A Guide to… Palmeiras

Here is my review on my favoured original staring 11 for Palmeiras FC…

Goalkeeper

1. Marcos – At 35 he is at the prime of his career as a goalkeeper and has all the attributes which make him arguably the best in the league. Valued at £2.6million he is a player that you would want to keep hold of and there is no doubts he can keep going past 40 due to his vast array of goalkeeping abilities. When you look at his his technical and mental attributes you see a goalkeeper that could still be playing at a higher level, but thankfully for Palmeiras he defines loyalty as he has been at the club for over fifteen years. I certainly wouldn’t let Marcos go for anything less than £3million as he is a top player with many years left in him as a great leader for the team if you decide he is captain material. [b]8.7/10

Defence

2. Wendel – One of the most versatile players in the squad and at 27 you feel its about time he settled down to a specific position. The position that is best for him to fill is the right-back spot as he is defensively solid, but also is a physical demon and this is very useful when competing against the top attacking talent in the league. When he does make the runs down the right he has the basic ability to either cross or dribble when called up, which is useful to the side. Despite this he is definitely most weak in the technical area of his game as he is a very strong mental player and this is a big advantage to the team on matchday. Valued at £1.9million you could argue that selling him would be useful in creating funds, but only do this if you can find a good solid right back for a fair price as a replacement. [b]7.0/10

3. Pablo Armero – Arguably the biggest weak-link in the team is the 22 year old left-back, born in Columbia. Technically he certainly struggles, as he has no natural ability when it comes to defending, a major concern for a left-back and therefore a player that needs to be replaced by a better player. Physically he is a good player as he has pure pace to burn and will get up and down that touchline all day long and then has the ability to take on his man and whip in a good ball. However he is not good enough overall in both the mental and technical side of the game and for that reason he should be used as back-up or sold for anything above £350k. If you decide to stick by him then I have no doubts he will do well going forward, the only concern is that he wont be very useful when the other teams comes on the offensive. [b]6.3/10

4. Jeci - Here we have a central defender that as a manager you are thankful to have at the prime age of 28. He is a defender that knows exactly what his job is and that is to defend well and win the ball in the air to help stop opposition attacks. His experience is a big help to the side as you look at his mental attributes which are consistently good and a great help to the team as he has a strong influence over them. When it comes to the physical side of things, he doesn’t offer great pace of natural strength, but he offers a solid combination in all physical areas which means he can deal with a varied type of strikers in the league. At the start of the game he is valued at £675k and I certainly wouldn’t advise letting him go for anything less than £1.5million for the first year or so. [b]7.7/10

5. Danilo – The second part of the central defensive pairing and another player that technically knows what he is doing when it comes to defending. Sadly, the player who is on loan from fellow Brazilian side Atletico Paranaense doesn’t offer anything else on a positive note and could easily be replaced by a better model. Aged 24 he is average both on the mental and physical side of the game and this is a major concern for a player that is supposed to command the back line. Ideally you would hope to use Danilo as back-up and bring in a player with a bit more quality with the funds on offer at the start of the game. Valued at £1million I would definitely not look at taking him on a permanent deal as he doesn’t have the quality to be a started for a club like Palmeiras and at the end of the loan should head back were he belongs. [b]6.4/10

Midfield

6. Edmilson – A player who has had a fine career and still holds great ability at the age of 32 is defensive midfielder, Edmilson. A player that is a technically quality player, something that doesn’t change with age, Edmilson is a player that will use his ability to tackle and break down attacks before using his passing and creativity to set off the next attack. If you thought he was technically talented, his mental attributes have to be up there with the very best in the league as he has numorous world-class stats that stick out instantly. His lack of pace is a slight concern but if played in front of the back four, his other abilities more than make up for his slowness as he further ages. Still highly valued at £1.1million, you would not want to let this experienced quality leave and unless you get a daft offer then he should be part of your side for at least the first year. [b]8.3/10

7. Sandro Silva - At 24, Sandro is a player that is equally adaptable to playing in a defensive or an attacking role in order to do his job for the team. He has good technique, dribbling and passing ability which makes him very useful down the right-hand side, but he also can make sure that the opposition struggles to break through as he is fantastic at defending as he is a player who is used to playing as a defensive midfielder. Instead of putting Sandro to cross often, I would change this to rarely and put his through balls to often as this is a game that suits him a whole lot better. With a good base of technical, mental and physical attributes, matched with versatility, he is a player that is very useful as part of the squad and is only worth selling if bids of over £2million are offered. [b]8.1/10

8. Diego Souza – A big money signing from Benfica in 2008 for a fee of £3.4m, Diego is a very highly rated attacking midfielder at the age of 23. Eiego is a player that is strong across the board and doesn’t have any major weaknesses, instead offering good passing, shooting and dribbling to concern opposition defences. For a player that plays best in behind the striker, he has better determination and passion than most that play this role and this is a big bonus to the team overall as he is someone you want on your side during a tough game. There is no doubts going to be some interest along the line from bigger clubs, but do you best to keep hold of him as he is only going to get better with age and anything under £5million shouldn’t be accepted. [b]8.7/10

11. Cleiton Xavier – Here we have a versatile 25 year old that can play anywhere across the line as an attacking midfielder. For Palmeiras he fits in perfectly on the left-hand side of midfield as he uses his dribbling and pace to beat the opposition defenders more often than not. However, his crossing is average and his passing is good, so naturally it is best to take him off crossing duties and put him onto through balls where he can create the most damage. Overall he is a good player with a range of attributes that a lot of players would be proud to have and this is a major factor in his high value of £1.8million. Due to his versatility and age I wouldn’t want to turn down any offers that are below £2.5million as he is a vital part of the squad for a few years to come. [b]8.0/10

Strikers

9. Kerrison – 99% of us know just how good this wonderkid turns out, but for those who don’t I’ll let you know a little bit about this young machine. Still tender at the age of 19, Keirrison is a natural goal-scorer who has the potential to go all the way to the highest level of world football as there is nothing that his game doesn’t have. He has the pace, dribbling, interplay, finishing, determination that every young player can only dream of having and this is still only a little of what he has to offer. Naturally he doesn’t start the game as the world star he can become, but he is still a fantastic young player and someone that you can nurture into a big money-maker for the club. There is little that can stop this lad being one of the best in the business and an instant hit for Palmeiras. [b]9.2/10

10. Marquinhos – One of the best youngsters on the game in the palm of your hands, how can you resist? Whether you play him on the wings, behind the striker or up front, he will produce the goods from the very start of the game and eventually become one of the most fought after players on FM09. He uses his raw pace and dribbling ability to take on even the most respected of defenders and then produce the goods as he either produces or scores a memorable goal. With such an amount of class stats, you have to question how long you can keep hold of this starlet? A minimum release fee of £30million should put tempted buyers off inicially, but you have to decide what price to eventually accept for this talented young player? [b]9.2/10[/b][b]

Overall Average/Team Rating:[/b] [i]8.0[/i]