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Corinthians Rounded Facepack (650)

Produced by Sheppy for ‘Brazil month’ we have a high quality facepack for Corinthians

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

Goalkeeper

1. Felipe – At the young age of 24, Felipe is the standout choice for the number one shirt for many years to come. Valued at a fee of £1.7million, you would have to pay around £4million to sign him and this is a good fee as he will easily be valued at around the £6-8million price-range as he has the potential to make it as a good Uefa Cup standard player. For a keeper he has the right attributes as he has quality reflexes, handling and one on ones, yet the one let-down is his poor kicking which can be a concern. For the top Brazilian league, Felipe is more than up to doing the job and unless you find a quality replacement at a fair price, I see no reason for Felipe to leave the side for a number of years. 8.1/10

Defence

2. Alessandro – The right-back slot should be taken by this man, who at the age of 29 is at the peak of his powers. Although he isn’t the most defensively solid of players, his other abilities do make up for this. Out of all the attributes he only has one that is under 11, his heading, which shows he is a very consistent player that has special talents with his passing, dribbling and technique. For a couple of years there is no doubts that Alessandro can do a very good job working it up and down the right hand side, helping create goals as well as doing his shift at the back. For a fee of between £1-2million you can talk to Alessandro about joining your club, but it isnt easy to persuade him to leave or to get a work permit. 7.4/10

3. Escudero – An Argentinian left-back who is at an ideal age of 25 is a player who can keep it defensively solid down the oppositions right-hand side for a number of years. He is a very aggressive player and with a maximum attribute of 20 for strength, you have an extremely tough tackling reliable defender at left-back. When he does make runs forward he won’t let the team down as he has the ability to whip in a good cross when required. His mental attributes are superb for the level that he is playing and that is why you may be interested in buying him for a fairly cheap fee as he is valued at less than £100k. Sergio is a great player to have as part of your defence and it would take a good player to knock him out of the side for a number of years. 8.0/10

4. Chicao – Here is the first part of the centre defensive pairing at the heart of the Corinthians defence. He doesn’t have any real stand out attributes that make him a fantastic player, but he does have all the basic stats required to make a solid centre-half at this level. Aged 27 he is at his prime and has a good three or four years at his best before the inevitable decline. At a value of £1.9million it could be an ideal time to sell off Chicao for as big a fee you can get and look at buying a better replacement, if you can find one. If you decide to keep him then he will put in solid performances and smash in the odd free-kick, but I would reccommend selling him on for as much as you can get while he is valued so highly. 7.5/10

5.  William – The lesser quality of the two centre-backs is 32 year old William, who lacks the pace or the ability to cut it at this level. He is very useful in the air and can command that side of the game, but the second he comes up against a talented pacey striker, he isn’t going to keep up. Valued at £650k it is vital to get rid of him if you can find someone interested in him for anything from 500k+. His inability to pass a ball and his average tackling stat is something that would deeply concern me at any level and that is why you should try and get rid of him and bring in a younger replacement with more ability. If you do decide to keep him, he will do his best and won’t always let you down, but if you can get rid of him then I would advise you to do so. 6.3/10

Midfield

6. Fabinho – Probably the most talented of the bunch and at the pinical of his career, aged 28. He can play either as a defensive midfielder in front of the back four or as a central midfielder in a more box to box capacity. He is on loan from French side Toulouse, but as Corinthians are his favoured club, you can look to buy him for around his value of £725k, the only question being whether he is worth the fee as he heads into his 30s. He has all the attributes required to be a solid central midfielder as he can pass, tackle, dribble and shoot as well as being mentally and physically strong. He is definitely one of the first names on the team-sheet and the question is whether you splash the cash to make him a permanent member of the squad. 8.7/10

7. Morais – The second and final loanee of the eleven is Morais who is on loan from fellow Brazilian side Vasco. The place he best fits into the side is on the right hand side of midfield were he can use his pace and dribbling ability to very good effect. At 24 he is at a good age and uses his physical attributes to good effect as he has good pace, fitness, agility and acceleration. Valued at £1.8million I would evaluate how well he does over the course of the loan spell before making any decision on whether to buy him, if you can get him for anything under £600k then he could be worth buying. His versatility of being able to play anywhere across midfield is a big bonus to the squad and could be the decisive factor in whether you go ahead and sign him permanently. 7.9/10

