How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Aston Villa | Season 1 | Xbox One



Introduction

Not many clubs with Aston Villa's history, stature and resources are playing as badly as Birmingham's biggest team. For my first career back on this site, I wanted to pick a club that could realistically make it back into the elite of Europe. Not many sides fit the bill as stupendously as the great Aston Villa.

House Rules

• First transfer window off
• Maximum squad size of 25 players
• At least 8 of them must be homegrown
• English style: 4-4-2, high pressing, wing play
• Youth academy to focus solely on British, Irish talent
• At least one promotion from the youth academy each season

Starting Squad

Goalkeepers
BUNN, Mark (71)
GUZAN, Brad (78)
ŠARKIĆ, Matija (56)

Defenders
AMAVI, Jordan (75)
BACUNA, Leandro (73)
CLARK, Ciaran (77)
CRESPO, José (70)
HUTTON, Alan (73)
ILORI, Tiago (74)
LEGGETT, Thomas (55)
LESCOTT, Joleon (78)
OKORE, Jores (77)
RICHARDS, Micah (79)
SENDEROS, Philippe (72)

Midfielders
GARDNER, Gary (65)
GIL, Carles (74)
GREALISH, Jack (72)
GREEN, André (61)
GUEYE, Idrissa (75)
N'ZOGBIA, Charles (73)
RICHARDSON, Kieran (73)
SÁNCHEZ, Carlos (76)
SELLARS, Jerell (60)
VERETOUT, Jordan (76)
WESTWOOD, Ashley (74)

Forwards
AGBONLAHOR, Gabriel (74)
AYEW, Jordan (76)
BLACKETT-TAYLOR, Corey (48)
GESTEDE, Rudy (73)
HEPBURN-MURPHY, Rushian (60)
KOZÁK, Libor (74)
SINCLAIR, Scott (76)
TRAORÉ, Adama (71)

On Loan
GK Jed Steer (62) @ Huddersfield Town
CB Nathan Baker (72) @ Bristol City
CB Janoi Donacien (63) @ Newport County
LB Aly Cissokho (74) @ FC Porto
LB Joe Bennett (68) @ AFC Bournemouth
RM Joe Cole (72) @ Coventry City
CM Riccardo Calder (52) @ Dundee FC
LM Callum Robinson (59) @ Bristol City

[moose141]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Episode #9: We've Got Payet!

In this episode, we host league leaders Chelsea in a massive clash at Upton Park. Can we pull another big upset?! Tune in to find out!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ijCmu2KGWmY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Sorry about the slow updates, can't play much because of school and when I get some time I'm too tired to play. I will try and get the next month done within the next week however. It will be the Summer window of Season 3 as we prepare for the Championship. One big player has already been sold to raise funds in order to improve the overall quality of the squad. Stay tuned!

[moose141]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Episode #10: Shock Defeat?!

In this episode, we return to cup competition with a match up against Queens Park Rangers before heading away in the BPL to take on newly promoted Watford. Enjoy!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5KGib23VQ4w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[southernmetalhead]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

SC Bastia
The Blues



Urs Meier Hired from FC Zurich

SC Bastia has hired former FC Zurich manager Urs Meier to guide the club to new heights in Ligue 1 after being promoted back to the top flight of French football prior to the start of the 2012-13 season. The 54-year-old Swiss manager takes over a side that finished 12th in Ligue 1 in 2014-15 and were runners-up in the Coupe de la Ligue. Meier's goals for the team from the island of Corsica are simple for his first season: avoid relegation and reach the Round of 32 in the Coupe de France. Eventually, Meier will look to guide Bastia into Europe as he had done in his 3 seasons in charge of Zurich. A modest squad and a tight budget will make it hard for Bastia to make noise in Ligue 1 against the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique Lyonnais, and AS Monaco, but that will not stop the club from expecting greatness in due time.

