Pilgrim's Progress

Gomez Humbles Hollywood

Academy graduate Mikel Gomez (17) showed Hollywood-backed Wrexham a lesson in finishing in the third round of the FA Cup.  The youngster netted 5 times and only just missed, by the width of a goalpost, a chance to equalise George Best’s record 6-goal haul against Northampton Town in the FA Cup 5th round in February 1970.

Gomez celebrates his 5th

The young striker was simply on fire in an 8-0 victory against Deadpool’s side that saw three other academy graduates score one each.  It was, as expected, a match of total dominance by the Premier League champions, even though the team was comprised entirely of ex-academy players and other fringe squad members.

“Simply breathtaking,” was the verdict of manager Bobby Stones.  “Every time he plays, he gives me something to think about.”

Argyle Reach the Carabao Cup Final

The Pilgims will go to Wembley for the final of the Carabao Cup after beating Arsenal 7-3 on aggregate in the semi.  Argyle put the result of the tie almost beyond doubt in the first match at the Emirates, winning 0-5, before a second string side narrowly lost the return at Home Park, 3-2, as Manager Bobby Stones rested players.  It will be Argyle’s first final in this competition.

Argyle will once again face Aston Villa in the final; a repeat of last season's FA Cup final.

Plymouth Close the Gap to 1 Point

Argyle won both their Premier League matches in January, closing the gap behind Arsenal to just one point, as the Gunners lost 3-1 to Brentford in one of their two matches.

Plymouth into 5th Round of FA Cup

Facundo Farias inspired Argyle to a 4-2 FA Cup 4th round victory at Old Trafford, netting a hat-trick and assisting Roberto Alvarado’s opener.  Argyle slipped in concentration at the end of the match to allow the Reds to score twice, but it was simply too late for United to salvage the tie.

Quiet Window for Argyle.

Plymouth made no purchases in the transfer window, and sold just the one player, as right back Junior Tchamadeu moved to Luton Town in a £2.5 million sale.

“There was simply nobody available that we wanted to buy,” said manager Bobby Stones.  “We have a great squad anyway and it’s always hard to find value in January.”

Whether the Pilgrims will come to regret making no acquisitions is yet to be seen.

Mason Greenwood is back for Man United, I see. Still on the payroll in my Man United save, still being on loan at Getafe. And I haven't yet decided what to do with him come summer. We'll see what happens. Congratulations on the league cup final. Funny to see Aston Villa as the opponent again. Seems Argyle have some rivalries going on with other clubs starting with an A; Arsenal (League) and Aston Villa (cup)... 

That Facundo Farias pops up each and every time in a lot of people's career saves

Gap well and truly closed to Arsenal setting up a potential close tight run in for the title. Thunderous win in the cup against Wrexham too.

Competitive in all for competitions, showing off the squad depth that you have to have.

Nice to see you beat Arsenal in the cup. Now hopefully you do it in the league?

Farias Scoring Streak Continues

Plymouth Argyle continued their good form in the Premier League, rattling off three straight wins in February, after an opening draw against Brentford.

Star of the show was Facundo Farias, who hit four in the league, including a hat-trick against Leeds United.  Farias’ second of that match saw him reach the mark of 20 Premier League goals this season.

Farias Hits Goal 20

The Argentine continued to underline his value to the club, as he also assisted in Herrera’s goal in the Leeds match.

With the upcoming match against Real Madrid and the Carabao Cup final, the manager risked playing a mix of academy and fringe players at Stamford Bridge, and they did the club proud with a 2-1 victory.  Star of the show was right-midfielder Victor Alves, who opened the scoring with his first-ever Premier League goal and he also made what turned out to be the winner for Mikel Gomez. 

Plymouth dominated match possession, which was a total surprise to the Stamford Bridge faithful, especially given the teamsheet they saw before the match, as the Pilgrims got revenge for defeat at home to Chelsea, earlier in the season.  Chelsea did manage more shots, though, but Vincent Parra in goal was well up to the task.

Chelsea Manager Mauricio Pottechino was impressed with the side his team came up against.  “They have such energy and skill.  There’s obviously some great things going on at Plymouth, given the quality of the young players we were up against.”

Next for Plymouth – a meeting with Real Madrid in the Bernabeu.

