Fun/Games Striker Trials

[DanEnglish]

14 minutes ago, Kun Aguero said:

All votes in, simulation done, and results should be posted soon!

Hats off to @BatiGoal here - as I think both our Lewandowski + his Salah are highly likely to be top 3(ish) for this round.

I’m unfortunately NOT basing this on the latest winter update though - my previous simulation knowledge is from my recent best strategy for a ‘Draft League’ thread - where Lewandowski was superb in the premier league. Let’s see 😬 

 

[Titjes]

25 minutes ago, Kun Aguero said:

(Hint: At least one of you manage to get the full 10 points while there appears to be one huge disappointment 👀)

One of us manages to get the full 10 points - Must be @BatiGoal or @broodje kip

One huge disappointment - This has got to be Lukaku doing Lakaka things again, I'm doomed 😂

[BatiGoal]

12 minutes ago, DanEnglish said:

Hats off to @BatiGoal here - as I think both our Lewandowski + his Salah are highly likely to be top 3(ish) for this round.

My pick was also based on Coventry as it's a style of play (via flanks) that should suit Salah, they usually do fairly well. However, it never ever feels comforting to stand alone. It's usually a sign of looming disappointment 😳

9 minutes ago, Titjes said:

One huge disappointment - This has got to be Lukaku doing Lakaka things again, I'm doomed 😂

I feel the worst for one of us. It's not the end either way. Still many pts to play for.

[BatiGoal]

43 minutes ago, Kun Aguero said:

All votes in, simulation done, and results should be posted soon! Any predictions who's gonna lead the table after the first round? (Hint: At least one of you manage to get the full 10 points while there appears to be one huge disappointment 👀)

Robert Lewandowski

• @StuartM
• @Indian
• @Kanegan
• @DanEnglish

Erling Haaland

• @AtleticoWolves
• @TheShane

Mohamed Salah

• @BatiGoal

Romelu Lukaku

• @Titjes
• @P.Rahul
• @Meow

Heung-Min Son

• @broodje kip

No votes for

• Messi
• Ronaldo
• Kane
• Mbappe
• Benzema

Didn't expect that tbh. If assists counted Messi could be an option too for me as he does well at any club. Kane too if he wasn't matched with Rotherham. Don't think this club can get him the goals.

[broodje kip]

1 hour ago, BatiGoal said:

No votes for

• Messi
• Ronaldo
• Kane
• Mbappe
• Benzema

Didn't expect that tbh. If assists counted Messi could be an option too for me as he does well at any club. Kane too if he wasn't matched with Rotherham. Don't think this club can get him the goals.

Benzema barely does well from my experience. Surprised nobody picked Messi though.

added 0 minutes later

I feel like sticking with Son in this competition 💪

[TheShane]

You all though and analysed. My logic was- Haha. Robot goes brrrrrrr

[Kun Aguero]

Striker Trials: Round 1

Cold Rainy Night in Stoke

10 World-Class strikers, 10 not so World-Class Championship teams, who's able to prove that they're good enough even in a cold rainy night in Stoke, who will be knocked out in the very first round? We'll know very soon.

Fast forward to January 2023, midway thru the season, Heung-Min Son, Kylian Mbappe and Mohamed Salah were the 3 frontrunners with 27, 20 and 17 goals each while one of the favorites Erling Haaland is struggling at 29th place with only 9 goals. Is that going to be the doom of the 2 contestants who picked the Norwegian? Is @broodje kip going to earn all 10 points thanks to the great Heung-Min Son?

 

Another fast forward towards the end of the season, and let's look at how the 10 strikers fare. We'll start with the #10 who will be the first one eliminated.

#10 - Karim Benzema - 13 goals

Ballo D'or winner Karim Benzema turns out to be the worst out of the 10 strikers, scoring only 13 goals, and is the only one who isn't a regular starter for the team. 

#9 - Harry Kane - 18 goals

As predicted by @BatiGoal, Harry Kane didn't get too many goals at Rotherham, probably due to the quality of the team. However Kane will still survive this round, thanks to a even worse Benzema.

#8 - Cristiano Ronaldo - 20 goals

Finishing 3rd from bottom is the Portugese GOAT Cristiano Ronaldo who ended the season with 20 goals in 43 games for Birmingham. Probably not that bad considering his age, but anyway he survives this round as well.

#7 - Romelu Lukaku - 21 goals

"Lakaka" turns out to be quite a disappointment, scoring 21 goals which will earn @Titjes, @P.Rahul and @Meow 4 points each. His teammate Jamal Lowe who plays as a right IF might be the reason why he didn't score that much, as Lowe managed to get himself 20 league goals, just 1 less than the Belgian.

