Been a Villa loyalist for a long time now, and a FM/CM player for even longer, so I thought it might be time to have a crack at a short squad guide. Enjoy.
Club Information
Name: Aston Villa F.C.
Nickname: The Villans
Stadium: Villa Park - 42,788
Media Prediction: 7th
Competition: Europa League (EURO cup)
Minimum expectations: Top half finish
Minimum budget: £2,650,000
Minimum wage budget: £70.7k p/w
Squad Overview:
Strengths: Defence, Wings, Goalkeeper
Weaknesses: Centre midfield, forwards
Goalkeepers
Brad Friedel, 38
Brad Guzan, 24
Andy Marshall, 34
Elliott Parish, 19
Though Friedel is getting on a bit, he is still a good, reliable stopper. He should do you for another season, or two at a stretch. Guzan is a good prospect for the future, and another solid if unspectacular keeper. However, Andy Marshall is a bit of a waste of space. Recently signed and so difficult to get rid of, a loan would be the best way to be rid of him. If you need a third keeper, consider bringing up the talented Parish from the reserves.
Left Backs
Stephen Warnock, 27
Wilfrid Bouma, 31
Luke Young, 29
Warnock is about as solid a fullback as you could wish to find. Like all of Villa's fullbacks, he is a no-nonsense defensive player, enabling the wingers to work their magic. Whilst good backup, Wilfrid Bouma is injured for a minimum of 3 months, and Luke Young is primarily a fullback. With Nicky Shorey on loan at Fulham, this leaves you without a decent reserve left-back. Shane Lowry, a talented player from the reserves, can be used as a short-term stopgap, but consider transfer-listed players such as Javier Garrido or a season-long loan to fill this void.
Right Backs
Luke Young, 29
Habib Beye, 31
Carlos Cuellar, 27
Nigel Reo-Coker
Not the greatest array of talent. Both Young and Beye are fairly similar in ability, around par for the Premiership. Cuellar is a useful fullback, but a signing here would be useful. I found Gyorgy Garics a suitable signing if you have the cash. A loan signing or bargain-bin replacement would be great here, but reinforcements for this position is not a must, rather a luxury.
Centre Backs
Richard Dunne, 29
Carlos Cuellar, 27
James Collins, 25
Curtis Davies, 24
Ciaran Clark, 19
Shane Lowry, 20
This is much more like it. Richard Dunne is a superb defender, and should make the first team squad every day of the week. Carlos Cuellar is also a great centre-back, albeit slightly less dominant in the air, though his defensive expertise on the ground makes up for it. Unless you use Cuellar as a right-back (not out of the question by any means), the second berth in the team will be fought over by Cuellar, James Collins and Curtis Davies. Whilst each has their own distinct advantages (Cuellar's defensive nous, Collins' aeriel dominance, Davies' speed), I'd still recommend Cuellar over the other two. Clark and Lowry are two bright young things from the reserves and can fill in well in an injury crisis.
Right Wingers
James Milner, 23
Ashley Young, 24
Marc Albrighton, 19
Villa's strength is in its wingers, and nowhere is this more obvious than on the right wing. Jimmy Milner is a top-class winger, creative, supremely versatile and hard-working. He is your first choice. Young is also a superb player, and can be played on the right if you want to use him as a more conventional winger, rather than an inside forward. Marc Albrighton is a true star of the future, and should be promoted to first team backup.
Left Wingers
Ashley Young, 24
Stewart Downing, 24
James Milner, 23
Young is, of course, first choice. Cutting inside onto his stronger right foot, he can pose a constant goal threat as well as good crossing, with great pace. Downing is out for 4 months at most, but when recovered is a far more than able backup. Milner and his customary versatility is useful if there is an injury crisis, or for backup early in the season when Downing is out.
