Part 126: Chapter the Eighth: Discipline and punish.
Chapter the Eighth: Discipline and punish.February 2, 2022-March 28, 2022
We start February once more aimed directly at the megabastards. If we can take four points from Manchester City and Chelsea we'll have done as well as we could have realistically hoped. After that our schedule should ease off, and we should be able to win games with more ease.
There's more than three months left in the season and he's already scored 21 league goals. The Premiership record for goals in a 38 game season is 31, well within reach.
At Chelsea, February 5, 2022
Premier League
Chelsea are once again on the outside looking in for a Champion's League spot, and it's got their manager under a heap of pressure. AU-Abramovich hasn't won a title in seven years, and he's getting very impatient with Victor Romanchuk. They're five points back of fourth place Arsenal, and nine back of first place City, they need to beat us to climb back into contention with thirteen games remaining.
Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Counter
Starting 11: Kovacevic, Mejasic, Laux, Todd, Feruga (c), Mair, Morvan, Nieddu, Shirra, Taborda, Bastable.
Subs: El Sayed, Mujkic, O'Hanlon, Dixon, Julio, Cardozo, Aarts.
We can't get our shots on target in the early going, and the usually surehanded Kovacevic almost gives away a goal when he fumbles the ball, but he's able to crawl onto it before any Chelsea player can make us pay. We miss an opportunity when Bastable has the goal at his mercy, and you can feel the momentum shift as Chelsea steams right back down the field to take the lead in the 37th minute. They score again coming out of intermission and we've got a mountain to climb to salvage anything from this match.
I make my tactical substitutions, bringing on El Juez for an out of sorts Bastable and putting Meteor at left back for Woj as we approach thirty minutes to play. It gets us a goal, El Juez scores on a Mujkic corner kick in the 82nd minute, but it might be too little too late. It isn't, we wrest a result in stoppage time when the Golden Boy flings his diminutive 5'8” body into the air to bonk a point blank header past the goalie. It's a narrow escape, and an excellent show of determination.
Chelsea 2-2 Wrexham
Qualifiers for the Euro 2024 championship are drawn months before the World Cup takes place this summer. England has an easy group while Wales will have to contend with a strong Holland and feisty Bosnian team. Scotland should walk into Euro 2024 without difficulty, they're grouped with minnows Iceland, Cyprus, and Armenia. The Danes represent their only real challenge.
vs. Manchester City, February 8, 2022
Premier League
Man City are in first place, four points up on us. Winning here will cut that lead to a point, a draw will hurt but not destroy our chances, and a loss will make it very hard for us to win the title this year. We've played 7 matches against City and never won, now's the perfect time to make some history.
Due to fatigue I've had to sit Shirra, and I've put El Juez in his position. Cardozo will sit behind Bastable, who's playing as a deep lying forward today rather than leading our attack, and act as a shadow striker. Hopefully the tactical wrinkle will throw off City more than Cardozo is troubled by the novelty of playing as a central attacking midfielder.
Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Kovacevic, Mejasic, Feruga, Todd, Suslov, Morvan, Petts, Nieddu, Cardozo, Mujkic (c), Bastable.
Subs: El Sayed, Dixon, O'Hanlon, Mair, Julio, Taborda, Matko.
We keep getting yellow cards despite my orders to play less aggressively, Todd is the culprit this time just eight minutes into the game. Manchester City's keeper goes down with an injury in the 16th minute, and we might just have a chance against their backup. We capitalize on their loss with a sterling bit of 1-2 passing by Bastable, which springs Nieddu to put the ball past the replacement keeper ten minutes later.
It's good that we scored, as we're not going to keep City off the board. All world striker Mark Bloem beats Todd to equalize in the 37th minute. We're not level for long, Dimitri Nieddu forces a desperate left back to tackle him from behind and earns a penalty that El Juez converts.
We score twice more after the break, the first coming when Bastable wins a header in front of the net and bounces it to the byline, where Nieddu snaps it up and delivers it back to Bastable. The Bastard fights off three City defenders, controls the ball with a deft chest bump, and strokes it past the outstretched arms of the keeper. The second comes mere seconds after a Nieddue goal is disallowed as Bastable picks up his brace. City aren't entirely dead, they score with over twenty minutes remaining, but a three goal lead is too much for the league leaders to overcome. We're through our trial by fire, and while we fell out of first place we picked up eight points in four matches against the elite of English football.
Man of the Match: Rocky Bastable
Wrexham 4-2 Man City
Oh that Rocky Bastable,
He's a man fantastical,
With boot or head he's masterful,
Makes em curse “that bastard Bastable.”
vs. Aston Villa, February 12, 2022
FA Cup, Fifth Round
Last time we played Aston Villa their late game heroics saved them from defeat. I have no intention of letting that happen again.
Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: El Sayed, Cirjak (c), Laux, Todd, Suslov, Morvan, Petts, Nieddu, Shirra, Mujkic, Bastable.
Subs: Kovacevic, Mejasic, Feruga, Mair, Julio, Taborda, Cardozo.
Villa park the bus, allowing us all day to kick the ball around but keeping their form and not letting us work the ball in towards the net. So it's still nil-nil in the 33rd minute when Morvan sends a long pass up to Nieddu from behind the midfield line. Nieddu beats his man and before the defense can collapse on him gets off a shot that whistles in. Aston Villa manage to create several chances by getting past our back line, forcing me to firm up our defense and drop our back line deeper the rest of the game. We have only a few more attempts worth speaking of, Mujkic sends one off the upright and Bastable is called offside on a third rebound effort, but there's no last minute surprise from Villa today. It's a professional win to move onward into the sixth round.
Man of the Match: Dimitri Nieddu
Wrexham 1-0 Aston Villa
The ref was kind to us today, but I wish we could get good refereeing instead of them having a major effect on play.
The soccer gods favor us. We draw a home match against a League One side in the quarterfinals, while Man U have to go to Arsenal. Now if the winner of Arsenal/United gets City in the semifinals while we get Stoke or Reading I'm going to start thinking we have a friend at the FA greasing our path back to the final.
Ah, fixture congestion. It's so lovely still being in three competitions as spring approaches.
This will mark our 10th televised Premier League match so far this season, compared to 11 games all last season. We've been on air fewer times than seventh place Everton.
At some point we're going to have to upgrade Matko, he's been too fragile to reach his considerable potential. We have an in house replacement for him, though. Piero Argenti has been a monster at the youth level, with 19 goals and 14 assists this season and he can play all across the attacking midfield. He's only 18 years old and is ready for time in the big leagues.
Bad timing for Aarts, he was going to get a chance to play in the next match. Instead it will be El Juez who gets the start.
Cirjak is up to 18 Acceleration and 17 Pace, he can beat anyone in the world if they're facing him and he knocks the ball past them.
At West Bromwich Albion, February 19, 2022
Premier League
West Brom remain at serious risk for relegation, we play Bayern Munich in three days. I'm sending out a weakened squad that should still be able to win in order to play our best against Bayern. If we aren't winning by half time I'll sub in some of our better players to try and shift the game in our favor. Our old fullback Mathias Durand is a Baggie these days, and has been no better than he was when he was a Dragon. Hopefully we can abuse our former player for a goal or two.
Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: El Sayed, Cirjak (c), Feruga, O'Hanlon, Mejasic, Dixon, Mair, Argenti, Julio, Taborda, Cardozo.
Subs: Kovacevic, Suslov, Todd, Morvan, Bailey, Nieddu, Bastable.
The Baggies storm out to a possession advantage early, but it's El Juez who opens scoring in the 10th minute after he works over Costa Rican centerback to win a cross from his countryman Taborda. We're given a penalty in the 20th minute when that same centerback comes in on Julio from a bad angle just as he enters the area, it's a close call but the penalty is given. El Juez converts. Taborda continues his run of deadly accuracy from free kicks, his 25 meter shot makes it 3-0 just before the half. There's no need to bring in any starters, we're romping to victory at this point.
We're up by enough that I can bring Bailey on at the hour mark, as well as pull Cirjak so that he's fresh for Germany. That turns out to be a huge mistake. West Brom storm back for three goals in the final thirty minutes, and our complacency allowed a relegation bound team to take two points away from us. We're now three back of Manchester City with ten games to play. We've also allowed Manchester United to catch us on points, goal differential is the only thing keeping us in second at the moment.
