FIFA Mobile - Manager Mode
Learn all about Manager Mode and how to become a tactical expert!
EA SPORTS Official Site
DEEP DIVE START
Welcome to the Manager Mode deep dive! This fun new mode is coming to FIFA Mobile, and we’re excited to showcase how it works and how you can become a tactical master. Put your managerial ability to the test!
Basics
You’re now in full command of your team’s tactics and strategy, and as the manager you have big decisions to make. Will you set your team up to attack quickly with long through balls, or will you opt for methodical lateral passes that slowly move you up the pitch? Manager Mode puts you in charge with dozens of different tactical levers at your disposal. Display your tactical prowess by playing to your team’s strengths and choosing tactics that fits their style.
Manager Mode is focused on setting up your team from a tactics perspective. You won’t be playing these matches like in Head to Head or VS Attack, you’ll be watching your team play out your gameplan like a real manager.
Auto Match
Manager Mode is a fully autoplayed mode. Set up your starting lineup, choose your tactics, and start the match.
You can cue up multiple matches in the Auto Match settings. Choose from different filters like:
- Daily Match Rewards
- Daily Safety Rewards
- Amount of Points to reach
- Division to reach
Once you’ve set your desired settings, you can queue up continuous matches. That means that once you’ve completed a Manager Mode match, a countdown will automatically trigger. After the countdown finishes, you’ll enter a new match. This keeps on going until you either reach your chosen settings (e.g., reach Pro Division) or until you cancel the Countdown. It’s a great option if you want to “set and forget” your Manager Mode matches until you hit a certain milestone.
Tactics
Tactics are at the core of Manager Mode. These are the high-level strategies that you choose for your team before and at any point during the match. Your team’s playstyle will change based on the Tactics you choose.
There are 4 preset Tactics: Attacking, Control, Counter, and Defensive. Once you start adjusting the details within a Preset Tactic, you’re now creating a Custom Tactic. Choosing your Tactics depend on your team’s strengths and weaknesses, your opponent, and the game situation.
Attacking Preset
The Attacking Tactic will push your team into aggressive attacking positions. Your players will move further up the field with the intent of scoring quickly. Your players will look for direct passes into dangerous positions. You may be susceptible to your midfielders being out of position during a change of possession, along with a high risk of being countered, so use this tactic wisely.
Control Preset
The Control Tactic is focused on maintaining possession and methodically moving up the pitch. Your players will make shorter passes and avoid riskier passes. Your players will look for the best situation to break past the defence, but they will not force passes. This Tactic is best suited for teams with technical players who can break down a defence patiently.
Counter Preset
The Counter Tactic is about sitting deep and striking quickly on the counterattack. Once you regain possession, your players will make long through balls into space for your attackers to run onto. The ball will move quickly through your midfielder with the goal of catching your opponent out of position. This Tactic is best suited for teams with pacey attackers upfront and athletic midfielders.
Defensive Preset
The Defensive Tactic is all about being organised and disciplined at the back with the goal of preventing attacking chances. Your players will drop back and crowd the defensive third of the pitch to clog up opportunities for your opponent. When you recover possession, your players will look to make long passes up to your attackers to relieve pressure. Additionally, this Tactic will keep attacking runs to a minimum in order to keep your formation’s shape. This Tactic is best suited for teams who are outmatched or looking to hold on to lead.
Custom
The Custom Tactic is all up to you! You can slightly tweak the existing Tactics or completely overhaul it to fit your team’s needs. There are tons of different possibilities for you to explore and master. Create your Custom Tactic and save it before entering a match, or create a different one in the middle of a match, the choice is yours!
Detailed Options
Within the Tactics, you can adjust specific options that directly affect how your team behaves on the pitch. They’re split into 3 categories: Build Up, Offence, and Defence.
Build Up
Build Up is the speed at which the attacking team will move the ball, the general passing distance, the level of support play from teammates, and your team’s positioning.
- Speed: Determines the speed and urgency that players will have when moving the ball into the attacking third. Higher speed means prioritising faster passing. Lower speed means players will try to retain possession more.
- Passing Distance: The tendency of short to long distance passes that players will perform.
