FM14: Éder Álvarez Balanta - The Beast

[enders357]

This guy played amazingly for me two years at Southampton and then threw a strop when I wouldn't let him talk to Barcelona or PSG and requested a transfer. And he ended up leaving me - who had just finished 4th and qualified for the CL - for Wolfsburg. Wolfsburg!

But I'm not bitter

[JD nawrat]

There's only one Beast, and his name is Sandro

Actually, it's 'Alvaro Negredo', didn't you get the memo?

Got Balanta for Southampton, signed for £8M, started alongside Dejan Lovren in every game so far. Not always spectacular, but always solid and besides one own goal, I honestly don't think he's put a foot wrong yet. Been immense against the bigger sides, kept Negredo and Aguero silent for 90 minutes at the Etihad (but then they scored on the 93rd minute ).

10 League games in, 10 League games played for Balanta. Averaging 7.17. He got PoM and a 9.4 rating against Liverpool (didn't score, hasn't scored for me actually) because of how he kept Aspas (at the time top PL goalscorer) quiet throughout the entire game (1-0 victory, we were quite lucky, they attacked for almost 90 full minutes so he was required to do a lot and he didn't disappoint).

[PleasedToMichu]

Signed him for 3 separate Arsenal saves and it's amazing how much difference there is in each save in terms of buying him.

In one save i offered £7.5 million and had it accepted instantly, no clauses. In another save i offered £7.5 again and they put in every clause under the sun, including loan back and 30% of the sell on fee. Eventually got them to settle on £8 mill and 10% sell on (they wouldn't let that clause go for love nor money) and in the 3rd save they weren't having any of it. Started with an £8 mill bid to try and avoid the hassle and just get the bid accepted, and after about 6 or 7 sessions of negotiation the best i could get them to settle on was £10.25 million and 20% sell on fee. Tricky little fellas River can be when they want to be!

But yeah, he's a great player. Haven't really got the best out of him yet but i'm a slow FM player so i'm not far enough in on any of the saves to make an accurate judgement on how great he gets but he certainly does a solid job in my Gooners back line.

[samdiatmh]

June 2015 for me (playing virtually every game)

River wouldn't budge on 11.75m +1.5m after an international appearance for me (forgot he was Colombian, doh)

later that season, PSG came calling with a 25m bid and he got unsettled (HA, double that bid and we'll talk) - and had to promise him to win the CL in order for him to stay

think his days might be numbered though, have some good youth coming through (Casasola and a regen), and he is unsettled (damn players chasing the money in France [lost Santon to Monaco as well])

a VERY solid DC for me (played as a left sided DC

with a defend rating)

but has the unfortunate tag of being the guy that made me lose my first CL final (missed the penalty when it was sudden death, needed to score)

[b101]

Signed him for 3 separate Arsenal saves and it's amazing how much difference there is in each save in terms of buying him.

In one save i offered £7.5 million and had it accepted instantly, no clauses. In another save i offered £7.5 again and they put in every clause under the sun, including loan back and 30% of the sell on fee. Eventually got them to settle on £8 mill and 10% sell on (they wouldn't let that clause go for love nor money) and in the 3rd save they weren't having any of it. Started with an £8 mill bid to try and avoid the hassle and just get the bid accepted, and after about 6 or 7 sessions of negotiation the best i could get them to settle on was £10.25 million and 20% sell on fee. Tricky little fellas River can be when they want to be!

But yeah, he's a great player. Haven't really got the best out of him yet but i'm a slow FM player so i'm not far enough in on any of the saves to make an accurate judgement on how great he gets but he certainly does a solid job in my Gooners back line.

That'll be because his potential isn't fixed - if he costs more, I'd imagine he has a higher potential

[PleasedToMichu]

Yeah. Some crazy varying stats too. In the save he cost £10.25 million in he's got 4 determination, but in the save he cost £8 million he's got 20.

[scott MUFC]

On my current United save got him with 20

loan back clause helps get him cheaper as well.

Got him Doria (loaned back for now though) and Papadopolous. on my current United save.

[Ranquelme]

I have him and Doria and looking at getting Papadoplous on my save

[JD nawrat]

Here he is into Season 3 on my save. Absolute beast. He was the fourth rated player in the PL last season and the highest rated CB (second defender to Rafael of United). He got into the team of the year.

Monster.

[damo666]

here's mine:

[samdiatmh]

ended up selling him for 45m to Dortmund at the end of season 3 (both Bayern and them were negotiating, he signed for the CL winner)

[dan99]

I want him to be my future CB with either Sakho or Doria, who are both left footed. So I got him to develop his weaker foot. He's now either footed.

[Ranquelme]

Doria performs better than Balanta whenever I've had them together. Balanta is still a beast and a bargain if you get him in the first season.

