Trebor Mahtal came within one penalty kick of ticking G off his Alphabet Challenge, only to see his Gamba Osaka painfully lose the J.League Cup in a penalty shootout. He took a bit of time away from football and spent the winter break refocusing on how to continue improving his exciting young squad ahead of his third full season in Japan.
An exciting young Gamba Osaka team, led by a mass of outstanding homegrown talents, booked the club's place in the AFC Champions League for the first time in 28 years in 2064. Manager Trebor Mahtal now faced the challenge of strengthening his inexperienced squad for even more fixtures as they balanced domestic and continental football towards the end of the league campaign.
Six months in Japan had seen Trebor Mahtal successfully steer Gamba Osaka well clear of any relegation concerns while flooding some of the club's promising youngsters. His big challenge now was to strengthen the squad to compete with Japan's best.
Unexpected Premier League success with Fulham meant Trebor Mahtal was on the move quicker than expected. The 79-year-old Zambian went in search of his 22nd club fresh from ticking off the 19th letter from his Alphabet Challenge. That meant the letters now eluding him were: C, D, G, H, I, K and X. Upon resigning,... Continue Reading →
Robaato Rasamu came so close to sealing the first title in his mission to win all five top-tier continental trophies as Albirex Niigata narrowly lost to big-spending Al-Hilal in the AFC Champions League Final. The Japanese manager needed a little time to get his head around the defeat and consider his options moving forward.
Albirex Niigata had qualified for the AFC Champions League, which meant Rasamu and, as far as he could tell, the club would get their first taste of continental football. And, considering this save is all about winning the leading competition on every continent, that was a pretty big deal - but it doesn't start until well into the second half of the league campaign.
Albirex Niigata were off to an absolute flyer in Robaato Rasamu's first season of top-flight football. They found themselves 2nd in J1 League after 18 games but, with injuries and a heavy schedule stacking up, it would be a major challenge to maintain that form.
The remarkable rise of Robaato Rasamu in the world of football management had seen him go from being unemployed to reaching the J1 League in just over three years. He now faced a huge task as he prepared for his first taste of top-flight football.
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