Who would you think of when talking about Italian football, masterful defenders like Paolo Maldini or wonderful technicians such as Andrea Pirlo? They both great footballers come from Serie A Pace XI, which is a cradle of talent footballers. However something has changed slowly, there is a new wave of players joining the league, all footballers feel stress.
We have already covered the Bundesliga and La Liga for pace teams in FIFA 15, where pace is king, and we got what we were expecting, some exceptional players with speed to burn. When we started building the Serie A team we were in for a total shock though and the end result is perhaps the most exciting team of all the ones that we have created so far. Normally we make the team gold level only but as you will see we made a couple of exceptions for this team. Let’s get started.
GK: Samir Handanovic – Inter Milan
The Slovenian number one may not have a reputation of a particularly quick player but he is the fastest keeper in Serie A and you’re getting an exceptional shot stopper into the bargain. Whilst Inter Milan have been going through their transition phase Handanovic was the constant during the period, producing a series of consistently excellent performances. He also boasts an exceptional penalty record during his time in Serie A with both Inter and Udinese.
RB: Ignazio Abate – Milan
Abate is now a silver player, such is his decline in form over the past couple of seasons but his pace stat is up at a formidable 92, making him one of the quicker full-backs in the game, let alone Serie A. You’re going to have to be switched on when you’re defending with him as he isn’t the best defensively but going forward he’s all sorts of fun.
CB: Kostas Manolas – Roma
Roma are quickly becoming one of the most exciting teams in the game to play with and the arrival over the summer of Manolas just contributed to that. The Greek international impressed during the World Cup and he’s a very talented young player with the potential to become an excellent centre-back in the future. The standout stat for us though is his pace stat of 79, which is as high as Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos.
CB: Martin Caceres – Juventus
Caceres isn’t necessarily first choice at Juventus due to the performances of the current central three of Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Angelo Ogbonna however whenever he has played this season he has look accomplished. The Uruguayan international has an impressive 82 pace and he is a no brainer alongside Manolas in this team.
LB: Pablo Armero – Milan The Colombian has played on the him wing and at wing-back but now he’s a full-back with Milan and like Abate he’s gone down to a silver rating due to his inconsistent performances over the past couple of seasons. However despite this his pace stands at 89 which is fairly impressive and will make him fun to play with.
CM: Mateo Kovacic – Inter Milan
With central midfielders there are few around who have genuine blistering pace and often when picking these teams it’s the younger players who make it in this position and this team is no exception. Kovacic is one of the most exciting young players in Europe right now and the Croatian has pace of 82. This is a tidy stat given his position and the real benefit of having Kovacic in the team is his ability to pick a pass like this.
CM: Romulo – Juventus
In this team Romulo acts as the defensive muscle with the second highest physical stat of all your offensive players. He’s a useful player to have in your side because he can play in a number of different positions and with a pace stat of 83 he will be able to track your opponent’s midfield runners.
RM: Jonathan Biabiany – Parma
With outrageous hair and pace Biabiany is a brilliant player to watch tear down the wing and the Frenchman is one of the quickest players in the game this year. His pace stat is at an astonishing 96 and when he gets going down the wing it’s going to be hard to stop him, just knock it and run.
CAM: Juan Iturbe – Roma
Iturbe is technically a right winger but he’s not as quick as Biabiany despite a pace stat of 92 and, although he isn’t the best passer, his pace and dribbling ability will make him a threat when he’s running at the defence. The Argentine was a big money move over the summer and he’s someone we love playing with.
LM: Gervinho – Roma
Just another Roma in this team and if the legs in Francesco Totti have gone the players around him are more than making up for that and Gervinho is one of those. The former Arsenal man’s pace stat is up at 93 and although he can be a touch frustrating at times playing with him is far easier, don’t always cut inside though as it will start to become predictable. We hope you’ll be able to instil some steel into him after this moment in the final of the African Cup of Nations.
ST: Seydou Doumbia- Roma
It seems outrageous that a Serie A pace team can be without Victor Ibarbo but Roma’s new signing is kept out of the side by another new Roma signing, Doumbia. The Ivorian forward, who has a pace stat of 93, joined in the January window from CSKA Moscow and with him, Ibarbo, Iturbe, and Gervinho up front we think that the Italians now have the quickest squad in the game and they may well be the new Borussia Dortmund on FIFA 15.