Scouts
Simon Pasquier (FRA) - 4 Star
Aurellan Andrieux (FRA) - 4 Star
Kevin Follonier (SUI) - 3 Star
Johannes Maier (AUT) - 3 Star

Budget
Transfer -€2.8 million
Wage - €45,000

The Squad

Goalkeepers
GK Jesper Hansen, 71 Ovr, 30 years old, Denmark
GK Jean-Louis Leca, 70 Ovr, 29 years old, France
GK Thomas Vincensini, 59 Ovr, 21 years old, France

Defenders
CB Sébastien Squillaci, 74 Ovr, 34 years old, France
CB François Modesto, 73 Ovr, 36 years old, France
LB Julian Palmieri, 73 Ovr, 28 years old, France
CB Mathieu Peybernes, 72 Ovr, 24 years old, France
LB Florian Marange, 69 Ovr, 29 years old, France
RB Gilles Cioni, 68 Ovr, 31 years old, France
RB Yassine Jebbour, 66 Ovr, 23 years old, Morocco
RB Alexander Djiku, 58 Ovr, 20 years old, France
CB Julien Benhaim, 58 Ovr, 18 years old, France

Midfielders
LM Floyd Ayité, 75 Ovr, 26 years old, Togo
RM François Kamano, 71 Ovr, 19 years old, Guinea
CDM Yannick Cahuzac, 70 Ovr, 30 years old, France
CAM Gaël Danic, 68 Ovr, 33 years old, France
CM Lyes Houri, 66 Ovr, 19 years old, France
CM Seko Fofana*, 62 Ovr, 20 years old, France
(*on loan from Manchester City)
CM Abdoulaye Keita, 60 Ovr, 21 years old, Mali
RW Luka Kikabidze, 59 Ovr, 20 years old, Georgia
LM Rashade Sido, 56 Ovr, 20 years old, Burkina Faso

Forwards
ST Sadio Diallo, 72 Ovr, 24 years old, Guinea
ST Christopher Maboulou, 72 Ovr, 25 years old, Congo
ST Brandão, 72 Ovr, 35 years old, Brazil
ST Famoussa Koné, 58 Ovr, 21 years old, Mali
ST Lassana Coulibaly, 58 Ovr, 19 years old, Mali

Formation
4-2-3-1

[jamiec47]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Ok, sorry for not updating at all. I completed my first season with Liverpool, and boy do I wish I was updating. Here is a recap starting from September, with a key game or 2 for each month, skipping months that were uneventful. I had wrote down updates but I couldn't be bothered to type them up, however I continued to type future months, so I have the game logs recorded.

MAKING THEM DREAM
SEASON 1
RECAP

September

Europa League Match 1

Liverpool 6-0 Bordeaux
Benteke 20
Firmino 26
Benteke 40
Firmino 52
Pjanic 58
Coutinho 74
Benteke gave us the lead with a header from a Clyne cross. Firmino then made it 2, tapping in on the rebound of Benteke's 30 yard effort. Benteke then stroked in from Milner's low cross before Firmino got his second with a wonderful toe poke after Moreno's incredible run and through ball. Pjanic got his first goal for us with a curling free kick. Coutinho completed the rout with a brilliant solo effort, beating his man and curling into the top corner.

October

Match 9

Spurs 1-5 Liverpool
Benteke 7 (PEN)
Benteke 12
Sturridge 18
Benteke 55
Benteke 64
Eriksen 72
Benteke opened the scoring from the spot after Firmino was tripped by Fazio. The big Belgian then made it 2, firing into the bottom corner after some quality footwork. Strurridge made it 3 in less than 20 minutes, cutting inside and curling into the top corner. Vorm saved a Pjanic free kick and then saved a close range effort from the Bosnian. Benteke completed his hat-trick from the spot after Firmino was bundled over by Vertonghen. His fourth came from a powerful strike into the top corner from just inside the box. Eriksen pulled one back for a consolation.

Match 11

Chelsea 0-5 Liverpool
Benteke 2
Sturridge 29
Benteke 61 (PEN)
Benteke 71
Benteke 84 (PEN)
Benteke opened the scoring, smashing into the top corner after Firmino's pass. Sturridge made it 2, firing into the top corner with the outside of his boot. Mignolet made a great save to deny Oscar and the Fabregas hit the post. Benteke made it 3 from the spot and then got his hat trick, curling in after Firmino's pass. Benteke then fired in from the spot to complete the rout.

