14 DAY TRIAL // I spend most of my time with the FIFA title launched each year playing local multiplayer with friends and work colleagues, trying to guess each other’s strategies and deliver as many impressive goals as possible, and we sometimes even reach a stage where we no longer care about the result and only invest in the spectacle of the match.
But the first thing I do when a new installment is actually launched is go to the classic Career Mode in order to select the Premier League and then Liverpool, my favorite team, in order to play a few months of matches and see how things shape up for the club.
FIFA 15’s interface is instantly familiar, and at first sight, the career seems like it has not evolved in any important way since the title launched last year, which initially seemed like a bad choice on the part of EA Sports.
I rejected a few transfer offers, created some new scouting networks and finally got to the first friendly matches of the season, which I simulated because I wanted to get to the start of the championship as fast as possible.
After another few minutes of working on e-mail, I finally got to the opening match of the season, which pitted Liverpool against Southampton, and that’s when I discovered the tactical depth I did not expect from FIFA 15.
Team Sheets and player roles
With the new Team Sheet concept gamers can basically take every player in the first eleven and tell him exactly how to behave when the team is attacking and defending, customizing their overall strategy and linking it to their preferred play style.
I tend to like high pressure teams, so I chose that style and then I instructed my midfield duo made up of Lucas and Henderson to hang back when the team is attacking and cover potential pass lanes on the defensive.
At the same time, Gerard has a free role, while wingers Lallana and Sterling are free to stay up the pitch and move fast when a counterattack is launched.
The level of tactical involvement is nowhere near what Football Manager has to offer, but it’s enough to allow tactical fans to test different ideas.
I created three Team Sheets for Liverpool, one for home matches, one for away games and another for high pressure rival moments, and I look forward to using them all in the Career I have started.