Other set-pieces have been reworked entirely. FIFA 17 also features team managers for the first time, with Jose Mourinho coming on stage to talk about his video game counterpart. Other managers so far mentioned to feature in the game include Arsene Wenger of Arsenal and Mauricio Pochettino of Tottenham Hotspurs. Including real life managers could potentially introduce some new problems for FIFA 17, Coach Butler tells Hunter to use his pace to cause Liverpool's tiring defenders problems. 

 

Then the game presents "objectives": obtain a 7.0 or above player rating; score a goal; win the match. Hunter comes on to make his debut, the commentators excited by United's new prospect. This is where the cut-scene ends and the gameplay begins. The action is presented from the normal FIFA in-game camera viewpoint, but you're in control of just one player: However, as unlike players, managers aren't restricted by 'transfer windows'. If anything, the constant sacking and hiring of managers throughout the season is just as compelling a story as the football on the pitch.

 

So it will be interesting to see if FIFA 17 gets updated with managers moving teams. For those of us who play against the CPU, a pattern emerges pretty quickly. They’ll play fairly neutral for 70 minutes, at which point they’ll get very aggressive if they’re behind or very defensive if ahead. That’s fine and all, but it’s not exactly varied, and it doesn’t make any allowance for different teams playing differently. We know that FIFA’s AI is capable of mixing things up tactically, so why not have different teams and managers taking different approaches?

 

It’s a very cosmetic change, but FIFA’s celebrations are still not really an accurate depiction of real life, even if they are fun. Most celebrations involve a couple of players interacting and little else – with the exception of the excellent corner flag celebration – but we want to see players piling in with pats on the butt, fist pumps and hair ruffles. Is it a last minute winner? Let’s see players celebrate with the crowd! There’s plenty more that can be done here.

 

There’s an aiming reticule for corners now, which specifies where you want to put the ball (accuracy is dependent on player attributes and your power bar timing, as ever), while you can move freely ahead of free kicks and penalties to change the taker’s approach angle. Away FIFA 17 games in pre-season. Another new FIFA 17 feature was the possibility to play a pre-season tournament. While it has worked out, sometimes you play at home on your opponent's stadium (example: playing Liverpool while being at home on Anfield).

 

FIFA 17 Pre-Contract players going to other teams. This has happened to me many times. For example, I signed Charlie Austin on a free but Everton paid $10M, and on the start of the next season he was there and I was paying his salary. There's been a set-piece rewrite, new methods of attacking, a series of changes to improve movement off the ball and most recently an overhaul of the physical play mechanics. This is also in addition to the games massive graphical change which has seen EA Sports implement DICE's Frostbite engine, giving the series that added sense of fidelity, especially in the games new Career mode known as 'The Journey'.