8. Douglas – Here is a greatly talented attacking midfielder who causes great problems to the opposition from his ability to create and score goals from the centre of the park. Aged 26, he has the experience to his advantage but also is still young and therefore has good physical stats as shown with his pace, stamina and agility. Douglas could easily be used as a playmaker as he has fantastic passing and creativity that strikers such as Dentinho and Ronaldo would dream of taking advantage of. Valued at £2.3million it would be a mistake to let Douglas go for anything less than £5million as he is one of the best players in the squad and still has years at the top of his game. 8.7/10

11. Andre Santos – One the left-hand side of midfield we have £2million rate, 25 year old, Andre Santos. Equally adaptable to play either at left wing-back or as left-back, he is better as an attacking influence, rather than as a defensive player. He is a brilliant dribbler and crosser of the ball and can use his pace to beat his man and produce the quality that the attackers need to score goals. He specialises in long-range goals as he can either hit a brilliant free-kick or hit a long-shot from open play, a lesser version of Roberto Carlos if you will. He is a mentally strong player and has all the right attributes in this area to make him that bit better as a player, but hes not far behind physically or technically. He isn’t the best of defenders and for that reason he is best playing in a more attacking role down the left-hand side. 8.5/10

Strikers

9. Ronaldo – Over 60 goals for Brazil in less than 100 appearances, it could only be one man couldn’t it? Now at the age of 32, his best years are far behind him, yet he still has the ability to put the ball in the back of the net when you need it most. His physical attributes are the natural concern, but with pace and acceleration still at an ok level, you could get another two years out of him at this level. His finishing and composure is still up there with the best in the world and when you combine that with outstanding technique, dribbling and long-shots, this is a player that wil definitely score goals. The only worry is his massive wage of £31k a week, but if you can get him to lower that when negotiating a new deal, you still have a world-class player on your hands. 8.6/10

10. Dentinho – This is a player that will light up the Brazilian league as he has the genuine pace that scares defenders and can also finish. He is definitely raw at the start of the game and he does have a lot of room to improve if he is ever to make it as a real quality player, but the basics are there for all to see. His technique is outstanding and his dribbling is the attribute that immediately hits you as you know he is going to run defenders ragged. It is clear to see why he is valued at £4.6million and any offer below £10million for a player with his potential would be silly to accept. By playing him week-in week-out with a player of Ronaldo’s quality and experience, Dentinho has the ability to become the best in the league. 8.6/10

Overall Average/Team Rating: – 7.9

A Palmeiras facepack in 140×180 Rounded style to accompany you in your FMV Tours challenge game!

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]

“Derby Paulista”

One of biggest derbies in the world can be found in the heart of Sao Paolo city as Corinthians take on Palmeiras. Both teams ply their trade in the Sao Paolo State Championship as well as the Brazilian First Division and almost annually compete in the Copa Libertadores as well. Its a massive rivalry in a big footballing country, this rivalry is much more about football.

Palmeiras boast two of Football Manager’s biggest legends in Marquinhos and Keirrison but also some real life legends in Brazilian icons Marcos and Edmilson. Corinthians on the other hand is home to Brazilian legend Ronaldo and goalkeeping phenomenon Felipe adding to FM legend Detinho in their side. Both teams are fairly even on the pitch and fairly even in terms of history as well although Corinthians in real life have earned one more official piece of silverware than their counterparts Palmeiras.

One Thing Stands In Your Way

FM-View’s Staff! – You, as the members will be required to go as Palmeiras. Yous will carry out the challenge as normal as Palmeiras earning as much managerscore points as you can. The twist? FMV staff will be carrying out the exact same challenge but as your fierce rivals Corinthians. Your objective is to simply gain as much managerscore points as you can but if the staff can gain more yous will not be given any managerscore points, if the members get more than the staff then yous will earn the right to any managerscore points you have earned. Simples.

Managerscore Points will be awarded for the following;

Sao Paolo State Championship Winner: 20 points
1st Place In Brazilian First Division: 40 points
2nd Place In Brazilian First Division: 25 points
3rd Place In Brazilian First Division 15 points
4th Place In Brazilian First Division: 5 points
Copa Libertadores Winner: 60 points
Copa Libertadores Runner-Up: 30 points
Win Brazilian Cup: 15 points

Bonus Points

Beat the opposing rival every time throughout the season: 15 points
Have a player score over 40 goals in a season: 15 points
Sell a product of your youth system for over £10m: 10 points
Unbeaten in First Division: 15 points

-You must have version 9.3
-No updates, original 9.3 only (if you have an update post in the thread and we may allow it pending investigation)
-This challenge will remain open for the foreseeable future, there is no deadline.
-Screenshots may be requested at any time although are appreciated for any points gained.
-If you have any questions, do not be afraid to leave a post in the Challenge Section.
-Manager reputation of ‘automatic’.

