Welcome back to the Party at the Palace. If you haven't caught any of the previous posts, you can start from the beginning here.
Right, let's get to the start of the new episode.
When we left the season we had struggled to find any sort of form in the League. Its possible that we haven't really adapted to the level of competition in the Champions League.
Previously in the Europa League and the Europa League Conference there were times where we were facing lesser teams and could offer a really strong rotation and a decent rest to more players.
This year we find ourselves playing huge clubs week in week out in the Champions League and I am desperate to do well in that competition.
With that being said lets see if we were able to strengthen the squad during January.
January Transfer Window
As mentioned above the squad needed some additions to help with the extra load which comes with being competitive in the Champions League. Lets see who has joined the cause.
Once again we are looking for bargains and players who are happy to play second fiddle to the more established starters. Lets look at them in depth.
Adam Roslin joins us from Malmo FF for £2.2 million.
A perfect back up centre back that will improve with time. A decent start to the additions.
Henrique joins us from Atletico Mineiro in Brazil.
You just have to look at his attributes to see he is going to be a star.
Add that to playing as his countryman, Marcos Leonardo's understudy he has the perfect mentor. All for £14 million.
We return to South America once again to pick up Ignacio Pizzicanella from River Plate for £7.5 million.
There is some work to be done here but he will offer good back up options for Patterson at right back.
Last but not least we have Mirko Criscuolo who has joined on loan from Milan for the rest of the season.
A young left wing back with some potential so we will have a good look at him to see if making the move a permanent one.
Unfortunately there were two key departures and ones that I could not stop.
Nico Adam never quite took his chance when filling in for Leonardo and when Dortmund came knocking I knew his head would be turned.
Signed for £13 million its another example of turning a profit.
Tyrick Mitchell was one of the final Palace originals from when we took over. Again as soon as Madrid came knocking I knew he was destined to leave. Luckily we have a ready made first team replacement in Gautam End who has developed into a cracking left back.
Looking at around £75 million pound profit in this window.
January 2030
We roll into the first action of 2030 after an absolutely chaotic December. January sees us play 4 gams in the league at 2 crucial Champions league games as we bid to qualify in the top 8 of the League Phase.
Nice to see a bit of form. Two players definitely on form were Schjelderup and Leonardo who grabbed all 8 of our league goals between them. Leonardo with a stunning hattrick against City.
A good start to 2030 in the league.
We move onto the Champions League, needing wins in both games to secure our place in the top 8 of the league phase. Make or break for our season.
Its making our season at the moment. We secure top 8 in fantastic style with two huge victories. We weren't supposed to make it out of the group, yet here we are finishing in the Top 8 and automatically qualifying for the round of 16. Check out the final table below.
Little old Palace sitting pretty in 3rd place. Its a brilliant achievement.
February 2030
With us automatically qualifying for the Round of 16 in the Champions League we have a shorter month this month. You would think its time to rotate and recover, but then you see the fixtures.
Chelsea, United and Arsenal. We are going to need everyone to be at their best for this run of games.
It wasn't enough. We lose three on the bounce only scoring in one of the games. This is the difference between finish 8th, where we finish every year and powering into the top 6. We cannot regularly beat these teams.
Shout out to Henrique who gets his first goal in English Football.
The Draw for the Round of 16 in the Champions League was made in February and even though we were seeded for the draw there were no easy games, as you'd expect. I feel that the draw could have been kinder however.
March 2030
March sees no let up in terms of tough away ties as we face Liverpool and Spurs on the road as well as Liverpool home and away in the Champions League.
Could feel like a long month.
We lose 5 out of 6 games across February and March in the league which all but destroys our chances of breaking into the elusive top 6.
Our season could hinge on the Champions League and any domestic cup performance, again!
How do we keep doing this in knock out competitions?
After a close defeat away at Anfield we put in a phenomenal performance in front of a sell out crowd at Selhurst Park. First half goals from Mudryk and Leonardo see us run out 3-2 winners on aggregate. Into the quarter finals we go!!!
Youth Intake 2030
We welcome the latest youth recruits to the club. There wasn't much to shout about in the preview but sometimes there is a diamond in the rough.
Its a tough Intake again without anyone standing out straight away. Hopefully one will shine through after a few months of training.
April 2030
We start April with the draw for the Quarter Finals of the Champions League. As you can imagine we are a small fish in a very very big pond.
Another all English tie as we face London rivals Spurs. We will be at home for the second leg which will be a huge advantage!
Back to the league and the season is very much drawing to a close for us. A sticky few months of form has seen us fall away from the top 6 and the best we can hope for is a top half finish to keep the board happy.
It was a kind fixture run and one that got some rotation in with two eyes firmly on the Spurs tie coming up. Henrique once again grabbed his opportunity with a brace against Norwich.
Time for the Champions League Quarter Final.
OH WOW.
Its a carbon copy of the games against Liverpool as we lose a tight game away from home before stunning our opponents at Selhurst Park.
We were the better team by far in the second leg and fully deserved the turnaround. INTO THE SEMI FINALS.
May 2030
May begins with the draw for the Champions League Semi Finals. Unfortunately, somebody forgot to take record of this. As I am sure you can imagine there was no easy draw.
We drew Arsenal, Our third all English tie in a row.
It is also the last month of the Premier League season and as we have almost nothing to play for it was time for rotation and put all our eggs into the Champions League Basket.
Little shout out to Stamatis Galanopoulos who has broken through the youth ranks to play a bit part this season.
Definitely the best player we have produced during our time at the club.
Right its time for the Semi Finals.
I CAN NOT BELIEVE IT!
We turn up in these big cup competitions! We rode our luck at times and two late goals in the first tie were key in the end.
Our Debut season in the Champions League and we are in the final!
June 2030 - The Champions League Final.
We are in uncharted territory as we prepare for the biggest game in the clubs history. Lets see who we will be playing.
What a monumental task we have in store. But one we are relishing and if I have learnt anything about this team its that we turn up in knockout cup competitions.
One more huge effort needed.
CRYSTAL PALACE ARE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS
Marcos Leonardo cements himself into Palace folklore with a stunning Hattrick to seal the most unlikely of victories!
Domestic Cups
Lets check out how we got on in the domestic cups.
League Cup
We bow out of the League Cup at the Semi Final stage. A good effort but we were chasing bigger fish this season.
FA Cup
Chasing our 3rd FA Cup in a row we fell at the final hurdle losing in the Semi Final to Chelsea.
Final Premier League Table
Its actually a disappointing league campaign but I'm not sure I would swap that Champions League victory for anything at this stage.
We also made the Semi's of both cups! I just do not think we are destined to win this League. There are just so many good teams in it.
With that being said I think it is time we turn the music down, raise the lights and end the party on a high, As Champions of Europe and as you will see below a Palace Icon.
This was supposed to just be a BETA save when FM23 was released and we are now fast approaching the Half way Update it seems fitting to leave it there
Thanks to all who have read along with this adventure, it has been one of my most memorable that's for sure.
Cheers
Panda
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