January

Match 20

Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United
Benteke 37 (PEN)
Sturridge 50
Mata had the first chance of the game, his shot being turned onto the post by the outstretched leg of Mignolet. Sakho came close, having his header blocked on the line before Benteke scored from the penalty spot after Sturridge was brought down. Sturridge came close after cutting inside before getting a deserved goal, curling into the top corner. De Vrij almost made it 3, his header being cleared off the line.

This was also the month we saw the arrival of Henrikh Mkhitaryan from £15 million from Dortmund after Sturridge picked up an injury. Confirmation also came through that Charlie Austin would be joining us on a free in the summer.

February

Match 24

Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal
Mkhitaryan 8
Cazorla 14
Benteke 56
Sanchez 82 (PEN)
Mkhitaryan gave us the lead with his first goal for the club, curling in after running onto the deflected Benteke pass. Mignolet was soon forced into a great save by Giroud and Cazorla equalised with a low drive from 20 yards. Benteke was denied by Ospina's diving save. Gibbs headed an easy chance over after Walcott's shot was spectacularly stopped by Mignolet. Benteke regained our lead, beating Mertesacker before smashing in off the far post. However, Moreno stupidly gave away a penalty late on that allowed Arsenal to equalise and stay top of the league. Ings forced Ospina into an incredible save late on, but we couldn't find the winner as Can hit the post.

FA Cup Round of 16

Liverpool 4-0 Manchester City
Coutinho 3
Benteke 50
Firmino 59
Mkhitaryan 86
I was not expecting this result at all. Coutinho gave us the lead with a first time strike into the top corner after Mkhitaryan beat Kolarov and played the ball into him. Aguero missed a good chance for City and then half time came. Benteke made it 2, curling in with the outside of his boot after Mkhitaryan's well timed through ball. Firmino got the third, intercepting Demichelis' pass and then beating Otamendi before firing into the top corner. Otamendi headed over and Sterling forced a good save before Mkhitaryan got a goal for himself, curling in after beating his man.

March

Match 28

Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City
Lallana 13
Fernandinho 41
Benteke 63 (PEN)
Otamendi 90
Skrtel 90
Yaya had the first chance of the match, beating his brother with a dribble before having his shot well saved by Mignolet. Lallana gave us the lead, curling in after a great one-two with Ings. Fernandinho successfully fired in after Mignolet misjudged a ball in. Henderson almost gave us the lead, but his shot was cleared off the line with an overhead kick by Clichy. Benteke gave us the lead from the spot after Ings was brought down. Lloris made an incredible save to deny Benteke. Otamendi equalised late on, his shot hitting the top corner with power. However, in the last seconds, Mkhitaryan whipped the ball in from a short corner and Skrtel headed in with a diving header.

April

Match 31

Liverpool 3-4 Stoke
Whelan 6
Diouf 24
Diouf 36
Coutinho 56
Sakho 85 (OG)
Pjanic 87
Henderson 90
What a game. Whelan opened the scoring from Stoke, smashing in from close range. Diouf then made it 2 and then made it 3, with 2 well placed goals. Coutinho pulled one back, curling into the top corner as we tried to claw back into the game. Unfortunately, Sakho deflected a shot into the back of his own net to put us out of contention. However, Pjanic fired in a free kick and Henderson smashed in as we almost completed an incredible comeback.

Europa League Semi Final Leg 2

Liverpool 5-2 Real Madrid
Rodriguez 4
Benteke 6 (PEN)
Benzema 22
Pjanic 57
Coutinho 72
Sturridge 75
Firmino 90
We went into this match level on aggregate at 2-2. Rodriguez gave Real the lead with a effort into the top corner. Benteke equalised on the spot soon after, Bale being sent off for the foul on Coutinho. Benzema soon gave Madrid the lead again, smashing in. Pjanic equalised after half time, firing into the top corner on the turn. Coutinho curled in to give us the lead before Sturridge smashed in. Firmino completed the brilliant win, stroking in on the counter attack to send us to the final.

May

Match 38

West Brom 0-2 Liverpool
Benteke 14
Benteke 90
This match, the final game of the season. Benteke gave us the lead, smashing into the top corner to grab his 37th goal in as many games in the league this season. West Brom didn't do much, but they also soaked up our pressure, Lindergaard making a good save to deny Pjanic. Then Berahino countered, there was no doubt in anyone's mind he was going to score. And Clyne came in with a 2 footed professional foul to stop the attack, picking up a red card very late in the game. After West Brom wasted the free kick, Benteke was able to take advantage and get his goals to game ratio higher than 1:1. The result won us the league. Clyne made a foul that won us the league.

