Challenges Time To Shine - Lewis Cook

[Scratch]

This is the first in what will hopefully become a series of challenges focusing on players with potential who need to step up and make the most of their career - before it passes them by.  

 

The Player

Meet Lewis Cook:

Decent, but not a single green attribute, and at 24 you might not expect too much more development from him.

The thing is Lewis has a PA in the mid 4.5 star range. That puts him in the company of players such as Christian Erisken, Sergio Busquets, N'Golo Kanté, Leon Goretzka, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Mason Mount, Rodri - I could go on (and that's only the midfielders). 

If he wants to reach the heights of any of those players, he needs to step it up now! He's already at the age where his updates come a little slowly and his career can go one of two ways from here: either kick on and become a great player with lots of green attributes, or have the game pass him by and never get much further than where he already is.

The next few years are make or break.

 

The Challenge

Your job is to take Lewis Cook and try to maximise his career over 3 seasons.

Your final score will be the sum of:

• His club goals (from all competitions) scored under your management
• His club assists (from all competitions) provided under your management
• The total number of achievements listed on his Achievements page at the end of the 3 seasons

He only has 2 goals so far in a 186 game career, so it will be interesting to see just how much he can get with a manager who can get the best out of him.

General rules:

• No unlockables
• Any coaching badge or reputation allowed
• No cheating, no reloading, etc
• No scouting apps
• Own formations/tactics
• Transfers, etc, allowed
• ITN goals don't count
• Screenshots required as evidence (obviously)

The approach:

• You can take him to any club you like: maybe in a big league in the hopes he will develop quicker, or maybe in a smaller league where he will be able to score/assist more.  
• You can play him in any position you like: he will retrain as an AMC, which is probably sensible, but which role will you use?
• You can use any tactic you like (as long as you're not copying someone else's): maybe a strikerless formation, maybe something else?

 

The Leaderboard

• 336 points by  @Dai_ at Roma (Link)
• 245 points by @Superking at Chelsea (Link)
• 170 points by @FuddledFox at RB Leipzig (Link)
• 127 points by @StuartM at Bournemouth & RB Leipzig (Link)

 

Thanks, and good luck! 

 

Edited July 5, 2022 by Scratch

[Kun Aguero]

He used to be my must-buy player a few years back, but never use him in recent versions. Nice challenge!

[Meow]

Relevant image😂

@Scratch has already seen it though. He was saying how his career could have gone either way, so I showed him what the AI managers did to him in my save.

[Scratch]

11 minutes ago, Meow said:

Relevant image😂

@Scratch has already seen it though. He was saying how his career could have gone either way, so I showed him what the AI managers did to him in my save.

Oh yeah! With a human manager he can be great if everything goes well, or not so great if he gets an injury or two at the wrong time, but AI managers always f@<k him over..

[Rob]

Will deffo give this a go.

[broodje kip]

Why do you always have to make 3+ seasons challenge? 😂

This is so not Broodje-friendly.

[Rob]

3 hours ago, broodje kip said:

Why do you always have to make 3+ seasons challenge? 😂

This is so not Broodje-friendly.

0+ is not Broodje-friendly 😂

[Scratch]

6 hours ago, broodje kip said:

Why do you always have to make 3+ seasons challenge? 😂

This is so not Broodje-friendly.

I don't want you to be higher than me on the leaderboard, so I go for challenges that are more of a 3 course meal than a sandwich... 🤣

[Dai_]

Interesting. I'll give this a go, I think!

[StuartM]

Great idea, I'll give this a go... that way there'll be a nice low score for everyone to aim at! 😂

[Schwantz34]

Was quality for us at Leeds in real life.

Sad when he left.

[billy2shots]

As a regular spectator at AFCB, I love an in form Lewis. 

The trouble is he gets injuries regularly and takes a while to get back on the boil. 

Confident Cook is a game dictator. Out of form Cook constantly goes back and sideways. Last year he was subbed off early, the worst player on the pitch in an U20 league game (certain number of over age players allowed). 

