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 16’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

Real Sociedad (Tier 1)

I’ve chosen Real Sociedad as my next Tier 1 team because they have so much fantastic talent within their ranks. From an exciting attack to a solid defence, they’re excellent all across the pitch. But in a league with the giants of Barcelona and Real Madrid, plus a host of other competitive teams, winning silverware will be a major challenge.

Contents

1. Why choose Real Sociedad?
2. Lineups
   1. Strongest starting lineup
   2. Highest potential lineup
3. Recommended purchases
4. Suggested sales
5. Future considerations
   1. Get a new right back

Starting transfer budget: £6,500,000
Starting wage budget: £130,000
Default formation: 4-3-3
Board expectations: Finish mid table, reach cup round of 16
Key player: Carlos Vela
Best young prospect: Gerónimo Rulli

Why choose Real Sociedad?

The most obvious challenge ahead for Real Sociedad lies in overcoming the might of Barcelona and Real Madrid, two of the strongest teams in the world. The next tier of teams doesn’t get much easier – the likes of Valencia, Sevilla and Atlético Madrid can all give you a pasting. While Real Sociedad have a lot of talented players, many of them are ageing and won’t last much longer, so improving the team across many positions should be foremost in your mind.

That said, they do have a host of talented young players. The midfield trio of Asier Illarramendi, Rubén Pardo and Sergio Canales will provide quality in the middle of the pitch for years to come, while Gerónimo Rulli is one of the most exciting young goalkeepers in the game. With a decent budget added into the mix, you can strengthen where you need to, while knowing that the solid backbone of the team is already in place.

Real Sociedad’s key player is Carlos Vela. With 87 acceleration, 85 sprint speed and four star skills, he’ll have the beating of almost any defender in the league, thanks also to his 82 dribbling. He’s lethal in the box, too – his 78 finishing, 78 positioning and decent long shots will have him scoring plenty of goals. His 83 potential will have him leading the line as he continues to grow and develop.

The team’s most promising young player is Gerónimo Rulli. Already rated 79 at 23 years old, his 86 potential will make him into one of the most effective goalkeepers in the game. Bear in mind that goalkeepers will keep growing well into their 30s if they perform well, so with potentially 10 more years of growth ahead of him, don’t be surprised if he continues growing into the late 80s – or even reaches 90 OVR.

Strongest starting lineup

Here is Real Sociedad’s strongest starting lineup, with OVRs in brackets:

Highest potential lineup

Keeping the formation the same, here’s Real Sociedad’s highest potential lineup, with potentials in brackets:

Recommended purchases

Key signings required: CB, LB, RM, ST.

Looking at the ‘highest potential lineup’ above, Real Sociedad look to have a very strong squad for the future. But don’t forget that both Reyes (potential 83) and Bruma (potential 85) are only on loan for the season and there aren’t any ready made replacements for them already in the squad. There are only two strikers in the team, so you could do with one more in case either Jonathas or Agirretxe get injured, while a high potential left back could really help boost that side of the team.

Before getting started, change the budget ratio to 54:46. This will give you £7,160,400 in transfer funds and £117,300 in wages. Now let’s buy some new players.

Flávio Ferreira
Club: Málaga CF
Position: CB
OVR: 74
Potential: 80
Age: 23
Cost: £0 (contract expiry)
Wages: £30,000

As I mentioned above, Diego Reyes is only on loan for the season. Real Sociedad have a fantastic centre back in Iñigo Martínez, but once Reyes goes back to his parent club, there won’t be another high quality centre back to partner Martínez. The other centre backs in the team are OK, but you’ll want someone better if you’re going to challenge for the higher spots in the league.

My suggestion is Flávio Ferreira of Málaga CF. Because you’ve got Reyes for the first year, there’s no need to spend lots of money on a replacement straight away – I recommend you get a free player on contract expiry, as that way he’ll arrive in time to step into Reyes’ shoes, and you’ll only have to pay his wages. I’ve chosen Ferreira because of his high potential and flexibility. Not only does he have some great defensive stats like his good tackling and 90 jumping, but he can pass well – that makes him useful at CDM if you need some cover. And with that 80 potential, he’ll fit right into your long-term plans.

Just go to sign him in the January transfer window and select ‘approach to sign on contract expiry’. He’ll want £30,000 for wages. That way, he’ll be ready to join your team to replace the outgoing Reyes.

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Fuka Arthur Masuaku
Club: Olympiakos CFP
Position: LB
OVR: 74
Potential: 84
Age: 21
Cost: £5m
Wages: £30,000

Real Sociedad have a fair few left backs, but the problem is that none of them are that promising. De la Bella has reached his potential of 78, while neither Yuri (potential 75) and Héctor (potential 72) are going to get the pulse racing. To push on in the league, this position needs to be strengthened.

