Don’t Come Monday…

March

 

Serie A – Cittadella v Juventus (Home)

To my astonishment, we draw first blood 5 minutes in to this match, by way of an incisive counter-attack.
Juventus came back at us, but we held on til Half Time to regroup.

Our lone-striker Lucarelli goes so close to scoring his and Cittadella’s 2nd just after Half-Time; his shot skewing just wide of the far post.

Having made all 3 substitutions late in the match, an injury to our midfielder meant that we would be forced to finish this one with 10 men.

Defensive shouts could be heard ringing from my Technical Area, as Juventus kept plugging away looking to spoil our party at Home.

4 minutes of Added Time were signaled, and our ‘Keeper was busy as ever, making several saves at full stretch to retain our slim lead. The referee finally blows the Full-Time whistle past the 95 minute mark, and just as Juventus were crossing a low ball into our 6 yard box. A nervous, nail-biting win and against 1st place no less!

Final Score: Cittadella 1-0 Juventus (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Serie A – Udinese v Cittadella (Away)

A corner on 2 minutes almost yields a goal, a header rebounding back off the crossbar.

We concede a penalty as is the norm, 7 minutes in and 1-0 down.

A pinpoint cross from the left and powerful header from Lucarelli equalises the teams on 22 minutes. A free header from a corner on 31 minutes allows Udinese to edge in front again.

A lucky rebound falls to Lucarelli who scores his 2nd to even the scores again on 62 minutes.

71 minute mark, and a Free Kick is laid of to midfielder Chuks Aneke who powers home at the top of the 18-yard box for Cittadella’s 3rd, and his very 1st for the club.

A deflected cross falls to Left Winger, Janzer to tuck it home on 75 minutes. Then on 79 minutes we win a penalty (for a change). Lucarelli steps up and buries it to record his hat-trick.

At just 20 years old, he has now become the club’s top League goal-scorer with 41. He also sets a new mark for assists in a season, with 11 so far.

Final Score: Udinese 2-5 Cittadella (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Ominous signs…

A new chairman has now been installed at Cittadella, and the message below comes to my inbox…

Serie A – Cittadella v Cagliari (Home)

This match got off to an uneventful start, with nothing of note taking place in the 1st Half, aside from my team’s 4x Yellow Cards…

A good 1-on-1 save keeps us in the game at around the 60 minute mark. 84 minutes in, and an unmarked header from a corner gives Cagliari the lead.

A new-found belief in my side was not to be denied, and our equaliser came on 94 minutes, again from a corner tucked away at the near-post.

Final Score: Cittadella 1-1 Cagliari (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

International Friendly – India v Iraq (Away)

This match was back and forth before my Iraq side eventually took the lead on 34 minutes; a corner and subsequent headed effort.

The only other talking point of the match was Iraq’s second goal, coming on 58 minutes after some good buildup play opens India’s defence.

Final Score: India 0-2 Iraq (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Serie A – Brescia v Cittadella (Away)

After a point-blank save on 16 minutes, we then give away a penalty which is converted to give Brescia the early lead. Their 2nd came just 15 minutes later, a shot bouncing off the crossbar and finding their nearby striker’s head for a simple finish.

Despite great efforts in the previous 3 League matches, we never threatened in this one.

Final Score: Brescia 2-0 Cittadella (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Sacked

Immediately after the match, our first loss in the last 4 League matches, my tenure as Manager of Cittadella had come to an end. (Message below)

Next month, Next blog

So, with no club position, I only have Iraq’s matches ahead of me for the time being.

Next matches for us are 3x World Cup Qualifiers. An away trip to China before hosting both Japan and Jordan at Baghdad.

Stem the Flow

February 2017

Serie A – Cittadella v Sampdoria (Home)

We started this match with a  defensive mindset, restricting Sampdoria to long-range efforts early on. Pretty uneventful 1st half, as the teams remained locked at nil-all.

