FIFA 14 | Good teams for career mode – Plymouth Argyle


Introduction: How do these articles work?

Each Sunday I examine a different team in detail and look at why they’re a good team for FIFA 14’s career mode. The teams are broken down into the following categories:

  • Tier 1: Teams in tough divisions that can push on to challenge for silverware
  • Tier 2: Teams that will have to fight for survival in a challenging division
  • Tier 3: Teams that start in a lower division but can hope to get promoted and work their way up higher leagues
  • Tier 4: Teams that start right at the bottom of the pile, with few funds or high potential players

Today we’ve got the first article on Tier 4 teams, this time looking at Plymouth Argyle in England’s League 2.

Plymouth Argyle

Plymouth Argyle (Tier 4)

Contents

  1. Why choose Plymouth Argyle?
  2. Lineups
    1. Strongest starting lineup
    2. Highest potential lineup
  3. Recommended purchases
  4. Future considerations
    1. Renew contracts
    2. Get a new right midfielder
    3. Get a new right back

Starting transfer budget: £350,000
Starting wage budget: £2,000
Default formation: 5-2-1-2
Board expectations: Fight for promotion, reach cup round of 32
Key player: Jason Banton
Best young prospect: Tyler Harvey

Why choose Plymouth Argyle?

I chose Plymouth for this article because, although they start in the lowest tier of English football in the game, they have a lot going for them. They have the largest amount of high potential players in the division, with five players due to hit 73 or higher (in contrast, most League 2 teams are lucky to get even one). They have a moderate budget for the league, but thanks to their amount of good potential players you shouldn’t have to spend much anyway. Finally, you only need to ‘fight for promotion’, so you could stay in the division an extra year to help your young players develop.

However, being a Tier 4 team, there are plenty of challenges you’ll face. More than half the team will be out of contract in a year (16 players in total; only 12 aren’t out of contract), so there’s quite a risk that players will refuse extensions or demand higher wages, and you may not be able to afford that. Starting in the fourth English division means you’ll be in it for the long haul, and will need a lot of patience to work up the leagues. Furthermore, the overall quality of teams in League 2 is roughly equal across the board, so you’re unlikely to have many easy games.

I’ve picked out Jason Banton as the team’s key player. He’s one of their best in terms of OVR, and although his potential is only 69, he’s still young, could easily outstrip it, and in any case is going to make a real impact on the pitch. He’s fast and has excellent dribbling, and his four star skills makes him a real rarity in lower leagues. He’s got a four star weak foot so can play on either wing, and his good finishing and superb positioning mean he could make an excellent striker as well. He’ll be your main creative threat and will help you push on towards promotion.

Plymouth’s best young talent is Tyler Harvey. He only starts off at 54 OVR, but with 79 potential he’ll grow rapidly and quickly become one of your most important players. He’s positioned as a CM, but I’d push him a little further forward into an attacking midfield role where he’ll be more of a threat. He actually used to be a striker in FIFA 13, and this flexibility will come in useful as he develops into a well-rounded attacking player.

Strongest starting lineup

Here’s Plymouth Argyle’s strongest starting lineup, with OVRs in brackets. I’ve switched them from their default 5-2-1-2 formation to 4-4-2, as this makes better use of their wide midfielders and allows more space for players like Jason Banton to flourish.

Plymouth Argyle's best ineup based on starting OVR

Suggested formation and starting lineup

However, to make best use of the team’s young talent, I suggest a 4-3-3 formation. One advantage Plymouth have is that they have a very young, promising squad – the oldest player in this suggested lineup is just 23. This means they’ll constantly be growing and improving as a team.

Plymouth Argyle's best ineup based on potential

Recommended purchases

Key signings required: CB, CM

Despite the fantastic high potential players Plymouth have, I’d still recommend bringing in one or two more to shore up a couple of areas. Here’s who I went for:

Kortney Hause

Kortney Hause
Club: Wolverhampton
Position: CB
OVR: 55
Potential: 76
Age: 17
Cost: £160,000
Wages: £750

Though centre back Curtis Nelson is one of the team’s highest potential players, the next highest potential centre back is Jamie Richards, who is only set to reach 64. With a mixture of older and low potential remaining centre backs, the team needs new blood.

Kortney Hause was the player I bought. His high potential means he will quickly become one of your most important defenders, guaranteeing him a place alongside Nelson. His main assets are his combination of good strength and pace, so he’ll be a real force at the back. His technical stats will develop well as he grows, and he should become a very well-balanced defender in a year or two.

Though Wolverhampton wanted £250,000 for him, I was able to get him for a measly £160,000, a great price for a very promising player. His wages are £750.


