August 2022

August 2022
During the month of August, Yeovil Town F.C played 4 League matches, 2 Europa League Qualifiers and 1 EFL Cup fixture.

They ended the month 15th in the League.

Premier League: MD1
"We deserved more than that. We really did. We really stifled them all game and while we probably didn't create enough to take 3-points, we certainly earned a draw! This is why we're keeping the 4-3-3 in our arsenal. It has a great balance and is helpful for teams that like to dominate possession. Unfortunately, it didn't quite get us the result today, but we had the performance.

It was our first game of the season and I think it went really well! There's always some tweaking to be done but we're on the right track at least. There's a huge Away game against Wolves next so we'll have to match our intensity today as they'll be equally as tough to break down. But they are a fantastic team so it wouldn't be the end of the world should they outperform us like the reverse fixture last year. I'm undecided as of yet how we'll set up, but we're going for the win.

We did manage to get one more signing over the line though! Leonardo Mancuso. The 30-year Italian has had a muted time at Juventus, having been loaned around Serie A and B clubs and not being given a chance to show why Juventus signed him in the first place. But he wanted out and it's great to have such an accomplished winger in our ranks who can play either flank.

I have an eye on bringing a new defender to the club who would be perfect for the tactical system I want to adopt, but otherwise, there shouldn't be any more incomings. Isaac Lewis as you probably caught has moved to Koln in Germany and minus a few more of our kids going out on loan, the squad is ready!"

Premier League: MD2
Wolves Post-match Interview

"Don't be fooled. We lost 3 - 1 but that doesn't tell the story of the game. We came here and dominated the possession and took them all the way. It's a new system for us and in the end, it told as we had a few defensive errors. We were so close. It's going to take some work to keep building on this system but we'll get there.

I threw our new signing Lukas Klunter right in the deep end today and asked him to play the RCB/RB role which I think he did very well with. We picked him as he's a mobile, quick defender who can pick a pass too. We needed that as it's quite lacking in the team otherwise. I'm excited by what he can bring and with the rest of the month with teams not quite of this quality, we should see some results follow!"

Europa League Qualifier: First Leg
Bondby IF Post-match Interview

"There we are! That was the best performance we've had for a long while! It was everything we have been working on and it was a joy to watch. We went out there with a very young side, everyone knew their role and we executed it perfectly. We implemented our 3-1-4-2 against Wolves but tonight we showed its potential.

A lot of the kids really impressed tonight and they've certainly done themselves no harm. C. Davis, who recently turned 17, had a huge game on the right of defence and was very composed. There's a reason why we decided against sending him on loan and that's because he is a huge talent that needs time at the highest level. E. Carter, who spent last season on loan, was trusted to providing width from the left flank but to also link up with the midfield. Honestly, his passing is so on point and we can't rule him out moving more central.

D. Bertinato was dropped into CDM as we had a lack of options... but we obviously see something in him. While he is available for loan, we're starting to have second thoughts. All he had to do was stay central, break up the play and keep the ball moving which he did a good job of. Finally, Mark James lead the line. While he didn't have the best of performances, he did find the back of the net. He'll get more minutes but as the whole line-up was young tonight, we thought we'd give him a shot ahead of R. Seager (who'll start the next fixture).

But finally, Tom James was excellent on the right. I've always wanted to get more out of our fullbacks and forcing them to right and left midfield gives them much more responsibility and freedom. While Carter was strong on the left, James completely owned the right flank and picked himself up the two assists.

Let's see if we can build on the against Watford in 2-days with our first team!"

Premier League: MD3
"I knew it. Today was a well-fought battle but we stuck to our approach of dominating possession, defending as a unit and stretching the play and we came away with the result. The chances created weren't that many and our best chance was really the corner that Ox scored from. But we controlled Watford well and it's nice to get a win over them after they did the double on us last season!

Lasse Sorensen had a terrific game today. His passing was on point and not only did he connect all 31 of his passes from DM, but notched the assist from the corner. I think I can say now that Watford actually approached us to sign him. It's no surprise really. Still only 22 and with the world at his feet. It won't be long before teams bigger than Watford will take notes I think!

This Saturday was only the start of a stupidly busy week for us. We play Scunthorpe on Tuesday, Bronby on Thursday and then Fulham on Sunday. Not forgetting that we only played Bronby 2 days ago. It's poor scheduling at it's a lot of football to play so early on in the season. On the bright side, it does mean a lot of play time for our squad, but I don't know why the FA aren't helping us out with rescheduling. At least the cup game."

English Football League Cup: RD2
Scunthorpe United Post-match Interview

"You couldn't make this up, could you? Last year, against all odds, we won the Carabao Cup. This year, we're eliminated in the first round that we entered!

