Welcome to Episode 2 of my FIFA 19 Marseille Career Mode series! Last month, we kicked off the season with three straight wins in Ligue 1 against Toulpuse, Nimes, and Rennes.
This month, we’ve got five matches in Ligue 1 and the first match of the Europa League group stage.
Let’s see how we got on in Episode 2 of this FIFA 19 Marseille Career Mode series.
September 2018
Monaco (Ligue 1)
Our first game in September is a big one as we travel to Monaco. We lineup with the same XI that beat Rennes in our last game.
Samuel Grandsir gives the hosts the lead with a header that makes Steve Mandanda look like an idiot, but Florian Thauvin levels things with a header of his own. Unfortunately, Mandanda again does some inexplicably dumb sh*t to let Falcao put them 2-1 up. Lucas Ocampos equalises in the second half with a smart finish, but Aleksandr Golovin scores the winner with a strike that Mandanda can’t do anything about.
A first defeat of the season leaves us level on points with Monaco and Rennes at the top of the table.
Guingamp (Ligue 1)
We’re back at home for our next game against Guingamp, as we look to bounce back from the loss to Monaco. I contemplate dropping Mandanda but with a lack of real alternatives I decide to keep the same lineup.
Not a vintage performance, but we manage to pick up the win thanks to a Morgan Sanson goal after some nice interplay in the box.
The win keeps us top for now, although the chasing pack all have a game in hand.
Arka Gdynia (Europa League)
We put Ligue 1 aside for now as we open our Europa League campaign away to Arka Gdynia of Poland. I make 9 changes to give the rest of the squad some game time. Only Dimitri Payet and Mandanda retain their places.
We get off to a horror start as Kolev gives Arka the lead after 25 minutes. Mandanda then makes a great save to keep the score at 1-0 at halftime. In the second half, Valere Germain and Payet score within 5 minutes to turn things around. Germain adds another on the hour mark, and then completes his hat trick in the 79th minute.
A big win to start the group stage, with tougher tests to come against Lazio and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Lyon (Ligue 1)
Our next game in Ligue 1 is another big one – this time away to Lyon. The usual XI come back in replacing the Europa XI.
After a goalless first half, Lucas Ocampos pops up at the far post with a header to give us the lead. Kostas Mitroglou doubles the lead on 60 minutes, but Bertrand Traore pulls one back for Lyon shortly afterwards. Fortunately, we manage to hold on for a 2-1 win.
The win leaves us in 2nd place; one point behind surprise leaders Nantes who have yet to lose this season.
Strasbourg (Ligue 1)
We welcome Strasbourg to the Velodrome in our next game. Valere Germain replaces Mitroglou as the sole striker, while Kevin Strootman and Maxime Lopez come into midfield. Morgan Sanson plays further forward in place of the rested Payet.
A first half brace for Strootman (his first goals for us) is enough to seal a comfortable 2-0 win. The first is a powerful strike from outside the box, while his second is a great header from a corner.
The win takes us back into first place as Nantes lose their match to fall two points behind, level with PSG and Monaco.
Lille (Ligue 1)
Our final game of the month is a visit to Lille. Strootman keeps his place after his match winning performance, which means Sanson is on the bench.
A fine solo goal from Dimitri Payet give us the lead, before Kostas Mitroglou doubles the advantage just before halftime. We continue our dominance after the break with Florian Thauvin and Payet netting again. Rafael Leao grabs a consolation for Lille with 10 minutes remaining.
With that win, we extend our advantage to 4 points over Nice, Lyon, and Montpellier. PSG and Nantes both lose which means they remain on 16 points.
So that brings us to the end of September 2018. It started badly with the defeat to Monaco, but since then we’ve strung together 5 straight wins. Let’s see what October will bring.
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Oh and don’t forget to vote for your favourite goal of this episode! The nominees for this month are:
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