EA SPORTS FIFA 15 Challenging 4 Star Teams

Over the last few weeks we’ve covered great 3.5 and four-star teams to use if you’re looking to win promotions and titles in Seasons mode. These are clubs with many strengths that I feel give you the advantage when playing at their star level.

If you missed those, you can check them out here and here.

We’re sticking with Seasons again this week, but the four-star clubs we’re looking at now are a bit different to the big three from last time. These two both have something special, so they can be a lot of fun to play as, but they also have weaknesses that I think make them more of a challenge to use.

If you’re looking to test your skills in Seasons, read on then give one of these great clubs a go.

PSV
Like Lyon, who are one of my recommended teams to use when you need to win, PSV have an outstanding player who’s capable of being a match winner on his own. Memphis Depay is a top-class dribbler and the main reason why I enjoy playing as the Dutch club so much.

Unlike Lyon they don’t have a striker with explosive pace or lethal finishing ability, so getting away from the defence and finding the net with your forwards can be a challenge. Also, although PSV have pairs of strong, mobile centre-backs and strikers, they don’t have a great deal of physical strength other than that, so it can be tricky against teams with a lot of powerful players.

My game plan with them is a simple one – get the ball to Memphis.

We’ll look at his skills in more detail in a moment, but I play him in his natural position on the left in either a 4-3-3 or an attacking 4-5-1 and run at defenders as often as possible. If I find he’s up against a strong, quick full-back then I’ll swap him with the CAM or the RW, as he can play in any of those positions effectively.

6ft 3in forward Locadia suits the lone striker role well, and I support him with the rapid Narsingh on the right and the tricky Wijnaldum in the CAM position.

The two CMs I choose aren’t the most physical but they are good technically, so I use them to move the ball quickly and take care not to get caught in possession.

In defence, Rekik and Bruma are both tall, strong and fast enough. Willems and Arias are attacking full-backs who get forward a lot, but can get caught out in aerial battles.

KEY PLAYER
MEMPHIS DEPAY
Depay’s a player we looked at in the Future Stars series recently. If you missed that you can check it out here: http://www.easports.com/uk/fifa/tips-and-tricks/fifa-15-future-stars-scouted He has acceleration and sprint speed ratings in the 90s, a dribbling attribute in the mid 80s and can do five-star skills, so you can see why I try to take players on so much with him. His finishing attribute is in the 60s, but he has a powerful shot and is the best free-kick taker in the squad, so he has scored quite a few goals for me.

UNSUNG HERO
JÜRGEN LOCADIA
The big striker is the joint-best finisher in the squad with Luuk de Jong but a little quicker, which does make a difference. Both strikers lack explosive pace though, and dribbling past opponents isn’t a strong point, but they can hold the ball up well thanks to that physicality. De Jong is better in the air, so go with him if you prefer to play a crossing game.

LINE-UP
4-5-1

GK Zoet

RB Arias
RCB Bruma
LCB Rekik
LB Willems

RDM Maher
LDM Guardado
RM Narsingh
CAM Wijnaldum
LM Depay

ST Locadia

SHAKHTAR
Ukrainian Premier Division champs Shakhtar are the team for you if you like fast, technical players with great dribbling ability. Even their left back has five-star skills!

It can be a real challenge to use them if you don’t play to their strengths, as they’re not as physically powerful as most of the teams you’ll face so it’s easy to get out-muscled if you don’t keep the ball moving. But if you love dribbling past opponents or beating them with skill moves then they’ll be perfect for you.

I also find them tougher to use on a wet pitch, probably because the surface slows them down a little which makes it easier for opponents to get closer and make tackles or use their superior power.

They have an abundance of excellent attacking midfielders, so I fit as many of them into the starting line-up as possible by picking the version of the 4-5-1 that doesn’t use DMs.

Luiz Adriano leads the line and is the best finisher in the squad. I play five-star skiller Costa just behind him next to the excellent Taison, with Teixera on the right, Bernard on the left and Fernando in the middle. There really are loads of other options though so have a good look through, as you may prefer Marlos, Fred, Ilsinho or Wellington Nem.

The left-back with five-star skills, Azevedo, just makes my line-up ahead of the excellent Ismaily, and I play Rakitskyi and Kucher in the middle with Srna on the right.

KEY PLAYER
LUIZ ADRIANO
Striker Adriano is Shakhtar’s best finisher and is one of their few attackers with a good physical presence, so his role at the head of the attack is vital.

UNSUNG HERO
DOUGLAS COSTA
It was really difficult to choose a player for this part, but Costa just made it as he always seems to be everywhere for me in attack. He’s really quick, a fantastic dribbler and has a good long shot.

LINE-UP
4-5-1

GK Pyatov

RB Srna
RCB Kucher
LCB Rakitskyi
LB Azevedo

RM Taison
CM Fernando
LM Bernard
RAM Teixeira
LAM Costa

ST Adriano

I really recommend having a go with both of these teams, as they are great to use and, if you play to their strengths, I’m sure you’ll pick up plenty of wins.

That’s all for this week. Come back next time when we’ll be looking at some tips to help you score more goals from crosses.

Thanks for reading,
Darren
@darren_cross