Goalkeeper useless

[Juhiss_k]

This must be the best thread in a while

[MiddleEarth]

Got one of my two ****ty teeth’s pulled out, so no real desire to update this thread. Now, with fresh room
in between 6 and 7 on the right, let's summarize the last seven matches.

The "big" clash for the league title was everything else than big. In fact, it was one of the most humiliating
defeats, as my team didn't stand a **** of a chance, being completely overrun and outplayed by our
opponent, which probably showed his best performance this season. A 3-1 away loss may sound normal,
but it was a lucky escape from a real slap. Between the posts was DC.3, with a solid performance, "killing"
5 of the total 8 shots on target. But solid for the management, isn't "solid" enough for Nordeus. The later
gave him just an 5.0 overall rate...

Close and forget that league game was the motto ahead of the first leg within the 1st CL knockout-round.
The frustration about the league defeat was wreaked on those poor fellas coming to visit our team.
A cut and clear 5-0 home win to seal the 1/4 finals deal already after the first leg. Nothing to do for DC.1,
zero, nada, zilch, zip shots on target and the usual 7.6 rate while doing nothing...

Next, two straight-forward league matches, which had been won by 6-1 and 3-1 respectively. In both matches,
the central defenders had two of three saves, but slightly curious rates, the first with a 6.8, the 2nd defenders
just got a 6.2 for the same performance. But, hell yeah, I won't even try to get an idea behind that logic...

The 2nd leg of the CL match was another clear 4-0 away win, at least one shot from the opponent this time around,
didn't improve the rate compared to no saves at all. Hence, a 7.6 for DC.1...

A hard home league match against the 3rd placed league team, which considerably strengthened his team compared
to the first leg (0-4 away win) was on the horizon... With the quality gap just being 5.6% in favour of my squad, the
management wasn't exactly surprised that the matchup ended in a boring goalless draw. The league is out of reach, and
out of our own hands anyway (-3 pts, -18 GD to the 1st placed), so the concentration of the management and the team itself is mainly
on getting their hands on that damn Champions league trophy... However, at least DC.2 could be completely satisfied,
as his 4 of 4 in saves, proved to be enough to get a 8.9 rate and with that also the "Man of the ****ing match" award.
Well done!

In absence of the management, with a kick-off time far beyond any reasonable "good-night sleep logic", the team
just did their job against the 10th placed league team, pulling in a lousy 2-0 away win. From a total of 28 shots, just
twelve of them found the target, hence, a miserable 17% shot-efficiency for the history books... After getting up, the
management unleashed their frustration with special training treatments; you guys now do 4 additional training sessions
on top of the usually needed ones to get to the 10% bonus. With the team showing a condition well below 15%, it was
time to spend some accumulated greens and blues to lift their moral and condition into usual numbers.

As always, a screen-shot of the so far accumulated stats, before moving on with the 1st leg within the CL (at home), against
an opponent which shouldn't be a really hard nut to crack, displaying a -14.5% gap in quality taking into account only the first eleven.
Those matches are far easier to win, than matches against 30% + underdogs...

[John Grant]

You seem to place a lot of emphasis on the player ratings after a match while I barely look at them. I only really look for players who are on a downward slide or those that are improving and other than that I dont notice much about the exact rating. Am I missing something in regards to the ratings , are they more important than I give them credit for ?
On a side note my best team sitting comfortably now on the top of the ladder has recently played the 3 main pretenders to the crown and convincingly won all 3. The latest was the top of the table clash against an opponent I considered to be my main threat and had me concerned. We were drawn to play a CL game the day before the League game and because I consider the League as the trophy I want most I dropped my whole team for the CL clash and sent in my reserve team. We lost that game 1-2 away( 1st Leg ) so that was encouraging. Next day I reinstated my first string team and absolutely smashed them , 4-0 at half time. 2nd half we just cruised keeping possession and benched 3 of my better players for a 4-1 end result.

[MiddleEarth]

You seem to place a lot of emphasis on the player ratings after a match while I barely look at them. I only really look for players who are on a downward slide or those that are improving and other than that I dont notice much about the exact rating. Am I missing something in regards to the ratings , are they more important than I give them credit for ?

The match ratings are just another statistical factor, nothing more. So, yes, my emphasis is on all possible facts which can have a direct influence to the predetermined result of a game. Besides, how do you know exactly which of your players are on a downwards slide if you don't take into account their ratings?

Meanwhile, the team played five matches since the last update. In between the two easy CL quarter-final matches (2-1 home and 5-2 away win), the team played 3 really strange league matches against the teams sitting in between fourth and sixth place of the table. In all three of them, the team dominated but couldn't really satisfy the managements high demands. Furthermore, also the 3 central defenders, acting as goalkeepers, seem to have the "every shot a goal" disease or they've just inherited those facts from the previous GK's... Just 3 saves out of 7 shots on target combined...

Here the details after 26 matches without a "real" goalkeeper;

[MiddleEarth]

One day short and one teeth less of getting the merits to score a goddamn hattrick...

Yep, a 16-0 home win against the last placed league team with not one, not two and not even three,
but four different hattrick scorers. Thank you, moving on...

Semi final of the CL was another one-sided affair, of course, with a few less scored, but the 2-0 away
win should prove more than enough to face our rival from within the league on final day. Yep, the same dude
who dismantled the team in a 3-1 away beating and the exactly same one who stands mostly in our way
to get some silverware since season 5... Common Nordeus, don't be too harsh on yourself, I know you can't do better...

