Probably the most annoying thing so far on career mode (besides the unrealistic transfers) is that some Chelsea players (Lalkovic, Kalas, Davila, and maybe another but not on Chelsea save atm, so can't remember) aren't 'out on loan' so you have to buy them, but I can't at the start of the window because they've just transferred, and it wastes my budget too. And why do EA have Lucas Piazon as left footed?!
I am having a lot of fun with career mode so far though. Especially in my Nice save, which is challenging, but very enjoyable.
My team is usually this, but I like to rotate quite a bit, so it can vary...
John Smith (77) - He's a beast - signed him because I fell out with Ospina (tried to sell him to free up wages and transfer budget and he sulked) and don't regret it because he's played very well and is barely on any wages.
Clerc (74) - Has been very consistent, but not one of my stand-out players.
Pulido (70) - On loan from Atletico Madrid - Been quality, and I will definitely want to buy him when his loan ends if I have the money available.
Pejcinovic (74+1) - Been a rock at the back.
Monzon (70) - Same as Clerc really.
Flamini (77+1) - Very happy with this buy - he's been very consistent; constantly up and down the pitch.
Abriel (73) - He's been inconsistent really - sometimes he's put in amazing performances, and other times terrible. I continue to use him though because he adds better passing, control and composure to my team, which is the way I like to play - ideally I would have liked to get somebody else who could do that, but there were no feasible options.
Mounier (78) - Been great in most games, but it's just frustrating that he needs to be rested so much because he's constantly low on energy. He has 65 stamina which isn't the best, but it's not that bad, usually, not in Mounier's case though it seems.
Jorge Henrique (75) - Not been anything special, but he doesn't half put in a shift - his physical stats are; 90 acceleration, 86 sprint speed, 75 agility, 84 balance, 93 jumping, 90 stamina, 66 strength, and 77 reactions, and that's with high defending work rate and high attacking work rate. He's great if you're trying to retrieve the ball from the computer, which is quite difficult this year.
Guardado (78+1) - He's been amazing - definitely my best player so far, worth a purchase for nearly any team imo.
Pentecote (72) - He's been quite good; doing a lot for the team, but I need him to start scoring goals; he only has 1 in 10 league games, which just isn't good enough for a striker. I was close to signing Henry, which would have reduced the burden on him , but I didn't quite have enough wage budget left. I am glad that I didn't get him though because I can see Pentecote getting goals given time, and if I had got Henry I'd have about 2 reserves atm, but I have about 6 now, and all were upgrades on current players.
Other players that are doing well, but aren't in the team are
Fae (73) and
Digard (71) the reason being is as I said earlier that I want more of a playmaker partnering Flamini, they do get their fare share of games though.
Juanmi (70) is also just missing out, but he has been too hit-and-miss to warrant a starting place, but he's only 18 so there's no rush. I signed him to be one of my two backup strikers as he was transfer listed by Malaga. Hopefully I can develop him and then I won't need to buy a new striker.
I'm currently 7th in the table on 19 points, and Marseille are leading the way in 1st with 30. The aim is to be in the top 5 at the end of the season, which is looking possible atm. My top scorers are Pulido, Mounier, and Guie Guie on 2, which is very disappointing, and I have 11 players on 1 goal. Quardado is leading the way with assists with 4 to his name, and Mounier, Palun and Pentecote all have 2 each. My best result was 5-0 against AC Ajaccio, and my worst was 3-0 against Bordeaux; partly being because they scored 3, and partly being because they overtook me in the league table. My most entertaining game was probably 3-3 against PSG.