FIFA101: Invest in the right players during Team of the Season event

The Team of the Season promo in FIFA 21 Ultimate Team is one of the most exciting and rewarding events of the year.

There are loads of new cards being released and many of them come at quite a cost, so don’t waste your coins on players that won’t be good in-game.

Scotland international FIFA star Marc "MarcMarleyyy" talks you through his guide for which Team of the Season players to opt for.

Team of the Season

If you did not know the Team of the Season event was on in FUT 21 then you must be living under a rock.

We are around halfway in the event with plenty still to come, and Marley is certainly looking forward to the Ligue 1 TOTS release which is likely to be on Friday, 28 May.

“Ligue 1 will have the best cards for attackers,”

“If Neymar gets one, he’s always the best every year, I’ll be shocked if they don’t include him because it sells packs.”

Neymar has missed large parts of this season so his inclusion remains in doubt, but nine goals and six assists should see him receive a card of some sorts.

Reflecting on what we have seen from the promo so far, Marley picks out two Manchester United players as his top picks thus far.

“You've got your usual cards like Bruno Fernandes is really good and Aaron Wan-Bissaka is amazing, either a right back or at centre back.

“Obviously you’ve got Lionel Messi and Frenkie de Jong and players like that too, and I’m looking forward to the new ones coming out.”

In terms of new cards, the Serie A Team of the Season squad arrives on Friday, 21 May.

Strong at the back

Your best bet for investing in the right defenders is to understand the specific details of what you are looking for.

For example, Marley says “pace is the biggest attribute this year, definitely more than last year.

“After that, I would say just stand tackle and aggression, and agility is actually a really good one that not all people look out for.”

“The meta is to put a full-back at centre-back, so Reece James, Wan-Bissaka, Luke Shaw - there’s so many options,”

“They will usually have more agility than out-and-out centre backs as well, but pace is key this year because the through balls are ridiculous, and you'll get destroyed without pace at the back.”

In terms of Team of the Season players, it is actually Bolton centre-back Ricardo Santos from the EFL squad who boasts the highest agility with a huge 99 rating.

Costing just 27,000 coins on both Xbox and PlayStation, Santos is great value if you can fit him into your squad.

Unsurprisingly, Aaron Wan-Bissaka (96 agility) and Alphonso Davies (96 agility) are two of our favourites so far, while David Alaba (86 agility) is the most agile CB available on the transfer market aside from Santos.

Midfield screen

The cover in front of your defence is important too, and your midfield needs to have a balance to it.

“I usually like one small one and one tall but it doesn't have to be,” Marley said.

“Having that CDM who will just sit back, Curtis Jones (Future Stars SBC) was a really good card that came out, and I’m sure Rodri (TOTS) could play that role.

“If you’re playing 4-4-2 you need a more attacking centre mid and then just have the other centre mid just on stay back and he sits in front of the defence and is a bit deeper than everybody else.”

Once again pace is key when looking for a holding midfield player but it is more mobility that is required than out-and-out speed.

Players with good mobility, high work rates, and strong tackling attributes can feel like they cover a lot more ground which is great news for your defenders.

Atletico Madrid all-rounder Marcos Llorente is our favourite midfielder so far in the Team of the Season promo.

The Spaniard boasts incredible 91 pace and has terrific attributes across the board.

Arguably the best of the lot though is Leon Goretzka; although costing close to 3 million coins you will certainly need some dough in the bank.

Frightening forwards

We will group wingers and strikers in the same category as we often interchange them.

Marley was emphatic when discussing his favourite player of the event so far.

“The best one I think would be Rashford so far,” he said.

Manchester United star Rashford’s Team of the Season card is insane, and with 5-star skill moves and 99 pace it is also extremely expensive.

The usual suspects are right up there in terms f quality too, with the likes of Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, and Heung-min Son all extremely popular too.

You will be hard pushed to find a top-quality TOTS forward under 300,000 coins, but Sporting Lisbon's Pedro Goncalves is your best bet at a little over 200,000.

Super subs

Sometimes you just can’t fit certain players in your team, and that’s okay!

These Team of the Season stars have proved to be valuable members of the squad coming off the bench to make a difference.

First up, Watford and Senegalese winger Ismaila Sarr.

Sarr’s incredible 99 pace makes him a threat every time he walks on the pitch and he is our number one TOTS super sub.

Our second choice is Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak. If you have not got him now, then you won’t ever get him as his objectives have expired and you are seriously missing out.

Tall, quick, and strong, Isak is plenty good enough to start for those of you playing with La Liga squads.

If you are someone who utilises the five at the back, then you may need some substitute wing-backs too.

Benfica’s Grimaldo and Besiktas’ Valentin Rosier are our two favourites right now.

Both men boast blistering speed, and neither will break the bank either as they are both available for around 50,000.