Liverpool. With Shevchuk another casualty lying on our injury tables, I had issues filling the bench again. Inler was injured, Forren was injured, Shevchuk was also out. Kacar looks weary after so many string of games, and his low stamina attribute is hampering his recovery after games.

Verratti made a start in midfield, as I rested Kacar, and had Hasebe play in the DMC spot. Jones was the other MC. I had also no choice but to place Berra in the LB position which is not his natural position and place Otamendi and Kryvtsov as CBs. We started the game brightly when Milveskyi dribbled past his marker to create space for the shot. Reina saved. Jones had a great long range effort tipped over the bar in the 26th minute. However, our spell of dominace was short-lived as Liverpool poured forward towards the end of the half.

We held on firmly till eventually, Kryvtsov made a mistake, and brought down Torres in the 41th minute in the penalty box. Liverpool converted the penalty to lead 1-0. I did not complain though, I knew the odds of us winning was low at Anfield with a squad rampant with injury.

Soccer is a strange game though, right after the Liverpool goal, all my players were looking motivated according to my assistant manager’s feedback. And it paid off just before half-time when Milveskyi, like the many times he did this season, saved our blushes when he equalised for us. Berra played a ball through to Milveskyi, and Milevskyi had sufficient pace to burst past 2 Liverpool markers to get to the ball first. 1-1 the score as we head to the half-time break.

I encouraged the boys at half-time sensing weakness and nervousness in the Liverpool squad. I was right. Krivets took a corner in the 48th minute after the restart, and the villian of the first half, Kryvtsov, redeemed himself when he headed in a corner. It was totally Berra-like for young Kryvtsov to score from the corner. All was forgiven. We were leading Liverpool 1-2 at Anfield!

Then something even more remarkable happened, Krivets made a trademark run that was not picked up by anyone shortly after our goal, and his powerful shot was initally saved by Reina, but the ball rebounded off Liverpool CB Agger, to cross the line for an own goal! We lead 1-3! What a turn of events!

Sensing winning was a big reality now at Anfield, Jones, was taken off for Kacar. Kacar played in the DMC slot, while Hasebe moved to MC. With two defensive midfielders in my diamond setup, surely we could stop Liverpool’s attack? Milveskyi who has played in consecutive games now was also brought off to rest.

I was right, as Liverpool poured more and more man forward, we delivered the sucker punch in the 72nd. In a quick counter attack, Fonseca held up the ball upfield, and released the ball for wonderkid Verratti who had made a run. Verratti struck a sweet shot, and what a way to score your first goal for the club!

Liverpool huffed and puffed to no avail and could only pull a consolation goal back in the 82nd minute, 2-4 the scoreline. We were eventually victorious and what a game it was at Anfield! 3 points!

Signs are promising for Marco Verratti, 3 shots 2 on target and 1 goal. Might very well feature a lot more in the 1st team next season.

Berra shows the fans why he is the best player of the Wolves squad last year, playing in a totally unfamilar LB role, yet he made 8 out of 12 successful tackles. What a player! He’s been performing so great for me in the past 1.5 seasons, I wonder why is he relatively unknown in FM circles as well.

Hasebe might not be as nice to watch as Kacar, but he gets the job done as a defensive CM. 5 out of 6 tackles were won. Great job! Gerrard had no chance.

It’s my 2nd season into FM, and Kryvtsov already shows he can beat the big guns like Pool in the air. 6 out of 7 headers won. This wonderkid is real class. I can’t wait to see what kinda of beast he grows into.

After the game, Berra and Verratti were both named in the team of the week. Verratti! Wow, first achievement as a wonderkid, this guy is barely 18!

In our next game againts Bolton away, Berra continued to play in the LB position that he does so surprisingly well in! Kone, who I gave a start to prove his worth, missed a 1-on-1, 28 seconds into the game.

Krivets delivered another lesson of how-to-run-undetected-into-the-box after a spell of good pressure. Kone played the through pass and Krivets’ strke was flawless. Later in the game, Otamendi scored this really incredible goal. Earlier on in my post, Berra scored this absolute gem of a long shot. Otamendi seemed eager to follow in the captain’s footsteps, when he controlled a wild clearance from aa reuslting corner and unleashed a shot into the top corner of the goal frame. We lead by 2 goals.

Upon Otamendi’s goal, I decided it was time to preserve some legs, and the 2nd stringers were brought on while players like Milveskyi, Berra were rested. We played defensive and wound down the clock. A comfortable away win for us! 2 on the row now!

Berra once again does a monster job at LB, playing in his unfamilar position! 6 out of 7 successful tackles! I am never letting him go now.

After the game, I am told that Zenit are lining up to bid for Ebanks-Blake for about 5.75 million! At this point in time, I am relatively willing to let him go, since he has been firing blanks this season and is on a goal drought. But I cannot deny that he was a big reason why we climbed to 8th last season though. We’ll see how things goes. I am sure there are great fast strikers in his mould that can be bought with the transfer funds from his sale.

We finally return to the Molineux for our next game, where we played Everton. Like thay always, say revenge is sweet. And my squad is out for revenge after Everton knocked us out of the FA Cup at Goodison Park. Berra continues to play in the LB position (this is his 3rd game now and he is doing remarkably well in his non-natural position). My first choice LB Forren and Shevchuk are both our injured.

Good news is that Inler finally returns for injury. Inler proved how much we missed him early on in the game when he played a ball to Milveskyi feet. With his back against goal, Milveskyi turned two Everton defenders quickly, and squeeze a shot past them. Howard saved.

Inler further stamped his authority on the game, when he scores the goal upon his first appearance after his injury. Kacar played him through on goal, and Inler smashed the ball low into the corner of the net. Howard had no chance.

