The search for a functioning tactic is clearly easier in EA FC 25, but at the same time also more difficult. MyMMO author Thomas Dummer believes that this year, you can finally blame a poor tactic in Ultimate Team on your coach. Inevitably, this leads to conditions in your club similar to those at FC Schalke 04.
Football fans know how it goes: When the game of their beloved club is going terribly wrong and the players are not delivering the performance they deem appropriate, the spectator transforms into the “best coach in the world.” They then know exactly where a player should run, which formation the coach should choose, and which substitutions could turn the tide.
This mindset of knowing better than the actual coach is something that some may also express in EA FC – and I can’t absolve myself of this responsibility either.
Experts and amateur coaches of EA FC know: The tactics of the game simulation can quickly become a science in itself. And it must be that way somehow. Who gives me the cure-all for which of the 30 different formations in FC 25 I should choose? Each formation also has 3 different build-up styles and 4 different defensive approaches. It’s easy to lose track.
Fortunately, there is now a new feature for Ultimate Team that is supposed to help you keep track in this jumble of formations, build-up styles, and defensive approaches. The coach is now more than just a supplier for your team chemistry.
Finally, coaches in Ultimate Team have a job to do
Even in FC 24, every real team had its own tactical concept, which I could simply play with the presets in offline modes like Kickoff or in online seasons. However, this was not the case for the most popular and competitive mode in EA FC 25, Ultimate Team.
But that ends in FC 25. Every coach object, bronze, silver, or gold, brings its pre-made formations and instructions for Ultimate Team that you can activate and play immediately upon assigning the coach to your manager position.
At the very beginning of Ultimate Team in FC 25, I thought to myself: “Great, now I just need a good coach, and the rest depends on my skill or lack thereof.” Fortunately, I pulled a rare gold coach from my first packs. Sam Dyche from FC Everton in the English Premier League.
So I quickly selected the coach as the manager for the team, adopted his tactics, and placed the suitable players in position. Finally, I could get started without spending hours at the tactics board. Playing football on the console can be so easy, I thought – but I was wrong.
Self-doubt is a thing of the past: The coach is to blame!
The first games went quite bumpy despite some victories, which of course was also due to the fact that I had to warm up to FC 25 and could only field 11 suitable gold players without much team chemistry.
However, even after a few games and with better players, I found myself becoming dissatisfied, especially with my coach and his tactics. After all, the know-it-all amateur coach in me came out again, and I thought that there was something wrong with the formation.
So I checked how FC Everton performed under Sam Dyche in the Premier League: “There we have it. Second to last place with one point after 5 games. That definitely explains why my players are struggling on the pitch.”
New coach should bring a turnaround through attacking football
For coach Dyche, at least in my club, the time was up. Deep-lying teams that lurk for counterattacks may simply not be for me. I needed a new approach, preferably with a new formation. And the bearer of hope was quickly found: Roger Schmidt.
Schmidt should bring a completely different approach, a 4-4-1-1, that is more offensive and variable in build-up play. And that’s how the first game under the new coach felt. Finally, I was able to advance with multiple passes and created more scoring opportunities and goals.
At least the Squad Battles mode against computer-controlled opponents was no longer a problem with the new coach and his tactics. But the real pleasure in Ultimate Team, for me, lies in measuring myself against other real players.
Clear defeat seals the quick exit for Schmidt
I felt prepared for the first matches in Division Rivals. Although Division 5 has a different level and opponents with much better teams, I had confidence in my players and my tactics – even if it would be against real opponents.
After 2 consecutive defeats and a 0:3 halftime deficit in the third game, I had to realize that my offensive approach with high pushing full-backs and offensively thinking midfielders was far too vulnerable on ball losses.
After a 2:5 thrashing, the adventure with Roger Schmidt, which had started so promisingly, was over.
My coach turnover is worse than Schalke 04
So far, I have tried over 20 different coaches and tactics. In comparison, the employment situation at FC Schalke 04 almost seems like a secure job. The traditional club from the Ruhr area has managed to dismiss 10 coaches in the past 5 years.
However, I am one step ahead of the Schalke team. I now know which formation I can handle well. At least for now.
In the end, I decided against a coach and his fixed tactics and am now playing with a narrow diamond in the 4-1-2-1 formation, allowing me to celebrate my promotion to Division 4. Currently, I am on a good path to Division 3.
In conclusion, it should be noted that it probably wasn’t solely the tactics of the coaches that caused my troubles. Even though no coach was truly able to provide me with a suitable tactic, I was inspired by one or another. You can now try various tactics and coaches like I did to achieve success. Or you can trust a pro: EA FC 25 tactic codes: Pro shows strong formations with instructions at a glance