The 2nd Half was more of the same, and a draw was on the horizon, before conceding a penalty in the 75th minute saw parity slip away.

The game was summed up by our inability to test the visitors, finishing without a single shot on target.

Final Score: Cittadella 0-1 Sampdoria (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

International Friendly – Northern Mariana v Iraq (Away)

I have to admit, I required Google Maps to locate the small islands of Northern Mariana; East of the Philippines as it were.

The match started as expected, with Iraq taking the lead in under a minute by way of an Own Goal.

More surprisingly, the score remained 1-0 for another 30-odd minutes, an attacking run by our Left Back who delivered an accurate cross for our Striker the catalyst.

The only other moment to note was a fluke goal scored from the right flank. An intended cross looped over a flailing Mariana ‘Keeper and nestled into the net.

Final Score: Northern Mariana 0-4 Iraq (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Serie A – Inter Milan v Cittadella (Away)

Our Goalkeeper was called into action early and often, his first save coming on 2 minutes with a full-stretch effort. Despite a continual barrage, we held the Home side out for the entire 1st half.

Once again, a Penalty would be our demise, 66 minutes on the clock as Inter broke the deadlock. Any hopes of a sneaky point were buried with Inter’s 2nd goal on 73 minutes.

Final Score Inter 2-0 Cittadella (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Serie A – Cittadella v A.C. Milan (Home)

Desperate defence was the only thing that held Milan out in this match, but only for the first 35 minutes. A tame effort from the edge of the box allowed the Visitors to take the lead.

The 3rd penalty in as many games was conceded, and scored, this time on the stroke of Half-Time.

The 2nd Half was a non-event, neither team producing anything of note.

Final Score: Cittadella 0-2 A.C. Milan (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Serie A – Torino v Cittadella (Away)

So, coming through some tough matches against the 2 sides of Milan with minimal damage was the hard part, right?

Wrong.

Torino were in no mood to muck around, and had us down by a goal in 5 minutes.

Our equaliser came a few minutes later, a lucky rebound falling to our Striker. This was to no avail, as Torino ran rampant on a frozen field, knocking a further 4 past us over the remaining minutes.

A really poor effort, and not even our seemingly monthly Morale-Boosting meetings can save us now.

Final Score: Torino 5-1 Cittadella (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

League Table

Once again, the Table at the end of the month is a horror-story.

Next month, Next blog

With rumours surrounding my immediate future at Cittadella, as well as an impending Board Takeover, I’m not sure how many of March’s 3 scheduled League fixtures I will see. Current Serie A leaders Juventus pay us a visit, as does Cagliari; whilst Away days at Udinese and Brescia are also slated.

Another friendly for Iraq next month, traveling to India this time around.

My Kingdom for a Win

January 2017

Serie A – Cittadella v Bologna (Home)

Bologna came calling, and made it pretty difficult for us, as we struggled to keep a hold of the ball early on. Despite their domination, our defence restricted their chances to long-range.

Cittadella’s best chance came in 2nd Half Injury Time, creating some space in the box only to fire straight at a waiting Bologna Goalkeeper.

A lucky point to be fair, considering the stack of shots and possession afforded to Bologna.

Final Score: Cittadella 0-0 Bologna (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Asian Cup Qualifier – Tajikistan v Iraq (Away)

Iraq open the scoring after only 3 minutes, carving open a sluggish defence and smashing the ball away.

The home Nation refused to make things easy for us, attempting to hit us on the counter and keep us on our toes. To this end, Tajikistan find an equaliser at the 39 minute-mark.

The lead is taken by Tajikistan midway through the 2nd half, their striker belting the ball home from 3 yards. Iraq clawed the scores back level soon after, a spilled save falling kindly at our own striker’s feet.

A solid away-point was within reach until Tajikistan somehow find an Injury Time winner.