Europa League Final

Sevilla 2-4 Liverpool
Immobile 12
Ings 36
Ings 45
Konoplyanka 65
Ings 74
Clyne 90
Immobile gave the Spanish side the lead in their 3rd straight Europa League final, having won the previous 2 years. Ings equalised, making himself the tournament top scorer, curling into the corner from close range. Ings then gave us the lead, smashing into the top corner from the edge of the box. Konoplyanka equalised on the rebound before Ings completed his hat trick, stroking in on the break. Clyne made it 4, settling the match late on after smashing into the top corner.

FA Cup Final

Liverpool 4-2 QPR
Firmino 26
Austin 35
Benteke 41
Chery 65
Firmino 70
Pjanic 85
We completed a treble, of sorts against QPR. However, I didn't write down the details. Oops.

[moose141]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Episode #11: TRIO OF TIGHT MATCHES!

In this action packed episode, we try and get off the mark against Everton before a huge London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur followed by our final contest as we take on West Bromwich Albion.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MNxY_PzgO5s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Ha Ho He


August 2016 - January 2017

I'll start this off with a little reminder: during my first season in charge we finished sixth in the league, qualifying for the Europa League, and got knocked out in the quarter finals of the DFB Pokal. After a short summer vacation we won a pre-season tournament but we didn't play too well. August went well with two 1-0 wins in the league and with us getting to the Europa League group stages. We sold two dead-wood-players in the forms of Hajime Hosogai and Änis Ben-Hatira. Then we brought in Marco Höger on a Bosman deal, the young striker Vaclav Kadlec for three million and the attacking midfielder Yunus Malli for 10 million euros. We also sent Leroy Sané on a one-year loan to VfL Wolfsburg.

September was a solid month but we failed to keep a single clean sheet. We beat RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga and Young Boys and Dinamo Moscow in the Europa League, all of which by a scoreline of 2-1. Also, in the last game of the month against Dinamo Moscow we decided to try out a 4-4-2 formation which worked very well, thus becoming our go to formation.

October was an improvement over September as we scored some goals, drew one game and lost one game out of the six we played. The loss came against Bayern München in the league away from home and the draw came from our trip to Rome where we faced Lazio in the Europa League. The month finished with a 3-0 win over Stuttgart. We also progressed to the DFB Pokal round of 16 after beating Darmstadt.

After a successful October we continued our great form in November which was arguably our best month of the season. We beat Dinamo Moscow away from home and then drew in very disappointing fashion against Werder Bremen, That game was followed by a great 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund and after that we beat Young Boys in the Europa League again. The month finished with a good performance against Wolfsburg which lead to a triumph over them. After the game we recalled the youngster Leroy Sané.

December was our worst month of the season with two defeats, a draw and two wins. We lost to Schalke in the first game of the month, drew with Lazio in a pointless Europa League game, beat Bayer Leverkusen in the league and Borussia Dortmund in the DFB Pokal's round of 16. Then we collapsed against Hannover and lost 4-2 after they were leading 3-0 at the halftime. Additionally, Porto were drawn to be our opponents in the Europa League round of 32.

January was a calm month with only three games and two transfers. We hammered RB Leipzig 4-0, drew with bottom of the table Bochum and beat second-bottom Freiburg 2-0. Our two transfers were the sell of Marco Höger for €16.5 million euros to Bayer Leverkusen after a very disappointing half a year and the purchase of Julian Weigl, a young 74-rated CDM, for €5.5 million to act as a rotational defensive midfielder.

