How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

[_ChicoBass]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

[CENTER]



Road to Glory

Season 1

Leeds United



Post 1 - Introduction and Pre-season (July 2014)

Love it! However I am disappointed that there is no "obtain blue Afro" goal in your career goals section. Perfect choice with Leeds United btw. I never forget the career I did with them in '13. I usually really like their kits. Kits as in all of them lol I actually haven't seen what their kit is on 15 but I'm sure it still looks awesome. I like that you chose to roll with CAM as well. I think that's the position that gives you the most options in FIFA. Since for some stupid reason you can't change your position once you start the career, choosing CAM is smart since not all teams use a CAM formation, and those that do not may play you out wide RM/LM or RCM/LCM.

It looks like the manager isn't involving you much, so I think that next month the team will get 1 win. That's where the manager will finally realize he needs some Cruzerr.

[_ChicoBass]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

And now for the announcement drum roll please. (Many of you probably can guess)

I had a feeling it would be Roma since you didn't pull up to the San Siro. Great choice! Roma is one of my favorite teams for career mode since they are not rated as highly as the Milan teams or Juve. Looking forward to this!

[_ChicoBass]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

What an eventful month. First an exciting free kick equalizer against Sporting, followed by a close win over Atletico. How did you like the 4-4-2 holding? Is it similar to the one I run? I've found it to be a lot more balanced than I had originally expected and I love it now. Also, great job on getting that last win with your B-team to advance into the knockout stages of the Europa League. And the icing on the cake was the beating you gave Real Madrid! That is a very, very, impressive win. 3rd in the table and only 3 points off of first is a pretty ideal position to be in. Congratulations on the Mexico job! Although I won't be wishing you luck on your first friendly :wink: It's a shame the team isn't quite as up to date as you would have liked it, but I think you will still have a lot of fun with it.

I'm a lot more confident with free kicks now thanks to the tips you and Moose gave me. Hope you guys were able to see that I dedicated the free kick to you guys lol I wasn't able to see your recent free kick video because for some reason Tapatalk wouldn't load it, but seeing as you are the free kick master around here I'm sure it was awesome. Any free kick that is compared to Roberto Carlos' is definitely a world class goal. I'm loving the 4-4-2 Holding so far. I really disliked it in 14 because I noticed my strikers would open up wide too much but thanks to this year's player instructions I've finally been able to make it work. I think ours are pretty similar. I didn't adjust any positions I just picked the 4-4-2 Holding and then set the instructions. Currently I have both strikers with the stay central instruction, my RM (Torres) with the free roam instruction, my LDM (Darder) with the stay back while attacking instruction, and both my full backs with the always overlap instruction. Everybody else doesn't have anything specified.

Thanks! It really does bother me that the list is out of date but what are you gonna do you know. Really looking forward to that friendly. I'm American, but as soon as soccer comes on I put my Mexico jersey on. For mostly everything else, USA! USA! Lol

Sporting almost beat you at home! :O Good old Torres though came up with the goods. As did Guillermo when you changed to the 4-4-2 Holding. 2 clean sheets and 3 goals for Guillermo with 1 for Palacios in your first 2 games using it against good sides in Atleti and Sevilla. Good to see Maikel Mesa get some game time and he got 1 goal and 1 assist in 2 games for you! Good to also see Lopez getting his first goal for the club and against his old club nonetheless. What a dramatic way to end the group stages too! You got through though which the main thing. What a result against Real too! Surprised to see Jordi Amat from Swansea playing for them though. You are sitting nicely in 3rd well within reach of Barca at the top. Guillermo is starting to creep his way up the scoring leaderboards too which is good to see. Your academy is looking promising too with the best prospects looking like Lisch, Martinez, Santana and also Miranda if he can get that right side of 80. Hopefully Lisch makes it to May and the other 3 should make it.

Thanks! I was actually surprised to see Amat there as well. I'll make sure to go back and verify that I didn't confuse him with someone else. Really hoping the players you mentioned can make it to May. What I'm doing right now is keeping all the players in the academy without releasing any. I have a few 71-75 potential guys that I would usually release but I'm holding on to them that way when the "youth player demands contract" messages start to come in there will be a bigger chance that it's not one of my key players. If one of the 71-75 potential players threatens to leave I wouldn't care as much as say an 80+ potential player that was only two weeks away from a May boost. Hate it when that happens.

Chico - You're having a terrific season, at least for now! Your position in the league is very good and you could even grab the title with a bit of luck. December was a very good month with a lot of very good resuts like the wins against Real Madrid and Sevilla! Also, I'm sure you'll do big things with Mexico.

Thanks man! I forgot to mention that Union Berlin actually had a huge comeback after losing their first three matches of the group stage. They went on to tie the 4th match, and then win the 5th and 6th match. It would have been a remarkable story but unfortunately just 2 points kept them from advancing to the knockout stage. You can sleep comfortably now Simp. Haha :P

[_ChicoBass]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

In case you guys were wondering where I disappeared to, the date of my hearing got rescheduled, so I was in court. I'm finally f*cking divorced!

HELL YESSSSS!!!! Really happy for you man. Here's to you pal!


I know it's not alcohol, but it's all I have in the office right now :/ either way though, cheers!!

[sportsfreak96]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?



#ReturntoGloryCM

[_ChicoBass]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

#ReturntoGloryCM

Errrr ma gad. YES!!

[_ChicoBass]

How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

January 2017 - Season 3
FIFA 15 (PS4)


Transfer Window

Transfers In


*Sergi Gomez playing for Barcelona against Guadalajara in friendly*
CB - Sergi Gomez (Spain) (72 OVR 24yrs)
Pre-Contract Agreement from Celga de Vigo
The Catalonia native first joined Barcelona's youth academy at the age of 14, where in 2010 he was promoted to Liga Adelante's Barcelona B. He played there for four years and even made one official appearance for the senior team under Pep Guardiola, but would later leave his hometown club to join Celta de Vigo. The centre defender has found regular game time at Celta, but with his contract expiring this season Osasuna jumped on offering him a secure contract for next season. Gomez immediately accepted the offer within 2 days, which shows how anxious he must be to join the Basque side. Gomez recently broke his ankle this month while playing for Celta and will be out for the next 2 months. However he should be 100% fit for Osasuna next season.