[Stu_UBJ]

here he is heading into fourth season with Newcastle, replacing Coloccini in the defence. Superb, and I only paid £4.1m!!!

[ksugiarto]

Balanta and Doria... has to be the best pairing I've ever had on the game.

Have you tried Howedes & Papadopoulos?

[Ranquelme]

I have Balanta, Marquinhos and Doria in a back three with Dede as cover. Can't get better than that

Doria is the best out of them all, followed by Marquinhos and then Balanta.

[scott MUFC]

Vidic Balanta Jones Papadopolous and Doria.. i win

[Jaskiew]

Balanta in Dec 2020

[css_matt]

Got a back four of Figeroua, Balanta, Bellusci & Solly and cant stop conceding.

Strange, the beast is making a lot of mistakes & has a meagre 6.3 rating.

[Jaskiew]

Got a back four of Figeroua, Balanta, Bellusci & Solly and cant stop conceding.

Strange, the beast is making a lot of mistakes & has a meagre 6.3 rating.

Probably your tactic and defensive setup. Mine plays on DCL (3 DCs) on Central Defender and defence but i am sure he can handle cover too due to his speed.

[tomtuck01]

Surprised by how much attention this guy gets- he's got a pretty naff set on mentals.

[Ty]

Surprised by how much attention this guy gets- he's got a pretty naff set on mentals.

Seen as he could have a potential of;

200

I am almost certain even a slightly low attribute could be made exceptional (Although, I've seen on a few games that even his random attributes have been 13+ at worst). He starts off well rounded, and I'd personally spend a bit of his potential ability on making him a little less one footed. Yet to use the guy, but can't wait to when given the opportunity... he could be made into a monster easily.

[tomtuck01]

Seen as he could have a potential of;

200

I am almost certain even a slightly low attribute could be made exceptional (Although, I've seen on a few games that even his random attributes have been 13+ at worst). He starts off well rounded, and I'd personally spend a bit of his potential ability on making him a little less one footed. Yet to use the guy, but can't wait to when given the opportunity... he could be made into a monster easily.

My belief is purely based off what I've seen in my game in summer 2018. Had no idea he had random attributes or what his PA was. All I see in my game is that he has "Composure" and "Decisions" of 9, which arent exactly great for a CB.

[Ty]

He doesn't have completely random attributes, a few are pre-determined. He could definitely be molded into something special under the right development... on my Pompey save (2019) he isn't a world beater and would be average in a top side. Has solid attributes, 15 composure and decisions of 16 compared to yours

[Jaskiew]

My belief is purely based off what I've seen in my game in summer 2018. Had no idea he had random attributes or what his PA was. All I see in my game is that he has "Composure" and "Decisions" of 9, which arent exactly great for a CB.

His composure is 14 and decision is 18 in mine. His one of the best CB i had in years of playing FM.

[tomtuck01]

He doesn't have completely random attributes, a few are pre-determined. He could definitely be molded into something special under the right development... on my Pompey save (2019) he isn't a world beater and would be average in a top side. Has solid attributes, 15 composure and decisions of 16 compared to yours

The fault of the managers of River (until 2015), Sao Paulo (2015-16), and Atletico Madrid (2016-present).

[Ranquelme]

He's solid until I play in a CL semi final and he does what he can to lose it seems! Has been the worst player in the last two seasons in the semi finals, however one seasons we won the CL and he had a good final, the other he got a rating for 3.3 after giving away two pens and scoring an own goal in a 7-0 defeat to PSG.. he was at fault for their goal in the 1-1 draw in the first leg too!

[JD nawrat]

Surprised by how much attention this guy gets- he's got a pretty naff set on mentals.

Look at the screenshot I posted above - his mentals are near on perfect so soon in the game (well, fairly soon in the game). As has been pointed out, he's got some random attributes and it seems I got lucky for the most part, although I did also develop him quite a bit into the player he's become.

[scott MUFC]

this one is mine.

[dan99]

Bit of a shame about his composure there.

[lennon67]

Signed him for £5.75m in 2nd season with Parma, I am hoping he helps tighten up my defence as it was awful last season lol.

[DuncanJM]

I have just rejected a £48m bid for him in season 4 of my Liverpool save.

Best CB I have ever had on FM.

[TheTinkerMan]

Raging, work permit turned down for United, signed him but will have to loan him out

[JD nawrat]

Signed Balanta for my Villa side at the beginning of Season 2 for £7.5M Not sure he's as good as the screenshot I posted earlier, but then he is a year younger and missed a year of development under me too. More Determined in my save than the previous one though, so that's cool I guess

[tomtuck01]

More Determined in my save than the previous one though, so that's cool I guess

It's not really an important attribute. No more so than anything else.

[b101]

A class act - it's just a shame that some of his CA is wasted on Long Throws, Crossing and Long Shots that he will never need

[JD nawrat]

It's not really an important attribute. No more so than anything else.

