Manage like Mowbray - A Fifa 23 guide to Sunderland AFC

As the latest and final Fifa graces consoles the world over, we look at how to get the best from this year's Sunderland team.

Each year when a new FIFA game is released football fans all over the world look forward to seeing the ratings of their team. Fanatics wait with anticipation to see how their clubs career mode is going to shape up with the potential of their clubs' players. That is even more so the case this year with this being the last ever edition of FIFA.

For the past five years while Sunderland were in League One, Career modes have been dull and uninspiring with many of our players being past their peak, leaving them little room to grow and develop.

But with the new model in place of prioritising youth development and Sunderland back in the Championship, how will the future of SAFC look under your leadership?

Starting the career mode

Once you’ve decided what you want your manager to look like in your career mode (whether that be looking like Tony Mowbray or yourself), you can then select the club you want to start your career mode with. 

When selecting Sunderland, you will be shown board expectations and a transfer budget. On this edition of FIFA, Sunderland have been given a transfer budget of £6.28 million - not to worry if that seems like a tight budget for you to work with as you can activate a financial takeover later in the game to give you extra funds.

Credit: Callum Jacques/ EA Sports

The players

The most important part of any career mode, players have their base rating which they start the game at but also have a potential rating which they can grow to. The younger players tend to have more growth in their potential from their base rating as you can imagine. So, what are Sunderland’s player ratings and their potential?

Goalkeepers

Anthony Patterson leads the way when it comes to the goalkeeper’s potential at the club with a starting rating of 64 and a growth of 12 to 76, a steady pair of hands to have for your career mode.

Name	Rating	Potential
Patterson	64	76
Bass	64	68
Carney	53	66

Defenders

The defender with the highest potential at the club and someone you are going to want in your lineup is Dan Ballard, the summer signing has 81 potential and starts at a 70. Dennis Cirkin also has good growth from a 64 to a 78.

Name	Rating	Potential	Name	Rating	Potential
Gooch	66	67	Ballard	70	81
Cirkin	64	78	Batth	69	69
Huggins	58	67	Wright	68	68
Hume	56	69	O'Nien	67	69
Pye	54	66	Alese	63	75

Central midfielders

Probably the most promising position group in Sunderland’s squad with the likes of Dan Neil, Abdoullah Ba and Edouard Michut all growing by 13 or more. Michut being the pick of the bunch with an overall growth of 18 to an 84 rated from a 66.

Name	Rating	Potential
Neil	67	80
Michut	66	84
Evans	65	65
Matete	64	72
Ba	63	76
Sohna	52	65

Attacking midfielders/ wingers

Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo has the highest potential of any Sunderland player with an 85 - and with a price tag of £37.2mil you would hope so. Jack Clarke and Jewison Bennette also have impressive potential ratings with Clarke growing to 81 and Bennette growing to 80.

Name	Rating	Potential
Roberts	70	73
Pritchard	70	70
Diallo	69	85
Clarke	68	81
Bennette	68	80
Embleton	67	76
Dajaku	63	70

Strikers

Sunderland’s main goal threat Ross Stewart has a growth of only three from a 70 to a 73. The ‘Loch-ness Drogba’ starts as the highest rated striker at the club, but Ellis Simms’ potential exceeds Stewart’s.

Name	Rating	Potential
Stewart	70	73
Simms	68	78
Thompson	60	67

Loaned out

Players who are loaned out are also important in career mode as you can recall them at any time for a small fee or they will return to the club when their loan expires. Jack Diamond could go on to be an important figure in your career mode with a potential of 76.

Name	Rating	Potential
Winchester	66	66
Diamond	64	76
Taylor	51	65

Free transfers

Making signings is an important part of any career mode but with a limited budget you might find yourself looking at some free agent signings to bolster your lines. Let's take a look at five free agents that could improve Sunderland's squad. Get 'em while they're hot and, well, free.

Name	Position(s)	Rating	Potential
Kevin Alvarez	RB	73	80
Jason Denayer	CB	77	79
Almoez Ali	ST	72	75
Joel Fameyah	ST	69	74
Tarek Salman	CB, LWB	66	74

Based on Sunderland's squad this season there is clearly room for another striker in the squad, with two options for a striker here. There's also a familiar face in Jason Denayer (remember him?) who infamously spent a season on loan at Sunderland under David Moyes. Time for a comeback?

Player development

Credit: Callum Jacques/ EA Sports

To get players to reach their max potential as quickly as possible you need to play them in games and have them in good form, but also need to train the players during the week on 'training days'. When players take part in the training drills their fitness goes down, but their sharpness goes up. Players with better sharpness play better in games and grow to their potential quicker. Make sure not to over-train players though as low fitness could result in injuries!

Scouting system

Credit: Callum Jacques / Ea Sports

If you are struggling to think who to buy for your Sunderland team why not use the scouting system which will find the players for you? 

Hire up to six scouts to look all around the world for the best talent for your team. Scouts have a rating system of experience and judgment rating from one star to five stars. With more experienced scouts finding more players for your team whilst scouts with better judgment find players of higher quality.

Set your scouts instructions for what you're looking for in a player. Your instructions can include position, age, length of their current contract, and attributes which could include anything from pinpoint crosser to strong and tall.

Youth academy

Credit: Callum Jacques/ EA Sports

Start your own youth academy within your career mode by hiring up to three scouts to scour the globe for the best youth players to put into your youth squad. Much like the scouting system youth scouts have a judgement and experience rating based on one star to five.

You can either send your scout to a location for three, six or nine months and they will come back with a monthly scout report giving you the chance to sign players to your youth academy.

Look for different types of youth players by telling your scout which type of player you want from the options of technically gifted, winger, physically strong, playmaker, goalkeeper, attacker, or defensive minded,

Your starting XI

If you are wanting to make the highest potential Sunderland line-up without making any signings to the current squad this will be the team, you opt for:

Highest potential Sunderland XI on FIFA 23 career mode

After so many years of dross permeating the ranks it may well shock and confuse the stalwart FIFA mackems to see so many big numbers. Times they are a-changin'.

The clear area for improvement within the team is right-back with Trai Hume having a potential of 69 as his threshold - six ratings lower than anyone else in the team. Of course this may improve as he breaks into the team in the real world and updates come thick and fast.

How far do you think you could take Sunderland in a career mode?