New to scouting in FIFA games and wondering what it’s all about? Or maybe you’re a seasoned scout and want to know what’s changed in FIFA 16? Whatever your situation, my guides will help you become a pro at scouting the next generation of superstars. This guide will cover the basics and how to pick a good scout, but if you want to know where to scout, how to spot the best players, how to develop your players and more, head over to my FIFA 16 scouting guide hub page – I’ll be adding more guides soon, so keep checking back. You'd better try and focus on being really patient while moving the ball. Not every pass has to be played forwards, giving it back to the center halves is a viable option as it forces the other team to push up the field, creating more space behind the lines of defence. Wait for the right opportunity to attack the opposition goal, then don't waste it.

 

When used without a reason, the driven pass slowed me down because the receiver's first touch is less precise than when he or she takes a standard pass. But in key situations the driven pass made my attack deadlier. Taking Liverpool against Lyon I zapped a driven pass from Christian Benteke to Lucas Leiva, where the usual crossing pass would have been suboptimal (Benteke was more behind Lucas than lateral to him) and the softer through-ball pass (triangle or Y) would have slowed the attack or been intercepted. Lucas feinted, then stepped into the clear and buried the ball in the back left corner.

 

If this all sounds a bit daunting, FIFA Trainer’s rolling tutorial can help. During a given scenario you’ll see up to two contextual hints floating above your player’s head. Near the box? Consider an RB+B finesse shot. At the byline? Try a whipped cross. “Tutorials are something we’ve not been historically good at on FIFA,” admits McHardy. “Over the last few years we’ve done research and discovered the best way to play the game is with your buddy on the couch: ‘A is pass, B is shoot’...And then as you get better you learn a little more. ‘OK, now you’ve got those down you can try a through-ball.’” The thinking is, the better you are at the game, the more enjoyment you’ll get from it.

 

There are loads of ways to do this. If your wingers are quick and good with the ball at their feet then a simple dribbling technique like the ultra-effective stop and go can help you get past a defender and off into space. Briefly, you can do this by dribbling towards your opponent, stopping for split second by holding LB or L1 then sprinting off again in a slightly different direction. What often happens is the defender will notice you’ve stopped and put their own brakes on, only to be left behind when you instantly sprint off again. It’s a move I use numerous times in every game I play.

 

The following tips, tactics and tricks have been written with online play in mind, but many of the techniques will translate into single-player sessions. If you’re struggling in general, we’d advise that you head to Seasons mode to practice in a realistic, live-fire environment: this way, there’s less chance that you’ll encounter the squads of human bulldozers that savvy Ultimate Team players are assembling. That said, stick to teams of a no more than a four-and-a-half star rating to avoid an interminable succession of Real Madrid fanboys. Those guys are arseholes, and you’ll learn little by filling the air with choice invective as they run Ronaldo in inexplicably effective straight lines.

 

As for the ever present and powerful near-post cross, this is to be used mainly when you have a counter attack going or there's not as many opposition defenders in the box. For the controls you simply have to double tap the crpss button. Now all you have to remember with the near-post cross is you should always face the player you are going to whip the ball into. Remember all these cross technique and get your balls into the box in FIFA 16. Have fun!