How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

**cubsball899** · 03-21-2014, 08:14 AM

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

the more i play the more i think career mode is completely scripted

it doesn't really matter how well i play, I will only score when the game wants me to

Qb · 03-21-2014, 10:16 AM

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Originally posted by indiblue

Hey Qb, I think a 4-1-4-1 with H/M or H/L wide players might suit you. From what it seems, you might find your midfield plays better when you pack it. High work rates on the RM and LM will let you attack the space left by most Serie A teams playing 3ATB. I would recommend more cutting in and less crossing in that formation.

I tried, but both the 4-1-4-1 and traditional 4-3-3 (with wingers set to get back on D) don't do it for me. I can't pinpoint a particular flaw, but any time I try using a lone CDM behind two CMs, I just cannot make it work. It doesn't jive with my playing style, as I struggle to cope defensively and can have problems transitioning from defense to attack. I guess I'm married to the double pivot of two CDMs for better or worse.

KG · 03-21-2014, 10:28 AM

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Originally posted by indiblue

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w

oNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w

ontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w

ontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w

ontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w

ontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]-->

Hey pal, I wrote this 4-3-2-1 guide for a fan site after some tweaking. I think it should explain everything!

*****

I happened to read an Ultimate Team guide on Zlatan Ibrahimovic, which stated that the 4-3-2-1 is the best way to get the most out of him. It got me thinking that the 4-3-2-1 is often overlooked because of its nature as a 'too-narrow' formation. But with a few minor tweaks, you can get plenty of width. The key is good players and good work rates; the latter, especially, is much easier to achieve in career mode than in FUT thanks to custom formations.

In reality, the best football teams always play with balance. For example, one will play slightly more infield than the other. A team with two attack-minded full backs will have them take turns bombing down the wing. When this balance is tipped, such as when Dani Alves and Jordi Alba simultaneously support the Barcelona attackers, it can leave other parts of the system (in this case, the central defence and midfield) open and prone to counter-attacks.

What I like about the 4-3-2-1 is that it offers the two things on which I base my play: four at the back and three in midfield. I also like having three attack-minded players up front, but I find the RW and LW in a 4-3-3 to be too wide to be of use in front of goal. Having two forwards playing off the striker instead gives me more options, and I can tweak their behaviour even further.

Let's have a look at the players, work rates and movement that makes my custom 4-3-2-1 tick.

Positions

GK: It doesn't make much of a difference who your goalkeeper is as long as he's tall, and has good reflexes and diving. Of course, you should ultimately use whoever is best for you.

RB/LB: You need one to be cautious; look for good tackling and interceptions, as well as a bit of pace and decent crossing if you need to manually take him forward. The other should be far more adventurous, so he's got to have pace, tackling and crossing above all else.

CB: The right and left CB positions offer a lot of freedom in any formation. For this system, you're going to want to pair a ball winner with a ball player; the former can afford to be short on pace, while the latter absolutely needs to be a good passer of the ball.

CDM: First of all, you'll want to move the CM back to the base of the centre circle and covert him to CDM. You could play a destroyer with much better defensive attributes, or a well-rounded anchor who's more of a passer. Pace isn't vital for either, but because of the CDM’s role, you'll need someone with a moderate amount of pace.

RCM/LCM: Midfield play in this system requires two central midfielders in top physical shape. One should have an attacking slant (and plenty of stamina), while the other should be slightly more defensive. Both should excel in passing and dribbling, be able to win headers in the middle of the park, and have good weak feet (4/5-star). I personally also like a right-left combination.

RF/LF: This is where we make this system go bonkers. One forward will be more of a goalscorer, while the other will drift out to offer width in the final third. I use a striker for the first role, and a winger/wide midfielder for the latter. Again, avoid fragile players without enough strength or balance. A strong weak foot is vital on both of these guys.

