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Best Teams to Manage in FIFA 20 Career Mode
Boss world football with Barcelona or take Leeds United back to the promised land in FIFA 20.
When you’ve won your seventh Champions League with the club you support, in FIFA 20, it begins to get a bit boring. Even if that club is Grimsby. EA Sports’ annual football series has an abundance of football clubs to choose from, so why pigeonhole yourself to one? It’s time for a change.
Whether you’re looking to control world football with an already established superpower, or you want to wake up a sleeping giant, there are so many fun scenarios available in FIFA 20’s career mode. So, without any further ado, here are the top six clubs to manage in FIFA 20.
1. Barcelona
Things could get Messi if you don't get success with Barca
© EA
Sitting in Camp Nou’s hotseat may not challenge your mettle every weekend, but it sure would be an awful lot of fun! With approximately £170m in the kitty, you basically have the pick of the bunch when it comes to players on the transfer market. Plus, y’know, the fact that you’re Barcelona should pique the interest of most targets.
Although, how many new players do you need to sign? With a front three of Messi (94 overall), Suarez (89) and Griezmann (89), goals aren’t going to be hard to come by. A solid midfield highlighted by new recruit de Jong will see you right for years to come – his starting overall is 86, but he can reach a 92. Defensively, Piqué is probably on his last legs, as his poor acceleration shows, but Semedo could easily slot in alongside Lenglet if you’re worried about strikers with blistering pace. Looking to annihilate the opposition? Look no further than Barcelona.
2. Leeds United
Leeds them to victory and you'll be a star forever
© EA
It’s time the pride of the north quit knocking on the door and just blast the sucker off its hinges, don’t you think? It’s been over 15 years since Leeds United last played ball in England’s top flight and that just feels wrong. Do one better than Marcelo Bielsa and be the hero that takes Yorkshire’s finest back to where they belong. It would make a hell of a story.
It’s not a tale confined to fiction, either. RB Luke Ayling and LB Stuart Dallas are accomplished full-backs in a defence that deserves to be going up against the front three of Salah, Mané and Firmino twice a year. Younger talents such as LM Jack Harrison and CDM Kalvin Phillips show the future is bright for Leeds with potential overalls of 80 and 82, respectively. If journeyman striker Patrick Bamford doesn’t do it for you, bring in fresh blood: United’s £15m transfer budget makes them one of The Championship’s flusher sides.
3. Real Sociedad
Martin Ødegaard could make success with this team Real easy
© EA
Two words: Martin Ødegaard. The Norwegian midfielder is one of the best in the world at the minute, making Real Socidad a really exciting prospect when choosing which team to manage in FIFA 20. He’ll likely be back under the tutelage of Zidane next season, so if you want your La Liga Cinderella story, then take charge of the Basque Country football club now.
A lacklustre transfer budget isn’t something to get worked up over as there’s more to Sociedad than just the on-loan Ødegaard: Spanish winger Oyarzabal packs a punch with his 83 overall (and 89 potential) and CM Merino, while not the complete product now, can reach an 87 overall. Shore up the team’s defence and you can topple The Big Two sooner than you’d think.
4. West Ham United
Get your team United, and make West Ham the team they should have been
© EA
There’s no reason why West Ham shouldn’t be fighting for fourth place every season. Obviously, in reality, there are a couple of reasons – mismanagement in the boardroom being chief among them – but the beautiful thing about FIFA 20’s career mode is that it allows for a fresh slate. Looking at The Hammers’ 2019-20 season, the best bet for success in East London is probably via a video game.
In attack, they’re very strong: Frenchman Sébastien Haller (82 overall) in front of Lanzini (79) and the terrific Felipe Anderson (83) can threaten defences of the highest quality. Your back four is what you should look at improving. Thanks to a bloated transfer budget, and the Premier League’s allure, you should be able to snap up some great centre halves from the continent.
5. Ajax
Okay, there are no puns for Ajax
© EA
Most were convinced Ajax would falter on the big stage after losing Frenkie de Jong to Juventus and Matthijs de Ligt to Barcelona, and while Netherlands’ greatest ever team haven’t taken the Champions League by storm this season, there is still so much talent there. Ziyech, Van de Beek, Tadic, Neres: all these players have overalls between 81 and 85. In the case of 22-year-old Van de Beek, that can go as high as 87. New additions such as Argentinian defender Lisandro Martínez show that the Amsterdam club have no plans to rest on their laurels.
With the excellent youth set-up, there should be quality youngsters coming up the ranks, allowing you to build for a glorious future. You may have no other choice, really, as the club won’t be competing with Europe’s elite for top players because of a modest transfer budget. With your tactical nouse and a slew of skilful boys, you can take this club back to the top of European football.
6. RB Leipzig
Leipzig have all you need to throw Bayern from the top spot
© EA
For the last decade Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have ruled the Bundesliga. However, in those ten years, a new superpower of German football has emerged: RB Leipzig. With players like Werner (83), Sabitzer (81) and Gulácsi (85), the Leipzig contingent has made their presence felt.
A transfer budget of nearly £60m affords you the opportunity to bring in fresh meat, but don’t look past the youth you have at the club: Wolf and Mukiele both have potentials of 85, Adams, Ampadu and Lookman can all go one better by finishing on 86 overalls, and Konate and Upamecano can become two of the best in the world by reaching 88. A lot of the hard work has been done for you; all you have to do is sign on the dotted line and knock Bayern off their perch.
