Pilgrim's Progress

Another Final Beckons

Argyle will contest the FA Cup final for the second year in succession.  A pulsating 5-2 semi-final victory against an aggressive Leeds United teed the Pilgrims up for what will be a fourth meeting with Aston Villa this season.  Man of the match was captain Cesar Huerta who scored two and made two of the other goals. 

Can the Pilgrims finally beat Villa and lift the trophy?

A busy month saw the Pilgrims play six premier league matches, winning three, drawing one and losing two.  Argyle managed a 1-0 away win at Anfield, in a hard-fought match settled in the half-time stoppage period by young right-winger Yago Carillo for his first senior goal.  Defeats came from Aston Villa, who recorded their third victory over the Pilgrims this season, and a surprise beating by bottom of the table Luton Town.

Samson Tovide celebrated his return from injury with a goal against Nottingham Forest but couldn’t otherwise find the net.

Argyle’s lead at the top is three points, going into the final month.  Arsenal and Manchester City are the two main challengers.  Can Argyle hold on as the pressure mounts?

In player news, Jarrod Branthwaite will be out for 3 months after suffering a toe injury against Luton, whilst Valentin Galeano missed a couple of matches after a knock in the same match, as Luton’s robust approach threw the Pilgrims off balance.

The summer squad reshape started, with Argyle agreeing to sell Facundo Buonanotte to Rayo Vallecano for £10.5 million, which is a good return on the £2 million they spent buying him in the summer of 2023.  The arrival of Adam Hlozek, coupled with the  development of Battaglia, Devaux and Rodrigues is limiting Buonanotte’s opportunities and the move is felt to be better for the player.

Luis Chavez tops the assist chart, with 11 assists from 16 games, underlining his value to the team.

Classic FIFA, that Brighton win, haha. 6 shots against 18, securing a 3-2 win. Love it.

You're still on top, but can't seem to make that gap to your followers, only three points ahead. Losing to Luton Town might be one of the reasons why. But it does keep the tension intact, at least for now. It seems to be one of these Leicester-seasons, with none of the top teams performing as they should. Number 2 Arsenal with 66 points after 33 games? Win the rest and they'll end with 81 points, that's low for a Premier League winner these days. Feels a bit like Leicester to me.

History Made by Pilgrims

Plymouth Argyle is the newest name on the Premier League trophy, as the Pilgrims held off challenges from Manchester City and Arsenal to lift the famous trophy in their first-ever campaign in the top flight.

In the process, they broke and equalled some records.  They are the first team to win the Premier League in its current format, the first year after being promoted.  They are also the first to win the top division trophy in the year following promotion since Nottingham Forest did that in 1978.  Their points score of 82 was the lowest since Leicester City's 81 in 2015-16.

They held top spot in the division for almost the entire season, Manchester City briefly leading the table on 17 May before Plymouth’s 2-1 victory over Everton put them back on top.

The title decider was considered to be the very next match, against Manchester City, where the Pilgrims defended for their lives at the Etihad and made the most of their meagre possession by running out 5-2 winners. 

The scoreline was made all the more emphatic due to Lorenzo Battaglia’s goal from the half-way line, after Ederson had come up for a corner that Argyle cleared and Battaglia completed his hat-trick with a shot into the empty City net. 

The season was rounded off with a 4-3 away victory at fellow promotees Leicester City, where both sides featured hat-tricks.  Callum Wilson, in particular, scored two penalties for Leicester.  Lucien Devaux scored Argyle’s hat-trick; his last goal an overhead kick. 

The game was also notable for a debut goal from the latest academy promotee Laurenco Monteiro.

So, the Pilgrims and their fans got to celebrate a famous achievement in their history and could look forward to another Wembley date to contest the FA Cup.

5 goals from 7 shots at Etihad. Crazy ruthlessness there. Hattricks in successive games, at both City and Leicester. Your goalscoring form is second none, with 87 goals scored. Arsenal and Liverpool next with 72. What a gap.

Interesting to see how your approach will be with Champions League football just around the corner. And which group you'll find yourself in.

I think it's accurate for the champions from the big 5 leagues. But I'm not sure, and I'm also not sure how they fill put the last three in pot 1. Perhaps you'll learn something, when you start up the new season? It will be interesting to find out.

On another note, I'm also very curious about how they'll adapt to the new format next summer. But I suppose that's gonna be a worry for another day.

FA Cup Final

Aston Villa have won this season’s FA Cup, beating Premier League Champions Plymouth Argyle 3-2 after extra time.  It was a pulsating match, full of incident and excitement, as the two sides put on an excellent show for the season’s curtain call.  Villa won it in extra time with a fine goal from Diogo Jota, after excelllent work down the left from captain John McGinn led to a cross that Jota converted with confidence.  Adam Hlozek put the champions ahead after only 5 minutes, but Villa took charge with two goals, before Freddie Issaka, on as substitute for the diappointing Lorenzo Battaglia, forced extra time with a goal in the 78th minute.

