EA Sports has taken huge strides in improving Career Mode for FIFA 20 which a bunch of new features including an improved morale system, manager customisation and dynamic potential.
Seasoned players will have to adapt when they get their hands on the revamped mode but, with these five tips you should be able to sort your team out quickly. Become a top gaffer and lead your club to Champions League glory.
1. Look for players with extraordinary potential
One of the true joys of Career Mode is watching your young players blossom into the best players in the world. At the start of the first season, look at what areas you want to improve and then find a prodigious player who can grow into that role.
There is a hidden cap on what overall each player can reach in Career Mode known as 'potential' which is signalled by remarks on scout reports. "Showing great potential" means a player will grow to an overall between 80-84, "an exciting prospect" will grow to 85-89 and a player labelled as "has potential to be special" will grow to 90 or above. Though thanks to the addition of dynamic potential, players can now exceed that barrier with good performances.
2. Master the new set piece systems
For FIFA 20, the free-kick and penalty systems have been completely overhauled. Free-kicks in particular will take a while to get used to with more control over how much spin you put on the ball.
Aim your shot with the left-stick and move the right-stick in a certain pattern to put a different type of spin on the shot — the quicker you do this input the more spin your shot will have. You can choose to curve, dip or knuckleball your shot and can now use timed finishing to increase its chance of going in. Playing on Ultimate difficulty is especially challenging so mastering your set pieces could be the difference between winning or losing.
3. Play your rising stars
As mentioned earlier, dynamic potential will allow players to reach higher overalls than expected. According to EA, the game will look at each of your players at the end of each season and will take into account play-time, average match-rating and their stats (goals and assists for forwards or clean sheets for defenders) to determine if that player's potential will increase.
Dynamic potential only affects players at your club so even loaning out your youngsters won't have any affect. Trust your prodigies and hand them a few first-team opportunities to maximise their growth.
4. Have two line-ups to rotate between
Stamina and fatigue will be important to manage once again in FIFA 20, especially once you get into Europe and have to deal with more mid-week games. Though thankfully EA claim to have fixed a lot of fixture congestion issues that have plagued Career Mode in the past.
You can create multiple team-sheets so put together a B-team of sorts to rotate with your starting 11 for cup games and other mid-week matches. Not only will this allow your star players to perform at their best but also allows some of the fringe players in your squad to continue developing and will give them a little morale boost. Speaking of morale...
5. Keep a close eye on your team's morale
Another new feature this year is the morale system as improved press conferences and player conversations give managers more options to keep their players happy. Though note that play-time, wages, team performance and individual performances will also affect players' happiness.
Players' morale will directly affect their attributes before a game as stats can increase or decrease depending on their mood. Just like managers have to in real life, do everything in your power to keep your squad motivated and happy to get the absolute best out of your team.
