The first game of the month was crucial, it was a direct battle with Manchester United at Meadow Lane. A defeat would have shattered our dreams, a draw would have been pretty good as it would have preserved our chances but a win would have been wonderful… As I said earlier our biggest problem was in attack, the two best strikers (Guilherme and Sobis) were injured, so I had to start with Moreno and Demba Ba. The players were also very tired after the incredibly busy schedule that we had to face in April. Manchester United had all their best players available, Rooney included.

Every single ticket was sold, the stands were packed with fans and I hoped that could encourage the players to fight until the last drop of energy. The condition was not very good, most players were on the brink of exhaustion but it was the most important game of the season, we had to use our heads and our hearts to keep the legs moving. The game finally started and Manchester United were looking better than us, they were dominating the game but were not able to show more than a few shots from distance. On the other hand my lads looked unable to create something special in the opposition half, we only had one shot on goal in the whole first half. We were forced to defend and try to hold on to the ball for as long as possible, as the half time match stats show.

Manchester United were building up the pressure after half time as my players were more and more tired. At that point I was just hoping for a miraculous draw… It could have all ended 10 minutes into the second half, Rooney shot on the volley from inside the six yards box, our keeper was beaten but the ball hit the post, bounced clear and then was sent far away by my defenders. It was a huge chance and you can’t imagine how relieved I was when I saw the ball bouncing away after hitting the post…

Two minutes later, substitute left winger Rodney Sneijder got fouled near the opposition’s penalty area, I hoped the free kick would have given us a bit of time to breathe. Sneijder stepped up to take it with his left foot, it went past the wall and into the net, right between the keeper’s hands and the post! The stadium nearly crumbled down, our fans were shouting and cheering as if they saw a miracle in the making.

We had to survive another half hour… I switched the strategy to counter but some of my players were unable to run, they were just walking around the pitch and trying to hold on to the ball and pass it… Manchester United had a great chance of scoring a few minutes later, Berbatov was clean through, one on one with Romero, but my keeper got a hand to it, another fantastic save! My players were defending heroically, nothing went past them in the following minutes. We were also trying to hold onto the ball but it was pretty difficult as some of the players were incredibly tired. We managed to survive somehow, Manchester United didn’t have any more clear cut chances until the final whistle! If you look at the stats you could say that we literally stole the win from them but considering my players’ fitness I can say that it was a heroic battle and a well deserved win.

If you look at the condition levels within my team right after the game you can see that a few players were extremely tired. I was hoping to recover some of them for the next match, the game in had that we had to play away at Sunderland.

We only needed two more points from the last two games but I was hoping to get three of them right away Sunderland were in 10th place, they didn’t have any more goals to aim for but I was sure that they would put up a good fight. As if the fatigue wasn’t enough of a problem, my right winger wonderkid Sam Hinshelwood got injured in training before the game, he’s going to be out for three months! It was a big blow for the team as he has been an essential player throughout the season. We had to live with that though…

We made a terrible start to the game, Sunderland were shooting at will from outside our penalty area and even from inside. My team looked unable to keep them under control and one of those shots went in eventually. We had to react and the team slowly took control. Ten minutes later a through ball from Demba Ba found Bonetti unmarked in the area, the young Italian smashed it in! We continued to push forward and were rewarded just before the break, Demba Ba finished a team move with a delightful log from the edge of the area! The team was quite confident in the second half, we kept the game under control but failed to create any more chances. We nearly got punished 5 minutes from time but Romero was our guardian angel once again, he saved it and the title was ours!

Our fans were delighted and I was too, we pulled it off against the odds and despite the hardships that we had to endure lately.

Confidence was high within the team but fitness was pretty scarce, so I decided to rest most of the players in the last league game, away at Aston Villa. I sent in a few worthless youngsters from the under 18 team but I didn’t have 11 of them so I had to field a few first team players. We lost the game 3-0 but I didn’t care about that. What I did care about is that one of the few first team players that had to be on the pitch got injured, Rodney Sneijder was going to miss the Europa League final and the FA Cup final! Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.

Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.

The first challenge was the Europa League quarter final with Olympique Marseille, a very good team that came from the Champions League. Their squad featured some great players like goalkeeper Steve Mandanda and creative attacking midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa, it wasn’t going to be an easy battle for us. They knocked our Liverpool and Dinamo Kiev in the previous rounds and they also had the slight advantage of playing the first leg away from home. The first half was very entertaining, sparkling and bubbly like a glass of good champagne, both teams created a couple of chances but both keepers were in great shape. The second half was a bit different, my team looked better than OM but Steve Mandanda was absolutely fabulous, he made some miraculous saves to keep the score level. We were unable to beat him and he deservedly won the Man of the Match honor. Agnaldo picked up a yellow card so he was going to be out of the second leg but that was the least of my concerns, we had to score away from home to have a chance of getting through.

