Fun/Games Striker Trials

[Meow]

1 hour ago, BatiGoal said:

Bad shooting equals off target or easy shots -> no goals

1 minute ago, broodje kip said:

Shooting is actually surprisingly important

Shooting is overrated. It is made of finishing and long shots. Having either is enough, even if shooting ends up being like 5-7.

OooOOooh I wonder what using the editor does to either attributes 🤪 #mindgames

[StuartM]

My head is spinning, if they have bad shooting but good decision making, will they pass instead?!

[Kun Aguero]

All votes in, simulations done, results to be posted soon! 4 of you thinks Pace doesn't matter for Mbappe, another 4 thinks Haaland will have no problem scoring even without Movement, while 2 of you thinks Messi will perform well even without his Technique. @broodje kip was alone again, picking Harry Kane.

Kylian Mbappe

• @DanEnglish
• @BatiGoal
• @P.Rahul
• @Titjes

Erling Haaland

• @Indian
• @Kanegan
• @TheShane
• @Meow

Lionel Messi

• @StuartM
• @AtleticoWolves

Harry Kane

• @broodje kip

[DanEnglish]

Oh man that’s interesting. I think both Mbappe + Messi will do really well here ✅ 

… but Kane … without his partner Son … Kane could really struggle ⁉️

[StuartM]

Kane was my 2nd choice, I persuaded myself that he would be a provider primarily

[broodje kip]

1 hour ago, DanEnglish said:

Oh man that’s interesting. I think both Mbappe + Messi will do really well here ✅ 

… but Kane … without his partner Son … Kane could really struggle ⁉️

I think tbh Messi might struggle but 50/50 on Mbappe. He might actually do well when AI controlled though definitely won’t when human controlled

[BatiGoal]

Don't tell me Son is going to win another round...

[Kun Aguero]

Striker Trials: Round 3

The Swap

#8 - Heung-Min Son - 8 goals

Son's amazing run in this competition has come to an end. With his lack of movement, he's not a regular player in the Juventus team, the manager even decided to play Pogba as a winger instead of him. Coincidence that Son's out in the round where @BatiGoal finally rate him? 🤔

Spoiler

#7 - Romelu Lukaku - 8 goals

Lukaku scored the same amount of goals as Son, but provided more assists. Seems like his lack of Shooting has affect his scoring ability a lot, but have helped in his assisting ability, the 36 goals for his striker partner Lautaro Martinez is something worth mentioning.

Spoiler

#6 - Robert Lewandowski - 13 goals

Lewandowski is no longer Lewan-"Goal"-ski after losing his Shooting, but somehow he became a creator instead of a goalscorer, providing 15 league assists, which is something quite rare from him. It also seems that having a striker who can't finish allows the inside forward (Fati and Torres) to score a lot more.

Spoiler

#5 - Erling Haaland - 14 goals

That's quite a disappointing result from Haaland who can't "move". He only managed 14 goals, but I think Injuries might be one of the factor, as he only played 22 times in the league, after suffering multiple minor injuries. Did the game make him too injury-prone?

Spoiler

#4 - Harry Kane - 19 goals

Harry Kane was among the 3 strikers who lost his Shooting ability, but since he has a 10 in his Shooting even after the swap, it doesn't affect his game much. 4th place for Kane means @broodje kip will get 7 points this round.

Spoiler

#3 - Mohamed Salah - 21 goals

Salah's performance was still good even after losing his Movement, as compared to Son, even though both were being used as a Winger. Another Top 3 for Salah, is he among the best of the 10 strikers in this game?

Spoiler

#2 - Kylian Mbappe - 27 goals

Pace doesn't really matter for Mbappe to score goals in La Liga, as he managed to get himself 27 goals from 33 games, his 20 Aggression does make him more prone to Yellow and Red cards though. However his 27 goals wasn't enough to make him the winner this round, as someone else was way ahead of him.

Spoiler

#1 - Lionel Messi -38 goals

This is quite an interesting result, as Messi without his Technique somehow make him more of a goalscorer than a playmaker. 38 goals from 38 games, while only 5 assists which is quite rare from Messi. Another interesting thing is that last round's flop Hugo Ekitike appears to be scoring 12 goals this round. 

