Another edition of the Sports Journal is ahead of us. You will find a lot of articles from the world of FootballTeam. Analysis of matches, controversies, game previews, and much more. Sit deep in your seats, fasten your seatbelts, take a sip of coffee, and grab the latest FT Sports Journal!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1/ TRADING COLUMN #18

2/ SHOOTERS OVERVIEW AND MINI-INTERVIEW

3/ GET TO KNOW ME BETTER

4/ NATIONAL CUP - FINALS!

5/ INTERESTING MATCHES OF THE PAST WEEK

6/ APPROACHING NATIONAL LEAGUE FINALS

7/ WHICH TEAM IS THE STRONGEST, PART III

8/ DEFENSE AND PRESSING. Offensive Play AND EFFICIENCY.

9/ THE HUGE FINALS ARE COMING UP!

TRADING COLUMN #18

Welcome to the next edition of Trading Column! What happened to the Market this week? The value of many Drinks has decreased significantly, Gold Items have increased and much more! Please feel free to read. 

Lowest price of Green - Gold Items

The price of Green Items ranged between 41-52 Credits. 

Red Items cost 310 Credits. 

Gold Items have increased. Currently, the cheapest one we can buy for 1895 Credits. That's almost 300 Credits more than a week ago.

Lowest price of Green - Gold Balls

Green Manufacture Ball on Efficiency (+31.5 PTS) costs 10000 Credits.

Red Ball of the Betting Champion on Offensive Play (+ 40 PTS) costs 15000 Credits

Gold and Platinum Balls are not available on the market. 

Lowest price of Green - Gold Wristbands

Green Manufacture Wristband on Playmaking (+30 PTS) costs 10500 Credits.

The cheapest Red Wristband is Manufacture Wristband on Stamina (+40 PTS) for 18499 Credits.

Domestic Gold Wristband on Stamina (+50 PTS) costs 29999 Credits.

Lowest price of Green - Gold Shin pads

Green Manufacture Shin Pads on Efficiency (+30 PTS) cost 10500 Credits.

The cheapest Red Shin Pads cost 19000 Credits and is on Defensive Play (+40 PTS)

Gold Shin Pads are not available. 

Lowest price of Material Fragments

White Fragment - 6 to 10 Credits

Red Fragment - 7 to 9 Credits

Blue Fragment - 8 to 13 Credits

Green Fragment - 7 to 8 Credits

Yellow Fragment - 21 to 24 Credits

Common Packs

Bronze Pack - 4 Credits

Silver Pack - 4 Credits

Gold Pack - 21 Credits

Platinum Pack - 67 Credits

Premium Packs

Champion Pack - 780 Credits 

Energetic Pack - 31 Credits

Starter Pack - 205 Credits

Augmentation Pack - 528 Credits

Enchanter Pack - 570 Credits

Unboxer Pack - 609 Credits

Crafter Pack - 507 Credits

Winter Pack - 105 Credits

Bartender Pack - 155 Credits

Crystals of Success

Green Crystal of Success - 350 Credits

Red Crystal of Success - 835 Credits

Gold Crystal of Success - 2300 Credits

Platinum Crystal of Success - 5500 Credits

Ball of Success

Triumph Ball - 37500 Credits

Ball of Success 60% - 9999 Credits

Ball of Success 40% - 6899 Credits

Ball of Success 28% - 5000 Credits

Ball of Success 20% is not available on the market. 

Ball of Success 12% - 1595 Credits

Drinks

Rocket Fuel Drink- gives the opportunity to make a free Training Centre

II (+100 Trainings) - 150 Credits

III (+200 Trainings) - 199 Credits

IV (+300 Trainings) - 449 Credits

V (+500 Trainings) - 1100 Credits

Pennywise Drink- reduces the price of a Euro in training for a given period of time

II (-15% for 30 minutes) - 26 Credits

III (-30% for 30 minutes) - 45 Credits

IV (-20% for 6 hours) - 51 Credits

V (-30% for 6 hours) - 100 Credits

Provident Drink - reduces the cost in Energy when training with a bot

II (-10% for 30 minutes) - 65 Credits

III (-20% for 30 minutes) - 240 Credits

IV (-10% for 6 hours) - 70 Credits

V (-20% for 6 hours) - 250 Credits

Adaptability Drink - lowers the cost of changing Item skills by a given 25% discount for 15 minutes

