Part 3 - All IF BPL

I am skipping past part 2 because I wasn't completely happy with my team and am waiting till the end of the week before buying a replacement, however I did make a team I was happy with all thanks to the great Team of the Week 18.

Firstly prices on higher priced IF's (around 30k) have halved, now is a good time to buy before the horrible price fixers raise the prices again and everyone builds the same cheap Serie A team.

The BPL Guys

Guzan - 11k - As a Villa fan I was excited for this card but so far he's made life very difficult for me; top corner shots he's great with and his throwing is brilliant but low shots and handling are miserable, 4 of the 6 goals he's conceded were entirely his fault. He has the limpest wrists of any keeper I've used and can't seem to push the ball away at all (unless it's to push the ball in the goal), he also comes for the ball on crosses but stays in his poor position and so rebound goals are always likely. He looks small despite being 6"4 and feels to have no real presence. A real let down which was a surprise. I need a new keeper and Adrian will be next in line. (6/10...because I'm a Villa fan)


Caulker - 19k - Sadly Caulker is now around the 30k mark, but Brown is a good alternative if you're on a budget. Caulker is tall, strong, quick and mobile; that suits me fine. His tackling is great, positioning very good and there's not a lot to complain about. He does what a good defender does; defend. He's no world beater but he'll keep you in games and when you see that spammed long ball you'll feel less bothered. Passing is decent enough too and he doesn't get caught on the ball like other defenders can. (8.5/10)

Winston Reid - 12k - Tall enough, strong enough, quick enough and with good work rates but isn't the best defender you'll use. His defending is more than adequate but you get the feeling he's going to miss a tackle or be slow to turn, and then it happens. His pace is perfect and allows you to cover mistakes but I don't like making mistakes and so I keep him back to make the tackles rather than meeting the attacker. He blocks the ball well so that's a bonus and as a BPL IF he's a bargain at 12k. (8/10)

Figueroa - 10k - He's a left back now! Always getting IF's that attacking centre back has probably found his best FIFA position even if he's not quite Baines. He wins headers, can pass, shoot, dribble and strike a ball but he's a jack of all trades who gives you options rather than quality. He's definitely a centre back playing left back rather than a true LB but I think that can be helpful with the right attacking option in front; sadly I have Sigurosson but that's a different review. His chemistry potential is a pain, so hybrids need Koren, but he's just as annoying so you're better off with full BPL. All in all though he's fun to see on the pitch, does things well enough and is extremely cheap. (7.5/10)

Riether - 15k - Tiny, weak but angry. He's quick enough for a right back but needs to stay back more as he's no Abate when getting back into position. When getting under the body of the opposition he's very good but he's a last ditch tackler as people regularly knock him down and go straight through him. He is nippy and agile which means he can make unusual tackles but he's not the best defensively and with Johnson not caring about defending can leave the right side exposed. His crossing is good as is his passing and when he gets forward usually creates danger in the box. Also he has green chemistry with Per Mertesacker which is good for those who like slow Germans. (7.5/10)

Barry - 10k - Who cares about pace when this guy is patrolling the midfield! His tackling is great, bursts forward brilliant and positioning excellent; you don't need a lot more in a CDM. His passing from the back is strong but getting forward he can play some lovely intricate balls to running teammates, his shooting is very average. So far so good for Mr Barry, he's a great tackler who is strong and well equipped to stop an attack, plus he can pass. 10k very well spent and not much more to say! He also has high defensive and medium attacking work rates. (8.9/10)

Cabaye - 25k - So small but so good at it all. He can defend well enough, he passes brilliantly, strikes a ball well from distance and dribbles nicely. His height is his only real downfall, though a bit more pace would be nice, plus better work rates, though he makes up for it by playing sumptuous passes and testing keepers at ridiculous ranges. He's another jack of all trades but a master of passing and shooting, his free kicks are immense and his corners great though he does get bulldozed off the ball if you don't use his neat dribbling, which with high aggression can be a pain,;but he can pass so find a man instead! Don't go for headers. (8.8/10)