The 'Bell' Tolls for Argyle

The Plymouth supporters that travelled to Madrid couldn’t fail to be awestruck at the sight inside the Santiago Bernabeu.  Sat up in the gods, at the very top of a corner in the stadium, they had a full view of the magnificent stadium and watched the dots far below play out an enthralling match.  Who would ever have thought that Plymouth Argyle would in any circumstances face the footballing powerhouse that is Real Madrid in any match, let alone a competitive one?  Unfortunately, their side was well-beaten in the end, as Jude Bellingham underlined just why he is one of the best players in the world.

Bellingham scored twice, made Immobile’s goal and was fouled in the area (a soft decision, it must be said) to enable Vlahovic to score the penalty.  It was a masterclass in football craft that underlines the massive gap between Argyle and a legendary club like Madrid.

2-0 down at half time, Bobby Stones sent his charges out in a different formation in the second half and they got back into the game with a fine run and finish from the half-way line by Adam Hlozek.  For a brief moment at 2-1, it looked as if Argyle could make a real game of this and they had several chances to draw level, but the penalty, soft as it was, made that all the more difficult.  Yes, right-back Rivera then made it 3-2 to provide some further hope, but Bellingham made it 4-2 six minutes later and continuing pressure from Madrid in the closing stages meant a final concession in time added on, as the Argyle players tired from so much chasing of the ball.

It is highly unlikely that the Pilgrims can rescue this at Home Park.  They will obviously try, but the Rolls-Royce that is Real Madrid is certain to prevail.  The question for Bobby Stones is whether to go for it and field his traumatised full first team again, or concentrate them on domestic competitions and give some of the developing players an experience to savour?

I think you have to go for it at home against Madrid. It's the Champions League, anything can happen and having a chance to play Madrid at a Home Park night never come up again.

The game sounds closer than the score showed. Avoid that penalty and finish some of the good chances and it's a new outcome.

Well, usually I would agree with @Stlducks4 with the "you have a chance" verdict. However, it's Real Madrid we're talking about here. They know the competition inside out, and they are themselves masters in getting out of situations such as the one you find yourself in. An early goal could perhaps shake things up, but I expect this side to be too experienced to know their way through on the back of a three goal win.

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@CO88LER5 wrote:
@JustinCase0110
Yes, I'm torn a bit at the moment. I'm not going to meet the objective for this, either, if I can't turn it around, so I might save a copy in case it leads to me being fired, should I go out.
What I'll definitely do is play a different formation to the one I played in the first half of the first match, just to see if I can find one that Real 'don't like'...

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I quite often do this as a just in case as some of the objectives are daft like not getting to semis when you shouldn't be anywhere near them. Some time what I do is record what happened initially then replay it to ensure I get objective but won't put down as any achievement as feels like cheating but also don't want my career ruined. Have trust issues with career mode lol

Anyways, that a side it's a tough ask for Plymouth against Madrid, but anything can happen..change up formation like you say and who knows, you might shock them, unlikely, but maybe

First Ever Domestic Cup

Plymouth Argyle have won their first-ever major domestic cup competition, beating Aston Villa 3-1 in the Carabao Cup final.  The victory also gains revenge for the Pilgrims’ defeat to the same opponents in last season’s FA Cup final.

Argyle fielded none of the regular first-teamers, following the epic match in Madrid just four days earlier.  Villa were therefore entitled to believe that they had a very good chance of adding to their FA Cup last season, but it wasn’t to be.  The victory underlines the strength in depth that Argyle now possess, largely through the development and nurturing of young talent.

Freddie Issaka, recently returned from a 3-month injury layoff, opened the scoring at Wembley and, although Villa equalised through Kostic, they managed to move up a gear and took the lead again in the 90th minute through academy graduate Valentin Galeano.  The victory was further confirmed with a goal from Hugo Rodrigues in time added on, meaning all three Argyle goals were scored by academy graduates.

After the disappointment of Madrid, the fans celebrated long and hard at the final whistle, and this is a confidence boost for the entire club.

Memorable European Night for Argyle

Plymouth Argyle made history in their Champions League tie against Real Madrid, prevailing against all odds in a memorable performance that had the capacity 18,000 Home Park crowd in raptures.  Lorenzo Battaglia scored twice and Facundo Farias once, as Plymouth beat the giant club 3-0, to send the tie into extra time and then penalties.  Plymouth had three penalties saved, as did Madrid, to send the match into sudden death.  Plymouth converted their sixth attempt to put the count at 3-2 before goalkeeper Max Baker faced Real’s sixth and promptly saved it to send Argyle through 3-2 on penalties.