Ryan Woods

Ryan Woods
Club: Shrewsbury
Position: CM
OVR: 59
Potential: 75
Age: 19
Cost: £160,000
Wages: £750

The second area I wanted to improve was central midfield. The team do of course have Tyler Harvey, but other than that they lack really high potential players. The next most promising player in that position is captain Conor Hourihane (potential 69), and after him and Luke Young the potential really drops off.

My solution is Ryan Woods. In a team lacking future quality in central midfield you need someone who can fulfill multiple roles, and Woods fits the bill perfectly. He’s very pacey and has good stamina, so will put in a shift wherever he plays. Even better, his defending is as good as his attacking and he can happily play anywhere across the midfield (even on the wings). This makes him a great utility player and one that you can rely on in any position.

Like Hause, Shrewsbury wanted £250,000 for him but I was able to get him for just £160,000. His wages were also £750.


Here’s how much those players cost us:

Starting transfer funds: £350,000
Starting wage funds: £2,000

Total spent on transfer fees: £320,000
Total spent on wages: £1,500

So after that we’re left with £30,000 in transfer funds and £500 in wages. I’d convert that all into wages, leaving you with £1,076 in case any players reject their contract extensions and want better pay.

You could decide not to get one of these players and save the money for extensions, just in case several players reject their contracts. I’d therefore offer the contracts first, then see how much you’ve got left to spend on new players.

Future considerations – renew contracts

Despite these signings going some way to solving Plymouth’s problems, there are still more to consider.

The contract issue is certainly one. As I said before, because there are so many to renew there is a risk that a few players will want higher wages that you won’t be able to afford. You will then either start getting offers for them or, in the worst case scenario, they’ll leave for free at the end of the year. It’s therefore a good idea to have some money left over to increase their contracts if you need to.

On the other hand, selling players will raise your funds and enable you to bring in better talent. Though Plymouth have plenty of great players, there are some areas that you’ll have to improve in the future, which brings me to my next point.

Future considerations – get a new right midfielder

Though Plymouth have two right midfielders already, their most promising one only has potential 66. Compared to other areas on the pitch, this needs improving – though you’ll need to save up the cash to do so.

Rudy

Rudy is a powerful player who will excel in lower leagues

So what I recommend doing is signing a player as their contract is expiring in January. This completely cuts out the transfer fee for the player, though you may need to sell a player to fund the move (depending on how your contract renewals went).

The player I’d suggest you go for is Rudy of Belém in Portugal. He’s very fast (with pace in the 80s), but has 75 strength as well. He’s also got 75 dribbling, 74 ball control and four star skill moves, and with this combination of stats he’s going to be devastating at lower league levels.

He starts at 68 at 24 years old, and has potential 74. Because of his age and the amount he has to grow to reach his potential, however, he should be in the early 70s by the time he arrives at your club. With wages of £1,500 he’s extremely affordable for what you get.

He’s only just joined Belém though, so there’s a chance they won’t want to let him go if you bid in January (though it’s unlikely, as this usually clears up by the winter transfer window). If that’s the case, go for Salif Dianda at Terni in Serie B. He’s even faster than Rudy, has 85 stamina and a five star weak foot, so you’ll be able to play him game after game without resting him. He starts at 66 at age 25, has 74 potential and £1,000 in wages.

Future considerations – get a new right back

Nicolas Lüchinger

Nicolas Lüchinger is cheap but brings real quality

The final thing I’d look to improve in the future is the team’s right back position. Durrell Berry is a very decent option and should grow well, but his backup (Maxime Blanchard) only has potential 60. Berry’s contract is running out and he may reject an extension, in which case you’ll need a replacement. Furthermore, his potential is only 67; while he may grow more, you’ll want a higher potential player for the future.

To solve this problem I went for Nicolas Lüchinger of FC St. Gallen in Switzerland. His OVR is 52 but he’s got a good potential of 74, and this also helps bring his price down – though St. Gallen wanted £130,000, I only had to pay £70,000. And don’t let his OVR fool you, he’s got some great stats: 70 dribbling, 74 sprint speed and 66 strength will make him feel much better than his OVR suggests, and once he gets growing they’re going to become even more impressive.

I had to up his wages to convince him to join, but not by much – he starts with £1,250 in wages, and £1,450 and a five year contract was all it took to see the transfer completed.


And that rounds off my in-depth guide to Plymouth Argyle. If you think they look like a good team for career mode and want to try them out, be sure to let us know how you’re getting on in the comments below.

I’d also like to hear if you have any thoughts about the format of the article itself. Did you find it useful? Conversely, do you think it was missing something that you’d have liked me to include?

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