V - 1100 Credits

Crafter Drink - reduces the cost of crafting Items in the Manufactory - 5699 Credits

Historical Drink - increases the chance of success in crafting Historical Items in the Manufactory

IV (95% chance of creating MID item) - not available on the market

V (95% chance of creating TOP item) - 8000 Credits

Millionaire Drink- increases the Euro gained from Work

IV (+50% for 6 hours) -  198 Credits

V (+100% for 6 hours) - 820 Credits

Golden Drink- increases the number of Golden Balls for selling Items

IV (+45% for 15 minutes) - 200 Credits

V (+70% for 15 minutes)- 525 Credits

Thank you for reading my article. We'll see you next week!

Author: Wyl3winho

SHOOTERS OVERVIEW AND MINI-INTERVIEW

Hello, this is Matushevsky!

Season 6 slowly coming to an end, I decided to take a look at the league's top scorers. I took into account the Superliga and all 1 leagues, because at lower levels the differences in the ovrl of teams are sometimes so huge that the strikers score goals serially.

The general classification for today (6.06 at 10.00) is as follows:

1/ Lord Privy Dr4PiK - Łosie w Kosmosie - 1 ITA - 69 goals

2/ Krall Bukora - RedBull Fighters - 1 ENG - 67 goals

3/ Ilyaspace - PEAKY BLINDERS - 1 ESP - 66 goals

4/ Extazzz - BAVOVNA - 1 ESP - 64 goals

5/ Sinin - BAD CATS - 1 ITA - 63 goals

6/ edockrul - LaFamilia - SL - 61 goals

7/ Patrickkk - Stiff Boys - SL - 61 goals

8/ Dani888 - As Roma - 1 ENG - 61 goals

9/Rayo Junajted - Rayo eSports - 1 ESP - 61 goals

10/ R A U L - Team Spirit - 1 ESP - 60 goals

The competition for the title of the top scorer of season 6 in the top leagues is very fierce. In the last round, Krall Bukora climbed to the vice-leader's seat, scoring 10 goals in one match! I decided to ask him how it felt. Below is a short interview:

Matushevsky: Hey Krall, how does it feel to make FootballTeam history?

Krall Bukora: I am very happy that I have the opportunity to have some fun during the game. I admit that during this match where I scored 10 goals, I was sitting in the car and eating a kebab, so the match was doubly pleasant. I also got a lot of support from the RedBull Fighters team, being able to shoot like that was partly a choice of tactic.

Matushevsky: What emotions are there when you score the 8th, 9th, 10th goal?

Krall Bukora: I did not expect such a result at all. Already the first half was unusual for me, because it is rare for there to be 6 goals in the first half. With each subsequent goal, my smile became wider, I admit that I was especially happy because the competition in the top scorers in the league is fierce. The best was the 10th goal, because I knew that a double-digit score could be scored. When I got a set piece in extra time, I was sure I would hit.

Matushevsky: What are your plans for next season? Superleague will probably claim such an outstanding sniper.

Krall Bukora: I played last season in the Super League in the great Team Inet Squad, which was only millimeters away from the last penalties to win the Champions League trophy. Unfortunately for me, the Superliga is full of monsters on the attack and I prefer to focus on the 1st league at the moment. For now, I'm staying at Red Bulls, the atmosphere and people are great, so I want to fight for 1st place in the league next season. And then? Maybe I can conquer other leagues?

Matushevsky: Thank you for this short interview. Good luck at the end of the season.

Krall Bukora: Finally, I would like to greet all of Redbull, Inet and Mr. Ibra, who announced his retirement from football yesterday.

Author: Matushevsky

GET TO KNOW ME BETTER

Hello everyone, in today's issue of the newspaper I would like to tell you a little about myself. As I often interview other people, today I decided to interview myself. I hope this form of interview will be as well received as the other interviews. If you think you are the right, interesting person to interview, please contact me in the game :) Enjoy reading.

Tell us something about yourself. What's your name, what do you do, any hobbies?

My name is Kamil, I'm 26 years old and I come from Poland. I have lots of interests. My first passion and hobby is football, which I practice as an amateur. The next interest are games of various kinds, for PC, PS and mobile.

Why do you have such a nickname and what made you start your adventure with FootballTeam?

