L2 | S3 | W22: Dortmund stumble as Cardiff seize control of Division 4’s four-way scramble

📰 Week 22 in Review – Season 3

Nine games left in Season 3 and the European Elites is delivering on every front. The Division 1 title race is as tight as it’s been all season, with five clubs still mathematically in contention. Division 4’s promotion picture has reshuffled dramatically as Borussia Dortmund were beaten at home while Cardiff City pulled a point clear. And Division 2 has produced the story of the week: Sheffield United putting three past Manchester United without reply, a result that drags David Hopkins’ side into a relegation conversation that was already getting uncomfortable.

The League Cup quarter-finals also land this week – prize money of £140,000 for those knocked out at this stage – and the Supremos Cup quarter-final draw is on the horizon for Week 23. A lot riding on the next seven days.

🏆 Division 1 – The Five-Way Squeeze

Paul Lamming’s Rapid Vienna remain top after a comfortable 2-0 home win over Walsall – Costa in the 13th and Bernacci in the 74th – but the gap at the top has barely changed. Rapid sit on 40 points but Peter Shuttleworth’s Atletico Madrid are just two behind on 38 after a 1-0 win at Norwich City, with Depay doing the damage late on in the 75th minute. Sporting Lisbon recovered from their Week 20 slip to beat West Ham 2-1 – Ronaldo levelling just after the hour before Bergkamp nicked it in the 89th – and sit third on 36. Cambridge United are a point behind on 33 after a 1-1 draw with FC Porto, Hearts dropped a place after losing 3-0 at Rangers, but five clubs are still covered by seven points. This title race is going to the wire.

💡 Walsall sit fifth despite having the best home form in the division over the last five games – four wins and a draw. Michael Kensett’s side have simply not been picking up enough on their travels. If they can turn that home strength into something consistent away from the Bescot Stadium, they are very much a title threat.

The more urgent story is at the bottom. Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Marseille – Griezmann opening in the 17th, Hierro equalising in the 21st – which extended their winless run to five games. James Harman’s side are on 17 points along with Bayer Leverkusen, who were beaten 1-0 at home by Athletic Bilbao. González grabbed that one in the 33rd minute – his latest in a remarkable individual season. With Athletic up to 12th on 28 points after five straight wins, that form surge is doing real damage to clubs around them. Real Madrid’s goal difference of -16 is a fraction worse than Leverkusen’s -16, and with nine games left, this is now a genuine fight to stay up.

⚠️ Real Madrid have taken four points from their last five – all four coming from draws. They are yet to win a league game in that stretch. Bayer Leverkusen’s away form in the same period reads 0W 1D 4L. One of these clubs is going to drop. Possibly both.

💙 Division 2 – Sheffield United’s Statement Win

Birmingham City’s title is done in all but name. Leigh Bailey’s side beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at St Andrew’s – Strootman early in the 5th, Kelly wrapping it up in the 59th – to move onto 47 points, nine clear of Middlesbrough in second. The title is a formality. The real Division 2 news this week came from Bramall Lane, where Ron Fluff’s Sheffield United hammered Manchester United 3-0. Toney in the 37th, Yorke on the stroke of half time, Warhurst in the 88th. David Hopkins’ side – rated at just 525, comfortably the weakest squad in the division – were never in it, and the result leaves them on 14 points with nine games remaining.

🔍 Liverpool’s relegation position is becoming increasingly hard to look past. Gilbert Burnett’s side beat Inter Milan 1-0 this week – Álvarez with the goal in the 76th – which ends a grim run, but the bigger picture remains stark: nine points from 22 games, zero wins in their last five away fixtures, and a goal drought on the road that has gone on for more than a month. Manchester United on 14 and Liverpool on 16 – one of these clubs is in real danger. Possibly both.

Middlesbrough’s push for promotion is quietly gathering momentum. Greg C’s side beat Bayern Munich 2-0 – Arruti in the 8th, Ansó in the 69th – to move second on 38. Daffy Duck’s PSG are level on 38 but fractionally behind on goal difference after a 1-1 draw with Salisbury, with Ronaldo opening in the 38th and Martínez pulling one back in the 9th for the visitors, who earned a decent point against a side that should be beating them. The battle for that second promotion place behind Birmingham looks like a two-horse race between Middlesbrough and PSG with eight weeks to sort it out.

❤️ Division 3 – Charlton Climbing, Chelsea Crumbling

Bristol Rovers drew 1-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers – Neto for the hosts in the 11th, Zekhnini equalising on the 8th minute… wait, Zekhnini scored in the 8th, with Neto replying in the 11th – and David Griffiths’ side stay top on 47. Aberdeen are second on 41 after drawing at Leicester City, but the week’s most eye-catching result was Charlton Athletic’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. Wayne McCauley’s side have now won three of their last five and climbed to third on 41 – level with Aberdeen but behind on goal difference. Gynn in the 4th and Mendonca in the 43rd were the goals, and with an away record of 5W 4D 2L, Charlton are quietly one of the best-travelling sides in the league.

At the other end, Chelsea are in freefall. Mark’s side lost 1-0 at home to Arsenal – Crespo the goalscorer in the 26th – and now sit 15th on just 14 points. They’ve picked up two wins and two draws from 22 games, and their form over the last five reads 0W 2D 3L. Crystal Palace below them are unmanaged and on 13, but Chelsea’s goal difference of -12 is significantly worse than Celtic’s in 14th on 18 points. The two clubs scrambling at the bottom have a combined nine points across their last ten matches. It’s grim.

