11 key changes FIFA 19 needs to make according to fans

7. New leagues, beginning with China

Last year saw one new competition, the German 3 Liga, added to FIFA – proving that there’s always scope for EA to expand its licensing options. And one league above all others seems to be the logical next choice. “Let’s be honest: the Chinese Super League should be #1 priority, mainly due to all of the great foreign players in it,” writes Mozart on the official EA forums. He’s referring to the likes of former Premier Leaguers Odion Ighalo and Oscar, both of whom now ply their trade in the Far East.

Henryclay1844 points out other enticing possibilities. “How about they finally figure out how to get the Brazilian League and its players in game? Then finally get all the Portuguese teams licensed. And not lose any more licenses to PES. Bring back the Czech league that was there six years ago, and give us the ability to create our own leagues like we could on old-gen.” One Czech side, Sparta Prague, was re-added for FIFA 18, suggesting there may yet be scope for more.

8. Stop gamers cashing in on tragedies

When Fiorentina defender Davide Astori passed away in March aged just 31, most football fans expressed genuinely heartfelt sorrow. Most, but not all. Some FIFA players saw it as a chance to make big in-game coins, rushing to buy his Ultimate Team card and then relist on the transfer market for the maximum possible price of 10,000 coins. It was a similar story last season following the untimely deaths of Derry captain Ryan McBride and former Newcastle midfielder Cheick Tiote.

Twitter user @KickMourinhoOut [who I can’t link to as he’s since left the platform] proposes a sensible solution which could be adopted under future circumstances which hopefully remain hypothetical. “EA should give everyone a hero card of Davide Astori that cannot be sold or used in SBCs as a tribute to him – like when they gave everyone the Chapecoense kits and badge.” He’s referring to the decision to award all FIFA 17 players free Chapecoense club items after the Brazilian side was wiped out in a 2016 plane crash – a gesture rightly applauded throughout the community, which did indeed stop the immoral minority profiting from a catastrophic real-life event.

9. More tiny details, such as mix-and-match kits

Accurate squad numbers aren’t the only tiny detail it’s important to get right. On the official EA forums, Reynolds111 picks up on a flaw which isn’t game-breaking, but still feels a touch unrealistic if you’re an Anfield regular. It comes about because in FIFA 18 the home team always attacks left-to-right in the first half. “[In FIFA 19 we need] teams kicking towards their favourite end of the pitch in the second half – Liverpool can never kick towards the famous Kop after half-time on the current FIFA, [dampening the sensation] of scoring a last-minute winner.”

He also touches upon my personal favourite feature from PES 5, way back in the PS2 era: “I’d love to be able to mix and match kits to prevent clashing and again make the game more realistic. Chelsea don't always play in white socks with their blue kit – sometimes they’re required to play in all blue, and Spurs sometimes play in all white.” This was discussed in depth on the EA forums ahead of FIFA 16  – “console generation is changed, but EA still uses last-gen kit structure” wrote comet213 at the time – but nothing came of it. Three years later, let’s hope the dev has seen sense.

10. Finally fix Pro Clubs

11. Indoor or FIFA Street mode

From a footballing standpoint, the most exciting part of E3 2017 was an apparent leak relating to FIFA Street’s return. The rumoured full game never materialised, with the footage actually coming from an early chapter of The Journey 2, where Alex Hunter participates in a small-sided kickaround on the streets of Brazil – yet the excitement it whipped up suggests gamers are ready for a full-fat mode of that ilk.

“The community has made it known that they want another FIFA Street for a good few years now. It's just on EA to deliver,” writes Redditor FUTBasics. “They added 3-on-3 to NHL 18 and it seems really arcade-ish with a lot of skill/style moves,” echoes Crosdog729. “I would love to see something similar added to FIFA – imagine an Ultimate Team 5-a-side mode.” Indeed, NHL 18’s ‘Threes’ feature is stupidly fun in the same manner that FIFA 97’s indoor mode was all of two decades ago – so there can be no doubt that dev EA Canada has the required technology. Skill-stick-happy fingers crossed…

Still hooked on FIFA 18 in spite of the ‘broken’ complaints? Then be sure to check out our guide to the 27 Ultimate Team players most improved by February’s ratings refresh.