*Davila with fellow Guadalajara youth graduate Erick Torres*
CAM - Ulises Davila (Mexico) (69 OVR 25yrs)
Purchased from CD Tenerife for $3m
Arrived after match-day 7
The Guadalajara youth graduate joined Chelsea FC just 7 days after his participation with Mexico's U20 in the 2011 World Cup, where Mexico finished in 3rd place, becoming the first Mexican player to join BPL's Chelsea. Davila has been on season loans each season since joining Chelsea though, and hasn't stayed with the same club for more than a season. Most notably, he scored the equalizing goal in the 2014 Liga Adelante playoff final with Cordoba which allowed Cordoba to achieve promotion to La Liga for the first time in 42 years. Despite his stellar season, he did not return to Cordoba to play in La Liga, and instead Chelsea loaned him back to Liga Adelante this time with CD Tenerife. This is where Osasuna found him, and offered him the opportunity to play in La Liga on a permanent transfer. The negotiations were extremely fast, with Tenerife making a counter offer of $3m after Osasuna initially offered $1.5m, and Osasuna obliged. Negotiations with Davila were even faster, as the player immediately accepted the contract despite going from having a "Crucial 1st Team Player" role with Tenerife to "Squad Rotation Player" with Osasuna. Davila is a quick and agile player that plays primarily as an attacking midfielder, but can also play as a striker or as a winger. He is expected to play mostly with the B-Team, pressuring the attacking players particularly Luque who also plays as an attacking midfielder.


Transfers Out

NONE


Top Three Transfers
1. Romeron (PSG ---> Inter) $22.5m
2. de Vrij (Lazio ---> Leverkusen) $15.5m
3. Danilo (Porto ---> Everton) $15m


Copa Del Rey - Round of 16 (1st Leg)
CA Osasuna (B-Team) 0 - 0 Levante UD
LEV: Sissoko RED CARD 69'
After demolishing Sporting Gijon in the Round of 32, the Osasuna B-Team were unable to find the net against Levante despite being the most threatening side on the field. The match had started very balanced, with the B-Team holding up surprisingly well against a Levante that usually complicates things for the First Team. Things really began to go in Osasuna's favor after the 69th minute where Sissoko was shown his second yellow and sent off. Levante's manager did not make any adjustments and instead played on with only one holding midfielder, which allowed Osasuna to take control and create danger. The biggest scoring chance for Osasuna came in the 78th minute, where Kenan Kodro managed to take a shot while completing a 180 degree spin that went past the keeper who was right behind him but a Levante defender was able to block it before the ball went in to the open net.

The B-Team pressed high but couldn't score. A disappointing draw considering the fact that Osasuna had an extra man on the field.

CA Osasuna 0 - 0 Valencia CF
A dull, disappointing, and quite frankly boring 0-0 draw. Chavez and Smitty seem to have each other figured out so well that neither can damage the other. The match was mainly a midfield battle with neither team getting many shots on goal.

Copa Del Rey - Round of 16 (2nd Leg)
Levante UD 1 (1) - (1) 1 CA Osasuna (B-Team)
OSA: Luque 2'
LEV: Roger 21'
Levante came late to this game, as straight from kick off Osasuna passed the ball around until reaching Levante's box where Julian Luque cut in to his right foot and powered the ball into the back of the net.

The goalkeeper wasn't able to react either, and Osasuna were in the lead with Levante not touching the ball at all. Roger was able to come through and equalize for the home team with a rebound, but it wasn't enough as Osasuna defended the aggregate extremely well and are through on away goals rule. Osasuna will face the league leaders Sevilla in the Quarter Finals.

INJURY NEWS
David Ferreiro was forced to leave the match against Levante early and will be out for 2 months with a broken ankle.

Mallorca FC 2 - 1 CA Osasuna
MAL: Fofo 30' 69'
OSA: Guillermo 60'
Yet another bad match for Osasuna, as they complete their 4th consecutive match without a win. Fofo put the relegation candidate side in the lead by beating Sisi in the air and heading the ball past Riesgo. Thirty minutes later, youth graduate Romeu tackled the ball away from a Mallorca player near his box. He sprinted down the right wing with it down the entire field until reaching Mallorca's box where he then crossed the ball to find Guillermo, who beat his marker and the keeper by heading the ball into the net.

Osasuna had equalized, but the smiles went away just nine minutes later as Fofo completed his brace by scoring off a rebound. Osasuna pushed for another equalizer, but they just couldn't break through again. A poor attacking display from the Basque side that just a few weeks ago defeated Real Madrid 3-0 at the Bernabeu.

Copa Del Rey - Quarter Final (1st Leg)
Sevilla FC 1 - 0 CA Osasuna (B-Team)
SEV: Bacca 11'
What is happening to Osasuna?! Five consecutive matches without victory and now they face an uphill battle for the second leg. Just very early on in the match Sevilla went ahead with Bacca dribbling past Bigas and putting the ball past Rodriguez with a powerful shot. After the goal Sevilla focused on defending, often having all eleven players behind midfield to stop Osasuna's attacks and Sevilla knew exactly how to defend against Osasuna. Knowing that David Ferreiro was out injured and the B-Team doesn't have fast players, Sevilla focused on crowding the midfield with a high line since they have faster players than Osasuna.

Osasuna still tried to play the long ball over the high line, but this style of play claimed Manuel Onwu, who was playing for the injured Ferreiro, as Onwu was also forced to leave the match with an injury after being taken down trying to sprint past his marker. Osasuna were completely neutralized down the wings which meant no crosses for Kodro, and every time Kodro received a pass on the ground he was quickly disarmed by his markers. The Reds were never able to recover from the early goal against a tough defense, and Sevilla easily took the win.

INJURY NEWS
Manuel Onwu will be out for 3 weeks with a sprained ankle that caused him to leave the Sevilla match early.

CA Osasuna 3 - 1 Real Valladolid
OSA: Camarasa RED CARD 3'
VAL: Uche PEN 6'
OSA: Guillermo 13' 33' 90'
After five consecutive matches without a victory, it looked like Osasuna's luck had yet to change as Victor Camarasa was sent off in barely the 3rd minute of the match. Valladolid's Uche had dribbled into the box and tried to make a wall pass with his teammate, but soon after the ball left his foot Camarasa came in with a slide tackle and took him down. The referee let the play go on and let the Valladolid player take his shot, but after sending the ball wide and out of bounds the referee stopped the play and showed Camarasa a direct red card for the foul.

Uche would step up to take the resulting penalty and put Valladolid in the lead. Osasuna were already 1-0 down, with a man down as well, and it all seemed to point towards yet another match without a victory. However just 7 minutes after the penalty, youth graduate Romeu overlapped Torres on the right wing and crossed the ball into the box, where Guillermo was able to position himself perfectly to beat his marker and equalize with a header!

