Right guys, so I'm playing with AC Milan in a World League database created by Kenco. In his own words, he explains the database.
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I have created an 8 tier World League comprising 50 divisions and 800 teams. All teams retain their original nationality and still compete in domestic competitions. 66 nations have had their league structures rebuilt to allow the World League to fit into the calendar.
The 66 domestic leagues now have just 8 teams in their top division, playing each other twice for a 14 game season, running from August to November. In late November the World League takes over, with 16 teams playing each other twice for a 30 game season until May. There is also a cup competition, in the style of the English FA Cup, for all 800 teams. Continental competitions continue as normal, while top flight teams from many of the domestic leagues no longer play in their domestic cup due to their busy fixture schedule.
World League structure:
- Gold League - 16 team division, with the best teams from each continent - Silver League - 16 teams - Bronze League (2 divisions) split roughly into East and West hemispheres. The West divisions contains teams from England, Spain, France and the Americas, with the East division is packed with teams from Germany, Italy, Russia and Asia. - Super Leagues (4 divisions) Europe, America, Africa, Asia/Oceania - A Leagues (6 divisions) West Europe, East Euope, North America, South America, Africa, Asia/Oceania - B Leagues (6 divisions) as above - C Leagues (10 divisions) more regional splits - D Leagues (20 divisions) even more...
The English league now has an Elite division of 8 teams, followed by North/South split divisions. The other domestic leagues have not been structured in quite so much detail, but have been given the same transfer windows and rules to ensure a level playing field for teams in the World League. The World Leagues are set up under the secondary divisions tab within the reworked English structure, which is why teams keep their nationality.
AC Milan play in the World Gold League and in the Italian Serie A Elite. The Serie A Elite consists of just eight teams- AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan, Palermo, Napoli, Genoa, Fiorentina and Roma. The World Gold League consists of 16 teams- AC Milan, Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Chivas Gudajalara, Chelsea, Corinthians, Bayern Munich, Porto, Flamengo, Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Seongnam, TP Mazembe and Valencia
Apart from this, Milan also compete in the UEFA Champions League also.
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Anyone interested? If there is interest, I'll proceed with pre-season, transfers, and league tables.
I personally felt that the squad lacked in quality in the attacking midfield area. My first choice goalkeeper was going to be Christian Abbiati, with Marco Amelia as back up. Defence was very good in the team, wit Alessandro Nesta and Thiago Silva in central defence. Taye Taiwo and Ignazio Abate would be my first choice left and right backs with Zambrotta and Antonini as backups. But I felt that they somehow needed one more backup especially with the Gold League's tight schedule. So, I decided to do with some loans.
In midfield, there was an abundance of central midfielders and defensive midfielders but no wingers except Urby Emmanuelson. Anyway, I didn't care since I wasn't going to use wingers. Emmanuelson would also be on his way out soon. But I felt that the attacking midfield lacked bite with only Clarence Seedorf and Antonio Cassano the effective AMCs (though Robinho could also play there). Someone needed to be bought there.
The striking options were plenty. Ibrahimovic and Pato would be my first choice but Cassano and Robinho will also get regular playing time in the attack.
Transfers As I said, I needed to loan a few people for right and left back and also needed to buy someone for the attacking midfield. I shortlisted a few names and then began negotiations. I also tried to sell some deadwood and managed to get some players out of the team.
Transfers In
Ganso (From Santos) - 36 Million Euros
Ivan Bandalovski (Loan From CSKA Sofia)- Loan fee 55,000
Edgar Castillo (From America (MEX))- Loan Fee 250,000
Rui Fonte (Loan From Espanyol)-Loan Fee 0.
I was delighted with the transfers made. Ganso and Rui Fonte will be my attacking midfield options while Bandalovski at right back and Castillo at left back would also be good options for back-up.
Transfers Out
Urby Emmanuelson (On Loan To Palermo)- Loan Fee 825,000 Mario Yepes (To Bayer Leverkusen)- 925,000
I tried to sell a few more players but no one was interested. Some contracts are expiring at the end of this season and I'm looking forward to freeing up some wages as well as getting rid of some deadwood (like Van Bommel).
