Pilgrim's Progress

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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!

Progress in 2 Cups

Plymouth Argyle have made progress in both the Champions League and FA Cup competitions.

A daunting trip to Camp Nou was as hard as expected, with Plymouth pushed back in the first half and, at times, hanging on, although they did manage to restrict Barcelona to a small number of shots.  As the match progressed, Barca became all the more desperate and reckless and, in the 79th minute, Lorenzo Battaglia put Plymouth 4-1 up on aggregate with a determined run from half way, following a Barca corner.  He confidently slotted past Ter Stegen, after which Barca seemed to collapse.

Battaglia Scores the Opener at Camp Nou

He made it two a few minutes later to make the tie look far more comfortable than it actually was. 

Plymouth advance to the semi-final, where they will meet Manchester City.

The strength of the Premier League was underlined by the semi-final line-up, with three of the four clubs coming from England.  As well as Plymouth meeting City, Arsenal will face Bayer Leverkusen in the other tie.  It helps that Plymouth have seen off the two Spanish giants, though.  We could easily therefore see an all-English final.

Speaking of Manchester City, the two sets of fans will be sick of the sight of each other at the end of this season, as they also met in the FA Cup semi-final.  City fans will be especially fed up as Plymouth beat City 3-2 after extra time in a breathless match.  The match finished 1-1 at the end of normal time, with a late City leveller from Nunes following an early Plymouth lead from Lucien Devaux.  Erling Haaland looked to have sealed it for City in the 103rd minute, but Hlozek equalised before the end of the first half of extra time, and Freddie Issaka pushed home a last-minute winner during a melee in the City box.

Plymouth will meet West Ham United in the final.

Avoiding Villa this time, I see. What a thrilling semi final win. Minutes from winning it 1-0, then conceding late and going behind at the end of the first half of extra time. Impressive to be able to bounce back from that, but I suppose the quick equalizer helped a lot! In fact, I've noticed that goals fly in rather easily in the first 3-5 minutes after a goal, in both ends actually. Goals are often scored 3-5 minutes apart, in my experience. This may increase the expectations for the upcoming Champions League games vs City!

Plymouth Retain Premier League Lead

Going into the final month and after their final two Premier League matches of April, in what has been a busy schedule, Argyle remain at the top of the Premier League despite dropping points, as Arsenal failed to take advantage of Plymouth’s stumbles.

Argyle had a good win over Everton, in between the Barcelona matches, but failed to take all the points at home against Liverpool.  Nico Schlotterbeck twice scored headers from corners to cancel out goals from Cherki and Battaglia.  An area of defending that Plymouth needs to work on.

Argyle therefore lead Arsenal by one point, albeit with a game in hand, and a vastly superior goal difference.  

In terms of the Premier League golden boot, Facundo Farias seems to be favourite, going into the last couple of matches.  His 27 goals puts him 3 ahead of Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus and 4 of Heung-Min Son; both of whom could expect to be aggrieved at not leading the chase with such impressive tallies.

Farias is way out in front in terms of overall goal involvements, on an impressive 44, and he is unlikely to be caught by his team-mates.

Argyle in Charge in Semi

Plymouth Argyle eventually took command of the Champions League semi-final tie, delivering a 5-3 victory over Manchester City at a pulsating Home Park.  It wasn’t without its scares, though, as City came from two down to take the lead when Jack Grealish scored in the 66th minute, to make it 3-2 to the Manchester side.

It came down to the intervention of Facundo Farias – who else – as he added two goals to his 19th minute strike, and substitute Freddie Issaka, as Argyle turned the match around in the closing stages.  The ever-lethal Farias scored a hat-trick as Argyle take a vital lead to the Etihad for the return tie.

3 days before this tie, a very different Argyle side took on Crystal Palace and very nearly lost control in the second half.  Cruising to a 4-0 lead by half-time through goals from academy youngsters Mikel Gomez and Pepe Escobar, Palace threatened a comeback after the break with two goals, as they got a stranglehold on possession.   They made life more comfortable when substitute left-winger Dan Ashton slotted home in the 84th minute, to enable the anxious crowd to relax.

What are odds on next match ending 5-4 to continue trend?

Great run and incredible results in the Champions League already overcoming 2 giants of Spain. Advantage Plymouth in The Semi Finals and seems everything is in their hands right now from retaining The Premier League title and reaching Champions League Final. Fantastic season so far

I echo @thurlow885 here, things going well, but goals flying in boths ends. Now that you're doing so well, even so quickly after being promoted to the top tier, perhaps you could 'afford' to sacrifice a bit of your attacking power to improve your defence. I know that a win is a win, but what separates the greatest managers from the rest might be their ever present desire to improve. Also in good times. And here is actually an area with quite some room for improvement, despite your otherwise magnificent results.

