FIFA 14 | So You Want A… Defensive midfielder UPDATE

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If you need a defensive midfielder to cut off opposition attacks, look no further. Here’s who I recommend you try:

• Junior Malanda
• Gabriel/Guilherme
• Andile Jali

First up is a player who probably needs little in the way of introduction: Junior Malanda. This guy is everything you need in a CDM. He’s got pace but also fantastic strength and stamina, so he’ll never stop battling in the middle of the pitch for your team. His defensive stats are very impressive but he can also pass as well, and on top of all that he has the (hidden) injury free trait, so it’s extremely unlikely that he’ll ever be out of action for any length of time. When he’s this good at only 18 years old, he’ll be something to behold when he reaches his potential.

For my next choice I set about finding a brilliant all-rounder, and couldn’t decide between the Brazilian duo of Gabriel and Guilherme. Gabriel excels physically and has the best defensive stats out of anyone in this article, but he’s also got fantastic dribbling and short passing. Guilherme, on the other hand, possesses and tremendously powerful long shot and has good positioning, so he’ll be contributing goals as well as breaking up opposition attacks. Which one you go for depends on what exactly you’re looking for, but either would make an excellent choice.

Finally we’ve got Andile Jali, and I chose him for his superb passing ability. His 81 short passing stat is the best in this article, and he backs it up with 77 short passing and 75 vision. He can tackle and dribble equally well so he’s a threat wherever he pops up, and he has an ace up his sleeve in the form of his four star skill moves. In case you needed any more convincing, his cheap wages should make your mind up. If you’re looking for a similar (but younger) player and don’t mind waiting for him to become available, try Sebastián Cristóforo – with 80 long passing and 78 short passing he will be a vital assist provider should you choose to buy him.

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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]

Check out the full list below: