I think I should’ve wrote this article much earlier.

Nevertheless, better start now than never!

First thing all new manager should know when it comes to match tactics, is to understand that each match in game relies on 3 key areas of statistic - MIDFIELD, ATTACK and DEFENCE.

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Today is Cup Match Day 3. It was inevitable that after two rounds against virtual teams, round three invariably throws me something to chew on. In this case, a Perakian opponent from division four with a peculiar moniker – Pengkalan Jumping Beans. Pengkalan, if you must know, is located in the outskirts of Ipoh. While PJB would probably call that home, the term “jumping beans” leapfrogs my sensibilities and I can only speculate that he is a taugey farmer living next to a railway track.

But I digress. PJB is a monster defensive trainer with ratings that reach world class. Having played the game since 2004, PJB easily clinched his series title last season. The chink in PJB’s armor is a weak offence and a moderate midfield. I need to make possession count.

A check on the weather shows it is overcast. Good for my powerful players. My concern is speedy Konstantin Arps if it rains. I have chosen my best SP defenders for this game, which really isn’t much. Better to beware of the indirect free kick lest I get kicked in the teeth.

Omigosh! I forgot to set my penalty takers. A quick check shows that I have an hour to go. Best not to take chances from this stage on – that’s if I get beyond round 3. Losing would take away a lot of joy in the game and everyone wants to do as well as Accidental Mel last season. Better yet, if we can match the exploits of Jeffrey Piranha and climax with Piala in hand! What a guy – bet he knows this Pengkalan Jumping Beans… all these Ipoh folks… sigh…

When you’re the weaker team of course!

Anyway it’s not going to be a simple as that.

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I’ve been on the road for a while, thankfully flying on a plane rather than stretched on my back the victim of road kill. The silence is of course deafening, especially to my loyal readership of 2!

Back to the topic, I’d like to share about my experience playing attack on wings or AOW (which sounds too much like my groan of pain after being upset by cipan a few weeks ago!). For a wing trainer, it is a matter of when rather than if our wing attacks exceed our central offensive ratings. AOW gives us the option of increasing our attack composition along the flanks. Now while I usually prefer to sacrifice one wing and play one of my strikers normal, AOW is actually an interesting strategy to employ, especially when up against a team with weaker wingbacks. My reason for sacrificing one wing has to do with unpredictably rather than focusing on a particular chink in the opposition’s armour. Still, I have employed a full fledge AOW to good effect before.

Note than AOW does not increase your overall chances nor does it strengthen the wing attacks; it merely attempts to distribute the attacking instances with a higher weightage for the wings. The downside however is the reduction in central defence ratings and not, contrary to popular beliefs, adversely affecting midfield possession.

In closure, let me just highlight the mighty exploits of Accidental Mel. Having started the game a little later than me, he has exceeded all expectations by reaching the Piala semis. I have a feeling he may go all the way and that would be a great feat for a fellow winger trainer. For all survivors in the last 4, I take my hats off to you and may the force be with you!