Sigurossen - 20k - Gylfi is a great player in real life and I've always wanted to try his IF but sadly he's not quite Jurado on the left and I am still getting used to using him. He doesn't make crucial runs all that often (M/M work rates), seems less nimble on the ball than past FIFA's but still retains a hammer shot and superb free kicks. When he makes a run he's strong enough to keep a defender from abusing his lack of pace and when you're on the edge of the box he really comes alive giving you options of nice passes, good crosses and an excellent shot; however in 4231 it can be tricky to get a slow M/M work rate player to get forward. He's a front man who is probably better suited to 433 but he doesn't disappoint, he just doesn't add enough to make him irreplaceable. (7/10)

Johnson - 10k - 4* skills, yey! Though he's pretty weak and doesn't get forward enough I was happy to have his guy in my squad and using a scoop turn to evade the opposition. He's by no means quick but he has a neat turn, with strong shooting and excellent passing, plus he has a 4* weak foot which gives you good options to go inside or take the man on outside. Under high pressure he too gets steamrolled but he dusts himself off and next time draws a foul. Nothing to criticise really apart from a tad lack of pace and poor work rates but he's dangerous in the final third and definitely a keeper. Eventually he like Gylfi will go to a 433 team. (8/10)

Lallana - 19k (price fluctuates a lot) - More skills even if he is tiny. Sadly he doesn't have anything spectacular apart from skills and a strong weak foot but all the same he's a guy who likes to get forward and has enough attributes to be a danger. His shooting is adequate with a good finesse attempt, his turning on the ball is handy and short passing excellent but he doesn't play the best through ball. His new position though is a bonus and allows his natural attacking flair to shine a little more. He takes up good positions but unfortunately can get knocked down before receiving the ball. In 4231 I do prefer my CAM to be a little more robust but it just means I am practicing skills and dribbling instead; Adebayor can be my strong man. I'd say he adds to my team and when playing well he's a constant danger which allows my wide men a chance to get involved. (8/10)

Adebayor - 18k - Having used his NIF many times I knew what to expect and so far I don't feel there's a huge improvement over his already great NIF. In the air he's fantastic, in front of goal a monster but sometimes he prefers to be a CF and not a ST. He does however let me scoop turn and perform other fun skills and with his decent passing he is extremely useful. Apart from the work rates and lack of agility he's a really great striker but give him some time to get forward and he'll score for fun. He's strong, neat on the ball and deadly from distance/with finesse, goals come easily to this man especially on the volley, I can see him in lots of my future teams. Get one now before people decide he's worth 40k. (9/10)

Team Analysis
It's a great team to use but relies on passing abilities up top rather than always taking on the man, your full backs can prove very useful in this formation but make sure you're aware of where you wide men are when the FB's come forward. A wide man who wants to get forward would be a bonus and as the year develops hopefully a new cheap IF will offer that, but so far so good for wins, goals and entertainment. I really enjoy playing with these guys even if you're likely to get an Ibarbo SHHHH! along the way; I have my own robot dancing Adebayor!
If I could replace anyone it would be Guzan, Sigurossen (for better work rates) and Reither due to height; everyone else plays their part very well.

Cheap all IF Team - FIFA14 Ultimate Team (the first one)

It's been a long time since I made an all IF team and things have changed slightly. A fair few of the players are close to discard but in general there has been a lot of effort by groups of traders to keep usual discard IF prices at 20k.
This is a real shame as it restricts the amount of teams that can be made, especially for those without millions, but there are still great players close to discard that you should consider picking up.
When I began making this team I hoped to base it on IF Miranda, who was 30-40k, however as I sold a few cards his price rose to 50-60k and I was let scratching my head at alternatives.
Well fear not, a good team was created and for those who defend manually a great team; get ready to back up those centre backs.
My favoured Chemistry on each card is listed after each mini-review, I trade all the time so my teams change as I make small profits and get my players back for less coins.

The Frame

Esteban - 5.8k - Esteban is a decent keeper with two pretty annoying flaws; terrible reflexes and poor diving. His positioning counters this as he does seem to be in good positions for saves but he can cause some real problems at the back as your neat intricate play gets undone by a stupid long shot from 35 yards that he misses entirely. Considering other options I was happy with the coins spent; he's not that bad but he's certainly not that good. (6/10) Cat Chemistry due to improved speed and reflexes.