Spoiler

 

The Ranking

@DanEnglish remains at the top spot while @StuartM and @BatiGoal wasn't too far behind. Meanwhile @broodje kip continues to drop down the table.

1. @DanEnglish 27 pts
2. @StuartM 26 pts
3. @BatiGoal 25 pts
4. @Indian 23 pts
5. @Kanegan 22 pts
6. @P.Rahul 22 pts
7. @TheShane 21 pts
8. @Titjes 21 pts
9. @broodje kip 20 pts
10. @AtleticoWolves 20 pts
11. @Meow 19 pts

 

Thanks for reading and here's what coming next...

[Meow]

8 minutes ago, Kun Aguero said:

11. @Meow 19 pts

World Class

[broodje kip]

Welp! looks like I overestimated the importance of pace and technique here.

[Meow]

On 20/03/2023 at 10:58, BatiGoal said:

Top scorer Son from round 1 is going home I fear

Quick tell us which one will go out next round, so I'll be able to know who to avoid next next round.

#mindgames

[DanEnglish]

19 hours ago, DanEnglish said:

Oh man that’s interesting. I think both Mbappe + Messi will do really well here ✅ 

Damn. Picked the wrong one of these two then 😆 

[BatiGoal]

Wildcard Messi, low technique = fewer assists = more goals? Interesting round this, a single attribute affects a player's behavior significantly. Not entirely shocking of course since it's a primary attribute but interesting nonetheless.

[TheShane]

Bro my form is like Milan irl, MID.  

[StuartM]

I'm getting a nose bleed so high up 😂

[DanEnglish]

10 minutes ago, StuartM said:

I'm getting a nose bleed so high up 😂

The nose bleed from up high is annoying. It’s the lack of a parachute on the way down which is more problematic 😂 

[Kun Aguero]

Striker Trials: Round 4

The Playmakers

The question "Does attributes matter?" had been answered last round, while this round the question to be answered will be "Does the playmaker behind the Striker matter?".

The Scenario

• This round, the 7 remaining strikers will be travelling to a league most of them are strangers to, the Argentinean League. Each of them will be randomly placed into 7 different teams.
• Each striker will be paired with 2 playmakers (teammates) while each of the 7 teams will be playing different style/formation based on the playmakers chosen. I will be using the IGE to edit the manager's preferred formation to the specific formation to make sure the same formation will always be used.
• The points this round will be Total Goals + Assists by the Striker.

The Strikers & Playmakers

#1 Lionel Messi - Boca Juniors - "Behind The Strikers" - Gabriel Jesus + Darwin Nunez

Lionel Messi was most effective in the Central Attacking Midfielder roles in recent years for both club and national team, hence he will be doing so this round, while his "Playmakers" or "Strikers" this round will be 2 World-Class strikers from South America, Gabriel Jesus and Darwin Nunez. Can Messi still score while providing assists for the 2 strikers?

Spoiler

#2 Kylian Mbappe - Central Cordoba - "Star-Studded Attacking" - Kai Havertz + Rafael Leao

Playing in PSG and France, Kylian Mbappe are familiar in playing in a team fill with superstars. This round, he will be doing so, pairing up with Rafael Leao and Kai Havertz, 2 well-known goalscorers in the game, can he maintain his goalscoring ability or will the 2 grab some of his goals?

Spoiler

#3 - Mohamed Salah - Argentinos Jrs - "Wingbacks" - Alphonso Davies + Trent Alexander-Arnold

Having won almost everything in Liverpool with 2 World-Class wingbacks/fullbacks behind him, can Salah do the same in Argentina, this time with Davies and TAA providing him the crosses and potentially assists?

Spoiler

#4 - Harry Kane - Banfield - "Inside Forwards" - Vinicius Jr. + Sadio Mane

Harry Kane is very used to be playing alongside world-class Inside Forwards such as Heung-Min Son, this time with Vinicius Jr. and Sadio Mane playing next to him, can he score as much as he does with Son?

