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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 15’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

Lanciano (Tier 4)

After last week’s article on Pescara, this week we return to Serie B with Lanciano. But don’t expect an easy ride – with Lanciano’s restrictive budget and lack of high potential players, just surviving will be difficult.

Contents

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

Starting transfer budget: £425,000
Starting wage budget: £4,000
Default formation: 4-3-3
Board expectations: Fight for promotion, reach cup round of 32
Key player: Magnus Troest
Best young prospect: Alberto Cerri

Why choose Lanciano?

Things aren’t easy for Lanciano in Serie B. They have one of the lowest budgets in the division, and are only of its only teams not to have any players with potential 75 or higher. Despite being one of the weakest teams, the board expect you to fight for promotion; with the seriously limited resources you have at your disposal, that will be more than tricky.

They do have a fairly promising attack (relatively speaking, of course), so sticking with them should bring its rewards. And I suppose you could say there are poorer and less promising teams in Serie B. That’s not much consolation, and finishing mid table is going to be supremely difficult, but I guess things could be worse!

Lanciano’s key player is centre back Magnus Troest. Rated 68 and with 70 potential, he’s one of Lanciano’s best starting players. His 90 strength and decent defensive stats will be vital to preventing you from propping up the table, so it’ll be vital to ensure he stays in good form throughout your campaign. He’s also great in the air, so should bag you a few goals along the way.

The side’s most promising young player is Alberto Cerri, a striker with 74 potential. At 6’3″ and with 70 strength, he’s a target man striker who should grow to be an excellent forward. He should work well in Lanciano’s 4-3-3 formation where he can bring the wingers into play, although partnering him with a quick striker will also help bring out his best. Serie B is a good proving ground for him, enabling him to develop well against weaker opposition.

Strongest starting lineup

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

Highest potential lineup

I’ve shifted the formation to 4-4-2 to allow more of Lanciano’s higher potential players on the pitch, so here’s their highest potential lineup, with potentials in brackets:

Recommended purchases

Key signings required: GK, CB, RB, LB.

Of Lanciano’s ten highest potential players, only one is a defender, and that really is the squad’s weak point. I suggest you move early to get at least one new centre back, left back and right back. You’ll probably also need a new goalkeeper, although we’ll leave that until later.

One of the things about lower league teams is you have to rely on a lot of loans and free players. The good news is that this takes up very little in transfer fees, and there’s not much in the way of negotiations to have to worry about – you’re not likely to get into a bidding war. So before we get started, adjust your budget ratio to 2:98 – this will give you £12,659 in transfer funds and £11,929 in wages. Now let’s see who we can bring in with that cash.

Tyias Browning
Club: Everton
Position: CB
OVR: 63
Potential: 76
Age: 20
Cost: £0
Wages: £5,500

Lanciano are having a bit of a crisis in defence, typified by the situation at centre back. Although there is Magnus Troest, he’s only got potential 70. Next are Federico Amenta (35 years old) and Stefano Ferrario, with potential 64 and 65 respectively, and it’s not really worth mentioning anyone after that. As a solid defence is the foundation of any good season, this needs improving straight away.

My choice is Tyias Browning of Everton. He’s an excellent choice for any lower league team for a number of reasons, not least because of his phenomenal pace for a centre back. With 78 sprint speed, he’s going to be able to keep up with all but the fastest strikers, and although Browning isn’t the strongest, his pace more than makes up for that. His speed and Troest’s strength should present a formidable test to any opposition.

Another reason why he’s so good for lower league teams is because he’s free! Not in the contract expiry sense; no, send and enquiry and Everton want £0 for him. You’ll have to sweeten the deal to convince him to join, though – I raised his wages to £5,500 (from £4,000) and offered him a five year contract and ‘crucial first team player’ squad role. For his ability, though, it’s worth it.

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Timothy Castagne
Club: KRC Genk
Position: RB
OVR: 66
Potential: 79
Age: 18
Cost: £0 (loan)
Wages: £2,000

The situation at right back is even more than that at centre back. Antonio Aquilanti is Lanciano’s best right back with 63 OVR, while the most promising is Andrea Conti with just 69 potential. This area really needs a bit of a shake-up. However, because I found it almost impossible to get a decent right back for a price that Lanciano can afford, I recommend loaning one in for the season, then securing a player on a free transfer in January.

So, my choice of loaned right back is Timothy Castagne of KRC Genk in Belgium. He has an excellent OVR for his age, and his high potential of 79 will ensure he’ll grow quickly once he joins your team. He’s got decent pace and, unusually for a full back, is pretty strong as well. That should help him keep things solid at the back, aided by his good stand tackling attribute. Finally, his 78 stamina is another of his standout stats, helping him play for longer and thus grow more quickly.

His wages are £2,000 a week, very affordable and within Lanciano’s range.

