How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

[TerpHamm]

Quote: Originally Posted by Erithtotl

I decided to do a player career. As I mentioned in my other thread, the game balance appears busted for lower leagues. I was loaned to League One and there are hardly any shots or goals by either team. As an attacking midfielder I've accounted for about half our goals via goal or assist, nearly every match ends 1-0,0-0 or 0-1, playing 10 minutes halves (I tried 15 minute halves, doesn't help much at all). The two sides typically combine for about 6 shots. Those goals are either due to my individual brilliance, occasional set pieces, or the AI's refusal to clear balls deep in their own area, resulting in losing the ball and easy knock ins for the attackers. The AI players are incapable of stringing together any offense because they lose the ball so easily, don't pass enough, and love to dribble into clusters of defenders. There still aren't enough penalties either and there are massive quantities of tackles. 10 minute halves results in about 30-40 tackles per side. Is this year's version meant to be played on 45 minute halves? That's the only way I could see realistic scorelines at the lower level. But then you'd have about 150 tackles per team, which is definitely not realistic. EA's stubborn refusal to include more useful sliders means not much can be done to fix this I'm afraid. I wonder if they even bothered to play test the new defensive AI with lower leagues before shipping this thing.

Try orion's sliders. I just started playing 15 minute halves using these sliders and the game is more lifelike, albeit being played a bit slower.

[JGardner3]

Doing two CM's this year. One building up a low tier team and one with an established first league club.

For my low level one I went with Bristol Rovers, who are so far very fun, and actually able to compete in the transfer market with clubs in higher divisions.

I'm having trouble picking a higher level team, I'm leaning towards a La Liga team to attempt to challenge the Barca/Real Madrid stranglehold on the top of the table. Suggestions on what club? Looking for a team with a fair amount of money, but more importantly a good young core, someone to build around.

[Hunkerdown]

Quote: Originally Posted by Da Amba Lamps

well we are maddeningly inconsistent.

Well played sir, well played.

[Da Amba Lamps]

tips cap.

ok so I did a financial takeover. I got desperate, and not to get great players but I lost in three games:

guzan
benteke
okore

So I get the injection of cash and I get leno, rodrigo, and oliver torres.

I had decided to go from the 4-3-2-1 to a 4-3-3 holding until I could get a true cam in the phil couts mold. hence torres.

as it turns out my best player is still benteke and torres gets exhausted after 14 minutes.

So I'm 27 games into season 1 I'm out of the fa cup, won capital one, which I cared more about as it qualifies me for euro league so that 5th or 6th place finish won't be my only way in. I'm at 48 points I have a winning record I'm currently 5th and I have a healthy benteke and rodrgio. Which is a nice problem to have.

so my team is:

leno
lowton-clark-okore-luna
albrighton-torres-westwood
sansone-benteke-weimann

In the summer transfer window I'll move guzan, I already moved n'zogbia, I was originally going to move gabby but he's been awesome when healthy. my goal now is to find one more wing player younger mid 70's would be ideal. add some defense and a couple more mids and I can field a solid cup team while keeping my big guns for premier league play.

A poor man's spurs, I guess

[RunnyEggs]

Just plowed through my first season with Burton Albion. Played each game until I clinched the league. Here's a synopsis.

Team: Burton Albion
League: English Football League 2
Difficulty/half length: Professional/5 minutes
Overall record: 47-13-6; 115 GF, 34 GA
League finish: 1st; 31-11-4; 82 GF, 23 GA; 104 points
Biggest win: 6-0 vs. Northampton
Biggest loss: 3-2 vs. Bristol

J. Paint Trophy: Won final
Burton Albion def. Crewe Alexandria,2-1
Burton Albion def. Peterborough, 2-0
Burton Albion def. Coventry City, 3-1
Burton Albion def. Richdale 4-0 on aggregrate (2-0, 2-0)
Burton Albion def. Notts County, 5-0

Capital One Cup: Runner up
Burton Albion def. Birmingham City, 1-0
Burton Albion def. West Ham, 3-1
Burton Albion def. Brighton, 0-0 (5-3 penalties)
Burton Albion def. Machester United, 1-1 (4-3 penalties)
Burton Albion def. Sunderland, 2-1
Burton Albion def. Tottenham, 2-0 on aggregate (0-0, 2-0)
Liverpool def. Burton Albion, 2-1

FA Cup: Round of 16
Burton Albion def. Cheltenham Town, 1-0
Burton Albion def. Hartlepool, 2-1
Burton Albion def. Middlesbrough, 1-0 in replay (1-1)
Burton Albion def. Chelsea, 2-1
QPR def. Burton Albion, 1-0

Notes and impressions:

Overall, a very succesful season. I like to play on professional until I reach the Premier League, at which point I bump it up to World Class. I played every game until I clinched promotion, which happened with four games left in the season.

I didn't like the new scouting network at the beginning of my franchise because I thought it really bogged things down. However, I bought into it during the January transfer window. I like being able to have targets going into the transfer period, which makes scouting a year-round aspect.

I was flat broke all year. I only made two transfers for players (a 59 CDM that ended up 61 by years end) and a 61 striker (to take the place of a 60 striker I sold).

I had a 1-star scout for my youth academy, and he found me a GK that is 62 and 16, so he immediately became my starter.

Progression was pretty good -- I now have two players rated 65 overall after starting with a 63 overall as my best player.

January was an absolute pain to play. I was alive in all three domestic cups, so I literally had a game every other day for about a week and a half. Brutal on my guys' energy levels.

Regarding game play, I struggled mightily to score goals early on, but my defense was tip top all year long. It wasn't until about 20 games in that I found my shooting touch, and finished the season with the most goals scored in the league. I scored a bunch of goals off rebounds, and I found playing on attacking helped create those second-chance opportunities.

I also scored quite a few goals from outside the box, which I attribute more to playing against crappy goalkeepers.

A little bummed I didn't get any National Team job offers with the World Cu--err, I mean "Championship" coming up, but it's all good.

Can't wait to start my second season, and hopefully the owners give me a decent budget.

[NightmareBooster]

I'm doing a Trifecta this year. Right now I have a Manager Career with Oxford United in League 2, a Player Career with Arsenal where I'm on loan to Cheltenham, and I'll be making another Player Career with a slightly OP player from the Creation Center. I'm playing on Professional but once I figure out how to consistently get opportunities on goal I'll be bumping it up to WC. I've got defending down but beating the AI defense still eludes me. On that note, is it me or does the AI play differently when you're doing a Player Career?

[RhodyRockstar]

Hey Guys, great thread!

Finally dove into FIFA last night, but played mostly FUT to get my squad started, but this weekend I will definitely be starting my CM.

It sucks that they STILL don't operate MLS any differently than other leagues, and that it's only the league and Open Cup. With the values of the players already in MLS, it's almost IMPOSSIBLE to build a decent team in MLS without having a financial takeover or something drastic happen. I'd love to play as New England, but it's just not enjoyable at all.

So, I'll be looking to Europe once more, most likely in the Championship or maybe Scotland?

Was just wondering what difficulty level is best? Been on World Class for YEARS, but it just feels like all the clubs and teams play the same way, and there's no variety. I want to be able to "feel" the difference when I'm playing a League 1 side in the Cup or playing a lower tier Prem team.

Is professional too easy for a player like me that's been playing since the Sega Genesis days?

Thanks guys!

[VTPack919]

I want to do a CM with Pompey but a climb out of Football League 2 sounds daunting. Any other ideas?