Final Score: Tajikistan 3-2 Iraq (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Serie A – Cittadella v Roma (Home)

Our old ways emerged in this match, Roma scoring first and early from a Free Kick on 4 minutes. The curling shot leaving our ‘Keeper looking like a statue.

Things went from bad to worse, with Roma’s 2nd goal coming via a point-blank header on 10 minutes.

We started to work our way further into the match in the 2nd Half, keeping the ball and creating more chances. It was to no avail though as the chances we did create we snatched at and really didn’t give our Home fans much hope.

Final Score: Cittadella 0-2 Roma (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Serie A – Cittadella v Lazio (Home)

We started this match as we had the previous one, our GK picking the ball out of our net in under 2 minutes. Another close-range header giving us no chance.

On 13 minutes, an unmarked header of our own gave us an equaliser from a Free Kick. Embarrassingly, Centre-Half Ignacio Fideleff is currently Cittadella’s top scorer with this his 5th goal.

Lazio’s lead was to be restored under 10 minutes later, another poor defensive effort from a corner. Some more slack defending allowed Lazio to score their 3rd soon after, a near post tap-in.

Only a superb reaction save from Cittadella custodian Marwin Hitz stopped Lazio scoring again in the 64th minute. They were to get their 4th anyway, Hitz leaving his near post exposed for Lazio to exploit.

Final Score: Cittadella 1-4 Lazio (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Signings

With the January transfer window in full swing, and money in the bank from some recent co-ownership deals with fellow Italian clubs (one of which netted an initial €6 Million), I decided to look for some improvements at Left Back and Left Midfield. Below are screenshots of those signings. (Click to enlarge)

Dodo – Left Back – €1.7 Million signing from Mallorca

Yoshimar Yotun – Left Midfielder – €200k signing from Cagliari

Asian Cup Qualifier – Iraq v Bahrain (Home)

A disastrous Own-Goal from our Centre-Half at 7 minutes was an omen for things to come in this one.

Only our crossbar saved us from conceding again on 40 minutes from a Free kick. Bahrain weren’t to be denied though, scoring their 2nd just before Half-Time.

Another Own-Goal after the break all but confirmed a Home loss for Iraq, the first in my tenure.

Final Score: Iraq 0-3 Bahrain (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Asian Cup Qualifiers Table

After the first 2 group matches, this is how the table looks (click to enlarge)

Serie A – Genoa v Cittadella (Away)

After some initial back and forth, we conceded a penalty on 14 minutes. This was blasted over the bar, luckily for us.

Our luck was to run out less than 10 minutes later however, a through ball slicing us open and allowing Genoa to take the lead from a tidy finish.

Some quick passing through the centre of the park worked our way forward to score an equaliser on 34 minutes. Genoa made sure they went to the break with their lead intact, an accurate headed goal from a corner the difference.

Genoa’s 3rd cam on 60 minutes, a first-time effort from the edge of the box ensuring we would once again walk away with nothing to show for our efforts.

Final Score: Genoa 3-1 Cittadella (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

League Table

Below is the Serie A League Table as it stands. Still just 1 win to our credit, and looking ever-more ominous for the fledgling club. (Click to enlarge)

Next month, Next blog

Cittadella have 4 matches in February, facing both sides of Milan a week apart being the highlight.

Iraq have just the 1 match, a Friendly visiting Northern Mariana, wherever the hell they are….

Drawn and Quartered

November 2016

Serie A – Atalanta v Cittadella (Away)

It was almost another disastrous start, with Atalanta having a 2nd minute strike ruled out for Offside. Besides that, it was a fairly even 1st Half, with both teams having chances blocked or turned away by their respective GK’s.

The 2nd Half began in the same manner, and the deadlock wasn’t broken until the 54th minute, a curling strike from just inside the box beating our ‘Keeper all ends up. As an aside, this goal went on to win Goal of the Month.

Despite losing the possession battle by a long way, I was fairly happy with our ability to restrict high-flying Atalanta to speculative chances.