Chavez was forced to make adjustments due to the sending off, and Osasuna were now playing a 4-4-1 formation with Darder and Torres as holding midfielders, Palacios as RM, and Guillermo as the lone striker. Guillermo was having a ball up front alone and Osasuna were creating chance after chance despite having a man less on the field. In the 33rd minute they actually took the lead, with Darder playing Guillermo through at the edge of the box where the striker powered up a shot that unfortunately hit the post. However, the ball ricocheted off the post, bounced off the keeper and went into the net!!

How unlucky for the goalkeeper to give up a goal like that but Osasuna were now in the lead! Even though Valladolid had an extra man on the field they just couldn't get through Osasuna's 4-4-1. As we neared the end of the match, Osasuna kept pushing forward and in the 90th minute, youth graduate Vinuesa Ramos somehow ended up on the left wing and crossed the ball into the box, where Guillermo dove to anticipate the cross and scored a diving header to complete his hat-trick!

Valladolid's Motta had the advantage for that cross but did not expect Guillermo to come flying in like that. The referee blew the final whistle and El Sadar exploded in cheer. Finally, the winless streak was over and some fans exclaimed "Can we play every match with a man down?!" And of course the banter immediately came tumbling in, especially against the rivals Valladolid.

Copa Del Rey - Quarter Final (2nd Leg)
CA Osasuna (B-Team) 0 (0) - (1) 0 Sevilla FC
Ulises Davila made his debut tonight replacing Kenan Kodro, who hasn't been able to score since the first week of November. What we had all seen from Osasuna's previous 3-0 win against Sevilla in the league, was that Guillermo and Palacios' speed exposed Sevilla's defense. Chavez was trying to replicate that with the B-Team, playing the more agile Davila in place for Kodro who relies mostly on his height. The change was right on, as with Davila up front Osasuna created a lot more danger than they did in the first leg. However, Sevilla played with most of their starters including the Russian goalkeeper Akinfeev who is one of the best in the league, and was able to block everything that came at him. With this result, Osasuna have been eliminated from the Copa Del Rey. A tournament in which they haven't seen much success since reaching the cup final in Chavez's first season while playing in Liga Adelante. That year they would go on to lose the final against Real Madrid.

Villarreal CF 1 - 2 CA Osasuna
OSA: Palacios 10' Torres PEN 24'
VIL: Traoré 79'
The First Team picked up some good momentum from the win against Valladolid, and were able to put it out on the field to defeat Villarreal. The German-born Spaniard Federico Palacios scored the first goal pretty early on in the match after Guillermo dribbled past his marker, looked up and anticipated Palacios' run into space with a well executed through ball. Palacios took one touch to control the ball and then finessed the ball into the net with his right foot to put Osasuna in the lead.

Guillermo and Palacios were having a great match really making life miserable for the Submarine's defenders, which in the 22nd minute caused Pantic to foul Guillermo inside the box. Guillermo had already dribbled past one defender and was now running past Pantic, who held on to his shirt to try and stop him from getting away. Pantic had been pulling Guillermo's shirt since before they entered the box, but Guillermo did not fall to the ground until he stepped into the box. This sparked the Villarreal players to argue to the referee that the foul should have been called as only a free kick at the edge of the box, but the referee was not swayed and maintained his decision to call it as a penalty. Roberto Torres would take the penalty and swiftly converted it into a 2-0 lead for Osasuna.

With the comfortable 2-0 lead, Chavez decided to experiment and switched formations from the 4-4-2 Holding to a 4-1-4-1 with Guillermo as lone striker similar to when Camarasa was sent off against Valladolid. Unfortunately this allowed Villarreal to control possession and spend a lot of time in Osasuna's half of midfield, which was not the case at all when Osasuna was running the 4-4-2. Chavez went back to the 4-4-2 in the 70th minute, but nine minutes later Villarreal was able to shorten the distance with a goal from Traoré. Villarreal's attack had forced Flaño and Albentosa to drift away from the box, which left Romeu marking Traoré who is a lot taller than the youth graduate. A cross came into the box and Traoré easily won the aerial battle to head the ball into the net. Neither team were able to create much after that though, and the match ended with the 2-1 in favor of Osasuna.


CA Osasuna Player of The Month

RW - Paré Bulhões Romeu (Spain) (75 OVR 17yrs) (+2)
The Osasuna Youth Graduate truly showed his versatility this month, becoming a key player in both defense and attack. As is the case with many youth players, Romeu has had to adapt to a position that he wasn't very familiar with since that's where the opportunity of first team football presented itself. Naturally an attacking winger, Romeu had to work on his defensive traits when he was promoted from the academy since the only position that did not have an owner in the B-Team was RB. Romeu developed extremely well, so well that when the First Team's Ivan (RB, 73 OVR) had a drop in form Chavez trusted Romeu to play RB for the First Team. Romeu has responded extremely well, with precise tackles and dangerous crosses when there's space to push forward. His most notable match was the 3-0 win at Real Madrid, barely Romeu's second match with the first team, in which he shut down Cristiano Ronaldo and kept his flank on lock down even as Ronaldo and Bale swapped wings throughout the match. This month he has contributed with two assists, sprinting from his box in attack even when his team was playing poorly. This is the kind of attitude and aggression that can only be taught at the youth academy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liga BBVA League Table
1. FC Barcelona - 53 points
2. Sevilla FC - 50 points
3. CA Osasuna - 48 points
4. Valencia CF - 45 points
5. Real Madrid - 45 points
6. Malaga CF - 37 points
---------------
7. Athletic Bilbao - 36 points
11. Atletico Madrid - 30 points
14. Real Sociedad - 25 points
---------------
18. RCD Mallorca - 14 points
19. Elche CF - 13 points
20. SD Eibar - 11 points

Liga BBVA Top Scorer
1. Pedro (Barca) - 13 Goals
2. Guillermo (Osasuna) - 12 Goals
3. Suarez (Barca) - 11 Goals

CA Osasuna Top Scorer
1. Guillermo - 12 Goals
2. Roberto Torres - 10 Goals
3. Kenan Kodro - 9 Goals
4. Federico Palacios - 5 Goals


Youth Academy
[i]* = New Addition

*Alex Garcia - CB (Mexico) (45-49, 70-88): The first and only CB in the academy, and with Miguel Flaño reaching the end of his era I am very anxious to see more reports on him. At 16 years old he stands at 6'2", and is considered Physically Strong. A perfect combination for a CB.

Alex Silva Gavan - RM (Spain) (59-63, 74-80): The 17 year old has decided to settle in at RM and is considered an attacker. With a 6'0" height he's a good fit pretty much anywhere on the field especially down the center, but he has decided he's most comfortable on the wing.

