There are a number of things you can do before kick-off that can boost your chances of converting crosses into goals. Firstly, make sure that the team you’re playing as have got players that will suit a style of attacking that’s focused on crossing. For reasons that will soon become clear when we move on to tips two and three, I use fast, skilful wingers with good dribbling and crossing attributes. I also play them on the same side of the pitch as the foot they’re dominant with, as this enables me to deliver accurate crosses quicker than if my wingers were inverted because I don’t need to check back before crossing.

 

But it, like American politics or a seriously complicated game of tic-tac-toe, is structured with an intricate series of checks and balances. To counter Passing With Purpose, for instance, defenders are now more eager to race in and challenge from behind. "We watched videos of some of the best slide tacklers in the world launching into slides from distance on a slick pitch and winning possession,” says McHardy. “Not everyone can do that, so there’s an attribute that governs whether they have access to those animations." While stronger passes speed the game up, aggressive defenders prevent them becoming magic bullets.

 

EA’s decision to overhaul the passing and first-touch mechanics in FIFA 16 is proving contentious in certain quarters, with passing purists, long-ball merchants and sweaty pace abusers alike bemoaning the current state of play. Truth is, ball distribution in FIFA 16 isn’t the trainwreck that some people would have you believe. There are, granted, occasional passes that feel entirely arbitrary and at odds with what you asked for, not to mention glitches, idiosyncrasies and game balance issues that we’d like to see addressed. Take the time to really come to terms with the general pace and focus of this new edition, though, and you’ll find that every FIFA player archetype has the tools to play their favoured style of game – and enjoy it. 

 

In other news, Messi along with the rest of his Barcelona team-mates were given their confirmed FIFA 16 overall ratings this week, as the Catalan club's star man was praised as the game's best player. A lot of people think that pace is out of the game this year, but there’s actually a hidden speed boost on FIFA 16 and as compared with previous editions, FIFA 16 offers relatively large bunch of innovations and improvements. One of the most significant ones is women’s national teams. The game features 12 such teams from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Mexico, Spain, and USA. However, women’s teams are only available in friendly matches (solo and online) and single player tournaments.

 

Moreover, you cannot play women vs. men matches. Another bunch of changes hit the popular FIFA Ultimate Team mode, now renamed to Ultimate Team Draft. Most of the alterations were made to the team creation process, which is now much simpler than in the previous installments. Before you start playing, you get to select one of the available formations, team captain, and assign players to particular positions (select from 5 random players for each position). Thus formed team can be used in a tournament played against AI or other players. Winning a competition is awarded with an appropriate reward, however, taking part requires paying initiation fee (in the form of coins, FIFA points, or Draft Tokens). This tutorial will show you how to do it in matches. Watch the full HD video tutorial below to learn all the tricks on how to perform it in-game.

 

Next, to finish off the solely offline bits (other than the misc trophies), take part in the Women’s International Tournament. You need to win the tournament, which you can simulate but you’ll need to play a game or two to get all the misc trophies that you can only get with women. See the end of the guide to see what you need to do, since all of the women trophies are grouped together.