Final Score: Atalanta 1-0 Cittadella (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

World Cup Qualifiers – Oman v Iraq (Away)

This match started very well, as Iraqi striker Amjad Radhi made the most of our 1st shot on 13 minutes, his 10th International goal. (Video below)

An own-goal resulting from a goalmouth scramble undid our good work, the scores back level on 34 minutes.

At the 87 minute mark, Iraqi heads drop as a deserved Away point goes begging care of a scrappy goal.

Final Score: Oman 2-1 Iraq (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

It is becoming glaringly obvious that Iraq’s matches at our native Baghdad are our best chance at qualification. (World Cup Qualifiers Table below click to enlarge)

International Friendly – Bhutan v Iraq (Away)

Club form seems to be catching on the International scene, as we concede a penalty in just the 2nd minute and gift Bhutan the lead.

It didn’t take long for us to draw level, a nice headed goal from a Free Kick delivery on 10 minutes. The team seemed to lift again, and a 2nd Iraqi goal flew in at around the 24th minute.

From there, we were creating plenty of chances without finishing them. Then in 2nd Half injury-time, young winger Daghagheleh scores his 1st International goal to ensure an Iraqi victory in what is essentially a meaningless match.

Final Score: Bhutan 1-3 Iraq (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Serie A – Napoli v Cittadella (Away)

A calamitous own-goal on 7 minutes from former Napoli, and now Cittadella Centre-Half Ignacio Fideleff was a sure sign this was not to be our day. There was to be no doubt just 2 minutes later, as Napoli conspired to humiliate us with their 2nd goal in as many shots.

Not content with that, we yet again conceded just before Half-Time.

The 2nd Half started brighter, with more possession yielding a few fleeting chances of our own. At 70 minutes, Napoli turned the screw with their 4th goal.

A 1-on-1 effort provided some consolation for the traveling Cittadella fans on 88 minutes, but it was the be scratched out just 2 minutes later with another shocking own-goal.

Final Score: Napoli 5-1 Cittadella (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

International Friendly – Cambodia v Iraq (Away)

The story of this game was undoubtedly striker Amjad Radhi and his 4-goal haul.

I won’t even begin to give an account of this game, it was simply (and predictably) no contest.

Final Score: Cambodia 0-5 Iraq (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Serie A – Cittadella v Lecce (Home)

This match was one of 2 at Home against teams in and around the Relegation Zone. A perfect chance to make some progress in the league.

We started well in front of our local fans, keeping the ball well without finding the final product. Our inability to find the net would come back to haunt us, as Lecce drew 1st blood with a long-range effort on 27 minutes.

We remained unable to breakdown Lecce, and lost our grip on the possession battle as the game wore on, continually wasting our chances to score.

Final Score: Cittadella 0-1 Lecce (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Serie A – Cittadella v Juve Stabia (Home)

This was an absolutely epic match. Defensively, both sides were bottom of the table for a reason.

We again conceded the first goal, this time in under a minute. 7 minutes later, we equalised from a back-stick header as a result of a corner. It seems as though we are becoming something of a set-piece specialty.

12 minutes in, and parity slips away again thanks in large part to some truly awful defending. The teams were to reach the break on level terms once again, this time from a deep cross and headed finish on 39 minutes.

Another goal supplied from a set-piece at the 51 minute-mark, as we take the lead for the first time in this battle. Unmarked striker Bruno Fornaroli extends our lead with a diving header 15 minutes later.

Juve Stabia weren’t done though, as they sent hearts racing reducing the deficit to just 1 with 5 minutes remaining.

88 minutes, and frustratingly we snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat, allowing Juve Stabia to score the equaliser.

Without question one of the most frustrating matches I have been a part of in my career so far. Just devoid of an ability to start or finish with any kind of authority.

I would have uploaded Match Highlights, but I was close to throwing the laptop so thought I’d better get out of the house for a while.

