Summary
There are a wealth of clubs to manage inEA Sports FC 25’sCareer Mode,andpicking the right one to start a save with can be tricky. One of the more popular challenges that players enjoy undertaking ismanaging a fallen giant,a once-dominant club that’s now in desperate need of a revival. These teams typically have a rich history and iconic fanbases, as well as a notable lack of recent silverware.
Each team will have its unique challenges to face, such as aging squads or financial troubles, but with the right strategy and vision in place, players should be able to turn their fortunes around. Managing one of these under-performing clubs is an opportunity to not only restore them to their former glory but to also create a new legacy, blending historical prestige with the thrill of modern football.
10Aberdeen F.C.
Scottish Premiership
When people think of Scottish football, their minds probably jump straight to the duopoly of Celtic and Rangers. They’ve had a tight grasp on the Premiership between the two of them, butAberdeenhad a spell under Sir Alex Ferguson where they were the dominant force. It was under his reign in the 1980s when they experienced the majority of their success, but once he left them for Manchester United, the silverware seemed to disappear too.
If players take on the challenge of dethroning the Old Firm, the biggest problem they’ll face is the finances. Aberdeen has a modest budget in comparison to their Glasgow rivals, which demands a long-term strategy to be implemented focusing on nurturing home-grown talent. Luckily, that’s one of the club’s strengths, so once theplayers reach their potential, either put their talent on the pitch or sell them for some valuable profits.
9Valencia CF
Spanish La Liga
Once a dominant force in Spanish football,Valenciaenjoyed success in the early 2000s, winning numerous La Liga titles and even reaching consecutive UEFA Champions League finals. However, thanks to financial instability, managerial changes, and inconsistent performances, the club has since slipped from its former heights.
Challenging the titans of Real Madrid and Barcelona for Spanish glory is no easy feat, and managers will need to desperately revitalize an imbalanced and poorly recruited squad to make it competitive. An important early decision that’ll need to be made is whether to build the squad around Mamardashvili, or sell thetalented young goalkeeperfor some early funds to refresh the whole squad.
8Sunderland A.F.C.
English Championship
Fans ofSunderlandhave been pining for a return to the Premier League for too long now, and though they’re slowly climbing their way back up, the team’s still a long way off from where they used to be many decades ago. The Black Cats' journey down from Premier League regulars to lower-league strugglers has left the club with the infrastructure of a top team, but a group of players fit for the Championship at best.
The squad is reasonably well-rounded though, so if managers are patient enough, they could spare the time to develop some talent in the youth academy. After all, they’ve produced some notable names like Jordan Henderson and Jordan Pickford in the past, so the academy is capable of producing squad members who can perform at a higher level.
7Málaga CF
Spanish Segunda División
Granted,CF Málagamight not be a giant, but their decline over the past decade makes them worthy of a mention. They’d been a regular outfit in La Liga throughout the 2000s, and they even had a miraculous Champions League campaign in their first-ever participation during the 2012/13 season. Ever since then, they’ve been on a steady decline, as they dropped into the Spanish Third Division for the first time in their history.
As the season starts, Málaga find themselves in the Segunda División, and a long way off from recapturing their previous European success. Players will need some serious financial prudence as they manage the club’s minimal transfer budget whilst clawing their way back up the leagues.Getting back into La Ligaisn’t the primary goal here though, as taking Málaga those few steps further to the Champions League would leave the player as a legend on the Spanish South Coast.
6Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
English Premier League
Any fan of football is aware of the punching bag that isTottenham Hotspur, as it’s a running joke that they have no trophies to their name. In reality, they’re a club steeped in history, but when it comes to modern achievements, Spurs fans would be the first to point out their underachievements.
When players look at their squad, they’ll likely be shocked to seesuch highly rated playerswith no silverware to show, and that’s been their story for the past two decades. Everything a manager needs to dominate both English and European football is there, from the abundance of finances to the state-of-the-art facilities; what they need is a manager to come in, deploy an attacking brand of football, and turn them from a nearly-great club into a consistent powerhouse.
5U.C. Sampdoria
Italian Serie B
Sampdoriaenjoyed their golden era in the late 1980s and early 1990s when they won Serie A and even reached the European Cup final. However, in recent years, they’ve faced a sharp decline, including a shock relegation to Serie B and severe financial problems. The club is desperate to bounce back quickly into Serie A, creating an exciting opportunity for players to undertake.
Given the club’s limited transfer budget, smart recruitment will be crucial to the player’s success,but so will their tactical setup. There will be a necessity to balance defensive stability with attacking flair, especially once they regain promotion and face the tougher teams.
4FC Nürnberg
German 2. Bundesliga
Before there was Bayern Munich, there wasNurnberg.They were the kings of German football in the 1920s and were one of the founding members of the Bundesliga. However, their early dominance soon petered out, and ever since, they’ve been in a constant back-and-forth between the first and second divisions of German football.
The priority for managers that undertake this challenge will be to make Nurnberg a consistent competitor in the Bundesliga, and put a stop to their all-too-familiar relegations. Only then will Nurnberg be able to compete at the top, and try to close the gap on Bayern’s domination; after all, they’ve only got to win 25 titles to overtake them. If only Career Mode went on for that long…
3AS Saint-Étienne
French Ligue 1
Ligue 1 wasn’t always ruled by PSG;Saint-Etienneonce held the proverbial French crown. They were the first club to win their domestic league ten times, and they even won the double four times in the span of seven years. To say they were dominant in their era is an understatement, but with the oil-fuelled titan that is PSG reigning over France, they’ve since dropped off drastically.
Getting them back on top wouldn’t be an easy achievement in any league, but dethroning the Parisians will be an especially tough task. Their immense wealth allows them to buy any superstar they set their sights on, so managers will have to be shrewd in the transfer market, andclever with their formations, if they’re to complete a French Revolution — in football, of course.
2Hamburger SV
Seeing a club likeHSVstruggling for promotion in the second tier of German football is a culture shock to most football fans. Though their most successful period as a club was in the 1980s, when they famously won the European Cup, HSV was still a regular mainstay in the Bundesliga. However, ever since their relegation in 2018, things have never looked worse for the fans in Hamburg.
With a reasonable transfer budget for their division and a respectable squad, players should be able to get the German giants back in the top flight where they belong. Anything more than that will take some clever signings, and considering it’ll probably be a long process, managers might consider exploring the youth market.As players reach their potential, so will HSV reclaim its former glory.
1Genoa CFC
Italian Serie A
Genoais one of the oldest clubs in Italy, and they’ve got a rich history to their name: they won Serie A nine times in the early-20th Century, and are one agonizing title away from hitting double digits. With their prior success put into perspective, it’ll be even more shocking to learn that it’s been an entire century since Genoa last won the Italian top flight — that’s right, 100 years.
A club with their history should never go so long without a league title, and it’s the player’s job to change that. Serie A is incredibly competitive, and it won’t be a cakewalk, especially with the likes of Juventus, Milan, and Napoli in the division. However, if players can get Genoa their long-awaited tenth Scudetto and rekindle the club’s rich history, they’d go down as a legend of the Italian game.
