Andrew is back with more from Swedes take Barcelona: Stockholm Syndrome. The Turnips on Tour have made an encouraging start but with a demanding board, Champions League results could mean everything…

Hello and welcome back to Turnips on Tour! Last time out the Swedish invasion had taken control of Barcelona, we had created the most enviable B side in the history of B sides who are making waves in the Copa del Ray, we’d made it to the Champions League group stages on 10 players, and were sat on top of La Liga at this very early stage. Here’s a reminder of the table:

With four key attackers on international duty due to Sweden’s involvement in the playoffs for the World Cup we take on Atletico a little short on firepower, and it shows. It’s a poor showing between the sticks but I’ll take it on the chin.

Next up, we’re back in Europe for our second game vs. Dinamo Moscow, and with an insufferably small squad, one of the dreaded greys does all they can to sabotage us, but we scrape through with a victory thanks to that weirdo Mansson!

Porto lose 3-0 to Monaco so our chances of progression rest on beating Monaco and being the best runner-up. Up next two games against Sporting Gjion. First in La Liga we cruise to a straight forward victory.

In between days, the motherland qualifies for the France ’98, pulling a sickeningly difficult group. It also sees out star centre back Jansson injured.

We really need a solid 4-0 win to progress in the Copa del Ray, but instead Asper has a stinker, we don’t get through, and we lose our other two centre backs for 4-6 weeks…oh joy of joys! Prytz and Peltola will have to stand in at the back for now.

We follow up with a tasty derby against RCD Espanyol. Pochettino takes an early bath, but we don’t half make it hard for ourselves. Our iron Ljung provides a one-minute double-salvo and we snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Back to the Champions League, a cruel mistress. Oh no ssson! Svensson misses a penalty that would ultimately have been a decisive goal and given us certainty of qualification. With Parma and PSG both on 10 points, we MUST now beat Monaco who top the group. With Ljung suspended, it is looking unlikely.

Get in sson! A top of the table clash as we face off against nearest rivals Bilbao who have only conceded 9 goals in their first 14 games. All very comfortable until an 82^nd minute goal from Urzaiz, but for once Asper stood strong and we hold on.

Prytz completes the blitz as we stun Celta with 5 first half goals and that’s it. We take our foot off the gas at the end and concede.

Next up it’s the big game against Monaco. We need Man Utd to beat PSG, Newcastle to get something from Parma, PSV to beat Red Star and a victory for ourselves due to our poor goal difference. We opt for 3 at the back and 1 up top…and oh my it pays dividends!

A miracle takes place, and all the other results go our way, but the draw is a sickener.

New years eve eve eve brings us the news that we can kiss goodbye to the slim chances we had of lifting the Super Cup against Dortmund…as we’ll have no ‘keeper in our limited squad.

We prepare for our whooping from Dortmund by edging out Betis as Asper puts in another swede performance with a shutout against some of the best attackers in the world (in the land of CM9798).

As far as first legs go, we were on our last. If not for an early double, and a host of missed chances we might have taken something into the second leg.

Oh no sson! Svensson gets a yellow and ends up banned from European action. He’ll miss the second leg.

Racing Santander and Salamanca are cast aside 3-1 and 4-1 respectively until we line-up in the second leg of the Super Cup, and what a game it is. We come within a whisker of pulling off the impossible, and an accidental oversight sees a grey with 4 for finishing and 3 for set pieces tuck two penalties away. It just wasn’t enough.

And with that beyond us, the most important game of January arrives, El Classico. In the previous fixture we turned Real over, but I’m not so confident having had to flit in and out of starting 11’s. Madrid take their revenge, with the newly arrived Alfonso blowing us away.

And with that they close the gap to 1 point. We go into the run in with a slim lead and the turnips are still in the Champions League.

With a squad complied for £7m (£3m if the ludicrous tribunal fee of £4m for Kihlberg is discounted) it’s not been bad going so far. But keeping ahead of Real will be a worry now they have Alfonso. So, stay tuned in to see if we end up looking like turnips or not. See you again next time!

You can follow Andrew on Twitter @kingoftherooks