For all those players who plan to build a FIFA 18 Serie A squad (known on FIFA 18 by Calcio A), we’ve conducted an extensive analysis on the best players.
Here is our guide to the top Italian league players in FIFA 18 Ultimate Team.
QUICK ACCESS
Introduction
Serie A
Goalkeepers
Centre Backs
Right Backs
Left Backs
Central Defensive Midfielders
Central Midfielders
Central Attacking Midfielders
Right Midfielders
Left Midfielders
Forwards
Teams
OTHER LEAGUES | ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ??
Introduction to the FIFA 18 Serie A Squad Guide
Building a team is the biggest challenge in FIFA 18 Ultimate Team. It doesn’t need to be the best team, this is because the budget may not allow it, but it needs to be the player’s stature for him to obtain success.
When choosing which players to play with, you will have to look carefully at their attributes. Choosing a team based on ratings is one of the most common mistakes on FUT 18. It’s precisely this aspect that this guide focuses on. For each position, and focusing on the truly important attributes, we’ll show you who are the best athletes to choose.
It’s also important that the player checks to see if the player he chooses fits the formations he likes to play in. For example, a good full back will be useless if the player only uses a formation with three defenders. According to these formations, the player must be cautious and look at the work rate. Try to relate them with the ones we advise in our Formations Guide.
Last but not least, it’s mandatory that you tune all of your team so that the individual and team chemistry will be as high possible. For this last step to be easier, the majority of the players start to define the type of team they’re building. Some choose to gather players of the same nationality, while others decide to form a team of players from the same league. There are also more experienced players that can form hybrid teams without damaging team chemistry a lot.
All of these steps are necessary to have; or it could mean that the team is not always well built as it could be. This article aims to help those that want to form a FIFA 18 Serie A squad. Even the players that already have a team based in this league, could take out some valuable conclusions from this guide that could help you make your team even better.
We received thousands of comments about similar guides that we have published in previous years. Most of them have asked us to help improve their teams and the players they had. It’s important that the readers understand that this guide is simply guidance. It’s a theme too vast and the player combinations are almost infinite. Besides, there are various factors that influence the choices, like one’s style of play, the formations used, the available budget, the preferences or even the time spent playing. There’s still one uncertain component: a good player for someone might not be for another. If there was a better team everyone would fight to get it. Part of the fun of FIFA 18 Ultimate Team is this: everyone has their personal club and players.
Another important point and that must stay very clear is that whoever is reading this guide, it’s about some criteria we chose and should be of everyone’s knowledge:
Only Gold Players
In this guide we didn’t consider silver or bronze player. Most players don’t assume them to be a better option than gold players, so to simplify the guide’s analysis we didn’t include them. In the future we may come to publish guides exclusively talking about these qualities.
Only Regular Players
In this guide, we didn’t consider In Forms (IF). They’re extremely expensive and in most cases are not considered good value for money. They should only be used by players with generous budgets, that already have the best team possible and that want small upgrades.
Only Normal Players
In this guide, we didn’t consider players that have been transferred to other clubs or that have been reviewed (UP). Only players that started their season in the Serie A and with their original attributes were considered.
Only Original Attributes
In this guide, we didn’t consider changes made on a players performance such happens when applying training or chemistry styles cards.
Position Analysis
To make the comprehension of this guide easier we divided the players in ten distinct groups in order of their original position: Goalkeeper (GK), central backs (CB), right backs (RB and RWB), left backs (LB and LWB), central defensive midfielders (CDM), central midfielders (CM), central attacking midfielders (CAM), right midfielders (RM, RW and RF), left midfielders (LM, LW and LF) and forwards (CF and ST).
Fluctuation of Prices
In the chapter where FIFA 18 Serie A squads are suggested, we added a link where you can check anytime the updated prices.
Serie A
The Serie A is one of the most competitive leagues in the world, but the football is not as spectacular as it is in UK, Spain or Germany.
The qualification of the champion is made through the made points system. Whichever team gathers the most points wins the league. The first three classified teams gain access to the champions league of the next year, while the fourth and fifth qualify for the Europa League and the last three trade places with the first three qualified from the Serie B. Every season starts in September and finishes in May, having 38 game weeks with ten matches each, being a total of 380 matches per season.
The Serie A is the third best league classified in the UEFA league coefficient.
Started in 1898, the Italian league has been conquered by sixteen clubs. The dominant club is Juventus, with a total of 33 titles. AC Milan (18), Inter (18) and Genova (9) are the other teams that have won numerous titles.
Serie A is a good choice for those who are looking for quality players, but don’t have a large budget. There is not many choices, but the players in Serie A are probably the best value for money.
SERIE A
Total Players: 563
Gold Players: 261
Average Rating (Global): 73
Best New Cards:
Blaise Matuidi
Nani
Benedikt Höwedes
Douglas Costa
Ricardo Rodríguez
Highest Upgrades:
Roberto Gagliardini (+17)
Petar Brlek (+10)
Thomas Strakosha (+10)
Highest Downgrades:
Petar Brlek (-10)
Mattia Valoti (-4)
Marco Sportiello (-4)
Best FIFA 18 Serie A Goalkeepers
GK
Goalkeepers are the players that are used least on the field. Because of this they are also first ignored when building a team. Most players start their purchases with a forward, later they strengthen the midfield, the defence and only later the goal. The truth is a good goalkeeper may be worth a lot of goals. They are a good investment because they are normally the most economically accessible players.
The goalkeepers with most prestige in the Serie A are the charismatic Gianluigi Buffon and the most capped goalkeeper for Slovenia Samir Handanovič. With having the best rating they are also the most searched for by this league’s teams so this makes them more expensive.
| Gianluigi Buffon | 89 | Juventus | ITA |
| Samir Handanovič | 87 | Inter | SVN |
| Mattia Perin | 83 | Genoa | ITA |
| José Reina | 83 | Napoli | ESP |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | 82 | Milan | ITA |
| Wojciech Szczęsny | 82 | Juventus | POL |
| Emiliano Viviano | 82 | Sampdoria | ITA |
| Andrea Consigli | 82 | Sassuolo | ITA |
| Alisson | 80 | Roma | BRA |
| Antonio Mirante | 80 | Bologna | ITA |
| Federico Marchetti | 80 | Lazio | ITA |
| Salvatore Sirigu | 79 | Torino | ITA |
| Stefano Sorrentino | 79 | Chievo Verona | ITA |
| Marco Sportiello | 78 | Fiorentina | ITA |
| Etrit Berisha | 78 | Atalanta | ALB |
When choosing a good goalkeeper it’s not only down to his rating. There are two fundamental attributes for choosing a good goalkeeper: reflexes and diving.
The first measures a goalkeeper’s agility when making a save. In the entire world, no one has better reflexes as Perin.
| Mattia Perin | Genoa | ITA | 90 |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | Milan | ITA | 88 |
| Samir Handanovič | Inter | SVN | 87 |
| Wojciech Szczęsny | Juventus | POL | 87 |
| Alisson | Roma | BRA | 86 |
| Gianluigi Buffon | Juventus | ITA | 84 |
| Andrea Consigli | Sassuolo | ITA | 84 |
| Federico Marchetti | Lazio | ITA | 84 |
| Simone Scuffet | Udinese | ITA | 84 |
| Emiliano Viviano | Sampdoria | ITA | 83 |
| José Reina | Napoli | ESP | 82 |
| Antonio Mirante | Bologna | ITA | 82 |
| Marco Sportiello | Fiorentina | ITA | 81 |
| Etrit Berisha | Atalanta | ALB | 81 |
| Łukasz Skorupski | Roma | POL | 81 |
Diving is a fundamental attribute when choosing a goalkeeper. It measures the capacity for a goalkeeper to make a save when jumping.
In this attribute, it is Buffon the best one.
| Gianluigi Buffon | Juventus | ITA | 89 |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | Milan | ITA | 88 |
| Samir Handanovič | Inter | SVN | 87 |
| Wojciech Szczęsny | Juventus | POL | 83 |
| Andrea Consigli | Sassuolo | ITA | 82 |
| Antonio Mirante | Bologna | ITA | 82 |
| Emiliano Viviano | Sampdoria | ITA | 81 |
| Mattia Perin | Genoa | ITA | 80 |
| José Reina | Napoli | ESP | 80 |
| Federico Marchetti | Lazio | ITA | 80 |
| Stefano Sorrentino | Chievo Verona | ITA | 80 |
| Marco Sportiello | Fiorentina | ITA | 80 |
| Łukasz Skorupski | Roma | POL | 80 |
| Salvatore Sirigu | Torino | ITA | 79 |
| Etrit Berisha | Atalanta | ALB | 79 |
The most experienced Ultimate Team players know that another leaning factor on a goalkeeper’s performance without considering the remaining four attributes: height. The more tall a goalkeeper is, better his chances of having a clean sheet.
The Serie A goalkeepers are very tall. From the 20 goalies, sixteen have at least 191cm. Donnarumma is the tallest one, 8 cm taller than Federico Marchetti.
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | Milan | ITA | 196 / 6′5″ |
| Wojciech Szczęsny | Juventus | POL | 196 / 6′5″ |
| Emiliano Viviano | Sampdoria | ITA | 195 / 6′5″ |
| Etrit Berisha | Atalanta | ALB | 194 / 6′4″ |
| Samir Handanovič | Inter | SVN | 193 / 6′4″ |
| Antonio Mirante | Bologna | ITA | 193 / 6′4″ |
| Albano Bizzarri | Udinese | ARG | 193 / 6′4″ |
| Salvatore Sirigu | Torino | ITA | 192 / 6′4″ |
| Marco Sportiello | Fiorentina | ITA | 192 / 6′4″ |
| Gianluigi Buffon | Juventus | ITA | 191 / 6′3″ |
| Alisson | Roma | BRA | 191 / 6′3″ |
| Andrea Consigli | Sassuolo | ITA | 189 / 6′2″ |
| Mattia Perin | Genoa | ITA | 188 / 6′2″ |
| José Reina | Napoli | ESP | 188 / 6′2″ |
| Federico Marchetti | Lazio | ITA | 188 / 6′2″ |
The choice for the best Serie A goalkeeper on FIFA 18 Ultimate Team is really easy.
Your goal will be in safe hands whether you choose Buffon or Handanovič . Our preference goes to the Juventu’s goalkeeper mainly because of his superb positioning.
It’s even more difficult to choose between Donnaruma, Perin and Reina. The amazing reflexes and diving stats of the Milan’s goalkeeper made the difference.
GOALKEEPERS
Best Players
1 Gianluigi Buffon
2 Samir Handanovič
Gianluigi Donnarumma
4 Mattia Perin
5 José Reina
Economic Choice
Gianluigi Donnarumma
Best FIFA 18 Serie A GoalkeeperBest FIFA 18 Serie A Centre Backs
CB
A goalkeeper task is made easier if in front of him are quality central backs. Their function is to stop the opponent from getting dangerously close to your team’s goal.