ST: This is your main guy. The formation is built around him. He's going to score (and possibly make) more goals than anyone else on the pitch. Because of the other players' work rates and movement, he's going to receive service from as many as eight different angles and positions (CB, RB, LB, CDM, RCM, LCM, RF, LF). Prioritise all physical traits, as well as dribbling, passing, finishing, long shots and heading. Spend the bulk of your transfer money here, on as good a complete striker as you can get.

Work rates and movement

Because career mode allows you to modify work rates for a position, you have a lot more freedom to focus on player attributes and choose the right men for the job. In this 4-3-2-1, the work rates keep everyone linked together. The movement arrows, which dictate runs in attack and defence, ensure that everything flows as required and offers you a number of attacking options.

RB/LB: The defensive full back should have M/M, while the attacking side should be H/M (H/H if the player is blessed with 80 or more stamina). In addition, give this guy an attacking run pointing forward. Avoid two attacking full backs as it might leave you prone to counter-attacks.

CB: The centre back adjacent to your attacking full back should have a high defensive work rate, with his attacking work rate dictated by his pace (medium for 70+ sprint speed, otherwise low). The CB adjacent to the M/M full back can be anything except H/L or H/M.

CDM: If your CDM is going to be a destroyer, set this to L/H. If he'll be an anchor, go with M/H.

RCM/LCM: The attacking role gets H/H, while M/M is ideal for the defensive side. You can try M/M on both if you want to be cautious, but it would kill the dynamism that makes this system work so well. The key is to place the attack-oriented CM on the same side as the defensive full back, and give him a forward attacking run (it should point directly at the forward ahead of him). The other midfielder gets M/M work rates.

You can handle defensive runs here two ways. First, you can have your M/M midfielder move directly into the space vacated by your attacking full back. Alternately, you can have him move to base of midfield while the CDM moves to the full back’s spot. M/M midfielders closer to the halfway line mean the first option is best. If you play your CM further up the pitch, or if you want to give him H/M or H/H work rates, go with the second option.

Either way, defensive transitions should resemble a 4-1-4-1 shape. And we all know how resilient that formation is while defending.

RF/LF: Your crossing forward goes on the same side as your defensive full back, ahead of your H/H midfielder. Give this position M/M work rates and an attacking run pointing towards the touch line closest to him, i.e. pointing left for LF and right for RF. This way, you create width as well as space for the H/H midfielder to occupy. The ‘second striker’ goes on the other side, with an attacking run towards the opposition goal. Give him H/M work rates so that he tracks back into his base position, giving you a true 4-1-4-1 shape in defence.

ST: The key here is M/L work rates, so that he can stay involved in the build-up play while still finding himself in space to shoot or pass. This guy is going to have a free role, so don’t give him any movement customisation.

Remember, if you switch up the work rates, do so across the board.

Image links:

Movement, with CM further back: http://postimg.org/image/5qshl0315/

Movement, with CM higher up: http://postimg.org/image/d20cmf7bj/

Ideal team (ignore work rates): http://www.futwiz.com/images/shared-...tch-852298.jpg

Great write-up and add-ons by Q and moose. In my Athletic Bilbao CM I'm running a 4-3-2-1 with one of the midfielders tucked in behind the ST as a CAM. We're well suited for the counter with quick wingers in Susaeta/Munian/Ibai Gomez and pace/drive in the middle from Ander Herrera/De Marcos. De Marcos is very much a Ramires clone. Incredible stamina and good at a lot of things but not great at anything. However, our ST Aduriz isn't suited for this. He's more of a hold-up/aerial threat compared to someone who will run the channels and get in behind the defense with his pace. We have a young ST who will eventually do this for us but he's not quite ready for prime-time. Our wingers/fullbacks are great at sending in crosses so I've modified my approach, especially considering the lack of aerial CB's in La Liga. We rarely win the possession battle but we create enough chances because of the creativity of our wingers, especially the versatility of Munian. He's great on the wing for the counter or in 1v1 situations but he can also slot in behind the ST and create havoc with agility and dribbling (he ain't dubbed the Spanish Messi for nothing). I think the key to my team are the CDM's, Iturasspe/Mikel Rico/De Marcos. They all offer something unique that the other doesn't have. Iturasspe is tall, decent pace, and can play passes (think Javi Martinez). Mikel Riko is a destroyer, bad at going forward but ruthless in the tackle (De Jong). De Marcos can run ALL DAY and is more creative on the ball, can pass with both feet, and will get into good positions at times (Ramires). I love the versatility of my team but wouldn't mind adding a pacy ST to scare defenses.