Godin - 11k - What a player; strong, powerful, decent passer, good in the air and well positioned. He's not that quick so I would suggest a shadow card but you're getting a good defender here and one who will make sure the Ibarbo's of this world aren't always on the end of the through balls. He's better at heading in his own box than the opposition and his ground tackling is a joy, not one easily skilled. A good defender. (8/10) Shadow Chemistry for extra pace

Arribas - 11k - He really surprised me and is a bit of a gem; he doesn't feel 59 pace as he competes with quicker players, he's a bull when making tackles and his passing is really good. He takes up good positions, is quite decent in the air and seems to make fantastic tracking back runs. Not many negatives with him despite his card stats looking problematic. A solid defender. (8/10) Shadow Chemistry for extra pace

Fernandes - 12k - I think he is great; strong, stays back, quick enough, good passer, good crosser and generally a bit of a defensive monster. I was going to try for a cheap Maicon but what's the point, I have Mario Fernandes. His only drawback is he doesn't feel agile, but that's fine, the man ahead of him is and his job is to defend and support when necessary, which he does well. His heading is good, strength apparent and tackling great. Not much to complain about though his dribbling isn't brilliant. (8.5/10) Anchor/Sentinel Chemistry for extra defensive qualities

Kombarov - 13k - Look at this stats and you probably think you have a world class left back but after many games with him I am yet to see his best. His tackling is decent, his heading is okay, his positioning is forward and his passing surprisingly average. He can cross, takes good set pieces and gets forward well but perhaps because I use Jurado's skills I miss out on his supportive runs. At times he has been amazing for me, but at times anonymous which as a left back can be slightly frustrating. A solid but underwhelming player, perhaps I'm expecting too much. He'd probably make a great wing back. (6.9/10) Anchor/Sentinel Chemistry for extra defensive qualities

Jurado - 10.5k - Everyone should try this guy, he is fantastic. In my opinion he only has one negative and that is inconsistent shooting, but for me that is it. He could do with more pace but it's manageable because of his dribbling and passing. In tight situations he nips past defenders with ease, finds good passes and makes great runs. His finesse shot is good but his shooting in general needs some thought instead of just blasting the ball. He has 4* skills/weak foot and it's a real help; he has won me games by himself and he must really annoy my opposition as he slowly makes his way through their defenders. He's also not that bad in defence both on the ground and in the air, but won't be scoring any headers in attack. (8.5/10) Catalyst Chemistry for pace and passing or Maestro for an all rounder.

Tosic - 11k - A small, nippy player with 4* skills, what's not to like? His tendency to use his left foot that's what! In 4411 his weak foot can be a real problem as I do like to take on my man down the wing. Tosic seems to always use his left foot which means I am passing it inside or back to the full back instead of making my way down the outside. He makes decent runs forward and has a neat first time pass but he gets pushed over a lot of the time. When you can skill he is a joy and cutting in is great fun because of this; definitely have a shot both long and finesse because his left footed finishing is strong. His left footed crossing is very good and his right is distinctively average but actually Tosic is a good player who would work very well in a 433. I have a lot of time for him and enjoy using him; plus with my midfield his forward runs can be found with ease. (8/10) Deadeye Chemistry for the passing and shooting boost.

Raul Garcia - 10k - In FIFA I feel dribbling goes a few ways, the excellent dribbler, the poor dribbler who thinks he's Messi and the boat. Boats are interesting because they force you to be thoughtful with your movement; Garcia is one of those, but what a boat. When forward he has the quality to move away from a defender and pass/shoot, in defence he has the strength to hold off the man and roll the opposition; he's an interesting player indeed. His shooting is good but not excellent, always on target not always testing, though it can take a while to get the shot off. His passing is brilliant and playing through balls is great fun, his short passing is strong too as it means you can play tiki-taka with a beast. He's great in the air, strong and good in defence and in general he's involved in everything good. He is a CAM who is a better CDM; for me that's a great compromise in attack and defence. (8.5/10) Artist Chemistry for super passing and neater turns.

Ruben Pardo - 10k - Firstly Pardo is a poor dribbler who thinks he's Messi; sometimes he is incredibly smooth then you become confident and one of his legs shortens to which he falls over. Very frustrating especially as his short passing is excellent and his long passing great. Playing next to Tosic means I have a reason to play some defence splitting through balls and he's slightly nippier than Garcia so I can dribble before making a pass, rather than moving sideways and making one as I do with the beast. His shooting is surprisingly decent and though finishing stats are poor he's scored a decent amount of long shots for me. He's a bit weak but nothing horrific, and his defending is average, I don't win too many headers with him. Worth a look though until better options occur. (7/10) Powerhouse Chemistry so he gets stuck in a little more.

