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| The AntiChrists wins their 10th title |
I always had high ambitions for The AntiChrists when I took over this team in 2009. I knew what I wanted to achieve and I knew how I'd get there. What I needed though was a lot of patience; a lot of determination; a lot of focus.
The journey to the top division went remarkably similar to what I had imagined several years earlier and The AntiChrists hit the top at the age of 25. When I bought my first player, which happened to be Yuichi Nakaharai, I also decided to write my expectations on myself and the team in a document on my computer.
It goes without saying that I would never have been pleased if I hadn't achieved Hall of Fame, Rank 1 and MOTW. Realistically speaking, it felt like my chances to achieve all of those were high. It was mostly a matter of being able to play Xperteleven despite having low motivation, because I had already struggled a lot to keep myself entertained when I bought my players - and that just kept getting worse and worse.
The last four years or so I'd say my 'average motivation' has been on 3/10 for Xperteleven. But I've learned to play like that, so I don't necessarily need motivation to be a 'serious' manager. I just keep logging in, do what I have to do, then whether I take pleasure out of it or not is irrelevant. Nonetheless, in terms of total titles I had noted down a list of goals and how 'pleased' I'd feel about achieving them. And this is what I wrote back in the summer of 2010:
::: TITLE EXPECTATIONS :::
I'm assuming The AntiChrists in the top division at 25.
0 = ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
1-3 = VERY POOR
4-6 = POOR
7-9 = OK
10-12 = GOOD
13-15 = GREAT
16-18 = EXCELLENT
19-21 = GENIUS
My expectations were fairly high in Xpert Champions League too. The most important thing was to achieve it in the first place - then if I could do it on multiple occassions it'd of course be a bonus. The absolute minimum were to win XCL at least once - failing that would have made this whole team building project completely pointless. Here's my numbers for XCL:
0 = POOR
1 = OK
2 = GOOD
3 = GREAT
4 = EXCELLENT
5 = GENIUS
Now, over four years later since that document, I have now finally reached double digits in titles.
AntiChrists: Year by Year
- 25: 1 = Won league + Cup final
- 26: 1 = Won XCL + 2nd league + 1/8 finals cup
- 27: 2 = Won league + Won cup
- 28: 3 = Won XCL + Won league + Won cup
- 29: 2 = Won league + Won cup + 1/8 finals XCL
- 30: 1 = Won league + Cup final + XCL semi [to be decided]
Total: 2 XCL wins + 5 League wins + 3 Cup wins
I wouldn't say that my journey so far have been 'perfect' though. Because there are indeed some things I'd have done different if I were to build The AntiChrists today. Then there's of course some results here and there that didn't go as well as I'd have liked despite both team strength and tactical settings in my favor. But I guess that's inevitable if you play a high number of games. Sooner or later you'll simply have the margins against you and you can either choose to dwell on that and become bitter, or accept it and move on.
Next up is the XCL semifinals and The AntiChrists will once again play Bolt Thrower. Historically speaking, The AntiChrists have been stronger and I more tactically aware - but lately that hasn't worked to my advantage. The cup final from last Tuesday for example:
4-5-1 << Formation >> 4-5-1
Normal << Playing style >> Normal
Through plays << Offence >> Wing plays
Tighten the wings << Defence >> Tighten the wings
Yes << Prepared >> Yes
Normal << Aggression >> Careful
No << Long balls >> No
Yes << Pressure >> Yes
No << Offside traps >> No
Yes << Cheating >> Yes
Yes << Win bonus >> Yes
Julien Exton << Playmaker >> Vitor Zetti
Eeto Mujunen << Tightly marked >> None
Claus-Dieter Matern << Captain >> Marius Crinescu
I'd say in 4 out of 5 cases, The AntiChrists would have won this game. But Bolt Thrower still ended up winning it, and thus for the first time since August 2013 - I got knocked out from the cup and failed to win the 4th straight double. Disappointing? Absolutely. But life goes on. At least that's what Tupac says, and I'm willing to hear him out.
I do think that all four remaining XCL teams can win it though. I expect both semifinals to be tight. We'll see if I can eventually reach new targets, but even if I don't - I have no regrets. And if I am to leave Xperteleven behind me in the next couple of years - I can do so with a sense of peace.
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