⚠️ Barcelona are the form side nobody is talking about in Division 3. Ian Dance’s side have won four of their last five, beating Aston Villa 2-0 this week – Riedle and Luiz both in the first half. They sit seventh on 29 points but with an overall form ranking of 2.40 PPG over the last five, they’re performing at the level of the top three. Whether they can sustain it is another question, but they’re not to be ignored.

💛 Division 4 – Cardiff Edge Ahead, Dortmund Wobble

The Division 4 promotion race has a new dynamic this week. Cardiff City beat Ajax 2-0 at home – Gragera and Bongonda the goalscorers in the 30th and 54th – while Borussia Dortmund were beaten 2-0 at home by Nottingham Forest. That double swing means Nonno Coia’s Cardiff now lead Jody Downey’s Dortmund by a single point: 41 to 40, with Cardiff holding the superior goal difference. Leeds United and Newcastle United both sit on 38, meaning four clubs are within three points at the top of a very congested table.

🔍 Port Vale sit fifth on 37 points and are only four behind Cardiff. Kris Bond’s side beat Leeds United 1-0 this week – Mezza in the 87th minute – and their away form over the last five is 3W 0D 2L, the best in the division. It’s a genuine four-horse race for the top two spots, possibly five if Port Vale keep winning. With nine games left, Dortmund’s home fortress (4W 1D 0L last five at home) is their most reliable weapon.

Nottingham Forest’s result over Dortmund deserves a mention beyond the promotion implications. Chris Houldey’s side looked to be drifting in 14th, on 18 points at the start of this week, but back-to-back wins have at least made the table look less terminal. Gonçalves and Ducksch – in the 45th and 80th – did the damage. Forest are still deep in the relegation picture but there are signs of life. Below them, Manchester City on 15 and Ajax on 14 are the clubs in genuine trouble, both without a win in their last four.

🏆 Supremos Cup – Quarter-Finals Incoming

The Supremos Cup quarter-finals are scheduled for Week 23, with the draw producing some tasty ties. Barcelona take on Nottingham Forest as heavy favourites, while Charlton Athletic vs Bristol Rovers promises a cracking all-Division-3 showdown. Celtic face Cambridge United, and Norwich City take on Newcastle United. Clubs knocked out at this stage will receive £280,000 – a meaningful sum for sides further down the league. The semi-final prize rises to £440,000, and the winner collects £1,100,000.

The Supremos Cup betting is open – maximum stake £20,000, odds as shown above. Charlton vs Bristol Rovers is the standout neutral’s pick: a tight game between two of the division’s form sides, with the bookies slightly favouring the home side. Cambridge United as slight favourites over Celtic is interesting given their respective league positions.

The League Cup quarter-finals land this week too, with £140,000 on offer for clubs eliminated at this stage. Prize money rises steeply from here – semi-finalists take £220,000 and the winner collects £550,000.

🗞️ Around the League

The score draw pool produced eight correct guesses from six score draws this week. Congratulations to Keaney of Millwall, Leigh Bailey of Birmingham City, David Griffiths of Bristol Rovers, Gaffer of Norwich City, G. Haining of AC Milan, Neil Moxey of Sevilla FC, Kidrock of Crystal Palace and BigAnge of Huddersfield Town – £100,000 each is a tidy midweek bonus.

Two new managers joined the league this week. Gareth Murphy takes the dugout at Grimsby Town in Division 4, and Kidrock picks up the reins at Crystal Palace in Division 3 – the latter is particularly welcome news given the club has been running without management for several weeks. Crystal Palace on 13 points with nine games to go need active leadership urgently.

A quick mention too for something that deserves more than a footnote. A number of managers across the game heard that Manager Gilbert had been through a difficult time at home following a fire, and clubbed together to buy him a block of turn credits. I won’t name names as that is their business, but it was a genuinely decent thing to do and a good reflection of the community Soccer Supremos has become.

On the technical side, two bugs were squashed this week. Players sold via the circuit were not appearing in the selling club’s transfer history or the completed transfer table – now fixed. And any player picking up two yellows in the same game was being docked 16 disciplinary points instead of the correct 8. Also fixed. Both were flagged by managers – thank you to those who took the time.

In the transfer market, Cambridge United have had a busy week – picking up Luca Antei from Millwall for £3,626,999 and Moustapha Cissé from the Circuit for £2,301,999. Middlesbrough added Jaroslav Plašil from Port Vale for just over £2,000,000, while Grimsby Town brought in Arturo Vidal for £800,000. Leeds United completed a double defensive signing, bringing in Luke Shaw from AC Milan for £4,300,000 and Tommy Boyd from Celtic for £3,500,000. That is a serious outlay from Ryan Lee’s side, and the intent is clear.

Crowd trouble was reported at three league fixtures: the Cambridge United vs FC Porto match saw 58 arrests and £71,158 in stadium damage; Huddersfield Town vs Southend United produced 33 arrests; and AC Milan vs Manchester City resulted in 55 arrests and £73,734 of damage. A Cardiff City vs Leeds United friendly also turned ugly, with 59 arrests and more than £74,000 of damage. Worth keeping an eye on discipline totals as the season reaches its climax – York City lead Division 4 with an eye-watering 188 disciplinary points.

Hint Sheet 6 is now live on the Manager’s Playbook, covering Fitness and Injury in detail. If you’re not clear on how the INJ rating works and when it starts affecting your players, it’s worth a read.

Rivalry milestones reached this week: Bristol Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Cambridge United have all hit the Rival Awareness threshold and will now be tracking their designated rivals. The next milestone for all clubs is reaching 200 rival score points to unlock Official Rivalry status.