FIFA 13 | So You Want A… Defensive midfielder (Winter update)


Usually EA release a big update with all of the transfers sometime in early February. However, this year they did it slightly differently. Since FIFA 13 came out, every year the EA team have made updated OVRs and potentials available for download based on real life player performances. Usually these are just slight tweaks, but after some breakout performances a player’s potential can change a lot (Raheem Sterling is a good example). This is rare, though.

So please bear in mind that the information below is based on the updated squads from 2nd February. However, there’s no need to panic if you downloaded the update on 8th February (or any other subsequent update), as most players will not change (or if they do, it’ll be by a small amount). In any case, this year potentials are very flexible, so if a player you’re interested has his potential lowered in an update, he can still reach his old potential if he plays well for you.

The ‘Avai?’ column is short for ‘available?’ (there is not enough space for the full word), and it refers to whether or not each player is available to buy in the first transfer window. ‘Y’ means yes, they are available, whilst ‘N’ means that they’re not. The number after the ‘Y’ or ‘N’ is the amount of years left on their contract. So ‘Y/2? means that yes, they are available to buy in the first transfer window and that they have 2 years left on their contract. Similarly, ‘N/5? means they’re not available to buy right away and that they have 5 years left on their contract. The ones to look out for are Y/1, as you should be able to get these players for less than their listed value. Players who are on loan will have a “-” in this column because information on their contracts is not available.


Moving on to midfielders, first up are defensive mids. There are varying types of CDMs, from the strong enforcer to the playmaker, and you’ll find them all in here.

My recommendations are:

  • Lucas Silva
  • Ezequiel Cirigliano
  • Junior Malanda

My first choice, Lucas Silva, is so good because he combines the roles of enforcer and playmaker. He’s strong and decent in the air but also has great passing, especially over a longer distance. With his good dribbling and 3 star skills he can also be very useful going forward. My favourite thing about him, however, is that he has great stamina and high/high workrates. He’ll soon get the ‘engine’ speciality and will work hard all day long for you. £1m for all that makes him a very tempting option.

If you’re looking for a playmaker then Ezequiel Cirigliano could be the solution. His ball control and passing are superb, as are his mental stats. He will very much grow into the Xabi Alonso style of player, providing brilliant passes both long and short all over the pitch. Use him as a conduit through which to start your attacks and you won’t look back.

Junior Malanda may only be 17 but already he has the ‘strength’ speciality and will grow perfectly into the enforcer role. Unlike many strong players, however, he’s not slow, and has a powerful shot and a strong tackle. With so many years of growth ahead of him I expect he could easily go past his potential of 82, so make sure he puts in plenty of good performances and you’ll have bought yourself a fantastic player.

Special mentions go to Nzuzi Toko and Emre Can. Toko for his fantastic physical stats (almost all green or dark green), which will prove very useful for a CDM, and Emre Can for his low price and high potential. You can’t buy him in the first window but should be able to by January, by which time his 2 year contract means you’ll get a very good price for him.

Finally, If you want to get Lucky Baloyi then you have to search his name and set the league to “Rest of World”.

Now here’s the full list:

[table id=65 /]