EA Sports realizes that the game of soccer features some of the more epic moments of any sport. Deeper player tricks such as dynamic crossing, no touch dribbling and clinical finishing create more opportunities for those moments (“Moments of Magic”). Each of these control mechanics are expert level maneuvers that, when mastered over time, will result in the type of occasions that mimic the incomparable excitement of soccer. The offensive game doesn’t truly evolve as much as you may have wanted, but it still has some new features that maintain its solid nature. 

 

They’re all great passers, designed to carve open the opposition with enough pace and dribbling ability to put the frighteners on any slow centre backs you decide to run at. Downside: you’re looking at more than 500,000 coins for this dream line-up, so get saving. Aston Villa starlet Jack Grealish (bottom row, second from the left) is a high-potential player unquestionably. He's suited up for the Republic of Ireland's U-17, U-18, and U-21 teams alike. 

 

And though he qualified to do so because of three Irish grandparents, he made a somewhat controversial (at least in Irish football circles) decision regarding his future senior international team plans this past fall: To EA's credit, it was a fairly honest mistake. And upon realizing it, instead of just leaving it as is, the development team pulled Grealish's card out of packs and replaced it with Stoke City (and Republic of Ireland bell cow) Jonathan Walters: Expert players use the manual tackle button (B button/circle button) to put more pressure on opponents that are in close proximity. 

 

Compared to FIFA 15, this feature has been made more useful when dealing with lightweight players. By tapping the button steadily, you will be able to avoid a foul. However, be sure to use this move with caution in the penalty box. Getting up close and personal with the opponent is one way to prevent them from sending a through ball to a striker. This is because if the player with the ball is near another player, the accuracy of their crosses, shots, and passes are reduced.

 

Or, you could take the poor man’s option and spend around 1% of that on this cheap and cheerful lineup. Pace is once again the order of the day here, with  Eremenko, Ibarbo and Lens all capable of speed. Blind is a bit slower, but adds additional steel to the midfield, as well as having a decent pass on him. In the past, you could cobble together a team based a player's speed attributes alone. Now it feels like the other statistics, such as strength, finally play a role, and are actually more important at times. Defenders with high strength attributes like John Terry can finally hold their own against quicker players like Theo Walcott.

 

Previously attempting a sliding tackle left you with just one opportunity to get it right before your opponent left you in the dust. A well-timed tap of the tackle button again lets your player pick himself up and take another chance at intercepting the ball. Your teammates will cover gaps as you chase down the ball and block points of attack. Thanks to tweaks to the defensive AI and an expanded move list, having an advantage in terms of pace alone isn't enough to get the better of a defender.