I like this. I’d expand on it by adding: the deeper you play into a game, the amount of unknown players and managers introduce by the AI changes the challenge from what you expect to see from the start. Accepting a little bit of chaos (Klopp calls it heavy metal rock ‘n roll I think) accepts it can happen to the best laid plans. The recent semi finals of the ECL showed that with Liverpool progressing while Man City succumbed.
Looking at the league table and stats highlights West Ham’s stats for players in clean sheets/assists/goals, as well as their league position. Aston Villan only 11th with having second best goalscorer sounds like underachieving.