Edited June 8, 2022 by billy2shots

[Dai_]

Man, you picked a cracker! 🙄 Pants at FK's & Pen's.... he's missed 3 penalties in his first 3 games and every FK within range he sends into orbit. This is going to be a slog! 😭🤣

The saving grace is that he has the "very rarely injured". Which is nice. 

[Scratch]

17 hours ago, Dai_ said:

Man, you picked a cracker! 🙄 Pants at FK's & Pen's.... he's missed 3 penalties in his first 3 games and every FK within range he sends into orbit. This is going to be a slog! 😭🤣

The saving grace is that he has the "very rarely injured". Which is nice. 

Well you don't want it too easy now do you?

Mind you I was a little taken aback by this (match rating of 7 but too overwhelmed to improve!):

[Meow]

8 minutes ago, Scratch said:

too overwhelmed to improve

I'd be pretty overwhelmed too, especially if suddenly transferred from the Championship to the reigning Champions of a foreign country which I don't speak the language. 

[Scratch]

8 minutes ago, Meow said:

I'd be pretty overwhelmed too, especially if suddenly transferred from the Championship to the reigning Champions of a foreign country which I don't speak the language. 

Lol, 4 seasons playing in the EPL, followed by 1 in the Championship. And capped by England too. I expect more from him and by god I'm going to get it!

[Dai_]

5 hours ago, Scratch said:

Well you don't want it too easy now do you?

Mind you I was a little taken aback by this (match rating of 7 but too overwhelmed to improve!):

Yes! Yes, I do want it to be easy! 🤣

He's picked up a bit at pens. He's scored 2 from 7. No FK's yet though. 

I've also gone to Italy, for a change. I was only using it as a tester but its going well enough to consider sticking with it.

[Scratch]

3 hours ago, Dai_ said:

Yes! Yes, I do want it to be easy! 🤣

He's picked up a bit at pens. He's scored 2 from 7. No FK's yet though. 

I've also gone to Italy, for a change. I was only using it as a tester but its going well enough to consider sticking with it.

Fair enough! 2 from 7 is pretty abysmal though... 

I've played in Italy this year with Johnny Rough, but that was with Salernatana I wanted to have a save with Inter, so here we are. Might try an easier league next time around.

[StuartM]

I've gone for a season with Bournemouth to level up initially, plus plenty of games to go at... seems to be going quite well by my standards!

[Scratch]

1 hour ago, StuartM said:

I've gone for a season with Bournemouth to level up initially, plus plenty of games to go at... seems to be going quite well by my standards!

He should go pretty well in the Championship, so that might be a smart choice! 

[Dai_]

7 hours ago, Scratch said:

Fair enough! 2 from 7 is pretty abysmal though... 

I've played in Italy this year with Johnny Rough, but that was with Salernatana I wanted to have a save with Inter, so here we are. Might try an easier league next time around.

I've yet to manage in Italy for anything significant. I was tempted for my latest long-winded challenge but I'm not sure it's possible, never mind in a stronger league. Time will tell with that.

2 in 7 is very poor but he is scoring well in open play and the important attributes have started increasing so its going OK.

7 hours ago, StuartM said:

I've gone for a season with Bournemouth to level up initially, plus plenty of games to go at... seems to be going quite well by my standards!

I nearly started at Bournemouth too. Its a great idea. I just worried that improvement would be limited. 

[Superking]

He is developing very quickly 

If he  developing his Attributes with this speed he can become next messi 🤣🤣

(Attributes wise at the end of season)

 

 

[eternalaurora]

28 minutes ago, Superking said:

He is developing very quickly 

If he  developing his Attributes with this speed he can become next messi 🤣🤣

(Attributes wise at the end of season)

 

 

That pace!!!

I didn't know the physical attributes can still improve after the player turns 24. That's a wow.

[Scratch]

Oh yeah, that Pace is amazing!! I concentrated on his crossing so he can assist more from corners, so my one is still slow...