Since it was known as FIFA, EA Sports FC has faced the same criticisms that any annual series receives. While it's true that each release can’t have all the innovations that the audience expects, the reality is that Electronic Arts’ teams are working to gradually deliver a more solid football experience.
Recently, I had the opportunity to try a development version of EA Sports FC 25 to check out some of its new features. Specifically, I got hands-on with the changes brought by the FC IQ system, as well as the new game mode called Rush. In my time with the new FC, I found a game with interesting and promising changes.
EA Sports FC 25 finally pays attention to strategy
Football is a sport that has evolved a lot over the years and, today, it is dominated by tactics. While individual talent is still present and there are players with magic in their feet, it has become a sport of following systems to break through the opponent's defense and thus surpass them on the scoreboard.
It’s true that since the days of FIFA, EA Sports FC has allowed you to design a tactic for your team. Unfortunately, the options given to us over the years were very limited, focusing on some of the basic elements of the sport. Sure, these games let you choose if you want an offensive or defensive style; if you want a possession game or if you prefer high pressing with counterattacks; even if you want your entire plan to revolve around the 4-4-2 and send crosses to a 1.96-meter-tall striker. That said, the reality is that modern football is much more than that.
This is where the FC IQ system comes in, which, according to Electronic Arts, will make you feel like the next Xabi Alonso, Zinedine Zidane, or Pep Guardiola. The company describes it as the most significant change in the series' tactics in over a decade, and while I think it's a system that may go over the heads of more casual players, it does have an important impact.
In summary, FC IQ is a system that allows you to assign a role to each position in your starting 11, and your team will have different tactics with and without the ball. According to EA, there will be 50 team roles that will change how players behave with or without the ball. At launch, there will be 3 to 5 positional roles, giving us a total of 31 roles. The difference between the first number I mentioned and this one is that some roles repeat in different positions with different changes. For example, it’s not the same to be a Playmaker as an attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder, or winger.
![EA Sports FC 25 aims to present a tactic closer to real football"][/img]</p>
<p>All this sounds great, but does it have an impact on the pitch? Yes. To test it out, I chose Liverpool and decided to focus on their right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Brit is a key piece of the team now managed by Arne Slot thanks to his versatility on the field and creative vision that allows him to rack up assists. First, I put him in as a traditional wing-back (by the way, wing-backs are no longer a position but now appear as a role), running up and down the right flank to provide width in the final third and sending crosses that Darwin Núñez missed. Nothing very different from what happened in <em>EA Sports FC 24</em>.</p>
<p>After a few matches, I went into the tactics menu and changed Trent’s role from right wing-back to the fashionable position in European football: inverted full-back. This is a role that Alexander-Arnold plays at Liverpool and takes him into the center of the field whenever his team has possession to leverage his ability to make key passes and switch the play. In the menu, I immediately noticed that this change brought a significant weakness to my team, but I decided to ignore it.</p>
<p>The match began, and it was immediately evident that Trent’s role had changed and was following the tactical instructions. The right-back was now in the center of the field ready to receive passes and create space, but unfortunately, my suspicions were true and this adjustment also brought a significant problem: it left the flanks vulnerable. You see, in football, moving a player from their place on the field can create spaces that the opponent exploits, and it's necessary to cover them. Noticing this, I paused to adjust the tactic and made Alexis MacAllister, one of my midfielders, cover the flank when the team had possession. This prevented interference with Alexander-Arnold, covered a part of the field that was left vulnerable, and opened new passing channels to create triangles that would bring me closer to the opponent's goal.</p>
<p>One point to consider is that, as in real life, not all players can perform all roles. For example, you can ask Julián Alvarez to play as a center-forward, attacking midfielder, or even a false 9, but don’t expect the same from Erling Haaland despite his lethal finishing. If you choose Real Madrid, you also shouldn’t expect Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, and Eduardo Camavinga to follow the same roles; even though all three are young midfielders, each has strengths, weaknesses, and a well-defined style of play.</p>
<p>It’s a change I loved as it gives me greater control over my team and allows me to experiment with formations I come up with or simply mimic what my favorite managers do in real life. That said, I’m still not sure how significant FC IQ’s impact will be within the game’s meta for one simple reason: I didn’t notice much difference between the opponents.</p>
<p>For instance, Atlético de Madrid and Manchester City are two teams that play radically different in real life. While one adopts a gritty defensive style, the other focuses on maintaining possession and making hundreds of passes to keep it. Their playing styles are reflected in <em>EA Sports FC 25</em>, but not in a way that adjusting my team’s tactics felt like a necessity to win. Of course, this is a Pre-Beta and it’s possible that this will feel more refined in the final version, but that will be key to determining whether FC IQ is a system that changes how <em>EA Sports FC</em> is played or if it merely remains a new toy for football nerds.</p>
<p>[img id_image="862000" caption="](https://cl2.buscafs.com/www.levelup.com/public/uploads/images/861999/861999.png)
All this sounds great, but does it have an impact on the pitch? Yes. To test it out, I chose Liverpool and decided to focus on their right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Brit is a key piece of the team now managed by Arne Slot thanks to his versatility on the field and creative vision that allows him to rack up assists. First, I put him in as a traditional wing-back (by the way, wing-backs are no longer a position but now appear as a role), running up and down the right flank to provide width in the final third and sending crosses that Darwin Núñez missed. Nothing very different from what happened in EA Sports FC 24.
