S20 Best XI - Week 0 by LemonBluu

[lemonoppy]

Hey everyone, we got seasonal bounties and I got an empty bank account, so let’s write up some media! It’s kind of interesting writing within the structure of the Bounty system so this will be a seasonal prediction article! What am I going to predict? Well, I’ve got a way too early and no basis in facts Best XI!

A Best XI (Best 11) is just an all-star team, basically, charting who’s done the best over whatever timeframe you’ve got and is sure to provoke some discourse™. Of course, we’ll be working with Academy Players and I’m pretty sure I’ll keep up with this series but with S20 players as that’s where my player (Kim Minjeong) is.

Another big thing about my articles is that I barely understand soccer and Football Manager. I’ve got no understanding of either the sport or game, so I’m going to go off of some numbers that I see in the Index. For the initial Best XI, I’ve got to start with something foundational, which formation do we pick? Of course in future articles, we'll have numbers but since we've got zilch, I'm off to DeepSeek? to ask which formation to use.

The Formation (4-3-3)

The 4-3-3 is a versatile formation that has flexibility and allows for full-backs to balance duties, uses wingers, and helps develop technically skilled players who keep possession. As a bonus, readers love attacking players and 4-3-3 gets us 3 forwards! We can also deform our formation quite a bit as our players develop, which is a great boon for this article.

I quite like how this formation works, and we're actually going to be going between 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 based on our how team has turned out if you keep reading!

Introducing LemonBluu

Formation chosen, now we have to pick our players! This is also going to be a problem for me because I don’t know FM24 and we don’t actually have any stats yet, so we’re going to be throwing it to LemonBluu. What is a LemonBluu? It’s a script I’ve written that throws out a random selection from a group of objects, slightly weighted for different factors and is our scout for this exercise. LemonBluu will be our scout moving forward and will be generating these Best XIs in follow up articles!

I downloaded the CSV of SSL Players, took the active S20 players and then ran them through LemonBluu and then it gave me a list of players for each position group and then I slotted each player into the appropriate spot in the lineup, accounting for footedness, positional preference.

S20 Academy Best XI

Without further ado, this is our Best XI by Scout LemonBluu!

S20 Best XI - W0

Starting from the back we’ve got @denismov (Denis Mobek) in net, a hard working keeper who’s got some great One on One ability.

Our wingbacks are @everyonesawinnerbaby (Jonny Foster) on the left side and @Triceracop (Tyranno Criminal) on the right. LemonBluu is looking at Foster as a raw prospect with some potential, and Tyranno Criminal is just a physical monster, sprinting up and down the sideline. Still needs some work with the technical aspects of the game but has all the measurables to get there.

@jamesjamesjames (Jimmy Jimstead) joins Foster on the left, a bit of a set piece specialist, we’re banking on some runs forwards to drill in crosses and capitalize on long range free kicks.

@Cycro (Jakob Fenterhausen) is our stay at home back, taking charge as the Defensive Captain of the squad and will anchor when our team morphs into a 3-4-3 on attack.

In the mid-field, we’ve got a very attack focused group, @Daleks (Marcel Voda) is our DM operating as a ball distributor, his decision making and passing setting up our flanking attacks.

@DivogoJota (Andre Caetano) plays in a CAM role for us, pinging quick one-twos while getting upfield as quickly as possible. Caetano will work with @ahtuu (Marean Dohbra) who’ll cut inside with the ball to give us a central position to work from.

In the forward section, we’ve got @TooDear (Predrag Dobrić) on the left, working to beat his opponent one-on-one and knocking the ball past the opponent.

@Ja_rhh (Niklas Jørgensen) is our right-side forward, surging forward as quickly as possible as he uses his great finishing touch to run up into the box after receiving a pass from one of our wingbacks.

Lastly, and I promise I did not rig this, we’ve got me, lemonoppy (Kim Minjeong) playing in the channels as our striker, darting from space to space in the box to knock in goals as the defense deforms to try and contain the speed and crosses from the width of our pitch.