Centre Midfielders
Holding Mids:
Stiliyan Petrov, 30
Nigel Reo-Coker, 25
Steve Sidwell, 26
Isaiah Osbourne, 21
Petrov is extremely able all-round midfielder, best employed as a ball-winning midfielder. He should easily get into your first team. Nigel Reo-Coker, whilst less capable, is a decent backup and a good squad player, able to play as an auxiliary right mid or right back. Sidwell is a hard-working all-rounder with a great engine, but lacks true quality. Osbourne is a talented young player who could, nurtured right, become a good player.
Attacking Mids:
James Milner, 23
Fabian Delph, 19
Steve Sidwell, 25
Bit of a dilemma here. Whilst Milner plays superbly here, and is probably the most creative component of your attack, he is equally potent as a winger. However, not using him here will mean that you have to turn to the precociously talented, if inexperienced, Fabian Delph. Delph is almost certainly going to be a massive star, but you would be better off using him as backup to a more experienced player. Sidwell, whilst good, can't really cut the mustard on a regular basis. Investment of the Badelj, Buonanotte, James Rodriguez, Fleck or a personal favourite, Tijani Belaid type is required here to provide the thrust and creativity from midfield.
Strikers
John Carew(-Carew, he is bigger than me or you), 30
Gabriel Agbonlahor, 22
Emile Heskey, 31
Nathan Delfouneso, 18
Marlon Harewood, 29
Andreas Weimann, 17
Big JC is about as potent a target-man as you're going to find in the premier league. Beastly strong and great in the air, he's a good battering-ram to open space with. Blisteringly quick, poacher Gabby Agbonlahor is great at exploiting said gaps. Both should be in your first team. Poor old much-maligned Emile Heskey is a fair backup to Carew, though I think SI have underrated him (same goes for Ashley Young and Downing). He shouldn't start, but he's a useful bloke to have knocking around if Carew picks up an injury or you want to deploy a defensive forward to protect your lead. The Fonz is a true prospect, and great backup to Agbonlahor, but Marlon Harewood is an old codger who needs to be offloaded. Most Championship teams will take him. Andreas Weimann is another good youngster who needs plenty of time to develop, but will eventually be a decent enough forward.
Suggested Formations:
4-4-2
View attachment 60199
An attacking 4-4-2, with advanced wingers. This 4-4-2 works by concentrating your possession up the wings and using your wingers to cross into your target man, who in turn provides for your deeper forward and attacking midfielder. Like most Villa tactics, it relies on a quick, devastating counterattack.
Recommended squad roles:
GK - Goalkeeper - Defend
R/LB - Full Back - Defend
CB - Central Defender - Defend
RCM - Ball Winning Midfielder - Support
LCM - Advanced Playmaker - Support
RW - Winger - Attack
LW - Inside Forward - Attack
LS - Poacher - Attack
RS - Target Man - Attack
Notes: Make sure your wingers are crossing towards Carew, as Gabby is not too great in the air. Ball-winning midfielder can be changed to defend when trying to protect a lead, with the wingers dropping back to become wide mids. Likewise, Carew can be set to support.
4-5-1
View attachment 60200
A more defensive formation, this can be used when playing away from home or in a match you expect to lose. Backed by a hard-working midfield, two wingers supply a target man with crosses and balls to his feet which he then lays off to runners.
Recommended squad roles:
GK - Goalkeeper - Defend
R/LB - Full Back - Defend
CB - Central Defender - Defend
DM - Defensive Midfielder - Support
R/LCM - Box to Box Midfielder - Support
R/LW - Winger - Attack
ST - Target Man - Attack
Notes: In this formation your team plays even wider, using the aeriel power and strength of Carew to hold up the ball and wait for runners from midfield or the wings. If you want to be more defensive, set Petrov to Defend, drop your wingers back, and turn one of your midfielders to Defend. If you want to be more attacking, push Petrov up to be a centre mid, and push Delph up to be an attacking mid, forming a 4-2-3-2. It is up to you how you use your wingers. I prefer to use them more classically, but if you set "cut inside", then your wingers will also be a goal threat, albeit reducing width.
