The Malaysia Experiment - Middle East Endeavors

in #footballmanager6 years ago (edited)

"Life in the Middle East
is quite different from other places."
- Zaha Hadid

This month Harimau Malaya is heading to the Middle East to wrap up the year, playing away to Iraq and Lebanon. So far we've been exceeding expectations and sitting atop Group 4 of FIFA World Cup Qualifying Section Second Round. There are no easy matches but these two are definitely the toughest. I've penciled this international break out once the schedule was out and I hope to at least come away with 2 points.

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First, we'll be traveling to Basra to face Iraq. We kickstarted this campaign with a memorable win against them at home. I'm sure the 'Usood Al-Rafidain' (Lions of Mesopotamia) are hungry for revenge! Let's pray that we can shut the mouth of this beast. We'll have to keep an eye on Ali Adnan on the right.

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Well, we managed to shut them out but our strikers didn't register a shot on goal at all. :/ I can't complain as I was aiming to get a point and tonight's match was really poor on quality throughout. Now, time to turn the focus to Lebanon. They're sitting in second place with 10 points and Iraq and Singapore are only separated by goal difference with 8 points.

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This is the second consecutive match that I've used the same starting eleven. If you've noticed, I've adapted a 4-1-4-1 DM Asymmetric AM (L) formation. Basically, it's to accommodate Mohd Firdaus Adbul Wahid (MR) on the right of midfield as he's not a winger, unlike Lee Jinxiang (AMR). Yes, all that talk and I've actually dropped him because this newgen has really good stats (3.5 stars)!

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The halftime whistle blew and we were three-quarters complete with the target that I set out for the team. One more half and we would have survived this Middle East adventure with 2 valuable points! Muhd Syazwan Ismawi (DL) had a knock and Iskandar Baseri (DR) was playing poorly (6.4). I'm very worried they'd focus on the flanks and start attacking my fullbacks.

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Then out of nowhere, we had a throw-in near the corner flag. Ali Taktouk (MR) tripped Ibrahim Ismail (MC) in the penalty box and the referee blew his whistle! It was their fourth yellow card, and more importantly, we have a chance to take the lead! Luqman Hussain (AML) stepped up and converted, sending Bashir Youssef (GK) the wrong way! Seems like the boys have other plans; they were definitely not playing for a point. I made a triple substitution on the hour mark so I have fresh legs to run around; Nor Azli Abdul Ghani (DL) for the injured Ismawi, Mohd Shahidan Johan (MC) for Hafiz Azman, and Jasni Abidin (ST) for Muhaimin Jamaludin.

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It all started with Abdul Wahid running down the flank from his own half. His cross rebounded off Bilal Aziz Özer and ended up with Johan. He then passed it to Ibrahim Ismail (MC) who lobbed the ball into the space in front of Hussain. The left winger outran his defender and sent a ground pass that was too fast for anyone to react, leaving the ball to Abdul Wahid to break his international duck on only his second international appearance! 2-0 up and just 6 minutes left to play for. I'm beaming from ear to ear. :)

So we came home with a win and currently top our group with 16 points, 5 points clear of Iraq whose played an extra game. 2 more matches to finish the campaign and it's against Macau and Singapore so I don't really have much to worry about. :p

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In other news, Abhishek Pannierselvam (DC), Haji Mohd Yusop (ST) and Jasni Abidin (ST) are attracting the interest of Paris Saint-Germain. Hopefully, we can finally have some Malaysian boys play for a major club in Europe! :)


If you enjoyed this entry,
you can follow the story by clicking the link below:

The Malaysia Experiment - Year in Review (2019) | Wrapping Up WCQ Group 4


If you missed out on any of my previous entries,
you can check them out below:

The Malaysia Experiment - The Setup
The Malaysia Experiment - Welcome to Malaysia!
The Malaysia Experiment - Getting to Know the Players
The Malaysia Experiment - Why Wan?
The Malaysia Experiment - My Managerial Debut
The Malaysia Experiment - The First Step
The Malaysia Experiment - First Cut Is The Deepest
The Malaysia Experiment - David vs Goliath
The Malaysia Experiment - A New Malaysia?
The Malaysia Experiment - Here Comes The Doubters
The Malaysia Experiment - Qualification Wrapped Up?
The Malaysia Experiment - See You In United Arab Emirates in 2019!
The Malaysia Experiment - World Cup 2018
The Malaysia Experiment - The U23s are Gold!
The Malaysia Experiment - The Mundane Friendlies
The Malaysia Experiment - AFF Championship Kicks Off!
The Malaysia Experiment - Top of the Table Clash!
The Malaysia Experiment - AFF Championship Group Stages
The Malaysia Experiment - Melayu Derby
The Malaysia Experiment - David vs Goliath
The Malaysia Experiment - Asian Nations Cup | Group F
The Malaysia Experiment - Penalty Drama
The Malaysia Experiment - A Blue Samurai Encounter
The Malaysia Experiment - Consolation Prize
The Malaysia Experiment - Here Comes The Turks!
The Malaysia Experiment - Cuti-cuti Malaysia
The Malaysia Experiment - World Cup Aspirations?
The Malaysia Experiment - Nagoya Adventures
The Malaysia Experiment - Newgens Are Here!
The Malaysia Experiment - Our Noisy Neighbors
The Malaysia Experiment - WCQ Group 4 | Top of the Table Clash!