S20 Best XI - W0 with game plan

This is the Week 0 S20 Best XI brought to you by our scout LemonBluu and while I’m sure this won’t hold, I’ll follow up on this as we get our academy games in and we can see who really stands out! I can’t promise much but I expect some formation swapping, definitely some new names making it in and out of the line-up, and maybe some bench selections?

[ahtuu]

Well didn't expect to be in a BEST XI for my first day here :)

Dohbra here to represent the midfield, my attributes are definitely though with RAM in mind but for now i can see 'myself' running as CM, but it's still weird to think about "cuting inside with the ball to give a central position to work"

Comparing my 'competition' Jorgensen and Dobric (love the name btw) both having their primary role as a Striker and are both cut for that, Dobric having an all around balance build for a winger with finishing potential, while Jorgensen being a 'run with the ball and score at all cost' player and a clear IF in this team. With that in mind checking our Striker that 'stole' the spot from our 'wingers' and I can say that IMO you deserve it usually Finishing is not a strong attribute without some backup attributes and you seems to got it.

With my clear intent to play a supportive role as a winger I looked at 'our' RB/RWB and he's an absolute rocket on the wing I'm sure looking forward to share the righ flank with him.

Hopefully is not the last time i see myself in this BEST XI, for sure is more motivating now to be in this every week.

[TooDear]

Well this is an interesting way to start my adventure here with Simulation Soccer. I must admit, I saw the left wing as my weakest position. I primarily made myself an Advance Forward and an Attacking Midfielder second, but my stats do work for being an Inside Forward on the left, considering I'm right footed. Might as well introduce myself properly.

Predrag Dobrić here to bring some Serbian physicality and no nonsense attitude to our attack. Since I'm playing on the left wing but I'm right footed, that means my crossing is not my strength, however, that means I'll be cutting inside and shooting just outside the box or a little in depending on how generous the opposing defenders are feeling. When coming in from the left, I like to keep it simple when beating my man. No rainbow flicks or fancy dribbles. Just pace, body feints and muscle. I'll mostly be looking to keep the speed of the game up by using my good touch to either shoot from a distance or set up a good through to Kim and Jørgensen. I wear the number 23 on my back.

I've also focused a good amount on set piece skills. I've got a good level of free kick, finishing, long shot and technique so I'm a threat even with longer kicks. With good composure, finishing and penalty taking, there aren't many keepers who'll get the better of me. I probably don't have the most explosive ability or creativity on the team but my goal is to be a constant 7-8/10, someone who could be relied on for clutch moments.

[CROney3]

I don't know why anyone would listen to this non sense. Sure, it's got pretty pictures and fun numbers, but I saw what happened with the S18 class. This Lemonbluu software is just as insane as its creator. How does the 2nd best goalie from the minors season, who is atop the S18 class for goalies, not make the lineup? I can tell you how. Bullshit. Bullshit code and bullshit algorithm. @denismov I'm glad he picked you to represent the goalie for this class so far. Maybe he righted his wrongs because I trust the next great generation of goalies is on their way.

Just for the record, there is no way @lock180 is better than Benecio. Even though he's my goalie brethren, I just can't stand the thought that someone thinks he's superior in any way. Stats and ability prove it time and time again. Sure, his team has the wins, but it's a team game. Put him on Paris and he'd be one of the worst goalies ever seen in the history of the SSL. Might as well put a bot back there. But Benecio gave Paris a fighting chance every game. Lemonbluu doesn't measure heart, and it shows.

[tstols]

Interesting read! Cool to see how the 4-3-3 shifts to a 1-4-2-3 during the attack. It's a system I typically enjoy using on FM, although my system usually shifts to a 2-3-2-3 idea on offense, with another CB also staying pretty deep, instead of pressing forward.

There is one notable missing player from this list, however. Where is Don Lorenzo? The former Italian turned Luxembourgian will certainly make his way onto the starting XI very soon. I was able to ask him what he thought about this list.

"Kim as the striker? I'll have to see them get to work up top! They should prove to be a delicious meal on the field..."

Sydney and Victoria Falls face off on Matchdays 2 and 8, so I guess we'll see how the Ace Eater duels the heart of Korea when the time comes!

[TontoTut]

I have history with @everyonesawinnerbaby - looking forward to leaving a stud or two in on him when we meet.