Final Score: Cittadella 4-4 Juve Stabia (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

League Table

Below is the latest League Table at the end of November. It does not make for pretty reading…

Next month, Next blog

With no matches on the International scene for Iraq, I only have to focus on the perilous situation I find my Cittadella team in.

That being said, we only have 3 League matches before the Winter Break. Away trips to Palermo and Catania, as well as hosting Fiorentina.

A Win, and Three Funerals

October 2016

Serie A – Cittadella v Torino (Home)

Things did not start well in this match, with the opening goal coming from the visitors in just under 13 minutes. Although we struggled to hold the ball for any length of time, Torino found it harder to break us down it seemed.

Then came the late-game collapse that I have started to expect. It was 2-0 on 72 minutes, then a third flew in 10 minutes later. Just to leave the Home fans with no doubt who was in control here, the visitors again troubled the scorers with the 4th and final goal late in Injury Time.

Final Score: Cittadella 0-4 Torino (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

World Cup Qualifier – Jordan v Iraq (Away)

Domestic troubles were put aside for a short while as I prepared my Iraqi team for the trip to Jordan.

Having struggled to get anything from our previous 2 Away trips in this Qualification campaign, I was hoping to turn that around.

Overall, this was a very even match, with both Nations testing out each others Defensive capabilities. After much back and forth, the deadlock was finally broken by the Jordan side after 84 minutes as they capitalised on some sloppy defending from a corner.

Fearing the Away day would again amount to nought, I was delighted when 19 year-old debutante Vahid Daghaghaleh swung in an accurate cross from his Left Wing position, allowing our Striker to head home a deserved equaliser.

Final Score: Jordan 1-1 Iraq

Serie A – Juventus v Cittadella (Away)

To say I expected another whipping here would be an understatement.

Once again, we were chasing the ball for large portions of this match. Despite this, we reached Half-Time only 1 goal down after conceding from the first corner of the match in the 2nd minute.

Sending the team out from the break with fresh instructions; “Try not to get belted here lads”, I was heartened to see us sneak an equaliser with 60 minutes on the clock. It wasn’t a pretty goal, the result of a Free-Kick and ensuing Goalmouth scramble, but I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth!

My relative joy was short-lived, as a now rampant Juve regained the lead just 6 minutes later. Further strikes on 70 and 79 minutes consigned my Cittadella side to yet another embarrassing defeat.

As a side-note, an injury to our Right Back after having used all 3 substitutions meant that we finished with 10 men.

Final Score: Juventus 4-1 Cittadella (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Serie A – Cittadella v Udinese (Home)

Before this match, a Newspaper had run an article quoting another Serie A manager as saying “Cittadella have enough about them to keep their heads above water”. In response, I issued a statement that I “…was not willing to entertain thoughts of relegation this early in the season.” Truth be told, I was beginning to have my doubts.

And with that, we were preparing to welcome a Udinese side not without their own struggles to our stadium.

The match started in typical fashion, as we conceded with just 9 minutes gone. Unlike previous games, we were holding our share of the ball, and on 21 minutes the equaliser came.

Central Midfielder, Chuks Aneke received his 2nd yellow on 68 minutes, and my heart sank. Here, when the game was in our hands, were we going to have it torn away again??

To my delight and surprise, the team really held on and a well-played draw was within reach. Until the unexpected happened.

At the 82 minute-mark, a looping cross to the far post was guided home by Cittadella Winger, Janzer to send the Home fans into delirium.

The Final whistle could not come quick enough, but when it did we had secured our first win in Serie A for the season!

Final Score: Cittadella 2-1 Udinese (Match Highlights and screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Serie A – Cagliari v Cittadella (Away)

With a lift in spirits and belief, we took to the task of Cagliari with earnest. You would never have known it though, as yet again we concede inside 10 minutes, making the job all the more difficult.

An equaliser came our way through a corner which was headed past a flailing GK on 35 minutes.