Some fantastic games for the fans lately. First the two against Barcelona they looked to be closer than the score suggests. Then the come back in extra time against City followed by City again on the CL. 

Improving the defense is the next step but for this season, let the fun continue and keep scoring goals! 

Just don't lose the CL final 5-3. 😉

Premier League Title Won

Plymouth fans reprised the ecstasy of winning the Premier League title last season, as the Pilgrims recorded back-to-back top-place finishes in the competition, although it wasn't without its worrying moments.

A hard-fought 1-1 draw against Arsenal kept Argyle 1 point ahead with a match in hand, ahead of the return match against Manchester City in the Champions League.

That match ended 2-2, sending Argyle through to their first ever Champions League final at their first attempt.  Kabore put City ahead, and only 5-4 behind in the tie, before Erick Sanchez made it even harder for the Pilgrims after being sent off for a bad tackle in the 39th minute.  Rayan Cherki equalised before Erling Haaland set up another grandstand finish, which was only made safe for Argyle with Battaglia's stoppage-time effort.

Having also qualified for the FA Cup final, Argyle had the chance to match the trebles won by Manchester United and Manchester City, and also add their own record, by becoming the first team in England to win the three major trophies at their first attempts – the Premier League last season, and in this season, the FA Cup in their first final in that competition, and the Champions League in their first year in that competition.

Bayer Leverkusen beat Arsenal in the other semi to set up a Germany-England clash:

Back in the league, the Pilgrims blew their match in hand over Arsenal, as a reserve side lost convincingly 3-0 against a Bournemouth side fighting to remain in the division.  It was made all the harder as Argyle were reduced to 9 men before half time, with centre-back Miranda sent off first with a straight red, followed on the cusp of half-time by youngster Pablo Escobar for a second yellow.   Academy goalkeeper Francisco Lopes saved a second-half penalty, otherwise the scoreline could have been even worse.

The season therefore boiled down to the last two matches, but Arsenal drew their 37th game and Argyle beat Spurs to effectively clinch the title.  It would have taken a massive goal difference swing in the last match to prevent them retaining the title, but an entertaining 4-3 win in the last match against Fulham, and Arsenal’s draw against Manchester United, saw Argyle retain the title by 5 points.

In the Premier League Golden Boot chase, Facundo Farias claimed stop spot with 29 goals, justifying Plymouth's outlay last summer on the player.  He beat Gabriel Jesus by 4 goals, despite playing in only half the matches that Jesus did.  It's frightening to think how many he could have got, had he played all the matches.

Only two matches remain, and they don't come much bigger.  The FA Cup final and the Champions League final.  History beckons.

Impressive season, regardless of how the final two games will turn out. You might count yourself lucky to see Leverkusen in the Champions League final though. I suppose that's not the hardest of possible opponents regardless of their impressive form under Xabi Alonso in real life. Good luck with the treble attempt.

Defeat in the FA Cup

Plymouth’s attempt at a clean sweep of trophies was denied by a West Ham team that have proved difficult opponents for Argyle in the past.

West Ham won 1-0 in the FA Cup final, as the Hammers mounted an aggressive assault, countered by some strong tackling by the Argyle players.  Neither side was able to slot home, with a number of frustrating attempts by both sides.   However, the Hammers finally scored in the 78th minute with a Jarrod Bowen effort, after which Argyle were simply unable to get another shot on goal, and the Cup went to East London for the first time since 1980. 

Manager Robert Stones was philosophical after the match.  "We tried our best but it was a match too far.  These things happen"  In answer to the suggestion that the players were too focused on the upcoming Champions League Final, he was dismissive.  "We don't do that here.  We take each game as it comes.  The best team, won today.  It's as simple as that."

So now Argyle travel to Portugal, for the biggest match in their history at the Benfica stadium - the Estádio da Luz.

"I see in the original squads of Plymouth Argyle #10 Morgan Whittaker and he appeared on my radar: would he be an asset for Ajax as right winger or attacking midfielder? Have you played him and if so, what are his stand out features?"

- Kelvin de Lang (Head Scout Ajax)

Champions League A Step too Far

Following the disappointment of the FA Cup loss, Plymouth Argyle saw the Champions League title also slip away from them, as Bayer Leverkuen’s greater experience in the competition told.  Argyle went down 1-0, an identical score to the FA Cup Final against West Ham.

