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Ryan Pessoa's FUT 22 guide: the best Serie A starter team
According to FIFA pro Ryan, the Italian top division is packed with value, and a good place to begin in the latest version of Ultimate Team.
Serie A has lost two of the most prolific strikers of the modern age this summer. But the return of Romelu Lukaku and Cristiano Ronaldo to the Premier League isn't all bad news for FUT bargain hunters. In fact, it offers some useful hybrid opportunities for anyone who is just starting out in Ultimate Team.
Luis Muriel at Atalanta will be one of Serie A’s must-have players
“Luis Muriel at Atalanta will be one of Serie A’s must-have players for early game," says Ryan Pessoa. "His pace, dribbling, and four-star skills and four-star weak foot will make him a force up front.”
Although he's also left the league, Italian keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma's chemistry means he would sit neatly behind good starter team centre-backs like Danilo D'Ambrosio and Alessio Romagnoli, so is definitely worth considering. French keeper Mike Maignan, who is Donnarumma's replacement at AC Milan, would also be good in Ligue 1 hybrids. Anyway, let's get your Serie A starter team up and running with some quality picks.
The Giuseppe Meazza – aka the San Siro – is home to Inter and AC Milan
© EA
Ante Rebić (LM, 82) - AC Milan, Croatia
In real life, AC Milan's young team looked like they could do impressive things in the Champions League this season, thanks to a strong showing against Liverpool. Despite losing that match narrowly at Anfield, one of their more established players, 27-year-old Ante Rebić, stood out. Usually found marauding down the left of their attack, the Croatian winger can also play through the centre and has very strong shooting for an early-game card in the low 80s. Unfancied due to sub-90s pace and Croatian links, he'll be pretty decent.
Fikayo Tomori (CB, 79) - AC Milan, England
His Englishness will probably mean you have to pay a premium, but if you can get Tomori early on then you probably won't need to replace him for a good few weeks. Fast, tall and strong for an early-game card, he will probably get a Team of the Week card -- EA loves doing an early-game English centre-back -- and go up in price while out of packs.
Franck Kessié (CDM, 84) - AC Milan, Ivory Coast
Frank Kessié's 87 physical rating includes 94 stamina
© EA
Expected to make the move to another big league at some point, AC Milan's midfield destroyer will hold down the centre of your team for a decent period in the early game if you can get him. He's not too far off the 'Gullit Gang', too, so expect special cards to follow that pull him out of packs for some price inflation as well.
Hirving Lozano (RW, 81) - Napoli, Mexico
Everyone's favourite super sub is actually a very effective starter at this stage of the game. His blistering pace and reasonable stats elsewhere mean that he will work well stretching the play on the right touchline, and could even do a job through the middle.
Luis Muriel (ST, 82) - Atalanta, Colombia
Atalanta's Muriel offers strong pace and shooting stats
© EA
Another Serie A mainstay with pace to burn, Muriel is a great early-game striker for players who want to move the ball quickly and outpace slower centre-backs. Put him in a trio with Lozano and Rebić and you will be laughing your way to victories for a decent period.
Federico Chiesa (RW, 83) - Juventus, Italy
One of Italy's hottest properties after their successful Euro 2020 run, Chiesa's card isn't quite as explosive as we had hoped, but he would still be great to have in any team.
Manuel Locatelli (CM, 82) - Juventus, Italy
Newly-acquired by Juve during the summer, Locatelli is a great option for an early-game midfield. Put him alongside Kessié and he will run the game until you're ready to bring in a more powerful option.
Mike Maignan (GK, 84) - AC Milan, France
Make Milan's Mike Maignan your main man
© EA
Meme-friendly French goalkeeper Mike 'My Nan' Maignan is Donnarumma's replacement at AC Milan. Like Donnarumma before him, he is likely to be the default Serie A keeper for anyone who's too stingy to splash out on Inter Milan's Samir Handanović. Perhaps Maignan is a better option generally, since he has those coveted French links to boot. (Or do we mean 'to glove'?)
Nicolo Barella (CM, 84) - Inter Milan, Italy
Barella is another young Italian with a Euro 2020 winner's medal and an enhanced reputation going into FIFA 22. He would also be a good choice alongside Locatelli or Kessié in the heart of midfield. Use Barella as a box-to-box option in either a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 to get the best out of him, but he could also hold his own as a CDM.
Rafael Leão (LW, 77) - AC Milan, Portugal
He's only a non-rare gold, but don't overlook AC Milan's young Portuguese attacker, who has pace to burn and decent enough dribbling skills for the very early game. His passing is woeful, but if you can move him into the centre then you may have a cheap, effective alternative to pricier striking options.
Roger Ibañez (CB, 76) - Roma, Brazil
Everyone's on the lookout for 80+ pace centre-backs early on in the FIFA cycle. This may make Ibañez a little premium priced next to other Serie A options, but he'll be great if you can get him. And who knows? Hopefully the relative popularity of cards like Manolas and Tomori will keep his price a little lower.
Sandro Tonali (CDM, 77) - AC Milan, Italy
Probably the weaker of several options in an area of real strength for Serie A starter teams, Tonali is still decent enough to play the role. If you prefer to concentrate your coins elsewhere, he may be a cheaper alternative to the likes of Locatelli and Barella when everyone is just starting out.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (ST, 84) - AC Milan, Italy
Did we refer to the Rossoneri as a young team at the beginning of this piece? That was excepting the ever-exceptional 39-year-old Zlatan, of course. Okay, he'll never outrun a FIFA 22 defence. Not even in Silver Lounge. But considering that he is 84-rated and 6'5", his 87-rated shooting and solid passing, dribbling and strength mean that he is the ideal target man in a two-striker attack. Put him in with Muriel or someone like that, bounce the ball off him, and shoot on sight whenever he gets it back within 25 yards of the goal. Zlatan has had a +13 pace boost this year to get to that 64 base stat, so surely he deserves your support.