Chiellini is still the highest rated centre back playing in Italy.
| Giorgio Chiellini | 89 | Juventus | ITA |
| Leonardo Bonucci | 88 | Milan | ITA |
| Miranda | 86 | Inter | BRA |
| Andrea Barzagli | 85 | Juventus | ITA |
| Kalidou Koulibaly | 84 | Napoli | SEN |
| Kostas Manolas | 84 | Roma | GRE |
| Medhi Benatia | 84 | Juventus | MOR |
| Stefan de Vrij | 83 | Lazio | NED |
| Mateo Musacchio | 83 | Milan | ARG |
| Benedikt Höwedes | 83 | Juventus | GER |
| Francesco Acerbi | 82 | Sassuolo | ITA |
| Raúl Albiol | 82 | Napoli | ESP |
| Federico Fazio | 82 | Roma | ARG |
| Davide Astori | 81 | Fiorentina | ITA |
| Daniele Rugani | 80 | Juventus | ITA |
On a centre back, two attributes assume particular importance on their performance: defending and physical, which represents strength, stamina, aggression and jumping.
A player with good at defending will have an easier chance of dispossessing the opponent and avoid him reaching your box.
It’s the case of the Chiellini, Barzagli and Miranda. It’s really hard to get past them.
| Giorgio Chiellini | Juventus | ITA | 90 |
| Miranda | Inter | BRA | 88 |
| Andrea Barzagli | Juventus | ITA | 88 |
| Leonardo Bonucci | Milan | ITA | 87 |
| Kostas Manolas | Roma | GRE | 86 |
| Kalidou Koulibaly | Napoli | SEN | 85 |
| Medhi Benatia | Juventus | MOR | 85 |
| Stefan de Vrij | Lazio | NED | 85 |
| Francesco Acerbi | Sassuolo | ITA | 85 |
| Mateo Musacchio | Milan | ARG | 84 |
| Raúl Albiol | Napoli | ESP | 84 |
| Federico Fazio | Roma | ARG | 84 |
| Davide Astori | Fiorentina | ITA | 84 |
| Danilo | Udinese | BRA | 84 |
| Benedikt Höwedes | Juventus | GER | 83 |
The physical attribute shows the old heading capability but also how likely the players are to win game with their body. This is a crucial attribute when looking for the best centre back.
In this chapter, Koulibaly is who stand out.
| Kalidou Koulibaly | Napoli | SEN | 86 |
| Giorgio Chiellini | Juventus | ITA | 85 |
| Kostas Manolas | Roma | GRE | 83 |
| Juan Jesus | Roma | BRA | 83 |
| Sebastian De Maio | Bologna | FRA | 83 |
| Medhi Benatia | Juventus | MOR | 82 |
| Gabriel Paletta | Milan | ITA | 82 |
| Leonardo Bonucci | Milan | ITA | 81 |
| Federico Fazio | Roma | ARG | 81 |
| Maurício | Lazio | BRA | 79 |
| Cristian Zapata | Milan | COL | 79 |
| Mateo Musacchio | Milan | ARG | 78 |
| Nikola Maksimović | Napoli | SRB | 78 |
| Gustavo Gómez | Milan | PAR | 78 |
| Miranda | Inter | BRA | 77 |
Defending and heading may be useless against fast opponents. It’s necessary to fight fire with fire. No one likes feeling impotent when seeing you get overrun by extremely fast players. Even though, in a way, centre backs aren’t that fast, every team needs one of these players with a high pace attribute.
Manolas and Juan Jesus are the fastest centre back playing in the Serie A.
| Kostas Manolas | Roma | GRE | 80 |
| Juan Jesus | Roma | BRA | 79 |
| Giorgio Chiellini | Juventus | ITA | 74 |
| Medhi Benatia | Juventus | MOR | 74 |
| Lorenzo Tonelli | Napoli | ITA | 74 |
| Martín Cáceres | Hellas Verona | URU | 74 |
| Kalidou Koulibaly | Napoli | SEN | 73 |
| Bastos | Lazio | ANG | 72 |
| Miranda | Inter | BRA | 71 |
| Andrea Barzagli | Juventus | ITA | 71 |
| Giancarlo González | Bologna | COS | 71 |
| Mateo Musacchio | Milan | ARG | 70 |
| Nicolas Nkoulou | Torino | CAM | 70 |
| Nenad Tomović | Chievo Verona | SRB | 70 |
| Maurício | Lazio | BRA | 69 |
Giorgio Chiellini is our number one choice for this position. He is the one with the best defending stats. The Juventus’ defender is the most expensive of all centre backs in Serie A.
The big question is: who will partner with Chiellini? It isn’t easy to decide. Leonardo Bonucci is usually the most used, because he is the Serie A centre back with the best passing and dribbling stats. However, Miranda and Manolas are also good choices. Between these two, our preference goes to the Roma’s centre back because of his pace, stamina and strength.
The Italian football is known by its defensive and tactical style. It’s no surprise to find great defenders like Barzagli and Koulibaly for amazing prices. You don’t need a good budget to build a strong defensive line in this league.
CENTRE BACKS
Best Players
1 Giorgio Chiellini
2 Leonardo Bonucci
3 Kostas Manolas
4 Miranda
5 Andrea Barzagli
Economic Choice
Kostas Manolas
Best FIFA 18 Serie A Centre BacksBest FIFA 18 Serie A Right Backs
RB | RWB
Full backs have the role of troubling the job of wingers. In addition, good full backs also support their team mates on offensive manoeuvres.
Florenzi and Lichtsteiner are the most popular right backs playing in Serie A.
| Alessandro Florenzi | 82 | Roma | ITA |
| Stephan Lichtsteiner | 82 | Juventus | SUI |
| Dušan Basta | 80 | Lazio | SRB |
| João Cancelo | 79 | Inter | POR |
| Elseid Hysaj | 79 | Napoli | ALB |
| Rick Karsdorp | 78 | Roma | NED |
| Ignazio Abate | 78 | Milan | ITA |
| Silvan Widmer | 77 | Udinese | SUI |
| Bruno Gaspar | 77 | Fiorentina | POR |
| Gregory van der Wiel | 76 | Cagliari | NED |
| Lorenzo De Silvestri | 76 | Torino | ITA |
| Danilo D’Ambrosio | 75 | Inter | ITA |
| Christian Maggio | 75 | Napoli | ITA |
There are very important attributes for any right back: defending and pace.
Since they’re defenders they should have good defending capacities. This reduces a team’s risk of conceding.
In Italy, no one defends as well as Lichtsteiner and Basta.
| Stephan Lichtsteiner | Juventus | SUI | 80 |
| Dušan Basta | Lazio | SRB | 80 |
| Elseid Hysaj | Napoli | ALB | 77 |
| Alessandro Florenzi | Roma | ITA | 76 |
| Lorenzo De Silvestri | Torino | ITA | 75 |
| Danilo D’Ambrosio | Inter | ITA | 75 |
| Ignazio Abate | Milan | ITA | 74 |
| João Cancelo | Inter | POR | 73 |
| Rick Karsdorp | Roma | NED | 73 |
| Gregory van der Wiel | Cagliari | NED | 73 |
| Bruno Gaspar | Fiorentina | POR | 72 |
| Silvan Widmer | Udinese | SUI | 71 |
| Christian Maggio | Napoli | ITA | 70 |
A flanked game tends to be faster than a game based in the middle of the field. The players that fill these spaces are obligated to be fast, both penetrating defensive and attacking moves of the team. Pace is one of the most important requirements for a good full back. Even in FIFA 18.
Bellerín is the only right back faster than Cancelo.
| João Cancelo | Inter | POR | 92 |
| Rick Karsdorp | Roma | NED | 87 |
| Alessandro Florenzi | Roma | ITA | 85 |
| Ignazio Abate | Milan | ITA | 85 |
| Bruno Gaspar | Fiorentina | POR | 84 |
| Elseid Hysaj | Napoli | ALB | 81 |
| Silvan Widmer | Udinese | SUI | 81 |
| Gregory van der Wiel | Cagliari | NED | 79 |
| Stephan Lichtsteiner | Juventus | SUI | 77 |
| Dušan Basta | Lazio | SRB | 76 |
| Danilo D’Ambrosio | Inter | ITA | 75 |
| Christian Maggio | Napoli | ITA | 74 |
| Lorenzo De Silvestri | Torino | ITA | 73 |
Florenzi is the best choice for who needs a good Serie A right back. However, if you need someone more focused on the defense, maybe you should try Lichtsteiner.
If you just need someone faster, then it’s Cancelo who you are looking for.
RIGHT BACKS
Best Players
1 Alessandro Florenzi
2 Stephan Lichtsteiner
3 João Cancelo
4 Dušan Basta
5 Rick Karsdorp
Economic Choice
Dušan Basta
Best FIFA 18 Serie A Right BacksBest FIFA 18 Serie A Left Backs
LB | LWB
Left backs have exactly the same role of their team mates on the other flank. In other words, they try to make a winger’s job hard and participate in the team’s offensive manoeuvres.
On Serie A, there is a left back that stand out more than the other ones: Alex Sandro.
| Alex Sandro | 86 | Juventus | BRA |
| Ricardo Rodríguez | 81 | Milan | SUI |
| Faouzi Ghoulam | 79 | Napoli | ALG |
| Aleksandar Kolarov | 79 | Roma | SRB |
| Cristian Ansaldi | 79 | Torino | ARG |
| Ştefan Radu | 79 | Lazio | ROM |
| Kwadwo Asamoah | 78 | Juventus | GHA |
| Dalbert | 77 | Inter | BRA |
| Jordan Lukaku | 77 | Lazio | BEL |
| Mário Rui | 77 | Napoli | POR |
| Emerson | 76 | Roma | ITA |
| Mattia De Sciglio | 76 | Juventus | ITA |
| Davide Santon | 76 | Inter | ITA |
| Luca Antonelli | 76 | Milan | ITA |
| Antonio Barreca | 75 | Torino | ITA |
If you need someone to defend, you need to pick Ştefan Radu.
| Ştefan Radu | Lazio | ROM | 84 |
| Alex Sandro | Juventus | BRA | 81 |
| Aleksandar Kolarov | Roma | SRB | 78 |
| Ricardo Rodríguez | Milan | SUI | 77 |
| Faouzi Ghoulam | Napoli | ALG | 76 |
| Cristian Ansaldi | Torino | ARG | 76 |
| Luca Antonelli | Milan | ITA | 76 |
| Kwadwo Asamoah | Juventus | GHA | 75 |
| Mattia De Sciglio | Juventus | ITA | 74 |
| Davide Santon | Inter | ITA | 74 |
| Ivan Strinić | Sampdoria | CRO | 73 |
| Dalbert | Inter | BRA | 72 |
| Jordan Lukaku | Lazio | BEL | 72 |
| Mário Rui | Napoli | POR | 72 |
| Emerson | Roma | ITA | 68 |
Dalbert and Lukaku are faster than any other left back.
| Dalbert | Inter | BRA | 91 |
| Jordan Lukaku | Lazio | BEL | 89 |
| Alex Sandro | Juventus | BRA | 86 |
| Mário Rui | Napoli | POR | 86 |
| Antonio Barreca | Torino | ITA | 85 |
| Faouzi Ghoulam | Napoli | ALG | 80 |
| Cristian Ansaldi | Torino | ARG | 80 |
| Mattia De Sciglio | Juventus | ITA | 79 |
| Emerson | Roma | ITA | 79 |
| Kwadwo Asamoah | Juventus | GHA | 77 |
| Davide Santon | Inter | ITA | 76 |
| Luca Antonelli | Milan | ITA | 75 |
| Ricardo Rodríguez | Milan | SUI | 74 |
| Ivan Strinić | Sampdoria | CRO | 74 |
| Ştefan Radu | Lazio | ROM | 72 |
Alex Sandro is, in our opinion, the best left back playing in Serie A. He’s fast, good dribbler and defends well. He is a very balanced player.
