In the last instalment Saints were sailing along scoring at a stunning rate having brought in Gabriel Jesus, Kevin de Bruyne, Felipe Anderson and Joshua Kimmich. Pulisic and Vietto were sold. This was a squad of immense quality, but no longer with a commitment to England.<\/p>\n
League Cup<\/strong><\/p>\n The league cup proved a cruise, with Arsenal crushed 5-0 in the quarter final. Nottingham Forest put up a fight against a reserve team before ultimately being beaten 4-2 in the simi final. Aston Villa would be the opponents in the final but this would be another simple victory.<\/p>\n FA Cup<\/strong><\/p>\n There were early struggles in the FA Cup before the 5th round, quarter final and semi final flowed with goals. The final against Tottenham was a far tighter affair, going to extra time before being settled by a former Spur.<\/p>\n Champions League<\/strong><\/p>\n The Champions League campaign was not without flaw but it was without defeat. Once again it was Spurs who offered resistance. For half a tie. Barcelona also fought hard in the first game before being taken apart 5-1, one of the highlights of the season.<\/p>\n The scoreline in the final would look tight but it was only a 9.5 PoM performance from the Bayern goalkeeper that prevented a thrashing.<\/p>\n Premier League<\/strong><\/p>\n Perfection. The 100% record was achieved. More goals scored than ever and fewer conceded.<\/p>\n The season was one of consistency. Lots of most of the games were won scoring 3 or 4 goals. With some exceptional exceptions.<\/p>\n Saints 21\/22<\/strong><\/p>\n Only one player was signed for the new season. I went back in for Rui Pedro from Real Madrid. The fee was not a small one but I finally had my man. The players sold were far more significant. Out go the Englishmen.<\/p>\n Lewis Cook<\/strong><\/p>\n Cook was and is a very good player. He just is not as good as Joshua Kimmich. He was sold to Manchester United for \u00a320 million and was a prominent figure for them. For me he simply did not improve enough, or I could not improve him enough. This would be the case for all of the players moved on.<\/p>\n Kyle Walker-Peters<\/strong><\/p>\n Walker-Peters was only sold because of the competition in the right back position (still an issue at left back). He returned to Spurs for \u00a317 million and played 40 games in all competitions.<\/p>\n Ainsley Maitland-Niles<\/strong><\/p>\n Maitland-Niles would have been a good squad player for the Saints but he also suffered from the weight of competition for places. QPR would be his destination and he started 37 games.<\/p>\n Reece Oxford<\/strong><\/p>\n Reece was doomed from the moment he suffered a serious injury weeks after joining. He joined the ranks of ex Saints at Sheffield United.<\/p>\n Andre Dozzell<\/strong><\/p>\n Dozzell never got close to the first team and was never likely to. A decent player, quite similar to Maitland-Niles. Dozzell would help Brighton to promotion.<\/p>\n Ryan Sessegnon<\/strong><\/p>\n The weight of competition at left back meant that Sessegnon didn’t have much of a chance to break in to the side. Nor had he developed particularly well.<\/p>\n . Ademola Lookman<\/strong><\/p>\n At one stage it looked like Ademola would make the break through, playing a few games for the first team. He was never going to be able to compete with de Bruyne and Anderson. He joined Sunderland on a free.<\/p>\n League Cup<\/strong><\/p>\n At one stage Manchester City were an impassable obstacle to winning this competition. Now no one stands in the way. Victory in the final would be utterly convincing. As they would be all season.<\/p>\n FA Cup<\/strong><\/p>\n The competition very nearly went awry in the 3rd round. Chelsea came from two goals down to earn a replay.\u00a0 The response was to sweep them aside.Dominic Solanke’s five goals in the semi final are worth noting, becoming the second player to get a five for in the season. City (more specifically their regen goalkeeper) fought hard in the final but could not keep out Rui Pedro and Felipe Anderson.<\/p>\n Champions League<\/strong><\/p>\n One draw in the competition this season. Wins in all the other matches. Ten goals scored in the last two fixtures without response just illustrating how dominating the Saints have become. The 5-0 win in the final was the second crushing victory in a final this season against big name opponents. Josh Onomah is the missing scorer.<\/p>\n Premier League<\/strong><\/p>\n The 100% record from the previous season was not repeated. A solitary 1-1 draw with Arsenal put that to a halt.<\/p>\n We would have to be satisfied with 37 wins and another record breaking season in front of goal. The defensive record was not as good but that could be because Jack Butland missed a big part of the season with injury.