Career Mode, one of FIFA’s most popular game modes has been given the biggest overhaul seen to date. With fans waiting years for this moment EA has finally listened and has given a complete face-lift to the game mode.
Firstly, Interactive Match Simulation
A big update is in Career Mode simulations, by adding the ability to ‘jump-in’ to simulated games at any given moment, giving the player full control over the result of the game.
There will be many ways to identify how well your team is performing:
Player Ratings
A rating out of 10 to summarise how each individual player is doing.
Match Stats
Live snapshot on how each team is performing.
Game Plan
Identifies what type of strategy your club is using on the pitch.
Fitness
An indicator on which players are fresh and which players need to get subbed off.
The option for ‘Quick Sim’ will also be available for those that do not have time to see how the game goes and would like to skip straight to the result.
Player Development
A big headliner this year for Career Mode, one of the most important features of the game is how well your players develop and the ways in which they do this.
Whereas, before training was only for stats such as, ‘Shooting’ and ‘Passing’. EA has introduced roles within positions. Players can now be trained in a new role that they are not used to such as, Mbappé learning the ‘Target Man’ role.
This is a great way to prolong a player’s career by learning the ‘Target Man’ role, in this case, it means the player will be able to play at a high level for a longer time if, for example, his pace was to drop when he is older. This is a method EA has introduced to reduce the amount of falling stats as players come to the end of their career.
To continue the trend on ‘Older Players’, EA has increased the retirement time more towards 40 years old. The game will take into account star players and allow them to play for a longer period of time like in real life with players such as Buffon and Ibrahimović. Players will now only retire in the last year of their contract.
Player Position Conversion
Alongside new roles come the ability to train players into new positions. From RB to RW, RB to CDM-the choice is yours. There will be a limit of 4 new positions per player. EA has made player development more realistic as the new stat of ‘XP’ will be given to players based on their past performances in-game (form). The player will have full control over what this ‘XP’ is used for, from weak foot to skill moves to roles and positional conversion-the choice is yours.
Player Sharpness
The new indicator for how match fit your players are and how well they will perform on the pitch.
This new stat will range from 0 up to 100, it will tell you how ready a player is for a game which will reflect on other stats. From the image, we can see Mbappé with 100 sharpness which results to him having an increase in stats, some of the following are:
Positioning +4
Finishing +5
Ball Control +3
Shot Power +3
If match sharpness was to reach 0 either from missing matches, injuries or a big break the influence on stats could look like this:
Positioning -4
Finishing -5
Ball Control -3
Shot Power -3
Active Training
With the introduction of ‘Match Sharpness’, active training will allow the player to control how fit and match ready players are.
Each training day will involve 3 training slots, a limit of 15 players will be able to go into each training day. Compared to FIFA 20’s 5 players training every day (apart from matchday) it shows the huge change that is coming. Players will now be able to train as a team in groups and work on similar areas of their game. Each session works on different factors of the game such as defensive work, passing, and shooting drills to help fulfill the essentials of football throughout each week.
There are now different intensities of training that will need to be taken into account for players’ fitness, especially before game day. A higher intensity could increase player development and match sharpness which could be ideal for a player coming back from injury.
Training Scheduling
Planning This new feature will allow you, the manager to control what your team does every day of the season. Balancing Fitness, Morale, and Sharpness is the key to a successful future.
There are 3 options to choose from when scheduling your team’s daily activities:
Training Day
Recovery Day
Rest Day
To make things even better, while choosing these days there will be an option to set a pattern so it follows a 2-week plan and repeats it every two weeks, this way there is a consistent training regime for your team.
Transfer Options and Improvements
Loan with the Option to Buy
Yes that is right Career Mode fans, the Loan with Option to Buy is finally back in the game. You can now make risk free loans by including an option to buy and can purchase them for an agreed price-perfect for when the player skyrockets in value or lives up to expectations.
AI Player Swap Proposal
EA has introduced the computer having the ability to not only send you transfer swap deals but, the AI can now counter your offer with one of their players or ask for one of your players in return for one of theirs. A new addition that may go under the radar but it will make transfers feel more unique and realistic.
AI Contract Renewals
For many years Career Mode players have taken advantage of ‘Pre-Contracts’ and ‘Free Agents’ but that is all coming to an end in FIFA 21. With the AI having more control over contracts it will now become less likely for players to not sign a new contract and with star players, it will rarely happen in the game. It is said that there will still be ‘Pre-Contracts’ but the computer will make it random and less likely for there to be many.
Additional Changes
Press-Conference’s Impact on Morale
Over the course of FIFA 20, career mode fans may have noticed that pre-match press-conferences would affect every player even when some may be injured or on international duties. EA has redesigned this feature as press-conferences will now only affect players it is relevant too. This will now help any previous issues with player morale.
Player Morale and Form
A layer of depth has been added to players’ morale, it will now be effected more on players’ performances and team results. This will add a layer of difficulty as morale can be effected on a daily and weekly basis.
Youth Academy
Long gone is the old ‘Youth Academy’ structure where you could have to set-up an academy and scout for players. In FIFA 21 you will have an established youth academy with players already in it. The players will be completely random and some may even have the potential to go on and become some of the greats.
Financial Takeovers
That is right, they are back in the game! This time the player will have full control over how much money is put into the club’s transfer budget ranging up to 500 million.
Transfer Negotiation Strictness
You will now have control over how strict negotiations are in Career Mode, using ‘strict’ negotiations will mean that; Clubs will not be interested in taking offers from rival clubs, players will not be interested in moving to lower-ranked clubs or clubs that they have a grudge against. Players with the one club legend trait won’t be interested in leaving and you won’t be able to approach players that have been at the club less than 1 year.
If you set the strictness to ‘loose’ then all limits are off, and unlike previous FIFA’s you can even approach players that have recently joined a new club.
Board Objectives
Some changed have been made to ‘Board Objectives’ have been updated, especially those within ‘Brand Exposure’, match attendance, and season ticket objectives have been replaced with objectives based more on what fans would like to see at the club. There have been milestones put into place, such as win streaks, home records, and unbeaten runs along with many more.
FIFA Career Mode fans have been patiently waiting for many changes within the game mode throughout the years and EA has finally responded with just that. The full game will be released on October 9th, are you excited to try out these new features?
Check out CareerModeStars on Twitter and Instagram for more Career Mode information!
Comments