We were getting fairly pumped, with shots flying at us from all areas. Just after Half-Time, Cagliari were reduced to 10-men following a rash challenge in midfield.

Our sides were not to be split over the course of the game, a flattering result when you consider we only produced 1 solitary shot in anger, luckily becoming our equaliser.

Still, it was an Away point, and if we can sneak those more often than not, I will be a happier Manager.

Final Score: Cagliari 1-1 Cittadella (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Serie A – Cittadella v Brescia (Home)

You could set a clock to the way we play. Bloody awful for the first 15-20 minutes. This was evidenced by yet another very early goal conceded (10 minutes). To be fair, it was a fast Counter-Attacking raid that caught us short, but it can’t be excused when it happens almost every match.

Our token equaliser came from another corner, this time on 63 minutes. Defensive errors cost us again, allowing a free-header on 80 minutes which deflected off the crossbar and then off the rear-end of our Goalkeeper, unfortunately going down as an Own Goal.

It doesn’t take a genius to see that our extremely poor starts both Home and Away are really costing us lately. Something has got to give.

Final Score: Cittadella 1-2 Brescia (screenshot below; click to enlarge)

Next month, Next blog

November for Cittadella is an interesting one. With things beginning to take shape in Serie A, we have 2 Away matches against Top 10 opponents in the shape of Atalanta and Napoli; as well as ending the month hosting the other 2 teams currently in the Drop Zone with us, Lecce and Juve Stabia.

Iraq have a series of matches away from Baghdad, traveling to Oman for our next World Cup Qualifier, before a few friendlies against Bhutan and Cambodia.

Domestic Pain – International Gain

September 2016

World Cup Qualifier – Iraq v China (Home)

With Iraq’s last WC Qualifier against Japan ending in a 1-4 drubbing in Tokyo, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a visiting Chinese team.

This would be Midfield stalwart Nashat Akram’s 150th cap for his country, and didn’t he know it!

Akram opened the scoring in the match at the 27 minute-mark. As he jinked around a hapless Japanese GK before tucking the ball away, I started to think we could give the home fans something to savour.

The whole match was an open affair, with both teams seeing their fair share of possession. A penalty was awarded to us on 55 minutes, and that man Akram stepped up to fairly smash the spot-kick into the roof of the net.

Iraq were looking comfortable, and really never looked like losing this one, although China did manage to pull one back with about 8 minutes left to play.

2-1 the Final Score, and a day to remember for 2-goal hero Nashat Akram.

Below is the World Cup Qualifiers table, as it stands. (Click to enlarge)

World Cup Qualifiers table, as at October 2016

Serie A – Cittadella v Genoa (Home)

This match had everything, not least goals!

A club-record and capacity crowd of 7,623 were on hand to witness a very entertaining match. At least for the neutral anyway…

Going a goal down in 12 minutes was not part of our plan. Throwing away a 2-goal lead with the last kick of the match was also not part of any plan I had drawn up. An exciting highlights package is available below… (Cittadella are wearing the maroon strip)

As disappointing as it was to drop 2 points in our first Home match of the season, it was pleasing to see some more direction from the players over the course of the game.

International Friendly – Iraq v Indonesia (Home)

This match was a good chance to test out a 19 year-old GK who will soon be taking over from the “old guard”.

The youngster did well between the sticks, as did the rest of the team. Focusing on possession and passing, I wasn’t too worried that we only finished this match 2-0.

International Friendly – Iraq v Oman (Home)

Another stunning match for any fan of football here. Oman took the early lead from their first corner, and then doubled that with a well-worked Free Kick.

Iraq suddenly burst into life, and within 34 minutes of the opening whistle, young Striker  Mostafa Karim had a hat-trick (video below)

It ended up a close-run thing, with Iraq hanging on 5-4 at the sound of the Final whistle.

Serie A – Sampdoria v Cittadella (Away)

Until the news item appeared on my screen, I had no idea that Andre Villas-Boas was at the helm of Sampdoria.

