5 teams to play as in FIFA 19 career mode

The imminent release of FIFA 19 presents the opportunity to play as new-look squads on career mode.

It’s that time of year where autumn begins and the leagues across Europe are in full flow, so a new FIFA is due with updated squads and new features. FIFA 19 looks set to impress, as they finally have rights to the Champions League, and the tactical features of the game have been completed revamped.

Online features such as Ultimate Team are naturally popular, but nothing beats a campaign on the traditional career mode, where the player has the chance to take their club to glory or change the fortunes of whoever they desire as they pit their wits against the computer. Here are five teams who would be exciting challenges to play as in career mode on the new iteration of FIFA.

Atletico Madrid

Atleti may have started the season slowly, but they have a strong squad with plenty of attacking depth which has been lacking in previous years. Under Diego Simeone, Los Colchoneros have a reputation for being a defensive side due to being hard to break down and willing to settle for 1-0 wins. Therefore, they aren’t necessarily the most exciting side to watch, although they are efficient.

In previous editions of Fifa, Antoine Griezmann was the only really dynamic, unpredictable attacker with the rest being workmanlike, aside from maybe Yannick Carrasco. The addition of Diego Costa certainly helped last season due to him being an effective target man as well as a deadly finisher. However, they were still a limited team to play as.

During the summer, Atletico signed Gelson Martins, Thomas Lemar and Nikola Kalinic to boost their attacking output. They each provide something different, so there is a variety of attacking options to choose from while Griezmann opted to stay. Martins is a fun option to utilize due to his raw pace, which makes him a deadly counter-attacking threat as well as an excellent option from the bench. Lemar is a dangerous crosser of the ball, so he can stretch defenses horizontally while also being comfortable drifting into central areas.

FIFA 19’s new Dynamic Tactics feature means Atleti’s high-pressing style can finally be implemented successfully without having to rework all of the player’s responsibilities. Therefore, their off-the-ball work as a unit is finally recognized, so they can be played to their full potential. Being able to overachieve as Simeone has in his time there will be a tall order, but they finally have the squad to successfully compete on multiple fronts.

Real Madrid and Barcelona will be tough domestic opponents to beat, and it will require a lot to finish ahead of both of them in a league season. Atletico are also in the Champions League, so playing as them provides the chance to play in the competition for the first time on FIFA after they acquired the rights for it from Konami.