Club Information
Name: Aston Villa F.C.
Nickname: The Villans
Stadium: Villa Park - 42,788
Media Prediction: 7th
Competition: Europa League (EURO cup)
Minimum expectations: Top half finish
Minimum budget: £2,650,000
Minimum wage budget: £70.7k p/w
Squad Overview:
Strengths: Defence, Wings, Goalkeeper
Weaknesses: Centre midfield, forwards
Goalkeepers
Brad Friedel, 38
Brad Guzan, 24
Andy Marshall, 34
Elliott Parish, 19
Though Friedel is getting on a bit, he is still a good, reliable stopper. He should do you for another season, or two at a stretch. Guzan is a good prospect for the future, and another solid if unspectacular keeper. However, Andy Marshall is a bit of a waste of space. Recently signed and so difficult to get rid of, a loan would be the best way to be rid of him. If you need a third keeper, consider bringing up the talented Parish from the reserves.
Left Backs
Stephen Warnock, 27
Wilfrid Bouma, 31
Luke Young, 29
Warnock is about as solid a fullback as you could wish to find. Like all of Villa's fullbacks, he is a no-nonsense defensive player, enabling the wingers to work their magic. Whilst good backup, Wilfrid Bouma is injured for a minimum of 3 months, and Luke Young is primarily a fullback. With Nicky Shorey on loan at Fulham, this leaves you without a decent reserve left-back. Shane Lowry, a talented player from the reserves, can be used as a short-term stopgap, but consider transfer-listed players such as Javier Garrido or a season-long loan to fill this void.
Right Backs
Luke Young, 29
Habib Beye, 31
Carlos Cuellar, 27
Nigel Reo-Coker
Not the greatest array of talent. Both Young and Beye are fairly similar in ability, around par for the Premiership. Cuellar is a useful fullback, but a signing here would be useful. I found Gyorgy Garics a suitable signing if you have the cash. A loan signing or bargain-bin replacement would be great here, but reinforcements for this position is not a must, rather a luxury.
Centre Backs
Richard Dunne, 29
Carlos Cuellar, 27
James Collins, 25
Curtis Davies, 24
Ciaran Clark, 19
Shane Lowry, 20
This is much more like it. Richard Dunne is a superb defender, and should make the first team squad every day of the week. Carlos Cuellar is also a great centre-back, albeit slightly less dominant in the air, though his defensive expertise on the ground makes up for it. Unless you use Cuellar as a right-back (not out of the question by any means), the second berth in the team will be fought over by Cuellar, James Collins and Curtis Davies. Whilst each has their own distinct advantages (Cuellar's defensive nous, Collins' aeriel dominance, Davies' speed), I'd still recommend Cuellar over the other two. Clark and Lowry are two bright young things from the reserves and can fill in well in an injury crisis.
Right Wingers
James Milner, 23
Ashley Young, 24
Marc Albrighton, 19
Villa's strength is in its wingers, and nowhere is this more obvious than on the right wing. Jimmy Milner is a top-class winger, creative, supremely versatile and hard-working. He is your first choice. Young is also a superb player, and can be played on the right if you want to use him as a more conventional winger, rather than an inside forward. Marc Albrighton is a true star of the future, and should be promoted to first team backup.
Left Wingers
Ashley Young, 24
Stewart Downing, 24
James Milner, 23
Young is, of course, first choice. Cutting inside onto his stronger right foot, he can pose a constant goal threat as well as good crossing, with great pace. Downing is out for 4 months at most, but when recovered is a far more than able backup. Milner and his customary versatility is useful if there is an injury crisis, or for backup early in the season when Downing is out.
