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
RCD Espanyol (Tier 1)
Spain’s top division has been put in a stranglehold by two of the best teams in the world: Barcelona and Real Madrid. But if you want to break their grip and challenge for silverware, RCD Espanyol are a great team to do that.
Contents
- Why choose RCD Espanyol?
- Lineups
- Recommended purchases
- Suggested sales
- Future considerations
Starting transfer budget: £5,500,000
Starting wage budget: £60,000
Default formation: 4-2-2-2
Board expectations: Finish mid table, reach cup round of 32
Key player: Kiko Casilla
Best young prospect: Víctor Álvarez
Why choose RCD Espanyol?
RCD Espanyol have some fantastic players and a rock solid foundation laid by a quality goalkeeper, centre back and striker in Kiko Casilla, Héctor Moreno and Felipe Caicedo. They’ve also got high potential players in pretty much every position, so are well prepared for the future. Add to that a decent budget and some great kits, and you’ve got a very attractive prospect for career mode.
It’s not all smooth sailing, though. As I mentioned earlier, you’ll have some incredible competition from Barcelona and Real Madrid, not to mention the likes of Atlético Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia and many more excellent clubs. Competition for the higher places is intense, so don’t expect to win the league at the first attempt; this is a long-term project.
The key player at RCD Espanyol is goalkeeper Kiko Casilla. Already rated 80, he’s the best player in the squad and a brick wall in goal. He’s not heavily weighted towards, say, reflexes, but instead is perfectly balanced in all areas, making him an ideal keeper for pretty much any situation. Although he has reached his potential, goalkeepers can grow well into their 30s, so don’t be surprised if he goes higher than 80 OVR.
The team’s best young prospect is Víctor Álvarez with 75 potential. One problem with RCD Espanyol is they have a lot of established players and few super high potential young players. Though Álvarez is decent, we’re going to need higher potential young players if you want to challenge for the title in years to come.
Strongest starting lineup
Here’s RCD Espanyol’s strongest starting lineup, with OVRs in brackets:
Highest potential lineup
Now here’s RCD Espanyol’s highest potential lineup, with potentials in brackets:
Recommended purchases
Key signings required: RB, CB, RM, ST.
Adjust your budget ratio to 47:53; this will give you £4,051,400 in transfer funds and £87,857 in wages. Now let’s see who we can get with that money.
At?nç Nukan is solid and the back and a danger going forward
At?nç Nukan
Club: Be?ikta? JK
Position: CB
OVR: 70
Potential: 78
Age: 20
Cost: £2,000,000
Wages: £15,000
Aside from Héctor Moreno, RCD Espanyol have a problem at centre back. Diego Colotto is decent but 33, while Álvaro will only grow to 74. That’s literally it for centre backs in the squad – there are only three of them.
A good recruit is needed fast. My choice is At?nç Nukan of Be?ikta? JK in Turkey. He’s got 83 strength and, at 6’5″ and with 76 heading, he’s an aerial threat already. That means he’s going to be tough to beat at the back and should score you a few goals from set pieces too. As well as that, his 68 sprint speed is not at all bad for a centre back (especially one as tall as him), and should give him more of a chance against opposition forwards.
Be?ikta? JK claim they’ll accept an offer of around £1,100,000, but in practice usually won’t accept anything less than £2,000,000. His wages are £15,000.
Davide Zappacosta will grow quickly during his time at the club thanks to his high potential
Davide Zappacosta
Club: Atalanta
Position: RB
OVR: 72
Potential: 82
Age: 22
Cost: £0 (loan)
Wages: £15,000
RCD Espanyol actually have four right backs on the team, but the problem is that the highest potential one only has potential 73. That’s just not good enough if you want to compete with the big boys for silverware. Rather than buy a replacement straight away (it was hard to find an affordable, high potential right back), I suggest loaning one in for the season and then bringing in a free replacement at the end of the season.
So, I recommend you loan in Davide Zappacosta from Atalanta in Italy. He makes for an excellent full back, with good pace and superb tackling ability. Thanks to his high potential, he should grow quickly during his time on your team, ensuring you’re solid at the back as you look to move up the league.
Just loan him in for the season; his wages are £15,000.
