Coming hot off the heels of the PS4 version, one of the main things that sticks out to me as improved is the issue of players going on walkabouts. We all know there's a lack of player tracking in FIFA 21 coupled with a sporadic indifference from the players that could only be described as slothful. Midfielders staring into space like they just took a massive bong hit while the opposition has free reign into your final third. It doesn't seem as prevalent on current-gen.
Here's a clip I recorded the other day while playing the PS4 version:
I'm Villa. Watch as Nakamba goes full geriatric and just walks towards the loose ball. Does he attempt to track back once Martial starts to peel away? Nope, still walking. I've played almost 10 hours of the PS5 version and I've yet to see anything that egregious in terms of players switching off. Nothing like that at all, whereas this was a common occurrence every single match on the PS4 version.
In terms of midfielders tracking back, I have a kick-off match going as I type this where I run around, dive in, sit back, etc. to invite counters/pressure to see how the AI copes. I've been trying to recreate such lethargic behavior as seen in the aforementioned video. My efforts have been fruitless thus far, but I'm trying.
Excuse the abysmal quality (1080p recording, uploaded to YT, downloaded, edited, reuploaded). I need to remember to set it to 4k!
This is a fantastic example. After pulling Pique out of the position and diving in near the halfway line like a madman, my defense is completely exposed. Busquets is in the opposition's half and absolutely gets on his bike to chase down Nunez. Once he realizes Lenglet picks him up, he covers the near post option. As he's doing this, Dest covers the trailing run near the penalty marker. Job well done! This is with marking set to 55.
De Jong:
Poorly annotated, but shows midfield marking and tracking from De Jong. Basic stuff, but we all how football games tend to struggle with that.
Is it still a bit open at times? Yes, but to not the extent of my PC/PS4 bouts which were God damn slug fests. Yes, you can occasionally slip through the wings with ease, but it's not attack after attack. None of my matches have ended with some kind of ludicrous, 6-3 scoreline like I've seen in last-gen. I also find that they recover quite well even if you've gained a yard or two of space. Not to the point of feeling like a "catch up bug", but the type of effort you'd expect from a professional footballer. It's not so cut and dry when you go barreling down the wings. I'm also playing a mix of manual and semi, so your mileage may vary in terms of how effective you are at punishing the opposition.
Could the AI and your teammates be more proactive? Of course. Again, it's not "perfect," but it seems like a noticeable improvement to me. There are a few occasions where I feel like my players should have been quicker to pick up a player, block a pass, and what have you, but nothing controller throwing inducing like the other versions.