Bundesliga Table

1. Borussia Mönchengladbach, 42 pts
2. Hertha BSC, 41 pts
3. VfL Wolfsburg, 38 pts
4. FC Schalke 04, 36 pts
5. 1899 Hoffenheim, 35 pts
6. Borussia Dortmund, 34 pts
------------------------------------------------
16. RB Leipzig, 18 pts
17. SC Freiburg, 11 pts
18. VfL Bochum, 11 pts


Starting XI



Apologies for this update being so bland and dull, I just wanted to get it over and done with. Also, to quickly address how the team has been playing, we are playing a high-pressing 4-4-2. Kalou and Ibisevic have been getting solid amount of goals and assists with Vladimir Darida being the engine of the team. He has also gotten a few goals and assists. The defence is probably the weakest part with Langkamp getting rotated often with John Anthony Brooks and with Mitchell Weiser coming often on for Peter Pekarik. Jarstein has been solid in goal. The attacking midfielders Yunus Malli and Valentin Stocker have complained about lack of playing time and I'm looking to sell at least Malli since there is no room for him in our 4-4-2.



Thank you for reading this post! I hope you have enjoyed it! Any feedback or suggestions will be appreciated!

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Okay, folks. In the interest of helping everyone who's been posting lately to revive this thread, I have a special challenge career mode that I'm going to be doing instead of Aston Villa. I hope you guys can help me get this one rolling quickly so that I can do my part to kick-start this thread once again.

As a die-hard Chelsea fan, it shouldn't come as any surprise that I have love and admiration for José Mourinho in abundance. I'm not stupid or blind, so I'm not going to claim that he's a saint or that he's always right. But he is right for Chelsea.

A lot of clubs like Liverpool and Barcelona take great pride in the way their football is played, which is fair enough. But for many of us who support Chelsea, while we would love to see our teams win things with attractive football, the priority is winning. Winning games, winning trophies.

I've seen Chelsea play some scintillating stuff under managers such as Ruud Gullit and Claudio Ranieri. I've seen us be utterly dreadful under Felipe Scolari and Andre Villas-Boas. The best fun I've had watching my club was from 2004-06 and 2009-10, when Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti killed it.

Ancelotti was a fantastic manager who got us scoring for fun. He probably got the very best out of Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard's chemistry. But it was Mourinho's first spell that was truly mesmerising in my eyes. We were solid. We were powerful. We were monsters.

I think I have always preferred that style of football. You don't often find players who combine industry and flair the way Luis Suárez does, and that is what makes him a truly exceptional talent. In the end, I'll always favour players who work for the club over the wizards.

That's what I will look to create in this career mode: the ultimate Mourinho side. A group of players who will work their backs off on the pitch, but who are still talented enough that you can't question whether they deserve to be playing top-flight European football.

SQUAD & FORMATION

The 23-man squad will consist of 18 developed talents and five promising youngsters. Recruitment will emphasise physical stats, mentality, passing and defending. Teams will line up in a 4-5-1 variant with at least one player in the DM position.

TACTICS

At home against weaker sides, we will always look to attack and score the first goal. If we achieve that, we move to standard counter-attacking tactics and punish mistakes. In big home games and all away fixtures, we start in a defensive mentality with counter-attacking tactics.

FLAIR

There will be no more than three flair players in the first team of 18. A flair player is someone with a HIGH attacking and MED defensive work rate who focuses more on scoring goals or creating chances than he does on helping keep the team's shape.

INDUSTRY

The other 15 must be either balanced (MED/MED, HIGH/HIGH) or defensive (MED/HIGH, LOW/HIGH, LOW/MED). I won't keep or sign anyone who has a LOW defensive work rate. All central defenders must have either MED/HIGH or LOW/HIGH work rates.

YOUTH

My five youth will be one goalkeeper, one pure defender (MED/HIGH or LOW/HIGH), two complete midfielders (one HIGH/HIGH, one MED/MED), and one goalscorer (HIGH/MED). The jury still out on whether I will find these youngsters through my own academy or the GTN.

HARMONY

The dressing room is sacrosanct. Reject a contract that meets your terms? Bye. Not sure where you want to play? It won't be here. Think you're bigger than the club? Get out. You or your agent speaking to the press about leaving? I'll make it happen.

I'm not sure which club I'm going to be doing this at, but I have a couple of ideas. Let me know if you have any suggestions. And yes, I'd like at least a few folks to register interest so I can decide if the effort will be worth it. Or else, I'd rather just update in plain text once or twice a season.

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Okay, folks. In the interest of helping everyone who's been posting lately to revive this thread, I have a special challenge career mode that I'm going to be doing instead of Aston Villa. I hope you guys can help me get this one rolling quickly so that I can do my part to kick-start this thread once again.