Only Polish people interested in cabarets can associate this name. Once I was sitting in front of the TV in the evening watching Cabaret Night. And at one point I heard a situational joke with the word "Lambadajew", where by default it was the name of the Russian chemist Mendelejew. It cheered me up so much at that moment that I decided to use that name.

You've been playing LaFamilia since this season. How do you rate this club?

I really don't like changing the environment in which I'm already acclimated. I played in one club from the beginning, but I described the whole situation of the club's disintegration in earlier issues of the newspaper. I was forced to look for a new club. One of the players from LaFamilia, with whom I played together in the same club before, wrote to me if I would like to join them. After about 27 days at this club, I can safely say that it was probably one of the better choices I could have made in FootballTeam. People, sense of humor, activity and, above all, the atmosphere in the club is indescribable. You just have to experience it for yourself.

What would you change/add/remove in FootballTeam?

If I had any influence on changes in FootballTeam, I would not introduce so many new changes at once. Then there is a lot of chaos on the server. In my opinion, it's better to introduce new things slowly than in one day a lot of things that strongly affect the gameplay and competition. I would only remove timed items as they are very disruptive in my opinion.

Do you have enemies here? Individual units or maybe entire teams?

At the beginning of the server, I had my "opponents" who just crossed me out just because I didn't accept them into the club. But I think most of us have already figured it out and we're getting along fine now :)

What advice would you give to a new player just starting out?

First of all, between trainings, read the important information about the game in the FAQ, because it helps to get to know the game better and avoid unnecessary questions in the chat, to which we can get different answers. The second is to try, risk and have fun with this game. It's not fun to play without having fun. Find a club where we will find ourselves and where we will feel good. All the joy of this game depends on the club.

Why did you choose the centre-back position?

I played on central-back for a very long time in my private life and there was always a shortage of defenders at FootballTeam. For as long as I can remember, most players have always chosen strikers because of their goal scoring and it was hard for them to find a good club. A good defender, on the other hand, has always been sought after by the best clubs.

If there are such people who read this article to the end, thank you very much. I hope this article helped you get to know me a little better. Have a nice day and see you on the pitches in FT! 😊 Greetings to LaFamilia 🥰

Author: Lambadajew

NATIONAL CUP - FINALS!

Hello, dear readers of FootballTeam magazine! The sixth season is already close to completion. Well, today we will talk about the finals of the National Cup. Find out how the finals were held in the countries. Who was able to win the Cup and become the champion of the National Cup in the sixth season. Let's start with the birthplace of football, England.

England

In the final of the National Cup of England met: Bella Ciao vs RedBull Fighters.

It was not difficult for Bella Ciao to reach the final. After all, all the teams were weaker than Bella Ciao on the way to the final. Rival RedBull Fighters had a meeting with a very strong opponent. In 1/4 of the RedBull Fighters club, a meeting with the Go Complain club was coming. Perhaps for the club it was a serious test. But fortunately, the RedBull Fighters club was able to defeat such a strong opponent and win with a total score of 6:2. After beating Go Complain, there was no doubt that we would see RedBull Fighters in the National Cup final.

In the match: RedBull Fighters was the favorite. It was understandable, to be honest, after beating Go Complain it was hard to imagine them losing in the National Cup final.

In the first half, the Bella Ciao club decided to show that they were also not ready to give up and would fight to the last. Bella Ciao opened the score already in the third minute. But RedBull Fighters quickly came to their senses and already won back the missed ball on the 12th minute. At 25 minutes, RedBull Fighters took the lead. But the truth is not for long. The Bella Ciao club found the strength and evened the score 2:2 already on the 28th minute. The first half ended with the score 2:2. In the second half there was a lot of struggle and good chances for the opponents, but not one of them could convert the moment. But then a miracle happened at 81 minutes and RedBull Fighters scored the winning goal. Score 2:3 in favor of RedBull Fighters.

The winner of the National FA Cup is RedBull Fighters!

Spain

In Spain, the final of the National Cup turned out to be predictable. In the final met: BAVOVNA vs OLD SCHOOL.

The BAVOVNA club made it to the final quite easily, because the team is rightfully considered the strongest in Spain. But the OLD SCHOOL club had to make a little effort to get into the final of the National Cup. For example: OLD SCHOOL had a hard time with LaFamilia II in 1/8. In the first match, the teams played a draw with a score of 3:3. But in the return, the OLD SCHOOL club still managed to snatch the victory and go further.

Well, let's get back to the main event, the final of the National Cup.