Chris Cropper - GK (United States) (49-53, 79-85): The third American goalkeeper to join the Youth Academy. At 16 years old he stands at 6'3" and his game is well balanced so far.

Chris Jamieson IV - GK (United States) (61-65, 78-84): Julian Rubin was the first American to join the academy, but now this 6'7" giant also from the United States has stolen the show as people are excited to see him between the sticks. At 16 years old he's looking like a solid candidate for a call up soon depending on how he shapes up with the U17s.

Eriq Lisch - GK (United States) (57-61, 88-94): The fourth and final American goalkeeper to join the academy. 16 years old, 6'1", and so far he looks like the most promising. From what we've seen of him with the U-17 he still needs to improve his positioning. Competition to be the first American to play for Osasuna is hot.

Eñaut Gabbiadini - CDM (Spain) (54-58, 72-78): The Spanish midfielder becomes the 2nd CDM in the academy, although at 15 years old he still has much to develop, including his height which is quite low for a CDM as he stands at 5'3".
*Turned 16, grew to 5'10*

Frost S. Napoles - CM (Spain) (55-59, 70-74): Technically Gifted has been the term used to describe the 17 year old midfielder from Spain, but we haven't seen enough of him with the U17 to say what his future holds.

Ivan Miranda - LW (Spain) (54-64, 76-90): The 15 year old is still being evaluated by the youth staff, but so far he's been most inclined to play as a LW, ST, and RW. If he decides to play down the middle, he'll need to stretch a little as he is currently only 5'2".

Julian Rubin - GK (United States) (58-62, 73-77): Julian becomes the first player from the United States to join the Osasuna youth academy, and if he develops well enough he could even become the first ever American player to wear Osasuna's colors. The 16 year old goalkeeper could make history, but first he must show his class in the youth levels.

Luis Martinez - CM (Spain) (53-57, 87-93): I'm really glad he decided to settle in as a CM and not CB. Really looking forward to see how he grows in May. At only 15 years of age he still has much to grow as far as height though as he stands at 5'1".

Mario Santana - ST (Mexico) (49-53, 83-89): Really excited to see future reports on this kid from Mexico. He's described as "Physically Strong" and you know how much I like to play with a target man. The downside is that he's only 5'3", but he's still 15 years old so I'm hoping he'll grow closer to the 6 foot range.
*Santana has just turned 16 and is now eligible to play in La Liga. I'm a bit disappointed that his height only grew to 5'10 as I really wanted a target man, but he is Physically Strong so he should be a good striker nonetheless.*

Roussillon Murnane - ST (Spain) (57-61, 71-75): The 5'9" 17-year old from Spain has shown the characteristics of a winger as he tends to drift wide from the center.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

January Headlines

Injury Bug Bites Osasuna
Osasuna may not currently have as many injuries as some clubs tend to get (Arsenal for example), but the injury bug hit where it hurts the most. The area where Osasuna has the least options in their squad is down the wings and this month Onwu and Ferreiro, both wingers for the B-Team, went down with injuries. This limited Osasuna's game down the wings and Sevilla took advantage of that weakness brilliantly. It is also believed that Raul Albentosa has suffered a concussion in training although that has not been confirmed by the club yet. However the arrival of Davila is one many fans are excited about as on his debut he showed some spectacular ball skills and powerful shots, becoming a unique player in the B-Team that can also cover multiple positions. The young attacking midfielder has great potential and Osasuna hope to release it by taking a different approach that Chelsea did.

Europa League
A quick reminder that the Europa League will be resuming next month. Osasuna will travel to the Netherlands to face Ajax at the Amsterdam Arena. The second leg will be played exactly a week later at El Sadar in Spain. And yes, the photo of Romeu in the Player of The Month section was indeed a little teaser of the Osasuna-Ajax match. You'll see more of that in our next update!


Conclusion
I was totally NOT expecting to be this high up the table in just my 3rd year. This season has been quite strange, especially with Real Madrid being 5th. Last season it was extremely tough for me to break into the Top 6, and the top 2 were way ahead of everybody else. This season Real Madrid have fallen off a bit, but RCD Espanyol have really fallen off. Last year they finished 3rd and were in 3rd for the majority of the season. This year they started off in relegation zone and have slowly moved up the middle of the table. I guess Champions League and league play were too much for them.

I initially tried to sign Kike Sola from Bilbao but his value and wage were unfortunately still too far from my budget. I was also planning on trying to bring Javier Hernandez on loan since he will never, and has yet to, make an appearance for Barcelona behind Suarez who is first choice and Messi who is second. Unfortunately, his wage was more than double Kike Sola's wage so that went out the window fast.
In the end I decided on Ulises Davila since he can be a different type of striker than Kodro and he has the versatility to play in different positions so Kodro can still play striker. The fee I had to pay took a huge chunk out of the funds I had so after signing him I did not have enough to continue searching. Once Ferreiro and Onwu return from injury I'll have great depth with the B-Team.

Formation
The match against Valladolid made me think about playing Guillermo up front alone, which is why I tried a 4-1-4-1 formation during the Villarreal match. The team had been playing horribly in attack until the match against Valladolid and all three goals came in when I played Guillermo alone up front. This made me curious, but when I tried the 4-1-4-1 against Villarreal I really disliked it. I actually lost the possession battle with that formation and the formation felt flat, dull. Tasteless? Yeah tasteless. Definitely not delicious enough. But anyway, I know what I want to try next time. I plan on adjusting the RCM and LCM back closer to the CDM, and the RM and LM forward to resemble the 4-1-4-1 I used at Wimbledon. There should be a nice smile going from the LM to the RM when you look at the formation. However I do not plan on changing to this formation permanently, as Palacios did score against Villarreal playing as a striker with Guillermo and last month they both did amazing in that formation. So I'll keep running the 4-4-2 Holding, and at times possibly when I need to defend the lead or something I'll start experimenting with the 4-1-4-1 again.

That's all for this month. I'll be going out of town this weekend with the lady but I'll make sure to check in here whenever I get the chance.
Thanks For Reading!

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

HELL YESSSSS!!!! Really happy for you man. Here's to you pal!


I know it's not alcohol, but it's all I have in the office right now :/ either way though, cheers!!

I find your lack of froth disturbing.

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Sampdoria got scrapped again, and I figured out the reason. All their players are rated under 60 in balance, which makes them fall over every time they touch the ball or jump. I understand a few like that, but virtually everyone at Sampdoria has some sort of inner ear condition. And in my search for a new team that ticks all the boxes, I realised that something needs to be said.