Villa last won the FA Cup in 1957, when they beat Manchester United 2-1, and this is their eigth time as winners.

“I am proud to bring this historic trophy back to Aston Villa,” said manager Unai Emery.  “It’s been too long – almost 70 years – and I hope it won’t be another 70 before we win it again”.

McGinn echoed the sentiment.  “It’s great for us players to have finally ended the long wait for this cup,” he said.  “We did it for the fans, who have been amazing.”

The match marked the fourth time this season that Argyle have lost to Villa, losing both league matches and also being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by the Villans.  “We can’t seem to get the better of them,” said manager Bobby Stones.  “It’s something we need to address next season, but fair play to them; I think it’s brilliant that such a historic club is back amongst the trophies.”  Asked if he was disappointed at missing out on a double, Stones said "Not really disappointed, no.  It's been a historic season for us anyway and it's good for the game that the trophies are shared around."

So ends the season; unusual in recent times as the two major trophies have not been scooped by one of the ‘big six’.  Long may it continue.

Chavez Leaves Argyle

In a shock move, Luis Chavez has left Plymouth Argyle after a contract dispute.  It is believed that his agent wanted a significant wage hike off the back of Chavez finishing last season as the top assist provider for the club and in the Premier League.  Although the club won’t confirm the details, it is believed that Chavez would have shattered the club’s wage structure and this was not acceptable.

Chavez was ultimately used as a bargaining chip with Brentford for the signature of Rayan Cherki, the promising young CAM that apparently Manager Bobby Stones had been scouting for some time.  Rayan will slot straight into Chavez’s position as CAM in the ‘first team’, such as it is in Stones’ thinking.

Argyle raise £19 million in sales.

The Pilgrims have sold 4 players in this window, as we enter August.  They join Luis Chavez in leaving the club.  Notable was the already-known departure of Facundo Buonanotte to Rayo Vallecano for the largest amount of money, but a tidy profit was also made on the sale of Samson Tovide (£2.5 million) who cost the club £350,000 just two years ago.  This may not be the end of the departures, according to sources at the club.

New Arrivals at Argyle

Plymouth have ‘broadly completed’ their summer purchases, according to manager Bobby Stones.

The eye-catching moves were the previously-reported swap of Rayan Cherki and Luis Chavez and the arrival of Argentine CAM Facundo Farias from Inter Miami.  When questioned about Farias’ transfer after the high-profile signing of Cherki, who is also a CAM, Stones said “Facundo won’t play as a CAM.  I see him more as a striker.”  That raises the question of the status of players like Hlozek, Issaka, Battaglia and Devaux, not to mention the academy promotees like Rodrigues, Gomez and Monteiro, but Stones said that there are plenty of matches to go round this season.  It is also possible that some of the ‘kids’ might go out on loan.

Editor’s note: Farias was bought (and the goalkeeper Valencia) primarily to meet the objective of signing two players born in South America.  Farias was also signed as a crucial player, which is one towards the objective of signing two of them this season.

Academy Players make the Grade

Four players have so far signed first-team contracts this season, and we eagerly await the chance to see them in action.  Victor Alves in particular is a special talent and we hope to see him soon on the pitch; much like Hugo Rodrigues made a big impact in the latter half of last season.

Stones Ready for the Challenge

Manager Bobby Stones has said the the club is ‘excited and ready’ for the challenges that will come this season.

Plymouth start as Premier League champions, which obviously makes them a target for every other club, and have the challenge of a first-ever European campaign, as they enter the Champions’ League, but Stones is adamant that the club can cope.

“We’ve made some good signings.  Our young squad is already strong, as we proved last season, and they are all now more experienced.”

Asked whether the departure of the experienced Luis Chavez, the oldest player at the club, will impact performance, Stones had this to say. “Luis was fantastic for us, of course he was.  However, all things come to an end and, whilst it wasn’t the best of departures, I am confident we have the leaders we need in the dressing room.  Don’t forget that he wasn’t our captain.  Cesar [captain Cesar Huerta] is still here and so are Erick [Sanchez] and Kevin [Alvarez], who are all experienced leaders.

“We had a good pre-season, up against some big names like Dortmund and Juventus and playing them has taught us so much already.

“We can’t wait for the season to start, which shows you the mentality in the camp.”

It seems that Argyle fans are lining up for a memorable season.

Welcome back to Facundo Farías, who is steadily becoming a cult player here, haha. I had my troubles with him in FIFA23, I remember, after you'd signed him a couple of times. Did he play for Newcastle in my save? I think he did. I know you signed him to complete an objective, but I still anticipate him becoming a standout player for you. Rayan Cherki the same, he's also one you've used before, if I'm not mistaken. Another "potential to be special" talent there. You're certainly staying true to the latin approach...