As a die-hard Chelsea fan, it shouldn't come as any surprise that I have love and admiration for José Mourinho in abundance. I'm not stupid or blind, so I'm not going to claim that he's a saint or that he's always right. But he is right for Chelsea.

A lot of clubs like Liverpool and Barcelona take great pride in the way their football is played, which is fair enough. But for many of us who support Chelsea, while we would love to see our teams win things with attractive football, the priority is winning. Winning games, winning trophies.

I've seen Chelsea play some scintillating stuff under managers such as Ruud Gullit and Claudio Ranieri. I've seen us be utterly dreadful under Felipe Scolari and Andre Villas-Boas. The best fun I've had watching my club was from 2004-06 and 2009-10, when Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti killed it.

Ancelotti was a fantastic manager who got us scoring for fun. He probably got the very best out of Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard's chemistry. But it was Mourinho's first spell that was truly mesmerising in my eyes. We were solid. We were powerful. We were monsters.

I think I have always preferred that style of football. You don't often find players who combine industry and flair the way Luis Suárez does, and that is what makes him a truly exceptional talent. In the end, I'll always favour players who work for the club over the wizards.

That's what I will look to create in this career mode: the ultimate Mourinho side. A group of players who will work their backs off on the pitch, but who are still talented enough that you can't question whether they deserve to be playing top-flight European football.

SQUAD & FORMATION

The 23-man squad will consist of 18 developed talents and five promising youngsters. Recruitment will emphasise physical stats, mentality, passing and defending. Teams will line up in a 4-5-1 variant with at least one player in the DM position.

TACTICS

At home against weaker sides, we will always look to attack and score the first goal. If we achieve that, we move to standard counter-attacking tactics and punish mistakes. In big home games and all away fixtures, we start in a defensive mentality with counter-attacking tactics.

FLAIR

There will be no more than three flair players in the first team of 18. A flair player is someone with a HIGH attacking and MED defensive work rate who focuses more on scoring goals or creating chances than he does on helping keep the team's shape.

INDUSTRY

The other 15 must be either balanced (MED/MED, HIGH/HIGH) or defensive (MED/HIGH, LOW/HIGH, LOW/MED). I won't keep or sign anyone who has a LOW defensive work rate. All central defenders must have either MED/HIGH or LOW/HIGH work rates.

YOUTH

My five youth will be one goalkeeper, one pure defender (MED/HIGH or LOW/HIGH), two complete midfielders (one HIGH/HIGH, one MED/MED), and one goalscorer (HIGH/MED). The jury still out on whether I will find these youngsters through my own academy or the GTN.

HARMONY

The dressing room is sacrosanct. Reject a contract that meets your terms? Bye. Not sure where you want to play? It won't be here. Think you're bigger than the club? Get out. You or your agent speaking to the press about leaving? I'll make it happen.

I'm not sure which club I'm going to be doing this at, but I have a couple of ideas. Let me know if you have any suggestions. And yes, I'd like at least a few folks to register interest so I can decide if the effort will be worth it. Or else, I'd rather just update in plain text once or twice a season.

This a really good idea! Mou is the manager I've grown up watching with Chelsea, started supporting around 05/06, so I guess that has left an impression on me, in regards to preferring a solid defence to a gung-ho attack, especially in FIFA, I always want to keep that clean sheet.

What league do you want to do this in? Chelsea, of course, and I think Atleti are too prime examples of hard work and defence can win you titles. But am I right in assuming that you would prefer a midtable team in England/Spain/Germany/Italy in that order? Here are my team suggestions.

ENG:
West Brom, Sunderland - Purely because I believe that these two clubs fit the style well that you want to play. Most other clubs in the league are moving towards quick paced attacking football. The Baggies would be my first choice seeing as Pulis is there.

SPA:
Valencia, Celta Vigo, Malaga - I don't actually know who the defensive teams are in La Liga, but by looking at the past few seasons tables and looking at their Goals Against stats, I feel that these teams would be the best.

GER:
Schalke, M'Gladbach or Leverkusen - Same as above.

ITA:
Napoli or Inter - Could be the teams to go with.

I hope you appreciate the feedback and I am looking forward to this career.