Tactics
I'll mostly play a 4-3-1-2 formation at home and against teams I'm favourite to win against. It is an attacking formation which kind of replicates how Rooney and Hernandez played upfront for United at the start of this season. I'll also have an attacking midfielder backed up by three central midfielders.
I'll play the 4-1-3-2 whenever I'm playing away to a team considered my equal or at home/away when I play teams like Barcelona. Also, if the opposition has an attacking midfielder in their formation, I will switching to this.
I'm not going to talk much on pre-season. It was a time for us to get used to the formations, the tactics and get back to match fitness. I tried to make the side get used to the formations faster by playing a lot of the weak teams in the pre-season. Indeed, these friendlies felt more like training without the cones. They gave you match situations and at the same time were not very competitive. I left a week long gap before our first match against Juventus without any pre-season games to get the boys to recover.
Despite the intensity of pre-season, I was pleased with the fitness and performance of the boys. And the week long gap before the first match should give sufficient recovery time.
Pre-Season Results
Media Comments
"I feel pre-season went on very well. Except for the loss to Spartak Moscow and the draws to Juve and Evian, our results were good. Also, more importantly, the boys will now be fit and be raring to go when the season begins next week against Juventus."
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Serie A Elite
Juventus 2-2 AC Milan (Matri 50' Nocerino O.G. 57' - Ibrahimovic 53' 73')
Venue: Juventus Stadium, Turin Date: 6.8.2011
A thrilling match which saw AC Milan come back twice from a goal down to secure a point at the Juventus stadium thanks to Zlatan Ibrahimovic's brace. Alessandro Matri headed home a Juve corner to give the Bianconeri a lead but Ibra pulled them back to 1-1 three minutes later with a sublime finish from the edge of the area. Antonio Nocerino's failed clearance landed right into his own net to give the hosts the lead but Ibrahimovic was again on hand to pull Milan level, after being set up by Taye Taiwo.
Manager comments
"It was a pleasing performance. To come back from a goal down and that too, twice is never easy, especially in Turin. All credit to the boys for that. Maybe we should have pushed and gotten three points but it would have been a risk that late in the game. I'm satisfied with the draw, though we deserved to win in my opinion."
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AC Milan 3-0 Fiorentina (Ganso 21' Robinho 76' 86')
Venue: San Siro, Milan Date: 14. 8. 2011
AC Milan turned in a dominating performance as La Viola were wiped aside at the San Siro this evening. Last match's comeback hero Ibrahimovic looked threatening right from the outset and his efforts paid off when new signing Ganso poked home a cross from the Swedish forward. Robinho came on as a late substitute for Alexander Pato and then went on to score two goals late on in the game to put the tie to bed.
Manager Comments
"A very dominating performance from us. To do it against a top team is no mean feat and it was a great performance from Ibra and Ganso, not to mention the incredible Robinho cameo." **************
Serie A Elite
AS Roma 0-2 AC Milan
Venue: Olimpico, Rome. Date: 21. 8. 2011
A clinical Milan side saw off the challenge of Roma today at the Olimpico in Rome. Ibrahimovic scored twice at the start and the end of the game to settle matters between the two sides. Robinho started in place of Pato in the line-up following his brilliant performance last week at the San Siro against Fiorentina. But he disappointed and was soon replaced by Antonio Cassano in the second half. Ibrahimovic scored early on in the match when he was played through by Antonio Nocerino. The Swede then rounded the keeper beautifully in a one-on-one and held off a challenge from Jose Angel to score the opening goal.
Later on in the game, Ibra again scored when he beautifully controlled a low cross from Luca Antonini before volleying him from around five yards out. Both teams were equally good in this match and it was a major midfield battle. When Roma got forward however, they found no way through a sturdy Milan defence led by Thiago Silva and Nesta, and were forced to take long shots, only one of which troubled Abbiati.
Manager Comments
"Superb performance again from the lads but I thought we snatched a little at our chances. Otherwise, we could have been even 4-0 up at the end of the game. Anyway, it was a very good performance against another high quality team. Absolutely chuffed with it."
