The first team was the main squad, I wanted to use Lemoine, Delort and Kurzawa and so set about trying to get them into a squad and the second I always had in mind because I'd picked up some of the Championship players as the year has passed.
Russ - 13k - Good but pace gets him caught as as his positioning doesn't seem brilliant. Strong enough to push a man off the ball, good tackler indeed and he meets a lot of corners, not many go in, he's actually a fairly decent player but as I mentioned because he's not beastly his pace can be a let down. (7/10)
Knoche - 9k - Good but sometimes feels a little weak, quick though and seems to be in the right place at the right time. With a chemistry card I'm sure he'd be quick enough to get in the way of most pace abuers, in the air he's decent enough indeed and from corners he regularly puts the ball in the net. Tackling wise he is better than Russ but I think this is down to pace more than ability. (8/10)
Kurzawa - 16k - An everywhere useful type of player, decent cross, good tackling, decent positioning. Works well with Lemoine. Dribbling is fine though not good and his passing is well worth using. He might not be the tallest but he wins headers and gets in the way well, he's better for me than Morel was and he's blue, not much more you'd want in a full back. (8.3/10)
Meunier - 21k - Slow but strong and tall, aggressive and a hard worker on the pitch. Decent cross, dribbling feels clunky though he is able to beat a man and keep going, whereas I prefer passing when I beat a man with Kurzawa. He's very good in the air, though he's very tall, but his work rates mean sometimes he's struggling to get back. (7.9/10)
Destorme - 12k - Slow but funny, gets forward a little too much and isn't the best on the ball but he's fine to pass or unleash a monster long or finesse shot. Defending is average, strength and height makes up for it but he can't really tackle and is run into rather than takes the ball. He's fun to use but only because it feels your controlling a tall wall who sometimes has legs, for chemistry purposes he has to stay but he does play his part especially when you decide to shoot from distance. (7/10)
Lemoine - 13k - Amazing passer, good defender, can't shoot, is a little small. Really helps my team out though and keeps it defensively tight on that side. Not much you can say about him apart from being brilliant when using his positive attributes, I really can't complain about much because he does a great defensive job and that's what he's there for! (8.9/10)
Fajr - 6k - Great all round but could do with a little more pace in this position, neat dribbler and good passer. Decent shot too. Reminds me a bit of Sneijder without the weakfoot. Good freekick and corner and in general is the classy player in this team. His vision might not be high but he makes most passes and without him I'd never get Habibou and Delort through on goal. (8.7/10)
Habibou - 13k - Short passing absolutely fine, through balls not so good but all round he's decent. Great shot, especially with the outside of the foot and wins a fair share of 50/50 balls. Does a decent job for me and scores freely. Fine as my CAM which is strange as he has a very low passing stat but he's a willing participant and gets into the box late at the right time. In the air he's pretty good but he's no Aduriz so I wouldn't aim at him too often. Without him goals might be tougher to get but as a player used for chemistry purposes he's surprised me a lot. (8.8/10)
Vanaken - 9k - My god he is slow, oh so slow. But he's funny with it and his dribbling is either amazing or shocking. He's huge but does get knocked off the ball (then again who doesn't), his shot is good but it takes an age to get off, but his passing is brilliant. He works hard....a little too hard as he gets knackered quickly but he's generally in the right place in both defence in attack. If he had 76 pace he'd be an incredible player. 66 leaves him a little too exposed when you need him to be supporting counter attacks. You need to find a formation that works for him because he's not going to light any fires in 4231. (7/10)
Delort - 15k - Excellent finisher but prefers the keeper to come out to him, poor in the air but good dribbling. More than enough pace and he makes awesome runs that I always end up not seeing till he's offside. First time shots are great fun, basically if the keeper moves and he shoots it's in, whether it's in the corner or flying past the keepers legs. He's a proper finisher and a decent poacher and while he's not the complete beast in front of goal you can be sure that he's going to finish more than he's going to miss. (8.5/10)
This is my fitness team, though it soon turned into the team I enjoyed using the most. Not because it plays better, it doesn't, but because certain players are very fun to use and make for enjoyable wins.