If pace is all you need, then Lukaku may be who are looking for. Asamoah and Ricardo Rodríguez are also decent choices but they are much slower.
LEFT BACKS
Best Players
1 Alex Sandro
2 Kwadwo Asamoah
3 Ricardo Rodríguez
4 Jordan Lukaku
5 Cristian Ansaldi
Economic Choice
Kwadwo Asamoah
Best FIFA 18 Serie A Left BacksBest FIFA 18 Serie A Defensive Midfielder
CDM
Many of the FIFA 18 Ultimate Team formations require some midfielders that have a natural aptitude to defend. Central defensive midfielders distinguish themselves for being especially aimed to help the more retreated line of their teams. According to their attributes and their work rates, they can also be useful for starting attacks. They are players that occupy a very strategic position in the field.
There is a new top defensive midfielder on this league: Blaise Matuidi.
| Blaise Matuidi | 85 | Juventus | FRA |
| Lucas Biglia | 83 | Milan | ARG |
| Daniele De Rossi | 83 | Roma | ITA |
| Maxime Gonalons | 80 | Roma | FRA |
| Lucas Leiva | 79 | Lazio | BRA |
| Miguel Veloso | 78 | Genoa | POR |
| Riccardo Montolivo | 78 | Milan | ITA |
| Mirko Valdifiori | 77 | Torino | ITA |
| Carlos Sánchez | 77 | Fiorentina | COL |
| Amadou Diawara | 77 | Napoli | GUI |
| Ivan Radovanović | 77 | Chievo Verona | SRB |
| Valon Behrami | 77 | Udinese | SUI |
| Francesco Magnanelli | 77 | Sassuolo | ITA |
| Sebastián Cristóforo | 76 | Fiorentina | URU |
There are a variety of attributes in a central defensive midfielder that you have to give attention: defending, so that the first defender of team works; strength, so that you win all brawls in a prone area of the field; heading, to win possession in aerial moves like goal kicks; pace, so that you cover the most terrain on the field as possible; stamina, so they can equally participate in offensive and defensive moves (especially useful for players with high/high work rates); passing and possession so that he can properly start attacks. In our opinion the two first are the most important.
Normally using a central defensive midfielder is associated with having a deficit of elements in your defence. So, it makes sense that when you search for a player to occupy this position you’d want players that can defend.
The two highest rated CDMs are the ones who defend better. De Rossi and Matuidi are really good choices for teams that want to complicate an opponent’s game in the space between the midfield and the defence.
| Blaise Matuidi | Juventus | FRA | 82 |
| Daniele De Rossi | Roma | ITA | 81 |
| Maxime Gonalons | Roma | FRA | 80 |
| Lucas Leiva | Lazio | BRA | 78 |
| Lucas Biglia | Milan | ARG | 75 |
| Carlos Sánchez | Fiorentina | COL | 74 |
| Ivan Radovanović | Chievo Verona | SRB | 74 |
| Valon Behrami | Udinese | SUI | 74 |
| Francesco Magnanelli | Sassuolo | ITA | 74 |
| Sebastián Cristóforo | Fiorentina | URU | 74 |
| Miguel Veloso | Genoa | POR | 71 |
| Riccardo Montolivo | Milan | ITA | 69 |
| Mirko Valdifiori | Torino | ITA | 69 |
| Amadou Diawara | Napoli | GUI | 69 |
The area of the field occupied by the central defensive midfielders is the one where most ball disputes happen. Strong players will have a higher probability of winning the ball.
Again, Matuidi and De Rossi are the best on this side.
| Blaise Matuidi | Juventus | FRA | 84 |
| Carlos Sánchez | Fiorentina | COL | 84 |
| Daniele De Rossi | Roma | ITA | 82 |
| Maxime Gonalons | Roma | FRA | 81 |
| Ivan Radovanović | Chievo Verona | SRB | 80 |
| Valon Behrami | Udinese | SUI | 79 |
| Amadou Diawara | Napoli | GUI | 76 |
| Lucas Biglia | Milan | ARG | 75 |
| Lucas Leiva | Lazio | BRA | 74 |
| Francesco Magnanelli | Sassuolo | ITA | 74 |
| Miguel Veloso | Genoa | POR | 72 |
| Sebastián Cristóforo | Fiorentina | URU | 72 |
| Mirko Valdifiori | Torino | ITA | 71 |
| Riccardo Montolivo | Milan | ITA | 68 |
Matuidi is undoubtedly the best player for this position. The Calcio A fans should be happy to see him moving from France to Italy. There is no other CDM as fast as he is or with better defensive and physical skills.
If you need someone cheaper, you have two options: Biglia, for someone focused in the attack; or De Rossi for a more defensive player.
Gonalons is a kind of De Rossi light version but there are other even cheaper options: Sánchez if you want to give security to the back line or Miguel Veloso if you look for a CDM who plays like a CM.
CENTRE DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS
Best Players
1 Blaise Matuidi
2 Daniele De Rossi
Lucas Biglia
4 Maxime Gonalons
5 Carlos Sánchez
Economic Choice
Daniele De Rossi
Best FIFA 18 Serie A Central Defensive MidfieldersBest FIFA 18 Serie A Centre Midfielders
CM
A lot of games are decided in the midfield and not close to the goals. The players that play in these zones are the ones that should create the game and define its rhythm.
In the last few years, the Serie A have lost great players like Poga, Pirlo and Vidal. However, there is still many quality players in the midfield of the Italian stadiums.
| Marek Hamšík | 87 | Napoli | SVK |
| Radja Nainggolan | 86 | Roma | BEL |
| Miralem Pjanić | 85 | Juventus | BOS |
| Claudio Marchisio | 85 | Juventus | ITA |
| Kevin Strootman | 84 | Roma | NED |
| Sami Khedira | 84 | Juventus | GER |
| João Mário | 83 | Inter | POR |
| Giacomo Bonaventura | 83 | Milan | ITA |
| Jorginho | 81 | Napoli | ITA |
| Marco Parolo | 81 | Lazio | ITA |
| Marcelo Brozović | 81 | Inter | CRO |
| Sergej Milinković-Savić | 80 | Lazio | SRB |
| Piotr Zieliński | 80 | Napoli | POL |
| Allan | 80 | Napoli | BRA |
| Marco Benassi | 79 | Fiorentina | ITA |
Centre midfielders are responsible for discovering lines that break the opponents defence. Their passing quality has to be really good so they can assist forwards.
Pjanić has a great passing stat.
| Miralem Pjanić | Juventus | BOS | 86 |
| Marek Hamšík | Napoli | SVK | 84 |
| Claudio Marchisio | Juventus | ITA | 83 |
| Kevin Strootman | Roma | NED | 82 |
| Giacomo Bonaventura | Milan | ITA | 82 |
| Sami Khedira | Juventus | GER | 80 |
| João Mário | Inter | POR | 80 |
| Jorginho | Napoli | ITA | 80 |
| Luca Cigarini | Cagliari | ITA | 80 |
| Marcelo Brozović | Inter | CRO | 79 |
| Piotr Zieliński | Napoli | POL | 79 |
| Daniele Baselli | Torino | ITA | 79 |
| Radja Nainggolan | Roma | BEL | 78 |
| Lucas Castro | Chievo Verona | ARG | 78 |
| Senad Lulić | Lazio | BOS | 77 |
A Centre midfielder usually needs creativity. Good dribbling allows the team to move forward, creating potential disequilibrium’s.
Once again, Pjanić is the best dribbler playing on the Serie A.
| Miralem Pjanić | Juventus | BOS | 86 |
| Marek Hamšík | Napoli | SVK | 84 |
| Claudio Marchisio | Juventus | ITA | 84 |
| Giacomo Bonaventura | Milan | ITA | 83 |
| João Mário | Inter | POR | 83 |
| Radja Nainggolan | Roma | BEL | 82 |
| Piotr Zieliński | Napoli | POL | 82 |
| Jorginho | Napoli | ITA | 80 |
| Marcelo Brozović | Inter | CRO | 80 |
| Daniele Baselli | Torino | ITA | 80 |
| Lucas Castro | Chievo Verona | ARG | 80 |
| Sergej Milinković-Savić | Lazio | SRB | 79 |
| Kevin Strootman | Roma | NED | 78 |
| Allan | Napoli | BRA | 78 |
| Senad Lulić | Lazio | BOS | 78 |
We love the versatility of the Serie A midfielders. Marchisio and Nainggolan are the two best examples. They can play in any position of the midfield, including as CDM. They know how to attack and how to defend. Who doesn’t like to play with high stamina and high/high work rates players? Nainggolan is our favourite. Except the ICONS, he is the player in the entire game more close of reaching 80 in every single base attribute.
Don’t think these two players are the only two good options for your midfield. Pjanić and Hamšik are great if you don’t need someone to defend. They are top-assist players in any team.
CENTRE MIDFIELDERS
Best Players
1 Radja Nainggolan
2 Claudio Marchisio
3 Marek Hamšík
4 Miralem Pjanić
5 Sami Khedira
Economic Choice
Giacomo Bonaventura
Best FIFA 18 Serie A Centre MidfieldersBest FIFA 18 Serie A Central Attacking Midfielders
CAM
An attacking centre midfielder is responsible for creating chances to score. He should have a good dribbling, a decent passing, a high long shot stat and a great vision.
Dybala is much better than any other Centre Attacking Midfielder of this league.
| Paulo Dybala | 88 | Juventus | ARG |
| Borja Valero | 83 | Inter | ESP |
| Valter Birsa | 80 | Chievo Verona | SVN |
| Riccardo Saponara | 79 | Fiorentina | ITA |
| Gastón Ramírez | 78 | Sampdoria | URU |
| Luis Alberto | 77 | Lazio | ESP |
| Marko Rog | 76 | Napoli | CRO |
| Dennis Praet | 76 | Sampdoria | BEL |
| Amato Ciciretti | 75 | Benevento | ITA |
| Ricardo Álvarez | 75 | Sampdoria | ARG |
| João Pedro | 75 | Cagliari | BRA |
How we explained, the central attacking midfielders need to have good passing stats, so they can assist forwards.
