Hello! Recently I've been getting more and more emotionally invested into Rabona and I'll - as long as I'm not too lazy and complacent - somewhat regularly post updates. Usually, these will be combined with the social media challenge and it might just end up with me posting the challenge alongside progress updates. This time we are halfway through a season, so it is a good moment for such a post!

Best Player of the Game

I have decided to include a very recent game in this post, as it was extremely crucial for the situation in the standings at the time. After 13 fixtures, my team was neck and neck with the rivals - both at 33 points and at the front of the table, but with other teams within a win or two away. It was an away game for my team, so winning would be a huge deal, while even a draw was not the end of the world.

The game was a close win after a single goal from my newest signing - Callum Hawkins. This Brit is an offensive midfielder with an OS of just 60; dragged down mainly by a low defending stat. He does have incredibly high Passing and Shot for a player with a fairly average OS - 99 and 92 respectively. Playing as one of the 3 players behind the striker in the 4-2-3-1 formation, Callum is able to make good use of his ability to shoot well. In fact, this season he is one of the main reasons I'm able to be the leader at the halfway point. Besides scoring the golden goal against Buxtehude, he also scored a brace (two goals) in a 2-0 win against one of the lower-placed teams.

Hawkins definitely needs to work on his ability to defend and dribble, which will make him a great player and likely one of the core parts of the team in League 2, should I be able to advance. He also happens to be trained best in the 4-3-3 formation, which is not ideal, considering my goal for now is to be able to switch between 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2, as these are the counters to the two most popular strategies in the lower tiers of play.

For those curious, here are his current stats:

Progress and Goals

So, how is it going in my Rabona journey? Personally, I am fairly happy with where I am, but.. it could and should have been better. The current standings are pretty good for me, being in the lead at the halfway point of the season with a 4 point advantage over the second team.

The reason I am slightly worried is that I have already played the home game against Troiki and will soon be facing this team in an away fixture that might in the end turn out to be the decider. While our first match was a smooth home 4-0, the manager has since signed a lot of talented players and is now at a comparable level to me - meaning with home advantage, this could be anyone's game.

What makes me much more optimistic is that teams from positions 3-5 are ones I have already played in away games. These are the only other teams with fairly high OS scores of starting 11, so it is a big relief that I will be playing them at home, hopefully able to make good use of my training center buff. In addition to this, keep in mind that there are 6 teams that do not field players and surrender each of their games. This means that the 4 point advantage is really only to be lost within 9 games of the season, of which 5 are against teams with much lower player OS.

That though can easily mislead, as football is not a game in which the stronger team always wins. The element of randomness could lead to huge upsets - which already happened to my team. While one of the losses was to a team of comparable OS (FC Elhartz), my other defeat was against Limax - an opponent who only won two other games if we ignore free wins.

There is one clear goal for this season: TO WIN THE LEAGUE. I am considering signing a player or two already, not only to ensure promotion, but also to be ready for what awaits in League 2. I cannot hold my excitement and even while working, I tend to peak at Rabona to see if there's a player I can sign with a cheap salary and to check my score.

Closing Words

I am really excited about Rabona and while I am trying to stay away from thinking that I am very close to advancing, considering it is just half of the season, I like where I am right now - and quietly, I am wondering how much of a revamp my team will need to be able not to get relegated back instantly in case I do make it.

Since it's a gaming-related post, here is a bunch of referral links of mine - if you're not playing any of the games I've written about, give them a try! I wouldn't write about bad games.. well, not without saying they're bad anyway. So, here they are:

RABONA - Join the football management game through my referral link to receive a small RBN bonus!

RISING STAR - Here's the referral link to Rising Star. Start your way to mega stardom now!

SPLINTERLANDS - Splinterlands is the poster child of the HIVE blockchain. Join now through my referral link to get a few cards from me!