- Mentality: Controls the rate at which your players make runs up and down the field.
- Defending
- Balanced
- Attacking
- Positioning
- Organized: Players will stick to their exact position in a strict manner.
- Free: Players will often roam into other areas of the pitch depending on game situation.
Offence
- Passing Rate: Determines the frequency of your players passing the ball. Choosing a higher Passing Rate means your players will attempt more through passes and riskier passes. Lower Passing Rate means your players will opt for safer and less contested passes throughout the pitch.
- Cross Rate: Determines the frequency of your players moving the ball towards the wings and crossing into the box.
- Shooting Rate: Determines the frequency of your players taking a shot. Choosing a higher Shooting Rate means your players will attempt to shoot more often, even from distance. Lower Shooting Rate means your players will be more conservative with their shots and will not shoot until they are closer to the net.
- Positioning
- Organised: Attacking players will stick to their exact position in a strict manner. This means that your wingers will not drift inside and your strikers will not drift outside or fall back into midfield.
- Free: Attacking players will often roam into other areas of the pitch depending on game situation. This means that wingers may drift inside to support your strikers, and your strikers may drift to the wings or into the midfield.
Defence
- Pressure: The rate at which a Second Defender Press will be triggered and how tight your defenders will mark attackers. Higher Pressure means your players will mark opponents more aggressively, often pulling a second defender in to help. Lower Pressure means your players will mark opponents more conservatively, with fewer second defenders coming in for support.
- Width
- Narrow: This adjusts your defensive shape to be narrow to have more players in the middle of the pitch for defensive coverage. This means that the centre of the pitch will have more defensive focus, while the wings will be more open.
- Balanced: This adjusts your defensive shape to be balanced for generic positioning.
- Wide: This adjusts your defensive shape to cover your wide players (left/right backs and left/right midfielders) towards the sidelines. This means that the wings will have more defensive focus, while the centre of the pitch will be more open.
- Tackle Tendency Determines the frequency at which your players will commit to a tackle, or if they will contain the attacker.
- Back Line
- Free: Your defenders will not attempt the Offside Trap.
- Offside Trap: This tactic tells your defenders to quickly push up as a unit, with the goal of catching an attacker offside.
Match Stats
Manager Mode will offer more in-depth stats that you can review at any point during a match. Review your Team Stats like Shots, Possession %, Pass Accuracy, Fouls, and Offsides. See your individual players’ Goals, Assists, Shots on Target, Passing, Tackles, Fouls, and Overall Match Rating. Like any savvy manager, use these stats to inform your tactical decisions!
Division Rivals
Manager Mode has a similar progression system to VS Attack and Head to Head. Win matches to rise up the Division Rivals ranks for better rewards. Place among the top competitors to earn leaderboard placement and logos.
Divisions:
- Amateur III, II, I
- Pro III, II, I
- World Class III, II, I
- Legendary III, II, I
- FIFA Champion
Promotion & Relegation
Manager Mode uses a Promotion and Relegation system to move up and down divisions. You’ll earn Points based on your results:
- Win gives 3 Points
- Draw gives 1 Point
- Loss gives 0 Points
For every division, there’s a Points threshold to hit over 10 matches to either be promoted to the next division, relegated to the lower division, or stay in the same division.
For example in Pro III:
- If you get 12 or more Points in 10 games, you’ll be promoted to Pro II.
- If you get between 4 and 11 Points in 10 games, you’ll stay in Pro III.
- If you get fewer than 4 Points, you’ll be relegated to Amateur I.
Every division has different Point requirements to be promoted, relegated, or remain in the same division.
Individual Match Rewards
Earn Star Pass Points and Coins for every Manager Mode match you play. This will get you progress along the Star Pass path for extra rewards.
Division Rivals Promotion Rewards
Every time you move up a Division for the first time, you’ll receive Coins and Rank Up item rewards. Rise up all the way to FIFA Champion to earn the most promotion rewards.
Division Rivals Season Rewards
At the end of every month, receive specific rewards based on the Division you reached.
Thank you for reading this Manager Mode deep dive, we hope you’re as excited for the new update as we are!
-The FIFA Mobile Team
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