The city of Plymouth seemingly emptied and travelled en masse to Portugal, where they saw their team dominate at the Estadio Da Luz and have so many shots, but come away empty-handed.  Leverkusen’s Sebastian Haller scored just before half time and in the second half, the Germans did what they always do and simply blocked all attempts for Argyle to get back into it, to win their own first Champions League title and send the Devon side and their fans home empty-handed.

“We simply couldn’t get over the line,” said manager Bobby Stones, “but it’s been a fantastic experience.”  Gesturing at the fans, he added “look at them.  Three years ago, they could never have dreamt of this.  Okay, we lost this, and the Cup last week, but what a night this has been.  Hopefully, this isn’t the last time we get here.”

Despite losing in both cup matches, Argyle had a successful season, with two trophies secured and the promise of more, as this young squad matures.

Saka Signs for Plymouth

Plymouth Argyle have sensationally signed Bukayo Saka from rivals Arsenal in what is considered to be the shock transfer of the close season.

Saka had only 11 months left on his contract and, with a stalemate apparent, Plymouth swooped with an offer of £75 million plus Roberto Alvarado.  Amazingly, Arsenal did not dismiss the approach out of hand and, after some further discussions, Saka moved for £84 million plus Alvarado – a considerable reduction on his expected value of £140 million.  Saka has signed for 5 years, on a salary of £220,000 per week.

“Bukayo’s signing is a clear statement that this club is now a desirable destination for big players.”  Said manager Bobby Stones.  “He was keen to join from the very first moment we approached Arsenal, and is eager to play a big role in the ongoing development of this club.”

To questions raised about affordability of this deal, Stones said; “the success we are having has led to a big increase in income and the board is investing a responsible proportion of that in the club.  Ongoing squad investment is key in football and we are not losing sight of that.”

Another crucial signing was made soon after the Sako transfer, with Fabio Miretti joining from Roma for £39 million plus Erick Sanchez. 

Miretti is expected to slot into Sanchez's position at the base of the diamond, but can play further forward as required.  This second crucial signing reduces the age of the midfield and meets a demand from the board that the manager signs two crucial players for brand purposes.

The close season saw a number of other transfers at Plymouth; mainly outgoings.

Gonzalo Molina, 17, joined as a right-back from CD Leganes for £5 million plus Carlos Rocha.  Rocha was a graduate of the academy, and slightly older than the incoming Molina, but Molina is seen as a better future prospect.

Otherwise, the Pilgrims sold the following players:

Jesus Anguelo (CB, 28) to Dortmund for £30 million

Fran Parra (GK, 21) to Nottingham Forest for £19 million

Yago Carillo (RM, 21) to Everton for £9 million

Fabio Ricci (ST, 20) to Young Boys for £2 million. 

The club does not expect to make many more signings this summer, although there may be more departures at some point.

Shirt Sales Justify Saka Spend

During the preseason tournament, Argyle sold over £34 million-worth of shirts with Bukayo Saka’s name on the back – a record for the club.  In financial terms, that has significantly reduced the cash outlay of £84 million handed over to Arsenal when buying the player.  In the coming months, it is expected that the number of shirts ‘he sells’ will continue to rise, partly explaining the manager’s comments about Saka’s affordability.

Mixed Start for Argyle

Plymouth started the Premier League season with two wins and a defeat.  A narrow away victory to Crystal Palace was followed by an opening home match defeat by Aston Villa, as the old jinx returned.  Despite taking the lead and having most possession and shots, Argyle somehow never seemed in command and Villa ran out winners 3-1, aided by a very suspicious penaly for their third goal.

Normal service was resumed with a routine 2-0 win at Brentford, leaving Argyle 7th at the end of August.

Prior to that, the Pilgrims won the first trophy up for grabs when they beat FA Cup holders West Ham 4-1 in the Community Shield, gaining some revenge for their FA Cup Final loss.

Saka Out for Three Months

The Villa defeat was made worse by the 5th minute injury to Bukayo Saka, which resulted in a broken toe that will keep him out for 3 months.  It was a blow for Saka so early in his Argyle career and we wish him a speedy recovery.

Final August Squad Moves

Argyle wrapped up their transfer dealings ahead of deadline day with the surprise £6 million signing of Adam Wharton, 22, from Girona.  The CDM joins on a 4-year contract and will compete with Miretti and youngster Oliver Kuhn for a starting role in that position.

At the same time, Argyle promoted Andres Meza, 17, to the first team. 

The Columbian goalkeeper effectively replaces the departed Fran Parra in the roster of goalkeepers.