You guys know I read and respect each of your careers, but there's something about Moose @ West Ham that seems just perfect. The squad is decent from the start, there's a good bit of money to shore up positions that might not have as much depth, the kits are amazing, the stadium is authentic, it's located in a big city, and the fans are intensely passionate. On top of that, it's the club Moose supports.

Now there's no way I can do a career with Chelsea because I find absolutely no fun in buying up top-tier players from the start, and I'm trying to break out of my habit of managing in England. Truth is I've wanted to do a West Ham career for some time but have kept away from it, partly out of respect to Moose but also because I don't want to repeat such a long-standing team. I now find myself unable to pick a team.

Italy is almost out of the question because of the second division's lack of licensing. In fact, I might not even consider a Serie A career until FIFA sorts its sh*t with regard to Italian league licensing. Spain also doesn't sit well with me because... well, it's Spain. No other reason, really. Netherlands, Portugal and Turkey would all be fun if there were at least a second division, but I CBA to play ALL the same teams EVERY year. France is sort of okay, but I've been trying to stick to a one-cup league.

That leaves Germany as the main option, with England as a fallback in case I can't get over the obsession with my homeland. Werder Bremen would be quite good if they only had a bigger budget. Hoffenheim seem to tick most of the boxes, but they're packed with TOO MUCH talent. There's no fun in that extreme, either. I know... I'm a picky motherf*cker.

I guess what I'm looking for now is either a three- to four-star team in Germany/France with £8-12 million in initial transfer budget, or any team in any major league with decent kits and one or more players who can be sold for big cash (about £20-25 million total). So far, I've come up with Espanyol (Casilla, Moreno, Bifouma), Hamburg (Adler, VDV, Rudnevs), Cagliari (Sau, Ibarbo, Adrian), and Torino (Cerci, Glik, Maksimovic).

If anyone else can think of suggestions of teams or ways to bring in a big but amount of money in one shot (without FT), I would love to hear them. Please remember I'm using the 29 August 2014 squads on SoFIFA. I'd really like to avoid managing in England again, but if I must, I have a couple of ideas lined up.

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Spoiler

January 2017 - Season 3

Spoiler

FIFA 15 (PS4)


Transfer Window

Transfers In


*Sergi Gomez playing for Barcelona against Guadalajara in friendly*
CB - Sergi Gomez (Spain) (72 OVR 24yrs)
Pre-Contract Agreement from Celga de Vigo
The Catalonia native first joined Barcelona's youth academy at the age of 14, where in 2010 he was promoted to Liga Adelante's Barcelona B. He played there for four years and even made one official appearance for the senior team under Pep Guardiola, but would later leave his hometown club to join Celta de Vigo. The centre defender has found regular game time at Celta, but with his contract expiring this season Osasuna jumped on offering him a secure contract for next season. Gomez immediately accepted the offer within 2 days, which shows how anxious he must be to join the Basque side. Gomez recently broke his ankle this month while playing for Celta and will be out for the next 2 months. However he should be 100% fit for Osasuna next season.



*Davila with fellow Guadalajara youth graduate Erick Torres*
CAM - Ulises Davila (Mexico) (69 OVR 25yrs)
Purchased from CD Tenerife for $3m
Arrived after match-day 7
The Guadalajara youth graduate joined Chelsea FC just 7 days after his participation with Mexico's U20 in the 2011 World Cup, where Mexico finished in 3rd place, becoming the first Mexican player to join BPL's Chelsea. Davila has been on season loans each season since joining Chelsea though, and hasn't stayed with the same club for more than a season. Most notably, he scored the equalizing goal in the 2014 Liga Adelante playoff final with Cordoba which allowed Cordoba to achieve promotion to La Liga for the first time in 42 years. Despite his stellar season, he did not return to Cordoba to play in La Liga, and instead Chelsea loaned him back to Liga Adelante this time with CD Tenerife. This is where Osasuna found him, and offered him the opportunity to play in La Liga on a permanent transfer. The negotiations were extremely fast, with Tenerife making a counter offer of $3m after Osasuna initially offered $1.5m, and Osasuna obliged. Negotiations with Davila were even faster, as the player immediately accepted the contract despite going from having a "Crucial 1st Team Player" role with Tenerife to "Squad Rotation Player" with Osasuna. Davila is a quick and agile player that plays primarily as an attacking midfielder, but can also play as a striker or as a winger. He is expected to play mostly with the B-Team, pressuring the attacking players particularly Luque who also plays as an attacking midfielder.


Transfers Out

NONE


Top Three Transfers
1. Romeron (PSG ---> Inter) $22.5m
2. de Vrij (Lazio ---> Leverkusen) $15.5m
3. Danilo (Porto ---> Everton) $15m


Copa Del Rey - Round of 16 (1st Leg)
CA Osasuna (B-Team) 0 - 0 Levante UD
LEV: Sissoko RED CARD 69'
After demolishing Sporting Gijon in the Round of 32, the Osasuna B-Team were unable to find the net against Levante despite being the most threatening side on the field. The match had started very balanced, with the B-Team holding up surprisingly well against a Levante that usually complicates things for the First Team. Things really began to go in Osasuna's favor after the 69th minute where Sissoko was shown his second yellow and sent off. Levante's manager did not make any adjustments and instead played on with only one holding midfielder, which allowed Osasuna to take control and create danger. The biggest scoring chance for Osasuna came in the 78th minute, where Kenan Kodro managed to take a shot while completing a 180 degree spin that went past the keeper who was right behind him but a Levante defender was able to block it before the ball went in to the open net.

The B-Team pressed high but couldn't score. A disappointing draw considering the fact that Osasuna had an extra man on the field.

CA Osasuna 0 - 0 Valencia CF
A dull, disappointing, and quite frankly boring 0-0 draw. Chavez and Smitty seem to have each other figured out so well that neither can damage the other. The match was mainly a midfield battle with neither team getting many shots on goal.

Copa Del Rey - Round of 16 (2nd Leg)
Levante UD 1 (1) - (1) 1 CA Osasuna (B-Team)
OSA: Luque 2'
LEV: Roger 21'
Levante came late to this game, as straight from kick off Osasuna passed the ball around until reaching Levante's box where Julian Luque cut in to his right foot and powered the ball into the back of the net.

The goalkeeper wasn't able to react either, and Osasuna were in the lead with Levante not touching the ball at all. Roger was able to come through and equalize for the home team with a rebound, but it wasn't enough as Osasuna defended the aggregate extremely well and are through on away goals rule. Osasuna will face the league leaders Sevilla in the Quarter Finals.

INJURY NEWS
David Ferreiro was forced to leave the match against Levante early and will be out for 2 months with a broken ankle.

