In recent years, FIFA fans have been critical of EA for not doing enough with Career, it taking a backseat to the likes of FUT with very little changed from year-to-year. FIFA 21‘s Career Mode, however, is the biggest overhaul we have seen for the classic mode in quite a few years, it becoming more in line with simulations like Football Manager.
FIFA 21’s Career Mode is, of course, a little bit lightweight compared to the data-centric series from Sports Interactive. There aren’t as many players, less of an emphasis on tactics, and it lags far behind in terms of player interactions. It’s a good start, so if you’re feeling like investing hundreds of hours and taking someone like Crewe to the very top, you will probably want to check out some FIFA 21 Career tips to make the climb.
Discussing new mechanics, such as the development plans, and also how to strike a bargain with wonderkids, here are all the tips for FIFA 21 to turn you into the next Harry Redknapp.
1. Utilise Development Plans
Development Plans are new to FIFA this year and allow you to more closely train your squad so that they can reach their full potential. It’s most effective with players under 20 as they have the most room to grow compared to established players.
But how do you make the most of them? Well, we recommend that you either focus on improving the strengths a player already has or try to beef up their weaknesses.
If your right wing-back has terrible defensive attributes, it might be smart to make them focus on being a Defensive Wide Back so that that part of their game improves.
Conversely, if your winger already has decent ball control and blistering pace, it’s probably best to focus on improving the former. Pace, along with other physical attributes, is more of a natural thing that will organically grow as
2. Snap Up the Wonderkids Early
FIFA 21 has absolutely no shortage of bargain wonderkids that can be yours for just a few million. These players can then grow into world beaters as long as they are played fairly often and on the right Development Plan.
Why buy these wonderkids and not proven talents, then? Well, for one, they are just much, much cheaper than the big names — it’s their potential ratings that you have to look at. For instance, Leverkusen’s Wirtz has an 88 potential rating and is yours for less than €5 million.
While these wonderkids can probably do a job in your team from the day you sign, you do have to be patient with them. Most will take a few seasons to reach an elite/properly competitive level, so consider sending them out on loan or rotating them in for cup games.
And, when they do finally reach a high level, it’s time to sell them for huge profit and then buying a raft of wonderkids to continue the cycle.
3. Understand Sharpness
Sharpness is an unusual mechanic in FIFA 21’s Career that is everywhere you look but barely explained.
Sharpness is denoted by a crystal with different colours to illustrate how sharp they will be when you play them. Green means that your players are ready to go, orange means they may be slightly off the pace, and red means that they haven’t kicked a ball in far too long.
So what does sharpness actually dictate in Career? Basically, how effectively players are able to do their job. To use a goalkeeper as an easy example: a back-up goalkeeper will almost always be in the red for sharpness and therefore more likely to commit errors during a match.
The best thing to do to combat match sharpness with specific players is to, surprisingly, play them. Try to do so in a low risk match and also substitute any tired players while you are comfortably winning with someone who is lacking sharpness.
You can also manually take part in training to improve sharpness, though this is a lot of extra work in between matches for you.
4. Establish Your Youth Scouting Network
You probably already know about the Global Transfer Network for FIFA by now with it having been a major mechanic in Career for many years. But are you looking at signing prospects well enough?
A Youth Scouting Network allows you to send scouts out to find the next talent, all without even having to buy a real life wonderkid and FIFA’s version of regens (AI created players) instead.
So where should you send your youth scouts? Anywhere you know in real life that is known for producing talent. Countries like France and Germany have talented youngsters everywhere you look, so they are much more likely to give you the next superstar than somewhere like, say, Finland.
Bear in mind that how good your scout is in terms of Experience and Judgement will also impact how accurately they rate a youth player. The best scouts cost a lot of money, but it’s money that pays itself back in the long run.
5. Go Further Afield For Transfers
If you’re looking for senior players to fit into your squad but don’t have an absolute load of money to spend, you might find some much savvier business in leagues and countries that are not as cash-rich as the Premier League, as an example.
With the addition of Libertadores, you are able to scout South American talent far more broadly — and pick up a few bargains.
Most clubs in these leagues will accept fees closer to player valuation than normal and the players themselves will not have as high wage demands. It’s Football Manager transfer business 101.
It’s not just South America where you should be scouting, however. Austria has a surprisingly deep well of quality, affordable players and the MLS is growing and growing in terms of youth prospects. Even
If you’re outside the elite, casting your scouting net a little farther than normal is vital.
6. Retrain Youth Positions
Going back to the Development Plan, sometimes a player’s normal position isn’t actually the position they should be playing. In FIFA 21, you can make the most of a player’s attributes to retrain them to the right position.
Let’s look at Marco Kana, pictured above. A CB by trade, his strong tackling and good distribution on the ball makes him the perfect candidate to move into CDM, someone who can screen the defence and also start offensive plays.
If there’s anyone knocking around your youth team or maybe just an out of favour players that cannot fit into your system, consider retraining their position instead. You might end up saving yourself an expensive transfer.
This is most effective with a younger player, of course — you won’t be able to convert Glen Murray into a right-back, for instance. But it would be funny if you tried.
FIFA 21 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. A Legacy Edition is also available for Switch.
READ NEXT: FIFA Ultimate Team: What Does An Extinct Player Mean?
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site. We cover gaming news, movie reviews, wrestling and much more.
