Football Season Guide

Enjoyed a solid debut top flight season W10 D9 L15. This was enough for 11th place, full 9 points above the bottom 3. The ability to achieve narrow wins, 8 of the 10 triumphs were by a single goal, was crucial. After only a year in charge Custodio resigned in the summer. Not happy with the team’s constant roster changes he left. Sergio Ferreira is the new manager. He has no top flight experience. Last season gutted the entire squad, 34 of the 35 players used were new signings. Not doing so many drastic changes this summer but again lots of activity has reshaped the look of the team. Saw 5 regulars from last term return to their parent clubs. Also, key AM Lincoln and the top goalscorer from January onward Sandro Lima were sold. A lot of the supporting cast is gone too. GK Gomes had a great campaign last term. Added 3 new GKs already, hoping 1 of them can fill the role. The moves in defence seem to be positive ones. Alverca look to have more talent at the back compared to last season. New RB Tamarit (20) could become a sensation. At junior level he’s topped 8 assists per season in 3 consecutive campaigns. New CBs Bojang and Meupiyou are also quality players that promise to make Alverca more coherent at the back. Selling AM Lincoln might look like a bad move on the surface but the reality is he was an emergency injury-signing late last summer. After a full season out Leo Chu is now ready to step in the role. Before his disaster injury a year ago he was widely seen as a key player. The departure of 5 CFs is a more serious concern. New arrivals in attack Vivaldo Semedo (21) and Samy Mehreg (19) are young and unproven. Banking on them to carry the load up front without an experienced option is a risky move. If more depth and firepower is added to the attack soon Alverca could be considered as good as they were last season. If not, troubled times might lie ahead.