FIFA 13: 4 Improvements That Should Be Made To Manager Mode

One of the most popular modes in FIFA has always been Manager Mode. Whether it€™s spending the wealth of Manchester City and creating a dream team, taking West Brom to the Premier League championship or creating a European legacy at one of the smaller nations around the continent. As a Liverpool fan I€™ve always spent one manager mode with them €“ developing young talent and perfecting my Reds team €“ and one mode travelling around Europe picking up league titles and Champions League trophies. It€™s the freedom to choose your own path which has made the mode such a success. Take FIFA 13 for example. The new game allows you to take charge at international level. You could manage England to a second World Cup trophy, try to qualify with one of the other home nations or just destroy teams with Spain. Manager Mode can always be improved so here are four suggestions as to how it can be made more realistic.

1. Youth Development

EA have stated that the youth development system has been improved but they are yet to go into details. One of the major disappointments from FIFA 12 was that young players only reached their potential when they were later into their career and only if they played every match. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Raheem Sterling are two examples of players who instantly proved themselves worthy of a starting place, yet that sudden growth and impact has never been replicated by FIFA. The Youth Academy introduced last year suited the players who wanted to develop their own youngsters. While buying the very best players is rewarding there is an extra sense of satisfaction when a debutant is a player who has grown through the ranks. Loaning players in previous games has also had little effect on development; even if they are consistent starters. Jack Wilshere and Daniel Sturridge both had invaluable spells at Bolton before making an impact at their respective clubs. Wilshere had made only two league appearances for Arsenal before his move to the north-west. At Bolton he played 14 matches and impressed so much that the next season he started 35 times for the Gunners. Not every player has a brilliant time on loan but that is usually reflected in the number of appearances they make. Some youth players are restricted to cup and Europa League appearances yet that can be enough for them to earn a starting place. That type of instant impact needs to be reflected in FIFA - as does the importance of loans. Not every player needs to have the same level of growth but every now and then one player should be picked out to reach the levels of the established first team players. If the player growth system isn€™t improved there is almost no point having the academy at all.