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

Aston Villa are one of the oldest and most successful clubs in England, being a founding member of the Football League in 1888 and of the Premier League in 1992.

Despite being one of the five English clubs to have won a European Cup, the Villans have failed to qualify for European football for over ten years now.

So, can you be the man to take Aston Villa back to the big time and compete for major honours? We're providing all the tools for you to succeed as the Villa manager in FIFA 23 Career Mode.

Team Rating

Aston Villa has a four-and-a-half-star rating in FIFA 23.

The breakdown of the ratings is as follows: ATT 79, MID 78, DEF 80.

Starting Lineup and Formation

Aston Villa set up in the 4-3-3 formation in FIFA 23 and there isn't much need to stray too far from this set-up as it allows the team to remain defensively stable whilst posing an attacking threat.

You may wish to switch to the 4-3-3 attacking variation if you prefer playing with a traditional number 10, or 'CAM'.

Playing down the middle is 26-year-old Ollie Watkins. The England international will be supported by the pacey Leon Bailey and world-class creator Philippe Coutinho.

The two creative box-to-box central midfielders who will play in the number eight roles are Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz.

Giving the team defensively stability in midfield is French CDM Boubacar Kamara, who will operate in the number six position.

In the full-back positions, we've gone for Lucas Digne and Matty Cash, whilst Diego Carlos partners Ezri Konsa in central defence.

The man between the sticks is Argentinian 'keeper and the highest-rated player in the squad, Emiliano Martinez.

Tactics and Instructions

With the pacey Ollie Watkins being the main goal threat up top, we want to give him every opportunity we can at a sight of goal.

So, instruct the striker to Stay Forward, Get In Behind and Stay Central to give him the best possible chance of getting shots away.

You may also want to set the speedy Leon Bailey on Get In Behind, whilst instructing Philippe Coutinho to Cut Inside, in order to make use of that magical right-foot finesse shot.

Both full-backs, Lucas Digne and Matty Cash are more than capable of supporting the attack whilst also staying rigid in defence.

So, it's up to you whether you set them to Always Overlap or keep them on Stay Back While Attacking.

One thing that is not up for negotiation, however, is setting your CDM, Boubacar Kamara on Cover Centre and Stay Back While Attacking, or you may leave yourself vulnerable to the counterattack.

Training

There are plenty of players in this Villa squad that are capable of developing into top players.

The current midfield triangle of Boubacar Kamara (POT 86), Jacob Ramsey (POT 85) and Douglas Luiz (POT 83) can grow into a genuinely top-class trio.

Tricky winger Leon Bailey (POT 83) will be incredible in-game and can increase in rating by three points, so you may want to train him up.

Defenders Ezri Konsa (POT 83) and Matty Cash (POT 83) can both grow by four overall points, so it's worth focusing on developing them too.

Transfer Market

Starting budget: £74.3 million

Who should go?

Mikel Arteta and Arsenal have done a good job of clearing out the dead wood over the course of the past few seasons, but there are still more players to be sold.

With Diego Carlos and Ezri Konsa holding things down in the heart of the defence, club captain Tyrone Mings (OVR 78) is surplus to requirements.

Similarly, the ageing Danny Ings (OVR 79) can be replaced by a young, promising striker who can compete with Ollie Watkins.

The sales of the two English players combined will generate around £30 million for future signings.

John McGinn (OVR 79) has been a great servant to Aston Villa, but with a young and exciting midfield developing at the club, the Scot is no longer needed.

The same goes for Morgan Sanson (OVR 76) and Marvelous Nakamba (OVR 76). The sales of these three players can increase the transfer budget by £30 million.

The following youngsters can also be sold as their potential rating is not high enough in FIFA 23 to challenge for a first-team spot:

Oliwier Zych, Filip Marschall, Sil Swinkels

Loans

The Villans have ample depth, meaning there are a number of youngsters who can be sent out on loan.

You should look to offer exciting youngster Cameron Archer (POT 79) regular minutes elsewhere in order to develop properly.

Tim Iroegbunam (POT 82), Louie Barry (POT 81) and Kaine Hayden (POT 81) who are all currently out on loan, can be loaned out yet again upon their return in order to fast-track their journey to senior first-team level.

Who to Sign

New transfer budget: £135.3 million

Promising Striker

Ollie Watkins is, of course, the main man up front for Aston Villa for now. However, the squad lacks a promising striker to compete with the Englishman, who only has a potential rating of 80 OVR.

With a large transfer budget at hand, Napoli forward Victor Osimhen should be your number one target.

The 23-year-old can be picked up for around £60 million, can play anywhere across the front three and can develop into an 89 OVR player in FIFA 23.

You may also want to pick up German starlet Karim Adeyemi to bolster the squad depth. The pacey striker can be picked up for around £20 million in Career Mode.

Alternative options

Young Centre-Half

Once the sale of Tyrone Mings goes through, you may wish to pick up a promising centre-back that can take 29-year-old Diego Carlos' role in the future.

Olympique Lyonnais centre-half Castello Lukeba (OVR 76) is our number one choice.

The French CB can be picked up for around £15 million and will grow into a world-class defender, with a potential of 86 OVR.

Transfer Options (CB)

Board Expectations

There is only one high-priority expectation from the board and that is Brand Exposure.

Youth Development is of medium priority, which works with how you should plan on building the club anyway.

The remaining objectives are all of a low priority.

You are not in any European competitions, so Continental Success is void.