What Formation To Use In FIFA 12

Most gamers that play FIFA 12 have realized that every team has that one formation that works best. And I believe it tends to be the same in real life. From Barcelona's 4-3-3 to Napoli's 3-4-3 FIFA 12 has a lot of different options to choose from. But which formations are the best and which one's work best at which times? Well, in most cases you have to know which team you're facing to choose a formation to counteract that particular formation. I will explain that all and much more in a minute as I break down some of the most popular formations in the game of FIFA and how you the gamer can use them to the fullest.


Setting Up the Squad
Before you even looking at the formations screen I highly suggest you take a deep look at your squad. Knowing where the strengths are within a team is extremely important and can be the deciding factor of winning or losing a game. For instance, if you have chosen a team that has 2 or 3 top class strikers then you would want to choose a formation that plays to their strengths. The same can be said about central midfielders(CM's) and center backs (CB's). But let's say you play with Manchester City or Barcelona. Both teams have a whole host of strikers. That's where being smart with who you decide to start and bench will come into play.

Knowing the Other Team
Another thing I suggest you do before a match - especially if you're in an offline mode like career mode - is to take a look at the other team. Take a look at their formation and players and make your decision based off that. For instance, if I was facing Barcelona and saw that Messi was playing at LW and I was Inter Milan I would put a fast RB (Maicon) on Messi's side so I could counter-act Messi's pace. You can also tell certain players to mark other players. For example, If I was playing with Arsenal and I was setting up my side to face Stoke City I would set my 6'6 center back (Mertesacker) to mark Stoke's 6'7 Crouch. Whereas If I wouldn't have set up that mark I could have a situation where Koscielny - who is only 6 foot - would try to challenge a 6'7 striker for a ball in the air. It's certainly something I would not want seeing as Crouch has 7 inches on my center back and would easily out-muscle and out-jump him for the ball.

So knowing which players are where and what their strengths are is an extremely important concept that you have to master if you hope to have a chance when facing the computer on a higher level difficulty setting.


Choosing the Formation
After you have taken look at your squad and the opposing squad it is now time to choose a formation. The most common one used in FIFA is a 4-4-2(or other variations like 4-1-2-1-2, or 4-2-2-2). This is most likely due to the fact that it incorporates 2 wingers and 2 strikers into the system, I highly suggest this formation to new gamers because it provides defensive cover as well as attacking prowess. The second most popular formation is the ever-present 4-3-3. If you have speedy wingers and full-backs in your side this is the formation for you. It really plays to their strengths and if you have creative Center Midfielders in the middle of the park you can just play lobbed through balls over the opposing defenses head all game. The only thing I would be aware of with this formation is that there is only one true striker and depending on who you have players can really get isolated up top. I generally like to have a pacy striker that also has good strength up top. Players like Cardoza, Llorente, Zigic, Ibrahimovic, or Crouch are often guys I stay away from because the slow down my gameplay. Stick with guys like Rooney, Sturridge, or Milito. Other than those 2 formations and their variants there's really not many other formations that work too well in FIFA 12.


Changing Formations
Lot's of times in games I'll find that my formations don't work the way I wanted them too. Sometimes it's because I didn't scout the other players too well or maybe I started the wrong guys in the wrong places. Generally when this happens I'll finish out the half and then at the intermission look at what needs to be fixed. Also another thing I'll do is if I'm in the 70th minute and I'm down a goal or two I'll change to 3 at the back and start pushing guys forward. This can be a really positive move and has gotten me a couple of late wins. Another thing I suggest you to do is make a crazy formation. What I mean by 'crazy formation' is something that will put the most people in the box and will score you some goals. I always have a formation saved in my custom formations that's absolutely insane and I'll have maybe 2 defenders, some midfielders and the rest strikers or high wingers. But be extremely careful about this formation, it can leave you very vulnerable at the back and I've conceded many a goals because of that.

*Extra: Choosing Kick Takers and Captains*
Another thing that's good to do while your setting up your team is to mill around on the kick takers screen. There you can toggle between which players you want taking free-kicks, corners, penalty kicks, and you can even change the captain on this screen too. When selecting the corner kick takers I generally will choose someone that has great curve and has a foot preference that is opposite the corner. Therefore, I can swing in a cross that my target guys will be able to rocket into the back of the net. Also, when selecting corner kick takers, choose the relatively small guys on your roster to take them, anyone below 5'10 is a good candidate. The reason I say this is because you want the tallest guys you have in the box so they can jump over and compete with their markers. It goes back to what I said earlier about Crouch and Koscielny.

FIFA 12 Ultimate Team Player Values

Here are some of the values of certain players on FIFA 12 UT. If you are paying under the projected price then it's a steal, if you pay over you're getting scammed. Also, if you have any other projected values for players then please share, if it sounds right it'll most likely get added. FYI I buy most of my players from La Liga so there will likely be a lot of them listed.


Name - Position - Rating - Club - Country - Projected Value(in coins)


Nilmar - ST - 83 - Villarreal - Brazil - 4k-5k
Thiago - CAM - 79 - Barcelona - Spain - 300-400
Bruno - CDM - 82 - Villarreal - Spain - 500-600
Raul Albiol - CB - 82 - Real Madrid - Spain - 1k-1.5k
Diego - CAM - 83 - Atletico Madrid - Brazil - 1.5k-1.8k
Toulalan - CDM - 81 - Malaga - France - 400-600
Ibrahimovic - ST - 88 - AC Milan - Sweden - 90k-96k
Higuain - ST - 86 - Real Madrid - Argentina - 8k-10k
Rooney - ST - 90 - Manchester United - England - 300k-380k
Aguero - ST - 86 - Manchester City - Argentina - 100k-105k
Valencia - RW - 83 - Manchester United - Ecuador - 4.5k-4.7k
Suarez - ST - 85 - Liverpool - Uruguay - 24k-28k
Gerrard - CM - 87 - Liverpool - England - 160k-170k
Modric - CAM - 88 - Tottenham - Croatia - 45k-50k
Nesta - CB - 85 - AC Milan - Italy - 2.5k-2.9k
Thiago Silva - CB - 87 - AC Milan - Brazil - 85k-87k
Lucio - CB - 85 - Inter Milan - Brazil - 15k-20k
Pazzini - ST - 83 - Inter Milan - Italy - 500-1k
Drogba - ST - 86 - Chelsea - Ivory Coast - 75k-85k
Lampard - CAM - 87 - Chelsea - England - 86k-90k
Arshavin - LW - 83 - Arsenal - Russia -1k-1.2k
Van Persie - ST - 86 - Arsenal - Netherlands - 30k-34k
Krasic - RM - 82 - Juventus - Serbia - 1.5k-2k
Chiellini - CB - 84 - Juventus - Italy - 17k-20k

FIFA 12 Career Mode Tips

Picture via: http://soft.elecinlife.com/fifa-12-career-preview-mode-before-the-user/

FIFA12 newbies and career mode legends alike have already enjoyed a wonderful month or so of career mode. But this years career mode is a different beast than previous years gone by. I've been a FIFA gamer since '05 and I've racked up well over 45 hours of career mode. So I guess you could say I know the game like the back of my hand and I have some useful tips on what arguably is one of the best career modes to date.

Starting Out

When starting up career mode you will have three game modes inside of career mode itself for you to choose from, "player mode", "manager mode", and "player-manager mode". If you select the traditional "manager mode" then you will be promptly whisked away to select your team. 

Selecting your team is one of the most important things in career mode. Whether you choose Manchester City for it's +150,000,000 spending budget or a League 2 side with the hopes of promotion this step is essential.

Day 1

After selecting the team I generally like to go and check out my new squad. I assess where the problem areas are and where my strong points are where I want to build my team around. So let's say you have a 73 CAM in a team where the average rating is 66. You would want to build your team around him, but be careful, don't put him in a formation where there is 1 or more of his positions, otherwise he might not be as potent. Also, play young guys. This is an extremely important part when selecting your starting XI, I've managed teams where I've had a 17 year old striker with a rating of 65 go all the way to 69 in one season.

Transfers

Be smart with transfers, they are one of 2 ways to add players to your squad, buying players through the transfer market is one. The first thing I like to do is sell all the players with the lowest ratings. Or players that I deem unworthy. Don't hold on to a young player with a rating of 45 in hopes that he will be the next Messi, clubs will buy, trust me. I then will toggle between the highest and lowest transfer costs and sell accordingly. If I can sell a 70 for $2,000,000 and then buy a player with an equal or greater overall I will. And if I have an aging player with very little stamina I will sell them. (Yes I have sold Del Piero before). But be careful not to sell too many players, if you are competing in domestic and European competitions as well as league then it is important to have good depth within ones squad.

Free agents/Loans

Another thing I do when I start any season is look at the free agents and loanees. Buying free agents and loanees is a great way to save money while still getting some quality players. The best part about buying either of these two is that it won't cost you a single cent of your transfer funds. The only thing that will be depleted is your wage funds, but generally since free agents are not on a team they will join you for a reasonably low price. 

On the other hand don't forget to sell young players via the loan option as well. But sell them to clubs you know they will get playing time at, otherwise they might not progress like you want them to. 

Simming vs. Playing

Simming games is a great tool when you use it correctly. Use it against teams that you know you could easily beat manually. Don't use it against teams that are close to you in the standings. But be extremely careful when simming away from your stadium, home teams in FIFA automatically have an advantage when simming, for the obvious reasons of course. 

Scouting

One of the best additions to the game this year is the scouting system. Not only is it better than last year's re-generation system it is also extremely fun and is a way to keep you interested. Through scouting I have literally found the next Messi. (A 16 year old from Mexico)

Be careful when selecting your scout though. Select someone that you can afford but is also not total rubbish - the higher the scout the better the players. Also, when sending your scout to the various parts of the world be aware that some regions can produce better players than other regions. For example, if you send a scout to Asia in search of a center back you probably won't find the next Barcelona star. But, if you look in Italy for a playmaker you can probably find some bright prospects.

Selecting Players For the Youth Squad

When selecting players for your youth squad don't be too antsy. But don't be too slow. If you buy them early due to the odd chance they could have an overall rating of 62 at 14 years old you're likely in for a bust. Every month your scout will give you an updated list of new or old players. But if you wait too long other clubs will sign them and they'll end up in the abyss of world football.

End Of the Season

Upon completion of the season you will be able to either stay with your club or move on. When deciding where to go choose the club that you think you can be the most successful with. It's easy right? Not really, sometimes the clubs that have $150,000,000 spending budgets are just too much to resist. One time, due to some rich investors FC Dallas, (an MLS side), had over $100,000,000 dollars to spend. I chose them and ran rampant in the MLS. Winning the championship and the domestic cup 3 years in a row. 

Thanks for reading, have fun!