FIFA 13 | So You Want A… Goalscorer (Winter update)

Follow @FIFAscouting

Usually EA release a big update with all of the transfers sometime in early February. However, this year they did it slightly differently. Since FIFA 13 came out, every year the EA team have made updated OVRs and potentials available for download based on real life player performances. Usually these are just slight tweaks, but after some breakout performances a player’s potential can change a lot (Raheem Sterling is a good example). This is rare, though.

So please bear in mind that the information below is based on the updated squads from 2nd February. However, there’s no need to panic if you downloaded the update on 8th February (or any other subsequent update), as most players will not change (or if they do, it’ll be by a small amount). In any case, this year potentials are very flexible, so if a player you’re interested has his potential lowered in an update, he can still reach his old potential if he plays well for you.

The ‘Avai?’ column is short for ‘available?’ (there is not enough space for the full word), and it refers to whether or not each player is available to buy in the first transfer window. ‘Y’ means yes, they are available, whilst ‘N’ means that they’re not. The number after the ‘Y’ or ‘N’ is the amount of years left on their contract. So ‘Y/2? means that yes, they are available to buy in the first transfer window and that they have 2 years left on their contract. Similarly, ‘N/5? means they’re not available to buy right away and that they have 5 years left on their contract. The ones to look out for are Y/1, as you should be able to get these players for less than their listed value. Players who are on loan will have a “-” in this column because information on their contracts is not available.

In the final part of this series, today we’re going to be looking at strikers. Whilst the final article will be on target men (attackers who use their strength and aerial ability to score goals), in this article we’ll be focusing on goalscorers. These players rely more on their technical prowess than their physical strength. They are usually adept at scoring from any distance and many have good dribbling stats as well.

Let’s get stuck into my recommendations:

• Yassine Benzia
• Vinícius Araújo
• Victor Andrade
• Matt Lecointe

A lot of people have told me how good they’ve found Yassine Benzia to be and so I’ve decided to feature him again. Although he’s a little more expensive than before the update, his OVR has gone up four points and he really is becoming a very good player. He’s got good finishing right across the board (even his heading is not bad considering his OVR), although his main strength is definitely his dribbling. With a rating of 78 and four star skills moves, he’s going to be weaving in and out of defenders and getting into goalscoring positions time and time again. He has a proven record amongst FIFA players and is not one to miss.

Vinícius Araújo is my next choice. Although he’s a little too short to be a target man, he has great strength for his size (77) and is very decent in the air. His primary asset, however, is his finishing, rated at 75. He’s also quick enough to burst clear of defenders yet strong enough to hold his own. Moreover, his four star weak foot means he should put away an opportunity no matter which side the ball falls on. A great option if you’re looking for a hybrid of goalscorer and target man.

Number three is Victor Andrade. Already on the brink of three specialities – speedster, acrobat and dribbler – this player may be young but he’s already posing a threat to opposition defences. His ideal position is as a second striker, perhaps combining with a target man and using his dribbling skills to either get into goalscoring positions himself or to set up his teammates. He’s got a lot of potential and plenty of time in which to grow, so make sure you get him before his price shoots up.

My final recommendation is another familiar name – Matt Lecointe. Last time around he was in the target men article, but since the update his jumping has been decreased slightly so I decided he was a better fit for the goalscorers article. The good news is that his OVR has increased and he still only has a one year contract, so you can get him for around £130,000! He’s one of those players who become both quick and strong, so send him out on loan for a year or two and he’ll come back a very good player who will be worth many times what you originally invested in him.

See the rest of the list below: