10 Problems With FIFA Games Die-Hard Fans Won't Admit
5. The Pace Stat Is STILL King
Seydou Doumbia. Victor Ibarbo. Theo Walcott. These are just some of the ninety-plus pace players that haunt the dreams of every FIFA player. Give them the ball and run in a straight line down the wing. Guaranteed goals.
Pace is not just important up front. A growing reliance on pacy centre backs to counteract these rapid attacks, instead of defenders that have high defending stats, is very apparent.
When we look at FIFA 20, Diego Godin and Manuel Raphael Varane are the perfect examples. Godin, 88 rated with 89 defending and 83 physical, but only 60 pace. Varnae, 85 rated with 85 defending and 80 physical, yet a far higher 83 pace. The choice for the better defender should be an obvious one. But then why has Varane been used in over 900,000 more matches by FIFA players than Godin?
Pace has always ruled over the FIFA kingdom. EA tried to tackle this somewhat in FIFA 19 but took it too far. When your player was on the ball, everyone else was faster, so the game play became slow and stodgy. In FIFA 20, putting the fastest player in every position seems to be a genuine tactic.