EA has officially revealed the next iteration of its popular FC football game series, dubbed EA FC 25. The game is set to overhaul how team formations, tactics and player roles work, adding new layers to how players can manage their teams and further customize the gameplay style.
While the official gameplay reveal heavily focused on the new FC IQ feature, one thing that might have been overlooked was the new goalkeeper playstyles. EA FC 24 introduced playstyles to the game, which influence the abilities of a player such as how effective their finesse shots are, if they’re a trivela maestro (like Modric), or if they’re a master at defensive positioning (like Thiago Silva) with the Anticipate playstyle.
Goalkeepers missed out on playstyles in EA FC 24. Thankfully, in EA FC 25, there will be six new goalkeeper playstyles. One of those playstyles was teased during the gameplay reveal, and it has potential to be a desperately needed game changer. The upcoming Deflector playstyle in EA FC 25 adds more effectiveness to how goalkeepers will deal with incoming shots on goal, equipping them with the ability to parry shots safely away from lurking strikers who would want to tap the ball into the empty net.
Rebound goals are one of the most annoying goals to concede in EA’s football simulation titles. The chances of conceding those goals progressively increase when players face opponents with stronger teams, as their strikers are loaded with great Attacking Positioning. Moreover, it often felt like the goalkeepers are setting up those shots for the powerful strikers, especially in formations with three or four attackers in FC 24.
EA showed a comparison clip in the EA FC 25 gameplay reveal trailer, where the difference is pretty evident between a goalkeeper with no Deflector playstyle and a GK who has the Deflector+ (higher variant) playstyle. The goalkeeper without the playstyle parries the ball straight into the path of the opponent striker for a easy rebound goal, whereas the GK with Deflector+ knocks the ball away way outside the box.
If the Deflector+ playstyle would indeed work that way in most scenarios, this will be one of the most sought-after playstyles for goalkeepers in EA FC 25. Maybe with Deflector+, players would be able to feel a bit more security when they face opponents running meta formations such as 4-2-4.
While the playstyle seems to be the answer to the frustrating goals we’ve all conceded (and scored to be fair), its actual implementation in the game, and how effective it will be against players with powerful shots and strikers with great poacher skills, remains to be seen.
EA FC 25 is set to debut on September 27, 2024.
