Chelsea struggle in the group stages, Man U find a way to win

The contrasting fortunes of Chelsea and Manchester United are once again clear to see.

One side dominating their games, having tons of scoring chances, yet somehow conceding late to lose very winnable games. You would say a typical Manchester United performance.

The other side battling, not really playing well, yet staying resilient before finding a way to win. A trait of every SB coached side.

Yet, hang on, the roles now appear reversed. SB and his Chelsea side dominating their opposition in the two opening group games yet conceding late to lose both games - very uncharacteristic and showing signs of a team lacking confidence.

"I don't know how we lost this game." SB spoke after the loss to Napoli.
"I know we'll get through this group stage but clearly these results have been disappointing."

Finding a way to win, usually late in the game, well that's usually a SB side. Not at the moment. Manchester United absorbed and defended, and waited for their moment before scoring late in both opening occasions to sit top of their group. This shows how far this United team has come under JM, and just what sort of confidence they took from winning that Champions League crown last season.

"We are defending Champions - and so we must play like one's" JM spoke to the media after the win against CSKA Moscow.

"We have new additions to the team, and no doubt this makes us much better than last year. We now have more confidence we can find a way to win with every chance we create. I am proud of the team today."

Chelsea's Hazard has been a shining light despite their struggles to start the new UCL campaign

New EPL season off and firing

It was an off season full of uncertainty for some, and celebrations and champagne popping for others.
The contrasting off seasons of managers SB and JM couldn't be further apart.

After another solid yet trophyless season, SB was deflecting gun shots from all sides.

From the Chelsea board who questioned whether SB was the man to lead them into a new season despite his record of zero silverware for the cash rich club.
From the fans, who are crying out for the same type of success he regularly brought to Barcelona. And from himself - was a change needed to freshen himself up.

To be fair, he had options. Liverpool and Arsenal seemed the likely contenders if SB was to move on. However, his conviction stood firm and he wasn't about to pull out of a job he feels is desperately unfinished. All sides eventually sticking with SB and Chelsea for another campaign.

JM on the other hand led the celebrations all off season after Manchester United historically claimed the Champions League title on that glorious evening in Milan. It was the title he has chased the most. It was the white whale which had so cunningly eluded him for his entire career. So not many would at all blame him if he spent any extra week or two celebrating the famous victory, however JM wasn't about to let the success follow through and hamper the start of a new campaign.

"We certainly celebrated the win - the party was big". JM said in pre-season.
"But once we celebrated, it was back to business and now I want this confidence to filter through to the new season - we have a title to defend, and I want success in England where to be honest we were not anywhere near good enough last season."

And so with that - and with new additions to their respective squads, both SB and JM have both started the new season well - very well indeed. Currently both sitting a top the EPL ladder undefeated after 3 games. Both sides look well coached this season, and very well prepared. With Man City, Liverpool, and Arsenal also looking strong - we could be set for the most exciting Premier League season on record. 

New signing Zlatan has been huge for United in the opening rounds of the season

The all new FPA 'Trophy Cabinet'

Announcement: You may or may not have heard of the recent decision to scrap the FPA ranking points system, which now seems rather out dated and unnecessary. If we can remember it was brought in at a time during the FIFA leagues fiasco and SB and JM played strictly head to head and were forced to create their own competitions.

For the record though, taking into account recent Champions League results, our rankings officially finished like this;

1. SB (3,200 points)
2. JM (2,850 points)

Well done SB. Finishing number 1 is well deserved.

However we are now happy to introduce a new, more traditional way of keeping track of titles won.
Welcome to the 'Trophy Cabinet'.

We at the FPA have gone through the archives to cross-check all titles won over the course of the past 7 editions of FIFA.

As the Trophy Cabinet will demonstrate, SB has clearly dominated in the league since titles were first recorded back in 2010 (SB having won 4 titles with Barcelona including 3 in a row) (JM winning 1 title with Real Madrid).