[Daleks]

Hello, Voda here! I am honoured to be featured in this best XI, considering that this is the biggest academy class yet (if I heard correctly).

I find it very interesting that I was put in my weaker position. CM is my home generally, but I can definitely play DM pretty well as well. I pride myself in being one of the best decision makers in this upcoming class, and I am glad that it is noticed, alongside with my passing and technique. I do think I can do really well as a deep lying playmaker, but there are some weaknesses of mine that I have not been able to improve to a satisfying level yet. My first touch and composure are the most important areas I am currently working on, and I think I might have issues as a deep lying playmaker due to them. In a world where gegenpress is very popular due to humankind developing perfect respiratory system, my lack of first touch and composure might lead to me accidentally fumbling the ball in the worst moment.

I do want to make a strong case for myself as a Central Midfielder. Due to having varied skills, I would do very well there. My best subrole would be either support or automatic, but the other two are good as well. Central Midfielder compliments my great decison making the most, as CMs tend to have the ball more, thus have to do more decisions. My high workrate, determination and teamworks also means that I will be a workhorse in the midfield. And finally, my off the ball and finishing are also pretty good and would likely be wasted if I were to be dropped too far back.

I can also play a sick inverted right wingback.

Thank you for the article. I am excited to see an updated one, after the first matches have been played. It should give us a good glimpse on any missed hidden gems.

[denisbigfan1]

Wagwan, Badrick here. I must begin with my fury, family. I swear down on my mother's grave that the creator of this list is fraudulent! The first sin is one that may be forgiven but still must be shunned - the inclusion of the gravalicious mengkeh Mobek. Not only is this blabba mout always chatting away and running his mouth on social media (he was in my gyal's DMs as well) but he is a real bagga head on the pitch as well, I had to slap bwoy to set him straight many a time. @denismov Yes I'm talking about you wasteman, and yes I will be looking forward to embarrassing you on the pitch as well ya know bwoy, so better kibba your mouth. Fiyah fi yuh. The second sin is the EXCLUSION of Badrick Blackwood V, son of the renowned Blackwood IV and member of the Blackwood dynasty, who will surely put past bare goals past wastemen like Mobek, who are simply out of their depth at this level. Swear down, there must be a whole scale REVISION to address these sins and I hope the light make you see the error in your ways, claffy man.

[DivogoJota]

What a lovely surprise! I'm glad that the self-proclaimed "Swiss Army Knife" through the center of the field is being recognized before a ball is even kicked. Here's to hoping it comes to fruition and that Kim Minjeong and Andre Caetano have a fruitful partnership for Sydney City in the academy this season.  

I think this will be quite fun to watch throughout the weeks to come. I've always had a soft spot for these kinds of tech algorithms that try to pick up data points and make predictions from limited information. More data may also see some of the positions of players changes in this lineup. Perhaps Voda will push further forward, or we'll see Dohbra venture out to the right flank. I feel a sort of kinship with the brethren I am sharing the predicted midfield with and wish them the best. 



I'm certain we'll see a lot of names circulating in and out of the lineup(s) as time goes on. Fingers crossed Caetano and Kim are mainstays though! We'll have to work hard to prove LemonBluu right and duly represent the Sydneysiders. Up the 'Roo's and let's get down to business.

[TDenstroyer]

I would like to state that I have no idea how any of what you said translates to real futbol strategy, but I can tell you that I feel absolutely disrespected by foster being picked over me. As a matter of fact, my extent of knowledge in the sport/sim engine is so limited, and by limited I mean non-existent, that I know for a fact if you'd have chosen me I'd have been the RWB "physical monster" that you stated criminal is going to be. I hope that in the future I will be able to make this list, and you can see that the disrespect you have unintentionally shown me was unwarranted. In all reality I don't actually feel disrespected, I always love reading articles like this that look at a singular draft class and follows it along as time goes. I'll be putting in my best here so that I will one day maybe have a shot at making your list. I am first trying to figure out how the website works so I'm a disadvantage off the bat, because I don't even know what I should be putting my points into! Looking forward to being in your draft class though! :P