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Serie A Elite
AC Milan 3-0 Inter Milan (Pato 24' Seedorf 77' Robinho 83')
Venue: San Siro, Milan Date: 27. 8. 2011
Robinho was dropped back to the bench in this match and Ibrahimovic started alongside Pato upfront. The Brazilian striker gave Milan the lead with 24 minutes on the clock when he latched onto a pass from Kevin Prince-Boateng and then managed to get in a cheeky lob over an onrushing Julio Cesar. Inter fullback Maicon received marching orders sixteen minutes later when he put in a badly timed two footed challenge on Ganso. Milan, who were till then in control of the game but Inter posed a threat on the counter, then took the game by the scruff of the neck and began to probe Inter's stubborn defence.
Ibrahimovic looked average today and was taken off for Antonio Cassano, who managed to put in another cameo by setting up Seedorf for the second with a lay-off from a freekick. Robinho, who came on as substitute for Pato, finished things off in a one-sided Derby Della Madonnina, when he scored with a good solo effort.
Manager comments
"Probably the best match so far as I've seen from this team. We absolutely walloped Inter. Of course, their fans will argue that Maicon's red helped us but red or not, we were still the better team. As for Abate, his injury is a little serious. I think he'll miss about three weeks of action. We all feel sorry for him today because his Italy debut may have to be postponed a little bit. He's absolutely gutted to be missing out on travelling with the Italian team for Faroe Islands and Slovenia."
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UEFA Champions League Draw-Group Stage
We were drawn in arguably the toughest group of the Champions League. I'm not going to do much explaining before I show you the group.
UEFA Champions League-Group A FC Porto
AC Milan
Manchester City Borussia Dortmund
It was the toughest group as Premier League Elite title contenders and World Silver League side Manchester City, German Bundesliga Elite Champions Borussia Dortmund, Italian Serie A Elite champions AC Milan and Portuguese Superliga Elite champions and Europa League holders FC Porto were all drawn together in the Group A of the Champions League. This group promises to bring us the most exciting football ever seen in Europe in many decades....
We're going to have to be at our best and we must play some amazing football to get through to the knock-out stages of the competition. This will be a true test of managerial ability and tactics. I won't be meeting City or Dortmund again in any other competition but we'll be meeting Porto at least four times this year including the Champions League and the Gold League. Maybe even more if we're drawn together in the World Trophy or the knockout stages of the Champions League (from quarterfinals or beyond).
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Serie A Elite League Table
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Serie A Elite and UEFA CL-Mega Update Warning: THIS UPDATE IS HUUUUUUUUUUGEEEEEEE.... Serie A Elite
AC Milan 0-0 Napoli
AC Milan and Napoli played out a goalless draw at the San Siro as Milan's powerful attack was well matched by Napoli's five man backline Maggio, Campagnaro, Britos, Cannavaro and Dossena. Both sides failed to break each other despite numerous attempts. Milan were the dominant side through out the match with 61% possession and numerous chances but the Napoli defence held strong to deny Milan a win against their fellow title contenders. Manager Comments
Well, I can't really say much about it. We played amazingly but credit to Napoli for defending brilliantly and denying us the win. It may seem a little bit like anti-football on their part but they too posed a goal threat and I thought they played well against us.
UEFA Champions League Group A
AC Milan 6-0 Borussia Dortmund
(Pato 7' 42' Ibrahimovic 20' 38' 67' Cassano 77')
An absolutely stunning result from the San Siro as Milan thrashed a hapless Dortmund side who played almost as well as the home team but still had to endure one of their worst defeats in the Champions League. It was just that the Milanese took most of their chances while the Germans failed to do so. The highlight was Ibrahimovic's hattrick, obviously. Pato opened up the scoring with a header from an Ignazio Abate cross. Ibra then added the next two goals with close range finishes in the 20th and 38th minutes. Pato then got his second when he capped off a brilliant solo run with a neat finish past Weidenfeller. After the break, Milan slowed a little allowing Dortmund back into the match and Lewandowski came close once and Kagawa hit the post but Milan further extended their lead when Ibra completed his hattrick with a powerful effort from the edge of the area. Cassano then put the tie to bed with a brilliant freekick from the edge of the area.