Valero is the CAM with best passing stat in Italy.
| Borja Valero | Inter | ESP | 85 |
| Paulo Dybala | Juventus | ARG | 81 |
| Valter Birsa | Chievo Verona | SVN | 80 |
| Riccardo Saponara | Fiorentina | ITA | 79 |
| Luis Alberto | Lazio | ESP | 77 |
| Marko Rog | Napoli | CRO | 77 |
| Gastón Ramírez | Sampdoria | URU | 76 |
| Dennis Praet | Sampdoria | BEL | 76 |
| Ricardo Álvarez | Sampdoria | ARG | 76 |
| Amato Ciciretti | Benevento | ITA | 73 |
| João Pedro | Cagliari | BRA | 70 |
If a CAM is a good dribbler, he can make all the difference when the team is attacking.
In the world, and without counting ICONS, only Messi, Neymar and Hazard have better dribbling stats than Dybala.
| Paulo Dybala | Juventus | ARG | 91 |
| Borja Valero | Inter | ESP | 85 |
| Valter Birsa | Chievo Verona | SVN | 82 |
| Riccardo Saponara | Fiorentina | ITA | 81 |
| Gastón Ramírez | Sampdoria | URU | 79 |
| Ricardo Álvarez | Sampdoria | ARG | 77 |
| Luis Alberto | Lazio | ESP | 76 |
| Marko Rog | Napoli | CRO | 76 |
| Dennis Praet | Sampdoria | BEL | 76 |
| Amato Ciciretti | Benevento | ITA | 76 |
| João Pedro | Cagliari | BRA | 74 |
Dybala has no competition. He is the fastest CAM, the one with best shot and also the Serie A player with the best dribbling stat. The only question you may have is: in which position you will use him?
All the other players, except Valero, are not good options. He is not a good player but at least he is really good assisting his team mates to goal.
CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS
Best Players
1 Paulo Dybala
2 Borja Valero
Valter Birsa
4 Riccardo Saponara
5 Gastón Ramírez
Economic Choice
Valter Birsa
Best FIFA 18 Serie A Central Attacking MidfieldersBest FIFA 18 Serie A Right Wingers
RM | RW | RF
The wingers are responsible for giving game width in the attack. They’re normally very explosive players.
José Callejón is the most popular right winger playing in the Serie A.
| José Callejón | 83 | Napoli | ESP |
| Federico Bernardeschi | 82 | Juventus | ITA |
| Juan Cuadrado | 82 | Juventus | COL |
| Suso | 82 | Milan | ESP |
| Domenico Berardi | 81 | Sassuolo | ITA |
| Felipe Anderson | 81 | Lazio | BRA |
| Iago Falqué | 80 | Torino | ESP |
| Antonio Candreva | 80 | Inter | ITA |
| Bruno Peres | 78 | Roma | BRA |
| Valentin Eysseric | 78 | Fiorentina | FRA |
| Simone Verdi | 78 | Bologna | ITA |
| Gil Dias | 76 | Fiorentina | POR |
| Fabio Borini | 76 | Milan | ITA |
| Luca Rizzo | 75 | SPAL | ITA |
| Andrea Conti | 75 | Milan | ITA |
There are three fundamental attributes for a winger: pace, dribbling and passing.
Pace is probably the biggest weapon of these players. They use it to evade opponents and getting to the other side, many times via sprints on the side lines.
The Serie A is well served in this chapter. Four gold players have pace 90 or higher.
| Felipe Anderson | Lazio | BRA | 92 |
| Juan Cuadrado | Juventus | COL | 91 |
| Bruno Peres | Roma | BRA | 91 |
| José Callejón | Napoli | ESP | 90 |
| Darko Lazović | Genoa | SRB | 89 |
| Simone Verdi | Bologna | ITA | 88 |
| Domenico Berardi | Sassuolo | ITA | 85 |
| Gil Dias | Fiorentina | POR | 85 |
| Federico Bernardeschi | Juventus | ITA | 84 |
| Alessio Cerci | Hellas Verona | ITA | 83 |
| Suso | Milan | ESP | 82 |
| Andrea Conti | Milan | ITA | 81 |
| Federico Chiesa | Fiorentina | ITA | 81 |
| Iago Falqué | Torino | ESP | 79 |
| Antonio Candreva | Inter | ITA | 78 |
Just being fast doesn’t cut it to reach the opponents box, having good dribbling to surpass the opponents’ players that appear on the way.
There are a lot of players gifted in dribbling, including Cuadrado, Bernardeschi, Suso and Felipe Anderson.
| Juan Cuadrado | Juventus | COL | 86 |
| Federico Bernardeschi | Juventus | ITA | 86 |
| Suso | Milan | ESP | 86 |
| Felipe Anderson | Lazio | BRA | 86 |
| Iago Falqué | Torino | ESP | 84 |
| Simone Verdi | Bologna | ITA | 84 |
| José Callejón | Napoli | ESP | 83 |
| Domenico Berardi | Sassuolo | ITA | 83 |
| Bruno Peres | Roma | BRA | 80 |
| Gil Dias | Fiorentina | POR | 80 |
| Antonio Candreva | Inter | ITA | 79 |
| Federico Chiesa | Fiorentina | ITA | 79 |
| Alessio Cerci | Hellas Verona | ITA | 78 |
| Valentin Eysseric | Fiorentina | FRA | 77 |
| Darko Lazović | Genoa | SRB | 77 |
When reaching the opponents box the winger has to decide what to do. Normally, they choose to cross to the forwards. That is why it’s important for them to have good passing.
Suso has the best passing stat.
| Suso | Milan | ESP | 81 |
| Valentin Eysseric | Fiorentina | FRA | 79 |
| Iago Falqué | Torino | ESP | 78 |
| Federico Bernardeschi | Juventus | ITA | 77 |
| Felipe Anderson | Lazio | BRA | 77 |
| Domenico Berardi | Sassuolo | ITA | 76 |
| Antonio Candreva | Inter | ITA | 76 |
| Simone Verdi | Bologna | ITA | 76 |
| Juan Cuadrado | Juventus | COL | 75 |
| Luca Rizzo | SPAL | ITA | 74 |
| Alessio Cerci | Hellas Verona | ITA | 73 |
| José Callejón | Napoli | ESP | 71 |
| Bruno Peres | Roma | BRA | 71 |
| Darko Lazović | Genoa | SRB | 71 |
| Fabio Borini | Milan | ITA | 70 |
There is no reason for Cuadrado be so more expensive than Felipe Anderson. The Lazio’s winger is slightly better than Cuadrado in almost every stat, including passing, shooting and pace. However, the 5 star skills and the work rate more adjusted to the Colombian player position and stamina, can make the difference.
Most of the community uses Bruno Peres, Callejón and even Suso as alternative to Cuadrado but, in our opinion, Felipe Anderson is better than any of these players. And cheaper…
RIGHT MIDFIELDERS
Best Players
Melhores Jogadores
1 Juan Cuadrado
2 Felipe Anderson
Bruno Peres
4 José Callejón
5 Federico Bernardeschi
Economic Choice
Felipe Anderson
Best FIFA 18 Serie A Right WingersBest FIFA 18 Serie A Left Wingers
LM | LW | LF
The left wingers have exactly the same role as their team mates from the other side.
Lorenzo Insigne and Ivan Perišić are the two most popular left wingers playing in Serie A.
| Lorenzo Insigne | 85 | Napoli | ITA |
| Ivan Perišić | 84 | Inter | CRO |
| Nani | 83 | Lazio | POR |
| Douglas Costa | 82 | Juventus | BRA |
| Stephan El Shaarawy | 80 | Roma | ITA |
| Hakan Çalhanoğlu | 79 | Milan | TUR |
| Adem Ljajić | 79 | Torino | SRB |
| M’Baye Niang | 78 | Torino | FRA |
| Diego Laxalt | 78 | Genoa | URU |
| Emanuele Giaccherini | 78 | Napoli | ITA |
| Cyril Théréau | 77 | Fiorentina | FRA |
| Matteo Politano | 77 | Sassuolo | ITA |
| Ladislav Krejčí | 77 | Bologna | CZ |
| Leonardo Spinazzola | 76 | Atalanta | ITA |
| Marko Pjaca | 76 | Juventus | CRO |
Douglas Costa is the fastest left winger.
| Douglas Costa | Juventus | BRA | 92 |
| Lorenzo Insigne | Napoli | ITA | 90 |
| M’Baye Niang | Torino | FRA | 89 |
| Diego Laxalt | Genoa | URU | 88 |
| Stephan El Shaarawy | Roma | ITA | 87 |
| Ladislav Krejčí | Bologna | CZ | 85 |
| Ivan Perišić | Inter | CRO | 84 |
| Marko Pjaca | Juventus | CRO | 84 |
| Matteo Politano | Sassuolo | ITA | 82 |
| Leonardo Spinazzola | Atalanta | ITA | 82 |
| Nani | Lazio | POR | 81 |
| Adem Ljajić | Torino | SRB | 80 |
| Emanuele Giaccherini | Napoli | ITA | 78 |
| Cyril Théréau | Fiorentina | FRA | 72 |
| Hakan Çalhanoğlu | Milan | TUR | 69 |
Lorenzo Insigne is clearly the most highlighted left winger of Serie A in this chapter.
| Lorenzo Insigne | Napoli | ITA | 89 |
| Nani | Lazio | POR | 86 |
| Douglas Costa | Juventus | BRA | 84 |
| Stephan El Shaarawy | Roma | ITA | 84 |
| Adem Ljajić | Torino | SRB | 84 |
| Marko Pjaca | Juventus | CRO | 83 |
| Emanuele Giaccherini | Napoli | ITA | 82 |
| Matteo Politano | Sassuolo | ITA | 82 |
| Ivan Perišić | Inter | CRO | 81 |
| M’Baye Niang | Torino | FRA | 81 |
| Ladislav Krejčí | Bologna | CZ | 80 |
| Hakan Çalhanoğlu | Milan | TUR | 78 |
| Leonardo Spinazzola | Atalanta | ITA | 78 |
| Diego Laxalt | Genoa | URU | 77 |
| Cyril Théréau | Fiorentina | FRA | 77 |
Lorenzo Insigne , Nani and Çalhanoğlu have passing stats very similar.
| Lorenzo Insigne | Napoli | ITA | 82 |
| Nani | Lazio | POR | 81 |
| Hakan Çalhanoğlu | Milan | TUR | 81 |
| Ivan Perišić | Inter | CRO | 78 |
| Douglas Costa | Juventus | BRA | 77 |
| Adem Ljajić | Torino | SRB | 76 |
| Emanuele Giaccherini | Napoli | ITA | 76 |
| Ladislav Krejčí | Bologna | CZ | 76 |
| Marko Pjaca | Juventus | CRO | 74 |
| Diego Laxalt | Genoa | URU | 73 |
| Cyril Théréau | Fiorentina | FRA | 71 |
| Leonardo Spinazzola | Atalanta | ITA | 71 |
| Stephan El Shaarawy | Roma | ITA | 70 |
| Matteo Politano | Sassuolo | ITA | 70 |
| M’Baye Niang | Torino | FRA | 69 |
Insigne is clearly the best left winger. He is the one with the best passing and the best dribbling stats.