In relation to my career: I'm switching back and forth between Shrewsbury and Lazio, Lazio is in the front seat at the minute and I believe that I have about 3 or 4 games left to play in the first season.

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Okay, folks. In the interest of helping everyone who's been posting lately to revive this thread, I have a special challenge career mode that I'm going to be doing instead of Aston Villa. I hope you guys can help me get this one rolling quickly so that I can do my part to kick-start this thread once again.

As a die-hard Chelsea fan, it shouldn't come as any surprise that I have love and admiration for José Mourinho in abundance. I'm not stupid or blind, so I'm not going to claim that he's a saint or that he's always right. But he is right for Chelsea.

A lot of clubs like Liverpool and Barcelona take great pride in the way their football is played, which is fair enough. But for many of us who support Chelsea, while we would love to see our teams win things with attractive football, the priority is winning. Winning games, winning trophies.

I've seen Chelsea play some scintillating stuff under managers such as Ruud Gullit and Claudio Ranieri. I've seen us be utterly dreadful under Felipe Scolari and Andre Villas-Boas. The best fun I've had watching my club was from 2004-06 and 2009-10, when Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti killed it.

Ancelotti was a fantastic manager who got us scoring for fun. He probably got the very best out of Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard's chemistry. But it was Mourinho's first spell that was truly mesmerising in my eyes. We were solid. We were powerful. We were monsters.

I think I have always preferred that style of football. You don't often find players who combine industry and flair the way Luis Suárez does, and that is what makes him a truly exceptional talent. In the end, I'll always favour players who work for the club over the wizards.

That's what I will look to create in this career mode: the ultimate Mourinho side. A group of players who will work their backs off on the pitch, but who are still talented enough that you can't question whether they deserve to be playing top-flight European football.

Spoiler

SQUAD & FORMATION

The 23-man squad will consist of 18 developed talents and five promising youngsters. Recruitment will emphasise physical stats, mentality, passing and defending. Teams will line up in a 4-5-1 variant with at least one player in the DM position.

TACTICS

At home against weaker sides, we will always look to attack and score the first goal. If we achieve that, we move to standard counter-attacking tactics and punish mistakes. In big home games and all away fixtures, we start in a defensive mentality with counter-attacking tactics.

FLAIR

There will be no more than three flair players in the first team of 18. A flair player is someone with a HIGH attacking and MED defensive work rate who focuses more on scoring goals or creating chances than he does on helping keep the team's shape.

INDUSTRY

The other 15 must be either balanced (MED/MED, HIGH/HIGH) or defensive (MED/HIGH, LOW/HIGH, LOW/MED). I won't keep or sign anyone who has a LOW defensive work rate. All central defenders must have either MED/HIGH or LOW/HIGH work rates.

YOUTH

My five youth will be one goalkeeper, one pure defender (MED/HIGH or LOW/HIGH), two complete midfielders (one HIGH/HIGH, one MED/MED), and one goalscorer (HIGH/MED). The jury still out on whether I will find these youngsters through my own academy or the GTN.

HARMONY

The dressing room is sacrosanct. Reject a contract that meets your terms? Bye. Not sure where you want to play? It won't be here. Think you're bigger than the club? Get out. You or your agent speaking to the press about leaving? I'll make it happen.

I'm not sure which club I'm going to be doing this at, but I have a couple of ideas. Let me know if you have any suggestions. And yes, I'd like at least a few folks to register interest so I can decide if the effort will be worth it. Or else, I'd rather just update in plain text once or twice a season.

I agree with Keano, the idea of creating a really realistic team in FIFA sounds like a very good idea. Interestingly, I'm also trying to play sort of like Hertha in real life; lots of running, pressing, crossing and counter-attacking. Anyway, you really should go ahead with the idea!

As for team selection, I'm not sure what you are going for. From the better European teams the likes of Chelsea, Atletico and Sevilla are more defensively minded. Malaga is a midtable team that really focuses (or focused) on defending. Hertha is also a team that prefers to defend and press :P

GER:
Schalke, M'Gladbach or Leverkusen - Same as above.

I like what you were going for but my God, please remove Leverkusen from the list! They are probably the most attacking team in Europe (or at least in Germany) with lots of goals in many games. Leverkusen are not a defensive team at all They are a pleasure to watch, though.