Sergio Garcia - 11k - I like my CF to have three things, shooting, weak foot and passing; Garcia only has one of those qualities; shooting, but what a shot. His weak foot is obvious, it's terrible, his short passing is very average and his long passing poor (which is hard as he's part of a triangle of good passers) but his movement and right foot is a joy to behold. He pops up in unusual places, makes late runs and finishes with aplomb. From just outside the box he's deadly, his dribbling is good and his close range goals are a tap of the button. His heading is better than average despite being so small and he's always getting braces and hat-tricks for me. If only he had a better weak foot I'd make use of deadeye chemistry, but he doesn't so he's my goal machine. (8.1/10) Deadeye Chemistry so he's truly lethal with better passing, Artist if you want to dribble.

Movsisyan - 15k - He's a perfect striker; high/low work rates, great shot, good in the air, strong and very quick. His finishing is brilliant both from distance and close up (not quite as good as Garcia's up close) his passing is okay and his positioning good. Sometimes I wish he'd make more forward darts but perhaps my slower play means I miss his runs. There's not a lot more to say about Movsisyan, he does what a striker does and does it well. He has three star skills so roulette's well, his dribbling is good for a striker and he shrugs off defenders with ease. Seems to score in every game. (8.3/10) Sniper Chemistry because he's fast enough and could do with being a little more lethal

I have really enjoyed using this team, and it didn't cost the earth as many all IF teams will; if you build it you need to use Movsisyan and Tosic's pacey runs forward, utilise the skills of Jurado and the passing abilities of Pardo and Raul Garcia. Forget about Sergio Garcia and just admire him popping up to get the winners. Drag those centre backs back and revel at the moments your sub 70 pace centre backs make Ibarbo look like a bronze player.
If you remember your midfield will keep the ball the team plays well, with super aggressive/high pressure teams you have the armoury to keep the ball moving and the players to hit a defence splitting pass.

I'm in the process of building a second/third/fourth team to play alongside these guys; so I'll report back as soon as I can. With TOTY it's a good time to buy some IF's and start building your potential teams; be creative because the more of us that are the better the FIFA community becomes.

Chat with EA Reps about Autobuyers and search issues

Unfortunately I did something rather stupid by listing an IF Cabaye for 5.3k and not 53k...so the IF team will have to wait till a Benatia sells, but I did have a word with EA Customer Support about their stance on autobuyers.

Here's that conversation!

It worked for Pele and us XboxCC guys, perhaps EA simply need more external pressure

 

SahilThanks for contacting EA Customer Experience, my name is Sahil. How may I assist you today?

 

youHello there , I have a general question about Ultimate Team

youwhat are EA doing to tackle autobuyers?

 

SahilYes please go ahead

 

youyesterday the webapp had a little wobble and I accidentally listed my IF Cabaye for 5.3k instead of 53k, my fault as I know by now not to trust the terrible webapp until it settles, but today someone else had this lag problem which caused them to list a player without a 0.

youIn both cases our cards were bought within 5 seconds, ABdul (auto buyer strikes again)

youI didn't have time to log into my brothers account and trade the card, because of the autobuyer, but without it I would have saved my card.

youAs with the Pele issue, where he is still not in packs (false advertising) I siply wanted to know what EA's stance was on this issue.

yousimply^

 

SahilI understand what you are trying to say and First of all I apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused.

 

youthat's okay, as I said I've done enough listing to know I must wait until the webapp settles

 

SahilAnd I would like to tell you that we are well known of this issue and our terms or service is currently investigating the accounts of suspected players and everyday our team is banning accounts of large number of suspected players.

SahilI know that better because I am facing so many customers everyday whose accounts are getting Banned.

 

youWell that's good; EA has always kept quiet about their existence, it is good to see them tackling the issue with force.

 

SahilIt takes time to investigate these kind of issues

SahilAnd I make you assure that this issue will get resolved very soon.