Centre Midfielders
Holding Mids:
Stiliyan Petrov, 30
Nigel Reo-Coker, 25
Steve Sidwell, 26
Isaiah Osbourne, 21
Petrov is extremely able all-round midfielder, best employed as a ball-winning midfielder. He should easily get into your first team. Nigel Reo-Coker, whilst less capable, is a decent backup and a good squad player, able to play as an auxiliary right mid or right back. Sidwell is a hard-working all-rounder with a great engine, but lacks true quality. Osbourne is a talented young player who could, nurtured right, become a good player.
Attacking Mids:
James Milner, 23
Fabian Delph, 19
Steve Sidwell, 25
Bit of a dilemma here. Whilst Milner plays superbly here, and is probably the most creative component of your attack, he is equally potent as a winger. However, not using him here will mean that you have to turn to the precociously talented, if inexperienced, Fabian Delph. Delph is almost certainly going to be a massive star, but you would be better off using him as backup to a more experienced player. Sidwell, whilst good, can't really cut the mustard on a regular basis. Investment of the Badelj, Buonanotte, James Rodriguez, Fleck or a personal favourite, Tijani Belaid type is required here to provide the thrust and creativity from midfield.
Strikers
John Carew(-Carew, he is bigger than me or you), 30
Gabriel Agbonlahor, 22
Emile Heskey, 31
Nathan Delfouneso, 18
Marlon Harewood, 29
Andreas Weimann, 17
Big JC is about as potent a target-man as you're going to find in the premier league. Beastly strong and great in the air, he's a good battering-ram to open space with. Blisteringly quick, poacher Gabby Agbonlahor is great at exploiting said gaps. Both should be in your first team. Poor old much-maligned Emile Heskey is a fair backup to Carew, though I think SI have underrated him (same goes for Ashley Young and Downing). He shouldn't start, but he's a useful bloke to have knocking around if Carew picks up an injury or you want to deploy a defensive forward to protect your lead. The Fonz is a true prospect, and great backup to Agbonlahor, but Marlon Harewood is an old codger who needs to be offloaded. Most Championship teams will take him. Andreas Weimann is another good youngster who needs plenty of time to develop, but will eventually be a decent enough forward.
Suggested Formations:
4-4-2
View attachment 60199
An attacking 4-4-2, with advanced wingers. This 4-4-2 works by concentrating your possession up the wings and using your wingers to cross into your target man, who in turn provides for your deeper forward and attacking midfielder. Like most Villa tactics, it relies on a quick, devastating counterattack.
Recommended squad roles:
GK - Goalkeeper - Defend
R/LB - Full Back - Defend
CB - Central Defender - Defend
RCM - Ball Winning Midfielder - Support
LCM - Advanced Playmaker - Support
RW - Winger - Attack
LW - Inside Forward - Attack
LS - Poacher - Attack
RS - Target Man - Attack
Notes: Make sure your wingers are crossing towards Carew, as Gabby is not too great in the air. Ball-winning midfielder can be changed to defend when trying to protect a lead, with the wingers dropping back to become wide mids. Likewise, Carew can be set to support.
4-5-1
View attachment 60200
A more defensive formation, this can be used when playing away from home or in a match you expect to lose. Backed by a hard-working midfield, two wingers supply a target man with crosses and balls to his feet which he then lays off to runners.
Recommended squad roles:
GK - Goalkeeper - Defend
R/LB - Full Back - Defend
CB - Central Defender - Defend
DM - Defensive Midfielder - Support
R/LCM - Box to Box Midfielder - Support
R/LW - Winger - Attack
ST - Target Man - Attack
Notes: In this formation your team plays even wider, using the aeriel power and strength of Carew to hold up the ball and wait for runners from midfield or the wings. If you want to be more defensive, set Petrov to Defend, drop your wingers back, and turn one of your midfielders to Defend. If you want to be more attacking, push Petrov up to be a centre mid, and push Delph up to be an attacking mid, forming a 4-2-3-2. It is up to you how you use your wingers. I prefer to use them more classically, but if you set "cut inside", then your wingers will also be a goal threat, albeit reducing width.