**RonMexico1992** · 03-21-2014, 11:42 PM

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Originally posted by cubsball899

the more i play the more i think career mode is completely scripted

it doesn't really matter how well i play, I will only score when the game wants me to

lol ok? and?

**tyream** · 03-22-2014, 09:00 AM

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

My player is Messi, really i downloaded his on ea sports and made the same height and weight as him he is now a 85 playing for real madrid

**ADHAMM3R** · 03-23-2014, 05:24 PM

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

my Bayern career is getting a bit stale at the moment, so I started one with Liverpool.

Here's why:

1. Right on the cusp of being a good team. They are right there in position to qualify for Champion's League. They have the players to do it. However, I don't think they have they players to win it, nor finish in the top 3 (I know it is usually top 4, but I'm aiming a bit higher).

2. Not a huge budget. They only start with 18 mil sterling. That's not enough to bring in the 3-4 players I want to bring in during the first season.

3. Almost an addendum to the first point, they need work in several positions. I like that I have Suarez and Sturridge to start my career. Just need to fill out behind those two a bit more.

Here is my plan:

I switched the formation to a 4-4-1-1 to take advantage of my two star forwards. They do not need any help scoring goals at the moment. So let's start with the midfield.

MIDFIELD:

My first and primary target is Toni Kroos. In my opinion, he is arguably the most complete midfielder in the game (after a couple seasons). He is a hammer on free kicks and long shots (I've seen up to 98 shot power, 96 long shots, 94 curve, 96 FK Accuracy), he has extremely good passing, and he is young. He is the perfect replacement for Gerrard (even an upgrade as Kroos starts out rated higher).

My second target is to bring in Bruma. Ever since I found out about him, he has always been on my team. He starts out around 77ish, and grows to the low 90's in a couple seasons. Let's face it. Allen, Henderson, Gerrard, and Coutinho are not an acceptable championship winning midfield. Bruma will play LM with Kroos and Coutinho/Gerrard playing CM's. My RM target is still in the air at the moment, although Bruma can play RM as well with no problems.

My third target is still to be singled out. I need a GOOD LB. Jose Enrique is not the caliber back I want to have as my starter for every game. As a sub, he is fine, but not the ideal player. I am still hunting for someone (trying to keep this realisticish).

I am going to also try to keep this realistic. So no, I will not be signing Ronaldo or Messi if I have the funds. They would never come to Liverpool. Kroos has been angling for a move to the PL (if you believe the media). Although MANU seems to be his preferred destination, he could go to a number of teams.

As of right now, I have played two games for the EPL. I had a 3-0 win over Stoke and a 4-0 win over Aston Villa. My next game is home against Manchester United. I predict a tight game, with Liverpool coming out on top 2-1. Goals will be scored by Suarez and Coutinho for Liverpool, and the lone United goal will come from Rooney.

Will update more soon!

**indiblue** · 03-24-2014, 05:18 AM

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

My second season with Villarreal has turned out to be wildly successful, with a R32 exit in the cup cancelled out by winning the league title!

The fight with Barcelona went down to the absolute wire. With just three games left, we found ourselves five points ahead of the Catalans as we travelled to the Camp Nou for a thrilling showdown. Victory would have given us an eight-point lead with two games to go, securing the title.

De Guzman scored in the fourth minute, and we went into halftime thinking this could be the day. Barcelona had other ideas, however. About ten minutes into the second half, Alex Song threaded a fine pass that Iniesta latched onto. A low cross across the box let Pedro tap in, unmarked at the far post. A few minutes later, we went 2-1 down after poor defensive movement allowed Fabregas the time and space to send a rocket past Patricio. Thankfully, Medel managed to dribble his way past three Barcelona defenders and equalise with just two minutes to go. The game ended 2-2, and Barcelona still had a shot at the title.