Mannone - 7k - Good keeper who could do with better positioning. He usually sweeps up through balls, he palms the ball well enough and he's good when saving low but he does get beaten from distance/corners and usually it's because he's not in the right place. Does a fine job though. (7/10)
Stones - 40k - Cost a bit but he's been worth it. He's strong enough on the ball, quick enough to keep up with most, well positioned and decent in the air. He's different from Turner and that's a help but when the balls at his feet you know you can always find a player and not worry too much about being pressed into a mistake. His tackling is also pretty decent but it's not quite as good as his partner Turner. (8/10)
Turner - 12k - Turner is brilliant and while he lacks some pace his positioning is brilliant, ground and slide tackling superb, strength excellent and heading rock solid. He is always catching up to the man through on goal and they very rarely are able to get through him even if they kick and run. From corners he scores freely and on defensive duties if he doesn't get to the ball he's usually putting the defender off. I really like him and feel comfortable with the lack of pace, a good partner for a quicker centreback like Stones. (8.7/10)
Coleman - 25k - I always wanted to use IF Coleman but his price was crazy, now he's cheaper I went for him and it's clear to see he is a gold player hidden in black. Good on the ball, excellent cross, brilliant tackle both on the ground and slide and with strong positioning in defence and attack. He's not brilliant in the air but if he does lose it his pace allows him to get back and make up for that inadequacy. He's a no brainer if you want an IF right back, he's a great player and definitely better than the man he replaced, Janmaat. (8.7/10)
Cresswell - 16k - Watch out Cresswell is whipping around the pitch and you're not stopping him! This little man charges around like he wants to be part of everything and he generally is. Good passer, good dribbler, very quick, strong cross, good timing in the challenge and generally always in the right place. He's not going to win your headers for you as he's a little dot but he certainly will try, plus he has 86 pace, that's pretty damn good when you need to cover errors. (8.7/10)
Shelvey - 20k - He's a pretty good player everywhere on the pitch but he's let down by his 2* skills which is a real shame because he does everything else very well. He's strong, he can tackle, he passes superbly, he stays in the right position and he can dribble well. He's tall and this makes up for his ability to not defend but in my mind he's fine defending and never really causes me a problem. He also wins headers and is a good set piece taker. (8.7/10)
Hendrick - 7k - He's similar to Shelvey but with a little less class all round, plus he seems to love coming forward and playing as a winger. Strong enough on the ball, quick enough to reach a pass, he's good in the air and does a decent defensive job but it is obvious that he's not the greatest player and can feel a little cumbersome when you need him to be solid. There's nothing really wrong with him though and he's a jack of all trades. (7.5/10)
Bryson - 20k - I had his IF but I swapped to this 2IF because I enjoyed using him so much, is there an improvement? Perhaps a little. His passing feels sharper, it was always sharp, his crossing is good, his positioning seems improved (not that that stat changes) and his shooting is definitely better but all in all he's a player who helps everywhere rather than worrying about staying still. That's a real positive because he's quite quick which means he can get forward and back, and actually in defence he's very useful indeed because he can tackle and can also win headers. He arrives late into the box and he supports my play well, a really good player. (8.7/10)
McCormack - 37k - Decent passer, excellent finisher and with good attacking positioning. His crossing is decent enough though not fantastic but his desire to get forward is a real help when you find Rhodes in the very middle. As an attacking player he's very useful, plus he has a great long shot but he's not going to help much in defence and why should he! He's a striker who can pass and dribble and I find that useful as the wider CAM in 4231. (8/10)
Sordell - 12k - I though he'd be like Habibou but he feels much less like a CAM even with a slightly improved passing stat. His passing is very average, perhaps even poor, his pace doesn't feel that quick and his dribbling is average indeed, plus his crossing isn't the best. I think he'd make a better striker and so he doesn't quite fit the CAM role but he does a decent enough job for me and with Bryson and Shelvey covering his lack of passing, and Rhodes being strong on the ball he is able to find his way onto goal and grab some final move finishes. His finishing is good but nothing spectacular. (7.3/10)
Rhodes - 20k - He might be on the slow side but he's strong enough to make an extra yard count and his shooting is devastating. From distance he scores scorchers, up close he's neat and the 4* weak foot makes him fairly deadly on either side. In the air he could be better but he's still very good when you cross to him and he's well worth chucking a cross at. He also has the 'beat the offside trap' trait which means he does act like a striker when you need him to. He doesn't make Delort type runs but he's always available to pass to and it means he's going to make something happen. His two biggest downfalls are dribbling, which is a little upright but you can use his strength to shield the ball, and his passing which really needs to be kept short or not at all! However if you play to his strengths he's going to score you a massive amount. When I started using him it took 7 games to get his first, now at 20 games he has 25 goals, I got used to him and it's been a rewarding style change. (8.5/10)
As yet I haven't checked for written errors, I'll do that later, it took me a while to write and I have other things to do! When this message disappears you know I've done my homework ;)
