Has it ever been that close? Too bad I wasn't at home this evening to answer on the debate thread!
Congrats Sparky, you deserve it after what you did this season. I would just say don't be afraid to be bold. There has been few changes in the past seasons with the gdp and game engine adjustment, and there is still the blank lineup reform to come, that will need proper investigating before using it in an important game. I've used it in utopia in both my scrimmage and private league since the annoucement, and indeed my ratings went down in the PL (could be completely unrelated though but it probably cost me a victory).
Anyway my point is, especially at U21 level, we can't have as good players as say USA or China, because we don't have as many managers focusing purely on training. In other words we can't win on raw power alone, so we have to be smart and try to develop our players in a different manner in order to exploit other nations' weaknesses and have a slight edge on them. That's what I try to do with my team, after screwing it up massively during my first d2 season, and I think that's something to consider, but it's a long term plan.
Good luck! I will be around in the shadows keeping an eye on your progress ;) Too bad I don't have any player on my team that could help you in your term :/
Last edited by Fwinns at 7/15/2014 12:47:50 AM