In the penultimate game of the season, we travelled to Real Sociedad. Barcelona, having defeated lowly Murcia 4-0 in their second-to-last fixture, were now just two points behind us. A loss would pile enormous pressure on us to win the last game. We came away with a hard-fought 1-1 draw thanks to Remy's last-minute equaliser; a point in the final game would earn us the title.

We faced Getafe after a week's rest, but our opponents had already secured safety from relegation with a thumping 3-0 over Elche and were on a four-game winning streak. Meanwhile, Barcelona were hosting none other than Real Madrid, which meant the chances of us staying top despite a loss had increased drastically.

But the boys had other plans. Remy scored a first-half hat-trick before laying on two assists in the second period, as we ended the season with a thumping 5-0 win. Madrid managed to hold the Blaugrana, and we secured the club's first ever top-flight league title by a margin of five points! Our prize was a hefty 16 million euros, money that will need to be spent well if we are to retain the title AND perform in next year's Champions Cup.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w

oNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w

ontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w

ontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w

ontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w

ontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w

oNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w

ontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w

ontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w

ontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w

ontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w

oNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w

ontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w

ontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w

ontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w

ontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]-->

**tmazbawling** · 03-24-2014, 11:21 AM

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Started with Man Utd...didnt like the formation, tactics players etc. i wanted to adopt fast, accurate attacking formation and players: so i decided to make a tactic approving of this mentality and switching to 4-4-2 diamond wide. So i started my overhaul of the squad. I first sold Young to Liverpool, Smalling to West Brom sold flecther...i ended up making some bad buys...(tiote[replace flecther]...ben afra and Marquinhosand Lacazette. THAT WAS MY FIRST TRANSFER MARKET

**jettamp95** · 03-24-2014, 05:34 PM

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Im a Dortmund fan so i am going to start one with BVB but first i manually transferred Lewandowski to Bayern (to be real cus it was a free transfer) and am doing a Life after Robert Lewandowski career mode im also going to buy Dong won ji to start off and then most likely Adrian Ramos and then search the world for a young Striker. Though when i tested this i bought Raul Jimenez from Club America just because hes 6'3 taller then lewandowski and i also think hes stronger but Eventually he became a massive Arial threat (headers only). Now if your looking for a Messi type clone Jimenez is not your man he may beat one person but in downright awful to start out in the first 10 games he had 3 goals and 2 red cards 0 assists and was out for 3 days for some injury i don't remember, also his standing tackle is rated 39 so he doesn't know how to play defense :P and his passes seem to be quick and hurried (might be my bad) but the more i got used to how to use him he quickly started improving his form. that was just a test of the first 10 games so i will now start the actually thing and hope it goes well.

p.s. sorry for my horrible grammar , spelling , punctuation

**ADHAMM3R** · 03-24-2014, 07:05 PM

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

well I accidentally saved over my Bayern career with my Liverpool one... fml. was really aiming to finish Bayern....

Oh well. Probably will start a new one soonish anyhow.

But here's my Liverpool update!

February 1, 2014

A relatively important transfer window for us. Skrtel requested to leave the club. He went to Spurs for 4.6 mil sterling. Wanted to go to an out of league team, but no one else offered. I had a number of offers for Suarez and Coutinho, but opted out of selling either. They are both too critical to my team at the moment.

I started to lay my plan in place. My first target, Kroos was enquired about. Bayern wanted a hefty 27.6 million (hefty for an 18 mil budget lol). After Skrtel was sold, I was able to fund the move officially. I tested the waters first with a low ball bid, to try and save money. I offered 17.5 mil and they accepted! I was ecstatic to have acquired Kroos.