There was a lot of naivety about our game today. It was a young side we fielded, but it wasn't too far away from the guys who played against Brondby. We got the first goal and then after that, we completely lost our footing. Conceding 2-minutes after scoring will do that too you!

But there's a lot of recent history between Yeovil and Scunthorpe. It was great to see Alex Fisher come off the bench. He didn't have the longest of careers here, but it's good to see he's still going strong - even if that meant scoring against us. He departed with O. Olomola coming the other way.

Obviously, it's disappointing to go out. But if that means, should we quality against Brondby, we have a run in the Europa League with extra fixtures taking up our time, I think the team and the fans will enjoy that a lot. So we need to give everything on Thursday now!"

Europa League Qualifier: Second Leg
Bondby IF Post-match Interview

"... I don't know where to start. Where would you start?

I mean... Inside of 14 minutes, the game was drawn at 2 - 2. Another 14 minutes later, we lead 5 - 2!

And the goals just kept on coming. Everyone was in sync and football just flowed beautifully across the whole pitch. A. Bell, who seldom even has a shot on goal, managed 2 goals and 2 assists (reigniting his old feud with Tom James? He didn't start this game but had a fantastic game last time out. S. Mounie got a hattrick of assists. D. Yearwood with a brace of assists. Absolutely phenomenal match and what a way to qualify for the group stage!

But you know, it's never always pure sunshine. M. Reuvers went off around 20 minutes and we suspect it's a broken elbow. He just can't catch a break and we'll be sorry to see him out of action for a few months.

Hopefully, everyone enjoyed that and we're ready for the groups!"

Premier League: MD4
"I suppose any game following that European epic was always going to be pretty dour in comparison! Fulham set up to not concede, didn't give us any room to exploit and pitched a goal themselves. Thankfully we managed to work a ball into the box (former Fulham player C. Christie, no less) and 20-year old Declan Kelly managed to knock it into the net somehow!

We remain 15th which I am perfectly happy with, given the chaos this month threw our way. Everton, Cardiff and Huddersfield next month give us a chance to assert ourselves between the Europa League group stage games, which we will find out about tomorrow!

Overall, this was a great month! Let's keep building on this and have a better September!"

YeoLaTengo Monthly Review
We haven't had an August like that in a very long time. Certainly not in recent memory! So much action and drama and we're only one month in!

Starting with our league campaign, overall, it has gone as well as you might have hoped! We played 2 of the best teams from last season in the first two matchdays, but then picked up 4 points in the remaining two fixtures. What's key here is that in those last two games, the team was playing with a distinct style and you could really see it coming together. There's still some work to be done, which is going to take some time, but the initial signs are very promising!

And our Europa League qualifiers! Who could really have anticipated how we would have performed prior to the qualifying match? It's a completely different environment that the club has never been through before and it was anyone's guess really. The first match was a purely professional performance that really showed the potential of a possession-heavy style of football. With a lot of youngsters no less! But then the Home fixture was complete annihilation. A club record in fact! The groups have been drawn and we're in Group G for this campaign:

Pretty great group! Two of the largest teams in Greece and Turkey and back to Belgium, where we just played our pre-season tournament, to take on KV Oostende. It's certainly going to be tough to finish ahead of Olympiacos and Galatasaray, but if we can win all of our Home games and try to take some points Away, then there's no reason why we can't finish in the top 2!

Finally, our defence of the Carabao Cup (EFL Cup as of this season) was short-lived. At the hands of old friends no less. It happens. The main thing is that we have bigger fruit to chase this season so we should put our full support in trying to progress as far as we can in the remaining cups and hope for better luck next season in the EFL Cup!

This letter also wraps up the Summer Window. There's a couple of days left, but it's unlikely we'll see any movement from here. Overall, it has been a very busy window for the club with a lot of new faces and waving goodbye to some old ones. Let's see if we have enough to get us through the season!

YeoLaTengo Player of the Month
This is a tough one. Right off the bat, L. Sorensen, A. Bell and L. Benkovic jump out as the most obvious candidates for their performances this month. And they are all equaully as worthy.

But actually, we're giving this award to a player many expected to be sold. Sessi D'Almeida, almost out of nowhere, has returned to first-team action after a very muted campaign last time around and looks to have to found a new like he had done so many times before. His work rate is obviously pretty integral to the style Sascha Krause wants his team to be playing and with M. Reuvers out of action until around October, he has plenty of time ahead of him to enjoy his football. It's a well-deserved award and hopefully the first of even more to come!

League Table Preview
A snapshot of Yeovil Town in the Premier League, with the teams in close proximity.