Michel is an ideal full back and can be bought for free
Michel
Club: UD Almería
Position: RB
OVR: 73
Potential: 77
Age: 24
Cost: £0 (free)
Wages: £30,000
Once Zappacosta departs at the end of his loan spell, you’re going to need a replacement, and I recommend Michel from UD Almería in the Spanish top division. If anything, he’s an even better full back than Zappacosta; with 86 sprint speed and 90 stamina, he’s going to be harrying attackers and defenders alike all game. His good crossing and ball control will come in handy when going forward, while his tackling will keep things secure in defence. His 72 strength isn’t bad for a full back either.
The benefit of getting a player this way (loan one in then get another for free) is that costs are kept to an absolute minimum. As such, there is no need to pay a transfer fee for Michel; instead, approach him in the January transfer window and select ‘approach to sign on contract expiry’. All you’ll have to pay will be his wages of £30,000.
Iñaki Williams is a well rounded striker who will score goals galore
Iñaki Williams
Club: Athletic Bilbao
Position: ST
OVR: 70
Potential: 79
Age: 20
Cost: £2,000,000
Wages: £20,000
At first glance, it may not seem as though RCD Espanyol’s strikers need any attention – they have Felipe Caicedo and Sergio García, after all. But look a little closer and you realise that the next best striker on the team is rated 59 and has 64 potential. There are three more strikers, rated between 55 and 58 and with potential 64 and 63. Not exactly ideal. Moreover, García is 31 and will soon be declining. Replacements are needed quickly.
My choice is Iñaki Williams of Athletic Bilbao. With 84 acceleration and 83 sprint speed he has the pace to trouble defences, but his 79 strength means he can hold the ball up and play with his back to goal if needed. He can finish and has great positioning, but can also pass well, meaning you can drop him back to CAM if you want. Finally, his four star skills will be a great boost if you like using tricks to beat defenders.
When Thievy Bifouma returns from loan and partners Williams, you’ll have a fantastic strike force to replace García and Caicedo in a few years’ time.
Athletic Bilbao will want £2,900,000 for him, but I was able to get that down to £2,000,000. His wages are £20,000.
Given how little is left in the budget, here’s who I suggest you sell in order to make some money.
Suggested sales
RCD Espanyol have four goalkeepers; you don’t need that many, so can easily sell on Andrés for about £90,000, then sell Germán Parreño when he returns from loan for about £140,000.
Rubén Duarte at left back and Rober at right back can be sold for around £150,000 total; again, it’s not much but it adds a little to the budget, frees up wages and prevents them from complaining about a lack of game time.
The team also have loads of strikers; unfortunately, most of them are terrible. Sell on Lauren Egia, Mamadou Sylla Diallo and Aday Benítez for a total of around £300,000.
Unfortunately, there just aren’t that many players that you can do without who will bring in a huge amount of money. Still, selling those players can land you around £500,000 – £600,000, which could help hire a scout or fund another transfer.
Future considerations – renew contracts
Make sure you hold on to Kiko Casilla
Though RCD Espanyol don’t have a huge amount of players with expiring contracts, there are a few you need to be aware of. Victor Sánchez and Diego Colotto are both coming to the end of their contracts, but most importantly, so is Kiko Casilla.
Seeing as he is by far the best goalkeeper on the team, you need to get him to sign a new contract to prevent other clubs signing him for free in January. If that did happen, you would just be left with three low potential keepers, the best of whom would be rated 63 and have potential 70. That’s quite a drop in quality, so it’s vital to ensure you renew Casilla’s contract.
Future considerations – get a new right midfielder
Alen Stevanovic can make a devastating impact at RCD Espanyol
Though RCD Espanyol have Lucas Vázquez at right midfield, he’s only in on loan for the season. When he goes, there’s no obvious replacement, so I suggest getting one in quickly. Seeing as there’s not much left in the way of transfer funds, getting a player in on a free transfer would probably be the best way to do this.
With that in mind, my suggestion is Alen Stevanovic of La Spezia in the Italian Serie B. With 91 acceleration and 92 sprint speed he’s lightning quick, and his 81 stamina will help him run for hours. He’s also got great dribbling and crossing (73 and 70 respectively), which will combine superbly with his four star weak foot, making him a threat on either wing.
His wages are just £8,000, which should be easily affordable once you’ve sold on some players.
That’s it for this week’s article on good teams for career mode. Though RCD Espanyol play in one of the toughest leagues in the world, they’ve got enough going for them to be able to challenge for silverware in a few years’ time. With some shrewd purchases, you’ll be able to build them up into title contenders and launch a challenge on the Barcelona-Real Madrid monopoly.
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?
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