To conclude: You as the members, will go Palmeiras. Yous will gain as much managerscore points as usual but will only receive these managerscore points shall yous beat the staff (Corinthians). If there is a lot more members than staff in this challenge then an average shall be agreed.

Breathtakingly beautiful and stunningly sexy – Brasileira futebol at its best. Notorious worldwide for its generally attractive football, Brazilian football has brought many legends past and present to our television screens whom have blessed us with outrageous talent and flair. The bint above? Aye shes pretty tasty too.

I’ve recently migrated to South American to endeavor the Brazilian leagues with Palmeiras. You’d be forgiven for turning your back on the country almost straight away as on first inspection it appears a very intricate and obscure league system, something most of us find far too disarranged to even consider venturing into. Once you get to grips however with the seemingly complex system it is a very enjoyable nation to manage in, rather competitive with heaps of talented players and something different from the norm we are used to in our home continent.

State Championships

Your season will start almost immediately with your participation in the State Championship. In Brazil with the top tier of Brazilian football (First Division loaded) you have four State Championships, these are largely self explanitory as the country is split into several states in which there are these state-wide competitions. Our good friend Wikipedia shares some knowledge with us in that the country was split into seperate states due to the long travelling between major cities meaning many areas developed a very strong competitive culture. On first outlook these State Championships seem almost useless but due to this competitive nature you are still expected to perform. Each Championship has its own format although typically runs from January through to April, I’ll give a quick run through of the format for each one which runs alongside the First Division below;

Sao Paolo State Championship – A fairly straight forward format whereby twenty teams are placed in a straight forward league system. Each team plays each other once thus the campaign lasts 19 games with fixtures being drawn randomly so whether you play the big teams at home or away is dependant on the luck of the draw. Following these nineteen games the bottom four teams will subsequently be relegated and the top four teams will enter a play off for the title. Despite as you may expect finishing first after all the league games have been played will not being home the trophy, the only advantage being it gives you a better position going into the playoffs are you play 4th placed leaving 2nd and 3rd to battle it out in the other semi final. Both the semi final and final are played over two legs and as you may be used to, away goals is not taken into consideration, instead if a draw is the end result after two legs extra time and penalties commence. Sao Paolo, Palmeiras, Corinthians and Santos are usually found battling it out in this league.

Rio State Championship – A not so straight forward format on first viewing. This State Championship is split into three main stages. Firstly you the opening stage, followed by the closing stage and then the finals. The opening stage sees two groups of eight teams formed. These groups are somewhat random however the top four teams in this state, Flamengo, Vasco, Fluminese and Botafogo are seeded with two going into one group and two in the latter. Each team plays each other team in their group once with the top two teams entering a semi final and thus a final. The closing stage mirrors the first whereby two groups of eight are formed in the same way and then a semi final and final commences. The winner of the two finals battle it out in a two legged final with the winner being crowned champion, however, if the same team wins both finals through the season they will automatically be crowned champions without the need for a final

Minas State Championship – This State Championship is home to Cruzeiro and Atletico Miniero whom appear to be the two most competitive teams in the league. The format is identical to that of the Sao Paolo State Championship although there is a lesser number of teams involved in the Minas State Championship. The format consists of twelve teams with each team playing each other once. The top four then qualify for the play off where the eventual winner of the playoffs will be crowned Champions.

Gaúcho State Championship – The final State Championship for the top tier and again a unique format from the others. The teams are split into two groups of 8 with each team in the groups playing each other twice. The top four teams from each group qualify for the play offs as the team stranded in bottom of each group are relegated. The play offs this time start at the quarter final stages with eight teams qualifying from the group stage. This is eventually narrowed down to the winner through two legged affairs from the quarters through to the final. One difference which will be noted however is the use of away goals, unlike in the others. If scores are level after two legs then the away goal rule will come into affect.

