FIFA 17: Inter Milan Career Mode Guide
It’s easy to forget that Inter Milan were the dominant force in Italy before Juventus blew the rest of Serie A away, but can you return Inter to the top of Italian and European football?
Dec 28, 2016
Much like rivals AC Milan, Internazionale are a long way off where they were just a few years ago. Ever since Juventus topped Serie A back in 2012, no other side has really come close, none more so than Inter Milan. It was not so long ago that Inter were where Juve are now, winning five league titles in a row from 2006, and in 2010 Jose Mourinho led the club to their first ever treble, winning the Champions League final against Bayern Munich. By the end of 2011, the club had won 11 trophies, including the FIFA Club World Cup, but there have been no triumphs since.
The Nerazzurri have quickly dropped down the table, and this season they hit a new low, failing to get out of a kind Europa League group, and coach Frank de Boer was sacked. Under new man Stefano Pioli, the club has recovered to seventh in Serie A, but still 12 points off leaders and heavy favourites Juventus. There is no doubting the potential of Inter, and once Juventus start to drop off, expect them and the rest of the chasing pack to be ready to pounce. With some top-quality players in the squad at the moment, Inter aren’t a million miles away from having the tools to compete for the Scudetto once again, making them a great selection on FIFA 17’s Career Mode.
How you should line up
You may be tempted to go three at the back or go two up front, but it looks as if a 4-3-3 is the best bet with Inter Milan, with plenty of firepower coming off the bench. Consider opting for the 4-3-3 attack formation to really put the pressure on your opponents,
In goal, it has to be the 87-rated Samir Handanovic. In front of him, Davide Santon is the clear weak link in the side, but the rest of the defence should be able to cover him, with the on-loan Miranda (rated 86), Jeison Murillo and Cristian Ansaldi.
Your central midfielders should be the box-to-box Joao Mario, anchor-man Gary Medel and playmaker Ever Banega. There are plenty of goals up top with new signing Antonio Candreva on the right, Mauro Icardi through the middle and Ivan Perisic on the left side.
On the bench, you should go for Juan Pablo Carrizo, Marco Andreolli, Yuto Nagatomo, Marcelo Brozovic, Eder, Stevan Jovetic and then one of Rodrigo Palacio, Gabriel or Felipe Melo.
The Transfer Market
Starting transfer budget: £34 million
Starting wage budget: £177,000
Who should go
Inter have a very balanced squad, and it is just a case of trimming the fat and getting rid of the fringe players with no future at the club. You should look to get rid of all the players who have potentials lower than 75, meaning Tommaso Berni, Michele Di Gregorio, Axel Bakayoko and Andrea Pinamonti should all leave the club. You should aim to get at least £1 million for all four players combined.
What the team needs
£34 million is not a magnificent transfer budget nowadays, but with those sales and a strong pre-season performance, you could have up to £45 million, a much more handsome kitty. Top of your priorities should be a right back to replace ex-Newcastle man Davide Santon. Stephan Lichtsteiner is in the final year of his contract at Juventus, and can, therefore, be picked up for around £17 million. The 32-year-old Swiss international has an 83-overall rating, consisting of 88 stamina, 84 sprint speed and 84 aggression, with his wages costing £65,000.
Alternatives:
– Juanfran – Atletico Madrid, Age 31, OVR 83, POT 83, Cost: £20 million, Wage: £65,000
– Lukasz Piszczek – Borussia Dortmund, Age 31, OVR 82, POT 82, Cost: £18 million, Wage: £65,000
– Bacary Sagna – Manchester City, Age 33, OVR 82, POT 82, Cost: £9 million, Wage: £43,000
– Pablo Zabaleta – Manchester City, Age 31, OVR 82, POT 82, Cost: £13 million, Wage: £65,000
– Antonio Valencia – Manchester United, Age 30, OVR 81, POT 81, Cost: £15 million, Wage: £43,000
You should have enough left in your budget to sign one more player, but it won’t be easy. Left back would naturally be your next port of call as the new weakest position in the side, but with a lack of quality left backs available within your budget, there is no need to bring in someone new when Cristian Ansaldi is reliable in defence. There are a couple of options in central midfield, and this would free up Joao Mario to play on the right wing, and drop the inconsistent Antonio Candreva to the bench. Yaya Toure is also in his last year at Manchester City, and with an 84 rating, you would be crazy not to take him on. The Ivorian has 91 strength, 86 short passing and 86 shot power, and would offer Inter that midfield powerhouse that they lack. The 34-year-old will set you back around £22 million, with wages of £65,000.