Spoiler

#5 - Erling Haaland - River Plate - "Midfield Maestros" - Kevin De Bruyne + Bruno Fernandes

The debate of "Who's the best midfielder in PL?" between KDB and Bruno Fernandes had been around quite sometime, but this time, them two will be playing together, sending in as many passes as possible to the Viking. Can Haaland finally be as good as he is IRL, or will injuries be his worst enemy again?

Spoiler

#6 - Robert Lewandowski - Independiente - "Wingers" - Leroy Sane + Angel Di Maria

After losing his Shooting last round, Lewan-"Goal"-ski is back again, this time with 2 wingers who are really good with their crosses.

Spoiler

#7 - Romelu Lukaku - Colon - "3 Strikers" - Lautaro Martinez + Victor Osimhen

After barely surviving the last few rounds, Lukaku is set for a comeback, this time with his old pal Lautaro Martinez and a new friend Victor Osimhen.

Spoiler

 

What do you need to do?

• Pick 1 striker you think 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! 😁

[TheShane]

1 hour ago, Kun Aguero said:

The debate of "Who's the best midfielder in PL?" between KDB and Bruno Fernandes had been around quite sometime

As a neutral, I think De bruyne is better, but I haven't watched any of Manchester clubs as much as Milan. 

[BatiGoal]

What can I say ... I think there's an obvious choice here looking at the teammates + club + formation. But if everyone picks the same I'm no closer to winning this.

Maybe this round is asking for a little gamble. 🤔 Hmmm .. I certainly like the potential reward .. yes, imma put all me chips on the wildcard 👍

[Meow]

19 minutes ago, BatiGoal said:

an obvious choice here looking at the teammates + club + formation

Honestly I see 2 standouts, 1 more so than the next. You're not that special me thinks 🤭

[BatiGoal]

24 minutes ago, Meow said:

Honestly I see 2 standouts

You see 1 standout... remember? 🤫

[StuartM]

It could have been Messi's homecoming at Newell's Old Boys!

I have a 1st choice, I might just go with that and try not to overthink...

[Meow]

5 hours ago, StuartM said:

I have a 1st choice, I might just go with that and try not to overthink

Famous last words

[DanEnglish]

Don’t have much time for this one - but seems to be between three of the options. While I imagine the other three would be much weaker?!

[Kun Aguero]

All votes in, and it seems Erling Haaland is the favorite to win this round.

Erling Haaland

• @StuartM
• @Kanegan
• @TheShane
• @Titjes
• @broodje kip

Lionel Messi

• @BatiGoal
• @P.Rahul
• @AtleticoWolves

Kylian Mbappe

• @DanEnglish

Harry Kane

• @Indian

Mohamed Salah

• @Meow

[DanEnglish]

Out of the three players I liked, it seems I’m the ONLY one to have picked this one 🤔 

[BatiGoal]

11 hours ago, DanEnglish said:

Out of the three players I liked, it seems I’m the ONLY one to have picked this one 🤔 

You're dropping down the table I'm afraid. 😆

Nah, no idea tbh. The reason I picked Messi is because he scores goals + assists for fun. He's got pretty good goal scorers around him to finish off the chances he provides. And the Boca team overall is quite good, so a nice supporting cast to be dominant over most opposition. Let's see if I've prioritized the right factors 🙏

[DanEnglish]

20 minutes ago, BatiGoal said:

You're dropping down the table I'm afraid. 😆

Nah, no idea tbh. The reason I picked Messi is because he scores goals + assists for fun. He's got pretty good goal scorers around him to finish off the chances he provides. And the Boca team overall is quite good, so a nice supporting cast to be dominant over most opposition. Let's see if I've prioritized the right factors 🙏

Yes you’re right - I’m probably dropping down the table here (statistically likely!)

• Messi - should do well, BUT wondered if the two STs in front of him will steal some assist-goal combinations. Should be top 3 for sure.
• Haaland - theoretically should do well, BUT with no wide attackers, the opposition defence can be super narrow, so less space for him to run into. With a congested narrow opposition defense, will the two AMCs just shoot from distance instead?

[Meow]

All these smart plans and I'm kinda banking on Salah to just be assigned all the goals by the match simulator.

[Kun Aguero]

I'm halfway through the simulation, and the one who's likely to go out this round will blow your mind 👀 (and yes, he's been picked by one of you)