 

youI guess investigating and identifying are two different things (only 2 of the top 100 traders have played any games). Well that's good to know from you, thanks.

youI did wonder though are these autobuyers affecting the search issues, because I find it's a real pig to search at the moment....worse than ever in fact.

youI'll show you an example

 

SahilI would really appreciate if you help us by complaining against any player of this kind you came across by following the below link: http://help.ea.com/article/how-to-report-cheating

youI will do

 

SahilThat is much appreciated

SahilIs there anything else I can assist you with?

 

youhttp://ultimatebuilds.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/fifa-ultimate-team-search-on-webapp.html This is my FIFA blog, I have a few blogs, but it clearly shows how broken the searching it

youis^ not it

 

SahilThanks for providing it I would surely forward it to the concerned department.

 

youI noticed this is occuring especially when a number of cards are put up at a high price, so if the IF card is 20k and many put non IF cards up at 15k, it is difficult to search for the 20k card...if that makes sense

youI have always been one for helping out the smaller guys, I just hope this great concept of a game can be fixed...sometime in my lifetime

 

SahilI understand that

 

youat least it's keeping you all in jobs!

 

SahilIt would get fixxed very soon, trust me.

 

SahilIs there anything else I can assist you with?

 

youokay, well I didn't come to complain or anything, I just wanted to make these issues known. I don't need any hep with anything else unless you can unfreeze my FIFA 13 Ultimate Team items! ha; just kidding, I have written to EA head office about them.

FIFA Ultimate Team; search on webapp doesn't work!

How broken is searching?!
No wonder I've not been able to find any!

In these two gif's you can see me searching for IF Bendtner yet on one search none show; suddenly loads pop up.

20 mins in, 8k-29k; none found.

But this time, 15mins in, 8k-30k search....loads found...qué?!

I increased the upper bid figure by 1k but it's happened a few times where no IF's showed no matter how many times I searched.

Here I searched 25k-30k and hey presto, they all showed!

Search really doesn't work.

Also I built my first All IF almost discard team and it's actually quite fun; I am building another to back it up so I'll post them just after New Year.

FIFA 14 - High pressure, unbalanced

I'm a football fan; the expression and creativity that can be achieved in the game make it a worldwide phenomenon and is mirrored by the popularity in football games.

In FIFA 13 it was clear that team-mate press was dominating the opposition and was made more effective by auto-tackle; FIFA said in 14 auto-tackle would be barely noticeable (and it is less of a feature) but when you face an opponent that uses high pressure auto-tackle is twice what is was in FIFA13 and more annoying due to the different dribbling in this edition.

I personally like the new dribbling motion, it's more realistic, but high pressure make games a real chore and for the vast majority of players a ridiculous feature to play against.

If you have one of those games where you simply can't get past the opposition, especially in the middle of the pitch, and need to put together 20 or 30 passes, or many switch of plays just to work your way up the park you're probably playing someone using a custom tactic of high pressure and aggression.

Basically this custom tactic tells his computer controlled players to get in your face, and if you've ever played single player mode on Legendary or Ultimate difficulty you'll realise how excellent the CPU AI is at closing down play and getting the ball.

If by this point you're shouting 'bloody hell yes, what's up with those games?' you're probably losing them to counter goals that usually finish with a lobbed ball, this is the other problem with high pressure, it is a constant counter creator. Mix those facts with how awful change player is and you're getting a raw deal from the game.

For those of us who don't contain defend this is even more frustrating as we struggle to change to the correct man, who is usually lying down on the floor after a barge from the opposition.

So what can be done? Well throughout FIFA13 I was present on the EA FIFA forums and continually made the point to the community manager Robb (decent guy actually) that one idea would be to drain the containing or pressuring players stamina by huge amounts.
Or to reduce their concentration stat/increase their error rates. In real life when players pressure highly they do lose concentration, do get tired and do make mistakes yet EA and FIFA haven't seemed to realise this.

So what are FIFA/EA's options?

1. Highly drain the stamina of containing and/or high pressuring players.

2. Reduce concentration/increase error rates.

3. Remove auto-tackle entirely thus an onrushing player is useless unless selected.

4. Make every high pressure player miss the tackle entirely unless selected

5. Remove the high pressure option

6. Remove custom tactics

I have listed them in preference order, personally I'd destroy the concentration and stamina of those people using high pressure and contain and I'd also continue punishing contain until it became the same as defending by selecting a player. Some AI is fine, but all AI is dictating how the game should be played and creativity is the beauty of our beloved game.