SB and JM both have 2 Cup titles to their names (both winning their titles in Spain with Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively).

SB and JM have now both recorded a Champions League title (SB - Barcelona 2011) (JM - Manchester United 2016).

Fifa 16 Player of the year: SB or JM

On the eve of FIFA 17 kick off, we compare the achievements of SB and JM for their FIFA 16 campaigns.

No doubt until recently, SB probably had this award in his back pocket. He locked this up when he won another La Liga in his last spell at Barcelona. It was his 3rd La Liga in a row - an astonishing achievement in itself - but it was also his only trophy for FIFA 16. Since re-joining Chelsea however, although finishing 2nd in the league, and semi finalist in the Champions League, he has once again finished a season without adding a trophy.

It must be noted that despite winning 4 La Liga's titles, 2 Copa Del Rey's, and a Champions League - he has never won anything when not in charge of Barcelona. One must wonder was it the team, perhaps the greatest ensemble of players in history, or the coach, responsible for all the titles.

JM, on the other hand, has had a couple of pretty miserable league campaigns, in Spain and most recently in England. However, JM has now done something SB has never achieved - he's won a title with another team. Not just any title - an elusive Champions League title.

So, considering everything just said, FPA takes great pleasure in announcing its FIFA 16 Player of the Year: JM.

Purely based on the remarkable Champions League victory in taking unfancied Manchester United all the way. Possibly the greatest achievement of anyone in all time FIFA history.



Player of the year JM celebrates his long awaited Champions League win

"Greatest Victory" JM and Man Utd win Champions League

In the wee hours of Saturday Oct 1, 2016 - history happened. After years of trying and countless heart break and disappointment, JM took his Manchester United team to ultimate glory and claim his first ever Champions League title.

It seemed destined to be - perhaps written in the stars that glorious evening. On what was supposed to be the debut of a new FIFA 17 pre-season, suddenly we found ourselves in a run which would ultimately end with a final date at the San Siro.

Earlier that evening, with Manchester City already seemingly having 2 hands on the trophy, the EPL season was simulated . Although Chelsea remained in touch, they never looked realistically a chance.

Likewise the FA Cup was scrapped and simulated as both players agreed time was an issue.
This left us with one piece of business in the current format of FIFA 16, and that was the completion of the Champions League season.

Both Manchester Utd and Chelsea found themselves through to the Round of 16 after fairly convincing group stages. Chelsea in particular breezing through and certainty saw themselves a chance to progress to the later stages of the tournament.

JM and his Man Utd team however struggled in the early stages of the groups, losing their first 2 games before finding their groove and moving through rather convincingly.

No body however saw the Red side of Manchester however doing too much damage in the business end. An average team at best which struggled to even make the top 5 of the EPL this season, would almost certainly be bundled out in quick time before the big teams fought out the title.

However JM didn't read that script. Wins against Shaktar and Napoli put Utd suddenly through to the Semi Final against German big guns Dormund. Suddenly a massive upset started to look possible.

On the other half of the draw, SB and his Chelsea team looked just as comfortable as they made light work of Inter Milan and Juventus. They faced German champions Bayern Munich for a place in the final. Semi finals to dream of. A dream all English final was possible. A SB/JM final - what a thought.

After a stalement first tie, Chelsea certainly had the better of the running at home against Bayern in the return leg. They were rewarded with a 1st half goal and looked like they might just hang on for a finals birth until disaster struck. A bizarre back pass gifted Bayern the easiest of away goals and ultimately ended the Blues season in emotional circumstances. SB would be left to ponder what should and could have been. Unlucky SB, a finals spot would have been well deserved.

In the other semi - Utd and Dormund played a spirited, entertaining 1st tie, with Dormund sneaking a last minute winner at away at Old Trafford.
However the return leg was all Manchester. A truly dominate display - 3 goals within 60 mins sealed United through to their first ever final under JM. It would be his 3rd attempt at a title with his first 2 finals coming under the management of Real Madrid.