Mallorca FC 2 - 1 CA Osasuna
MAL: Fofo 30' 69'
OSA: Guillermo 60'
Yet another bad match for Osasuna, as they complete their 4th consecutive match without a win. Fofo put the relegation candidate side in the lead by beating Sisi in the air and heading the ball past Riesgo. Thirty minutes later, youth graduate Romeu tackled the ball away from a Mallorca player near his box. He sprinted down the right wing with it down the entire field until reaching Mallorca's box where he then crossed the ball to find Guillermo, who beat his marker and the keeper by heading the ball into the net.

Osasuna had equalized, but the smiles went away just nine minutes later as Fofo completed his brace by scoring off a rebound. Osasuna pushed for another equalizer, but they just couldn't break through again. A poor attacking display from the Basque side that just a few weeks ago defeated Real Madrid 3-0 at the Bernabeu.

Copa Del Rey - Quarter Final (1st Leg)
Sevilla FC 1 - 0 CA Osasuna (B-Team)
SEV: Bacca 11'
What is happening to Osasuna?! Five consecutive matches without victory and now they face an uphill battle for the second leg. Just very early on in the match Sevilla went ahead with Bacca dribbling past Bigas and putting the ball past Rodriguez with a powerful shot. After the goal Sevilla focused on defending, often having all eleven players behind midfield to stop Osasuna's attacks and Sevilla knew exactly how to defend against Osasuna. Knowing that David Ferreiro was out injured and the B-Team doesn't have fast players, Sevilla focused on crowding the midfield with a high line since they have faster players than Osasuna.

Osasuna still tried to play the long ball over the high line, but this style of play claimed Manuel Onwu, who was playing for the injured Ferreiro, as Onwu was also forced to leave the match with an injury after being taken down trying to sprint past his marker. Osasuna were completely neutralized down the wings which meant no crosses for Kodro, and every time Kodro received a pass on the ground he was quickly disarmed by his markers. The Reds were never able to recover from the early goal against a tough defense, and Sevilla easily took the win.

INJURY NEWS
Manuel Onwu will be out for 3 weeks with a sprained ankle that caused him to leave the Sevilla match early.

CA Osasuna 3 - 1 Real Valladolid
OSA: Camarasa RED CARD 3'
VAL: Uche PEN 6'
OSA: Guillermo 13' 33' 90'
After five consecutive matches without a victory, it looked like Osasuna's luck had yet to change as Victor Camarasa was sent off in barely the 3rd minute of the match. Valladolid's Uche had dribbled into the box and tried to make a wall pass with his teammate, but soon after the ball left his foot Camarasa came in with a slide tackle and took him down. The referee let the play go on and let the Valladolid player take his shot, but after sending the ball wide and out of bounds the referee stopped the play and showed Camarasa a direct red card for the foul.

Uche would step up to take the resulting penalty and put Valladolid in the lead. Osasuna were already 1-0 down, with a man down as well, and it all seemed to point towards yet another match without a victory. However just 7 minutes after the penalty, youth graduate Romeu overlapped Torres on the right wing and crossed the ball into the box, where Guillermo was able to position himself perfectly to beat his marker and equalize with a header!

Chavez was forced to make adjustments due to the sending off, and Osasuna were now playing a 4-4-1 formation with Darder and Torres as holding midfielders, Palacios as RM, and Guillermo as the lone striker. Guillermo was having a ball up front alone and Osasuna were creating chance after chance despite having a man less on the field. In the 33rd minute they actually took the lead, with Darder playing Guillermo through at the edge of the box where the striker powered up a shot that unfortunately hit the post. However, the ball ricocheted off the post, bounced off the keeper and went into the net!!

How unlucky for the goalkeeper to give up a goal like that but Osasuna were now in the lead! Even though Valladolid had an extra man on the field they just couldn't get through Osasuna's 4-4-1. As we neared the end of the match, Osasuna kept pushing forward and in the 90th minute, youth graduate Vinuesa Ramos somehow ended up on the left wing and crossed the ball into the box, where Guillermo dove to anticipate the cross and scored a diving header to complete his hat-trick!

Valladolid's Motta had the advantage for that cross but did not expect Guillermo to come flying in like that. The referee blew the final whistle and El Sadar exploded in cheer. Finally, the winless streak was over and some fans exclaimed "Can we play every match with a man down?!" And of course the banter immediately came tumbling in, especially against the rivals Valladolid.

Copa Del Rey - Quarter Final (2nd Leg)
CA Osasuna (B-Team) 0 (0) - (1) 0 Sevilla FC
Ulises Davila made his debut tonight replacing Kenan Kodro, who hasn't been able to score since the first week of November. What we had all seen from Osasuna's previous 3-0 win against Sevilla in the league, was that Guillermo and Palacios' speed exposed Sevilla's defense. Chavez was trying to replicate that with the B-Team, playing the more agile Davila in place for Kodro who relies mostly on his height. The change was right on, as with Davila up front Osasuna created a lot more danger than they did in the first leg. However, Sevilla played with most of their starters including the Russian goalkeeper Akinfeev who is one of the best in the league, and was able to block everything that came at him. With this result, Osasuna have been eliminated from the Copa Del Rey. A tournament in which they haven't seen much success since reaching the cup final in Chavez's first season while playing in Liga Adelante. That year they would go on to lose the final against Real Madrid.

Villarreal CF 1 - 2 CA Osasuna
OSA: Palacios 10' Torres PEN 24'
VIL: Traoré 79'
The First Team picked up some good momentum from the win against Valladolid, and were able to put it out on the field to defeat Villarreal. The German-born Spaniard Federico Palacios scored the first goal pretty early on in the match after Guillermo dribbled past his marker, looked up and anticipated Palacios' run into space with a well executed through ball. Palacios took one touch to control the ball and then finessed the ball into the net with his right foot to put Osasuna in the lead.

Guillermo and Palacios were having a great match really making life miserable for the Submarine's defenders, which in the 22nd minute caused Pantic to foul Guillermo inside the box. Guillermo had already dribbled past one defender and was now running past Pantic, who held on to his shirt to try and stop him from getting away. Pantic had been pulling Guillermo's shirt since before they entered the box, but Guillermo did not fall to the ground until he stepped into the box. This sparked the Villarreal players to argue to the referee that the foul should have been called as only a free kick at the edge of the box, but the referee was not swayed and maintained his decision to call it as a penalty. Roberto Torres would take the penalty and swiftly converted it into a 2-0 lead for Osasuna.

