Manager's Corner: Player and Market Analysis

Welcome back to Manager's Corner, a blog dedicated to Genesis League Goals. In this second edition, we are talking a look at the card market. We will analyze players at every position, and highlight the top players as well as value deals to be plucked from the market. Market prices are as of 07/22.

In order to build a team, players need to accumulate at least one goalie and 6 starters (we will assume 2 at each position) as well as 5 substitute players and up to 10 reserve players. Therefore it will be important to have depth at every position and not just rely on a couple of carry cards that can get tired and lose effectiveness over time. Let us examine what cards will let you build the best possible team by examining every position in turn. Coach information will not be included in this article.

Goaltenders

When it comes to goalies, my preference is to value blocking above all else, because stopping goals is what it's all about, and how hard can it be to pass to the defenseman, right? When it comes to blocking, Maarten Paes is the best there is, and he comes with a respectable 5 in passing. That makes him more expensive, wether in regular or gold foil, but if you want cheaper blockers, look to Maxime Crépeau and Joe Willis to get the job done, there are others also. If you value passing and blocking equally, Sean Johnson and Stefan Cleveland are your best bets. Personally, I am counting on Maarten Paes to start the season, hoping it pays off.

Defensemen

On defense, it is crucial to be strong defensively of course, but also to have a skill that will allow you to clear the zone when you have the ball. For this reason, I want my defensemen to be excellent in blocking and tackling and to be proficient in either passing or dribbling. Interception and shooting doesn't seem as important. For this reason, my absolute top defenseman is Claudio Bravo who boasts perfect 10s on defense and a 10 for dribbling, as well as decent passing. For my own team, I fill out the roster with my three value deals, Andreu Fontas, Hassani Dotson and Alvaro Barreal. They all have high blocking and tackling and either strong in passing or dribbling. I expect them all to be rock solid and bring great utility to my team, but they remain under the radar at least for now. Someone like Damion Lowe, on the other hand, allows you to maintain better defensive stats at the cost of some offense, while Nathan forces you to sacrifice a bit of blocking for stellar stats all around.

Midfielders

For the midfield, I did not mess around and chose to go with Gregore and Marky Delgado as my starters. They are expected to be the busiest players in the game and the priority is to make them more defensive in order to stop the opponent from moving down field and to recover the ball as often as possible. Passing and dribbling will allow them to hand over the ball to the forwards, but they won't be scoring much from the middle. Gaston Gimenez also brings top class defense and is an elite dribbler and good passer. For value deals, Jean Mota is a jack of all trades and very similar to Gregore, but not as good defensively. Jonathan Osorio brings top notch offensive skills at the cost of a bit more defense, and Wil Trapp brings flawless defense with good passing skills.

Forwards

Once again, my list of top forwards betrays a marked preference for defensive stats, even for attackers. Why? Because if the opponent does not have defensemen with top class offensive skills, they will have a lot of difficulty clearing the zone, leading to more scoring chances for me. Luiz Araujo is in a league of his own, boasting both excellent defensive stats and godlike offensive skills. He is the best forward currently available and is a superb striker and passer, but who would he pass to anyway? Robin Lod and Cristian Roldan are perfect defensively and in passing skills, which make them a strong support for your striker. Fafa Picault is a striker who can dribble to a better position and still take a good shot, while maintaining elite defensive skills, making him a poorer man's Luiz. For value deals, Cristian Espinoza brings almost everything Lod and Roldan bring at a fraction of the cost, and Diego Fagundez and Paul Arriola are strong players in their own right. There are others.

This concludes my analysis of the market. For those that might be interested, here is a snapshot of my current team composition, with the starters on top and the substitutes at the bottom. Feel free to comment or post about your own teams! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more!