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@calebleejl muy bueno el resumen tienes un buen equipo lo bueno es que reconoces los que están en el campo lo bueno es la experiencia lo que te deja este juego es muy divertido competir contra otro pais siempre tienes que estar pendiente de los jugadores que si se lesionan que a veces juegan mal x las condiciones la moral tiene que ver mucho en un partido gracias por compartir el partido @neymarth10

@calebleejl very good the summary you have a good team the good thing is that you recognize those who are in the field the good thing is the experience what this game leaves you is very fun to compete against another country you always have to be aware of the players that if they injure that sometimes they play bad x the conditions the moral has to see a lot in a game thanks for sharing the party @ neymarth10

thanks for dropping by! injuries and suspensions are all part and parcel of football management. yet to really master team morale but I know if you always win, it definitely helps! :)

I'm hyped by your achievement @calebleejl! I was actually addicted to Pro Evolution Soccer, a online Football reality game on Steam. I got hooked by it and it served as my pastime.

Also, I'm also hyped to see the real Malaysia on the upcoming AFF Suzuki Cup. I'm rooting for Philippines and I'm wishing for the best of us. Though Thailand has been always phenomenal with their football program.

hahaha! thanks for sharing my joy! I've never tried PES, the online football reality game, only the Playstation one. will check it out since my FM18 is on Steam as well.

yes AFF Suzuki Cup is happening soon. Thailand going for three-peat? you're from Philippines? I would think you'd be more of an NBA fan compared to football

I'm from the Philippines. Yep. We have a slight chance. Unfortunately, football is not popular and not well supported in our country. So, our preparations are minimal despite of the talent we have having fil-foreign players.

It brings joy to see Thailand to see 3-peat. They deserve it for me hahaha.

oh cool man. I’ll keep an eye out on Philippines in this upcoming AFF Suzuki Cup.

I recall the brawl between Philippines and Australia I believe, in a recent basketball game. passion! :)

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Yep! That was a brutal brawl! Hahaha. I love it. Aussies were bullying us even before the game started. Pre-game, practice game, they keep on bullying. So for me, they deserve those shits. Lol

I guess I'll prefer football online than the actual football lol!
I'm getting older obviously, only my heart remains young lol!

Anyways, you've done a great job on your post Caleb!
Illustrations on images is awesome while relating to the description of the football game.

And you're a great player!

you play FM18 as well? hahaha. I've been addicted to this since my teens! :)

Since teenager? Then, how old are you now then?
I don't actually play FM18 but I prefer it if choosing between the actual football game.

Football manager is one of the most addictive things that you can do. Don't mind drink or drugs, managing a football team is full on. I don't do it any more but it's a great way to pass the time and you seem to have a strong team built up. Best of luck with it.

it is addictive man. Steemit can be addictive as well! hehe. thanks for the well wishes. really hope to see where this experiment brings me to :)

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No worries. I lived with a guy who had a full on addiction to it as well and he survived. Once he got a full time job and didn't have the time anymore. It's steemit for me now......all the way. Best of luck with the season anyway.

Hi @calebleejl. I not a football fan and doesn't know much about football as well. But my husband did. He can sit whole night just to watch the match. A very good article and write up about the match. And best of luck on your next match with Singapore and Macau. Hope your team WIN!!.. GO GO Harimau Malaya. You can make it.

thanks for stopping by and reading my article. football is such a global thing so at times it’s shown on tv at ungodly hours. hahaha!

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This is a very peculiar and original post, hahaha I loved the video, the plays are great, and the fouls ufff, very aggressive. You have to be more careful with injuries. The whole interface looks very handsome! Keep sharing this kind of virtual adventures, fantasy.

thanks so much for dropping by. this game in itself is already very peculiar. a casual gamer would be turned off by the lack of graphics and boring simulation of crunching numbers. I guess it only appeals to football nerds ;)

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Wow, that's great, first time I see a post like this and I love it! very detailed your post, explaining your strategies and your way through that tournament, is that an emulator or something? it looks a little less detailed than I would have expected, but even so it seems to work quite well and that is what matters!

much success in what you have left of campaign and tournament!

this is a simulation game. so I don’t play the team. I play as the manager and send my team out to play. good that explains it better. the nature of this game allows it to put less attention to graphics details and more on the engine that crunches numbers and data. it’s pretty nerdy I must say :p

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you guys are the best! thank you so much :)

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I love football, and everything about it will call me the atention, although the most I do is bet or play some fantasy .. your post is great I liked the way you wrote everything with the help of the images, much luck with your team .. !! A hug from Venezuela @calebleejl

I wish there was a meme to show my emotions for this