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Iván Balliu
Club: FC Arouca
Position: RB
OVR: 65
Potential: 73
Age: 22
Cost: £0 (contract expiry)
Wages: £1,500

As Castagne will only be with Lanciano for one season, you’ll need to get someone in to replace him. My choice is Iván Balliu of FC Arouca in Portgual. This graduate of Barcelona’s La Masia academy is good enough to go straight into your first team when he arrives at the start of the second season – he should be around 67-68 OVR by that stage, making him by far your best right back.

Just approach him in January and click ‘approach to sign on contract expiry’. His wages are very affordable at £1,500.

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Luis Pavez
Club: Colo-Colo
Position: LB
OVR: 66
Potential: 76
Age: 18
Cost: £0 (loan)
Wages: £1,000

As with right back, I recommend bringing in a left back on loan for the season and then replacing them with a free player. Finding affordable left backs who meet Lanciano’s budget was extremely difficult, but that doesn’t mean you have to go without. This method allows you to bring in some excellent players, and all you have to pay is the players’ wages.

So, my choice of loaned left back is Luis Pavez of Colo-Colo in Chile. Like Castagne, Pavez is quick and also has great strength for a full back, meaning he won’t get pushed off the ball easily but will be able to win it back when weaker full backs may fail. He’s good in both defence and attack and also has a high rating for his age, so he should be able to hold down a first team spot while on loan.

Add to that his cheap wages of just £1,000 and you’ve got yourself an excellent option for left back.

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Graeme Shinnie
Club: Inverness CT
Position: LB
OVR: 69
Potential: 75
Age: 22
Cost: £0 (contract expiry)
Wages: £2,000

Although Lanciano have the excellent Carlo Mammarella at left back, he’s 32 and will soon start declining. Aside from him, there’s just Leonardo Nunzella… who has potential 57. Although Pavez temporarily solves this problem, he is of course only on loan, so a permanent replacement is needed.

That replacement, I suggest, is Graeme Shinnie of Inverness CT in Scotland. And where to start with him? His 91 stamina is a good place, which combined with his 80 acceleration will make him a constant nuisance to the opposition. His 81 jumping will enable him to clear dangerous crosses, while his good tackling stats should sort any problems when the ball is on the floor. And his 72 dribbling and three star skills mean he has the technical ability to play further up the pitch should you need him to.

As with Balliu, approach to sign him in January and you can get him for free. His wages are just £2,000.

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This week I really did cut it fine in terms of the budget – those transfers will leave you with £0 in transfer funds and £173 in wages. Want to scout or buy other players? You’ll need to sell some players first, so see below for my suggestions.

Suggested sales

Of the three goalkeepers at Lanciano, you’ll want to keep Nicolas. Both Davide Petrachi and Vincenzo Aridità have potential 61, but Aridità is worth a little more at £190,000 – I’d therefore sell him on for a bit of cash.

You can also sell Antonio Aquilanti for about £240,000 – as you’ll have Castagne/Balliu in and Andrea Conti as the backup right back, there’s no need for Aquilanti. He’s not going to get any better than 63 OVR; Conti may exceed his 69 potential, so there’s really no need for Aquilanti at the moment.

Finally, right winger Manuel Turchi is 33 and will start declining soon, and you’ve already got the capable Antonio Piccolo and Marco Pinato at right midfield. Sell Turchi before he starts going down in OVR points and you can get around £100,000 for him.

Future considerations – get a new goalkeeper

Goalkeeper is yet another weak spot for Lanciano. Nicolas is their best goalkeeper with 63 OVR and 67 potential, and even then he’s only on loan from Hellas Verona, so he’ll be gone at the end of the season. But as with both right and left back, finding a cheap, promising goalkeeper to fit within Lanciano’s budget is extremely difficult.

As with most of the other transfers, this means it’s a good idea to look for a free goalkeeper. My choice would be Lee Bum Young of Busan I’Park in Korea. He starts at 68 OVR and has 73 potential at 25 years old, but of course when he joins you he should be around 70 OVR. That’s a massive improvement over Lanciano’s other goalkeepers, and will help you either push for promotion in your second season or, if you got promoted at the first time of asking, survive in Serie A.

What I like most about this player is that he has 76 handling, excellent for a player of his OVR. That’ll minimise the risk of him parrying the ball at the feet of opposition strikers, meaning you’ll concede far fewer cheap goals – vital when you come up against higher rated teams. And given his wages are just £1,000 and there’s no transfer fee involved, it’s hard to turn him down.

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That just about wraps up this week’s article on good teams for career mode. Lanciano don’t have much, but if this article proves anything it’s that you don’t need a huge budget to be able to bring in quality players. A little research combined with a few choice loans and free transfers will have you punching above your weight and pushing on towards Serie A.

I’d also 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?

And don’t forget to connect with me on social media. I’ve just launched the FIFA Scouting Tips YouTube channel, and you can follow me on Facebook or Twitter for all the latest updates.