Part 191: Chapter the Tenth: Triple threat.

Chapter the Tenth: Triple threat.
April 1-April 24, 2026

We're coming into the home stretch, and barring some bad beats we should secure our appearance in the FA Cup final while tightening our hold on the league title and more than halfway to the Champions League final. Hold on to your hats, it's going to be quite a ride.




What's that? The pile of trophies is now spilling out into the street? Well, take em all out to the parking lot and put some jersey barriers around them to keep the round ones from rollin' off.



I can't believe I'm going to say this, but come on Chelsea! I'd much rather see you in the semifinal than Man United.



I am well aware of what we need to do to win the league, thank you very much.



I'm also still signing up prospects for our U18 team. They're starting to get expensive as I'm now targeting only the very best.

At Leeds United, April 4, 2026
Premier League


Leeds sit solidly midtable in 11th place, which is surprisingly high for a club that just canned their manager. Let's give the new guy a warm welcome by lighting them up at home.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Minami, Cirjak, Tounkara, Hammatt, Quiboulaz, Enrique, Ünsal, Mercado, Allan, Mujkic (c), Thiago.
Subs: Kocsis, Loseille, Laux, Maloney, Bailey, Shirra, Parr.

Thiago must have heard the whispers about his mini-drought, it takes him only ten minutes to put us ahead one-nil. That's followed by a brace from Callum Allan after halftime to put the game out of reach. We don't slack off, though, and it pays off in Sinan Ünsal's third goal of the season.

Man of the Match: Callum Allan




Leeds 0-4 Wrexham



Quiboulaz is definitely not going anywhere, given that we paid £30m to pry him from Dortmund we wouldn't even make a substantial profit on a sale. Allan on the other hand is a backup, and I could be convinced to part with him for a kings ransom of over £40m. He came in as a free transfer from Arsenal, and I like the notion of selling Arsenal's players back to them at inflated prices after having done it once with Matty Collett last summer.



It's finally dawned on the media that Thiago is amazing, and his name is now being bandied about as a candidate for player of the year. The guy has set an all time EPL scoring record with six games remaining, what more do you want from him?

vs Atletico Madrid, April 8, 2026
Champions League, Quarterfinal Home Tie


Our failure to get an away goal in Madrid means that we have to win this match outright. I think we can do that, but Atletico is certainly capable of nabbing a 1-1 or 2-2 draw if we're not careful.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Quiboulaz, Laux, Loseille, Maloney, Shirra, Parr, Stringel, Mujkic (c), Thiago.
Subs: Kocsis, Cirjak, Hammatt, Bailey, Ünsal, Allan, Mercado.

We're careful, and we're good. Parr scores a half volley shot when he gets free in the area thanks to an overlapping Steve Reed run at 19 minutes, and then Laux gives us the comfort of a two goal cushion after Quiboulaz earns a free kick near the byline just before Atletico can retreat and regroup in the lockers. The second half doesn't get any better for the second sons of Madrid, first 20-year-old David Maloney wins a crucial possession battle very far up the pitch and Thiago sends the ensuing pass inside the far corner to make it three-nil. Ten minutes later Shahed Parr gets four Atletico defenders to chase him to the near post, leaving Stringel completely unmarked and awaiting the cutback pass. Atletico's goal in the 84th minute is ignored by 28,000 cheering fans, we're going back to the Semifinals.

Man of the Match: Shahed Parr




Wrexham (4) 4-1 (1) Atletico



I'm surprised that 22-year-old Isaac Stringel isn't in the mix, he won it last year, but Laux or Reed would both be worthy winners.



Southampton's run comes to an end, though they did have the lead for 12 minutes in the first half. It means a rematch of the 2021 FA Cup Final when we brush past Bolton in our semi.

vs Bolton Wanderers, April 12, 2026
FA Cup, Semifinal


The Wanderers have had a lucky run to this match, we're the first Premiership side they've faced. I hope they enjoyed it, and enjoy playing under the lights of Wembley, because they won't be enjoying the result.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Quiboulaz, Laux, Loseille, Bailey, Ünsal, Mercado, Allan, Mujkic (c), Thiago.
Subs: Kocsis, Cirjak, Tounkara, Maloney, Shirra, Parr, Stringel.

A drubbing for the ages was witnessed by the national television audience and the 90,000 live at Wembley. Bolton didn't get a single shot off the entire game, and managed only 33% possession, and there were no surprises to be had. The fans got to enjoy the Thiago show, as he scored twice in the first half hour and then again after 62 minutes to provide all the offense on a day where the gap between leagues was clearly delineated.

Man of the Match: Thiago




Wrexham 3-0 Bolton



He's so great.



It wouldn't be the same if it were anyone else.



United crunched Chelsea in Manchester, and will play Juventus in the other semifinal. I get the feeling that we're fated to meet in the finals.



He's got 19 Acceleration and 16 Pace to go along with 13 Dribbling. Any offensive player trying to stop him from going forward is going to get blown out of their boots.



Not as badly as anyone trying to stop Loseille, though. 19 Acceleration and 18 Pace to go with 14 Dribbling. This dude is a better winger than most actual wingers.

At Huddersfield Town, April 18, 2026
Premier League


We're flying high, and up against a club that was pegged for relegation but which has instead held steady in the top half for nearly the whole season. I send out the vivace, Huddersfield has had a good defense and I want to make sure to grab a goal early.

Starting Formation: 4-4-2 Vivace
Starting 11: Minami, Cirjak, Quiboulaz, Hammatt, Enrique, Mercado, Mujkic (c), Shirra, Stringel, Thiago.
Subs: Kocsis, Reed, Tounkara, Loseille, Ünsal, Allan, Parr.

We get that early goal, as Stringel scores in the third minute. On that same play, though, Hammatt is injured and forced out of the match. The early subsitution throws off our rhythm for the remainder of the game. Our attacks repeatedly break down in the final third, and we're stymied in our efforts to pad the lead. Hammatt's absence is noted when Huddersfield equalize in the 73rd minute from a corner that our two meter tall centerback could have certainly cleared had he been in the game. The draw costs us a chunk of our cushion over Man U, we remain three points ahead of them with five games to play.




Huddersfield 1-1 Wrexham



That could have been a lot worse, though it was bad enough as is considering we dropped points after he was taken out of the match.



I will not stop pushing his awards case until the world properly takes notice of the greatest scorer in a decade.

vs Bayern Munich, April 21, 2026
Champions League, Semifinal Home Tie


The biggest team in Germany is back after a down year saw them lose the Bundesliga to Leverkusen. Bayern features a number of excellent players, from Wrexham alums Patrice Morvan and Piero Argenti to superstar striker Niklas Duhnke, to longtime object of my desire Rodrigo Jiminez. We need a solid win here, and a clean sheet is a must.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Tounkara, Laux, Loseille, Shirra, Ünsal, Mercado, Stringel, Mujkic (c), Thiago.
Subs: Kocsis, Cirjak, Enrique, Maloney, Bailey, Allan, Parr.

Bayern is bossed around like it's no thing. The Munich club didn't come to play, looking more like Bolton than Huddersfield as we maraud on their half of the pitch for the entire match. A Thiago and Stringel quickfire double in the first half gives us a commanding lead, and we end up with a three goal victory heading into the away leg when Meteor confounds the keeper in the 76th minute.

Man of the Match: Meteor Mujkic




Wrexham 3-0 Bayern



Thiago's up to 12 goals scored in the Champions League. That's some way's off Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 17 in a single campaign, but it's still good enough to put him three up on second place Isaac Stringel and five ahead of third place Rocky Bastable.



This is actually good news. Laux will miss the trip to Berlin, but now we don't have to worry about the rock of our defense missing the final because of accumulated yellow cards.



Not long now until the World Cup. With the end of the year shaping up like it is we're going to have a wild May and June.



I want Justin Bailey to make that team. This is really his last chance to make an impact for his nation, he's 31 now and might have retired before the next World Cup rolls around.



I wonder how Thiago's chant goes?

“Thiago, Thiago, Thiago!
You are the best ever bro!
Defenders look like they're in Slo-Mo!
When facing mighty mighty Thiago!”

Probably better than that. Hopefully.

vs Southampton, April 23, 2026
Premier League


The steady march of games has caused me to stock our bench with rookies, though our starting lineup is largely unchanged from the normal cast of characters. Southampton are yet another solid midtable club, in 12th place as this match kicks off.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Minami, Cirjak, Quiboulaz, Laux, Enrique, Maloney, Bailey, Parr, Allan, Mujkic (c), Thiago.
Subs: Kocsis, Reed, Spyropoulos, Zouaghi, Bouzid, Blyth, Hayes.

Shahed Parr and Thiago do work, and we're cruising to a comfortable win as the game winds down. Then things get techy when Southampton scrap their way back into the contest with an 82nd minute goal. The ref hands out three yellow cards, two of them in stoppage time, as we slog through the final minutes of a match that Souton had no business being in.

Man of the Match: Mateo Mujkic




Wrexham 2-1 Southampton



So much for being on a cold streak. Since I mentioned that he'd found net in just one of five matches Thiago has scored seven in his last six games and is back to his standard metronomic perfection.



This is their first relegation since coming up in 2007-2008 and comes a year after they finished 6th. Stoke can look forward to the Europa League next year, though, and winning the League Cup is a laudable achievement for any non-megabastard club. Heck, we've only won it once ourselves and we're looking mighty bastard-ish these days.



Barring a disaster in Munich we're going to be playing for our second European Cup a week after we play for our second FA Cup. We've also got a three point lead over United in the league with only four games left to play; given our goal differential advantage we'll claim our third league title in four years by taking care of business against Burnley, West Ham, and West Brom.