If you can not pay his price, you have two high-quality alternatives: Douglas Costa and Perišić. It’s not easy to pick the best one. Douglas Costa is faster but the Inter’s midfielder is a more complete player. Nani is also a very interesting player. It’s incredible how a player of this quality may be so cheap, especially because he has both 5 star skills and 5 stars weak foot.
LEFT MIDFIELDERS
Best Players
1 Lorenzo Insigne
2 Douglas Costa
3 Ivan Perišić
4 Nani
5 Stephan El Shaarawy
Economic Choice
Nani
Best FIFA 18 Serie A Left WingersBest FIFA 18 Serie A Forwards
CF | ST
The forwards are the players on which fall the most responsibility of scoring goals.
Gonzalo Higuaín is in his career’s top-form.
| Gonzalo Higuaín | 90 | Juventus | ARG |
| Dries Mertens | 86 | Napoli | BEL |
| Mauro Icardi | 84 | Inter | ARG |
| Edin Džeko | 84 | Roma | BOS |
| Alejandro Gómez | 84 | Atalanta | ARG |
| Andrea Belotti | 83 | Torino | ITA |
| Mario Mandžukić | 83 | Juventus | CRO |
| Ciro Immobile | 82 | Lazio | ITA |
| Nikola Kalinić | 81 | Milan | CRO |
| Josip Iličić | 80 | Atalanta | SVN |
| Diego Perotti | 80 | Roma | ARG |
| Eder | 80 | Inter | ITA |
| Arkadiusz Milik | 79 | Napoli | POL |
| Duván Zapata | 78 | Sampdoria | COL |
| Fabio Quagliarella | 78 | Sampdoria | ITA |
| André Silva | 78 | Milan | POR |
| Rodrigo Palacio | 78 | Bologna | ARG |
| Marco Borriello | 78 | SPAL | ITA |
| Gregoire Defrel | 77 | Roma | FRA |
| Felipe Caicedo | 77 | Lazio | ECU |
To score goals shooting is necessary. If either by foot or head, the most important attribute for a forward are: shooting, heading and pace.
Most goals are scored with the foot so good shooting is a necessary attribute for a forward.
The most rated striker is the one that has the best shooting stat: Gonzalo Higuaín.
| Gonzalo Higuaín | Juventus | ARG | 87 |
| Mauro Icardi | Inter | ARG | 83 |
| Edin Džeko | Roma | BOS | 83 |
| Ciro Immobile | Lazio | ITA | 83 |
| Arkadiusz Milik | Napoli | POL | 83 |
| Fabio Quagliarella | Sampdoria | ITA | 83 |
| Dries Mertens | Napoli | BEL | 82 |
| Josip Iličić | Atalanta | SVN | 82 |
| Andrea Belotti | Torino | ITA | 81 |
| Eder | Inter | ITA | 80 |
| Nikola Kalinić | Milan | CRO | 79 |
| Mario Mandžukić | Juventus | CRO | 78 |
| Alejandro Gómez | Atalanta | ARG | 77 |
| Duván Zapata | Sampdoria | COL | 77 |
| Gregoire Defrel | Roma | FRA | 77 |
| Leonardo Pavoletti | Cagliari | ITA | 76 |
| Khouma Babacar | Fiorentina | SEN | 76 |
| Sergio Floccari | SPAL | ITA | 76 |
| Marco Borriello | SPAL | ITA | 75 |
| Patrik Schick | Roma | CZ | 75 |
Jump, strength and stamina are the ingredients to the new physical attribute, very important when we are analysing the best forwards: jump to score with the head; strength to dispute the ball with the opponents; and stamina to sprint in direction of goal at any time of the game.
Most of the best Serie A strikers don’t have good physical. It’s not the case of Mario Mandžukić.
| Mario Mandžukić | Juventus | CRO | 87 |
| Andrea Belotti | Torino | ITA | 84 |
| Felipe Caicedo | Lazio | ECU | 81 |
| Duván Zapata | Sampdoria | COL | 78 |
| André Silva | Milan | POR | 78 |
| Alberto Paloschi | SPAL | ITA | 78 |
| Nikola Kalinić | Milan | CRO | 76 |
| Leonardo Pavoletti | Cagliari | ITA | 76 |
| Filip Đorđević | Lazio | SRB | 75 |
| Gonzalo Higuaín | Juventus | ARG | 74 |
| Ciro Immobile | Lazio | ITA | 74 |
| Khouma Babacar | Fiorentina | SEN | 73 |
| Edin Džeko | Roma | BOS | 72 |
| Roberto Inglese | Chievo Verona | ITA | 72 |
| Arkadiusz Milik | Napoli | POL | 71 |
| Mauro Icardi | Inter | ARG | 70 |
| Marco Borriello | SPAL | ITA | 70 |
| Alessandro Matri | Sassuolo | ITA | 70 |
| Riccardo Meggiorini | Chievo Verona | ITA | 70 |
| Fabio Quagliarella | Sampdoria | ITA | 68 |
Depending on the style of play and formation, having good shooting and heading may not be enough for a striker. Especially in games that privilege counter-attack, pace is a very important attribute.
Dries Mertens and Alejandro Gómez are the fastest strikers in Serie A.
| Dries Mertens | Napoli | BEL | 90 |
| Alejandro Gómez | Atalanta | ARG | 90 |
| Gregoire Defrel | Roma | FRA | 89 |
| Eder | Inter | ITA | 85 |
| Gianluca Lapadula | Genoa | ITA | 84 |
| Andrea Belotti | Torino | ITA | 82 |
| Ciro Immobile | Lazio | ITA | 81 |
| Diego Perotti | Roma | ARG | 81 |
| André Silva | Milan | POR | 80 |
| Gonzalo Higuaín | Juventus | ARG | 79 |
| Mauro Icardi | Inter | ARG | 78 |
| Rodrigo Palacio | Bologna | ARG | 78 |
| Giovanni Simeone | Fiorentina | ARG | 78 |
| Patrik Schick | Roma | CZ | 76 |
| Alberto Paloschi | SPAL | ITA | 76 |
| Khouma Babacar | Fiorentina | SEN | 76 |
| Riccardo Meggiorini | Chievo Verona | ITA | 76 |
| Mattia Destro | Bologna | ITA | 75 |
| Nikola Kalinić | Milan | CRO | 73 |
| Arkadiusz Milik | Napoli | POL | 73 |
Higuain and Mertens are two fantastic players that you will not want to miss. They complement each other very well. The first one is a goal machine, while the other one is faster, has a bad header but plays a lot for the team.
Far from the quality of these two, you have Alejandro Gómez. He had a great upgrade, making him one of the community favourites. Icardi didn’t have the same luck and is now a worse option than Belotti and Immobile. However, if you like to cross to the box, Mario Mandžukić may be a better alternative.
FORWARDS
Best Players
1 Gonzalo Higuaín
2 Dries Mertens
Alejandro Gómez
4 Andrea Belotti
5 Ciro Immobile
Economic Choice
Andrea Belotti
Best FIFA 18 Serie A ForwardsFIFA 18 Serie A Squad Suggestions
Ideas to help you building your FIFA 18 Serie A Squad
A lot of people think that this is the most important part of the guide. It’s not. The thing that is really important to know is how to choose players based on their role and style of play that fits each player. The team suggestions that follow are simple graphic indicators of what we wrote previously. They should serve merely as orientation because it’s impossible to build a team that fits everyone. They depend on various factors we don’t know such as budget, formation, style of play and player preferences.
To try and explore the needs of the maximum player as possible we suggest three teams with different budgets and formations: 4-1-2-1-2 with unlimited budget, 4-3-3 with medium budget and 4-4-2 with a low budget.
FIFA 18 Serie A Squad with Unlimited Budget
Click on the image to maximize itFIRST SQUAD
?? GK: Gianluigi Buffon
?? RB: Alessandro Florenzi
?? CBR: Leonardo Bonucci
?? CBL: Giorgio Chiellini
?? LB: Alex Sandro
?? CDM: Radja Nainggolan
?? RM: Juan Cuadrado
?? LM: Lorenzo Insigne
?? CAM: Paulo Dybala
?? STR: Gonzalo Higuaín
??STL: Dries Mertens
SUBSTITUTES AND RESERVES
?? GK: Samir Handanovič
?? RB: Stephan Lichtsteiner
?? CB: Kostas Manolas
?? CB: Miranda
?? LB: Kwadwo Asamoah
?? CDM: Blaise Matuidi
?? RM: Felipe Anderson
?? LM: Douglas Costa
?? CAM: Marek Hamšík
?? ST: Alejandro Gómez
?? ST: Andrea Belotti
? BUDGET
October 2017
Playstation 4
1,080,000 coins (starting eleven)
1,245,000 coins (starting eleven + subs)
Xbox One
985,000 coins (starting eleven)
1,120,000 coins (starting eleven + subs)
PC
1,320,000 coins (starting eleven)
1,515,000 coins (starting eleven + subs)
? UPDATED PRICES
If you want to know the current prices of any player or of the full squad, please click here.
? SUMMARY
The choice for this team’s players was based on the analysis made previously.
If there are undoubted players in this team, Buffon is certainly one of them. He has been crowned The Best FIFA Goalkeeper and he is one of the best goalies you can use in FIFA 18.
Chiellini and Alex Sandro are untouchables in any defence of this league. In our opinion, the other spots of the defence should be filled by Bonucci and Florenzi. However, Manolas is also a great option. If you think that Bonucci is too slow, even with the right chemistry style, then don’t be afraid to use the Roma’s centre back. He is really fast and gives security to any defense.
Nainggolan, the most versatile FUT 18 player, is a CM but he is better than any other native CDM of Serie A. We love his high/high work rates and amazing stamina. In front of him, Dybala is another top-quality player, making this midfield the strongest point of this league.
Who builds an unlimited budget Serie A squad shouldn’t use a formation with wingers. There are not many quality choices for this position. Cuadrado and Insigne are the best ones. Matuidi, Marchisio and Hamšík are just three examples of great players who have no room on this team because of the formation.
Higuain and Mertens are the perfect pair to the attack. They complement each other very well. The first one is a goal machine, while the other is faster, has a bad header but plays a lot for the team.