With the comfortable 2-0 lead, Chavez decided to experiment and switched formations from the 4-4-2 Holding to a 4-1-4-1 with Guillermo as lone striker similar to when Camarasa was sent off against Valladolid. Unfortunately this allowed Villarreal to control possession and spend a lot of time in Osasuna's half of midfield, which was not the case at all when Osasuna was running the 4-4-2. Chavez went back to the 4-4-2 in the 70th minute, but nine minutes later Villarreal was able to shorten the distance with a goal from Traoré. Villarreal's attack had forced Flaño and Albentosa to drift away from the box, which left Romeu marking Traoré who is a lot taller than the youth graduate. A cross came into the box and Traoré easily won the aerial battle to head the ball into the net. Neither team were able to create much after that though, and the match ended with the 2-1 in favor of Osasuna.


CA Osasuna Player of The Month

RW - Paré Bulhões Romeu (Spain) (75 OVR 17yrs) (+2)
The Osasuna Youth Graduate truly showed his versatility this month, becoming a key player in both defense and attack. As is the case with many youth players, Romeu has had to adapt to a position that he wasn't very familiar with since that's where the opportunity of first team football presented itself. Naturally an attacking winger, Romeu had to work on his defensive traits when he was promoted from the academy since the only position that did not have an owner in the B-Team was RB. Romeu developed extremely well, so well that when the First Team's Ivan (RB, 73 OVR) had a drop in form Chavez trusted Romeu to play RB for the First Team. Romeu has responded extremely well, with precise tackles and dangerous crosses when there's space to push forward. His most notable match was the 3-0 win at Real Madrid, barely Romeu's second match with the first team, in which he shut down Cristiano Ronaldo and kept his flank on lock down even as Ronaldo and Bale swapped wings throughout the match. This month he has contributed with two assists, sprinting from his box in attack even when his team was playing poorly. This is the kind of attitude and aggression that can only be taught at the youth academy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liga BBVA League Table
1. FC Barcelona - 53 points
2. Sevilla FC - 50 points
3. CA Osasuna - 48 points
4. Valencia CF - 45 points
5. Real Madrid - 45 points
6. Malaga CF - 37 points
---------------
7. Athletic Bilbao - 36 points
11. Atletico Madrid - 30 points
14. Real Sociedad - 25 points
---------------
18. RCD Mallorca - 14 points
19. Elche CF - 13 points
20. SD Eibar - 11 points

Liga BBVA Top Scorer
1. Pedro (Barca) - 13 Goals
2. Guillermo (Osasuna) - 12 Goals
3. Suarez (Barca) - 11 Goals

CA Osasuna Top Scorer
1. Guillermo - 12 Goals
2. Roberto Torres - 10 Goals
3. Kenan Kodro - 9 Goals
4. Federico Palacios - 5 Goals


Youth Academy
[i]* = New Addition

*Alex Garcia - CB (Mexico) (45-49, 70-88): The first and only CB in the academy, and with Miguel Flaño reaching the end of his era I am very anxious to see more reports on him. At 16 years old he stands at 6'2", and is considered Physically Strong. A perfect combination for a CB.

Alex Silva Gavan - RM (Spain) (59-63, 74-80): The 17 year old has decided to settle in at RM and is considered an attacker. With a 6'0" height he's a good fit pretty much anywhere on the field especially down the center, but he has decided he's most comfortable on the wing.

Chris Cropper - GK (United States) (49-53, 79-85): The third American goalkeeper to join the Youth Academy. At 16 years old he stands at 6'3" and his game is well balanced so far.

Chris Jamieson IV - GK (United States) (61-65, 78-84): Julian Rubin was the first American to join the academy, but now this 6'7" giant also from the United States has stolen the show as people are excited to see him between the sticks. At 16 years old he's looking like a solid candidate for a call up soon depending on how he shapes up with the U17s.

Eriq Lisch - GK (United States) (57-61, 88-94): The fourth and final American goalkeeper to join the academy. 16 years old, 6'1", and so far he looks like the most promising. From what we've seen of him with the U-17 he still needs to improve his positioning. Competition to be the first American to play for Osasuna is hot.

Eñaut Gabbiadini - CDM (Spain) (54-58, 72-78): The Spanish midfielder becomes the 2nd CDM in the academy, although at 15 years old he still has much to develop, including his height which is quite low for a CDM as he stands at 5'3".
*Turned 16, grew to 5'10*

Frost S. Napoles - CM (Spain) (55-59, 70-74): Technically Gifted has been the term used to describe the 17 year old midfielder from Spain, but we haven't seen enough of him with the U17 to say what his future holds.

Ivan Miranda - LW (Spain) (54-64, 76-90): The 15 year old is still being evaluated by the youth staff, but so far he's been most inclined to play as a LW, ST, and RW. If he decides to play down the middle, he'll need to stretch a little as he is currently only 5'2".

Julian Rubin - GK (United States) (58-62, 73-77): Julian becomes the first player from the United States to join the Osasuna youth academy, and if he develops well enough he could even become the first ever American player to wear Osasuna's colors. The 16 year old goalkeeper could make history, but first he must show his class in the youth levels.

Luis Martinez - CM (Spain) (53-57, 87-93): I'm really glad he decided to settle in as a CM and not CB. Really looking forward to see how he grows in May. At only 15 years of age he still has much to grow as far as height though as he stands at 5'1".

Mario Santana - ST (Mexico) (49-53, 83-89): Really excited to see future reports on this kid from Mexico. He's described as "Physically Strong" and you know how much I like to play with a target man. The downside is that he's only 5'3", but he's still 15 years old so I'm hoping he'll grow closer to the 6 foot range.
*Santana has just turned 16 and is now eligible to play in La Liga. I'm a bit disappointed that his height only grew to 5'10 as I really wanted a target man, but he is Physically Strong so he should be a good striker nonetheless.*

Roussillon Murnane - ST (Spain) (57-61, 71-75): The 5'9" 17-year old from Spain has shown the characteristics of a winger as he tends to drift wide from the center.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

January Headlines

Injury Bug Bites Osasuna
Osasuna may not currently have as many injuries as some clubs tend to get (Arsenal for example), but the injury bug hit where it hurts the most. The area where Osasuna has the least options in their squad is down the wings and this month Onwu and Ferreiro, both wingers for the B-Team, went down with injuries. This limited Osasuna's game down the wings and Sevilla took advantage of that weakness brilliantly. It is also believed that Raul Albentosa has suffered a concussion in training although that has not been confirmed by the club yet. However the arrival of Davila is one many fans are excited about as on his debut he showed some spectacular ball skills and powerful shots, becoming a unique player in the B-Team that can also cover multiple positions. The young attacking midfielder has great potential and Osasuna hope to release it by taking a different approach that Chelsea did.