Until the trip to Marseille we had a league game to play and it wasn’t just another Premier League battle, it was the Nottingham Derby at Meadow Lane! Forest were down in 14th place and they probably remembered that we beat them 3-1 on their own ground back in December. Manchester United played their league game a day before us and they won it convincingly, 3-0 at Tottenham! The pressure was on us but Sam Hinshelwood relieved some of it right away, he finished a cross from Agnaldo with a soft touch on the volley. Just when Forest seemed capable of putting up a good reaction the referee punished them with a harsh penalty kick. Varga slotted it home and then we took control of the game. The match was even easier in the second half as Forest‘s left back got sent off after picking up two yellows for holding onto Hinshelwood‘s shirt, that’s the only way he found to stop my wonderkid. Forest were lucky just to survive until Nordtveit scored with a corner kick volley. Guilherme picked up his yellow card just a few seconds before the final whistle, the foul was completely unnecessary and stupid.

We didn’t have too much time to enjoy the nice derby win, the next game was only a few days later, away at Marseille for the second leg of the Europa League quarter final. We got off to a nice start, sent a couple of good shots on target right away but Mandanda was fantastic again. Then we got a bit lucky, eleven minutes into the game we had a free kick from 30 yards out. Biglia took the shot, it got deflected off the wall and the ball went high into the air and into the six yard box. Right winger Nicola Bonetti, the smallest guy on the pitch, was the quickest to react and he placed it in with a header! Marseille made an instant reply though, a fine shot from the edge of the area went past Romero but we were still leading on away goals. The pressure was rising in our penalty area so I decided to switch the strategy to counter hoping to survive their attacks and maybe get a chance to stab them on a counter attack. We survived until the break but the pressure got even higher after half time, we had our back against the wall as Marseille were pushing forward like maniacs. It got even worse when Demba Ba, employed as a left winger, got sent off after picking up the second yellow. I had to take out one of the two strikers, Rafael Sobis, and send in Sneijder as a left winger. I also took out Bonetti and replaced him with Hinshelwood, I was looking to improve our ball possession to relieve some of the pressure that our defenders had to endure. We were under siege in the following minutes but we had a chance to counter, Sneijder made a run on the left flank, dribbled past his opponent and swerved in the cross… Hinshelwood was right there at the far post, he headed it in from point blank range! Get in! Confidence was high, the lads started to move the ball around for minutes while Marseille‘s players were desperately trying to get it back. It was all over, we were through to the semi finals where we were going to meet Russian side CSKA Moscow.

That would have been a reason to celebrate but I changed my mind after looking at our schedule. Only one of our league games got postponed for May, so we had to play 5 games in the last 10 days of the month. Even worse, the last three games were scheduled almost one day after the other! That was absolutely insane, I had to figure out a way to survive… Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.

Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.

The first game of the month was supposed to be an easier one, at home with 17th placed Sheffield United. We won the away game quite clearly, 4-2 back in October. My boys were determined to solve the problem as quickly as possible, we were all over them right from the first seconds of the game. Guilherme picked up a nice assist from Sobis to score the opening goal and he doubled the lead 20 minutes later with a powerful shot from distance. Rafael Sobis was a bit jealous so he banged one in from the edge of the area before half time, it went straight into the top corner. Sheffield United‘s keeper was pretty busy in the second half too but he did quite well until Sobis powered another one in to make it 4-0. We were in for some good news at the end of the game, Manchester United were held to a 1-1 home draw by Stoke, we were four points clear now with a game in hand!

The next game was much more difficult, we were facing 4th placed Manchester City away from home. The home game went pretty well for us, it ended 3-1 back in October and it was a massive result for the fans. Manchester City were in a good state of form though, they just lifted the Carling Cup trophy after beating Chelsea 2-1 in the final. Our morale wasn’t too bad either, so we went forward right away but Forsyth, their keeper, denied Demba Ba with two fantastic saves in the first two minutes of the game! We continued to play pretty well but Manchester City were launching dangerous counter attacks and one of those went all the way eventually, Tevez beat the offside trap and slotted it home. My team reacted well but we lacked accuracy upfront, most of our shots from good positions went wide. Manchester City were riding the wave of enthusiasm and they produced a much better display in the second half, doubling their lead in the process with Adebayor. We tried to react but it all ended when Sobis hit the post a few minutes after Adebayor‘s goal. This was our game in hand so we were still top of the table with a four points cushion between us and Manchester United.

