FIFA 19: Roma Career Mode Guide, Tactics, Formations & Tips

Roma were the big surprise of the Champions League last season, fighting back from 4-4 down to defeat Barcelona on away goals to reach the semi-finals. The Serie A outfit almost repeated the trick against Liverpool, going down to the Premier League heavyweights 7-6 on aggregate.

Despite a small squad, Roma continue to punch above their weight, and after a summer of change they are ready to fight once again this season. Star midfielder Radja Nainggolan and go may have left to join rivals Inter and Alisson left for Liverpool, but French World Cup winner Steven Nzonzi has arrived alongside young talent Justin Kluivert, making the squad look more balanced. Your task on FIFA 19 Career Mode is to find that winning formula for Roma once again and deliver their first Serie A title since 2001. 

RealSport takes you through all you need to know as you take charge in Rome. 

Team Rating

Roma receive a four and a half star rating on FIFA 19, which is made up by an 82 attack, 80 midfield and 82 defence. 

Formation

Roma’s default formation is a 4-2-3-1 wide, and for balance, you should stick with this system. If you want to go more attacking and would prefer higher wingers, go for a 4-3-3. 

After the departure of Alisson, Antonio Mirante takes the spot in goal, with a back four made up by Alessandro Florenzi, the dynamic Kostas Manolas (85 sprint speed), Federico Fazio and Aleksandar Kolarov. 

Daniele De Rossi and Steven Nzonzi provide a solid defensive midfield, whilst Stephan El Shaarawy and Diego Perotti operate on the flanks. Javier Pastore takes the number 10 role, with the lethal Edin Dzeko (89 finishing) up front. 

On the bench go for Robin Olsen, Marcano, Davide Santon, Bryan Cristante, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Cengiz Under and Patrick Shick. If you want an extra bit of pace, it may be worth getting Justin Kluivert (88 sprint speed). 

Tactics and instructions

You should look to play old-fashioned wing play with Roma. Get the ball out wide and swing balls into Edin Dzeko (89 positioning) to stick away. Left back Aleksandar Kolarov (90 crossing) will be key to whipping the ball into the box. 

Of course, there isn’t always space out wide, and this is where Javier Pastore (86 dribbling) comes into play. If you can get the Argentine on the ball in dangerous areas and take men out of the game, that will open up room for himself to shoot, play in Dzeko up front or get the ball out wide.

In defence, Steven Nzonzi (92 strength) and Daniele De Rossi (90 marking) offer great protection for the back four, and will come in handy against superior opposition. Their ability will allow the full backs to get forward and overload those wide areas. 

Your instructions can help you implements these tactics. Diego Perotti starts on the left-hand side, but doesn’t have the pace to get round the back of the opposition. Alter his chance creation to ‘cut inside’ and support runs to ‘come short’, allowing Kolarov to overlap down the left. 

Javier Pastore can pick up pockets of space by switching his positioning freedom to ‘free roam’.

Training

In your training sessions, look to use players with high growth to make the most of your time. At Roma, this includes Patrik Schick, Cengiz Under, Justin Kluivert, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Bryan Cristante, Ante Coric and Rick Karsdorp. 

The Transfer Market

Starting transfer budget: £40 million

Starting wage budget: £145,000 a week

Who should go

The difficulty you have with Roma is that you only have 27 first team players, and there are very few contenders to send away from the club. The weak link is the goalkeepers, but with all three having just arrived at the club, you would have to wait until January to sell any of them.

Robin Olsen is 28 and with a 77 overall should be sold in the winter window for £4.5 million. That will save you £38,000 a week in wages. Third-choice goalkeeper Daniel Fuzanto can also go, with him fetching £500,000 and freeing up £6,000 a week in your wage budget. 

Loans

Given the small squad, you can only afford to send one player out on loan. This is 17-year-old central midfielder Alessio Riccardi, who can grow from a 61 overall to a potential of 86. Send him out to a Serie B or equivalent side for the season to give him game time. 

Who to sign

New transfer budget: £40 million (£45 million in January)

New wage budget: £145,000 a week (£189,000 a week in January)

Quality goalkeeper

With no extra cash, you need to be savvy in the transfer market, and bringing in a new goalkeeper would take this side one step closer to becoming a world class outfit. It’s the only area of the side that is noticeably weaker since last season following the departure of Alisson.

An affordable option is German goalkeeper Timo Horn, who has stayed at Koln following their relegation to the second division. His 83 overall can rise to 86 potential, with top stats of 86 GK reflexes, 83 GK diving and 83 GK kicking. You can pick him up for a price of £26 million with wages of £22,000 a week. 

After that, we suggest you wait until January to see what area of the team needs improvement.

Alternative options

Contracts

Just one man has a contract expiring at Roma, Daniele De Rossi. Despite being aged 34, you will still want the club captain around next season. At his age, you may only be able to give him a one year extension. 

Managerial objectives

The managerial objectives at Roma are very realistic, with the target closing the gap on Juventus over the next two seasons. For domestic success, you will need to reach the Coppa Nazionale quarter-finals and finish inside the top four of Serie A. Not only that, you will need to win the league within two seasons. 

For continental, which has a high importance, you will be expected to reach the Champions League quarter-finals this season. Brand exposure requires you to pick up £70 million in shirt sales this year. This won’t be a problem if you smash the goals in with Edin Dzeko. 

Youth development sees you needing to sign a midfielder to your youth academy, and also sign two players in the transfer market with high potential. This must be higher than the current average overall of players in the same position in your first team squad. 

Lastly for financial, you will need to increase club worth by 20% over the next two seasons. Pick up silverware and maintain a profit at the end of each season to achieve this goal. 

Fight once again with La Magica

La Sette Sorelle ‘The Seven Sisters’ were the Serie A clubs during the 90s and early 00s that were always in contention for the league. Roma picked up just their third ever Serie A title in 2001, but they have struggled to fight for the Scudetto since. Looking at the current squad, it is decent, but not strong enough to snatch the title, especially given the strength of Juventus. Even next season seems like a stretch, so you may have to wait until your third campaign to launch a challenge.

In the meantime, look to build your squad with youth academy products who can add depth in the seasons to come. Only then will you have the ability to lead I Giallorossi to silverware.

Full Roma player ratings