Once all the players reach maximum individual chemistry via loyalty (achieved by each player after 10 matches for your club or by being pack pulled) you can go without a manager for your squad. They’ll be of no use while wasting contracts.
FIFA 18 Serie A Squad with Medium Budget
Click on the image to maximize itFIRST SQUAD
?? GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma
?? RB: Stephan Lichtsteiner
?? CBR: Kostas Manolas
?? CBL: Miranda
?? LB: Kwadwo Asamoah
?? CMR: Giacomo Bonaventura
?? CMC: Sami Khedira
?? CML: Kevin Strootman
?? RW: Juan Cuadrado
?? LW: Lorenzo Insigne
?? ST: Alejandro Gómez
SUBSTITUTES AND RESERVES
?? GK: Mattia Perin
?? RB: João Cancelo
?? CB: Andrea Barzagli
?? CB: Kalidou Koulibaly
?? LB: Ricardo Rodríguez
?? CM: Borja Valero
?? CM: Daniele De Rossi
?? CM: João Mário
?? RW: Felipe Anderson
?? LW: Douglas Costa
?? ST: Andrea Belotti
? BUDGET
October 2017
Playstation 4
95,000 coins (starting eleven)
120,000 coins (starting eleven + subs)
Xbox One
70,000 coins (starting eleven)
90,000 coins (starting eleven + subs)
PC
95,000 coins (starting eleven)
125,000 coins (starting eleven + subs)
? UPDATED PRICES
If you want to know the current prices of any player or of the full squad, please click here.
? SUMMARY
The choices for this more affordable team players was based on analysis made previously.
In the goal, Donnarumma is good enough to keep you safe.
Manolas and Miranda are great examples of how it is possible to build a great team without paying too much coins. Lichtsteiner and Asamoah fill the other spots.
The central midfield position of this team has to be of Khedira. He builds up the first barrier between your goal line and the opponent, making his physicality and defensive attributes count. Besides that, he starts the attacks very well, thanks to his passings skills. Bonaventura and Strootman complete the midfield.
Most of the cards of the previous team are too expensive to be used in the medium budget squad. In fact, only Cuadrado and Insigne are still in the starting eleven. They have the mission to assist Alejandro Gómez, a nice surprise in this league.
If you still have some room in your budget, Handanovič, Florenzi, Matuidi and Hamšík are players that would improve this squad a lot.
FIFA 18 Serie A Squad with Low Budget
Click on the image to maximize itFIRST SQUAD
?? GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma
?? RB: Dušan Basta
?? CBR: Lorenzo Tonelli
?? CBL: Juan Jesus
?? LB: Kwadwo Asamoah
?? CMR: Maxime Gonalons
?? CML: Allan
?? RM: Felipe Anderson
?? LM: Nani
?? STR: Eder
?? STL: Gregoire Defrel
SUBSTITUTES AND RESERVES
?? GK: Mattia Perin
?? RB: Rick Karsdorp
?? CB: Davide Astori
?? CB: Martín Cáceres
?? LB: Jordan Lukaku
?? CM: Carlos Sánchez
?? CM: Marco Parolo
?? RW: Bruno Peres
?? LW: Stephan El Shaarawy
?? ST: Diego Perotti
?? ST: Josip Iličić
? BUDGET
October 2017
Playstation 4
9,000 coins (starting eleven)
15,000 coins (starting eleven + subs)
Xbox One
9,000 coins (starting eleven)
15,000 coins (starting eleven + subs)
PC
9,000 coins (starting eleven)
15,000 coins (starting eleven + subs)
? UPDATED PRICES
If you want to know the current prices of any player or of the full squad, please click here.
? SUMMARY
The choice for this budget team was based on analysis made previously.
Donnarumma is cheap enough to keep his spot in the team. Basta, Tonelli, Juan Jesus and Asamoah are the four other defenders. The fullbacks are a great value for money. The centre backs are not as good as we would like but they still are the best cheap defenders available.
On the midfield, Gonalons and Allan complement each other well. The first one is strong and aggressive, the second is a player that usually pushes forward to assist his colleagues. Nani and Felipe Anderson fill the wings in order to assist Eder and Defrel.
Follow our tips and you’ll become more successful on FIFA 18 Ultimate Team with your Serie A Team.
(88) handanovic
RB: (82) florenzi
CB: (84) manolas , (84) koulibaly
Lb: (86) rodriguez
Rm;(83) cuadrado
Cm;(86) bonaventura , (83) allan
Lm; (88)insigne
St; (89)Dybala,
NEED another striker or possible formation change and player add> suggestions?
It depends on your budget. TOTS cards of Gonzalo Higuaín, Ciro Immobile, Mauro Icardi and Alejandro Gómez are awesome. In your case, Higuain would be the best one.
I’m struggling with picking a formation. I like to play a lot of quick 1-touch passing up the field and through balls into forwards. Here’s my team:
Buffon
Florenzi, Chiellini, Barzagli, Cancelo
Hamsik, Khedira, Nainggolan
Mandzukic
Dybala, Higuain
Also, any suggestions for upgrades?
Hi. Try to save for Alex Sandro. Besides that, we don’t think Manduzkic should be used in that position. Regards
Hi rodrigo! This is my team 4-2-3-1(3Cam): Buffon-Zanetti(88)-benatia(87)-chiellini-Alex sandro(86)-Naingollan(87)-Pjanic(88)-Hamsik(89)-Mertens(87)-Dybala(89)-Icardi(89). How i can improve my team? Thanks
What a team! I can’t see how you can improve it without spending a lot of coins…
i can only buy mertens if or dybala if correctly? but they cost a lot of coins..
Hi Rodrigo, can you take a look at my squad and see where if I can do better anywhere?
*i had to buy filipe luis as he was a good LB for decent price while saving for Alex Sandro
GK- Buffon
RB- Florenzi
CB- Chiellini
CB- Bonucci
LB- Filipe Luiz
CM- Marchisio
CM- Hamsik
LM- Insigne
RM- Bernadeschi
CF- Dybala
ST- Mertens
Hi again. Yes, Alex Sandro should be one of your next buys. We don’t recommend playing with wingers in this league but if you really want to do it, at least use Cuadrado instead of Bernadeschi. Everything else, looks great.
Hello, this is my team:
Buffon
Rodriguez(86), Bonucci, Chiellini, Lichtsteiner(84)
Verratti(88)
Insigne(88), Bernardeschi(84)
Pirlo(91)
Giovinco(86), Icardi(88)
SUBS:
Handanovic, Koulibaly, Matuidi, Pjanic, Douglas Costa, Cuadrado Scream, Mertens
Any comments?? I have almos 200k to spend.
Great budget! Alex Sandro is a must buy. We also think that Florenzi is ones of the best value for money you will ever find. Finally, Radja is the player everyone with a Serie A based squad must have.
Thanks for your comment!! I was thinking about chanking Rodriguez for Alex Sandro and also getting Dybala. Do you think Dybala is a good idea? he is very expensive… and what do you think about changing Verrati for Radja? Verrati is fast and good deffender but he is very short.
Radja is one of the best players in his position. He is our first choice. Dybala is expensive but the quality has a high price.
Hi Rodrigo,
I currently have this squad (5-2-2-1)
Handanovic
Florenzi-Chiellini-Barzagli-Bonucci-86 Rodriguez
91 Pirlo-89 Hamsik
Dybala
Higuain-Mertens
I have the coins and thinking about changing it to this: (4-3-1-2)
Neuer
Florenzi-Bonucci-Boateng-Alaba
Bonaventura-91 Pirlo-Thiago
89 Hamsik
Higuain-Mertens
I hear a lot of people say that Neuer does some dodgy things but I am really unsatisfied with Handanovic who basically lets in every shot from outside the box. What do you think, is it worth the 90k coins to upgrade my squad to the latter?
Thanks in advance!
Well, if you are unhappy with Handanovic, maybe you should try Buffon.
To be honest, I think your first time is better.
I’m struggling with the perfect formation for my Calcio A squad. Pace is an issue, I try and get Dybala in behind the defence without much luck.
Ideas welcome!
https://imgur.com/a/QtLnD
You have a nice team but there are several things that may not be helping you:
1) Formations with wingers are not the best ones in this league.
2) You only have 3 defenders. None of your CMs has good defensive skills, which means they are alone.
3) Dybala, Pirlo and Hamsik play better as CAM and your formation only allows one CAM.
4) Your two STs are too similar.
Thanks Rodrigo, what formation would you recommend and I’ll try and work on your recommendations?
Maybe 532 or even better 41212 (2), buying Radja for the CDM position.
What do you think of this 41212 (2) – https://www.futhead.com/18/squads/2959752/
Might take a little time but should be possible…
NEW PLAYERS
—————
– MERTENS
– NAINGGOLAN
– SANDRO
– FLORENZI
REMOVE PLAYERS
——————-
– PIRLO (SUB)
– CUADRADO (SELL)
– INSIGNE (SELL)
It looks much better now!
However, I believe it wouldn’t be easy to left Pirlo out since you can’t sell him.
Hey Rodrigo. Higuain or 87 Icardi ? Icardi stats look insane
I don’t trust on IF cards…
Thanks
Hey Rodrigo. You said u bronze bench. How come? What effect does it have?
See here, please
Thank you
Getting bronze does it matter on the positions?
No. See the link please.
Hi my friend has these teams. What should be his next buys?
Gk Buffon
Dr florenzi
Lb Asamoah
Cb Miranda
Cb Manolas
Cdm Matuidi
Cdm marchisio
Rm Cuadrado
Lm insigne
Cam mertens
St Higuain
2nd
Gk handanovic
Dr lich
Dl Rodríguez
Dc Barzagli
Dc Koulibaly
Cdm De Rossi
Cdm hamsik
Rm Anderson
Lm costa
Cam Gomez
St Belotti
I told him I’m not sure if he shud sell hamsik as not sure he is good in the cdm role but before he does I would like your advice
Don’t use him as CDM. I think he needs a better CB for the first squad. Bonucci would be perfect.
What cdm shud he use instead?
Ok so I told him about bronze bench and his team now is
Gk Buffon
Dr florenzi
Dl Asamoah
Dc Manolas
Dc bonucci
Cdm Matuidi
Cdm marchisio
Rm Cuadrado
Lm insigne
Cam mertens
St Higuain
What shud be his next signings?
Thanks Rodrigo. Khedira cdm instead of de rossi. Nice one
If possible can u suggest the 2 best teams. Greatly appreciate it
It’s ok now Rodrigo. I’m gonna go one team and try bronze benching. Not sure why but read that a lot of people do this
Out of curiosity who would u of replaced mertens with as he would be in first team
See my alternative eleven please.
I do.
Mertens in both teams?
You are right. In that case
CDM Khedira
CM Pjanic
CM De Rossi
CAM Hamsik
Or change mertens from 1st team to someone else
Khedira better cdm than de rossi then?
