Fifa 21 is in full swing now and players should have been able to get to grips with the gameplay mechanics and overall feel of the game to really begin challenging themselves with a gruelling campaign in the new and revamped Career Mode. Here are a couple of suggestions as to where a player might look for an exciting challenge in the game.
Atletico Madrid
With Diego Simeone now nearing a decade in charge of Los Rojiblancos, Fifa 21 could be the perfect time to introduce a fresh approach to the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. Also known as El Pupas aka. The Jinxed Ones, Atletico Madrid have become known as being the ‘nearly men’ of Spanish football, regularly finishing in the Champions League positions in La Liga and making it into the knockout rounds of European football’s most elite competitions.
Simeone has a unique and fairly infamous way of playing football, establishing himself as probably the most acclaimed and recognised fan of a 4-4-2 formation in European football. It’s not always been the most eye-pleasing of spectacles for football purists out there, however the passion shown by Simeone on the touchline, coupled with the immense steadiness in terms of placements and trophies shown by the Argentine coach during his time in Madrid, has definitely left Atletico Madrid as a side that most football fans enjoy seeing do well.
Atletico Madrid is undoubtedly the best placed side in Spanish football to break the hegemony of Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top of the La Liga, and it is easily one of the most interesting challenges a player can set themselves. With both Real and Barca still continuing to grow through periods of tough transitions both on and off the pitch, there’s a real sense that, if there’s ever going to be a time where Atletico break their Pupas curse, this is the time to do so.
Los Rojiblancos certainly boast a squad capable of challenging for the top prizes in football, with the likes of Luis Suarez, Jose Gimenez, Kieran Trippier, Yannick Carrasco and Thomas Lemar all providing the good blend of flair and steely experience needed to mount a title push. There’s also the likes of Joao Felix at the club, easily one of the most talismanic young players in the world and a superstar who is improving with every appearance he makes.
Borussia Dortmund
Similarly to Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund are the most likely side to challenge the hegemony of their league, constantly finishing as the Bundesliga’s runners up underneath Bayern Munich. The 2011/12 season was the last time anyone other than the Bavarians won the Bundesliga, which goes to show how starved of success the Black and Yellow have been in recent times and why a title triumph is so overdue.
Since their league and cup double in 2012, Borussia Dortmund have reached a Champions League final and won the DFB Pokal once, a poor return for one of the most recognisable brands in European football.
The likes of Jurgen Klopp, Peter Bosz, Thomas Tuchel and Lucien Favre have all struggled to keep up with Bayern Munich over the years, and the latest odds over at real world sports and Esports betting specialists Unikrn.com shows just how big the gulf between the two sides really is even now.
Not only is the pressure of keeping up a side that is currently on the back of a domestic and continental treble something that Borussia Dortmund have to contend with, but there is an immense heritage around producing super slick attacking ways of playing, as well as blooding in a good amount of young players from both around the world as well as internally from the youth academy.
All of these challenges faced by the Black and Yellow naturally lend themselves very well to a Fifa 21 Career Mode, and there are certainly plenty of stars (both prospective and ready made) for a skilled player to make use of. Keeping hold of the likes of Jadon Sancho, Giovanni Reyna, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham should definitely be a priority, but Dortmund also have plenty of steely experienced pros such as Thomas Meunier, Mats Hummels and Marco Reus available to call upon and take care of.