FIFA needs to change, the football is dwindling and we've been left with a gamers game, if Konami are around perhaps it's not just about licensing; someone needs to put the football back into football games.

Welcome to the Cheap Seats

Before I unleash my FIFA Ultimate Team review I'd like to post the teams I've been using over the last weeks, unfortunately I haven't had time to trade like I did last year and so I'm back to making discard teams, this time the cheap gold variety.

The two teams I'm posting are the ones I've been using in seasons and they've done well for me. Once again folks I do not contain, long ball or use that horrible auto-tackle so hopefully the reviews I make are a fair and honest assessment of how a player might perform for you.
The first team I chose because I wanted to use some higher rated player and couldn't afford the high costs of BPL, Bund and La Liga players. I have made a few Russian league teams too but the draw of Galatasaray was too much. Interestingly a few of my players have chemistry styles, I don't pay much extra for these (200coins) so it's worth looking at if you have a player who lacks somewhere.

Mandanda - Needed for chemistry reasons but a decent addition to any team. I added Cat chemistry because I wanted his positioning improved, his height can cause problems from long shots and so far he's only let in a couple. Also he is terrible on the ball, throw or kick the thing don't drop and make a little run....it's a sure fire way to give someone a chance. (7.5/10)

Nkolou - The FIFA 13 wretch is back, still with pace but with less ability to defend. He got sentinel chemistry, as did the other average defenders. Quick, strong enough, misses a few headers but overall god enough to start in a team. He covers Wesley who plays higher up for me but he's the sum of the parts and not the rock; great at rushing attackers though and I recommend you use his for that as the rock Chedjou will cover missed tackles. (7.9/10)

Chedjou - Though FIFA is extremely pace based 14 is less focused on this and so someone with a defensive brain is really helpful. His tackling is great, heading strong unless it's a high ball, positioning brilliant and tracking excellent; very strong too. He is often the last line of defence and I'm always happy with that because he rarely make a mistake and mops up those horrible through balls. He can defend so Anchor chemistry gave him more pace to make sure he could do that little more with the Ibarbo's of this world. (8.5/10)

Bedimo - An interesting player, his pace and strength lets him get back and cover pesky through balls but he does wander forward and out of position more than I like. He does a job, and to be honest as a possession player that suits me fine. Great tackles in the box due to his strength and this is imperative in FIFA. He does love to run forward and overlap. (7.5/10)

Sarioglu - The most interesting player in my team, I was going to use Eboue but with a M/M workrate I decided the trade off between height and pace made him my first choice. His positioning is very good, and reminds me of Rafael from FIFA13, his pace lets him chase back and put off crossers and his crossing itself is great. His height and strength is a problem for sure but Chedjou next to him helps a lot, he is always available for a pass which I find fantastic plus he seems to make intelligent runs forward and his pace turns him into a great second winger. (7.9/10)

Melo - Melo is epic and always everywhere. He is a defensive monster, an attacking threat and a good passer for a CDM. The H/H work rates suit this formation brilliantly especially as Sneijder is a lazy bugger. Not much more I can say about him as he is practically perfect. I will put a Chemistry card on him and I think it will be to improve either his dribbling, shooting or passing. (9/10)

Inan - Feels very similar to his TOTS card in FIFA13; strong on the ball, great passer, good long shots (if you can get them off) but a bit laboured on the ball. He really is a M/M guy, he stays in the middle of the park and when he gets forward struggles to get back. I do like him and sometimes he is incredible for me but in an attacking sense I can't seem to consistently make use of him and he usually covers a charge forward/wandering Bedimo. Great defensive positioning. (7.5/10)

Sneijder - In silvers I use a lot of 4star skill players but they are too costly in golds, in this position I would much rather a more skilled player but Wesley is one of those interesting sorts who can win games due to fantastic passing and great snap shots. Amazing set pieces help. He is neat on the ball, but not that strong, has a mean shot and superb pass and spends his time in the final third. He makes good runs to find but sometimes if you're coming out of your own half he's difficult to get the ball to. His 5* weak foot is great for me and should be used. (8/10)