I think it works better.
First team is
Gk Buffon
Dr florenzi
Dl Sandro
Dc bonucci
Dc chillieni
Cdm Matuidi
Cm marchisio
Cm nain
Cam dybala
St Higuain
St mertens
Second team I want to be the second best in all positions
I don’t like ifs like you and I don’t like starting matches on less than 99 fitness so need help with second team and first if u believe the best is different
Hi. Your first team looks great.
I suggest you for your second team:
GK Handanovič
RB Lichtsteiner
LB Asamoha
CB Miranda
CB Manolas
CDM De Rossi
CM Pjanic
CM Hamsik
CAM Mertens
ST Gomez
ST Belotti
Thank you Rodrigo but isn’t mertens an attacker in my first team in a 4-1-2-12(2) formation
Hi Rodrigo,i use 4-2-3-1 and i have this calcio a team : Buffon alex Sandro chiellini bonucci florenzi- (87) naingollan- perisic (86) dybala cuadrado- icardi (87). Second team: Buffon ghoulam (82) koulibaly benatia (87) lichsteiner(84)- hamsik matuidi- insigne (86) mertens felipe anderason- higuain. In squad battle this team are very strong and i arrive at fuoriclasse 1. But i have problem on RM. Any idea? Hybrid rm? Dybala rm cost a lot of credits, in our opinion if i buy sanchez and i every match sub sanchez for cuadrado is a good idea? Sanchez sub in me position with a team with 100 chem how chem he have?
According to EA, he will have 4. If they are right, that will not be the best choice. Had you ever think about using a formation without wingers?
Yes without winger is a food team but in my opinion 4231 is a top module, very versatily, fast, u can control counter attack dominating, good vs all module formation. With winger the team are more fast than Withoute winger…but i dont know…ok any good winger player( all leagues ) for max 150k to use for sub?
You can see our suggestions here. Robben and Reus, for example, are great value for money.
Hey Rodrigo. Using a 41212 (2) formation
Cdm Matuidi
Cm Nainggolan
Cm marchisio
Cam dybala
That is the best team right?
What would be the second best for my second team?
CDM De Rossi
CM Pjanic
CM Hamsik
CAM Mertens
Hello, this is my serie A team:
41212 wide
Handanovic
Florenzi Bonucci Miranda Rodriguez
Khedira
Cuadrado Insigne
Hamsik
Higuain Mertens
Who can I buy to make it perfect? I don’t know if I should invest in my defense (chiellini/sandro) or midfield (nainggolan/dybala). Can’t do both, too expensive
Hi. Khedira is too slow. I think you should invest in your midfield but maybe Radja + Chiellini would be the best option. If you keep with your CBs, use Manolas instead of Miranda.
Thanks Rodrigo, I followed your advice. My first team is now this:
I moved to 4231 wide
Handanovic
Florenzi Bonucci Chiellini Rodriguez
Hamsik Nainggolan
Cuadrado Mertens Insigne
Higuain
I feel like i could improve my right wing. Cuadrado is good but not amazing. The problem is that the only option seems to be the Dybala RW in form, but he’s way too expensive. Any suggestion? Thanks!
Hi. That’s why I usually recommend using a Serie A squad with no wingers. Cuadrado is the best of this league. If you want to try other options, you will need to use players from other leagues, like Di Maria or Hazard out of his position but linking with two Belgian players.
Hi!
I have a budget of 550k with an SBC pirlo and thinking of building a calcio A team in 4-3-1-2. This is my plan:
Handanovic
Sandro-Chiellini-Bonucci-Florenzi
86 Pjanic-Marchisio-Pirlo
Hamsik
Mertens-86 Immobile
What do you think about this squad? Is there anyone who you would swap?
Thanks in advance!
Hi. It looks great. Don’t have any change to suggest.
Done! Thanks.
Hello Rodrigo, please help.
I use 4-1-2-1-2 narrow.
My team from the middle above is:
Matuidi – Marchisio, Hamsik – Dybala – Mertens and Higuain.
I bought today Radja.
What should I do?
Should I change Matuidi with Radja and leave the others like they are or to keep Matuidi and throw out Hamsik to insert Radja instead.
Many thanks,
If I was you, I would replace Matuidi by Radja.
Hi Rodrigo, first, congrats on your review/tips and yearly follow up.
Second, a feedback for Matuidi, he is utterly useless as a player in Fifa 18, he fails so hard to keep the middle with good passing after defending, he is a fairly good tackler, defensive is fairly good however for his price it’s a crappy player, reconsider recommending him.
Third, this is my team 4-3-3
Handanovič,
Rodriguez 86 LB card (still cheaper than Sandro) Bonucci Chiellini duo Lichtensteiner
Marchisio as CDM he is a jolly joker in midfield Hamsik and Pjanic CM (considering Icardi 87 card totw to demote him to CM to replace Pjanic) Insigne and Callejon (here in my experience Callejon is far better scorer than Cuadrado) sole striker Mertens to sting any defense, with Gomez as back up. Still chasing Radja, out of my reach for the moment. But main back up for CDM Marchisio considering Khedira Scream card which has good defensive stats and good passing. Any thoughts?
Hi. Thank you for your comment.
It looks that you already have solid ideas so I don’t know if it makes sense to suggest you a few changes. For example, I believe Florenzi is better than Lichtensteiner, but if you are using him that’s because you have your reasons.
Regards
I second you on Florenzi, sole reason for using Lichtsteiner is the price, and better defensive stats, and most likely going for the 84ovr card from Lichtsteiner which is fairly above Florenzi, for which at the moment the price doesn’t reflect the value. If I pay a price of a player I would like to pay as closely as I can to it’s “real”/game play value. Still I am really interested on you thoughts for a CDM – CM – CM trio that would not involve Radja.
I agree that we should buy the best value for money players. That’s why I don’t like special cards. Most of the times, you are paying the ‘special’ thing, not the stats.
About the CDM-CM-CM trio that not involves Matuidi or Radja, and assuming that Dybala is out of your budget, I believe you have two decent options: Marchisio as CDM and Hamsik.Pjanic as CM; or, if you need a mode defensive trio, De Rossi as CDM and Marchisio-Hamsik as CM.
Regards
My team right now is
Handanovic
Barzagli
Manolas
Florenzi
D’albert
Marchisio
Pjanic
Matuidi
Insigne
Callejon
Mertens
What do you think? Which player should i buy next
Hamsik.
I think I got the best Serie A squad possible;
Handanovic
Florenzi
Bonucci
Chiellini
Alex Sandro
Naingollain
Hamsik
Marchisio
Dybala
Higuain
Mertens
Buffon did not work for me.
I am using a 4-3-2-1 formation with 3 CM’s.
What do you think? Should I use Pjanic instead of Marchisio?
Sorry 4-3-1-2
What do you think Rodrigo?
Yes, I think you have the best team possible. In my opinion, Marchisio is better than Pjanic.
Hey Rodrigo I have currently changed my form to 4231 (2). Just wondering what would be the second best team I can make using this. Players like dybala and nain are out of my price range atm. Can afford anyone other than them. But would like your help on what u would do. I was thinking strong strikers like Higuain n Icardi. Obv they would be the best team. Hence why I ask about the second best. Thanks
Hi. What exactly is your budget?
250k
Handanovic, Bonucci, Manolas, Florenzi, Asamoah, Matuidi, Marchisio, Cuadrado, Insigne, Mertnes and Higuain
Thanks Rodrigo. I’ve tried it but it’s not the formation for me. I prefer the 4-1-2-1-2 (2)
So I’ve gone for
Handanovic
Florenzi
Asamoah
Miranda
Manolas
Matuidi
Pjanic
Marchisio
Hamsik
Mertens
Belotti
Hello Rodrigo, many thanks for your work.
I switched to 4-1-2-1-2 and is great.
I use: Donnaruma – Florenzi, Manolas, Coulibaly, Asamoah – Matuidi – Marchisio, Hamsik – Gomez – Mertens, Higuain.
I am happy, really nice site here.
I want to buy Ghoulam special instead of Asamoah, what do you advise? Thanks.
Thank you very much.
To be honest I haven’t tried Ghoulam IF. Obviously, his numbers are much better but I am always sceptical about IF cards. Asamoah is a decent player and he is much faster than 77 looks to be. If you don’t mind to spend those coins, go ahead.
Regards
Hello Rodrigo,
My Italian team is 4-2-3-1 compact (with 3 CAMS).
Donnaruma – Florenzi, Koulibaly, Manolas, Asamoah – Matuidi, Marchisi – Cuadrado, Hamsik, Alejandro Gomez – Higuain
I still having problems ind efending, was thinking to by Bonucci.
What do you suggest?
Many, many thanks.
Hi. I love Serie A. Your CBs are good but obviously, you will be better with Bonucci. I don’t have any other recommendation, since your team looks great.
Happy Holidays!
Hey, a wonderful article as always. My budget is 200k and will never go beyond 500k. Formation is 4231. Under this budget which league is best for me. Considering value for money and previous experience I’m much inclined towards Calcio A. Will I be able to compete at top level with Calcio A?
Regards.
Thank you very much.
Yes, go for Serie A. No doubt the best value for the money league. Our unlimited squad costs now 800k but you can make a great team with 500k.
When playing two strikers Icardi is better than Immobile and Belotti.
Hello,
My 1st team is 4 3 3 attack:
Donnaruna – Lichsteiner, Benatia, Tonelli, Asamoah – Bonaventura, Borja V, Parolo – Anderson, Belotti, Nani.
Do not know what to buy, I am in the 4th league, won all the others. Second team is:
Sergio Asenjo – Semedo, Fernandez, Laporte, Gaya – Viera, Boudebouz, Paulinho – Williams, Gameiro, Deulofeu.
Sugfestions here too please.
Hi. You team can be improved a lot but you will need a decent budget. What do you think about the medium budget team we suggested in this page?
Hi Rodrigo. You have a lot of knowledge about this. I just picked up Icardi inform 87 . He’s better then Higuain you think ?
Thanks
There are no much difference between them. If you usually cross to the head, pick Icardi SIF. Otherwise, Higuain is our favourite.
I can’t decide between two formations:
1. 4-1-2-1-2 (Handanovic – Florenzi, Benatia, Manolos, Alex Sandro – Khedira(as CDM) – Cuadrado, Insigne – Gomez(as CAM) – Higuain, Mertens)
2. 4-2-3-1 (Handanovic – Florenzi, Benatia, Manolos, Alex Sandro – Khedira, Matuidi – Cuadrado, Gomez, Insigne – Higuain)
Do these teams make sense? Should I change any players (buy others or change with subs). Current subs are Perin (GK), Perisic (LM), Valero(CAM), Anderson(RM), Lukaku(LB), Koulibaly(CB), Icardi(ST), Eder(ST). Jorginho(CAM), Lichtsteiner(RB).
