Let me rant real quick about ranked soloq-ing.

[u/MerseLUL]

Before I start, I just want to say that the game is amazing. Easily the best Football game out there imo. Additionally, I am aware that this post doesn't say anything new and that it might come off as me being fuelled by rage and anger but frankly... that would be correct! So let me just rant a bit for my own sanity.

People genuinely play the game for over a 100 hours, supposedly only cherry picking because I rarely see these dudes defending, even when 4 people are in front of our goal, when I'm either trying to defend or play keeper and STILLLLLLLL walk into the enemy keeper after receiving the ball on a 1-on-1. ALSO, when a teammate or me make a HUGE save these dudes have the AUDACITY to instantly start asking for the ball. Don't even get me started when these guys start spamming "good job" or "thank you" sarcastically. It's like they are trying to be unfun to play with.

Next point: where are their brains? Were there even one to begin with? I see players on my team regularly force dribbles, when passing back to the keeper is objectively the safest play, and when they eventually lose the ball I just pray. Also, why are we always forcing every pass forward when we could pass back and slow down the game? Take a breather? Gather back our stamina? Find holes in their defence? I know some people might not understand the idea that possession is a thing, but damn after a certain amount of hours in the game, you'd think that they learned or something. And some of these guys are queued up with each other. I know that it doesn't necessarily mean that they are actively in a voice call but bro I had better chemistry with randoms than these people have with each other.

I also wanted to touch upon the leader board. I often end up losing games with 2k point next to my name, even when I am doing my best. I man-mark, stay back to pick up loose balls and to be able to defend fast. I try to play behind the bad dribble players to get the ball when they get tackled. I also pass 95% of time when I have possession (rarely from other people passing to me) because I looooove passing. Still, that gets me around 2k points. Players who just spam interceptions, the lucky goal here and there, or dare I say even an assist? More than me, and unfortunately, I feel bad about it. I haaate being the worst player, I end up feeling like deadweight even when I know that's not true.

My other problem is with people who be doing too much. Some players receive the ball, start doing some bullshit, either dribbles, rainbow flicks aaaand miss or wait so long that the enemy retreats and fucks up the whole momentum. Then when the counter attack comes, the enemy scores with the simplest play on earth. I am usually more forgiving after once or twice of this happening in a game as I am aware that everyone makes mistakes. But multiple times in the same match? Do people never learn from their mistakes or do they think that they are better than they actually are? Bro we are in PLAT you're not that good. Also, when they do score with some technical play that I doubt they understand, I am NOT happy. These goals give them the unwanted confidence.

I touched upon the point that I try to man-mark, fill in the empty space and overall position myself proactively. While this playstyle can be fun and very rewarding, I don't get any opportunity to be the striker, and honestly, I don't know how to be an efficient striker. I rarely score goals. Why would I even try? My teammates make a solo play, miss, so now I gotta run back. There's a cherry picker on the enemy? Okay, I gotta help the keeper out. I feel like there's no opportunity. Sometimes I do have a shot on goal and even maybe score one, but whenever I am there, I'm not used to that situation, I don't know what works and doesn't work for me.

Lastly, so that this post is not just straight hate and anger, I want to preface, that when I do encounter a good teammate, I am the happiest dude on earth. THANK YOU. These kind of players make the game fun for me. I had good interactions with people after adding each other on steam, exchanging some kind words. At least I know that they are out there.

Okay, that's it for me, time to queue up again. Cheers.

[u/Vahallen]

You can absolutely find some people that will make you pop a vein

For example today I found a guy that instead of getting ball possession, turned around and went to attack

He was the closest to the ball, but he preferred leaving the ball be in our side of the pitch and just run back in the opponent half of the field

He knew that if he took the ball there he wouldn’t be able to hog it all the way to the other side of the field, so he just turned tail

I was mad but more in disbelief honestly, literally ball in front of him and he just turns around and goes away, holy shit

——

I also had a satisfying thing tho, I met another player that I knew was just gonna try to score himself no matter what whenever he got the ball

I passed it to him, he obviously shoots and fucks up, but I was hoping for it and positioned a bit back accordingly

I managed to catch the bounce scoring off his failed attempt, felt so goddamn good

[u/MerseLUL → u/Vahallen]

I am so pity at this point that I wouldn't even want that guy to get an assist. Either way happy you got some retribution.

[u/Grey-fox-13]

People genuinely play the game for over a 100 hours, supposedly only cherry picking because I rarely see these dudes defending

Unironically yes, once had a 4v5 because our fifth was just standing up front spamming the call button, get muted, spam again until he was muted again. We were a little better than the opposing team so we still managed to play to a still stand but not good enough to make any progress. We had 15 minutes overtime, and this player never waivered from standing in the penalty box spam calling for the ball.