Amrabat - A good all round player who makes decent runs and is a real thorn in the side for my opponents. He is right footed, which can be annoying when crossing, but 4* skills makes cutting inside fun plus he has H/L work rates and 90 pace which means he's always getting away down the wing. He is strong enough to get away but I stuck on Deadeye Chemistry because I find his shooting below par, especially finesse shots. and it has helped but to be honest he makes plays (not chances) for better players especially as he is so good on the ball. (7.5/10)

Huntelaar - This team was based on Galatasaray and I needed a formation that would suit full chemistry, I couldn't afford Farfan at the time but felt the chance to get two high rated players for less than 3k was well worth investing. Huntelaar started slowly for me because I am more used to playing like Arsenal but I soon changed my approach and use his devastating shooting and incredible positioning to better effect. So far he gets at least a goal a game for me and anywhere in the box he is lethal. Pretty damn handy from outside too, if you get a chance. Also he is great to get forward, strong and available to hold up the ball as others get forward. All round a great player and even if he's not that quick I use wingers if I need to run away with the ball. (9/10)

Farfan - I chose Farfan due to chemistry and I was very happy to see his price was less than 3k, 2.3k later I had my man and suddenly I realised why he was rated so highly. For me he is excellent, he is very strong, has a mean shot, more than enough pace and a devastating cross. He gets assists for fun and goals when I decide to get one. His is a 4* skiller which is great but the M/M work rates can leave him chilling behind Sarioglu, which is fine as Sarioglu can cross. When you get alongside your man Farfan usually comes out with the ball and I find his link with Huntelaar translates in game as Hunt gets many goals from his guys work.(9/10)

The fitness team, I had a Russian league team and Diakite so I decided to make it a party. It's fun, very fun.

Abbiati - Brilliant keeper; makes the occasional mistake but generally is a terrific shot stopper. Good distributor too. Not much more to say about him but that he'll always be in contention for me squads. Solid. (9/10)

Mexes - Great defender, good in the air and strong everywhere else. Isn't the quickest but is pretty strong which means he can drag someone back as someone else covers. He is decent on the ball and able to pass which is a real help. A great discard defender. (8.5/10)

Diakite - The heading machine; he wins everything in the air and makes Drogba shirk with confusion. He isn't the best tackler but he does get back quickly, and powerfully which is good as Debuchy enjoys a venture forward. He does wander from his position and is quick poor on the ball but he stays back which is really helpful. (7.9/10)

Ansaldi - Ansaldi is average; he doesn't feel pacey even if he is, he is strong enough but nothing spectacular and he wanders around like he is sight seeing. Sometimes this is perfect as he's always available for a pass but sometimes it's baffling to watch his 'runs'. He is another guy who does a job but isn't spectacular, even if he has a good cross and overlaps well, maybe the fact he is quiet for me is a good thing...this team has done very well for me. (7/10)

Diarra - A hilarious player to use; a mighty midget who thinks he can do everything. He comes back for keeper passes, is regularly there for the last pass but can't really shine in front of goal or behind the back line as his shooting is poor and passing sub-par. No complaints though as defensively he is great; he wants to help out and that's fine...maybe one day I'll move to assisted-shooting and make the most of him. Used in a 4231 too and he was great. (8.3/10)

M'Villa - A strange concoction of brilliant and useless; he has scored some wonder goals for me and missed some sitters, similarly his passing is either brilliant or awful. Decent on the ball and very quick but nothing special in terms of a midfielder and used for his defensive abilities and occasional attacking luck?.. (7.9/10)

Britton - I needed a solid RW link to help Diakite fit and Dyer was my choice. I was a bit apprehensive using Britton but after 45mins I was sold. He is a good passer, neat on the ball and has a good shot. He does a lot of the link play for me and with Dyer is a good attacking outlet. All round he surprised me a lot and my enjoyment of this team comes from the right hand side which really does step up and perform. Britton is an interesting player that should be tried as he is always available for a pass and has a quick one touch lay off. (7.9/10)

Dyer - Dyer is brilliant and his work rates and pace make his useful everywhere. Don't get in a physical battle with anyone unless you're charging away and getting pulled back but do use those 4* skills and bamboozle defenders before making a pass to make a run. His passing is more than adequate, shooting useful and crossing very good. He is weak, and using him helped me learn how to shrug of the silly jockey/jostle technique that is abused but he is literally always available for a pass of some short. He simply isn't all pace, you just have to use him properly. (8/10)