Manager Comments
This is more like the Milan we're used to seeing. We were just brilliant today and we ended up taking almost all of our chances and we finished with the huge scoreline. They (Dortmund) didn't play badly but we just played too good.
Serie A Elite
Palermo 0-2 AC Milan (Pato 70' Ibrahimovic 75')
Both sides finished with ten men in this match as two second half goals from Pato and Ibrahimovic, both close range finishes from crosses secured three points for the visitors at the Renzo Barbera La Favorita in Palermo. Fabricio Miccoli was sent off in the 22nd minute for a two footed tackle on Alessandro Nesta while Antonio Nocerino was sent off for the same thing after he tried to get the ball out of Edgar Barretto's legs.
Manager Comments
Superb match today. Apart from the red card to Nocerino for an unnecessary challenge, I thought we played really well. Our finishing let us down on most occasions but otherwise, we were fine. The midfield played very well today.
Serie A Elite
Genoa 0-2 AC Milan (Seedorf 19' Robinho 23')
Milan played some good football today to overcome Genoa at the Luigi Ferraris. Seedorf put Milan ahead with a great freekick from the edge of the area before Robinho put in the final goal of the match with a good shot from the edge of the area. Both sides had almost an equal share of the ball but Milan looked the more threatening as Genoa's attack of Rodrigo Palacio and Andrea Caracciolo was blunted by the defensive pairing of Thiago Silva and Alessandro Nesta with help from holding midfielder Gennaro Gattuso.
Manager Comments
We played some good solid football. It may not have been as dominant as the other games recently but Genoa, I thought, played very well and threatened us quite a bit. They held the ball well and it was difficult to get it out of them. Our finishing was better this time but I personally felt Robinho snatched a bit at the chances he got.
Serie A Elite
AC Milan 2-0 Juventus (Ibrahimovic 52' 71')
AC Milan turned in a highly polished performance to see off Juventus at the San Siro with Zlatan Ibrahimovic on target twice in the match. First he was set up by on loan Espanyol attacking midfielder Rui Fonte on the edge of the area for a close range finish and then he knocked home a rebound after Mathieu Flamini's long range shot crashed onto the bar and fell to the Swedish striker's legs.
Milan were completely dominant and except the initial ten minutes of the first half, Juventus were never in the game, except for a brief period in the second half when they also saw Alessandro Matri's goal disallowed for offside, though there didn't seem to be much wrong in it.
Manager comments
A good match. We were really dominant and never gave Juve a chance. Obviously, I sympathise with them because there didn't seem to be anything wrong with Matri's goal. That would've changed the dynamics of the match because they'd have been more confident going forward after that but that didn't happen and we went on to score one more. UEFA Champions League Group A
FC Porto 1-0 AC Milan (Rolando 15')
Despite Milan dominating possession, both Porto and the Italians managed to create an equal number of chances almost and Porto scored through one of them to throw the group wide open. Defender Rolando headed in a James Rodriguez corner in the 15th minute to give Porto the only goal of the match. The Italians tried to attack but their finishing, which has been a little disappointing in recent games, let them down.
Milan surprisingly lined up with an attacking 4-3-1-2 but the holding midfielder present in Porto's 4-5-1-Eliaquim Mangala- managed to keep Antonio Cassano at bay in the AMC position, leaving Milan without a key element of their attack. Injuries to both Massimo Ambrosini and Steven Defour marred the game which saw many fouls from either side.
Manager comments
Disappointing effort really. We should've at least taken a point from Portugal but we ended up with nothing. It's not just rotten luck but our own lethargy had a big role in the defeat. Serie A Elite
AC Milan 1-0 AS Roma (Aquilani 89')
Roma were relegation threatened as they entered this match. And it was yet another match which they lost. Milan dominated from start to finish but Roma's Catenaccio-style play meant that a fluke goal from Alberto Aquilani after Clarence Seedorf's freekick was diverted into the Italian's path by Rui Fonte proved to be the winner. Milan's profligacy once again came to the fore as Ibrahimovic and Robinho skied shot after shot or else just hit it to a defender.
