State of Play : (Pro) Clubs 24

Just to discuss the way pro clubs plays on fc 24.

Here is a list of issues I have:

1. The new league system is confusing. I'm unsure what the significance of any given game is and just feel like I'm playing match after match with no tangible end goal. If we fail to get promoted, we just go again. In previous titles, there was a big colourful graphic on the club main page which made it inescapably obvious where you were that season. That is gone. 

2. Continuing on this point, the Playoff system is lacking. For a start, you have to wait weeks for it to start (why? It just doesn't work, even when the playoffs were on nobody i played with cared and just kept playing league games.

3. The new menus are confusing. It took me a long time to find where to see a clubs all time record, and now that it's hidden away it won't matter so much.  previously the WDL was on the main page of a club and instantly you could assess how they were doing.

The new system is probably designed to make people stay in one club rather than make new ones and smurf in a low division, and so if you stay in a club long term it'll inevitably rack up lots of Ls. The problem is that club records were important to access and also people just make new clubs in the new system anyway so it's a moot point.

4. They've also taken away view last results. Previously your last 10 results appeared on your front page, and you could see who you played against records too (this is mysteriously gone, too!) It was last 20 results in fifa 22 down to 5 for some reason in f23. I have no idea why they got rid of this. It was lots of fun to see you played some team of people you know and screencap the results, and judge how you were doing. You can access your results now but I've found the list seems to max out and some results don't appear; it's also hidden away in a sub menu; and you can't view opponents records.

5. Now, the gameplay.

The AI defenders are absolutely atrocious. And I've played in elite div clubs so no, they don't get better as you go on.

5. a.

AI defenders play the last man onside. This has been a problem in fifa since forever, and it's just boring now. Back 4s stay in a line, EA try to watch some actual football and see nobody defends like this.

5. b. 

AI defenders when someone runs at them and changes direction, allow themselves to be ran past as if they're not there. It is just disgusting really.

5.c.

AI goalkeepers are too weak against finesse shots,  near post shots, and for some reason, shots straight at them in the box. Again, EA, watch some football.

5. d.

AI defenders cannot cover the far post on crosses. This makes the cross meta play hard to defend against.

5. e.

The RB or double tap RB press has been nerfed. The AI takes a long time to respond to the press button activation, and the double tap cover is not as effective as it was previously. As seen in 5. d. This makes the game annoying, difficult and frustrating to play. 

6. Manual defending/ANY is just too difficult. For some reason post FIFA 12 onwards EA decided football is not a team sport, but an individual display of street ball tricks and skills. Watch some real football. Watch a winger come up to a defender. Even silky dribblers. Watch how many times they dribble past the defender. HARDLY EVER. It hardly ever happens. Most wingers PASS BACKWARDS - yes - they really do - watch some real football and you'll see that "skinning" a defender with ball skills and tricks is actually RARE. Let alone doing a bunny hop/ rainbow flick / running keepy uppy jog and dipping volley. THAT DOESNT REALLY HAPPEN. Football is 99% about passing, fast paced transition and long ball, crossing, long shots, and tap ins. EA really need to either nerf dribbling or make a dribble mode and a real football mode - a bit like volta and clubs. I am just sick of people doing croquetas, heel to heels, 360 spins,  and other stupid meme gimmick clown circus style tricks, in a fast paced real game of football. The manual defending is just too hard, it's too easy to get skinned, it's too hard to play as ANY.

7. Remove ANY as an option in clubs. It defeats the point.

8. The call for the ball mechanic needs nerfed. Maybe if you make 5 calls that fail, or you constant call all game, you can't call anymore, or the captian/ other players should get a vote to stop you from calling.

9. Half time should last longer than 30 seconds. Making team management changes should be easier and the menus shouldn't lag or be difficult to navigate. I shouldn't have to go back to Resume Match to confirm substitutions. I should just alter the menu and bingo done. Pausing ingame shouldn't be laggy.

10. The captain/players with more games/a majority of players should be able to kick a troll player out Midgame and ban them from the club.

11. Switching to ultra defensive should not CHANGE MY FORMATION, and also, I shouldn't have to go through 8 confusing sub sub menus to make sure it doesn't.

12. Bring the Cup back but make it constantly open, make it that you match with anyone in that cup but in any round not only your round, and bring all the cups back, and come up with new cup scenarios.

13. Power Shots were great on 23 but nerfed on 24. In 23, a PS in the box was practically impossible to score; now, it appears to be the only feasible way to score them. I loved the PS mechanic and don't see why they nerfed it this much. Even with Playstyle on its  still bad. Finesse shots have been broken in fifa since forever so why buff them even more and nerf power? 

14. The idea that defenders are slower than attackers, per se, is just stupid. Many CBs are very fast. Most full backs are very fast. EA have this cartoon impression of football where all strikers are 5 foot 6 Maradonas doing youtube style Street juggling skills, and all defenders are 6 foot 5 lumbering beasts who only exist to snap people and can't string a pass together. This simply is NOT HOW FOOTBALL WORKS. Most defenders can play football very well. Where do EA get these ideas from? 

Then, in game, you don't even notice the speed when it counts. You have mbappe and Harry Maguire outspeeds you - in the moment, the game adjusts all stats, so really they mean nothing. All those skill points you pumped into speed? Where was the point. Meantime I have team mates with like 73 long shot and 81 curve and 78 shot power somehow curl in finesse shots from 28 yards. ??? What does any of it even mean anymore???

15. I don't like the stats appearing on pitch in the newgen version. If you can turn it off I will 

16. Why did they take out ability to not watch opponent celebrations? It was in 22, gone in 23 (only in newgen i think, and nobody played 23 newgen) pro clubs

18. Why get rid of RB+LB+Y driven loften thru pass? Why get rid of RB driven pass? What is this new placed pass mechanic? Nobody uses it!

19. AI passing is atrocious. They now take even longer than 23 to respond to a call for the ball. Firstly they turn to face you (no matter how illogical that is) then they get onto their strong foot (again this can take 2 full seconds) then they play the pass, but now you're in a different position. It is very tiresome. 

20. As always, AI crossing is horrendous. If your AI winger or full back is out wide, you need to cut infield and call it back, cos they'll mess up the cross, unless you are literally, completely, 100% free in the box.

21. The game is dead! On xbox, oldgen has 20-50 posts and newgen 40-80. For a new game, this is terrible! Even 23 still has 20 -30 posts. What is going on?? I've spent up to 30 minutes replying to posts trying to get on a club or get people in my club. This is longer than ever. What's going on??

In conclusion :

 All in all, 23 was better than this , and I keep going back to 23. I'm going to wait til I'm max level to fully judge it, because that's always the case, but so far 24 is more negatives than pluses for me at the moment. The pro clubs AI needs a big buff, in attack and defence, and the menu layouts need changed. I'd like to see finesse shots nerfed, power shots buffed (or at least, both made viable and not one better than other).

I'd like to see the gameplay sped up, as it is much too slow, and I'd like to see dribbling obliterated, at least to the point it is seen in real football (if you ever see a player do a rainbow flick, 360 spin, heel to heel , mcgeady spin into a sombrero flick then finish from 20 yards with a scissor kick, then also check out your window for flying pigs. It literally will never happen, especially at the speed top level football is currently played at.)

That's it. That's the post.