For many gamers, the new part of FIFA is perceived as Starcraft 2 on the gamepad. You need to know and be able to use, if not everything, then a lot. There are three types of ball control (technical dribbling, dexterous dribbling, and feints). There are also passes, overhangs, and shots in different ways. Three types of blows depend on the distance and the situation. Tackles and defensive actions take into account the pressure of one or two players. All this can give you a headache, and a large number of newcomers get confused by the buttons, but that’s why we love FIFA 23.
Also, do not forget about the in-game currency, with which you can recruit the best players for your team. It is not so easy for beginners to earn it, so many players buy moments in boosting services, for example, here https://skycoach.gg/fifa-boost/fifa-coins. This is very convenient as it saves players time and effort.
For the first time, EA got a high-quality football simulator. Not perfect. But it is quite pleasant both in terms of combinations and mechanics and in terms of skill. In FIFA 23, you finally need to play football, apply knowledge from there and learn to develop mechanical skills, and not spam the same technique all the time, as it was in previous parts. Many may disagree, especially on the high ranks of the Ultimate Team. They say things are bad there. All because of the new mechanics. They are too good (at least, people are so convinced). On YouTube, you can constantly hear from bloggers that cannon blows, blows from the outside of the foot, and passes on horseback are a new metagame.
Reasons Not to Play Meta Tactics
Firstly, why you should be like someone and play according to someone’s ideas, arguing this with a metagame, when you have a lot of options for different situations and they are all working? Play as you like. After all, in fact, nothing limits you in FIFA 23, except skill and understanding when and what is best to use. All the mechanics, with the exception of the performance of the goalkeepers, are brought to mind. Here you can show spectacular team football and not bother with feints. Combine, look at the enemy’s actions, and use the space around you and in front of you. Recruit the players that you like in the team and it does not matter if they are Phenom players or not. Football is a struggle for space and its use. Moreover, even among the coaches, there is no idea how to do it correctly. Everyone has their own philosophy, whether it’s Jurgen Klopp, Marcelo Bielsa, Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, Unai Emery, Kiki Setien, and Mikel Arteta. In the case of FIFA, everything is easier because of the algorithms (a video game after all), but even here the basic principles are well implemented.
Secondly, new mechanics, despite the fact that they are effective, are not always easily implemented and are even more appropriate. For example, a cannon shot (LB+RB+B) requires manual adjustment with the left stick. If you spin the wrong way too much, the player will hit past. Another nuance is slow animation: any player standing nearby is able to block the trajectory of the ball. Therefore, experienced guys act very carefully in defense and actively press the owner of the ball.
Thirdly, an important point is the parameters. For a kick from outside the penalty area, the force of the kick and the completion are affected (both relate to the characteristic of strikes). For a strike from outside the penalty area — long-range strikes and concentration (indicators in strikes and dribbling) are important. It is not easy to say how this whole system functions and what indicators should develop, and the developers do not give too detailed explanations (only brief ones). But another thing is clear — not every football player is capable of such a thing. Especially at the start of the Ultimate Team mode or in a career with a youth club. With the blow of the Swede (LT +B), everything is much more complicated (the more interesting it is how such shots will be ruled by the developers). The technique is easy to perform if you take into account an important condition: the right-footed player must hit from the right flank and the left-footed one – from the left. Otherwise, magic will not happen – and the goalkeeper will catch. Anyone can nail such balls. Football players with the talent of “Hitting from the outside” hit the outside of the foot automatically. However, it is not enough just to take a player with the right property, it still needs to be placed correctly on the field. Yes, there are no long animations here. But you can block the blow. How? To press and not give space. If you don’t press, you take the balls out of the net.
By itself, the technique is very cool and necessary, as well as a cannon shot. Mainly for situations when the opponent is too close to the penalty area and lines up the bus. If FIFA 23 had an advanced tactical model, Diego Simeone would have shown how to defend in two rows of 5 people (this was the case in the Atletico vs Manchester City match in the Champions League 2021/2022).
In conclusion, we will repeat that your game should consist of the actions that you like. You need to play the way you want. Of course, you can try the advice that professional gamers give, but if it’s inconvenient for you, then you shouldn’t torture yourself. Enjoy the game and you will understand why FIFA 23 was nominated in 2022 as the Best Sports Game by The Game Awards.