Milan's manager was seen turning increasingly angry with every attempt and he's got every reason to do so after Milan quite literally struggled to break down an organised Roma defence. The loss leaves Roma almost destined for relegation unless Fiorentina, Genoa or Juventus have a really devastating run of form which could see them drop out below Roma.
Manager comments
There's absolutely no excuse for that sort of performance. We were just wasteful and stupid out there. To say that Roma deserved at least a draw is the least I can do right now. We were pathetic on the attack and there are some serious issues which need to be sorted out now. This run cannot continue.
Serie A Elite
Inter Milan 1-1 AC Milan (Forlan pen 45 + 2' - Cassano 90 +1)
Another abject performance from Milan as they were the inferior side to their cross town rivals but still managed to end up with a point thanks to Antonio Cassano's injury time freekick which entered the net after Diego Forlan had put the Inter Milan side ahead with a penalty in the first half when Wesley Sneijder was brought down by Thiago Silva in the box.
The match also saw accusations of bias from Milan supporters against the referee Riccardo Di Fiore. Milan fans even managed to set alight a part of the stadium and play was suspended for ten minutes as a result while the fire was quickly brought under control. Three Milan supporters have been arrested in connection with the incident.
Manager Comments
The last minute equaliser was good to watch. Must have been a real kick in the teeth for Inter there but we should've played better and not left it that late. As for the penalty, I can't say much except that Silva didn't exactly do enough to make Forlan fall the way he did. Forlan went down like he was shot. He's even worse than Luis Suarez if you ask me.
UEFA Champions League Group A
Manchester City 2-1 AC Milan (Nesta O.G 31' Toure Yaya 81' - Pato 59')
Coming to the Etihad and winning against City is always a difficult ask but it was difficult for Milan to take the defeat after they had played very well and had to lose out thanks to a rare own goal from Alessandro Nesta and a late Yaya Toure screamer. City were living up to their reputation as a highly skilled team as they attacked from the off but Milan's attack was no less as they responded in kind whenever they could.
Milan's defence was unusually lacklustre today and it showed when Nesta put the ball in his own net while trying to deal with a Samir Nasri cross. Alexander Pato equalised in the second half following a flowing move from the Italians but City scored the winner when Yaya Toure took matters into his own hands and scored a long range effort.
Manager Comments
I don't really know what to say. It was a good performance but somehow, thanks to some rotten luck and a sensational goal, we come out with nothing. Our defence was unusually our let-down area today but I think it's fine. The honeymoon had to end at some point.
Serie A Elite
Fiorentina 1-0 AC Milan (Jovetic 42')
Milan went into this game as the only unbeaten side in the Serie A Elite this season. But a sturdy defensive performance from La Viola and a lone goal from Stevan Jovetic put an end to this run at the Artemio Franchi. Milan were never really the dominant team that they were in other matches this season and Fiorentina were able to create many more chances than they usually would have and they were also able to restrict Milan to a more midfield performance as despite Milan having just about double to possession, they were still able to create only a handful of chances.
Manager Comments
We were bad today. There's no use having possession when you can't break the opposition down with chances and it showed today. I really hope we just move on. As for the unbeaten run, well, it's history now isn't it?
Serie A Elite
AC Milan 1-0 Genoa (Fonte 4')
A solitary goal from Portuguese Under-21 internationa Rui Fonte-on loan at Milan from Espanyol-was enough to give Milan a 1-0 win over Genoa and bring the inaugural Serie A Elite title even closer to the red half of Milan. Rui Fonte seized upon a long ball upfield from Daniele Bonera and then went past two defenders before lobbing over Genoa keeper Ricardo.
Milan had a number of chances but as usual, their profligacy meant that they never added onto the one goal they scored earlier. Milan also had a good 56% of possession and controlled the pace of the game in general.
Manager comments
The performance was good but our finishing again let us down. We are trying to work on it but we need to improve fast especially with the Gold League coming up in just a few weeks from now.