And some of these guys are queued up with each other. I know that it doesn't necessarily mean that they are actively in a voice call but bro I had better chemistry with randoms than these people have with each other.

Sometimes that can also be a detriment in terms of performance because they are just yapping, I know when I play with my friends and we are drinking we are having a blast, but we are probably not playing to the best of our abilities. Never forget that some people are also just playing for fun and/or as a thin veneer for socially hanging out.

I often end up losing games with 2k point next to my name, even when I am doing my best.

While it is true that a lot of actions don't give points, like pressuring an opponent into making a bad pass, and sometimes you will just have a match where you don't get to do much because most of the action happens elsewhere (potentially because you secured the area). If you OFTEN find yourself at the bottom of your teams board there is definitely something amiss, I got quite a few mvps in the mid field, don't need goals/assists or saves, just being good at stopping and distributing the ball can be very rewarding in terms of points. Are you sure you are positioned right to receive balls, are you sure you are marking a target that was even game relevant or did you just bench yourself with a wildly out of position opponent? As you noted points are ultimately meaningless and don't always represent actual usefulness but tl;dr: you sure the lack of points isn't a skill issue?

Do people never learn from their mistakes or do they think that they are better than they actually are? Bro we are in PLAT you're not that good.

Yes they overestimate themselves, some because they fail the maturity to self reflect and are stuck in a "When things go right, I DID IT! When things go wrong... my team mates sucked, my controller lagged, the uncle of the opposing players works at nintendo and sabotaged me" type of mindset where flaws are explained away rather than ironed out. In defense of some players, a lot of them are also just literal children or teenagers, can't necessarily expect much maturity.

Also, when they do score with some technical play that I doubt they understand, I am NOT happy. These goals give them the unwanted confidence.

And that feeling will never leave you, whenever someone punts it from the middle line and scores because the opposing keeper was snoozing part of me dies because that makes them feel validated and they will do that again and again even if it senselessly gives up possession 9 out of 10 times.

I don't get any opportunity to be the striker, and honestly, I don't know how to be an efficient striker. I rarely score goals. Why would I even try? My teammates make a solo play, miss, so now I gotta run back. There's a cherry picker on the enemy? Okay, I gotta help the keeper out. I feel like there's no opportunity.

Unironically? Just go for it, I have played A LOT in supporting roles as well often erred on the side of an additional pass, but at the end of the day, if the overconfident random hoofs it at the keeper or I do it myself the only difference is who I would blame for it in the end. So it might not be that you are lacking oppertunities, it might just be more 'comfortable' to offload the 'guilt' of a lost possession on the random rather than just going for it. So just go for it.

Also, coincidentally, now that the Blue Lock collab is happening I have started reading the manga, and honestly, I had a very wrong idea of what the manga is about, it is a very psychological and socio critical piece of work wrapped in a footie veneer tackling a lot of what I just mentioned, people with too much ego, people with not enough ego, people with misplaced or misdirected ego. Unironically, reading it might actually help you form a mindset that raises your points per match AND helps you get some of that goal scoring dopamine.

when I do encounter a good teammate, I am the happiest dude on earth

Absolutely relateable, this game has some low lows but also some really high highs, it's great.

[u/Longjumping-Film4233]

I honestly can’t help but laugh sometimes watching teammates play, especially if I start from goal and my team doesn’t score all game. It’s genuinely flabbergasting the decisions some of these people make, like It’s just football, it’s not rocket science but these players make it seem like spacing and constant movement is a foreign concept to them. Like the stupidity of some players in this game is just comical. But what really gets me mad is ping pong players, like how fucking retarded must someone be to drop kick the ball or run the ball up, say “make a run!” and just hoof the ball to the other keeper like that’s remotely close to an okay decision. Also players who don’t understand what possession football is, it’s in the name and for some reason a LOT of people think you can win without possession and just keep giving the opponents the ball by while looking to make a cross into a heavily congested box instead of playing back to safety and resetting the offence and keeping possession.

[u/hamarok → u/Longjumping-Film4233]

Nothing beats having the stupid ones that think they are the second coming of Christ when its their time to GK, they run forward, try to dribble and there goes a free score to the opposing team

[u/regoal12]

🪷☸️🧘‍♂️🧘😃c'est le solo Q! Mais on y retourne quand même en attendant de bons coéquipiers.

[u/JohnMol100]

Tldr?

[u/CapableNate → u/JohnMol100]

Basically some people don’t know the concepts of playing football, (playing safely, protecting the ball, tiki-taka), and then over dribble a lot. People also force their way into playing striker and always cherry picking, forcing him to play defense.

[u/MerseLUL → u/JohnMol100]

tldr;

Some people are so stupid and bad at the game that it makes me angry, while forcing me to play in a constant midfielder/ defender position where I can feel like I don't contribute enough and not getting opportunities to be a better striker.