First Division

The First Division in Brazil isn’t as complex as some of the State Championships which appear before it. This competition is nationwide so is a lot more competitive than some of the State Championship’s as you have teams like Palmeiras, Sao Paolo, Internacional, Gremio, Flamengo, Corinthians to name a few battling it out. The league consists of twenty teams whom play each other twice and in this case the team places first will be crowned champions without the need for a playoff. This league runs from May through to December where a total of thirty eight games will be played. The top four teams in the league qualify for the Copa Libertadores group stages with 5th place also qualifying for the Copa Libertadores but will enter in the preliminary round. Teams placed 6th-13th qualify for the Copa Sudamericana, essentially the South American Uefa Cup. The bottom four teams will be relegated.

Copa do Brasil

The Brazilian Cup is also fairly straight forward although adopts an interesting concept. Teams playing in the Copa Libertadores (top five teams from the First Division) cannot enter the Brazilian Cup due to participation in the continental competition. This allows smaller teams a better chance of a run in the cup. The Brazilian Cup is like any other cup format whereby teams are drawn against each other in rounds until the final is reached a winner is crowned.

Copa Libertadores

The Copa Libertadores – The Champions League of South America. The competition every manager aims for. After the preliminary round is out the way we enter the group stages which is split into eight groups of four. Teams will play each other twice totalling six games and the top two will qualify for the second round. The second round is sorted by drawing the best placed first placed team with the worst qualifying second team, this is sorted by drawing up a league table of the first placed teams and a seperate league table for the second place teams. The team placed top of the first placed teams will play the team placed bottom of the second placed teams with second playing second bottom and so forth. After the draw for the second round has been made using this format the road to the final takes shape with a simple cup format. The winner of the Copa Libertadores qualifies for the Club World Championship which allowed you ply your trade against champions over the world including the Champions League winners!

Rafael Carioca

Age: 19
Club: Gremio
Nationality: Brazilian
Position: Defensive Midfield, Central Midfield
Value: £2 million
Screenshot: 2008 Stats

In Real Life

Rafael joined Gremio in 2006, as an amateur player, after rising through the youth ranks at Gremio. In 2007 he then captained their U20′s side, and also played for Brazil’s U18′s. He was then promoted to the first team squad in Gremio in time for the start of the 2008 season, and has so far made 37 appearances for Gremio. It has been reported recently that he is set to move to Spartak Moscow for a fee of around £8 million.

In FM

In FM Rafael is a hardworking midfielder who is always looking to put in a fair shift from midfield. As a result of this he is always attempting to make tackles and break up the oppositions attacking moves. He can also be found racing up the pitch to join in with attacking moves for his own team, and also is known to have many efforts at goal from long range. Although he is left footed he can also pass the ball around with his right foot as well, which means that he will not lose the ball to the opposition much if the ball is on his right foot. As a result of Rafael being two footed he can often get a few assists via through balls or crosses. It will cost around £3 million to sign Carioca and he will command the wages of around £2,200 per week.

Strengths

One of Rafael Carioca’s main strengths is his tackling ability. This means that as a defensive midfielder, he will be able to stop attackers with the ball, and this will also allow him to win the ball in the opponents half, so his team can break away with the ball. Another of his main strengths is his first touch. This means that when the ball arrives at his feet he is able to flick it away from an opposing player and attack forward with the ball at his feet. Another of Rafael’s main strengths is his dribbling. This means that he is able to keep the ball under control at his feet, and go round a few opposing players before unleashing a killer pass to a teammate. Lastly, another of his main strengths is his work rate. This means that he will chase the opponents for the full 90 minutes of a game, and will always try and involve himself in play.

Tackling – 17
First Touch – 15
Dribbling – 15
Work Rate – 14

Weaknesses

One of Rafael’s main weaknesses is his heading. Central midfielders will always have to deal with a lot of balls being lumped up from the defense, and will have to deal with them. Another of his weaknesses is his aggression. One of the problems with having a lack of this is that, sometimes he could shy away from 50/50 challenges and not challenge his opponents for the ball. The last of his weaknesses is his free kick taking. One of the problems of this is that, if his team is in need of getting a late goal, he will not be able to step up and knock a free kick in the back of the net.

Heading – 8
Aggression – 6
Free kick taking – 9

Final Verdict

In conclusion I believe that Rafael Carioca would be a fantastic signing for any team playing in Europe, as he is a massive talent for the future. I also believe he would come to a Championship level team, if they had the resources to sign him.

