It's time for another My Team breakdown and this time Goal caught up with Rogue's Nawid "Goal Machine" Noorzai to speak to his personal Ultimate Team squad before he competes in Singapore this weekend.
The Canadian loves to play through the middle and has opted for a narrow 4-3-1-2 formation with quite the line-up: 93-rated inform David De Gea, Kyle Walker, Prime Icon Rio Ferdinand, Team of the Year (TOTY) Sergio Ramos, TOTY Marcelo, 90-rated Icon Ruud Gullit, 88-rated Icon Patrick Vieira, Future Stars Houssem Aouar, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The esports competitor spoke about his favorite players, his uncommon playstyle and why Future Stars Aouar is a hidden gem.
There's a lot of big names there in that team. Who was your most expensive player and have they been worth the coins?
The most expensive was probably Gullit but I'd say he was worth it because I bought him recently before the latest qualifier and it was probably the easiest qualifier I've had because of Gullit. He really destroyed teams in midfield every time. I never used Gullit much this year and the one time I did, he was unstoppable."
Is Gullit also the MVP of your squad or would you award that to another player? What makes them so crucial?
I would say Ramos because I think he's the best defender in the game, nothing goes by him on the ground or in the air. He's just too good. I like building from the back so Ramos is the most important man in my team.
Of course, you've used a lot of different cards from your tournament experiences this season and a lot of pros have said TOTY Kylian Mbappe is the best card on the game. Who for you has been the best card you've used in FIFA 19?
After these past few tournaments, I'd definitely say Mbappe is one of the best, I don't know how to explain it but he's just too good. He doesn't miss a chance, he can score headers, he's strong, he can dribble - he's definitely one of if not the best player in this game.
On the other hand, is there a player then who let you down or you heard other people go crazy for but didn't work out when you tried them?
One player that everyone hyped up from the start of the game was Prime Icon Johan Cruyff. When I did try him at the first event, he didn't really impress me - he felt too sluggish on the ball. Personally, I just didn't like his card but hopefully, his Prime Icon Moments card will be better.
And how has your Future Star Aouar card been for you?
I bought him because I shipped a lot of players out to afford Gullit so I needed another player alongside him and Aouar was the best option. So I bought him and assumed he'd be my weakest player but he's actually become one of my best. His technical ability, attacking and shooting are all amazing plus he's so and can defend too. It was kind of surprising, he made my team way better than I thought it was.
You play a very narrow and somewhat unconventional formation with the 4-3-1-2. Why did you opt for such a formation and how does it work for you?
Last year, I played the 4-3-2-1 which is also quite a direct formation and then basically once this FIFA came out I tried it again and it was terrible so I had to switch things up. I knew most were trying the 4-2-3-1 but it didn't really suit my playstyle. I tried narrow 4-3-1-2 and it fits me perfectly. I'm a pretty direct player, once I have the ball I just want to score as soon as possible. I give the ball to Messi, my CAM, immediately and try to create something from there. I send CR7 on runs and look for through balls as often as possible. Playing narrowly is just more fun, I call the 4-2-3-1 the boring formation, I don't know how people can do it.
Moving things onto your tournament play, back at the FUT Champions you got to play in your home continent of North America although coming from Canada, you still had quite the journey going to Atlanta. Are you hoping to see more tournaments in America or maybe a few in Canada too in the future?
It was pretty nice, I had no jet lag, the journey was short, I couldn't really complain. The thing with tournaments in Canada, I imagine it would be hosted in Vancouver where EA is based and that's actually still like a six-hour flight for me. Still, I hope there are more tournaments in North America though wherever I go, I'll just try to do my best.
Goal Machine was speaking following his participation at February’s ELEAGUE FIFA 19 FUT Champions Cup held in Atlanta. To catch the action from the next tournament follow @EAFIFAesports on Twitter.