Danny - Another player who doesn't quite hit the mark but does add a lot to your team. He is strong enough on the ball to hold someone off once, with excellent skills and a nice finesse shot but he doesn't score as much as I'd like even if he's brilliant at moving away from his defender in attack. I'd like him to get forward more but he has a Medium attacking work rate which can leave him behind the line, in this formation you do need you winger to make a run forward but I do like using him. When I improve my skills his silky dribbling will be really effective. (7.9/10)

Cisse - An all round great player who as a CF lacks a little in terms of passing but is a bull on the ball with a fantastic header. His dribbling is average even with 4* skills but if you get a straight line run, then run to another straight line run, he's very good. I used him in a 451 as a striker and he was decent but since going CF he has scored a lot more for me. I think a chemistry card with passing would help him a lot as his link up is either great or poor and usually dictated by whether the pass is with his back to goal. (back to goal good, on goal, poor) (8/20)

Silvers; some teams.

Many people on the EA forums have asked to see my Silver teams and I felt I should post them here too.
None of them are overly expensive but I found them all fun to play with and more importantly successful.

For those who are unaware I never contain or team-mate press and throw in a lofted ball when they should be played not because it's easy. I try and recreate football in real life and so I have tried to build teams that allow me to enjoy the game and enjoy my play.

Multiple silver cup winners; dynamic, great passers and quick. Destroys 352 and is good on the ground and in the air. The midfield keeps you safe, defence solid and attack dangerous...what more could you want.
Also very cheap!

My fun skills team; my midfield is solid in defence but could do with some more attacking options, Baier pulls the strings...just about. When the ball goes to the front 3 I can absolutely dominate. Power header up top and natural footed crossers with 5* skills. Quincy on the right is a monster. I made this to learn how to skill wing containers, it has really helped me.

The silver dominator's; I didn't want to make one of those horrible 352 Belgium Pro League teams so made this; discussed in a previous post it's fantastic and the skills in the front 4 make game play very enjoyable

This is the fitness team to my 4231 above; plays really well and is enjoyable. Not as dynamic as the Norway hybrid but it's just as fun and probably more enjoyable on the deck.

I spotted and 8k silver IF and thought...hmmm, Denmark...so I made this! I also had the back 3 lying around never used and thought I'd try and hybrid them. It plays well even though the CAM needs better ball control. You can get away with that by Playing Mikkelsn on the left and Thygesen as CAM.

I needed a cheap 352 fitness team so made this; plays well, is strong everywhere and pretty easy to get victories. I'm not a 352 fan though because it becomes too easy to go defensive and just hold midfield winning the game on counters. The front 3 are incredible.

This was my first ever silver team and it cost me pennies; it's great fun and still down well for me. I think Romulo on the right needs replacing but other Brazilian RM's are very expensive.

After many attempts I finally won a silver tournament with a combination of these two teams. Players are out of position now as I have tried them elsewhere but I made it as workrate responsive. Two full backs who stay back, a rapid CM who does the same and quick wingers complemented by a creative force in Melikson and pure pace and hard shot from Oliech.

This is the fitness team I used with the team above, it was every bit as quality as the Ligue 1 451 and I managed to rotate them in when fitness reduced on the team above.

I wanted to make another national team but Ghana had some problems in defence, however making this team rekindled my desire using cheap players. It's great fun and people regularly as me who the hell my striker is. Boakye is his name and he's an odd combination of an unskilled doorstop who makes stunning runs and finishes from anywhere when he decides it's his time. Lass on the right is a gold killer; he's very direct.

This was my first ever serious hybrid. I added the IF GK later on. It's great fun to use but had to add Pasquato for Marilungo on the left due to nobody being able to take a freekick. It's definitely sound defensively but don't do any dribbling with Enoh! Very quick up front and amazing in the air.

I needed a fitness team to the 4222 hybrid above...this team....well sometimes it's devastating and something its size really lets it down. It's always fun to play with and cutting in is a joy. I am only just at the level of being a decent skiller so I'm going to come back to it, though I am now using Quintero in a 4231 Colombian team so I'll go to Valdez...who is good but oh so weak.

If anybody wants mini player reviews, or to know their names I'm happy to do that; leave me a comment asking for it and I'll be happy to edit the page.