What kind of ending could be expected for two completely different teams in terms of level? Quite right, the victory of the favorite.

In the match: BAVOVNA had a huge advantage. But still the first conceded a goal in the 8th minute. But that only made the team want to win this National Cup even more. This is the result of 6 goals scored by the club BAVOVNA. And only 2 goals were scored by the OLD SCHOOL team. The final score of the match is 6:2 in favor of BAVOVNA.

The winner of the Spanish National Cup is BAVOVNA!

Germany

In the final of the National Cup of Germany met: Check Engine vs KKS Remis Rakieta. Both teams absolutely deservedly reached the final. Now they were faced with the main meeting where everything should have been decided.

The favorite of the final was the Check Engine club, although they looked exactly the same on the field.

In the match: In the first half, the game began quietly and calmly. Surely the teams were trying to find out the opponent better. But suddenly, at the end of the first half, the game went completely different and Check Engine scores a goal in the 38th minute, a minute before the whistle, Check Engine scores the second goal. And the score was 2-0 in the first half. In the second half, KKS Remis Rakieta finally managed to score a goal in the 74th minute and the score was 2:1. But on the 78th minute, Check Engine again make a two-goal difference by scoring a goal to the opponent. On 81 minutes KKS Remis Rakieta again scored a goal and 1 goal remained to win back. But on 87 minutes, Check Engine spoils all plans and scores a goal against the opponent. There are 3 minutes left + stoppage time. KKS Remis Rakieta managed to win back only one goal, scoring in the 90th minute. The final score of the match is 4:3 in favor of Check Engine.

The winner of the German National Cup is Check Engine!

Italy

In the final of the National Cup of Italy met: Łosie w Kosmosie vs The Kings. It was inevitable for Łosie w Kosmosie to reach the final, because the team finally got rid of high-ranking rivals in Italy and became the strongest among other clubs. The Kings club was more fortunate with the standings, so reaching the final for The Kings is not at all surprising.

The club Łosie w Kosmosie was definitely and rightfully considered the favorite. The team is much higher than the level of their opponent.

In the match: Łosie w Kosmosie completely controlled the game. The Kings failed to hit the opponent's goal more than once, because the defense of Łosie w Kosmosie was incredibly strong. Łosie w Kosmosie easily defeated the opponent with a score of 5:0 and won their National Cup.

The winner of the Italian National Cup is Łosie w Kosmosie!

Author: BaranovTOP1

INTERESTING MATCHES OF THE PAST WEEK

Dear readers, I extend a warm welcome to you!

Hello, in this article, I would like to revisit a topic I discussed last week - the most captivating matches of the past week. We will be looking at matches played in various competitions, such as the Domestic Cup, Tournament of Champions, and the European Tournament. I want to emphasize that these are just matches that caught my attention, but that doesn't mean these were the most interesting ones. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Thank you for reading!

In today's article, I'll be discussing a match between two Spanish league teams that faced each other in the National Cup. The game between НУ ПОГОДИ and BAVOVNA is definitely worth watching and following. Before the match started, BAVOVNA was the clear favorite, and they lived up to expectations. The hosts played in a 4-5-1 creative tactics formation, while the visitors followed a 3-1-5-1 creative tactics formation. Although there weren't many goals that day, with only a BAVOVNA player - MASTER FISHER - scoring, it was a match that showcased a lot of fight and character on the pitch. The hosts had 9 interventions, while the guests had 5. With so many interventions, there were bound to be fouls, which were only committed by the НУ ПОГОДИ team. Second Chance, a player for the hosts, received a yellow card in the 77th minute of the match, and the referee then awarded a penalty kick, which resulted in the only goal of the match.

Last week, I found the RedBull Fighters versus We Call It Soccer game in the Tournament of Champions intriguing. The hosts were set to join the Super League but were forced to begin the season again in the top division due to confusion over transfers at various teams. We Call It Soccer is a regular face in the Super League, so both teams were determined to claim victory over each other. The hosts played in a creative 3-5-2 formation, which We Call It Soccer's management also opted for. Krall Bukora, the home team representative, scored the first goal, a player I mentioned in my previous article. After just 26 minutes, the RedBull Fighters coach introduced three new players, which did not impress the visiting team. Consequently, t3jlor from We Call It Soccer scored an equalizer in the 31st minute. In the 63rd minute, Kadros scored the goal that put We Call It Soccer in the lead. However, Radintel scored a goal similar to Kadros in the 76th minute, resulting in a 2-2 draw at the end of the match.

