FIFA 22 Blackburn Career Mode Guide: Starting lineup and who to sign

Blackburn Rovers are one of just seven clubs in history to have won the Premier League, so it is about time they returned to the top tier of English football.

Mediocrity has befallen Blackburn since their relegation in 2012 with eighth the highest finish they have achieved in the Championship.

Your job will be to return Rovers to the top-flight in FIFA 22 Career Mode, and here is how to get your squad in shape for promotion.

Team Rating

Blackburn has a 3-star rating in FIFA 22.

The breakdown of the ratings is as follows: ATT 70, MID 71, DEF 70.

Starting Lineup and Formation

Blackburn’s default formation is a 4-3-3 with a holding midfielder, and this is something we can get on board with.

The starting XI picks itself, with Belgian stopper Thomas Kaminski (OVR 73) the man you want between the posts.

Darragh Lenihan (OVR 72) and Daniel Ayala (OVR 71) provide an experienced centre-back pairing for your defence.

Namibia’s Ryan Nyambe (OVR 72) is the obvious choice at right-back, with the promising Harry Pickering (OVR 69) at left-back.

23-year-old Lewis Travis (OVR 72) will play the holding role in your midfield, and he is one of the most promising young players in the squad.

Bradley Dack (OVR 73) is a must in the midfield three as he is arguably your most creative player.

We would opt for John Buckley (OVR 70) to complete the midfield trio as he has a much higher potential than 26-year-old Joe Rothwell.

Promising young stars Ben Brereton Diaz (OVR 73) and Tyrhys Dolan (OVR 69) are your current starting wingers, although you will want to shift Brereton Diaz into a central striker role.

Playing the lone striker for now is Sam Gallagher (OVR 70) who can certainly make his physical presence felt.

Tactics and Instructions

Set your pacey wingers to ‘Get in Behind’ to make the most of their speed and stretch the defence, leaving more space for your midfield to arrive and join the attack.

Both full-backs have something to offer in attack, so we would leave them as balanced so they will only join the attack when appropriate.

We want Lewis Travis shielding the back four, so instruct him to ‘Cover Centre’ and ‘Stay Back While Attacking’ so there is no easy path through your midfield.

Leaving your other two centre-midfielders to ‘Cover Wing’ should leave your team in a good shape when the full-backs do get forward.

Development Plans

Your rise to the business end of the Premier League could take a couple of seasons, and there are some young stars that will play a role along the way!

Tyrhys Dolan (POT 82) has the highest potential of any player in the squad, so make sure he is developing his pace and dribbling attributes to make him an effective winger.

Ben Brereton Diaz (POT 81) is already a striker, so you won’t need to alter his position, but make sure he is working on his finishing and physical attributes.

There are no obvious candidates for a position change if you are playing 4-3-3, so it is about finding what system works for you before deciding which players you want to adjust.

Transfer Market

Starting budget: £8 million

Who should go?

Blackburn’s £8 million budget should be enough to see some players through the door, but you can add to your war chest with the sales of several fringe players.

There are currently three GKs in the squad, so we would recommend the sale of Aynsley Pears (OVR 65) to bring in an extra £1 million to the club.

You will likely need four full-backs in the squad, so feel free to add Tayo Edun (OVR 66) to the transfer list as his potential won’t quite cut it in FIFA 22.

Centre-back is a position of weakness for Rovers, and we would advise the sales of Scott Wharton (OVR 66) and Tyler Magloire (OVR 61) to make room for reinforcements.

There is plenty of young talent in midfield, so we would let Bradley Johnson (OVR 69) leave in the first season as he won’t see much game time.

In attack, you are well covered again with plenty of youth, although you could look to shift Connor McBride (OVR 61) to free up £5k in wages.

In total, these sales should add at least £4 million to your budget.

Loans

Blackburn currently has one player out on loan in Harry Chapman (OVR 66), and we would sell him upon his return to the club as we don’t see him making the first team.

You will want to look at loan spells for the likes of midfielders Jake Garrett (POT 78) and Leighton Clarkson (POT 78) as they could have a role to play in the coming seasons.

Left-back Lenni Rae Cirino (POT 76) could also benefit from a loan spell as he won’t see much game time in the first season.

Who to sign?

As mentioned before, centre-back is a position that you need to strengthen and a long-term partner for Jan Paul van Hecke must be signed.

We have narrowed down our targets to five young CBs with a potential above 81, and all of them can start in the first XI right away.

The Bundesliga is the place to go for talented young defenders, and Hertha BSC’s German star Marton Dardai (OVR 71) is our top choice.

A slightly cheaper option is VfL Bochum teenager Armel Bella Kotchap (OVR 70), although any of these young stars will cost between £3-£5 million.

Transfer Options (CB)

We think Blackburn is lacking in explosive pace, so adding an exciting young winger to the squad should allow Brereton Diaz to play through the middle.

Once again we are looking for a high-potential youngster who can make an impact in the first-team straight away.

Argentine winger Agustin Urzi (OVR 72) would be a terrific signing, although he may use up too much of your transfer budget as he will cost in excess of £5 million.

Ajax is always a hotbed for emerging talent, and 19-year-old Danish speedster Mohamed Daramy (OVR 69) could be the ideal signing for Rovers.

Transfer Options (LW/RW)