After deciding that acquiring Bruma would not happen until the summer, I turned my head to find a solid LB. I probably submitted close to 10 bids for Coentrao. Real Madrid did not accept any of them. So I had to settle with Luke Shaw. Although not a bad buy at all (never really grows for me), he wasn't the star quality I wanted. Hopefully he will grow in the next season to fill that roll (at least enough to win the full time starting role).

I also brought in Leon Goretzka from Schalke 04 on a full season loan, with an option to buy for 2 mil at the end of the season. Although I would technically be in negative numbers, I am counting on the winnings from the Euro League to fund his transfer completely. Let's hope I advance...

Shortly after my last update (I think it was the next game after ManU), I simmed and Sturridge went down for 4 months. Pretty much screwed me over. Or so I thought. Sterling was brought up to the starting striker role. He filled in admirably. I also had a bit of a rough patch with my midfield (hence all the reinforcements). Gerrard went down for 8 weeks and Lucas Leiva missed almost what seemed to be every other game because of injury or suspension. However, baring all the injuries, I face Derby County in the 4th Round of the FA Cup. I am sitting in 3rd in the BPL with 49 points after 23 games (15-4-4). Kroos has been amazing so far, scoring 3 goals and gathering 2 assists in the 2 games he has played since transferring in. If my current form holds for enough of the remainder of the season, I will definitely qualify for champions league. I have a game in hand on Spurs (who sit in the Europa League spot atm) and hold a 4 point lead over them. A not too distant 6th place Arsenal sits outside, looking in with 42 points.

So with that all said, here is the team I am running!

---------------Mignolet----------------

Johnson-----Sakho-----Agger-----Shaw

Sterling----Gerrard----Kroos----Coutinho

---------------Suarez------------------

--------------Sturridge-----------------

Will update more soon!

**ADHAMM3R** · 03-25-2014, 12:10 AM

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

updating the last post....

well. I did it. I won. Liverpool finally won the League Title after a hard fought season. We also took the FA Cup and won the Euro League.

After an amazing season, here is a bit of a reflection on the season...

February 2nd, 2014: A 6-0 thumping of Arsenal at Anfield. Suarez netted a hat trick and Kroos got his first brace in the BPL as well as collecting 3 assists.

March 6th, 2014: Probably the most important game of the season. Away at Old Trafford against United, Liverpool bagged a 3-0 win over the then 9 point title leaders. This game was critical for Liverpool in the season, ultimately leading to winning the league.

I believe the team to be much stronger than I first thought. Towards the end of the season, we were playing nearly a game every 3 days. The resilience of the team to hold on and collect the 3 points every game was outstanding. Even with Sakho, Agger, Gerrard injured, as well as various red cards being thrown in, we were able to hold fast and win.

July 1, 2014:

The second season has started. After a brief reflection on my strengths and weaknesses from last season, I adjusted my transfer strategy.

Strengths:

-Solid FK takers... from the left side of the field (right footers).
-Good crossing from Sterling/Coutinho
-Goal scoring. Suarez and Sturridge worked well together (just like IRL lol). Kroos was able to launch cannons from long range...he created a few highlight reel worthy goals too!

Weaknesses:

-Lacking strong defensive leadership. Neither Agger nor Sakho seem able to lead the backline.
-Speed on the wings. Sterling and Coutinho are great players, but do lack speed against some of the better opponents.
-GK... Mignolet was absolutely amazing this past season. However, I don't see him being able to keep on par with my new Champion's League opponents.

Here is my new plan. I am going to try to bring in Hummels. He is probably one of the most complete CB's in the game, and is definitely capable of leadership. The tricky part is that the board only gave me 24 mil to spend. They also want me to win Champion's league. With my defensive frailties, I don't think i'm going to be able to do that with just 24 mil. Mats is rated at 40 mil by BVB currently. Way out of my budget. Especially if I want to strengthen other areas. My other option is Sergio Ramos. Although a LONGSHOT to obtain him, he would also be an ideal player.

My priority this window is definitely defensive. In the event I advance to the knockout stages of the Champion's Cup, I will have an extra 10 mil or so to spend on bringing in another player.

I'll update again soon!