I'd like to share an interesting article about a soccer match between The Workers and The Kings teams. Although the match took place in the European Tournament, the teams are actually rivals in the Italian league. The home team played with a 3-1-4-2 formation while the visiting team opted for a 3-5-2 formation with creative tactics. Both teams are known for their goal-scoring abilities in the Italian league, which was evident in this match as 7 goals were scored. The visitors got off to a rough start with a penalty kick awarded to the home team in the 9th minute, leading to the first goal. The second goal was also scored through a penalty kick by Alexandre Soares. However, the home team got nervous, allowing two goals by Pepito Sanchez Jr just before halftime. Alan Scorer Shearer scored a goal for the home team just before the break, providing a glimmer of hope. In the second half, Pepito Sanchez Jr completed a hat-trick, and the final goal was scored by Toxel of the home team. The match was exciting and ended with a score of 3:4.

I picked these three standout matches. Thanks for your attention, can't wait for the next one.

Author: Andrew Norbertson

APPROACHING NATIONAL LEAGUE FINALS

The end of the football league is one of the most exciting and exciting moments in the life of every football player and fan. The history of football is full of unexpected twists and turns and storylines that make this sport a real epic adventure that leaves a deep imprint in the hearts of all who have ever been in it.

The football league season is a whole year of hard work, golden moments of victories and bitter defeats on the field. Every match is a knockout game, a win that gives a team a chance to move forward, a loss that will doom them to relegation. But when the end of the season comes, all these games merge into one big game in which the champion of the football league is determined.

For the teams that made it to the finals, the end of the season is the most important moment that will leave a mark on their history. Teams have been preparing for these games for several weeks, practicing and analyzing the opponent's game in order to choose the appropriate tactics.

But this is not only the business of the team, but also the business of its fans. Hundreds and thousands of people around the world every day follow the events of the World Cup, the European Championship and other football tournaments through various Internet news resources, waiting for the very day when their team will again take to the field to demonstrate their strength and greatness.

The end of the season is also the time when spectators get the opportunity to visit the stadiums to support and cheer for their favorite teams. Not only fans come to the stadiums, but also journalists, experts and team representatives who share their thoughts and predictions about who will win.

Despite the fact that football is a team sport, it is the only person who can change the course of the game and determine its outcome. One right penalty, one unexpected header or the last second on the timer - all these moments can determine the victory or defeat of the team and determine its place in the table.

The final result of the football league is no less important for fans, journalists and experts than for the players themselves. After the end of the league, the fans become deeply emotional and sometimes condemn the work of the coach, players or management. While journalists and experts analyze and share their opinions about what exactly led to success or failure.

Together, this makes the football league special and exciting. This is a world where everyone finds their place, where everyone finds their team, which becomes part of life and grows forever. The Football League is a whole world that attracts thousands of people from all over the world and opens up new horizons of opportunity and challenge.

After all, the football league is the story of who we are, what we do and how we achieve success in life. It shapes our personality and our culture, our ideals and our attitude towards life. After all, on the field, as in life, we learn one inseparable goal - to be the best, each in his own sphere of life.

At the time of Monday 06/05/2023, the table in the 1st league of England looks like this:

Table of top scorers:

Table of the best Assistants:

Table of the best Defenders:

Table of the best Goalkeepers:

The league ends this week. And next week you will find a full overview of the league based on the results of the end. Final results of the last matches. Table with the awards of the best scorers, assistants, defenders, and goalkeepers. We'll see you next week. Good luck to all:)

Author: Senya Shelove

WHICH TEAM IS THE STRONGEST, PART III

Hello to all the readers! This week, I evaluated the defenders of the remaining 4 teams in our tournament and examined which team is the strongest by assigning them points in several competitions. As you remember, last week we eliminated 2 teams with the lowest number of accumulated points. This week, two more teams will be eliminated, and thus, we will determine the strongest team for the final. I selected players from each team by sorting them based on their OVR and chose the two strongest ones.

We will compare the players based on three essential defensive skills and conduct a ranking. Additionally, we will check the team ranking by summing up the skills of their players.

First, we will have 3 rankings where players can earn 1-3 points for their teams in each ranking, thus taking the lead. Then, we will conduct the same rankings for teams, where they can earn 1-4 points. So let's get started.

List of participating players (2 defenders from each team):

LaFamilia:

Dream State - Defensive Play (100.00) Stamina (995.71) Pressing (1009.62)

Schmetterling - Defensive Play (187.68) Stamina (750.79) Pressing (480.25)

We Call It Soccer:

Dix - Defensive Play (121.21) Stamina (953.13) Pressing (452.49)

Blomkvist - Defensive Play (209.61) Stamina (471.33) Pressing (653.97)

Obstawiamy:

Hari Maguaja - Defensive Play (189.32) Stamina (453.49) Pressing (554.18)

Andrew Norbertson - Defensive Play (202.13) Stamina (455.74) Pressing (777.35)

KS TRZYNACHA:

Futboler- Defensive Play (211.26) Stamina (703.15) Pressing (520.19)

Mati W- Defensive Play (138.61) Stamina (718.93) Pressing (560.00)

Let's see which player will earn points for their team in the Defensive Play category:

Futboler - 211.26 - KS TRZYNACHA - 3 points

Blomkvist - 209.61 - We Call It Soccer - 2 points

Andrew Norbertson - 202.13 - Obstawiamy - 1 point

Points for Stamina level:

Dream State - 995.71 - LaFamilia - 3 points

Dix - 953.13 - We Call It Soccer - 2 points

Schmetterling - 750.79 - LaFamilia - 1 point

Points for Pressing:

Dream State - 1009.62 - LaFamilia - 3 points

Andrew Norbertson - 777.35 - Obstawiamy - 2 points

Blomkvist - 653.97 - We Call It Soccer - 1 point

Let's check the team scores after 3 rounds:

LaFamilia: 7 points

We Call It Soccer: 5 points

Obstawiamy: 3 points

KS TRZYNACHA: 3 points

All teams' players have earned some points so far. Let's see how it develops further.

Let's examine the sum of Defensive Play scores:

Obstawiamy: 391.45 - 4 points

KS TRZYNACHA: 349.81 - 3 points

We Call It Soccer: 330.82 - 2 points

LaFamilia: 278.68 - 1 point

Sum of Stamina scores:

LaFamilia: 1746.50 - 4 points

We Call It Soccer: 1424.46 - 3 points

KS TRZYNACHA: 1422.08 - 2 points

Obstawiamy: 909.23 - 1 point

Let's check the rankings before the final round. Which teams are close to being eliminated from our strongest team ranking, and which ones will definitely advance to the next week?

LaFamilia: 12 points

We Call It Soccer: 10 points

Obstawiamy: 8 points

KS TRZYNACHA: 8 points

Very close rankings! Everything will be decided in the final round, so let's check the sum of Pressing scores:

LaFamilia: 1489.87 - 4 points

Obstawiamy: 1331.53 - 3 points

We Call It Soccer: 1106.46 - 2 points

KS TRZYNACHA: 1080.19 - 1 point

And how does the ranking look after the final round?

LaFamilia: 16 points

We Call It Soccer: 12 points

Obstawiamy: 11 points

KS TRZYNACHA: 9 points

WOW! LaFamilia and We Call It Soccer will advance to the final to compete for the title of the strongest team! Obstawiamy and KS TRZYNACHA fought until the end, but it wasn't enough to make it to the ultimate stage. Next week, in the grand finale, we will evaluate the most important line, which is the midfielders! In the meantime, that's all from me. Best regards to everyone, and see you on the field!

Author: Toby

DEFENSE AND PRESSING. Offensive Play AND EFFICIENCY.

Which skill is more useful? Defensive Play or Pressing? Offensive Play or Efficiency?

There is an opinion that pressing allows you to make more saves, and efficiency allows you to score more goals, whileDefensive Play and Offensive Play are not needed at all. But then there is a fair question - why do we have Defensive Play and Offensive Play skills at all? If they are useless, their presence in the game will be misleading for newcomers who think along the lines of "I'm a defender, so I need to pump Defensive Play" or "I'm a striker, so I need to pump Offensive Play". And would the developers add to the game completely useless skills?

TheFAQ will help us understand these questions:

“Pressing - forces your opponents to make mistakes, by increasing the effects of randomness, while also decreasing the effects of Efficiency. Pressing lowers the main Skill of your opponent in direct 1v1 situations, when your enemy has the ball in their possession (decided by the difference between their level of Efficiency and your level of Pressing).