Alternatives:
– Daniele De Rossi – Roma, Age 32, OVR 83, POT 83, Cost: £15 million, Wage: £65,000
– Joao Moutinho – Monaco, Age 29, OVR 83, POT 83, Cost: £24 million, Wage: £72,000
Loans
With 12 players already out on loan from the San Siro, Inter do like to hoard their players, and you can add another five names to that list. Assane Gnoukouri, Loris Zonta, Ionut Radu, Senna Miangue and Eloge Yao Guy all have potentials of 75 and above, with midfielder Gnoukouri able to hit 81. Loan them all out for the season to see how they develop.
Contracts
Five Inter players have contracts running out at the end of the season, and you should consider renewing four of them. Felipe Melo may not even get on the bench for you, but being in Europe* you will need to call on him. His 78 rating is too high to ignore, and the 33-year-old Brazilian is a great player to bring on to close out a match, so you should give him a new one-year contract.
It’s a similar case with centre-back Luca Andreolli, he won’t play a huge amount of games for you, but he is the next best centre back after starters Miranda and Jeison Murillo. With Miranda only on loan, you will need the 30-year-old Andreolli next season,
Rodrigo Palacio may be the fourth and soon to be fifth choice striker at Inter Milan but with others able to play out wide or at attacking midfield, he will still get games. You may wish to hold off giving him a new contract until January however, as at the age of 34 his 79-rating could start to drop quickly.
As we have already mentioned, Assane Gnoukouri has a high potential, and even if you do loan him out for the season, you will definitely tie him down to a long-term deal, as he has a definite future at the club.
Sub goalie Juan Pablo Carrizo has already maxed out his potential at 75, so there is no point keeping him at the club beyond the first season. Use your scout network to find a promising goalkeeper who can one day replace Samir Handanovic.
Managerial Objectives
Domestic and continental success will always be the managerial objectives that will first grab your attention, but at Inter, brand exposure is the most important. You will need to gain around £75,000,000 earning from shirt sales within the season, which can be achieved by bringing in big names, winning regularly, and scoring with fan favourites. In the long term, you will be asked to earn around £15 million through competition prize money within three seasons, but this should take care of itself.
As for domestic success, there is a high priority, and you may be asked to go out and win the ‘Calcio A’ title and reach the quarters or semis of the Coppa Nazionale. It’s a tough ask, but with the current squad plus a couple of signings, it may just be possible.
*When setting up your Career Mode, make sure you put Inter in the ‘Euro League’ to reflect last season’s qualification to the Europa League, otherwise you will miss out on European competition. If you do this, you could be asked to deliver the Euro League trophy, as well as qualify for next seasons ‘Champions Cup’. The board aren’t finished there, as within two seasons of the Champions Cup, you will need to reach the semi-finals.
For youth development, you will need to bring a youth player up to the first team and play them in 10 matches, so be sure to set up a youth network straightaway. In the long term, you will need to decrease the average age of the squad to just 24 within two seasons, whilst maintaining the quality. So you may want to reconsider signing any players over 30, and allow the older players to be released when their contracts end.
Finally, for your financial objective, the board will want you to reduce the player wages. A few senior players may have to be sold if you want to achieve this.
Can you bring Inter back to the top?
It’s one of the toughest set of managerial objectives going, but it is probably just about possible. You will only need your full strength first team to face six of the other sides in Serie A, and that should allow you to rotate your squad, and stay fresh for the cup fixtures. Bringing the average age down will be difficult, but if you allow the likes of Felipe Melo, Rodrigo Palacio and Tommaso Berni to leave, and bring through some young players from the academy, this will help your wages as well. It’s a big project and Inter, but everyone likes a challenge, right?
The quality is there to go and win the league title, and getting off to a strong start is crucial if you are serious about winning the Scudetto. You are probably one attacking player short of being in with a realistic chance of the title, so you may as well bite the bullet and bring in Yaya Toure. The Champions League is where Inter needs to be, so the league should be your main focus, and if you are comfortable, you can they allow yourself to target one of the other two competitions, with Euro League glory very tempting. Best of luck, you are going to need it.
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