That being said, it didn’t change any of my preparations for the match.

Nothing too remarkable about this one, except for the fact that both Sampdoria’s goals in the 2-0 loss came in Injury time of each Half.

Serie A – Cittadella v Inter (Home)

And so the first BIG test for this side still trying to find their feet was upon us.

Sent out with Defensive tactics, we were barely hanging on before Inter broke the deadlock after a 22 minute barrage.

Changing to a more Counter-Attacking approach saw us start to gain a firmer footing on this match, and an equaliser arrived at the 35 minute mark.

Inter were struggling to put this one to bed, and may have been ruing missed chances had it not been for their 60th minute piledriver. Our Goalkeeper could do nothing but watch as the rocket rebounded off the post, off the back of his head and crawl into the vacant net.

Possession was quite good, with 52% in our favour. The difference was purely the quality, and having just 1 shot on target over the 90 minutes was never going to be enough.

Final Score: Cittadella 1-2 Inter.

Injury Report

During the loss at Home to Inter Milan, 1st choice Right Back, Dimitri Foulquier succumbed to a calf injury that has ruled him out of action for 4 months. News item below (Click to enlarge)

1st choice RB Dimitri Foulquier will be out inured for 4 months

Serie A – A.C Milan v Cittadella (Away)

I approached this match with a sliver of hope, given the team’s ability to keep the other half of Milan relatively in-check just 4 days earlier.

Setting the team up with an extra Defensive Midfielder, my plan was to stem the flow of shots through the middle. It failed spectacularly.

AC were toying with us from the off, 12 shots and 19 minutes later, parity between our sides was lost thanks to a long-range effort.

We really were destroyed, and no matter what tweaks I made, it didn’t seem to matter to a rampant Milan.

Finishing in a 3-0 loss, and not a single shot in anger from us visitors, I felt lucky to have not been embarrassed even further to the tune of double-digits.

West Asian Football Championship – Group Stage

This tournament is basically like the European Championships, except (obviously) for West Asian nations.

Iraq had been drawn in a group with Bahrain and Lebanon.

The first match against Bahrain was a tough one. Either team could have won it on any given day. Luckily for me, Iraq were victorious by a score of 3-0; all goals coming in the 2nd Half.

The 2nd (and final) Group Match against host-nation Lebanon should have been an easier task. They weren’t here to be anybody’s “whipping boy” it turns out, and it took all of the 90 minutes for us to claw back from 2-down and restore parity as the 4th Official was calculating the Injury Time.

A draw was enough though, and Iraq had progressed to the Semi-Finals.

West Asian Football Championship – Semi Final – Iraq v Iran

Current holders of this title, Iran, were to be our next test.

The Iraqi FA had stipulated that this Semi-Final berth would satisfy their expectations, so whilst feeling safe in that knowledge, I of course wanted to progress to the Final and perhaps even WIN the bloody lot!

Star-Midfielder Nashat Akram was ruled out with a groin strain, which resulted in some minor shuffling in the middle of the park.

Pulling our usual Attacking Midfielder back to a more traditional Centre-Mid role failed to provide any spark, and within 37 minutes we were looking down the barrel of a 2-0 scoreline.

A spirited Half-Time talk fell on deaf ears it seems, as not 3 minutes after the restart, 2 had become 3.

Another poor start would cost us dearly, as although the team tried til the very last, a single goal on 56 minutes was our only reward.

Final Score: Iran 3-1 Iraq

Next month, next blog

October sees Cittadella taking part in the next 5 Serie A matches. The tough task doesn’t get any easier, with a trip to Juventus scheduled before hosting Udinese the next week.

Just the 1 fixture for Iraq though, an away trip to Jordan for the next World Cup Qualifier.

The Best Laid Plans….