We had the chance to get even with The Citizens right away, the FA Cup 6th round game was coming up next. The confidence was a bit higher in their dressing room but I knew that we had the ability to get through to the next round. We were under pressure right away though and my defenders couldn’t cope with it, Robinho scored an early goal. Manchester City continued to dominate the game and we were lucky to score one against the run of play, Marcelo Moreno found a gap and placed the ball in. We were on the back foot for most of the first 45 minutes and Sergio Romero had to pull off some heroic saves to keep the score level. The second half was a bit more even but just about when we were hoping to do more Sneijder picked a poor pass back to a defender, Adebayor intercepted it and scored without saying thanks. The team looked confused in the next 10 minutes but the game took an interesting turn when the villain turned into a hero: Rodney Sneijder finished a quick counter attack with a delightful lob, we were back on level terms! Sneijder was absolutely fantastic in the following minutes, he was running around and intercepting almost any ball that was coming to our left wing. One of those interceptions led to a pass for Sobis, he was clean through but he was stopped by a tackle inside the box, penalty kick and a red card! Young left back Joe Barton stepped up to take the penalty and he placed it in, no keeper would have saved that one! We were under a lot of pressure after that goal but we survived with a bit of luck, a great long shot hit the post 10 minutes from time and then Sergio Romero worked another miracle to save a close range shot. Sneijder was the best player on the pitch after the error that led to Adebayor‘s goal, he did so much that he got injured and will be out for two weeks. We were through to the semi finals where we’ll meet the winner of an interesting game between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest.

After surviving the back to back battles with Manchester City we had another double trouble package ahead, the clash with Lazio in the Europa League last sixteen. The first leg was away from home and I was quite worried after looking at their squad, they had a great pair of strikers: Mauro Zarate and Goran Pandev. The first half was fairly even, the two teams were like boxers studying each others moves. Lazio did land a punch though, Zarate got away with a quick counter attack and set up Golasa for an easy goal. The second half started well for us, we were looking capable of coming back into the game but we got punished again on a counter attack. We reacted immediately and Sobis put one in right away, a very important away goal. The last half hour saw us defending with everything we had, Lazio put us under a lot of pressure but Romero managed to keep the tight score. It was a very rough game with countless fouls and yellow cards but we never looked like getting away unbeaten. We still had a chance in the second leg though, a narrow win could have given us the tickets for the quarter finals. Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.

Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.

The first match of the month was a difficult one, away at 8th placed Everton. We won the home game 2-0 in January but I was quite sure that things would be tougher at Goodison Park. The game started pretty well for us though, we dominated the first minutes and took the lead thanks to a placed shot from Kevin Thomson, he whistled it in from the edge of the area. The rest of the first 45 minutes were evenly boring, the two teams looked unable to produce something special. I was hoping for a similar second half but I was in for a big disappointment. Everton totally dominated the second half, my team looked like a bunch of tired old people. We survived somehow until the 76th minute but Everton got back level and even had the chance to win the game. I can’t explain what happened in that second half, maybe it was all due to fatigue. Manchester United won their tricky home game with Arsenal 3-2, so we were back in 2nd place but with a game in hand.

The game in hand was coming up next, at home with 13th placed Aston Villa, a strong team that was having a disappointing season. We were 1 point behind Manchester United, so a win would have pushed us right back on the top of the table. Guilherme started things up with one of his perfectly placed shots but Aston Villa reacted well in the following minutes, Romero had to show a couple of fantastic saves to keep us ahead. Then we took control of the game and Sam Hinshelwood doubled our lead with a fantastic goal, he dribbled past two defenders plus the keeper and pushed it in. Guilherme wrapped up our fairytale first half with a fabulous shot from 35 yards out but an unfortunate deflection made it 3-1 just before the break. We looked solid in the second half, controlled the game and claimed the win that took us back in 1st place, two points above Manchester United.

The next game was away at struggling Stoke, they were in 14th place and they surely remembered that we beat them 4-1 at Meadow Lane back in September. We started the game well, dominating quite clearly but Sam Hinshelwood hit the post 25 minutes into the game. Senegalese striker Demba Ba was back from the African Cup of Nations and he looked eager to show his skills at the club again, he powered one in from the edge of the area to give us the lead. We remained in control of the game until the last 20 minutes, Stoke were beginning to put us under pressure. Demba Ba produced a penalty on a counter attack but Varga‘s shot was saved by Fabianski! We managed to keep cool until the final whistle though and grabbed the three points. Manchester United won their difficult way game at Liverpool 1-0, so the two points gap remained unchanged.