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

I like what you were going for but my God, please remove Leverkusen from the list! They are probably the most attacking team in Europe (or at least in Germany) with lots of goals in many games. Leverkusen are not a defensive team at all They are a pleasure to watch, though.

Sorry! Don't watch much Bundesliga but now that I think about it, Leverkusen have alot of talented attacking players and did have a 4-4 game against Roma recently in the Champions League. My bad!

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Sorry! Don't watch much Bundesliga but now that I think about it, Leverkusen have alot of talented attacking players and did have a 4-4 game against Roma recently in the Champions League. My bad!

Haha, it's okay :P They also beat Stuttgart like 5-4 a few days after that.

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

This a really good idea! Mou is the manager I've grown up watching with Chelsea, started supporting around 05/06, so I guess that has left an impression on me, in regards to preferring a solid defence to a gung-ho attack, especially in FIFA, I always want to keep that clean sheet.

What league do you want to do this in? Chelsea, of course, and I think Atleti are too prime examples of hard work and defence can win you titles. But am I right in assuming that you would prefer a midtable team in England/Spain/Germany/Italy in that order? Here are my team suggestions.

I agree with Keano, the idea of creating a really realistic team in FIFA sounds like a very good idea. Interestingly, I'm also trying to play sort of like Hertha in real life; lots of running, pressing, crossing and counter-attacking. Anyway, you really should go ahead with the idea!

As for team selection, I'm not sure what you are going for. From the better European teams the likes of Chelsea, Atletico and Sevilla are more defensively minded. Malaga is a midtable team that really focuses (or focused) on defending. Hertha is also a team that prefers to defend and press :P

Thanks for the reply, lads. How've you both been? Thing is, I'm not looking for a club that plays this way already, so pretty much any team is good as long as they aren't one of Europe's elite. I just want a decent budget (over £10 million) so I can start buying players right away in January 2016.

Now the thing a lot of people don't get about Mourinho is that he doesn't set up to defend. He sets up to stifle the other team and suck all the life out of their football. This leads to frustration on their side, which causes the players to make mistakes and the manager to lose his sh*t.

I want to pretty much do the same thing. I'm not looking to score just one goal and then pass it around the back for 75 minutes. I want the early lead so I can frustrate and irritate my opponents into giving me more chances. I want to disrupt the flow of the game. I want to own the chaos.

A couple of teams I'm looking at right now are Burnley and Blackburn. Both start off with good money, and with my 60% transfer budget bonus I should be able to get 2-3 additions in January. Burnley are strong for Championship level, but Blackburn are realistically more likely hire a British-Asian manager.

I was thinking if I do take a side in the top flight, it would be in either Italy or Germany. Premier League teams have way too much money in this year's game. I could start with a side like Sunderland and have over £35 million from day one, which is insane. So we'll see about starting in the PL.

[jamiec47]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Thanks for the reply, lads. How've you both been? Thing is, I'm not looking for a club that plays this way already, so pretty much any team is good as long as they aren't one of Europe's elite. I just want a decent budget (over £10 million) so I can start buying players right away in January 2016.

Now the thing a lot of people don't get about Mourinho is that he doesn't set up to defend. He sets up to stifle the other team and suck all the life out of their football. This leads to frustration on their side, which causes the players to make mistakes and the manager to lose his sh*t.

I want to pretty much do the same thing. I'm not looking to score just one goal and then pass it around the back for 75 minutes. I want the early lead so I can frustrate and irritate my opponents into giving me more chances. I want to disrupt the flow of the game. I want to own the chaos.

A couple of teams I'm looking at right now are Burnley and Blackburn. Both start off with good money, and with my 60% transfer budget bonus I should be able to get 2-3 additions in January. Burnley are strong for Championship level, but Blackburn are realistically more likely hire a British-Asian manager.

I was thinking if I do take a side in the top flight, it would be in either Italy or Germany. Premier League teams have way too much money in this year's game. I could start with a side like Sunderland and have over £35 million from day one, which is insane. So we'll see about starting in the PL.

I really like the idea and think that Blackburn would be a great side to use. They are one of the sides I wish were in the Prem, considering they have a title, but also, as you said, they would realistically be more likely to hire a British-Asian as manager. You would have some good players to start of the foundation of your side as well.