I mention that I am not very good at using skills and I prefer a passing game rather than a crossing wide game.
Thanks.
Hi. If you don’t like a crossing wide game, you shouldn’t use a formation with wingers. Serie A has great CMs and CMDs. Forget Cuadrado and Insigne and try Marchisio.
Thanks, changed it last weekend and made some additions (4-1-2-1-2 (2)) and added Marchisio and Nainggolan as CM (with Pjanic as sub), Dybala as CAM, changed fullbacks to Chiellini and Bonucci. it’s been great so far got 7-3-1 wins/draw/losses.
The one question I have is regarding strikers. As I mentioned I use Mertens and Higuain, but this weekend I got Icardi from TOTW and has slightly better stats than Higuain. I tried him, but seems to score less. What do you think? Should I change Higuain or just keep Icardi as sub?
Icardi SIF doesn’t look to be much better than Higuaín. If you score fewer goals with him, keep with Higuaín.
Hi ! I’m using 4-1-2-1-2
Buffon
Alex Sandro – Koulibaly-Miranda-Florenzi
Khedira
Douglas Costa-Quadrado
Hamshik
in form Icardi – Immobile
The team is great for Squad battles but too slow for PvP. When going PvP I am using Costa as CDM and going Insigne for LM / I prefer Costa for LM because he is physically more gifted and I am still not good enough dribbler /. I also changed Koulibaly for Manolas after I read your article. I got around 300K coins but I am trying to save some for Black Friday so I won’t buy Naingolan and Dybala now, but what can you advice me for making faster team with physically gifted players ?
Hi.
You have a great budget to improve this squad. While you are waiting for the BF, the first thing you should do is to replace Khedira by Matuidi and Immobile by A Gómez. This will help you a lot to get a faster team. You can also try to replace Douglas Costa by Insigne.
I bought them and it works out great ! I play Matuidi and Gomez fulltime and go Insigne as sub 60 min. The team suddenly got a lot faster ! Thanks for the advise and congrats for the guide – it really helps !
Great! Don’t forget to share our work with your friends.
Hey Rodrigo. One last thing. Your have your unlimited squads which is awesome. Would you mind telling me what the unlimited would be in midfield using 41212(2). So that’s cdm 2xcm and cam for both teams plz. Not sure if nain would be better as cdm or cm in this form also
In my opinion, it should be CDM Matuidi; CM Marchisio and Naingollan; CAM Dybala. This works very well if you don’t use the wings too often since these are not fast players.
Hey thanks for the the guides! I use them avidly but could you please help? I’m really struggling and on a massive loosing streak! I don’t fund so have a small budget.
41212 narrow
Donnaroma
Goulham-Manolas-Benatia-Lichsteiner
De Rossi
Marchisio – Strootman
Bonaventura
Immobile – Icardi
I’ve got about 20k but I keep losing games, where should I improve?
Thanks
It’s time to try another formation or sell one of your teams in order to have coins to invest in a better team.
Do you use custom tactics? What style do you play. Where is it you struggle. Creating chances? Defending?
If you want to take advantage of the handicap, use a combination of silvers and low golds (you wouldn’t want to miss 77 Lukaku). Also use bronze benching. In Battle Squads this is amazing. I get to win on Legendary with at least 3-4 goals difference. With a normal (84) Serie A squad I struggle on Legendary, losing about 1 in 4 games.
Hi Rodrigo, i’m your fan and i really appreciate you blog, i follow you from 4 years.I just want to thank you for you beatiful job and correct a little error at the begin of this page: The Serie A is not the fourth best league classified in the UEFA league coefficient but is the 3rd atm and probably will be the 2nd next year.
And IMHO is spectacular as much the other 3 leagues (even more sometimes).
Thank you, Giuseppe. Your words mean a lot to me.
I already fixed.
Hi Rodrigo,
Thanks for this post!!! I really appreciate it.
I have a couple of questions – I hope you will sacrifice 5 mins of your precious time
1) I prefer to use 4-1-2-1-2 wide rather than narrow option. I noticed that against teams playing tiki-taka in the midfield (41212narrow, 4132), it becomes quite difficult to defend.I decided to use custom tactic to my both RM and LM and make them “cutting inside”. I noticed it slightly improves my possibilities in defending and also when I start my attack – both RM and LM are playing closer to CM but at the same time they are still open to play wings. Do you have any other suggestions with regards to the player instructions for 41212 wide? What about LB/RB? There are 2 common schools: stay back while attacking, and balanced attack – what option do you prefer?
2) What custom tactics would you suggest for 41212 wide? What are your personal prefered settings for this formation
3) Do you think there is a need to change anything else for CDM except “Stay back while attacking”? I noticed that some people adjust this option only and leave everything else as basic settings ( i.e interceptions etc)
My team is:
Buffon
RB Florenzi- CB Bonucci-CB Chiellini-LB Alex Sandro
CDM Nainggolan
RM Cuadrado LM Insignie
CAM Hamsik
ST Higuain ST Mertens
Thanks!
Hi I’d seriously suggest changing to narrow. I used to use the wide and changed to try it out. I’ve tried changing back but the narrow is so much better and with DR/DL on balanced they are always there to help out in attack. Give it 10 games and see what you think. I went from 8-12 shots a game to 20+ And don’t concede half as many as before. Wide leaves your cdm to do more work than he can possibly do
This year wide formations don’t work so well. Consider 4-3-2-1, 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-2-1(2). Depending on the ration attack/defense.
Hi Gary, thanks for your comments
To help CDM I set both LM and RM as “cut inside” and it works also in a defensive phase. I know that Cuadrado or Insignie are weaker in defensive tha any other CM but they really help CDM. In order to balance the counterattack I set both RB and LB with balanced attack. Once LM/RM go inside to defend and hopefully they take back the ball, they already have both RB/LB entering on their position on winds. So it gives me RB/LB + RM/LM + CAM + both ST attacking togther. I am testing such solution 10 games already. I lost 2, won 6, 2 games as draw. So it looks quite promising. I am just searching for a new solutions that could be implemented here.
What are your results in Weekend League? I am reaching Gold 1/Gold 2
What custom tactics and player instructions are you using? Do you play on PC? If so ,we could have few training games together:)
Hi Gary, thanks for your comments
To help CDM I set both LM and RM as “cut inside” and it works also in a defensive phase. I know that Cuadrado or Insignie are weaker in defensive tha any other CM but they really help CDM. In order to balance the counterattack I set both RB and LB with balanced attack. Once LM/RM go inside to defend and hopefully they take back the ball, they already have both RB/LB entering on their position on winds. So it gives me RB/LB + RM/LM + CAM + both ST attacking togther. I am testing such solution 10 games already. I lost 2, won 6, 2 games as draw. So it looks quite promising. I am just searching for a new solutions that could be implemented here.
What are your results in Weekend League? I am reaching Gold 1/Gold 2
What custom tactics and player instructions are you using? Do you play on PC? If so ,we could have few training games together:)
I play on PS4 I’m afraid or would of loved a few games
Wouldn’t have Cuadrado cut inside
Hi.
1) It depends on your play style. For example, I am good at defending. So, I prefer the balanced attack because I don’t need many players helping the defence.
2) We are working on a custom tactics guide to publish in a few weeks.
3) You have a good CDM. It should be enough.
Regards
Great guide Rodrigo
My team is
Gk Buffon
Dr Lichtsteiner
Dl Asamoah
Dc Manolas
Dc Miranda
Cdm De Rossi
Cm Pjanic
Cm Bonaventura
Cam Valero
St Higuain
St Mertens
What would be your next signing. I’m thinking hamsik cam
I agree with you. Hamsik should be your next sign.
Thanks Rodrigo. Any other improvements you would make with my team?
Midfield.
Hamsik or if brozovic better?
I don’t trust on IF cards.
I see. I know what U mean. I’ve had ifs and they seem worse lol. Matuidi cdm dybala cam nain cm and who else cm with him? Also would u say one team or 2 is better. I’m in 2 minds lol
Marchisio would be perfect for your team. If you have a good budget, it’s better to build one strong team than two good teams.
What midfield with unlimited budget would u suggest using cdm cm cm cam plz
Naingollan, Dybala and Matuidi.
Hi Rodrigo,
First of all, thanks for the wonderful guide.
Need suggestions:
Donnaruma/Perin
Lichsteiner – Koulibaly-Manolas – Rodriguez
DeRossi – Bonaventura
Borja Valero
Callejon – Belotti – Perisic
Which one should I consider upgrading first? Midfield / Forward?
I have 150K coins available.
Also, with us able to change Forward Runs of DEF/Def Mids through team tactics,
work rates make a difference?
Thanks in Advance.
Hi. Thank you.
Forwards, definitely. You can go for Higuain or, if you don’t want to spend many coins, for Gómez. If you really want a true upgrade buy Mertens and Hamsik.
About the team tactics, you have to try to see if it makes difference or not. It depends on your play style.
Regards
Thank you.
Hamsik for Bonaventura/Valero?
Also consider IF Brozovic. Hamsil will probably still drop but If Brozovic not so much. Get Lukaku for Rodriguez-
Thanks once again!
I have a question. I play 41212, and have several CM since I moved from a 442. I have a pretty wide amount of options to choose.
My question is who is worth keeping moving to the CDM and how to move to CAM. My guys there, all of them as CM are Hamsik (first choice for CAM), Matuidi (who will be starting CDM) and then Khedira, Bonaventura, Marchisio, Joao Mario. And from several opened packs: Biglia, Joao Mario, Sanchez, Zielinski, Milinkovic-Savic, Jankto, Kessie, Ciciretti and Brozovic.
I guess that when I can afford Naingolan and Dybala, I won’t have any doubt. Thanks!
Yes, playing with Naingolan and Dybala it’s like cheating.
Matuidi as CDM and Hamsik as CAM should be your first options. There are only two central midfielders on both 41212 and 422.
Thank you! Well, so I am saving coins so I can cheat with those 2
From that bunch of players I own, who do you think fits best as substitute for Matuidi in the CDM? and who for Hamsik as CAM?
De Rossi and Marchisio
What I meant about having several CM is that I have them all set as position CM (not CAM nor CDM). Not sure if that affects a lot since I already have all of them with Loyalty and with a Calcio A manager.
I am using a 433
Donnaruma
Abate
Manolas
Koulibaly
Lukaku
Dr Rossi
Parolo
Joao Mario
El sharawaay
Giovinco
Bernardeshi
Thoughts?
Nice team for your budget.
Thanks, any suggestions for improvement? I have 50k
Cuadrado, Insigne, Alejandro Goméz and Manolas
Change:
Abate with Karsdorp (anchor). This is a second Lukaku
Parolo with Bonaventura
El sharawaay with Douglas Costa or Perisic. Depending what you prefer
Giovinco with Gomez
Bernar.. with Cuadrado (Sniper)
Thanks. I already changed my LW to Insigne. Thanks for the suggestions!