Man of the Match: El Juez
West Brom 3-3 Wrexham
We'll need to make some hay in Germany if I'm to avoid feeling guilt ridden over the final thirty minutes of the West Brom match.
He's made a quicker than expected recovery, and should be ready to return to his role as a backup by the start of March.
At Bayern Munich, February 22, 2022
Champions League, First Knockout Round Away Leg
Bayern Munich are German giants, and one of the few squads in the world that boast as much or more talent than our Dragons. We need to get an away goal here and preferably hold them to two or fewer if we want a realistic chance at getting into the quarterfinals.
Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Counter
Starting 11: Kovacevic, Cirjak (c), Laux, Todd, Suslov, Morvan, Petts, Nieddu, Shirra, Mujkic, Bastable.
Subs: El Sayed, Mejasic, Feruga, Mair, Argenti, Taborda, Cardozo.
We're bending and just barely avoiding being broken early, as Bayern hits woodwork twice in first half hour. We show them that we're not to be trifled with when a Suslov throw-in deep in Bayern territory is headed by Bastable to Mujkic, who with one touch sends it in front of the net for an oncoming Nieddu. The Italian nods it just inside the far post for a goal, and we've quieted the 64,000 strong crowd.
Bayern keep pressing for an equalizer but our defense stays firm, though we rack up four yellow cards in the process. As stoppage time begins Bastable feeds the ball ahead for Nieddu, and he's clear onto goal when he's tripped from behind by a Bayern player. The penalty is given and Shirra puts it away for a 2-0 win We've done everything we need to here in Germany, and can be well pleased with our performance.
Man of the Match: Dimitri Nieddu
Bayern 0-2 Wrexham
Mair will be starting the home leg against Bayern, which shouldn't change our chances any. At this point he and Morvan are roughly equivalent players with slightly different strengths and weaknesses. That will change as Morvan gets better but for now they're six of one, half a dozen of another.
At Reading, February 26, 2022
Premier League
Reading lie in fourteenth place, and even though we play Liverpool in 2 days I'm not taking a chance given the West Brom fiasco. We need a win to keep pace with Manchester City, who sit on 66 points to our 60 at the start of this match.
Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Kovacevic, Cirjak (c), Laux, Feruga, Suslov, Mair, Petts, Argenti, Nieddu, Taborda, Bastable.
Subs: El Sayed, Mejasic, O'Hanlon, Dixon, Julio, Shirra, Cardozo.
The continental hangover is in full effect and they're taking advantage. Reading go off the post twice in the first 15 minutes, forcing me to scrap any idea of controlling the match. That doesn't stop our defense from getting caught ball-watching on Reading's first goal with seven minutes left in the first half.
Things look bleak when Laux is called for a penalty early in the second, but Kovacevic saves both the ball and the day. I try to get some juice into the squad by subbing on Shirra for Argenti and sliding Nieddu back to the right wing, and immediately we start looking more dangerous. It's not leading to any goals, though, and thus I also bring on Cardozo for Bastable, who's in a slight funk these last few games. That does the trick, just when things start looking desperate for us Petts scores after a botched clearance leaves the ball loose in the six yard box. I keep up the late assault, hoping to win all three points, but Cirjak destroys our hopes when he picks up two yellows in two minutes. We're forced to settle for another draw against a mediocre team.
Man of the Match: Richard Petts
Reading 1-1 Wrexham
You've picked up three red cards in your last six appearances, do you think I'm going to give you a pat on the back?
He won't even speak to me at this point, I'm going to strip him of his captaincy.
This does not make the team very happy, but it's necessary given Cirjak's refusal to even speak to me and his unprofessional behavior on the pitch. I'd rather make this change too early than too late. We'll see if we can restore a working relationship before the end of the summer transfer window, if not he'll be the first big star I'm shipping out.
We took eight points out of a possible twelve from the toughest part of our schedule, but then promptly dropped four points to lower half teams. We're falling of the pace in the league, and if we don't right the ship immediately we're not going to be in the hunt come the final weeks. On the other hand we've been gifted the easiest possible draw for our FA Cup quarterfinal, and we're looking likely to reach the Champions League quarterfinal thanks to our performance in the away leg against Bayern. The results have been mixed, but if nothing else we've been providing pulse-pounding excitement for everyone watching.
