ML United - Generations Mode PES08 PS2 - Season 9 Winter break update
Could this be the year of ML United?
After our unexpected Masters Cup + D1 Cup wins on Season 8, which went down as our most successful season yet, this year it might be the year we conquer the D1 on our 4th season after our promotion from D2.
However, the beginning of this season was all but easy on us. Given we finished 3rd last year, we failed to qualify directly for the WEFA Championships' group stage so we ended up having to play the preliminary group phase of the competition, which means 6 more matches to be played and a stacked calendar of two matches per week from the start. This time though, unlike what happened on previous seasons, we have more depth in our squad. This helped me rotate the players according to fatigue and bad form, whereas previously I had to rely on the same players to play always.
New and improved
Our newcomers Kim Myon U and Delios, both CBs, were inserted immediately onto that rotation and though neither started out brilliantly - far from that, particularly Kim who played more and commited a few game-breaking mistakes - both evolved throughout this first half of the season and are now valuable assets on our team. Kim is already at times a starting-11 player and Delios is coming in often for either Stein or when we need to hold on to a lead, usually replacing either a striker or our AMF and playing him as a DMF.
Kim is solid at the back, though still very slow and with low response. I still trust my back 3 of Jackson, Baumann and Jaric as first choices. Libermann also still has an active role on this defensive rotation, curiously. Possibly the default player who surprised me the most on this save with his quality performances.
As for Delios, I'm beginning to believe he could become the successor of Stein in the future...both are short, mean, angry and reliable, but I don't know if Delios will ever have Stein's amazing stamina (+90, whereas Delios' hasn't even reached 75). Anyway he's a solid backup as of now, and like Kim he's evolving his statsheet at a great pace (+2 points on every stat since the beginning of the season).
United on top
Season 9 of D1 quickly showed it was going to be as unpredictable as it had never been. After the first 5 fixtures, Bayern, Benfica and ML United (1st, 2nd and 3rd placed from last season and the best teams of the league in recent years) were sitting on the bottom half of the table, far away from leaders River Plate (?? one of the worst teams of the league). However, that frenzy was short-lived as the natural balance began to retake control and after 5 wins in a row ML United arrives to the winter break as 1st placed. Benfica and Bayern got back on track but unlike ML United, they did not enter Superteam Mode and their recover was timid, though still enough to enter the battle for the WEFA competitions qualifying places.
What explains Benfica and Bayern's downfall? Well, both teams are beginning to show signs of aging.
Benfica has already lost Juninho and is about to lose Beckham when he retires, also Luisão is too old for his prominent role too. Bayern has a core of players made of Van Buyten, Lúcio, Klose, Toni...wouldn't be surprised if all of them retired this season.
This means the two strongest ML United rivals are showing signs of weakness...it's time to attack! It's now or never, we'll go for that sweet D1 title!
Ordaz has already scored almost twice the number of goals he scored last season...will he prevent Gutierrez from winning his 3rd D1 Top Scorer Award in a row?
Playing with the big boys
As for the WEFA Championships, we were able to win both the first and the second group stages, which means we'll be on the round of 16 for the first time in our history. Next round: vs. Benfica.
We're also on the quarter-finals of the D1 Cup and we'll face...Benfica.
All is going well except for Zamenhof's incoming retirement...