Once again he would face off with arch nemesis Bayern Munich.
United would be rewarded for early dominance with a goal from Juan Mata after a brilliant early cross from Ashley Young.
As almost expected, United paid for nerves and copped an equaliser mid way through the 2nd half. This game was destined for a shootout from that moment on.

After misses from Juan Mata and Memphis Depay, it looked like the Fifa gods would once again deny JM a chance at glory until the heroics of one David De Gea. This was his moment. Down to the final kick - De Gea pulls out a giant stop to record a historic win for the ages.

Emotion overtook the coaches technical area. JM almost in tears. "This is my greatest ever victory - greatest ever moment in FIFA".

And few could argue the significance of the win. With this team, average at best, winning a competition which has proved almost impossible since that historic treble winning team of Barcelona in FIFA 11.

Now with the monkey off the back there is no telling how far JM and Manchester United could travel in the future.

"I feel like we just made the impossible feel possible." JM screamed to his fans today.

What a way to finish the FIFA 16 edition and welcome a new era.



Victory never tasted so sweet



The result: United victorious in penalties

Rankings Update

JM takes France to the Euro's Semi Finals - worth 250 ranking points. Edging closer to that coveted #1 spot still held by SB.

As of August 2016:

1. SB - 2,950 points
2. JM - 2,100 points

Premier League Season...Mid-Season Review

Wow how time flies...It appears its been 6 months since the FPA last reported any news coming out of England. Not that there hasn't been any - we've just been lazy as f*ck to write about it.

But we're back...so lets re-cap. The worst kept secret in football was finally revealed when SB joined his old hunting ground Chelsea FC for a standard 2 year deal. Although rumours in London suggest he won't be seeing out that 2nd year, instead he may find himself looking after the light blue half of Manchester next season. Stay tuned.

We also reported back in February JM re-joining his boyhood club Manchester United for at least 2 seasons, with an option for 6 more in his favour in a record 8 season deal.

On the pitch - SB has taken better to English football than his rival JM. Chelsea going through the first half of the season with solid results and currently find themselves only a couple of wins behind league pace setters Man City.

SB talks to a packed media conference in London

JM on the other hand has taken time to adjust to his new squad. Currently sitting 7th on the league table, he will need to improve fast with suggestions anything less than a top 4 finish deemed a failure.

JM barks orders to his troops at training Friday

In the game of the season so far, Chelsea met Manchester United at a full Old Trafford on Wednesday night. Although United were clearly the better team on the night, they would have to share the points this time.

A Memphis Depay header gave Man U the lead early in the 2nd half, until a late Fabregas goal equalled the scores in what can only be said to be a game that got away from the Red Devils.


Rooney and Fabregas were in the thick of things all night

What will the 2nd half of the season bring...well we can certainly guarantee plenty of action ahead, not just in the league, but also the Champions League and the FA Cup. Full steam ahead!!!

Euro 16 Let Down

After all the expectation and build up - Euro 16 came and went without the expected fireworks and fanfare we all had hoped would eventuate. For FPA fans out there we'll stick to the teams that mattered, and that's the SB and JM managed Portugal and France respectively.

Portugal looked the goods through the group stages. Comfortable without really ever looking threatened. We all just assumed they would come alive in the Finals. How wrong we were.

France on the other hand, started like a shot out of a canon in the groups. Easing to victory in game 1, before slowly losing momentum with a draw and then a loss. But once again we all expected they would breathe new life once in the final stages and to some extent JM's team didn't disappoint.

But it would be going against tradition if there wasn't a 'glitch' to have the fans and pundits complaining. An error in the draw meant the FIFA 16 God's would need to intervene with the dreaded SIM - and who knows what this would mean for our likely heroes.

For Portugal you would say it did very little except give them a dream run through to the final. Conspiracy theorists once again out in force to say SB had somehow conspired with 'the system' to rig another competition in his favour. We will never know.

For France, it gave them a more difficult draw, and a massive disadvantage of losing first Payet to injury, and Giroud to suspension. Neither would get to feature again in the competition.

France however to their credit pushed through in the Quarter Finals - hammering a hapless Austria 4-1 to progress and started to look every bit the favourites.

Portugal however had no answer to a spirited Switzerland who were never going to be beaten on a day SB and his chargers will likely want to forget. Portugal eliminated. The Euro dream over - and SB would lament on where he went wrong after putting so much energy into this Portugal team. Some would say he and Ronaldo never saw eye to eye - considering the Classico rivalries of years gone past. Its hard to argue when Ronaldo looked a shadow of his usual self in this Cup.

Ronaldo grimaces in pain as the ref blows full time against Switzerland

For France, it would also end in shock horror. A difficult game against Italy is all that stood between them and a Finals spot and it would only take one moment, one second of lapsed concentration, for Italy to steal a late goal and take the spoils on France's home turf. Sadness gripped a nation - and JM would be left in tatters.

So much hope ends in sadness for France

For the record Belgium beat Italy to lift the trophy for the first time in their history.

Truly a disappointing cup. See you at the World Cup.

SB linked to Chelsea move

Speculation is rife that former Barcelona manager SB has already signed on to takeover Chelsea for the upcoming season.

A rep for SB declined to confirm the rumours however he did say SB did have unfinished business at the London club and would love to have another go.

Most pundits feel it comes down to Chelsea and Arsenal for SB now with previous front runner Liverpool ruled out as it's thought SB was concerned with their lack of depth. An announcement is expected to be made within hours.

JM agrees to Manchester United deal

After months of speculation Manchester United today announced their new manager to be former Real Madrid boss JM.

"I am so proud to return to this great club who I have supported since I was a little boy".
JM spoke before a packed media conference today.

"I promise to have my team play with the tradition and style of the great Manchester United teams of the past. I can't wait to start working with the team. I am also very happy to be back in the Premier League. I want to also thank Real Madrid for the past few seasons. Although challenging, I look forward to one returning and taking care of unfinished business."

Real Madrid reportedly allowed JM to leave and break his 10 year deal he signed only last season. In return, Manchester United payed an undisclosed fee for their new manager.

JM: I'm coming to the Premier League

JM has confirmed he will be coming to the Premier League in the summer, although the Real Madrid coach says he has not chosen his new club yet.

JM was speaking for the first time since it was announced that he will leave Real  at the end of the season, leaving after only 1 season of a 10 year contract.  

"The reason I have not extended my contract is simple," JM said. "I want to manage in the Premier League.

Manchester City are thought to be the leading contenders to land JM, although Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal have also been mentioned as possible destinations.

Intriguingly, JM says he has had numerous offers from Premier League clubs.

"I have several offers from England," he said, "but I haven't signed anything yet."

League race down to Valencia and Barce

With only a handful of games remaining it appears the La Liga race is now down to two - Valencia and Barcelona. And it's Valencia in the box seat with a handy lead with crucial games ahead.

Barcelona can still unseat the leaders with a good run of wins on the home stretch, remarkable considering the defending champions were well off the pace for most of the season.

Should they do the impossible and win another league title - they would incredibly be the first team ever to win 4 league title in a row. Good luck to SB - he's going to need it.

Barcelona ousted from Champions League

The biggest upset yet in this seasons Champions League saw one of the favorites in Barcelona eliminated from the Competition at the hands of Zlatan's Ibrahimovic and his PSG team.

The damage was all done in a pulsating first game with a 10 man PSG out scoring Barcelona 5 goals to 3, with Ibrahimovic single handedly hammering in 4.

The return leg was lifeless and more defense focused ending in a scoreless draw and thus eliminating the Liga Champions.

Over at Real Madrid we saw them scrap through and get past a very tricky Zenith after going down 2-1 in the opening leg. Garth Bale rescuing the Madristas with a late goal in the return leg.

The dream continues for JM and his Real Madrid.