Battaglia chips Courtois for his first

“What a tie.  We’ve grown up tonight,” said manager Bobby Stones.

“Congratulations to Plymouth,” said a clearly dumbstruck Carlo Ancelotti.  “Their manager surprised us with his line up and tactics, and we had no answer.”

Elsewhere, Plymouth eased past Brentford in the FA Cup 5th round, and won two matches in the Premier League, to leave them top as Arsenal stumbled with two defeats.

Plymouth will play Barcelona in the Quarter-Final of the Champions League.  "They're all hard ties," said Manager Bobby Stones.  "We should expect nothing less, now."

Crazy comeback there. A 10 out of 10 performance from your keeper, saving three in the shootout. I hardly save anything in my shootouts, so this is truly surprising to read for me. But well done! Real out, Barca next.

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@CO88LER5 wrote:
Doesn't always work, but it's down to where the penalty taker is looking just before they take the shot.
They sometime seem to look straight ahead, and that's when it's just a real guess.
I find it more difficult actually scoring a penalty - more than it seems in real life, anyway.

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Haha, I'm the exact opposite. I think I score from 9 out of 10... But I rarely save any. And my opponents seem to want to Panenka me far too often. Next time I'll try to notice where the penalty taker is looking. A solid tip.

Argyle Finish March On Top

Whilst Plymouth Argyle were engaged in cup competitions – FA Cup, Champions League – their rivals failed to take advantage and, at the end of March, the Pilgrims lead the Premier League, with matches in hand.

Arsenal in particular seem to have hit a wall, with a couple of defeats and a draw, one of which was a defeat to North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur that brings Spurs closer to their bitter enemies.  The in-fighting between the chasing pack is all to Argyle’s benefit, and they lead on goal difference.

Farias Leads Golden Boot

Facundo Farias’ hat-trick against Wolves on 8 March pushed the Argentine further ahead in the Premier League golden boot chase.  His 24 goals from 16 matches compares with Son and Jesus, joint second on 21 from 29 matches.

Farias also leads the Argyle ‘golden boot’ with 31 goals, way ahead of Rayan Cherki in second on 17.  The striker has also provided 9 assists this season, to round off an impressive 40 goal involvements, from only 21 matches.

More Academy Promotions

Two more youngsters were promoted from the academy in March, with exciting goalkeeper prospect Francisco Lopes (18) from Portugal and Brazilian high potential left-winger Cleber Tavares (17) making the step up to the first-team squad.

Arsenal hitting a wall - I hate to say I told you so 😉

Two games in hand, please do not let Arsenal win! 🙂

Well we all wrote off Plymouths chances making a comeback and they made us eat our words. Crazy tie overall and then to be rewarded with a tie against their rivals Barcelona. Congratulations on their first Domestic Trophy as well. 

Argyle Waste Matches in Hand

Plymouth Argyle’s two matches in hand were rather wasted, as they resulted in a defeat to Newcastle and a draw against Manchester City.

The match home to Newcastle saw the Pilgrims well beaten, with Alexander Isak in particular proving difficult to handle, including a brilliant bicycle kick finish to open their account.

Isak Bicycle Kick against Argyle

The matches being so close together in April, Manager Bobby Stones made heavy use of the squad, and the team fielded against Manchester City, being so close to the first Barcelona match, struggled to gain any momentum and fell behind to a Ruben Dias header from a corner.  It took until late on for Freddie Issaka to come up with the equaliser that prevented the damage in the two matches from being total.

Argyle Advantage in Champions League Quarter Final

The Pilgrims have the advantage over Barcelona after the first leg of their Champions League quarter final tie at Home Park.

A capacity crowd enjoyed a 3-1 victory over the famous club, courtesy of two goals from Adam Hlozek and a third from Facundo Farias.  Barcelona started the brightest and scored first from a fine piece of play by Raphinha in the 22nd minute, but the Pilgrims rallied and, after that, they looked most likely to score, as Barcelona failed to convert their marginal possession advantage into further goals.  Hlozek in particular has enjoyed his Champions League campaign and is one of the competition’s leading scorers on 7.

Argyle now just need to hold their nerve in the return leg at Camp Nou, which is, of course, easier said than done!