What to train?

[Vince]

Ok, trained stamina last week, and it helped...but I still have a couple of IM trainees with less than desirable stamina. Here's my current crop -

Excellent (Formid PM)
Excellent (Exc PM)
Excellent (Exc PM)
Solid (Inad PM)
Passable (Solid PM)
Inadequate (Formid PM)
Inadequate (Solid PM)

Everyone else on my team has more enough stamina. The only reason I question this at all is that one of my Formidable guys who I expect to pop to Outstanding in a few weeks is one of the guys with Inadequate stamina...and I want to sell him this year. I'm a little worried about form for week one though...

I've been torn about this training choice all week. Should I stay at Stamina? Switch to Set Pieces? Or possibly get an extra week of PM training for my starters?

[Nyarlahotep]

stamina

[KevinNU7]

I'd review who I was playing this week and how important that match is. If you can afford the potential form hit then go for stamina. Otherwise wait a couple of weeks

[Vince]

Tiburones Negros...we've drawn the last two times we've played. His ratings:

Midfield - Probably Weak away...could push inadequate
Defense - Passable-Solid
Offense - Magnificent Cent attack...fairly weak wing attack

He's a 3-4-3 forward trainer who attacks on the middle. I'll probably get

Midfield - Probably Solid
Defense - Solid - Excellent
Offense - Excellent - Formidable

Not sure I can afford the form hit...he's going to score just about every chance he gets, and my midfield advantage is not enough to limit his chances significantly, I don't think.

[Matt2You]

Check and see where your form is man. You might be able to suffer through it if your IM's gain stamina. I still think Tib is a pushover...

[Vince]

Yeah, but with my luck? Really? They're all at Inad-Passable form now...maybe a solid or two.

[Matt2You]

Well, looking at your schedule you don't get a break to be honest. Well, assuming Deanza will be a threat you don't get a break. So realistically I'd just decide if losing to Tiburones would be worse than possibly losing to someone else. I'd personally just go with the stamina training because you DO have the cup to keep in mind. And then just prepare accordingly!

Got any idea what kind of a strategy you'll use against Tib? I'm considering flirting with both wingers TM, 2 CD, 1 WB TM, and pressing. Beats me if that is what I should do, but I think it would be neat to try it against him. I like the 3-4-3.... its so easy to prepare against!

[Vince]

Well, due to ignorance on my part (and being called into work early), I ended up sticking with Stamina. And so we have...

The great news -
-Sever jumped from Inadequate to Solid Stamina. So now he's Formidable/Solid PM/Stamina.
-Two Starters are still at Solid form.

The good news -
- All but three of my starters are at Passable or higher form.

The bad news -
- Bennebroek, my #3 middie (Excellent+3 PM/Stam, Inad D), is at Poor form :(
- My next best middie to replace him is Solid+0 PM/Stam, Passable defense.


Yeah, 3-4-3 is easy to prepare for. I think that instead of pressing (my team wouldn't be very good at that...defense is not a key for ANY of my players :)), I'm going to attack on the middle as well. But it will definitely be with 2 CDs, both wingers towards the middle, etc. I think I'm going to bench both Kuscu and Pinilla, and run with my two best middies that aren't playing. So I'll have the following midfield -

<TABLE style="WIDTH: 288pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=384 border=0 x:str><COLGROUP><COL style="WIDTH: 48pt" span=6 width=64><TBODY><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; WIDTH: 48pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=64 height=17></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; WIDTH: 48pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=64>W1</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; WIDTH: 48pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=64>IM1</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; WIDTH: 48pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=64>IM2</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; WIDTH: 48pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=64>IM3</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; WIDTH: 48pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=64>W2</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17>Stam</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Sol</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Exc</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Sol</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Exc</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Exc</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17>PM</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Sol+0</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Form+2</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Form+2</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Exc+4</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Sol+0</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

With both wingers towards the middle. Hopefully it'll work...Tib bought two 3 star middies in the last three weeks, so we'll see how they help his midfield. He might get a low Passable if he MOTS-es.