**ThatKidNamedTae** · 03-25-2014, 06:47 AM

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Started up a Career mode with Manchester United and wanted to make realisitc signings to I used this website to find all the rumored transfers in and out of United.

Manchester Utd transfer news and rumours

http://www.footballtransferleague.co.uk/football_club.aspx?football_club=Manchester+Utd

All the latest Manchester United transfer rumours. Gossip on transfer targets and current news on player signings at Manchester Utd. Manchester Utd - English Premiership

Step One: Listing players I want gone

Transfer Listed:
Vidic
Chicharito
Patrice Evra
Ashley Young
Antonio Valencia
Darren Fletcher
Michael Carrick
Tom Cleverly <------- this guy. (facepalm)
Jonny Evans
Nani

Step Two: Shortlisting
So based on that website I found, the people I shortlisted were

Alexandre Song
Toni Kroos
Fabio Coentrao
Seamus Coleman
Mario Mandzukic
Luke Shaw
Jerome Boateng
Morata
Julian Draxler
Xherdan Shaqiri
William Carvalho

Step Three: Transfers

Jerome Boateng: Arrived from FC Bayern for $30,000,000
Luke Shaw: Arrived from Southampton for $8,000,000
William Carvalho: Arrived from Sporting CP for $11,500,000
Xherdan Shaqiri: Arrived from FC Bayern for $25,000,000 + Nani
Julian Draxler: Arrived from FC Schalke 04 for $20,000,000 + Valencia
Morata: Arrived from Real Madrid for $11,000,000
Loan out Adnan Januzaj to West Ham

(this last one wasnt really realistic, but I did it for fun because I hate RVP)

Cristiano Ronaldo: Arrived from Real Madrid for $50,500,000 + van Persie

Step Four: Squad

Formation: 4-2-3-1

GK- De Gea
RB- Rafael
RCB- Chris Smalling (Normally Boateng, but he tore his LCL about two games after he signed)
LCB- Phil Jones
LB- Luke Shaw
RDM- Marouane Fellaini
LDM- William Carvalho
RM- Juan Mata
LM- Julian Draxler
CAM- Wayne Rooney
ST- Cristiano Ronaldo

Subs:

GK- Anders Lindegaard
ST- Mortata
ST- Danny Welbeck
LM- Shinji Kagawa
CB- Rio Ferdinand
LB- Alexander Buttner
RM- Xherdan Shaqiri

**zavir** · 03-25-2014, 11:48 AM

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Decided to start up a career mode with Athletic Bilbao, a team I like and figured it would be quite challenging following their rules of only signing and promoting basque players. My board objectives were to qualify for a Euro League spot and reach the round of 32 stage in the Copa Del Rey.

My personal goals are long-term and involved winning some big silverware (CL, Liga) after a few seasons and maybe bringing back some of their stars (Llorrente, Martinez) to help make this team a european powerhouse.

Looking at the squad it seemed very well balanced with some experience with players such as Aduriz and young players like muniain and ibai gomez giving me an opportunity to help them reach their potential. (youth development is something i really want to focus on)

Changes:
The first major changes I made were moving muniain to a more central attacking role and promoting ibai gomez to the starting line-up covering the left wing.

Gurpegi, originally a starting centre-back was moved to the bench, allowing me to try out a defensive partnership between Mikel San Jose and young talent Laporte.

Iturraspe was also removed from the starting line-up in order to make room for Benat, a superior player who I thought would work well with Herrera in the midfield.

Transfer activity:
Due to limited funds, and also being content with what I had to work with, I saw no need to go out and buy every good basque player out there.

The main focus for me was changing my GK, as Iraizoz (a great player) time as first-choice keeper had come to an end. Now of course, the transfer target being Ruffier from Saint-Ettiene who I was able to get in a player (Iraizoz) plus cash deal.

The next matter to deal with was bringing in a rotation player in the centre attacking mid position as most of the midfielders in my squad were more defensive minded. Zurutuza from Real Sociedad fit the criteria perfectly, managing to land a deal with him after some time negotiating with their board.

