Shaun 'Shellzz' Springette joined Manchester City's esport ranks earlier this year and has been performing well in recent FIFA 19 tournaments, giving him a strong chance of reaching the FIFA eWorld Cup Playoffs.
Well known for skilful and attacking playstyle, Shellzz's Ultimate Team squad caters to that while also sporting a rather interesting backline.
The Englishman plays a 4-2-3-1 with:
- Middle Icon Edwin van der Sar
- Headliner Kenny Lala
- FUT Birthday Virgil Van Dijk
- Future Stars Eder Militao
- Champions League Alex Telles
- Middle Icon Ruud Gullit
- Middle Icon Patrick Vieira
- Team of the Year Kylian Mbappe
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- 93-rated inform Neymar
- Prime Icon Ronaldo
Goal caught up with the esports pro to delve deeper into the idea behind the team as well as finding out who he believes is the best player in the game and who he would like to receive a new card in the Team of the Season event.
Out of all those, who is the MVP or the best player of your squad?
If I had to pick one stand out player it would be TOTY Mbappe. He's probably one of the best players in the game if not the best - it's such an upgrade from his other cards. He can do everything, he's so quick on the ball, he can jump for headers, he has five-star skills, he can finish. One of the best in the game for sure.
Adding to that, who is the best out of your 89-rated or lower players and why?
To be honest, I think they all play really well together. I had Lyon's Future Stars Ferland Mendy who'd sometimes come on if Lala wasn't playing too well but they're all quite good.
Van Dijk was solid, he's strong in the air while Militao is really fast and can keep up with attackers. Telles sometimes saves me with a crazy jump at the back-post to defend headers but again they all play really well, there isn't really a weak performer.
That's interesting about Lala because he's a really popular card but you say he's inconsistent for you at times?
He's an OK player. I think he's really popular because he gives a strong link to Mbappe and everyone has Mbappe in their team. At times he can be quite weak and it's easy to get in behind him for the top wingers but he's still alright and I think underrated by some.
Speaking of underrated, do you think there's a card in the game that is overlooked by a lot of the pros but you really like?
That's a tough one. I think again it's Lyon's left-back Mendy. I think he's one of the best in that position in the game. You see some people use him but not at events.
I think he is worthy enough to start because he's quite big, four-star skills, five-star weak-foot, he's fast, he's strong and this year full-backs are important because they have to do a lot of defending and headers.
On the flip side of that, is there any card you've used in FIFA 19 that wasn't as good as you expected it to be?
I think Cristiano Ronaldo's base card hasn't lived up to his usual standards. Yes, he will always win headers and score goals but he's usually by far the best card in the game from the start.
This year his base card this year feels quite stiff. He's still an important player but I expect a lot more from him. His TOTY is probably the best card in the game but most of us can't afford that.
So EA changed the squad conditions to allow you to use any goalkeeper you like without it taking up a slot for your 95+ rated player. That being said, why did you opt for Van der Sar?
The main thing was because I needed a Dutch person to give chemistry to Van Dijk and he's been a really good goalkeeper for me so far.
You also play 4-2-3-1 which seems to have been the most popular formation on FIFA 19. Do you think it's simply the strongest in the game or does it just suit your personal playstyle?
I think it's the most balanced formation. It's so good offensively that it will keep you in any game whereas if you play a 4-4-2 or narrow, the game can be quite end-to-end. With a 4-2-3-1, you know the game is going to be open unless you completely dominate so that's why I like to play it.
I wouldn't say it suits my playstyle, I've had to adapt. It's probably not my most comfortable formation but I think it's one you just have to use.
Finally, Team of the Season is coming out soon, which I'm sure you're excited for. If you could choose one player to receive a blue card, who would it be and why?
It's really hard to pick. I think probably a full-back that's quite tall. No names are coming to mind at the moment but any full-backs that are 6'0" or above because crossing is so important this year.
If you have a full-back that's tall, fast and can jump he'll be in everyone's event teams because right now we all play TOTY Sergio Ramos at right-back which is fine, but it sometimes forces a player to be off-chem.