Everton, had a lucky break when a pinball situation took place from a corner taken by them, the balls falls luckily to Rodwell and he shoots with venom, for the ball to end up past Enyeama. 1-1 the score now, as we headed into half-time.

In the 52nd minute Howard saved a point-blank shot from Krivets. However, we were not to be stopped as revenge was on our mind. In the 63 minutes, Milevskyi ran at 2 defenders and poked a shot between them in the last moment, Howard saw the shot late and we scored. We lead 2-1 now.

Milevskyi showed why he might turn out to be the top scorer of this season with his poacher instincts in the 67 mins, after Howard parried a Krivets shot into his path. He made no mistake from the rebound. 3-1 the scoreline. It was time to rest the tired legs of Milevskyi and a few others. No way I am going to let Milevskyi burn out for the 2nd half of the season. He is in such inspiring form for us. Everton did manage to claw one back towards the end of the game, but it was a mere consolation goal.We still lead 3-2.

We wound down the clock and played possession football, and like they always say, revenge is sweet. A win against Everton!

Magic Milveskyi, strikes again. 5 shots, 4 on target, 2 goals. For 10 million, you can’t get a better striker for the Premier League.

Kryvtsov was immense in this game winning 13 headers for us! Another great performance from the wonderkid!

Otamendi has been subject to transfer rumours in recent weeks, and I was really pleased and relieved when he signed a 4 year contract with us. What a boost for us in the present and the future. Otamendi is 22 and already a core member in our back 4.

However, Ebanks-Blakes decided he should move for greener pastures. It’s a little sad considering he did so much for us in the first season, but you got to move on in soccer.

The next game was one of the biggest games of our season. We played Spurs away in the 2nd-leg of the League Cup Semi-Final. Shevchuk and Forren is still out, which means for the 4th game in a row, Berra has to play at the LB position.

It was clear how much the players wanted to get into the final. Krivets almost scored in the 7th minute, meeting Milevskyi’s cross with a diving header. Gomes knocked the ball away though. Kryvtsov showed why he is unbeatable in the air, when he scored the crucial opening goal for us from a corner in the 15th minute. Berra would have been proud of that. Milevskyi created something out of nothing when a chip was played into Ebanks-Blake path, and he raced onto the ball, and took one touch before a volley into the corner of the goal. Ebanks-Blake had put an end to his goal drought and the best time in the season!

In the 32th minute, just when we were crusing we gave them room to get back in the game, when Enyeama made a bizzared attempt at a clearance outside the penalty box from a backpass, but totally missed judged the speed of the ball. Crouch was first to the ball and he slotted the ball into an open goal. The aggregate score was now 2-3 in favour of us.

It took them only 4 minutes to equalize via Lennon though. Lennon burst through our defence line with his lightning pace and deftly lifted the ball over Enyeama’s head for a chip into goal. 3-3 the aggregate score now. Things were heating up.

After a hair-dryer session with the boys in half time they came out looking drive and positive. Ebanks-Blake got his 2nd goal when Inler set him through on goal and he finished beautifully. He was ruthless in front of goal today! We were lead 3-4.

At this point in time I felt fairly confident that if my squad played ultra-defensive and played down the clock, we would have a high chance of winning. I was right, the moment we packed men beind the ball, Spurs had only half-chances on goal. We drew their man forward, and eventually layed them to rest in the dying stages of the game, when Krivets played a through ball to Ebanks-Blake who raced onto the ball and got the 3rd goal for his hat-trick. What a performance from him. Too bad he is bent on leaving Wolves. We lead 3-5.

When the whistle goes, I felt immensely satisfied as Wolves had won one of the most important games of the season. We are through to the finals! It was a really tiring game but it was worth every single sweat that we gave. A chance of a trophy comes our way!

Ebanks-Blakes puts in a hell of a performance, at this moment I felt a twinge of regret that he wants to leave the club, because on nights like this we can surely use his pace. 5 shots, 4 on target, 3 goals. Milevskyi would have been proud of that.

Kryvtsov continues his good performance of late, being dominant in the air, 8 successful headers from 10 attempts.

And how about Berra, who continues to start at the LB role, 7 out of 7 tackles! A performance that saw Aaron Lennon have limited chances down the flank.

More good news awaits us. Enyeama decided to stay with us, after I persuaded him that his future is here with Wolves and we will be the bigger club that he seeks for. He agreed and I was elated. Enyeama has been such a key figure between the posts. First Otamendi, now Enyeama, it just goes to show good harmony in the dressing room, is a huge factor in building a loyal and successful squad.

After a series of extremely tiring and tough games, Wolves still lead in the Premier League, although Man United has a game in hand and are just a point behind us. After the semi-final win against Spurs, my squad looks really tired and I could only pray that they have the strength to last till the season ends.

Heck, I am even considering taking certain players of their tough training schedules (paticularly players with low natural fitness and stamina, e.g Kacar). We need every single player we can get now, and I hope Forren and Shevchuk makes a speedy recovery. Berra cannot cover in the LB for every single game as it is too tiring.

Can Wolves, beat Chelsea in the League Cup Final, for my 1st trophy ever with Wolves and secure a Europa spot? Milveskyi is in inspiring form all season and now with Blakes hitting a brilliant hat-trick past Spurs, could these 2 combine to carry us to glory? You will find out in my next post. Thank you, for all the support you have given Wolves, and we would have never made it to the finals of the League Cup without you. See you soon in my next post, where I unveil the secrets of scoring from corner after a request from my readers. I will show you how Berra made us the team that scored the most goals from corners last season. Cheers!