FIFA 23 Barcelona Career Mode Guide: Starting Lineup, Who to Sign & more

It has been a tricky few years in Catalonia as Barcelona has not won a La Liga title for three seasons.

Throw in their European woes which include a Europa League quarter-final exit last season, and Barca is in real need of a steady hand at the helm.

That is where you come in, and here is how you can take Barcelona back to its former glory in FIFA 23 Career Mode.

Team Rating

Barcelona has a five-star rating in FIFA 23, with an 84 OVR.

The breakdown of the ratings is as follows: ATT 84, MID 85, DEF 82.

Starting Lineup and Formation

Barcelona's preferred formation is the 4-3-3 (2) which deploys a sole CDM to protect the back four.

Any variation of the 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 will suit the squad, so that is really up to your preference of playing with a traditional CAM or CDM.

It goes without saying, but reliable German stopper Marc-Andre ter Stegen (OVR 88) will be your number one.

Your back four should consist of Jules Kounde (OVR 84) and Ronald Araujo (OVR 83) at centre-back, with Jordi Alba (OVR 85) the obvious choice at left-back.

Right-back is an area of weakness for Barca, with Sergi Roberto (OVR 80) and Hector Bellerin (OVR 79) not quite offering enough for a side looking to be the best in Europe.

In midfield, we would opt for a CDM, with either Sergio Busquets (OVR 85) or Franck Kessie (OVR 84) shielding the defence.

Frenkie de Jong (OVR 87) and Pedri (OVR 85) should play as the two more advanced midfielders, and both can reach 93 overall in FIFA 23 Career Mode.

Barca boasts an embarrassment of riches when it comes to forward players, so you aren't struggling for options for the front three.

Robert Lewandowski (OVR 91) will lead the line through the middle, and we would select Ousmane Dembele (OVR 83) and Memphis Depay (OVR 85) on either side.

With explosive players on the bench such as Ansu Fati (OVR 79), Ferran Torres (OVR 82), and Raphinha (OVR 83), your subs can certainly make an impact late in the game.

Tactics and Instructions

Barcelona's default tactics are well set, with Pressure on Heavy Touch our preferred method of defending in FIFA 23.

If you are someone who likes to retain possession and pass your opponent to death, then the Slow Build-Up and Possession settings are worth keeping too.

The only individual instructions we would change are for the CDM and ST.

We want our CDM to Cover Centre, meaning we have a solid three in the middle of the park defending at all times.

We also want to keep our striker central, so keep Lewandowski between the posts with the Stay Central instruction to ensure maximum chances fall his way.

Development Plans

There is a plethora of wingers available to you, but there is no obvious candidate to step into Lewandowski's role if he is unavailable for whatever reason.

We recommend developing Ferran Torres into a striker as his primary position to provide cover for your main man.

Transfer Market

Starting budget: £140 million

Who should go?

It is a big squad at Barca, with 34 players available to you, and another eight players out on loan.

The best place to start is by selling the fringe players who do not have a high enough potential to make it into your star-studded first team.

We would sell the following:

• Marcos Alonso (OVR 79)
• Estanis (OVR 62)
• Emre Demir (OVR 65)
• Alvaro Sanz (OVR 65)
• Hiroki Abe (OVR 64)
• Alex Carbonell (OVR 64)

The sale of those six players should bring in around £15 million extra for your transfer kitty!

We would also sell Sergi Roberto (OVR 80) and Inaki Pena (OVR 72) as we deem them surplus to requirements, which should bring in an extra £20 million or so.

Loans

There are three teenagers we would look to send out on loan for regular first-team football in a bid to speed up their development.

Spanish CAM Pablo Torre (OVR 69) can reach 86 OVR, but is unlikely to play much first-team football in your first season at the helm.

Teenage wingers Ilias (OVR 67) and Fabio Blanco (OVR 62) will also benefit from a loan spell.

Who to Sign

Robert Lewandowski is contracted until 2025, meaning you have him for three years.

However, he will be 34 years old at the start of the 22/23 season, meaning his attributes will begin to decline.

With this in mind, you should be looking to bring in a current or future superstar as a long-term replacement.

Kylian Mbappe (OVR 91) and Erling Haaland (OVR 88) are the obvious names, but they might prove too expensive.

Lautaro Martinez (OVR 86) and Dusan Vlahovic (OVR 84) offer quick solutions, while someone like Milan's Charles De Ketelaere (OVR 78) could prove to be an astute signing.

Transfer Targets (ST)

As mentioned above, an area of weakness within the Barca squad is at right-back.

To save one of your centre-backs having to play out of position, we would look to sign a top-class RB/RWB to step into the role straight away.

We are looking for someone with pace, energy, and quality in both attack and defence.

Man City's Joao Cancelo (OVR 88) is the highest-rated in the game, while Trent Alexander-Arnold (OVR 87) will certainly provide quality in attack with 92 Crossing.

Transfer Targets (RB/RWB)

Board Expectations

Winning is what matters at Barcelona. Domestic Success and Continental Success are both critical priorities for the board.

This means that in each competition you compete in, you will be expected to win.

Brand Exposure is also of critical priority in the board's expectations, which means signing top-class players and also maintaining a strong record at your home ground.

Youth Development is a high priority, and with Barca's famed academy, it is hardly surprising.

A medium-priority Financial seems about right for the Barca board who have in recent times forgotten about any financial restrictions...