Next up, an easier home game, 14th placed Fulham were coming at Meadow Lane. We beat them in the away game, it ended 2-1 in October. The game was fairly even until the 21st minute, Sam Hinshelwood gave us the lead with a fine corner kick header. Two minutes later our wonderkid right winger made another one of his blitz runs on the wing and crossed the ball to the far post. Agnaldo was there to head it in, 2-0. We took control of the game and Guilherme made it 3-0 in the second half after picking up a fine through ball from Defour. It was a good win but there were bad news coming with it, Sam Hinshelwood had a twisted ankle and he’ll be out between three and four weeks. Manchester United won their game with Nottingham Forest, they were looking unbeatable.

The next game was the FA Cup 5th round clash with Wolves, a team that held us to a 1-1 draw in the Premier League game back in November. This time things looked a bit different, Wolves were under siege right from the start but their keeper was absolutely fantastic, he saved around 10 shots in the first half. We continued to push forward in the second half but their keeper kept on saving everything that we threw at him. Even more, Wolves had a couple of chances on counter attacks! The time was running out and Demba Ba finally managed to place one out of the keeper’s reach, we thoroughly deserved to win this one. We’ll get to meet Manchester City in the next round, that will be a tricky one. Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.

Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.

The first game was right on the 1st of January, away at Chelsea in the Carling Cup quarter final. The last league game against The Blues was still fresh in everybody’s memory, we beat them 2-1 at Meadow Lane in December. We didn’t look as good in the first half though, Chelsea took the lead after taking advantage of a corner kick scuffle and outplayed us in midfield throughout the first 45 minutes. We were 2-0 down at the break and we totally deserved that. We looked a bit better in the second half but got punished on a counter attack, the game seemed as good as over. I changed the wingers then, Sneijder came in for Agnaldo and Hinshelwood came in for Bonetti and that gave a lift to our attacking game. The two substitutes produced two goals for us, first Sneijder volleyed home a cross for Hinshelwood and then Hinshelwood headed in a cross from Sneijder! It wasn’t too late but Guilherme missed a golden opportunity in the last minute, he was one on one with Cech but the keeper saved it. We were out of the Carling Cup, you can’t afford to play a first half like we had against a good team like Chelsea.

We were still in the FA Cup, the 3rd round game was coming up, at home with Championship side Sheffield Wednesday. We were expected to win and the team was determined to live up to the expectations. Marcelo Moreno started things up with a cool finish and then Demba Ba doubled the lead with a spectacular 20 yards shot, it went in off the crossbar. Once he saw he can do it from 20 yards he tried one from 30 yards and it went in too! The Senegalese striker was unleashed and he celebrated a hat trick right after the break, the team had a lot of fun and gave the fans an entertaining show.

Back to the Premier League, the first game of the year was at home with 19th placed Hull City. Sergio Romero got injured in training before the game, he was going to be out for 10 days, it was a chance for substitute Luis Guilherme to prove his skills. Sam Hinshelwood gave us the lead by finishing a team move but our defense had a lot of trouble with Hull‘s strikers. They got a deserved equalizer but youngster Luis Guilherme saved a few to keep us level at half time. We placed Hull under siege after half time but Rafael Sobis and Guilherme were missing a lot of chances. The goal finally came from a corner kick, Guilherme flicked the ball on from the near post and Sobis powered it in with a fine far post header. The man of the match was young keeper Luis Guilherme, I guess the future looks good

We had another home game coming up, only three days later. This time 15th placed West Ham were coming at Meadow Lane, a team that held us to a 0-0 draw back in August. We got off to a bad start, an error from Luis Guilherme didn’t go unpunished and we were one goal down. Demba Ba was determined to continue his good form, he dribbled past an opponent and powered it in only 5 minutes later. We were dominating but the ball just wouldn’t go in, Marcelo Moreno went close but his header hit the crossbar. Rafael Sobis replaced the Bolivian at half time but he didn’t have more luck, his placed shot hit the post and bounced clear. It all went down to injury time, we kept on trying but it seemed like we were heading for a draw. We managed to bang it in again in the last seconds though, a parried shot from Bonetti bounced to Demba Ba and the striker powered it in to give us the win.

The third consecutive home game in the Premier League saw us welcoming 6th placed Everton at Meadow Lane, we were expecting a tough game. Guilherme gave us the early lead after a fine solo effort, he dribbled past a defender and placed the ball in with great ability. We kept Everton under pressure until half time but failed to convert that into goals. Guilherme did it again after the break, he tapped in a shot from Nicola Bonetti after keeper Tim Howard was able to get a hand to it. Everton had a good chance immediately after our second goal but then we were able to keep them under control and claim the three points.Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.

Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.