Guys! You might have read my long game play review of FIFA 09. Thanks for your nice feedback there. Now, I’m gonna share my experiences of some aspects of FIFA 09, which could be helpful to you. Once again, a long post!

‘I love this game’ is not the same as ‘I’m good at this game’. I’m a decent football gamer. I’m not a great player but I’m pretty good. I play just for fun and relaxation and I don’t play for ranks or points. I don’t want to master this game for two reasons - one is the fun factor will be gone and the other is I don’t take this seriously. This is just a game which works as a stress-reliever for me. Still, I can’t really enjoy and relax if I happen to lose 10 matches in a row. That’s how FIFA 09 started for me.

I chose to play at ‘professional’ difficulty because that was my standard difficulty level in FIFA 08. As always I played for Chelsea. I tried to use the real life formation that Scolari uses. So I put in a 4-1-4-1 with Drogba as striker and Essien as defensive midfielder and Lampard, Deco, Ballack and Joe Cole finding a place. The game is a bit pacy but I kinda liked that pace. having got adjusted to that pace I still found myself struggling to create or finish decent chances. I wish I could watch the complete replay of the match that I lost because I wanted to see where I went wrong.

After losing a few more matches, I didn’t need my match videos. I could see the problem areas one by one. As the game is fast, I tend to go forward and forward, which is not required. I could control the pace of the game by my actions. Don’t have run with the ball everytime you have the ball, just pass it back, let the players do their movements and runs, see the space and slowly knock the ball up. At any stage if you feel you’re forced to make a risky pass, just don’t do that, pass it back or make the easiest pass, keep the possession. From the half way line to goal, it takes only two or three passes. So, don’t hurry them. If you’re worried about the ticking clock, play 10-minute-halves instead of 5-minute halves.

Have you felt that something is wrong somewhere but you can’t put a finger on what it is? If yes, get your tactics right. There are some key questions that you need to answer before you start the game. Do you want to play short passes only or short/long passes? Do you want to play narrow or wide? How do you want your chances to be created? How high should your defenders be? The answers to these questions will depend on your personal preference and your team’s capabilities. You would adjust the custom tactic sliders based on the answers to these questions.

It is very important to get your tactic right up front because a 10 minute match could be half over before you could realise something is wrong. In FIFA 09, I have this habit of having my defenders stay deep because of the throughball threats. While I was playing Stoke City, at half time I realised that it was a waste because Stoke weren’t that threatening with their through passes and my defenders can always catch up if something goes wrong. So I pushed up my defenders which added a new dimension to my attacks and the result - two second half goals. Don’t jump into the game blindly, spend some useful time on the tactics.

Against better teams, I struggled a lot in the final third. Everytime Drogba was fed with a decisive ball, the made a meal of it. Drogba had the skill and pace but still I couldn’t have him run with the ball even for a few yards. The defenders were all over Drogba, every single time. Then I realised that it is a problem of my formation. I was playing 4-1-4-1. What happened was one of these 4 midfielders would play the ball to Drogba, who on his own had to run towards the two or three defenders ahead of him. It wasn’t going to work, not even in real life. I just imagined what Drogba would have done in those cases. He would trap and hold the ball until reinforcements came in. That’s what I had to do too. Now, as Drogba I started holding the ball and played it back to one of the four surging midfielders.

Then I thought it makes sense to have a partner for Drogba so that I can keep the ball in the final third for more time. That’s when I switched to 4-4-2 diamond. I brought in Anelka for Joe Cole. Since then it was a completely new ball game. I haven’t started using the flanks so much because I’m still learning to cross. When I had decided that I’m not going to create chances using crosses, there is no point in my formation having two wide men. When I changed from 4-1-4-1 to 4-4-2, I felt like I’m playing with two extra men because I had all men in the zone where I play.

If you haven’t noticed by now, the players are subject to realistic fatigue in this game. they do slow down in the last half hour of the game. They do become tired but keep an eye on the opponents - they could also be tired or injured. All players around the 30-years mark, do get slowed down in the second half. In Chelsea, Deco and Ballack definitely lose some pace as the game goes on. Their game is not built on pace but if you bring in some fresh legs it makes a huge difference. I brought on Kalou and Malouda for them and anyone could see that those were the subbed in players. They were zipping around with energy and to have such active subs also kind of wakes you up and brings some belief for you. It did for me.

People have told this a million times - finesse shot is your friend. Very true. when you play a finesse shot, the player does not rush the shot. He stops a bit and take a well aimed shot. In xbox360, finesse shot is the right shoulder button (or simply the right button, not trigger). I find it more comfortable to have it in the left button becaue in order to play the finesse shot I need to take my finger off the left trigger, which is for sprint. That’s logical, isn’t it? Take your foot off the gas when you want to apply brakes!

The thing with finesse shot is that, I was so conscious that I should play a finesse shot, I used to forget the fact that I need to apply appropriate shot power. So whenever you get into shooting positions, two things should come to your mind - your finger on finesse button and correct shot power. It’s ok if you apply less shot power but avoid giving more power. Shots on target improves confidence and also could result in rebounds. Shots off target are of no use at all. So less it better. Shooting here in FIFA 09 is more life like. The chance will be gone in a second. When it’s there you should grab it. If you don’t take your chances well enough, you would get beat.

The teams are built with realistic strengths and weaknesses. You can surely see a difference between Man Utd and Everton, Aston Villa and Sunderland, West Ham and West Brom. This is quite different to FIFA 08 where pretty much any team would play like Barcelona. I remember that even second division teams would string 20 passes while you can only watch as they are simply unstoppable when they want a goal. In FIFA 09, the teams play truly to their strengths. If you’re playing as Chelsea, you should be able to beat about 16 teams in the premier league while the other four can be anyone’s game. Don’t then say the game is easy, say the game is true.

So finally, where have all these left me? I’m not winning matches 10-0 on legendary. But I’m winning matches 1-0, 2-0, 2-1 and drawing some matches 0-0, 1-1 and sometimes losing to big teams. But I’m creating chances, getting my shots on target and more than anything I’m enjoying my games. I’m playing the league now. I’m now 4th in the table with 27 points after 15 matches, with a goal difference of 5. Man Utd leads the table with 35 points in 16 matches. I think I’ll get them sooner or later.

Don’t frustrated or annoyed at video games, especially a great game like FIFA 09. Just put some thought and you can start enjoying the game.