FIFA 14 | So You Want A… Left midfielder UPDATE


Next in the articles on wide players we’ve got left midfielders. This includes both LMs and LWs, so whether you want someone to provide crosses or a player who can convert chances himself in FIFA 14, you’ll find what you’re looking for here. Here are my recommendations:

  • Adnan Januzaj
  • Paul-José Mpoku/Maciej Rybus
  • Nicola Sansone
  • Fuka Arthur Masuaku

Love him or hate him, there’s no denying the incredible talent that Adnan Januzaj possesses. With 86 acceleration, 85 balance and 81 dribbling at such a young age, in a few years he’s going to become almost unstoppable down the flank. But one of his other talents is that he can really pick a pass, as his 76 vision, 73 short passing and 71 long passing attest. So although his sprint speed is a little low at 74, his passing makes up for it by ensuring you can play him as a CAM if you prefer, where he will be able to use his abilities to create chances for your forwards. Wherever you choose to play him, his £2.4m asking price means you can’t really lose (I got him for £1.9m), something that will seem almost absurd when he hits his 87 potential.

Next on this list is Paul-José Mpoku, and if you thought Kishna had a lot going for him then you need to check out Mpoku. The best way to get this across is to run through some of his stats: 78 sprint speed, 79 dribbling, 88 shot power, 78 long shots, 78 strength, 71 crossing, 74 finishing, 74 vision, 80 penalties, 78 free kick accuracy, 76 stamina, 76 jumping. He’s strong and pacey, he’s get a venomous shot, can cross and score from dead ball situations. There’s not a lot he can’t do, and the only reason he’s not above Kishna is due to his lower potential and higher cost. But he’s worth every penny and you certainly won’t regret shelling out for him. If you want a winger who can cross and score but who is even quicker, try Maciej Rybus. He’s not as strong as Mpoku but is much quicker, and other than that is a very similar choice.

Next we’ll have a look at Nicola Sansone. Like Rybus and Kishna, Sansone is very fast and agile, making him a nightmare for defences. He’s also got the best dribbling/ball control combination of almost any player in this article (better even than Januzaj), but there’s an end product too, as he excels at finishing, shot power and long shots where other wingers do not. To top it all off, like Mpoku he’s great at dead ball situations, all of which helps to press his claim if you’re looking for a goalscoring winger.

My final recommendation is Fuka Arthur Masuaku. Aside from having a great (or unfortunate) name, this guy is probably the most incredibly well-rounded player in this article. I’m not really sure where to start, so as with Mpoku I’m going to throw out some of his stats and let you see just how good he is: 76 dribbling, 72 ball control, 79 acceleration, 78 sprint speed, 76 strength, 73 shot power, 71 stand tackle, 66 marking, 68 finishing, 70 stamina. As you can see, his finishing is just as good as his tackling, an invaluable talent that means he’ll be able to cover a number of positions if needed. He’s as strong as he is fast, so whether you need him to sprint past defenders or power through them, he can do it. He’ll only cost you £2m as well, making him the cheapest of my choices. A true bargain, he’ll repay it almost instantly.

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The articles in this series should give you some ideas if you’re looking for a new signing in a key area. There is one article for each position on the pitch to make it easy for you to quickly find players to bolster your squad.

All of the players given here have a minimum potential of 80, so you know you’re getting quality. The maximum OVR for each player is 73, both to keep transfer prices down and to avoid presenting you with too many options and thus making it too difficult to choose the player you need.

The ‘Avai?’ column is short for ‘available?’ and refers both to whether or not you can buy the specified player at the start of the first season and how long their current contract is. Let’s take Y/2 as an example – Y means that yes, you can buy him at the start of a new career, and the number means he has two years left on his contract. Similarly, N/3 would mean that no, you can’t buy the player straight away, and he has three years left on his contract. These ‘no’ players are often available for transfer if you wait until the January transfer window, however. For some players this column is blank – this means that they are out on loan at the start and are therefore unavailable for purchase until the second season.

Initial player costs may seem very low this year. The figure in the player cost column refers to the price you are given if you scout the player. But I’ve also added a new column this time round – ‘They want’. This refers to the price the other team want for the player if you enquire about him. Often there is a large difference between the player cost obtained through scouting and that obtained through an enquiry. This leaves a lot of room for negotiation, so don’t be put off if a price in the ‘They want’ column is high, as you can usually get the player for much less. Try bidding lower than what you think will be accepted – you may be surprised at their response. If the ‘They want’ column is blank it’s because the team refused to give a price, either because the player has just joined them or because they are loaning him in.

And as a final note, in FIFA 14 EA update player OVRs and potentials every week. Mose of the time these are very minor changes, and most players won’t be affected at all unless they have had a very noteworthy week. Furthermore, some players occasionally disappear if they have been put in the reserve squad that week. So just bear in mind that these figures should be read as a guide only and not a definitive account of player costs, potentials, etc, for the entire season.[/expand]

Now let’s check out the list in full:

[table id=119 /]

And don’t forget to check out the other articles in this series by going to the ‘So You Want A…’ button in the top menu!