<\/p>\n The Players<\/strong><\/p>\n Not surprisingly in a prolific campaign some of the numbers put together by the players are quite stunning.<\/p>\n Rui Pedro<\/strong><\/p>\n The big signing scored 37 times including 5 against Manchester City. His 27 league goals would not be enough for the golden boot. Saido Berahino managed one more. Berahino scoring 28 league goals. Fantasy.<\/p>\n Anthony Martial<\/strong><\/p>\n If Martial hadn’t picked up a mid season injury he would most likely have finished the season as the top scorer in the league.<\/p>\n Domininc Solanke<\/strong><\/p>\n The Solanke success story continued. Of all the players who started out as project players Solanke has been the most spectacular success.<\/p>\n Kevin de Bruyne<\/strong><\/p>\n The Kevin de Bruyne we have all become used to at Manchester City is creative force. The Saints KDB created 25 goals but also netted 32 times across the competitions.<\/p>\n Felipe Anderson<\/strong><\/p>\n Anderson’s first season at the club was spectacular, with 28 goals and 26 assists in all competitions. This season he would top that. In the league Anderson scored 21 goals and broke all assist records by creating 30 league goals. Overall he scored 28 times and created 36.<\/p>\n Josh Omomah<\/strong><\/p>\n If Solanke is the biggest hit Onomah is a close second. He has been a steady goalscoring and creator from the difficult attacking midfielder position for five seasons. This season he scored 18 times, amongst them some spectacular efforts.<\/p>\n Christian Eriksen<\/strong><\/p>\n Eriksen suffered a mid season injury that limited his productivity. His 8 goals were good but his 20\u00a0assists from 35 appearances were excellent.<\/p>\n England<\/strong><\/p>\n Back to the project. I ended the philosophy at Saints but the England job became available in 2021.<\/p>\n Slaven Bilic had become England manager in 2016. New England Saints players would make up the bulk of his squads. Despite a poor 2018 World Cup Bilic would keep his job.<\/p>\n At Euro 2020 England would win the competition. Apart from Raheem Sterling the goals would all be scored by Saints or ex Saints.<\/p>\n The Dominic Solanke story broke new ground with two goals to eliminate Italy and the winner in the final.<\/p>\n Five Saints and ex Saints would make the Dream Team for the Euros.<\/p>\n Early in\u00a0World Cup qualifying, following a defeat in the Confederations Cup Final to Chile, Bilic resigned. I swooped in.<\/p>\n The Confederations Cup squad contained 12 Saints players (not including ex Saints this time). I would not pick as many Saints in my squads as Bilic chose players who were far from first team regulars.<\/p>\n World Cup qualification was simple and prolific. Goals were spread around, Ox top scored with 8 goals in 6 games. Sterling scored 7 and Solanke 5. On a Saints note, Rui Pedro scored 16 goals in 8 games and Martial scored 11 in 6.<\/p>\n The World Cup<\/strong><\/p>\n In the squad were 12 Saints (or ex Saints). The squad depth is vital for World Cup campaigns on FM because the players struggle to play 2 games in a row.<\/p>\n Group F<\/strong><\/p>\n The tournament started against Croatia. Not the easiest of foes but a good solid win ensued.<\/p>\n Game 2 was a dramatic clash with Senegal. England dominated but Harry Kane was performing like the player I shipped out of New Saints and Berahino looked like the West Brom\/Stoke player we all recognise. That was before Luke Shaw picked up his second yellow.<\/p>\n Game 3. Mexico. In the game Mexico have a number of very talented players and this game could have meant an early exit from the tournament. England turned on the style, Josh Onomah grabbed a hat trick and Harry Kane got off the mark.<\/p>\n Second Round<\/strong><\/p>\n The reward for winning the group was a game against Italy. Had we finished second we would have faced the Dutch. Sometimes you can’t win.<\/p>\n The game was a close encounter but Kane had awoken.<\/p>\n Quarter Final<\/strong><\/p>\n Ghana waited in the quarters. Two early strikes and a last minute goal sealed a non event of a game.<\/p>\n Semi Final<\/strong><\/p>\n Surprising semi finalists. A Pulisic inspired USA. We would be a Berahino inspired England. Fantasy.<\/p>\n World Cup Final<\/strong><\/p>\n On a hot July night in\u00a0Morocco England faced Argentina in a historic second World Cup Final.<\/p>\n England’s starting line up would contain six Saints and two ex Saints.<\/p>\n![\"Screen](\"http:\/\/www.pger.net\/football\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-04-10-at-09.00.08.png\")
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