FIFA 14 | Good teams for career mode

good-teams-for-career-mode


In this article we’re going to have a look at a number of teams which should offer you a fun and challenging career mode experience in FIFA 14. Maybe you’ve got this far in your current career and are looking for something else, or perhaps you’ve just got an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 and are wondering who to start your first career with. This page should hopefully help you decide.

Like last year’s ‘good teams for career mode’ article, I’ve divided the teams into tiers. However, this time round I’m going to be picking a few teams from each tier and explaining why each of them would make for a great career mode. I’ll also be talking about their key players, as well as a couple of young players in each side who should go on to develop very nicely.

Here’s how the tiers break down:

  • Tier 1 – teams that are in the top division in their nation and have the potential to push on and challenge for silverware
  • Tier 2 – teams that are also in the top division but that may struggle to survive. They have some high potential players, but you will need to work hard to keep them up
  • Tier 3 – lower league teams that have a lot of high potential players. Though they are not all in their prime just yet, they will grow to become excellent players. These teams are good for developing over the long run, spending a few years in the lower leagues while you build them up
  • Tier 4 – challenging teams. These teams have small budgets and will face difficult opposition in their league. They do, however, have a couple of decent potential players to help you along the way
  • Tier 5 – infernal difficulty. Minute budgets, poor starting lineups, only a handful of half promising players. These teams will be the hardest ones to turn around

I’ve only chosen teams from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain because they are the only countries that have more than one division. I’ve found that playing the same sides every year can get a bit boring and means you may cut your career mode short, so adding in the element of promotion and relegation should help keep things fresh.

So let’s get stuck in.


Tier 1

Lazio

Lazio

Transfer budget: £12,500,000
Wage budget: £140,000
Key players: Federico Marchetti (GK), Antonio Candreva (RM)
Ones to watch: Balde Diao Keita (LW, potential 84), Mamadou Tounkara (ST, potential 84)
Players with potential 80+: 22

Lazio have by far the most promising roster of any tier 1 team I looked at. They have 22 players who can reach 80 or higher – 22! – and have a great mix of established stars and promising youngsters. They’ve also got a decent budget, so you will have enough to bring in a player or two to really push them up the table and challenge for trophies. With a solid goalkeeper and talented midfield, you’ll be able to go far with them.
 
 
Tier 1 - Everton

Everton

Transfer budget: £11,000,000
Wage budget: £130,000
Key players: Romelu Lukaku (ST), Leighton Baines (LB)
Ones to watch: Ross Barkley (CAM, potential 86), George Green (CM, potential 83)
Players with potential 80+: 11

Another team full of talent, Everton are strong all over the pitch. Although Lukaku will only be there for a season, they have enough in the way of funds to find a decent replacement once he goes back to Chelsea. They also have some very exciting players coming through the ranks. I suspect most people will have heard of Ross Barkley, but another player at Everton to keep an eye on is George Green. He starts off rated only 58 but his short passing stat is already 81! Developing these young players alongside the talented lot they already have should make Everton a great choice for a career.

Also consider: Southampton, FC Schalke 04, Real Sociedad


Tier 2

Tier 2 - Hellas Verona

Hellas Verona

Transfer budget: £1,700,000
Wage budget: £50,000
Key players: Nikolay Mihaylov (GK), Juan Manuel Iturbe (LW)
Ones to watch: Jorginho (CM, potential 85), Juan Manuel Iturbe (LW, potential 85)
Players with potential 80+: 7
Hellas Verona are the poorest team in Serie A and so you will have to make do with what you’ve got. Luckily, they have some fantastically promising players among their ranks, so at least you’ve got that. The problem is that they may take time to develop, so you will have to be clever to survive in the division while your players develop. With the amount of quality in Serie A, this could be a really fun challenge.
 
 
Tier 2 - Cardiff City

Cardiff City

Transfer budget: £5,500,000
Wage budget: £50,000
Key players: Gary Medel (CDM), Steven Caulker (CB)
Ones to watch: Steven Caulker (CB, potential 82), Jordan Mutch (CAM, potential 82)
Players with potential 80+: 4

Although Cardiff City have a larger budget than Hellas Verona, they are also in the most competitive league in the game, so it doesn’t count for too much. As you’d hope, they have some very good defensive players in Gary Medel in Steven Caulker, and they should help you in your bid for survival. It’ll be tough, though, so you’ll have to make the most of the promising players on your squad and make some wise transfer choices if you are to stay up.