Spoiler

#6 - Lionel Messi - 24 goals

Although Messi didn't score that many goals, his ability as a playmaker was showcased this round, as he provided 14 assists as well. He's also the only 2 players who managed to get his team promoted (they even finished top of the league!). Another thing worth mentioning is that Messi did that playing as a AMC, instead of a ST. The team's striker Dike also got himself 20 goals, which will placed him at 8th place in this round.

Spoiler

#5 - Erling Haaland - 28 goals

Perhaps one of the greatest comeback ever, Haaland went from scoring only 9 goals in the first half of the season, to scoring 19 in the second half, which brings his tally to 28 league goals, enough for him to finish in 5th place. He might be able to score more if he's placed into a better team, which Wigan is obviously not, having ended the season at last place, with Haaland carrying the team on his shoulder.

Spoiler

#4 - Mohamed Salah - 28 goals

Salah scored the same amount of goals as Haaland, but his 7 assists help put him at 4th place. @BatiGoal's statement about Coventry fitting Salah's style of play turns out to be quite true as Coventry finished the season at 2nd place, earning them a promotion ticket. Salah's partnership in crime Viktor Gyokeres also turned out to be quite a decent striker, scoring 22 goals himself.

Spoiler

#3 - Robert Lewandowski - 31 goals

Finally into the Top 3, the most voted striker this round Lewandowski ended the season with 31 goals, enough for him to finish in 3rd place, but perhaps not good enough for 4 players who picked him this round.

#2 - Kylian Mbappe - 32 goals

I was quite surprised that no one picked Kylian Mbappe, who ended up in 2nd place with 32 goals, which is a great performance considering Blackpool was one of the worst teams and Mbappe was basically carrying the team on his shoulder as well. Tough luck for the 2 future GOATs (Mbappe and Haaland) as both of them were placed in a weak team, and will probably do better if they're in a better team.

Spoiler

#1 - Heung-Min Son - 37 goals

To be honest with you, I didn't expect this as well, Heung-Min Son turns out to be the best striker this round, scoring 37 goals while also providing 12 league assists. He did this by playing as an IF as well, while his teammate Joseph Hungbo also did well by scoring 14 goals and 10 assists. Kudos to Neil Warnock and Huddersfield Town! I think @StuartM might regret not backing his own team now 😂

Spoiler

 

League Table

Here's how the league table looks like, Messi and Salah fired their team to promotion, while poor Haaland was demoted with Wigan.

\

 

The Contestants

Last but not least, the rankings after Round 1. @broodje kip will be leading the table, while the 3 who chose to trust Romelu Lukaku are at the bottom. It's still very early and with 1-10 points given out each round, things will change very quickly.

1. @broodje kip 10 pts
2. @DanEnglish 8 pts
3. @Indian 8 pts
4. @Kanegan 8 pts
5. @StuartM 8 pts
6. @BatiGoal 7 pts
7. @AtleticoWolves 6 pts
8. @TheShane 6 pts
9. @Titjes 4 pts
10. @P.Rahul 4 pts
11. @Meow 4 pts

 

Next round will start very soon, with 9 strikers remaining (bye-bye Benzema), and here's a sneak peek of what's to come next...

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy it.

[Meow]

My guess is AI simulated match doesn't account for lack of aerial players at TF. Salah or Son might go off here, though my personal assessment was that game probably still favours Lukaku more.

At the same time, I feel like both Lewandowski and Lukaku are fairly favoured by the game. Injury perhaps?

Edit: Oops posted same time as results. Bruh...

Edited March 18, 2023 by Meow

[broodje kip]

Those people who trusted Lakaka 🤣🤣😭😭

[BatiGoal]

Definitely some surprises .. Mbappe did much better than I expected. I thought Blackpool would've limited his skills and opportunities to shine much more than it did. Lewandowski does always well, no surprise getting into the top 3. But Son?? Geez... I had him placed in the bottom 3. Didn't see that coming.

Good one @Kun Aguero and congrats @broodje kip I'm just left wondering if there's no Malaysian conspiracy going on here 😂😂😂 took me a single round to already come up with excuses 👍

[DanEnglish]

16 minutes ago, Meow said:

My guess is AI simulated match doesn't account for lack of aerial players at TF. Salah or Son might go off here, though my personal assessment was that game probably still favours Lukaku more.

I did quite some research in FMM22 to understand - which player does the AI put as a sole striker (e.g. in a 41221) and why?

I found the AI will always put the highest CA player as the sole striker - e.g. Mbappe as the sole striker, instead of Lukaku / Haaland - after some adjustments:

• +/- for form
• - for positional familiarity
• - for fitness % 
• didn’t test if morale affects it.

There is no AI consideration of individual attributes like aerial or pace.

This is why if you put Mbappe + Haaland in the same (AI managed) team - the AI will play Mbappe as the sole striker, instead of Mbappe as a wide IF and Haaland as the sole striker / TM.