Europa League
A quick reminder that the Europa League will be resuming next month. Osasuna will travel to the Netherlands to face Ajax at the Amsterdam Arena. The second leg will be played exactly a week later at El Sadar in Spain. And yes, the photo of Romeu in the Player of The Month section was indeed a little teaser of the Osasuna-Ajax match. You'll see more of that in our next update!


Conclusion
I was totally NOT expecting to be this high up the table in just my 3rd year. This season has been quite strange, especially with Real Madrid being 5th. Last season it was extremely tough for me to break into the Top 6, and the top 2 were way ahead of everybody else. This season Real Madrid have fallen off a bit, but RCD Espanyol have really fallen off. Last year they finished 3rd and were in 3rd for the majority of the season. This year they started off in relegation zone and have slowly moved up the middle of the table. I guess Champions League and league play were too much for them.

I initially tried to sign Kike Sola from Bilbao but his value and wage were unfortunately still too far from my budget. I was also planning on trying to bring Javier Hernandez on loan since he will never, and has yet to, make an appearance for Barcelona behind Suarez who is first choice and Messi who is second. Unfortunately, his wage was more than double Kike Sola's wage so that went out the window fast.
In the end I decided on Ulises Davila since he can be a different type of striker than Kodro and he has the versatility to play in different positions so Kodro can still play striker. The fee I had to pay took a huge chunk out of the funds I had so after signing him I did not have enough to continue searching. Once Ferreiro and Onwu return from injury I'll have great depth with the B-Team.

Formation
The match against Valladolid made me think about playing Guillermo up front alone, which is why I tried a 4-1-4-1 formation during the Villarreal match. The team had been playing horribly in attack until the match against Valladolid and all three goals came in when I played Guillermo alone up front. This made me curious, but when I tried the 4-1-4-1 against Villarreal I really disliked it. I actually lost the possession battle with that formation and the formation felt flat, dull. Tasteless? Yeah tasteless. Definitely not delicious enough. But anyway, I know what I want to try next time. I plan on adjusting the RCM and LCM back closer to the CDM, and the RM and LM forward to resemble the 4-1-4-1 I used at Wimbledon. There should be a nice smile going from the LM to the RM when you look at the formation. However I do not plan on changing to this formation permanently, as Palacios did score against Villarreal playing as a striker with Guillermo and last month they both did amazing in that formation. So I'll keep running the 4-4-2 Holding, and at times possibly when I need to defend the lead or something I'll start experimenting with the 4-1-4-1 again.

That's all for this month. I'll be going out of town this weekend with the lady but I'll make sure to check in here whenever I get the chance.
Thanks For Reading!

Excluding the Villarreal result you had a nightmare of a month! Sevilla and Valencia are good teams, though. Mallorca and Levante on the other hand... well, to be honest I'm very surprised that you are still that close to the top. Gomez and Davila seem like good singings for the B team or for rotation. Also, hopefully you manage to find out what formation works the best. I can't remember if you've tried these formations but some variations of the 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 3-5-2 or a 4-1-2-1-2 could work with the attacking players you have.

Sampdoria got scrapped again, and I figured out the reason. All their players are rated under 60 in balance, which makes them fall over every time they touch the ball or jump. I understand a few like that, but virtually everyone at Sampdoria has some sort of inner ear condition. And in my search for a new team that ticks all the boxes, I realised that something needs to be said.

You guys know I read and respect each of your careers, but there's something about Moose @ West Ham that seems just perfect. The squad is decent from the start, there's a good bit of money to shore up positions that might not have as much depth, the kits are amazing, the stadium is authentic, it's located in a big city, and the fans are intensely passionate. On top of that, it's the club Moose supports.

Now there's no way I can do a career with Chelsea because I find absolutely no fun in buying up top-tier players from the start, and I'm trying to break out of my habit of managing in England. Truth is I've wanted to do a West Ham career for some time but have kept away from it, partly out of respect to Moose but also because I don't want to repeat such a long-standing team. I now find myself unable to pick a team.

Italy is almost out of the question because of the second division's lack of licensing. In fact, I might not even consider a Serie A career until FIFA sorts its sh*t with regard to Italian league licensing. Spain also doesn't sit well with me because... well, it's Spain. No other reason, really. Netherlands, Portugal and Turkey would all be fun if there were at least a second division, but I CBA to play ALL the same teams EVERY year. France is sort of okay, but I've been trying to stick to a one-cup league.

That leaves Germany as the main option, with England as a fallback in case I can't get over the obsession with my homeland. Werder Bremen would be quite good if they only had a bigger budget. Hoffenheim seem to tick most of the boxes, but they're packed with TOO MUCH talent. There's no fun in that extreme, either. I know... I'm a picky motherf*cker.

I guess what I'm looking for now is either a three- to four-star team in Germany/France with £8-12 million in initial transfer budget, or any team in any major league with decent kits and one or more players who can be sold for big cash (about £20-25 million total). So far, I've come up with Espanyol (Casilla, Moreno, Bifouma), Hamburg (Adler, VDV, Rudnevs), Cagliari (Sau, Ibarbo, Adrian), and Torino (Cerci, Glik, Maksimovic).

If anyone else can think of suggestions of teams or ways to bring in a big but amount of money in one shot (without FT), I would love to hear them. Please remember I'm using the 29 August 2014 squads on SoFIFA. I'd really like to avoid managing in England again, but if I must, I have a couple of ideas lined up.

That's pretty picky like you said. Anyway, from the teams you came up with HSV look like the best option. They have some good players, young talent, an alright budget and they're underperforming in real life. Other options that match the country, players to sell and budget criteria could be Hannover, Malaga, Udinese, Getafe and Palermo.

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Indi, Some teams I came up with for Germany and France:
GER: Hamburger, Hannover
FRA: St. Etienne, Stade Rennais, Montpellier

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Thanks guys, I'll have a look at those squads and get back to you.

...

...

...

I'm going to end up at Sunderland, aren't I?

[Cruzerr]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Thanks guys, I'll have a look at those squads and get back to you.

...

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I'm going to end up at Sunderland, aren't I?

You are pretty picky, but eh, so am I.

What about the Portuguese league or the Eredivisie? You could play with Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, Twente or Sporting or Braga.

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

So apparently you can raise £40 million by selling Saint Etienne's five best players...

[jamiec47]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

So apparently you can raise £40 million by selling Saint Etienne's five best players...

I wouldn't sell all their best players personally. Going back to what you said about West Ham ticking all boxes, I'm in the same boat. I love playing as them, do a career every year with them, but I don't post. I don't post because of Moose having an amazing career with them and I don't want to invade like you said. I also have trouble managing abroad.