I suggest you buy the unfortunately-named Fuka Arthur Masuaku. This guy is even more a study in flexibility than Flávio Ferreira, and can play in almost any outfield position. He’s fast and fairly strong, he can cross and dribble, he can tackle, pass and even his shooting isn’t bad. And with 84 potential, he’ll be a real superstar in the future.

Olympiakos CFP want £6.5m for him but you can get that down to around £5m. His wages are £30,000.

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Salem Al Dawsari
Club: Al Hilal
Position: RM
OVR: 73
Potential: 79
Age: 23
Cost: £0 (contract expiry)
Wages: £30,000

When first looking at Real Sociedad’s squad, you might not think they have a problem on the wings – after all, there are seven of them in the squad. But look at little deeper and you’ll notice the problem. Vela and Bruma are great, so that’s two down. Xabi Prieto is far too slow to be a winger and is best as a CAM, while Gonzalo Castro is 30 and will decline soon. None of the remaining three – Alain Oyarzun, Muguruza and Merquelanz – have higher than 70 potential. Oh, and Bruma is only on loan for the year, so really that just leaves Vela.

As at centre back, the fact that you’ve got Bruma on loan means you don’t really need an instant replacement; rather, getting a free player to arrive when Bruma leaves is a good solution and will save you some money. To this end, my suggestion is Salem Al Dawsari of Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia. Not only is he lightning quick (91 acceleration and 90 sprint speed), but he’s got 91 stamina so will last all game long. A powerful shot and good finishing will bag him some goals, but perhaps his best attribute (alongside his 80 dribbling) are his five star skill moves. All these things combined mean defenders won’t stand a chance against him.

He’s free if you approach to sign him in January. His wages are £30,000, and he wants the ‘squad rotation player’ squad role.

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Isaac Success
Club: Granada CF
Position: ST
OVR: 70
Potential: 82
Age: 19
Cost: £2.1m
Wages: £20,000

Somewhat strangely, Real Sociedad only have two strikers in their squad. Jonathas is great and will be your main striker, while Agirretxe makes a good backup, but this won’t be enough if one of them gets injured or if you have a busy schedule – or both. You should really get another striker who can lighten the load and who will eventually grow to replace Agirretxe (he’s 28).

I suggest Isaac Success for this role. Not only does he have a fantastic name, but he’s got some great stats to match. His 84 acceleration and 87 sprint speed will see him breeze past most defenders, while his 83 strength will give him a great chance against even the strongest opponents. He’s got good dribbling and jumping, so will be useful whether that ball is in the air or on the ground, and his 82 potential will help make him a real all-rounder as he grows into the future.

Granada CF want £2.5m for him and that can be negotiated down a little to around £2.1m. His wages are £20,000.

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Buying these players will leave you with £60,400 in transfer funds and £7,300 in wages – not a lot if you want to start scouting. If you want to raise some more money, I suggest you sell the players below.

Suggested sales

The aforementioned Yuri and Héctor can bring in around £1m and £500,000 respectively. Joseba Zaldúa, Carlos Martínez and Aritz Elustondo all have 78 potential; I wouldn’t sell Martínez because he’s already rated 78 and is a solid player, but either Zaldúa or Elustondo could be sold to bring in some more money. You’ll get about £1.5m for Zaldúa and £1m for Elustondo.

I’d also suggest selling the following players because none of them have potential above 70: Alain Oyarzun, Joseba Muguruza, Aboubacar Diarra, Alejandro Sanz, Martin Merquelanz and Ander Bardaji. All of those combined can bring in around £1.1m.

Finally, you may decide to sell Mikel Oyarzabal, who can get you around £200,000.

Future considerations – get a new right back

We’ve strengthened all over the pitch, but right back remains the only position that lacks a player with 80 potential or higher (even though we have three players there with 78 potential. So it’s not a desperate problem – Zaldúa or Elustondo could exceed their potential – but you may feel like you want a higher potential player there.

If that’s the case, I suggest getting Michel Macedo of UD Almería. His 92 sprint speed and 92 stamina will see him harrying the wings all game long, and his combination of good attacking and defensive stats makes him an ideal full back to bomb up the wings and help track back.

He starts at 76 OVR and has 80 potential, helping to improve that side of the pitch. You can sign him for free in January – his wage demands are £50,000, which is fairly expensive, but of course is made up for by the fact that you don’t have to pay a transfer fee.

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That’s it for this week’s article on good teams for career mode. Real Sociedad start in a good position to challenge for the top spots in La Liga – a strong starting squad and some high potential young players give them a great chance in the future. But in order to win trophies you’ll have to overcome two of the best teams in the world, as well as a host of strong teams all eager for silverware. It’ll be difficult, but who doesn’t love a challenge? They make for a great fun career mode all the way through.

I’d 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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