FIFA 15: Analyzing Scoring Opportunities

[RaychelSnr]

It's a good time to be a soccer fan. Champions League is down to the last 16 teams, league play is entering its final stretch, Europa League has been fun to this point, and we have two quality soccer games this season in PES 2015 and FIFA 15.

And while I like PES a lot, I'll be focusing on just FIFA 15 this week in a group of features that will focus on the attacking and defensive play in the game.

With that being said, today's feature is all about looking at some of the most common scoring chances I've come across this year in FIFA 15 -- and the good, bad and ugly that come with them.

Read More - FIFA 15: Analyzing Scoring Opportunities

[Luke466]

Thanks for the articles like this. These help a number of people I'm sure enjoy the game so much more. Good read.

[SpHSpH]

I enthusiastically support this article.

And I am looking forward to more.

Cool stuff.

[bukktown]

This is a beautifully written article. I don't mean to embarrass the author with praise but I can't help it. Fantastic work!

[speedtrucker]

Quote: Originally Posted by MMChrisS

So that's all for me today. I'll wrap this by asking three questions: What do you think are the most frustrating scoring chances to give up? What is your go-to strategy for getting goals? What scoring opportunities would you like to see more of in the game?

1. 5 defenders, park the bus/ultra defensive, high pressure, LB+Y goals. we play pro clubs and are a Div 3 team that can't get into Div 2 because it is all we face. usually 3 or 4 players all playing as forwards and attacking mids, but alwas 5 defenders with a park the bus high pressure and lobbed through attack all game. simply weak.

2. our team has continually refused to lower ourselves to their level. we usually work things out wide and make overlapping runs from the corner back towards the top of the box. if no shot opens up we'll switch it to the other corner and begin overlapping the other way. we play a 4-3-3 false 9 and our CF usually will play most of an offensive set with his back to the goal. we aren't great but we aren't bad either. we are one of the few that don't flat out go for the goals you listed above outside of true counter-attacks.

3. I would like to see more punishment in stamina and niggling injuries when team does nothing but park the bus, play high pressure and sprint non-stop all game. in pro clubs there is 1-5% chance of a minor punishment of a pulled hamstring for 20 seconds... big whoop. yet a user can have barely a sliver of stamina/sprint meter and still just galop past the defenders, heel chop, cut back & watch the defender fly by, pull back and hit a perfect curled shot to the back post in the 80th minute while our users have conserved energy with 50% stamina remaining and can't pull away from their users... this would lead to more realistic breakdowns of formation shape and lead to more realistic goal scoring opportunities.
3A. I don't mind goals like the above happening, we've benifited from them all before. I just don't like that the AI can't be adjusted, all too often on the sprint to the edge of the box, heel chop move you see the defenders go sprinting right by... any defender knows that as the player gets to the last 5 feet before the touchline, the attacker isn't going to just sprint out of bounds... they need to have a cutback ability. the other problem you have is defenders will often knock each other out of the play because of the auto-strafing that they do, where 1 defender is too close so now they are slide stepping (slowing down way too much and actually losing contain usually) and the other defender is still sprinting over to contain so then they slam into each other and now the attack sprints again and is gone on goal.

[DBMcGee3]

I really don't play online, but against the CPU:

1) I HATE conceding goals that come off of "fortunate" bounces. Seems like the CPU gets several of these chances every game, and at least 1 ends up in the net. I realize that luck is part of the game, but I never seem to get these opportunities, nor do I want them honestly. It just leads to crappy goals.

2) My go-to is generally a patient build-up, then a well timed give and go when the opportunity arises. Most of these happen out on the wing, leading to a low cross or a ground cross, although I've generally not had much success keeping it on the ground. It seems I always lead the intended receiver too much and it goes out of bounds.

3) I'd like to see more shots from distance, particularly volleys. I shoot from range frequently, but the CPU rarely does and that gets boring at times. It also sucks that there isn't an easier flick up for volleys, like PES has.

All in all, I love both games. FIFA can play fast, but in my opinion it depends on the User. I really try to focus in on the game and truly think about every touch I take, as well as passing the ball around in a variety of ways (especially backwards!). When you do that, the game slows down and plays more realistically in my opinion. PES has phenomenal CPU AI, and I really enjoy the simplicity of the control scheme. That being said, there are times where I find the dribbling to be a bit limited, and even a touch latent with some of the skill moves. Step overs aren't too effective when there's a solid 1 second delay between the input and execution of the move. At the end of the day, the differences between the games are a good thing because I can go back and forth, and rarely tire of either game.

[ChaseB]

Quote: Originally Posted by bukktown

This is a beautifully written article. I don't mean to embarrass the author with praise but I can't help it. Fantastic work!

The blushing is reallllll.