You need goals to win football matches, so the forwards are where you should invest your coins on FIFA 21 Ultimate Team. At least, that’s the advice from the pro.
“Strikers - they can be unstoppable,” MsDossary says when discussing which position is the most important on the pitch.
The Beast from the Middle East
Nicknamed “The Beast from the Middle East,” Musaed “MsDossary” Al Dossary is a former FIFA eWorld Champion and current Tundra Esports pro.
One of the biggest names in FIFA esports, MsDossary has lifted three FUT Champions Cups and a Summer Cup, with his crowning moment coming in 2018 when he won the FIFA eWorld Cup.
Still very much at the top of his game, MsDossary eased through the FIFA Global Series West Asia Qualifiers with a 10-0 Grand Final win.
RealSport101 has teamed up with the Saudi star for FIFA101.
The champ is on hand to provide tips and tricks to help you improve your game on FIFA 21 Ultimate Team.
MsDossary’s Must-Have FUT Items
When building your team, it’s hard to know where to start.
Do you build up from the back? Do you ensure you have a strong midfield core?
Well, for MsDossary, it’s all about attack - after all, goals win you games.
See MsDossary's top three attackers and the formations to maximise their talents below.
Neymar (OVR 91)
Top of MsDossary’s list of favourite players is Brazilian trickster Neymar.
With a 91 base OVR and a new 92-rated in-form (IF) card, the PSG star is one of the best left wingers on FUT 21.
“His dribbling makes him unstoppable, he’s the best gold card for dribbling in FIFA 21.”
It’s hard to argue against him. Brazilian superstar Neymar boasts 94 Dribbling, 5-star skill moves and a 5-star weak foot making him a nightmare to play against.
Although a winger, Neymar is also an effective striker too, but you will need to modify his position to ‘LF’ to maximise his chemistry.
To bring his 91 OVR base card to your club will cost around 800k coins on PS4 and just under 600k on Xbox.
Splashing out on his IF card will cost and over 2 million coins on PS4 and around 1.5 million on Xbox.
Kylian Mbappe (OVR 90)
Anyone who’s been playing FUT 21 knows how brutal Kylian Mbappe is an opponent.
The World Cup winner is blessed with blistering 96 Sprint Speed and excellent 86 Shooting stats.
MsDossary says “Mbappe is one of the best cards in the game, the ball just sticks to him and his 5-star skill moves are amazing.”
“Through balls are a very effective way of attacking and getting in 1v1’s,” he says, so make sure you’re playing plenty of threaded through balls so Mbappe can latch onto them.
Line up Mbappe as a striker to make the most of his 96 Pace and 91 Finishing - his card should do the rest of the work for you.
There are three variations of Mbappe on FUT 21. Costing over 7 million coins on PS4 and 5 million on Xbox, 97-rated Team of the Year Mbappe could be a touch out of price range.
His base card has a 90 OVR, and his Record Breakers has a slight improvement and is rated 91. Costing under 1 million on both consoles, go for the base card first.
Cristiano Ronaldo (OVR 92)
To finish off the list is none other than Cristiano Ronaldo.
“CR7 has 5-star skill moves and great physicality attributes,” says MsDossary.
“He is also amazing at headers (90 Heading Accuracy) which are very effective at crossing and corners.”
The champ, however, does not always cross the ball from corners, “I prefer to pass short and see my options” but Ronaldo is the exception to the rule.
On top of that heading accuracy, the Piemonte man has 95 Jumping, meaning Ronaldo can destroy defenders in the air.
The complete forward, CR7 like Mbappe has multiple cards on FUT 21. His cheapest card still costs over 1.2 million coins on PS4 and around 900k on Xbox.
Formations
Your team shape can have as much impact as the players you have in the squad, so make sure to get it right.
"Use a formation that has two strikers and one CAM such as 4-1-2-1-2 and 5-2-1-2. In case you don’t like the wingers in this game," said MsDossary.
"But for me, the wingers are working very well. The 4-4-2 and 4-2-2-2 are also very effective formations."
Counterattack: High risk, high reward
Speed is crucial in FIFA 21, and you can catch your opponents out by breaking quickly once you regain possession.
The 4-1-2-1-2 Narrow gives you that option, with a solid midfield platform and three forwards to utilise.
"It is a very attacking one, so I enjoy it. I use 'stay back' on my CDM for the counterattacks because I already have five players attacking," MsDossary explained.
"If I don’t put my CAM to stay forward, he will come back too close when I want him on the counterattack.”
Leaving players further up the field can expose you defensively, but it is a risk worth taking.
Keep the ball: Slow and steady
If you prefer slower build-up play and a less risky approach, the 4-2-3-1 Narrow could be perfect for you.
This formation will suit those who like to retain possession more frequently.
“Some players like to put their CAM on ‘stay forward’ but it depends," said MsDossary.
"For me I like to play like this for a more balanced game.”
This formation can still be used to counterattack quickly, but many of your players will not be as high up the pitch.
Strong Defence: Don't cut out the middle man
If you are struggling defensively, deploying two defensive midfielders can help protect your back four in the 4-4-2 Defend formation.
On the attack, “You have two strikers and pacey wingers who you can play with," said MsDossary.
"For this formation you need to have top CDMs. I have (Ruud) Gullit and (Zinedine) Zidane so that makes it easier.”
If you are looking to strengthen your defence, maybe the CDM's are your players to invest in as they provide the shield higher up the pitch.
Next up is Chemistry class
Of course, very few players will have the luxury of having Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo in their team - and then comes the difficulty of chemistry linking them together.
Fortunately, later in our FIFA101 series with MsDossary we will be looking at how to make the most out of your players, no matter the quality - including what tactics to play with.
For now, though, it’s class dismissed.