CM5 - chasing the treble!!

Those of u who know me well would know that I'm rather heavily addicted (some say too heavily addicted) to the PC football management game, Championship Manager 5. The team that I manage on CM5 is Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem, & I use the name Roger Van Haaren - a fictitious, cocky Dutchman.

I'm currently in season 2026/2027, & Vitesse are chasing honours on 3 fronts.

Firstly, Vitesse are top of the Dutch Eredivisie (the top league in the Netherlands), lying 9 points ahead of Ajax Amsterdam with just 4 matches to go. That means that 4 more points from the remaining 4 games will be enough for Vitesse to clinch the Dutch championship.

Secondly, Vitesse are also in the final of the Dutch Cup, & their opponents are once again those aristocrats from Amsterdam. The Dutch Cup final is scheduled on 23/5/2027, after the Dutch Eredivisie has concluded.

Thirdly, Vitesse are also in the final of the UEFA Champions League. Guess who are their opponents in the final?? Yep, Ajax Amsterdam once again!! The Champions League final will be played on 26/5/2027, just 3 days after both sides contest the Dutch Cup final. The winner of the Champions League final will be crowned champions of Europe.

So if Vitesse wins all 3 trophies, they will win the treble for the third time in the CM5 history.

By the end of the Champions League final, both sides will be absolutely sick of the sight of each other. For the last number of seasons on CM5, Vitesse & Ajax have been each other's major & bitter rivals, particularly in the Dutch Eredivisie. In real life, there's no real rivalry between these clubs. But on CM5, the rivalry is huge, thanks to me! Ajax regularly finish second in the Eredivisie behind my team Vitesse! So, I wouldn't think Ajax are especially fond of Vitesse & manager Roger Van Haaren. The rivalry can be considered to have reached unprecedented heights in the current season (2026/2027) because both teams will face each other in the Dutch Cup & UEFA Champions League, on top of being in the top 2 of the Eredivisie.

So what are Vitesse's chances? Well, they are likely to win the Dutch championship, because the gap is 9 points & Vitesse' has a far superior goal difference than Ajax. As for the Dutch Cup & UEFA Champions League, well, they are one-off games, so anything can happen. Even if Vitesse wins the Dutch championship, there's no guarantee they will win those 2 cup finals. The fact that Vitesse have not lost to Ajax in the Eredivisie in the current season (played Ajax twice, drew one, won one) may be seen to give Vitesse a psychological edge going into those 2 cup finals. But as stated earlier, cup finals are one-off games, so anything can happen. Needless to say, I will endeavour for Vitesse to win the treble. Go Vitesse!!