[Meow]

24 minutes ago, DanEnglish said:

the AI will always put the highest CA player as the sole striker

Ah that's interesting to know, but by "doesn't account" I wasn't referring to the positions AI managers place them.

I was talking about the AI simulated matches just awarding goals to the striker, even if it's an 8 aerial player as TF.

[DanEnglish]

18 minutes ago, Meow said:

Ah that's interesting to know, but by "doesn't account" I wasn't referring to the positions AI managers place them.

I was talking about the AI simulated matches just awarding goals to the striker, even if it's an 8 aerial player as TF.

Ah. Ooops. I misunderstood!

[StuartM]

Noooo! 😂😂

At least we know what the answer is now for Town, just sign an elite, fast, inside forward type striker. Easy!

[TheShane]

Robot's machine learning progress is exponential curve perhaps, so he'll make a comeback late in tournament. But hey it's the winter form that's hard to get and haaland carried 10 logs with him. Son was THIS GOOD!!!. Certainly didn't expect that. GGs Everyone

[broodje kip]

4 hours ago, BatiGoal said:

Definitely some surprises .. Mbappe did much better than I expected. I thought Blackpool would've limited his skills and opportunities to shine much more than it did. Lewandowski does always well, no surprise getting into the top 3. But Son?? Geez... I had him placed in the bottom 3. Didn't see that coming.

Good one @Kun Aguero and congrats @broodje kip I'm just left wondering if there's no Malaysian conspiracy going on here 😂😂😂 took me a single round to already come up with excuses 👍

Not even the host believed me

[Kun Aguero]

Striker Trials: Round 2

The Apprentice

A student is only as good as his teacher. The football world is never short on young talents, and we've seen some old legends help in bringing out the potential of their successor, such as Ronaldinho and Messi at Barcelona. 

And now the 9 strikers remaining had to answer the question: Can they bring the best out of their apprentices?

The Scenario

• Each of the 9 strikers will be paired up with 1 youngster from the same nation, and will be playing in 9 different clubs across the Big 5 leagues.
• Their score this round will be average league goals + assists by the striker and thier apprentice = [(G+A of striker) + (G+A of apprentice)]/2. That means you will have to consider the factors such as strength of leagues, teams, tactics and ability of the apprentice.
• To ensure the young apprentices get game time, all natural (bright green) strikers had been removed from the teams, but accomplished (dark green) players will still remain, i.e. Benzema will be removed from Real Madrid but Rodrygo remains.

The Strikers and Apprentices

And finally time to introduce the strikers and their selected apprentices. Please note that the lineup/formations shown are not essentially what the manager will be using.

#1 Heung-Min Son - Oh Hyeun-Gyu - Real Madrid

Spoiler

#2 Kylian Mbappe - Hugo Ekitike -PSG

Spoiler

#3 Robert Lewandowski - Bartosz Bialek - Bayern

Spoiler

#4 Mohamed Salah - Omar Marmoush - Liverpool

Spoiler

#5 Erling Haaland - Elias Hoff Melkersen - Man City

Spoiler

#6 - Lionel Messi - Julian Alvarez - Barcelona

Spoiler

#7 - Romelu Lukaku - Jeremy Doku - Inter

Spoiler

#8 - Cristiano Ronaldo - Fabio Silva - Man Utd

Spoiler

#9 - Harry Kane - Dane Scarlett - Tottenham

Spoiler

 

What do you need to do?

• Pick 1 striker duo that will win this round.
• Send your selection to me thru PM.
• You may discuss in this thread, but is advised to not reveal your selection.
• If your striker placed #1, you will be awarded 10 points; 9 points if your striker placed at #2, and vice versa.
• You have around 48 hours to make your choice.

Feel free to ask any questions, and have fun! 😁

[StuartM]

A clear first choice for me this time... but I could be reading this wrong 🤔

[BatiGoal]

1 hour ago, StuartM said:

A clear first choice for me this time... but I could be reading this wrong 🤔

I think you're right, altho...

average league goals + assists by the striker and thier apprentice = [(G+A of striker) + (G+A of apprentice)]/2

Big trouble if the apprentice doesn't play/produce.. is there a spot for teacher AND student in the same current manager's preferred line up? Will the AI manager change style if suddenly all strikers but 2 remain (due to Kun Aguero removing the competition for places) ... and then of course what style suits the teacher..and the student.. will they themselves be each other's competitor? Who's refereeing? What tea flavor is served during halftime? Need I go on?

 

[Meow]

2 hours ago, BatiGoal said:

What tea flavor is served during halftime?