Also consider: Nottingham Forest, Hertha BSC, Rayo Vallecano


Tier 3

Tier 3 - RC Deportivo

RC Deportivo

Transfer budget: £210,000
Wage budget: £20,000
Key players: Juan Dominguez (CM), Rudy (RW)
Ones to watch: Juan Dominguez (CM, potential 79), Borja Bastón (ST, potential 77)
Players with potential 75+: 5

With a bewilderingly small budget for such a talented team, RC Deportivo should make for a great career mode choice. They’ve got five players with potential 75 or higher, which more than makes up for the poor budget. Borja Bastón especially is one to look out for – he’s only rated 68 but has 77 finishing, so he should be scoring for fun if you choose to go with RC Deportivo. Spend a season or two building up the players and your transfer budget and you should be able to start making waves in the Liga BBVA.
 
 
Tier 3 - Crotone

Crotone

Transfer budget: £850,000
Wage budget: £10,000
Key players: Alfred Gomis (GK), Danilo Cataldi (CM)
Ones to watch: Danilo Cataldi (CM, potential 82), Lorenzo Crisetig (CM, potential 80)
Players with potential 75+: 6

Crotone are a team that benefit from a particular quirk of FIFA teams – in real life, several of their high potential players (such as Lorenzo Crisetig) are on loan from other clubs, but FIFA 14 says that many of them have actually been transferred to Crotone. As a result, they have a lot of very promising players on their roster that you can use to your advantage. They also have a decent budget and a solid back line, so you should be able to handle what’s thrown at you.

Also consider: MK Dons, Modena, Real Murcia CF


Tier 4

Tier 4 - Plymouth Argyle

Plymouth Argyle

Transfer budget: £350,000
Wage budget: £3,000
Key players: Temitope Obadeyi (LM), Conor Hourihane (CM)
Ones to watch: Tyler Harvey (ST, potential 81), Matt Lecointe (ST, potential 76)
Players with potential 75+: 2

Plymouth certainly don’t have the largest budget in their division, and you may struggle to bring in real quality with only £350,000 to spend. However, they do have a wealth of talented youngsters on their books. Not only do they have the perennial favourite Matt Lecointe, but they also have the highest potential player in the entire division, Tyler Harvey. With a few years’ worth of development they could become a very decent team, but you’ll have to work hard to get them to that point.
 
 
Tier 4 - Carpi

Carpi

Transfer budget: £170,000
Wage budget: £3,000
Key players: Jerry Mbakogu (ST), Simone Romagnoli (CB)
Ones to watch: Jerry Mbakogu (ST, potential 77), Alessandro De Vitis (CAM, potential 75)
Players with potential 75+: 2

Serie B side Carpi are one of the poorest teams in the division and it will be a real challenge to strengthen them. They do have the benefit of having Jerry Mbakogu (one of my favourite lower league players) and Alessandro De Vitis, but both of them are only on loan and so will be gone by the second season. You’ll have to do all you can to strengthen the team in anticipation of this so that you don’t lose out when they go.

Also consider: Shrewsbury, US Créteil, C. Stabia


Tier 5

Tier 5 - Morecambe

Morecambe

Transfer budget: £210,000
Wage budget: £2,000
Key players: Marcus Marshall (RM), Tony Diagne (LB)
Ones to watch: Marcus Marshall (RM, potential 65), Jack Sampson (ST, potential 64)
Players with potential 70+: 0

Morecambe are probably the most challenging team I could find on FIFA 14. Their budget barely cracks £200,000 and they have next to nothing in wages, meaning it will be hard to even bring players in on loan. What really tops it, though, is that they don’t have a single player with potential 70 or higher. Their highest potential player, in fact, only has potential 65. If you want a massive challenge in working your way up then this is about as good as it gets.
 
 
Tier 5 - VfR Aalen

VfR Aalen

Transfer budget: £210,000
Wage budget: £2,000
Key players: Joel Pohjanpalo (ST), Benjamin Hübner (CB)
Ones to watch: Joel Pohjanpalo (ST, potential 77), Benjamin Hübner (CB, potential 69)
Players with potential 70+: 1

VfR Aalen are in a similar situation to Morecambe: miniscule budgets and a lack of high potential players. They do have Joel Pohjanpalo, who will be a real boost if you can hold on to him, so they’re not quite as infernally difficult as Morecambe. However, Pohjanpalo can’t do it all himself, and bringing in support is going to be very hard with such a lack of funds.

Also consider: Exeter City, York City, Real Jaén CF


How about you? What teams have you found to be a fun challenge in FIFA 14? Be sure to leave a comment below and share your thoughts!