The Next Step

Having inherited a team soon-to-be-promoted to Serie A, the next step in my managerial career began in earnest. Knowing that I wouldn’t have much of a Transfer Budget to throw around, I sent scouts all over Europe with Bosman on their brains.

Unlucky for some…

13 Free Transfers all told. Some players would instantly step into the First Team, others were signed to bolster stocks in a squad that would have been decimated if exposed to the common cold.

The little money I was afforded by the Board was spent, with €2.6M spread over another 4 players.

I have chosen a newly transferred player from each area of the pitch (GK, Defender, Midfielder and Attacker) to highlight with screenshots below. (Click to enlarge)

Marwin Hitz – signed on a Free Transfer from Roma

Ignacio Fideleff – Centre-Half signed on a Free Transfer from Napoli

Savvas Gentsoglou – Defensive Midfielder signed on a Free Transfer from Sampdoria

Bruno Fornaroli – Striker signed on a Free Transfer from Sampdoria

Bombs over Baghdad

As well as managing a club side, I have also been plying my trade on an International level.

Having short spells with Jamaica (and winning a Caribbean Championship), before moving on to a very short and equally unsuccessful stint with my very own Australia, I am now under the employ of the Iraqi Football Federation.

Before Cittadella’s matches turned from Pre-Season friendlies to matches of more hostility (and importance), Iraq had a Friendly encounter of their own, hosting India.

As expected, the Home Nation dominated the match from start to finish, the Final Score of 4-1 being the clearest indicator.

Belying the less-than-stellar opposition, this match produced some fine goals. 2 absolute belters and a precisely worked “Team-Goal” as shown on a highlights package below.

What’s My Name Again?

Before the International match could even kick-off, I noticed the appointed Chinese referee had quite an interesting name. Suffice to say, I was hoping none of my Iraqi players made him angry… (Click to enlarge)

You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry…

Gentlemen, Start your engines

My first competitive match at the helm of Cittadella was to be the Italian Cup 3rd Qualify Round clash, playing host to Serie B side Cesena.

The bookies heavily favoured us, but Cesena turned up with other plans. It took an Extra-Time penalty, but in fairness we never deserved anything from a match that saw us struggle to hold the ball, finishing the 120 minutes with 40% possession. All this in front of a Home crowd too!

The result and performance left me with no doubt that my formation and style of play needed some tweaking. I had been trying to stay away from a flat 4-4-2, but perhaps it would be a good place to start…

Below is my original formation.

A bit light-on in Midfield

You can’t win ’em all

The disappointment of the premature exit from Italian Cup competition didn’t have long to settle, before the Serie A opener rolled around.

Heading to Lazio would be an immense test of this fresh squad’s fortitude. The possession was far more even in this match, finishing 55-45 in Lazio’s favour. The scoreline was vastly different.

Getting hit on the break from a (unsurprisingly) superior team was the order of the day, the scoreboard reading 3-0 in under 30 minutes. Making some changes to the formation and style of play seemed to ease the pain, as did a Half-Time team talk focusing on an improved performance by all.

It seemed all was not lost when we pulled one back 3 minutes into the 2nd Half. A carefully whipped ball into the back-post from a Free Kick was met by a strong header from our Centre-Half.

Conceding a goal only served to spurn Lazio on, as they mirrored their strong start with a powerful finish – Final Score; Lazio 5-1 Cittadella.

Soul Searching

Even though it’s only 1 League match into the season, I am already confounded with tactical issues and potential solutions.

I didn’t expect otherwise, but this start has only served to confirm; this is going to be a long, hard season.

Next Month, Next Blog

As August gives way to September, Cittadella can look forward to 4x Serie A matches, including a Wednesday night fixture playing host to Inter Milan, before traveling to face AC Milan 3 days later.

A busy month for Iraq, with a World Cup Qualifier hosting China, Friendly matches welcoming both Indonesia and Oman to Baghdad, before ending September with the challenge of a West Asian Football Championship campaign, with group matches against Bahrain and Lebanon.