Name; Leonardo de Vitor Santiago
Better Known As; Leonardo
Age; 25
Club; Ajax
Nationality; Brazilian
Value; £1.8m
Position; AML
Screenshot; Current Ability

Signing Him;
Leonardo starts the game on the transfer list thus making him one of the best bargains you can pick up at the start. He is not overly fussy on which teams he will move to and seems happy to move to most clubs in the top tiers of their country from Rangers to Watford you’ll be able to attract him almost anywhere within reason. Ajax are normally insistant they receive at least £1.1m for the Brazilian but are happy to part when this figure is reached with Leonardo himself requiring wages of under £10k, possibly lower with some haggling. Leonardo will also not need a work permit as has Dutch listed as his second nationality.

Stengths
Think of a typical Brazilian attacker and you think of flair, creativity and the ability to dribble past anything that moves. Think of these and you’ve summed up Leonardo, the lad is a typical skillful Brazilian and offers everything a winger should and more. His most impressive ability is without doubt his dribbling [20], paired with his amazing pace [15], flair [18], agility [19] and technique [20] as well as decent strength for a winger [13] shows that with the ball at his feet he can rip teams to shreds. All these attributes show what he is capable of with a ball at his feet, he also had decent crossing ability [14], passing ability [17] as well as very high creativity [19] meaning he really is an assist machine out on the left hand side adding an end product to his ability to manouvre around the pitch with ease.

Weaknesses
Again thinking of a typical Brazilian attacker you’d be forgiven for thinking of a lazy git. Unfortunately Leonardo is just that. His work rate is a measly [2] along with his very poor teamwork this could cause severe problems. This begs the question of what type of midfielder you need, if you need a battler who will track back and help your team defend then forget Leonardo straight away. If you want to take the risk of having someone with very low work rate on your team but with outstanding technical ability then go for it. As expected with a winger Leonardo will never be a makeshift defender with very poor defending abilities and also will never have the ability to challenge in the air with poor jumping and heading attributes. It is of my opinion that his technical ability far outweight his poor work rate though and is well worth the risk.

Tactics;
Primarily listed as an attacking left winger Leonardo is also competent in an attacking position in the centre or on the right, also listed as being able to be deployed as a striker or centre mid but this is not recommended if you wish to extract the raw talent this Brazilian offers. Not much players in the world can match Leonardo’s technical ability on his day and it may be a good idea to focus your team around him to cater for his poor work rate and teamwork. Make sure the ball is played to his feet as he has an excellent first touch and as described above once the ball is at his feet its easy from there.

Like with all wingers instruct him to run with the ball often as well as crossing the ball often. A mixture of deep crosses and crosses from the byline are recommended as Leonardo can easily mix it up with both, this of course depends on the type of strikers you have to aim for. His high creativity can also be taken advantage off with high creative freedom, letting him do his own thing and letting his technical ability do the talking. Its also recommended he is told to focus his passing rather directly to the strikers, utilising his world class passing ability. With a player with such poor work rate it is a good idea to instruct him not to close down regularly as this certainly isn’t an area he excels in.

Training;
Firstly areas such as attacking and ball control are areas which Leonardo is already almost perfect in but should be focused on a little to maintain this level of ability, there is no point in high schedules involving these routines as there is little room for improvement. I would focus a schedule for Leonardo on tactics and aerobic work. A high tactical routine will help improve Leonardo’s somewhat average balance etc as well as his pace which although is good, can be improved on and would only make him a better player as a result.

Defending and goalkeeping routines aren’t essential at all and although maybe a very small amount of defending neither would be missed from a schedule. A high shooting routine may also help Leonardo with his goalscoring exploits improving his finishing and composure as well as long shots which may well see him crop up in the scoresheet as well as helping others do so. It is down to preference for how rigorous a set piece routine he is given but in my opinion set pieces are not essential for any player and this would only unneccessarily increase his workload.

Final Verdict; 8.5/10
It may seem a risk at first with his disappointing work rate and teamwork but this lads technical ability is outstanding. For £1.1m you are getting a typical Brazilian attacker who is just approaching his prime, the word profit instantly springs to mind as this will certainly be heading your way if he hits form and attracts interest. A typical winger with added flair and creativity, a must buy if you are in the market for a left winger!