Hattrick Cup Round 3 Match Compilation

[Ally]

Originally posted by bbor
I'M OUT!!

F'n Hattrick

I will conquer this shit one day

Ya right, you should concentrate on beating me in a friendly first, eh?

[Doug5984]

Ok guys...I need some help in deciding what I should do in my upcoming cup game...I am playing a Div. 5 team who seems to have never logged in....These are his team ratings from todays league game (same lineup I would suppose since he never logs in to change it)

Frank and the Lads
Player rating and Team formation
Midfield: weak
Right Side Defence: passable
Central Defence: inadequate
Left Side Defence: inadequate
Right Side Attack: weak
Central Attack: weak
Left Side Attack: inadequate

He also has 3- 2.5* player (2 innermids, and 1 winger).
He has also won his last 4 games 18-0!

I was thinking if I should consider playing the 4-5-1 (the formation I normally play in league games, also currently at excellent) and lose the week of training for 1 of my defenders?
My starting forward got hurt in todays league game so the backup (not a loss, really) will have to start. So I play my starters at the mid-field (taking a chance on injury), or will it be a pretty easy win anyway? Also, I have not yet PICed for a match yet this season....Would that be a good idea?

Here are my team ratings from today:
Louisiana Cyclones
Player rating and Team formation
Midfield: poor (was weak the previous 2 weeks)
Right Side Defence: solid
Central Defence: excellent
Left Side Defence: excellent
Right Side Attack: passable
Central Attack: weak
Left Side Attack: inadequate

and these are my team ratings from the last cup game with my entire B-Team. (5-4-1 formation)

Louisiana Cyclones
Player rating and Team formation
Midfield: wretched
Right Side Defence: excellent
Central Defence: excellent
Left Side Defence: passable
Right Side Attack: weak
Central Attack: poor
Left Side Attack: weak

Any advice on what I should do would be greatly appreciated.

[DataKing]

It looks to me like you'll need to decide what is more important to you.

1. PIC with your B-Team, probably lose, but gain training for all of your defenders and a boost to your team spirit.

2. Play it normal with the 4-5-1 and have a realistically winable match.

If you go with the 4-5-1, I do not recomment PICing the match. (I have become hesitant to PIC, especially on the road, after it nearly cost me an easy win last season). What you can do is play one of your central defenders offensively (the one with the best playmaking rating), to boost your midfield a bit. Also, you'll want to boost your central and/or right side attacks, to go after the weaker part of your opponent's defense.

That's my take on it, at any rate.

[PilotMan]

This is our 4-5-1 match. Our A and B squads are mixed a little to provide extra oomph in each match. The Metrodevils won against a bot team 3-0 and tied this week 1-1. They are a new team that plays the 4-4-2. He pulls an inadequate from the central D and poor in the front with disastrous middies. We should have no problem dispatching this team. We are getting tired of traveling all over and in all likelyhood will be home for round 4. We have our top striker working at winger, and our best offensive winger playing too. One of our starting middies is there, and an A team striker up front. Defence is fairly weak, and all 'b' squad, but with our solid keeper (the passable one started the league match) nothing should get by.

[Masked]

In round three, the Spikes travel to LA to face Impact. Impact runs a 4-4-2, and have a fairly active owner. He hasn't done much on the transfer market over the last few months, but does log in regularly and adjust his tactics week to week. He toyed with a 3-5-2 in the offseason, but seems to have abandonned it. I doubt he has anything better than a passable rating with it by now.