Lastly, an uneventful 5-0 home win over the 9th placed league team. So, that makes three clean sheets on the bounce,
not that bad for ordinary central defenders...

Screenshot of the accumulated stats, as usual;

[John Grant]

The match ratings are just another statistical factor, nothing more. So, yes, my emphasis is on all possible facts which can have a direct influence to the predetermined result of a game. Besides, how do you know exactly which of your players are on a downwards slide if you don't take into account their ratings?

The only thing I look at the ratings for is to identify players with upward/ downward trends other than that ..........meh.

[MiddleEarth]

The team made it's way to another CL Final by winning also it's second semi-final leg by 2-1 away. Many more chances for an even
bigger win have been wasted, but better at this stage than in the final. It will be the 10th CL final, four of the previous nine have been won.

With the league title already decided due to a -16 gap in goal-difference to the leader, the management pulled it's bench players up to play the two league matches, meanwhile the top boys got their asses handed with 8 hardcore training sessions to prepare them for the upcoming CL final.

The bench players, however, had no issues in their two wins (3-1 away vs. 6th placed team, and a 6-0 at home against the 9th placed team). Two of the three central defenders did a good job, with DC.1 pulling the **** card in that 3-1 away win, by letting the only shot on target slip through it's untrained fingers...

Ahead of another meaningless league match during sleep time, and the CL final set to be played early morning at 4 ****ing 42 AM PCT, while our Indonesian opponent enjoys the privilege to play the same event at 7:44 PM, the stats are still looking in favour of the central defenders as visible from the attached screenshot:

[MiddleEarth]

With the CL Final and the last league matchday already played, we've reached the end of the
"who the **** needs a goalkeeper" adventure...

Nothing less than a fight until the very end was expected at the final stage of this seasons champions league endeavour.
The team took an surprisingly early lead after just 2 minutes of play, by finishing off a wonderful combination down the flanks,
which the central striker converted with ease. Only 1 chance for each team until the end of the first half. The second half, however,
was much better and justified the word "big derby", as in most cases when this two team collide...

The management was delighted to see its team doubling their lead in minute 64, after another great combination down the flanks
was converted, this time around by the most prolific scorer of the team, the left wing.

After failing back two, the opponents manager decided to go all-in by throwing striker number three into the battle.
In reaction to that change, the management decided to pull out its AMC, substituting him with a DMC, which resulted
in a change of the initial 4-3N-2W-1 formation, to a more defensive 4-5-1-V.

Three good counter opportunities had been wasted by the own team, before the opponent could pull one goal back
in the 82nd minute of the match, after a lucky punch resulting from a direct free-kick, which was slightly deflected from a
defender, right into the foot of the opponents central striker who had no trouble to convert.

With only 8 minutes to go, the management still thought it would be enough to get the CL title after a 7 season long
drought, but I'm sorry to say, the management got proved wrong...

Another inactive ball, a corner this time around, once again, cleared by a defender, but once again, right into the foot
of an opponent which desperate shot found the way into the back of the net, with just 3 minutes left on the scoreboard...

The time until the start of extra-time was wisely utilized by the management, with a pep-talk to its team. The team reacted
positively to that talk, but despite some good chances and open shots, the players couldn't find the winning goal.

With 120 minutes of level ball behind us, it was time to select the five unlucky fellows to step up for the penalty shoot-out.
The teams name isn't England, but the story behind penalty shoot-out's is, as the team never won such a lottery before,
miserably failing in six of the previous attempts... On the way to the slaughterhouse, the selection fell to the following players;
AML, ST, MCL, MCR and DL. As goalkeeper between the posts, DC.1.

First to begin was the opponents left striker. DC.1 proved too strong for him, and got the ball placed into the right corner.
With the AML stepping up for the own team, the management was now in good spirits, as the same converted all six of
the penalties for the team during the season matches. And he didn't let us down once again, 1-0 up!

As second for the opponents, the right wing. Once again, he chooses the right corner of the net, wrong decision, another save by DC.1!
And also our central striker converts its penalty, already 2-0 up! Had the Englishman become Germans?

Series three of the shoot-out, left wing of the opponent stepping up, he shots into the left corner, but again, DC.1 is in the "right",
respectively left corner! Our MCL can already decide the story, if he converts... but he doesn't, first save by the opponents goalkeeper.

The opponents central midfielder is the first to overcome DC.1 between the posts, 1-2 only. Another chance to finish the job ahead
of time for our right midfielder. He chooses the left corner, the opponents GK goes the other way, 3-1, end of roundabout!

First win in a penalty shoot-out ever, it took just seven attempts to accomplish that task. After losing the league title to the very
same opponent, the team got its satisfaction with the win of this seasons champions league edition. The stats proved what the
management already knew, it was a well-deserved win, as the team was better in every aspect of the game. And what to say about
DC.1 as goalkeeper? Well, he was voted to man of the ****ing match, getting a 8.3 rate after stopping three of the four penalties, well done!

The last league game against the same opponent, was only a matter of prestige, as the opponent already took both hands on the title
with a +29 better GD and 3 points up. Hence, the management decided to give it's bench players a chance to mess with the big guns.
They did a good job, against an also strongly modified opponent version. The match ended in a deserved 2-2 draw, with both teams
not deserving to lose or win.

With that last update, and the following screenshot of the accumulated stats,
I can only conclude and confirm that I won't buy a goalkeeper any time soon...