In EA FC 25, player role and tactics management is deeper than ever. Understanding how each role influences the game can transform your tactical approach and improve your performance. Let’s explore the roles of players, their impact on the game, and how to maximize your strategies with the new role system.
Player Roles: A New Dimension in EA FC 25
The player roles in EA FC 25 are designed to guide not only players' actions with the ball, but also their behaviour without it. With a total of 31 roles, each having 1 to 3 Focus, the game offers 52 unique combinations at launch. This diversity allows you to deeply customize your team and tactics.
HyperMotionV, OVR, PlayStyles and Roles
To better understand how roles fit into the game, here is an explanation of key terms:
HyperMotionV: Represents the unique movement characteristics of players.
OVR: Measurement of overall physical and mental attributes.
PlayStyles: The specific skills that players use with the ball.
Roles: The abilities of players off-ball, which determine their behavior and responsibilities on the field.
FC IQ System: Expertise and Familiarity
The FC IQ system highlights the importance of player specialization. Through an exclusive AI model, players receive levels of familiarity for their roles. This familiarity helps you to choose players not only based on their position, but also according to their mastery of a specific role. An experienced player in a particular role will have a more significant impact on the field.
Roles and Focus: How it works
Each role determines a player’s primary responsibilities. In addition to roles, the Focus is a modifier that slightly adjusts certain characteristics of the role. Here are some examples for each position:
Goalkeepers
Goalkeeper - Defence: Specialized in defence with overall balance.
Sweeper Goalie - Balanced: Focused on the foot game and cover.
Lateral Defenders
Lateral - Defense: Balanced between defense and attack.
Wing - Balanced: More offensive, with a focus on races on the wings.
Falseback - Defend: Solid defense with limited incursions in attack.
Field Environments
Box-to-Box - Balanced: Able to cover the whole field, defense and attack.
Deep Game Leader - Defense: Focused on recovery and quick distribution.
Attackers
Advanced Forward - Attack: Positioned high to maximize goal opportunities.
Poacher - Attack: Seeks to exploit the spaces left by the opposing defense.
False 9 – Accumulation: A versatile player who folds into midfield to create gaps.
What’s Changed in EA FC 25
With the introduction of FC IQ, some elements have been modified or removed:
CF and LWB/RWB Positions: These positions are no longer present in FC 25.
Work rate: This criterion is now replaced by familiarity with roles.
Instructions for players: The old instructions have been integrated into the new role and focus system.
An Overview of the Roles in EA FC 25
Each player in EA FC 25 is assigned a specific role that determines their behaviour on the pitch, with or without the ball. These roles are directly related to the players' positions on the field and influence their playing style:
Goalkeeper (GK): Goal defenders, with roles such as the traditional Goalkeeper and the Sweeper Goalie, each having specific tasks to stop shots and support game building.
Defenders (RB, LB, CB): Sidebacks like the Falseback or the Wingback have tasks ranging from strict defense to offensive contributions. The central defenders like the Stopper or the Ball Player Defender bring specific skills to retrieve the ball or support the construction game.
Midfielders (CM, MD, MDP): Roles here are diverse, ranging from dynamic Box-to-Box to the Deep Game Leader that facilitates the construction of attacks from midfield.
Attackers (ST, AD, LW): Attackers like the Forward Forward or the Braconnier are focused on creating goal opportunities, while roles like the False 9 offer more creative and participatory play opportunities.
The Focus and their impact
Each role can be modified by Focus which refine the player’s characteristics. For example:
Forward (ST): This role, with a focus on the attack, maximizes presence in the opponent’s surface but may have limited width, which can be compensated by tactical adjustments.
False 9 (ST): This player focuses on creating game, with a focus on creativity and building support, while sometimes being less effective in direct attack actions.
Activity Cards: Visualize the Impact of Roles
To better visualize the impact of roles and focus, EA FC 25 introduces activity maps. Each card represents where the player is playing during the game, on both attack and defense. For example:
Wingman (AD/AG): A wingman often stays wide and runs along the sideline, providing essential flank support.
Midfielder (RM/LM): This role combines defensive and offensive support, often staying wide while providing assists.
Behaviour with and without the balloon
Roles influence not only the behaviour of players when they have the ball but also when they do not:
With the ball: Roles determine how players move and interact with others, whether to create opportunities or maintain possession.
Ballless: Players adopt specific behaviors to return to defense or reposition themselves based on training. For example, a Half-Wing can move sideways to provide width in attack while remaining vigilant in defense.
Using Roles for Nuanced Strategies
The roles allow for varied strategies and asymmetrical formations. For example, a Half-Wing can create width while providing essential support in attack, but may be limited in defense. This adds a strategy layer, where each role choice has specific pros and cons. To adjust these in-game, use the right stick (RS) to switch between ball and no ball views, allowing you to better manage player moves and behaviors based on possession.
Team Tactics in EA FC 25
FC IQ introduces advanced team tactics to give more depth to the game strategy. Here is an overview of the main features and options available:
Training
The formations are crucial in FC 25, even if they don’t influence the style of play as much as before. They determine how your players position themselves on the field, both in attack and defense.
Key Changes
Some formations have been removed, such as 4-4-1-1 Atk and 5-4-1 Diamond. Other training has been adjusted, for example 4-3-2-1 is changed to 2 CAM instead of 2 CF.
Tactical Parameters
Tactical parameters have been redesigned to provide more control and flexibility. Here’s what has changed:
Deleted:
Defensive width
Creation of chance
Attack width
Pressure
Players in the box
Transformed:
Defensive style: Replaces old settings to define how your team defends.
Defensive depth: Adjust the height of your defensive line.
Build game: Determines how quickly your team moves from defense to attack.
Defensive approach: Choose from four approaches ranging from "Deep" to "Aggressive", affecting your defensive line position and the pressure applied on the opponent.
Defensive Approaches
The four defensive approaches allow you to adjust your team’s depth and pressure:
Deep: More secure defense with a more far-back defensive line.
Balanced: Defensive flexibility with a moderate line of defense.
High: High defensive line with minimal pressure.
Aggressive: Very high defensive line with constant pressure and off-game traps.
Construction Styles
Construction styles dictate how your team moves forward and up the field:
Short passes: Players move closer to the ball holder to maintain a defensive position.
Balanced: Alternating forward runs and short passes.
Cons: Players quickly move behind the opposing defense for counterattacks.
Tactical Presets
The presets provide you with ready-to-use tactical configurations inspired by modern tactics:
FC Preset: For a quick and incisive attack.
Direct play: To recover possession and attack quickly.
Cautious: For a defensive approach, limiting the odds.
These presets are ideal for new players or as a starting point for more experienced players.
Custom Tactics
You can create up to five custom tactics, each with its own training, tactical settings and player roles. How to manage them:
New Tactics: Create a tactic from scratch.
Use code: Import a tactic from a shared code.
Edit: Adjust aspects of your tactics.
Activate: Select a tactic to use during the game.
Manage tactics: Rename, duplicate or delete your tactics.
Code of Tactics
Each tactic has a unique 11-digit code to share and import tactics between different modes and consoles, working universally across all platforms.