One of us could've hired the tea lady to slip laxatives into the drinks to swing the trials in our favour too 🙃

[broodje kip]

3 hours ago, BatiGoal said:

I think you're right, altho...

average league goals + assists by the striker and thier apprentice = [(G+A of striker) + (G+A of apprentice)]/2

Big trouble if the apprentice doesn't play/produce.. is there a spot for teacher AND student in the same current manager's preferred line up? Will the AI manager change style if suddenly all strikers but 2 remain (due to Kun Aguero removing the competition for places) ... and then of course what style suits the teacher..and the student.. will they themselves be each other's competitor? Who's refereeing? What tea flavor is served during halftime? Need I go on?

 

But it could be worth to note that since it counts both student + teacher, a teacher that scores a lot could be a good pick either. 

[DanEnglish]

Crikey! An intriguing round 🤔 

A couple of questions @Kun Aguero (which I’ll post here for everyone’s benefit / fair play) - just so we all know what’s happening … 

1. Loans - if a young apprentice is loaned out to, do their league goals / assists count while out on loan?
2. Injuries - are you doing anything to ‘heal’ season-ending injuries, or just let ‘whatever happens, happens’

12 hours ago, StuartM said:

A clear first choice for me this time... but I could be reading this wrong 🤔

Really? Huh. Depending on the answers above, I see either 2 to 3 clear choices here, with a number of much weaker choices. Let see what everyone picks.

Even without the answers above, I’ll go vote now 👍 

[Kun Aguero]

3 hours ago, DanEnglish said:

• Loans - if a young apprentice is loaned out to, do their league goals / assists count while out on loan?
• Injuries - are you doing anything to ‘heal’ season-ending injuries, or just let ‘whatever happens, happens’

1. I will send them back to their parent club if they're loaned out, and goals/assists while they're loaned out doesn't count
2. I'll just let injuries happen.

[Kun Aguero]

All votes in, simulation in progress. Messi and Mbappe who were snubbed in last round's votes are the favorites this time. Thoughts?

Lionel Messi + Julian Alvarez

• @Indian
• @BatiGoal
• @TheShane
• @P.Rahul
• @Meow

Kylian Mbappe + Hugo Ekitike

• @StuartM
• @Kanegan
• @Titjes

Erling Haaland + Elias Hoff Melkersen

• @broodje kip

Robert Lewandowski + Bartosz Bialek

• @DanEnglish

Romelu Lukaku + Jeremy Doku

• @AtleticoWolves

[DanEnglish]

8 minutes ago, Kun Aguero said:

All votes in, simulation in progress. Messi and Mbappe who were snubbed in last round's votes are the favorites this time.

Wow. Such a wide range of votes.

Based on @Kun Aguero’s answers to my questions above, I guess both Lewandowski’s Bayern + Mbappe’s PSG should be score high / amongst the top 3-4 ✅ Am surprised more people didn’t vote for them - especially as Bayern’s side is full of attackers who are better at passing than shooting (see green ticks below) … if Lewandowski stays fit = 🔥 

About Messi’s Barcelona … am surprised so many of you voted for them. For sure both players could do well there - but with Messi’s declining attributes in a fairly competitive league, this seems like a much riskier bet. Could be top three, but may not be, feels more like a 50:50 rather than a sure thing … 

… what do you all think?

PS. @AtleticoWolves - Inter?! I wonder if they’ll even finish top 4 that first season! While I love Lukaku, that feels like a brave choice compared with the alternatives …

[P.Rahul]

Lukaku was my experience in this game where i scored 85+ goals in a Season in chelsea..and messi in barcelona world know what he can do..! and many participant thinks same way ..

[DanEnglish]

1 minute ago, P.Rahul said:

Lukaku was my experience in this game where i scored 85+ goals in a Season in chelsea..and messi in barcelona world know what he can do..! and many participant thinks same way ..

Oh yes - Lukaku used to score A LOT in many FM / FMM versions - but after this winter update … and in the Italian leagues rather than England … and in that Inter team … 🤔 

[BatiGoal]

Messi has usually a very high goal involvement as we know so I was already leaning towards him, despite playing in Spain. Also, Messi & Alvarez don't "need" to be fighting for places with one another which is a bonus, but still game time isn't guaranteed. But I'm hoping the apprentice's versatility ensures G + A, unlike some of the other options. Playing a weaker Europa league is another beneficial factor, if it all adds up we might get 10 pts 😀

Mbappe and Lewandowski are close 2nds for me purely because of their goals regardless the apprentice and league they play in. But imo a riskier bet since you're betting on potentially 1 man to get points.

[BatiGoal]

Top scorer Son from round 1 is going home I fear. Don't see many pts there with the apprentice not playing. I suppose it explains why they got 0 votes.

[Meow]

23 minutes ago, DanEnglish said:

About Messi’s Barcelona … am surprised so many of you voted for them

I think the decision was based on weighing a strong apprentice much higher, at least that's the case for me