Impact		Last Cup and League	First League	First Cup

Midfield: 		poor 		poor		poor
Right Side Defence: 	passable 		solid		solid
Central Defence: 		solid 		excellant		excellant
Left Side Defence: 	inadequate 	passable		solid
Right Side Attack: 	weak 		weak		weak
Central Attack: 		poor 		poor		weak
Left Side Attack: 		weak 		weak		inadequate

NSI Index			38		41		44

The ratings drop is due to two devestating injuries to his keeper and forward. He is 0-2 (0-9 in goal differential) in league play, but his two loses were to teams that would have kicked my ass as well. His solid keeper should be back in the lineup, but his form has dropped to wretched from sitting on the bench; however, he will still be a significant improvement over his weak sub. He star solid forward, Parent, is still out for one week. He could heal in time for the match though and is in passable form. I will have to remember to check the status of Parent before the match. I doubt he will put up a 44, but will probably bump back up into the low 40s. (Of course all guesses of skills are based on value and stars).


Here are my ratings from my last league match
Complex Spikes

Midfield: 		poor 
Right Side Defence: 	excellent 
Central Defence: 		excellent 
Left Side Defence: 	inadequate 
Right Side Attack: 	passable 
Central Attack: 		inadequate 
Left Side Attack: 		inadequate

NSI			46

Despite the sale of my star wingback, I don't expect a huge dropoff in defense (maybe right side down to solid), and my attack should bump up slightly thanks to a new acquisition.

Impact has home field advantage (how much is that worth?), so I anticipate this being a very close match.

Any thoughts or advice?

[Brillig]

The last daily update for players before cup matches is in about an hour - you'll know his status then...

[DataKing]

Masked: Consider setting your wingers to offensive (assuming they have decent passing skill) if you haven't already. Your opponent's defense tends to be weaker on the sides than it is down the middle, so that's where you'll want to attack him.

[FrogMan]

Originally posted by DataKing
Masked: Consider setting your wingers to offensive (assuming they have decent passing skill) if you haven't already. Your opponent's defense tends to be weaker on the sides than it is down the middle, so that's where you'll want to attack him.

mmmh, DK? From what I've read in the rules, the effect of an "offensive" order on a winger is "More Winger, less Defending". No mention of passing, at least not in the case of a winger.

However, it is mentionned that the effect of an offensive order on an inner midfielder is "More passing, less Defending".

In Masked's case, the goal is the same, to bring more offensive powers to the left and right side attacks. He just needs that his wingers have good winger skill. At least, that's how I read it...

FrogMan

[Masked]

Thanks! Impact's forward has improved to bruised and could start making defense a bit more of a priority. I am running an asymmetric 3-5-2, and have positioned my wingback to counter the likely position of his forward.

On the wing, I have one offensive winger positioned in front of the wingback. On the other side I have three choices.

A) Pass form, Inad Wing, Inad PM, Poor def, poor pass, Technical
B) Inad form, pass wing, poor pm, inad def, weak pass, Technical
C) Inad form, pass wing, inad pm, poor def, poor pass, Quick

(or a solid winger in poor form)

This side doesn't have a wingback, so defense seems a bit higher priority. The weather should be sunny making A or B a better choice.

Would I be better off running a symmetric 3-5-2? I do not have defenders with much winger skill, so it would not help the attack, but I could then set both wingers to offensive (setting both wingbacks to defensive). Looking back at his previous matches, this might be a good choice since his wing attacks are stronger (and its been a few weeks since I have run a symmetric formation, I could catch him offguard).

[DataKing]

Bah, don't pester me with rules. Actually, this morning's coffee hadn't quite kicked in when I wrote that, and the "(assuming he has decent passing skill)" probably confused things.

One of the determining factors of the side attack is the winger's passing skill, regardless of whether or not the winger is played offensively. What I meant to say was that the wingers that are played should have decent passing skills (to add to the side attack rating), and should be played offensively (to add more to the side attack via their winger skill).

Does that make sense now? Sorry to confuse the matter.

[DataKing]

Masked, the symmetrical 3-5-2 looks like a better alternative for you in this match, since your opponent tends to have higher side attacks than center attack.

[Qwikshot]

I'm playing a tough division 3 team...I've decided to concede by playing my scrubs...and PICing. Hopefully then we'll move up from irritated and be at a good team spirit level verse Riddle.