After a few matches, I went into the tactics menu and changed Trent’s role from right wing-back to the fashionable position in European football: inverted full-back. This is a role that Alexander-Arnold plays at Liverpool and takes him into the center of the field whenever his team has possession to leverage his ability to make key passes and switch the play. In the menu, I immediately noticed that this change brought a significant weakness to my team, but I decided to ignore it.
The match began, and it was immediately evident that Trent’s role had changed and was following the tactical instructions. The right-back was now in the center of the field ready to receive passes and create space, but unfortunately, my suspicions were true and this adjustment also brought a significant problem: it left the flanks vulnerable. You see, in football, moving a player from their place on the field can create spaces that the opponent exploits, and it's necessary to cover them. Noticing this, I paused to adjust the tactic and made Alexis MacAllister, one of my midfielders, cover the flank when the team had possession. This prevented interference with Alexander-Arnold, covered a part of the field that was left vulnerable, and opened new passing channels to create triangles that would bring me closer to the opponent's goal.
One point to consider is that, as in real life, not all players can perform all roles. For example, you can ask Julián Alvarez to play as a center-forward, attacking midfielder, or even a false 9, but don’t expect the same from Erling Haaland despite his lethal finishing. If you choose Real Madrid, you also shouldn’t expect Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, and Eduardo Camavinga to follow the same roles; even though all three are young midfielders, each has strengths, weaknesses, and a well-defined style of play.
It’s a change I loved as it gives me greater control over my team and allows me to experiment with formations I come up with or simply mimic what my favorite managers do in real life. That said, I’m still not sure how significant FC IQ’s impact will be within the game’s meta for one simple reason: I didn’t notice much difference between the opponents.
For instance, Atlético de Madrid and Manchester City are two teams that play radically different in real life. While one adopts a gritty defensive style, the other focuses on maintaining possession and making hundreds of passes to keep it. Their playing styles are reflected in EA Sports FC 25, but not in a way that adjusting my team’s tactics felt like a necessity to win. Of course, this is a Pre-Beta and it’s possible that this will feel more refined in the final version, but that will be key to determining whether FC IQ is a system that changes how EA Sports FC is played or if it merely remains a new toy for football nerds.
[img id_image="862000" caption="
Rush, a fun casual mode for EA Sports FC
The other major novelty of EA Sports FC 25 is the Rush mode. As we told you yesterday, it’s a game mode inspired by fast football and that has a bit of Kings League flavor. This is a new fast-paced, dynamic option designed to be enjoyed with friends.
So, how is it? I only had the chance to play against the computer and found it to be an entertaining experience that I’m sure will be a blast with friends. This mode keeps the same physics and mechanics as 11v11 matches but in a smaller pitch and a 5v5 format.
The result is a game format that encourages you to be creative and try different plays in a constant back-and-forth that usually ends in matches with a lot of goals. One of the most significant adjustments is the change to the offside rule. In Rush, you are only offside if you receive a pass from a point prior to the final third of the field. If the ball is in that part of the pitch, any offensive pass is valid, which changes how players defend.
Another important point is that in Rush, the goalkeeper is the only player with a fixed position. All other players must have a fluid attitude on the field and be willing to attack or defend as needed. I imagine that when you play with friends, this will force you to have intense coordination to prevent the opponent from exploiting the space.
[img id_image="861884" caption="Rush is played in a special stadium"][/img]
With FC IQ and Rush, EA Sports FC 25 is shaping up to be an interesting release that offers something different from last year's edition. Only time will tell how relevant these two elements will be, but it’s certainly nice to see EA putting effort into offering more options for the community that buys FC year after year.
EA Sports FC 25 will debut on September 27 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Comments
Best
New