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

Watford are back in the big time and your job is to keep them in the Premier League, but have you got what it takes?

Watford’s squad is plenty good enough already in FIFA 22 Career Mode and there are some terrific young players in the team too.

The defence needs some reinforcements but with a healthy budget you should be challenging for European places in no time.

Team Rating

Watford has a 4-star rating in FIFA 22.

The breakdown of the ratings is as follows: ATT 75, MID 76, DEF 74.

Starting Lineup and Formation

Watford’s default formation is currently a 4-1-4-1, although the wide players can be pushed higher to create a 4-3-3 variant.

In goal there is no question that Ben Foster (OVR 78) is the number one, but the 38-year-old will need replacing sooner rather than later.

We do prefer a back four, so at right-back, Kiko Femenia (OVR 75) will start with Danny Rose (OVR 75) on the left.

Your centre-back pairing should be experienced in Cameroon international Nicolas Nkoulou (OVR 76) alongside Christian Kabasele (OVR 75).

We wouldn’t change the midfield three, which leaves French powerhouse Moussa Sissoko (OVR 78) as the holding midfielder.

The two central midfielders should offer plenty of energy with both Ozan Tufan (OVR 76) and Juraj Kucka (OVR 77) boasting high stamina attributes.

Watford’s strength is in their front three though with pace to burn across the attack.

Senegalese flyer Ismaila Sarr (OVR 77) is the standout player on the side with blistering pace and high potential, and he starts on the right.

Summer signing Emmanuel Dennis (OVR 74) plays on the left in our team but can just as easily play through the middle as the lone striker.

We would start Juan Camilo Hernandez (OVR 75) as his potential is higher, but Josh King is also a contender for the number 9 jersey.

Tactics and Instructions

Set the pacey wingers to ‘Get in Behind’ to make the most of their speed, and to put the opposition on the back foot.

Your current full-backs are not the quickest, so we would leave them to ‘Stay Back While Attacking’, allowing your midfield to join in the attack.

We don’t want to limit Moussa Sissoko from going forward as he has something to offer but instruct him to ‘Cover Centre’ so there is no easy path through your midfield.

Juraj Kucka is more robust but doesn’t have the pace, so we would tell Ozan Tufan to ‘Get Forward’ and arrive in the box.

Development Plans

Ismaila Sarr is on his way to becoming a top player, so make sure he is working on the attributes you want him to.

There are plenty of young players with good potential in the squad, and young right-back Jeremy Ngakia (POT 81) is certainly one to monitor.

Strikers Hernandez (POT 81) and Joao Pedro (POT 84) also have bright futures ahead of them, but you might want to alter one of their positions so they can both fit in the side!

Moroccan midfielder Imran Louza (POT 81) is close to a starting place already, so make sure he is on the right path too.

Transfer Market

Starting budget: £29 million

Who should go?

Watford are in need of a bit of a clear-out, and in doing so you can boost your transfer budget.

Goalkeeper Rob Elliot (OVR 69) should be one of the first names on the transfer list, and he should be joined by striker Ashley Fletcher (OVR 69).

Dan Gosling (OVR 71) and Craig Cathcart (OVR 72) are no longer of the standard required for this squad, so they can be sold in the summer too.

We would also sell Ken Sema (OVR 73) and Tom Cleverley (OVR 74), but we don’t want to leave your squad too thin.

The following players can also be let go as their potential in FIFA 22 Career Mode is not high enough to become a first-team player at Watford:

Henry Wise (OVR 59), Ryan Cassidy (OVR 60), Maurizio Pochettino (OVR 56)

In total, these sales should add around £10 million to your budget.

Loans

There are several high potential players in the squad, but the likes of Jeremy Ngakia and Joao Pedro are likely to be involved in first-team football.

This leaves just two players that we would make available for a loan spell, and both players can reach 80 OVR in the future.

Kwadwo Baah (OVR 60) and Djibril Toure (OVR 60) are both promising young players but are in need of game-time to help them reach their potential.

Watford has a total of 12 players out on loan in the first season, and Domingos Quina (POT 81) is certainly one to watch out for.

Ignacio Pussetto (OVR 74) and Tiago Cukur (OVR 62) also have the ability to be in the first-team squad, but the rest can be useful in boosting your transfer budget for next season.

Who to sign?

After the major summer clear out, we would put a new goalkeeper high on the list as Ben Foster is not getting any younger.

As we know, a good young GK can be hard to find, but there are several available in the first season with the potential to reach 85 OVR or higher.

Dutch stopper Justin Bijlow (OVR 78) has the highest potential and a low wage but has the highest transfer value and could cost upwards of £25 million.

Napoli’s Alex Meret (OVR 79) could cost just under £20 million and has the quality to be your number one for the next decade.

Transfer Options (GK)

Watford is in need of a left-back as both Danny Rose and Adam Masina are not ideal options in FIFA where pace is desirable.

We have put together a shortlist of young left-backs with high potential who may not be first-team players instantly but will fix the problem for years to come.

We like Ryan Sessegnon (OVR 74) and you can end his Spurs nightmare by offering him first-team football in North London.

If you want the highest potential though, Borussia Dortmund teenager Luca Netz (OVR 69) could become one of the best left-backs in the game.

Transfer Options (LB)

Board Expectations

These could be some of the easiest board expectations we have ever seen!

The Watford board’s highest priority expectations are in the Brand Exposure and Financial objectives, so keep an eye on them and your job should be safe!

Domestic Success is a low priority, so as long as you keep the Hornets in the Premier League you should be fine.

Continental Success and Youth Development are both very low priorities, so you can just leave them alone if they don’t fit your vision.