More determination to win games and to get on the end of crosses and beat other players. Not hugely important but a good stat to have.

Id rather have 18 Determination than 12, even though they perhaps wouldn't react too differently.

@b101 - would make for a very good DM, could play as a B2B too, perhaps. Looks very well rounded there, must be close to full CA.

[scott MUFC]

explains why he keeps getting on the end of corners then.

[tomtuck01]

More determination to win games and to get on the end of crosses and beat other players. Not hugely important but a good stat to have.

Id rather have 18 Determination than 12, even though they perhaps wouldn't react too differently.

It comes into more when you're trailing in a game actually. The determination required to keep going and fight back, etc.

If there was a player with 11 Determination and 16 Decisions, and another player with the reverse, you'd be mad to take the latter.

[b101]

It comes into more when you're trailing in a game actually. The etermination required to keep going and fight back.

If there was a player with 11 Determination and 16 Decisions, and another player with the reverse, you'd be mad to take the latter.

This. For ages I thought Determination was the only thing that made young players good :o.

[JD nawrat]

Determination is more than just willingness to fight back into a game. Why do you think a Target Man requires Determination? He needs the determination to get on the end of crosses and battle for the ball aerially. it woeks similarly with CBs.

I'm not denying that Decisions isn't important but then that was never part of the debate anyway.

[tomtuck01]

Determination is more than just willingness to fight back into a game. Why do you think a Target Man requires Determination? He needs the determination to get on the end of crosses and battle for the ball aerially. it woeks similarly with CBs.

I'm not denying that Decisions isn't important but then that was never part of the debate anyway.

No one ever said that was solely what it is for.

And I only brought the Determination/Decisons example into it to make a point about Determination, as in that it's no more important than any other attribute and that it's more often than not less important.

Some get far too hung up on "Determination". scott MUFC being one such person, and you, seemingly.

[JD nawrat]

I'm hung up on Determination because I said, and this is an exact quote, "more determined in my save than the previous one, which is cool I guess"?

Oh Tom you make me laugh. I said higher determination is better, I believe this is FACT. Just like higher decisions is better than lower decisions. Or that higher composure is better than lower composure.

[tomtuck01]

Not even going to bother. You've come back with your usual nonsense, ("Oh Tom you make me laugh"), that is frankly childish and completely pointless.

[JD nawrat]

Oh you're playing the arrogance game again. Okay.

You said I was hung up on something for saying that the higher it is, the better. If you have a problem with that idea then you're a lost cause. I've no wish to argue with you because, to be quite honest, there's absolutely nothing to argue about. I am correct to say higher determination is better than lower determination so there is nothing to debate here.

Case closed, nothing else to talk about I guess. I do enjoy our biannual encounters.

[tbtower]

Just signed on my Derby save at the end of season 1. £7m signing but just what I need for my first season in the Premiership.

[tomtuck01]

Oh you're playing the arrogance game again. Okay.

You said I was hung up on something for saying that the higher it is, the better. If you have a problem with that idea then you're a lost cause. I've no wish to argue with you because, to be quite honest, there's absolutely nothing to argue about. I am correct to say higher determination is better than lower determination so there is nothing to debate here.

Case closed, nothing else to talk about I guess. I do enjoy our biannual encounters.

I actually didn't. I suggested it seemed that way. Very different.

All I pointed out, (and I often point it out), is that people rate it far too highly and treat it like it's some magical attribute that helps immeasurably. When infact it doesn't.

[CityAndColour]

Determination is often linked with the better player personalities (model citizen, resolute, born leader, driven, iron-willed, resilient etc) however I agree that on its own it is quite an overrated attribute. Would much rather have high decisions, composure or work rate/team work as an isolated attribute.

[scott MUFC]

I wasn't discussing determination so how am I hung up on it?

[xx11]

I am hung up on determination.. because im always hard on my teams it important that they can deal with it and i feel determination aids alot in regards to this.. especially with my hairdryer treatments at half time

Also as noted, it often points towards good personalities... though to be fair with youngsters I am not worried about it because I always tutor them to 17+ determination anyways. Once I got a player that has the right personality he regularly ends up tutoring every player he can. Then when they are older they personality is able to be passed on much quicker. The amount of players I had with which I could only assume was near identical personalities at one point was crazy. Something like 15 midfielders all tutored by the "offspring" personalities of Honda I believe.

....

Anyways. When Balanta was young I trained him to play MC .. he played decently as a ball winning midfielder and box to box. The reason was he kept making errors in defense that were costly and he didnt seem to handle the pressure well early on.

After a couple of years though he moved back to center back as a ball playing defender where he performs well.. and continues to do so at 30yrs old. Unfortunately his 12 in jumping is his only flaw.