UEFA Champions League Group A
AC Milan 0-1 Manchester City (Aguero 5')
In a drab match at the San Siro which saw more long range shots than any other match in the Champions League that day, Milan lost out narrowly to Man City thanks to an early Sergio Aguero goal. There was nothing really of note in the match except that Milan were denied two penalty claims, the first by Boateng when he was brought down in the area by Vincent Kompany and the second when Nigel De Jong allegedly used his hand on purpose to deny Massimo Ambrosini from a volley.
With this win, City have now qualified for the Second Knockout Round while AC Milan and FC Porto will fight it out for the second spot in the group with German champions Borussia Dortmund almost surely out of the race after getting four defeats out of four.
Manager Comments
I'm not going to comment much on the match but I'm going to have to ask Mr. Babak Rafati, the referee, whether he holds a grudge against Milan. That was two penalties denied. Two potential goal, legitimate goals denied.
Serie A Elite
Napoli 2-2 AC Milan (Pandev 4' Casarini 37' - Pato 1' 33')
AC Milan won the inaugural Serie A Elite this season as they drew with Napoli at the San Paolo in Naples. Pato scored in the first minute when him and Ibrahimovic played one twos with each other and finally, having got the better of most of the Napoli team immediately after kickoff, the Swedish striker played Pato through on goal and the Brazilian made no mistake, firing home a shot into the roof of the net.
Goran Pandev equalised just three minutes later for Napoli when his shot from the edge of the area found the net, curling past Abbiati. Pato again put Milan in front when he tapped in Edgar Castillo's cross but Federico Casarini pulled Napoli back on level terms four minutes later when he headed in a Gokhan Inler corner.
It was an entertaining match which didn't have much in terms of chances but lived up to it's name. Needing only a draw, Milan played relaxedly and were even lethargic at times but in the end, they got the point and the title they wanted.
Manager comments
We got the title! I'm absolutely delighted here and wow! We have an amazing feeling in the dressing room now. We feel we'll be able to handle the Gold League with confidence now! BRING IT ON!
Serie A Elite
AC Milan 3-0 Palermo (Benalouane O.G. 17' Ibrahimovic 34' Silva 62')
Milan finished off the Serie A Elite season in style as they wiped Palermo off the park. An early red card to Archimede Morleo made things easy for the Milanese team who absolutely dominated the Sicilian visitors from then on. Milan kept a high standard of football and were rewarded with three goals.
Yohan Benalouane put the ball in his own net after he tried clearing an Edgar Castillo cross. Ibrahimovic then managed to score from a panicky goalline clearance by Abel Hernandez before Thiago Silva headed in a corner to make it three goals in all.
Manager comments
A routine performance and more like the Milan I want to see. The red card helped us out a lot but credit to the boys for getting it done in style. Now that the Serie A is over, we need to focus and start working towards the Gold League. Especially with our first game a trip to Camp Nou. But before all that, our focus is now on Dortmund.
UEFA Champions League Group A
Borussia Dortmund 1-2 AC Milan (Barrios 45 +1 - Ibrahimovic 4' Van Bommel 83')
Milan left it late despite complete domination over their German hosts as they sealed a 2-1 win at the Signal Iduna Park and stayed in second place ahead of Porto. Ibrahimovic put the visitors ahead with a trademark top corner finish but Barrios pulled Dortmund level just before halftime with a close range finish from a Marcel Schmelzer cross.
Milan continued to dominate but were unable to break the defence of Subotic and Hummels at the back until Mark Van Bommels shot from eighteen yards out found the top corner. The victory keeps them in pole position now for a second spot in the group after Porto's 0-0 draw with Manchester City at the Estadio De Dragao sees them in third place. The decider of the second spot will be held at Milan between Porto and their Italian hosts while Man City play an inconsequential match against Dortmund.
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Serie A Elite League Table
Serie A Elite Player Stats
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THANK YOU FOR GOING THROUGH THE WHOLE THING PATIENTLY! HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT!
PLEASE COMMENT BELOW WITH SUGGESTIONS AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AS USUAL!
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