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Alright, before FM08 rushes out the door and we are still enjoying 07, here is a list of players that are absolutely essential to success, especially if you are a team with limited funds in the middle or bottom of the table that needs to turn thing around.

Goalkeepers

Oscar Ustari is am absolute king. He has received the Goalkeeper of the Year award twice in my game. But he will cost you between 7 and 8 million pounds, depending on what team you are playing and at what point you buy him. A slightly cheaper but still stunning keeper is Francisco Guillermo Ochoa. I bought him for about 5 million pounds 3 years into my game. He lets in almost nothing and has an average rating of 7.9. A bargain goalkeeper in the later stages of the game is Yossi Falach. He was a generated goalkeeper in my game I think so I am not sure if everyone will be able to buy him, but he is golden. I bout him for 20,000 pounds, stuck him in the reserves for a year and then Valencia bought him off me for 5 million, where is doing extremely well at the moment.

Defenders

In defence you really need Vanden Borre and Marcelo. Vanden Borre is a Belgian who plays at right back. He will be about 18 when you start the game and expect to pay about 1 million pounds for his services. Get this guy at all costs. Last season he was voted Champion League Player of the Year in my game. Marcelo plays at left back, and he is a little more attacking than Marcelo. Again, well worth every penny. Buy him early and you will lighten your budget by about 2 million pounds. Another good buy is John Heitinga. He is a Dutch central defender. He is not spectacular, but he is extremely consistent and rock solid. A man you can rely on. And if you have way too much cash, go for Gerard Pique. He plays for Barcelona in the first year, on loan from Man Utd. Unless you are a really big club, he will be reluctant to leave.

Midfield

In midfield there are two people who will run down your wings and destroy anything in their path: Sherman Cardenas and Wesley Sneijder. Cardenas will be very reluctant to join your team in the first two years of the game as he believes he can still learn something back home in Columbia. When you do finally land him, it will be for roughly 5-6 million pounds, but again, worth every penny. Crosses and Long shots are his speciality, but be careful, he is easily injured. Wesley Snider plays for Ajax (in real life he is now with Real Madrid). He will devastate opposing defenses with great crosses and brilliant freekicks. Put him on yourn left wing but let him pull inside the box every once in a while as he is also a very capable goal scorer. I bought him extremely late and had to put down 20 million pounds, which was 8 million pounds above his estimated value. But he has proved too be worth it and has been an untouchable in my team for 4 years.

Strikers

Strikers are normally the first thing everyone buys since we all love goals. Here are two that will score them for you aplenty. Gonzalo Higuain, now of Real Madrid, but still in Brazil with River Plate in the game. He will cost you around 6 million pounds. Give him some good first team time and a good training regime and he will be top scorer before you know it. He has been in La Liga for the past 3 seasons, with roughly 45 goals when spread through all competitions. Ferdinando Ciani is also a must-buy. I bought him for 18 million pounds, which was a ridiculous price to pay. But I was rewarded for my risk when the 18-year old Italian started scoring almost every game. Last season, Man Utd offered me 56 million for his services, but I rejected.

These players alone should really be able to take you to the title, irrelevant of who the others in your team are. Always remember to have a good bench though, one that can step up when they have to. They don’t have to be amazing, but good enough to defend a lead when you have it.

To finish off, here are some tips for finding young players that good turn out to be your team's salvation:

• NEVER trust the player value. Don't do the mistake of buying a player who has a high price tag or that everybody else wants. Go by the stats
• Go on little scouting expeditions. Check out the U-21 Brazil and Argentina teams every once in a while. Remember though, you can not buy a Brazilian under-18 player according to Brazilian football law. Bah.
• Get good coaches, and a good training regime. That way your young players will get better and better without you having to do much at all, and you could have a homegrown Ronaldo, or at least a very decent benchwarmer. Or you can sell them and make some cash. Your choice.

Any players I left out in your opinion?