World Class level on FIFA 19 is hard.
World class level in the Premier league with a newly promoted side and hardly any World Class players is even harder.
We are currently 19th, approaching mid-January and time is running out to escape the relegation places, with little to no funds to aid new transfers, and a run of tough matches coming up, difficult times lie ahead.
I had a run of 4 or 5 matches where results picked up, 2 wins and 2 draws, I thought I had finally cracked the defending, including a well-earned point at Old Trafford after leading until the 88th min, and a good solid 3-1 win at Stoke, but have just lost my last 2 matches, 4-1 vs Chelsea and 4-0 vs Liverpool, before grabbing a 2-2 draw at Leicester, and that’s where FIFA 19 stands out.
The elite premier league teams are just that, the likes of Chelsea, City, Liverpool, Spurs, they just blow you away, slick fast passing, control, ruthless attacking and tight defence makes playing against these top teams extremely difficult with a weaker team, and you can really tell the difference between the teams and individual players, and their playing styles.
Chelsea put everything through Willian and Hazard, they ran the show, ran me ragged, I just couldn’t cope, and as I’ve remarked before about key players not playing true to life, or standing out in PES, they certainly do in FIFA.
The video below shows a couple of brief clips of Hazard causing chaos against me, doing what he does in real life, dribbling, running at players, snap shots from the edge of the box, dragging markers out of position, was a joy to see, if you can take joy from being battered.
My standout players so far have been Osborne at LMF, and to a lesser extent, Dennis at CMF, Bojan has been making a welcome return to form too but rarely lasts the full 90mins.
Osborne got Player of the Month For December
We also lost CF Jonathan David to a Long injury which restricts CF backup options to just Brereton.
My objective was to avoid relegation, and finish mid table in season two, I feel relegation surely would bring the sack, it’s going to take a late surge much like last years unbeaten promotion run to stay safe, but this time the ask is much bigger.
Finally, another nice headed goal, love the meat you can get behind these shots.
FIFAFX.com 
Paul – I know the feeling to well as I have slumped to 12th and have been having similar experiences as one minute I think I have got a handle of defending on World Class and then next the CPU just scores when it wants to. What is the point situation in your table? I have 9 games left with nothing to play for but should be OK as despite having winning the title as an objective I have met some key other targets and my rating is 75. Tough times though as my players average about 73 OVR with to key players at 77 and 76. So they should be doing better. I shudder to think how I would manage with a weaker side.
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Darryl, after around 18 games I only have around 20 pts, its dire. If i strung 3 wins together I could probably pull out of the relegation zones, a semi-decent run could take me up to 13th, but its easier said than done.
Against mid-lower table teams I can hold my own, nick a win or a draw, against the better sides, they are just too strong, thats a good thing of course, if i ever win the Premier League in this game I will consider my best ever Footy-game-achievement.
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Paul – it all sounds brilliant, because we all know that in a similar scenario in ‘the other game’ you are pretty much guaranteed to get out of it with room to spare. Darryl’s example and now yours is very encouraging. But aren’t you in danger of being sacked for a relegation? That would be the only thing that would spoil it. Yo-yoing between divisions for a bit before eventually moving ahead to triumph would be a great story.
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NG – I would suspect I’d get the sack as my season objective was to avoid relegation then finish mid table in season 2. But if I do, I’ll take another job and progress from there.
I’m keen to just let the ‘story line’ unfold as it will within FIFA, and see how it all plays out, part of the appeal if I’m honest.
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NG/Paul – the good thing with all the other objectives is that as long as you achieve one of the high ones you should be OK even if you get relegated which was the case with myself.
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We will see Darryl – If I do get relegated, going to focus hard every match, try my best to avoid it.
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Great to see, by the by, that neither of you have dabbled in Ultimate Team. I know there’s more to online than us oldies like to think – last year was an eye-opener for me to some extent – but the offline career modes are where the real meat and potatoes of footy gaming is at. Online is a game, offline is a daily way of life, a private story that we make ourselves.
If you do try out Ultimate Team though (as I’m going to with the other game’s equivalent sooner or later) it’ll be interesting to hear about too.
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NG – doubt I’ll play UT at all, or MyClub.
Just don’t have the time, FIFA CM takes up alot of time, as does prepping stuff for the blog, as you well know, and then there’s RDR2, so no time for other footy game modes really.
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You got more of a transfer budget at Forest than I did at Villa. I got £38 million and lost all the loan players and real-life deadwood. I’m not optimistic now about starting after the pre-season tournament. Bought one of my loan stars permanently and resigned Benteke but I feel short. Survival definitely my only aim.
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PRS – I had a transfer bid for y star striker, Emmanuel Dennis, 78 rated, PSG offered 15 million for him, I didn’t want to sell as I was short of backup with David being injured for 7 months so cheekily upped the counter offer to 28 million, PSG accepted and Poof, he was gone!
I had to emergency splash 14 million on a replacement in Joshua King from Bournemouth, but he’s not settled in yet and hasn’t got the pace Dennis had which is proving difficult.
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Paul – tough times indeed. My aim with this FIFA was to see if I could manage a 15 year career mode. If this was PES you would start to see the game bend on the higher difficulties as your team starts to get better. But this is not the case with me on World Class which has gone into a bit of a cheat mode for me. So who knows where this is all heading. 15 years in the doldrums?
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What do you mean by gone into cheat mode Darryl ?
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Paul – More of a feeling than anything. This isn’t me moaning because I am struggling as this wasn’t the case when I got relegated. When the CPU wants to score on World Class it does so and there is damn all you can do about it and put to together ping pong passes. So it would be fairer to say that the CPU has gone into god mode and has been enhanced by the more I have better players than the teams around me. Also the goals straight from kick off away from home are annoying. I know in these games I am up against it and often concede four, which seems to be the pattern. I have to say you did tremendously well to get promoted on your first season on WC. I ain’t going down a level as Proffesional was too comfortable.
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Paul – How are tactics affecting your results? Wouldn’t switching to a more defensive formation than a wide midfield diamond help you battle for precious points?
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Ahh I see Darryl, I think its more to do with the fact that defending is very hard in FIFA< if you play with tactical defending on.
You can't just 'home in' on a player by holding X and automatically take the ball with little to no skill like you can in PES, you have to jockey, contain then time the tackle, the better teams with faster more skilful players make the yard for a shot or go past you or play the killer pass.
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Shed – Possibly, but I’ve always used a 4-4-2 of sorts in every footy game, I have to have 2 up top, it suits my style of play.
I do plan to tinker with packing out the midfield more or maybe 5 across the back against the better teams.
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