No sale of any big stars in the team, players leaving the club were either reserves or older players to shorten the squad and gain a small amount of additional funds to go into building my youth academy.

IN:
Ruffier
Zurutuza

OUT: (players in italics still not sold/loaned)
Iraizoz
Herrerin
Gurpegi
Exteberria
Albizua (loan)
Unai Lopez (loan)
Mario Barco (loan)
Oscar Gil (loan
Williams (loan)

__________________________________________________ ______________________________________

After getting everything done early from day one, pre-season approaches and I will be playing all of these games to assess the team and make any small tweaks if necessary.

I will leave the final part of this post/update with the squad that I will be taking into this season, hopefully a positive one.

Starting XI: 4-3-3
GK: Ruffier
RB: De Marcos
RCB: Mikel San Jose (c)
LCB: Laporte
LB: Balenziaga
RCM: Ander Herrera
LCM: Benat
CAM: Muniain
RW: Susaeta
ST: Aduriz
LW: Ibai Gomez

Subs:
Arrizabalaga
Ekiza
Toquero
Itturaspe
Zurutuza
Kike Sola
Mikel Rico

No need to include reserves as they will only play a small part in the squad. My next update will focusing on my pre-season results and my first competitive game of the season. Enjoy! (sorry for the big post)

**fraserswan** · 03-25-2014, 03:08 PM

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

TEAM: Man Utd.

Summer transfers in:
Remy Cabella
Morata (not really playing like I thought he would)
jojic (young talent)
Modrić
Varane

Summer transfers out:
RVP to Atletico Madrid
Cleverly to Southampton
Valencia to Hannover 96
Chicharito to Inter
Young to stugart(idk how to spell it)
Buttner to West Brom (loan)
Varela to Brentford (loan)
Januzaj to Ajax (loan)

My Line-up

De Gea

Evra. Vidic. Varane. Rafael

Kagawa. Modric.

Mata. Nani
Cabella

Rooney

I have played 8 matches in the league so far and the table goes as following
1. Man Utd - 20pts
2.Newcastle - 18pts
3. Arsenal - 17pts
4. Chelsea - 17pts
5. Spurs - 15pts

relegation spots are

18. Hull City - 6pts
19. Crystal Palace - 5pts
20. West Brom - 2pts 😱

top scorers for the BPL are
1. Soldado - 7
2. Rooney - 6
3. Aguero - 6

top assiters in BPL are
1. Nani - 4
2. Etherington - 3
3. Marveoux - 3

top GK clean sheets are
1. Szczęsny - 6
2. Stekelenburg - 3
3. Lloris - 3

Biggest Games:
Man U. 4-3(pen) Wigan (community shield)
Man U. 2-2 Chelsea
Man U. 2-1 Liverpool
Man U. 2-1 Man City

I've just lost 3-0 to BVB in the champs league group stages. I played pathetic but I am still 2nd in the group 3 points ahead of 3rd and 3 points behind BVB

The board has asked me to win the league and reach the semi-finals of the champs league which seems fair enough.

I plan on buying Luke Shaw in the January window to replace Evra as he is getting to old.

Cabella isn't playing like I thought he would he is always tired but has picked out some good assits.

Where as Rooney has been completely opposite and has been firing in goals all over the place. I have to admit I wasn't sure he would be good enough as my lone striker but the risk payed off.

Modric and Kagawa are starting to link up well and are forming the best midfield duo in Europe (:

any suggestions on who else I should target in the January Transfer window?

**zavir** · 03-25-2014, 07:03 PM

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Originally posted by fraserswan

TEAM: Man Utd.
any suggestions on who else I should target in the January Transfer window?

How is nani going for you? I remember whenever I did a United career he was always a bit stale for me. Could look at replacing him with a player like pedro if you have the funds or even go for a gamble and bringing in a young star with high potential for the future.

Other than that your squad looks great, I'm really liking the addition of modric in the midfield. Good luck!

How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment