ISSUE005OCT2018

Chu Boi
FIFA 19
GAME ON!
 LETTER
FROM THE

2 Esports World Football

EDITOR
 ISSUE005OCT2018

Chu Boi
FIFA 19
GAME ON!

Publisher
Justin Lawson
[email protected]
Tel: +44 (0)203 750 6028
Twitter: @esportsWorldFC

Editor
Chris Lafferty
[email protected]
Tel: +44 (0)203 750 6024
With FIFA 19 droping last week, we are excited about the season
ahead. The Gfinity Elite Series is just about ready to kick off and
Twitter: @esportsWorldFC1
we talk to one of it’s participants Method’s xVennyy about his
Designer
FIFA carrer so far, and what it’s like to play in the Gfinity Arena.
Steven Lafferty
Our cover is graced by one of the most influential people in the [email protected]
industry, Chu Boi, sharing his views on the FIFA scene, Icons and Tel: +44 (0)7843 811 240
who will perform this year. We also talk to another GameChanger, Twitter: @NotAFIFApro
FootballQueeny about the new season ahead and she gives us www.esportsworldfootball.com
her view on what EA have done to make FIFA 19 great.
In-House FIFA Expert
It certainly is gearing up to be the best and the most competitive Ben Wodecki
FIFA season yet, and with the news of the ePremier League this
Twitter@benwodecki
season is going to be massive.

www.esportsworldfootball.com 3
14 Ovidiu Patrascu
Teaching casual gamers how to become great
players with tips and tricks
COVER STORY
8 Chu Boi
Chukwuma Morah, better known as Chu Boi talks about
his route into esports

NEWS
6 News round-up
Get all the latest news from the world of FIFA

INTERVIEWS
12 FootballQueeny
EA GameChanger, FootballQueeny discusses the role, FIFA 19 and the
recent Capture event in Berlin

16 Harry Cornick
Harry Cornick, rated 60, has been playing FIFA since 2004, but how does he
feel about his own ratings?

20 xVennyy
With his first competitive FIFA season under his belt this year xVennyy
wants to take his game further.

24 Klutch
We catch up with exceL Esports FIFA star Klutch and discuss all things
good and bad with the latest version of the game

26 Zelonius
Nathan ‘Zelonius’ Horton, professional FIFA player for Team FUTWIZ talks
FIFA 19, coaching and the route to the top

28 FIFA 19 Review
Ben Wodecki reviews FIFA 19

32 VPG
We talk to WGN eSports and RUFC eSports

36 VFL
VFL West ham. We talk to Lewis Wright about the upcoming season
 Team Özil M10 gets a Brazilian

Following hot on the heels of 19 year old Fatih “ Üstun” Üstun Mesut Özil has previously declared his intention to sign a player from each
who was the first official member of Team Özil M10, they have continent for his roster and this is another bold statement by the newly
just announced the addition of the Brazilian Pedro “PResende97” formed team now with South America and Europe ticked off the list.
Resende Soares.
Diego Vidal of the M10 Team stated that the team “wants to focus on
Commenting on his addition, Özil stated. “I’m very excited about players who have had their talents proven in the last season of FIFA
the creation of the M10 Team. I’ve always wanted to show my to give them the chance to grow both personally and professionally,
passion for video games and that year I felt it was the right time helping them develop and providing those guys everything that is
to do that. Signing with PResende97 is really a big step for our within our reach. We are very excited about this project and having
organization and I’m sure it will surprise us all this year, I want to Pedro and Fatih, we are sure they will do very well this year. “
give the kids in love the same opportunity I had years ago when I
started my football career and a team believed in me. I know they Resende also added. “Big announcement! Thanks @MesutOzil1088
will give it their all.” for the trust, it will be a great achievement partnership!“

ePL is happening

The heavily anticipated ePremier League, an esport equivalent of the 3 December 2018 - Registration opens
worlds biggest footballing league has been announced. UK players will be able to register online for the ePL starting from
now, before the online qualifiers the following month
All 20 Premier League clubs will have at least two official esports January 2019 - Online qualification
players representing them in the league. Anyone over 16 in the UK Players will compete against each other on their platforms this will
is eligible to represent one of the clubs and can participate in online find the top 16 club playoff finalists for PlayStation 4 and top 16 for
qualifications from December. Xbox One meaning 32 players will advance.
February-March 2019 - Club playoffs
The League is also worth pro points, if the player has had 27 The top 16 players for PS4 and Xbox One will face each other in a half-
wins in the Weekend League at least once in FIFA 19 and are day tournament to determine the club representative of the consoles.
FUT Champions verified they can acquire points that can help 28-29 March 2019 - ePL Final
them towards the Global Series Play Offs at the end of the year The final will take place in London over two days and be
where the top 60 players on each console battle it out for a broadcast live on Sky Sports and Premier League social
place in the Grand Finals. media channels. Matches will take place over two legs
in a group-stage format on both PlayStation and Xbox to
YOU MUST register on http://FUTChampions.com by 31 October, determine an overall champion.
2018 and be FUT Champions verified.(27 wins in weekend league) to
obtain pro points for your efforts. Further detail and dates will be announced in due course.
Rising star joins Bundled Crafty goes global
17 year old Scotsman Adam Ryan, who was tipped by eSports British FIFA player Luke Craft, who had been waiting for the right offer
commentator Richard Buckley to be the next “rising star” has been from a team for a very long time has finally found the team that suits
picked up by Team Bundled. He has qualified for the Gfinity elite him best. He has joined French club LOSC and will be representing
series draft but has opted to sign with Bundled instead. them for the FIFA 19 season.

The youngster made his way onto the FIFA scene in early 2018 after Many were expecting him to join Hashtag United so this was a very
qualifying for the Gothia eCup LAN event at the first attempt ahead of surprising transfer.
1499 other players. He managed to beat YimmieHD in a best of three,
2-0 to reach the final stages and then cooly dispatched a Brazilian Crafty had an exceptional year qualifying for both seasons of FUT
2-0. In the event he came 5th place. Champions cups the Play-Offs and also the grand finals in London
where he narrowly failed to get through the groups.
He also achieved a large amount of Top 100 weekly finishes and
also a few Top 100 monthly’s in FIFA 18. Bundled are one of the best He took to Twitter and said. “I’ve been waiting to join the right team
agencies in the FIFA scene and it seems a very good fit for him as for a while now, but I’m pleased to announce I’ll be playing under @
they have an office in the UK. LOSC_eSports. Thank you for the opportunity and I’m looking forward
to representing the club at events, where I will give everything !
Bundled took to Twitter and said “We are very proud to announce Fier d’être un Dogue !”.
that @AdamRyanFIFA has joined team Bundled’s FIFA esports talent
roster #teambundled #bundledesports” The club also said on their esports account “Dear supporters, let’s
welcome our new player, especially qualified to the
Shortly after, Adam also said on Twitter “I am delighted to announce last @FIFAeWorldCup! Welcome to our family
that I have signed with Bundled @TeamBundled! I had a lot of great @LOSC_Crafty”
offers, but as soon as Bundled became an option my decision was
made instantly. I’m ready to develop as a player and achieve my The club also uploaded a series of videos
goals as part of Bundled! #teambundled” showing his trip to France to sign
his contract.
There is now big pressure on the talent to perform well in the FIFA 19
season as many people are expecting big things from him but with It will be interesting to see how he does in
the support of Bundled we are sure that he will do very well in the the FIFA 19 season as the level he got to
upcoming FIFA season. this year will be very hard to replicate.
 Chu Boi

Chukwuma Morah, better known as Chu Boi talks

about his route into esports, FIFA 19 and who to
watch out for in the new season
8 Esports World Football
Tell us about your journey into esports? most time to be a better player stand out above the rest in my opinion.
There is quite a steep learning curve this year
I took a slightly different, less traditional route than most. Having
graduated in Industrial Engineering from the Rochester Institute of What Icons should FUT players be looking out for this
Technology, I pursued a career in that field, however, it soon became year and who is your personal favourite?
boring. It was always my dream to work in the video game industry
particularly within marketing, so I did a little more studying at UCLA There are so many great icons this year. The one everyone is
and then moved to Seattle to work for a marketing agency. talking about is Johann Cryuff. He is fantastic and surprisingly a
lot of people prefer him to prime R9. He’s got everything you could
After my US student visa expired, I decided as I had a dual Canadian / Nigerian ask for: 5 star skills, 5 star weak foot, good shooting, decent
citizenship, that I would look for a job in Canada although I had never fully lived height, and he is very fast. You don’t think he would be that fast
there before. Low and behold I saw a FIFA community manager job post based but he just glides across the pitch. His Agility is very high too and
in Vancouver. I applied for the position and a week and a half later I got the job. I think agility is going to be very important in FIFA 19. I am always
Working there for four years was a dream come true. It was a great a big fan of CM’s and CDM’s though.
role and I learnt a lot and made numerous contacts in the industry.
My personal favourite Icon is prime Ballack. He is a CDM that
However, I had always wanted to work for myself and be my own entity. I stays in position. In FIFA 13, MOTM Jon Obi Mikel used to be my
moved into streaming FIFA and after doing this for a year I was approached favourite CDM. He never passed the halfway line. He just stuck
by EA to be part of the broadcast team for the FIFA 17 Championship to his position and sat as deep as possible. Ballack is just like
Series. It was an amazing experience and one that I would never forget. that wherever you decide to put him. I never liked him in real life since
Soon after, I worked on FIWC 17 and then various events throughout the I support Manchester United and he played for Chelsea but he’s probably
FIFA 18 circuit including the FeWC 18 at the London O2 Arena. going to be the first Icon I put into my team.

As a major figure in the FIFA industry, what do you Another Icon is Cannavaro… great standing tackle. He probably
prefer now commentating, streaming or playing? has the best tackling capabilities in the game, even above Maldini.
It’s a massive surprise how good he is.
I actually prefer commentating and hosting now. Esports was not
a big part of FIFA while I was the FIFA community manager at EA What did you think to this years FIFA eWorld Cup?
from FIFA 12 to FIFA 16. But after I left EA, esports really began to
pick up with the introduction of FUT Champions in FIFA 17. The eWorld Cup is that one tournament that everyone looks forward to
at the end of the competitive year. I thought it was simply amazing! The
When you work on the games you kinda feel like you have seen everything venue, the O2 Arena in London, was great. To be able to use a venue like
it has to offer, but esports was just something new, something refreshing, that for an esports tournament shows how big it is becoming.
so it was like a natural surprise that got me excited about FIFA again.
I thought that the level of talent at the eWorld Cup was probably the
Being at the events and seeing all the pros again are the highlights of my year! highest it has ever been at a tournament. The rigorous qualification
process made sure that we had the best of the best of the best. It
Having played FIFA 19 at the Capture Event in Berlin was so tight leading up to that final. MSDossary did pull it off and was
what are your first impressions of it? very dominant on the last day but I thought overall it was very tight.

I think that the first thing that stood out is that skills are making a comeback The esports players have all developed and come so far in terms of
with the Active Touch System. It was not such a factor last year. The being interviewed, doing the right things, saying the right things on
animations are so smooth, that is one thing which sets it apart from camera. I was very proud of how they were all dealing with the media
FIFA 18. They really stand out and I am also looking forward to the attention. Hopefully they are all enjoying the attention as they will
Champions League content. play a big part in growing the industry as we move forward.

Attacking-wise there are so many different factors to consider In terms of the competitive scene, who are you
now including timed finishing. expecting to have a good year?

Currently the shooting needs some work though; sometimes a I am actually looking at the two from Werder Bremen, Michael
poorly timed finish shot is better than a well-timed finish. Also Bittner (MegaBit) and Mohammed Harkous (MoAubameyang).
at times FIFA 18 style powershot without the double-tap ends up I think we are going to see a larger gap between the pros who
being weak shot. The developers have told us that this a high-pri- have really invested the time to learn all the intricacies of the
ority issue that will be fixed soon however. Those who dedicate the game as there are so many of them.

www.esportsworldfootball.com 9
10 Esports World Football
I think we will really see the work ethic pay off and the relationship to look at adding new features and changes to the game to
between the two players in the team will push them both forward. take the scene forward.
They can both learn from each other.
Many in the community call for changes to make competitive
The German esport player will probably dominate on FIFA 19. qualifying a more even playing field. In Ultimate Team pro players
Their players just put in the hours. I’m a big fan of how they have to spend quite a lot of money to ensure they start off the
present themselves and the way they interact with their fans and year with a strong team that gives them a better chance of
the media. They know a lot of young kids look up to them. qualifying for tournaments. That might be something that needs
adjusting in the future. The next F2Tekkz may not be able to
Also I believe Basel’s impressive roster featuring Nicolas, Cody, compete because he can’t afford to.
and TheStrxnger will also improve their individual abilities.
Maybe during qualification months a Fantasy Football style
In FIFA 19 what do you think will be overpowered? budget is given to all pros within a separate part of FUT
Champions? Ex: TOTY Ronaldo costs 10 points and IF De Bruyne
Build up down the wing will be very overpowered and you will see costs 8. They then have to build a team to suit their strengths
more formations like 4-3-3 with wide players make a comeback with that budget, but at least everyone has access to the same
pool of players
It’s too early to call right now, but maybe you will not see as much
4-1-2-1-2 Narrow as last year. These narrow formations get too I also believe a genuine Spectator mode that helps create and
clogged up in the middle with the AI defending being so strong. broadcast online tournaments for regions to improve their skills
will definitely help FIFA esports grow.
I also think adjusting your formation on the fly will be vital. It will
be pivotal to understand the pros and cons of your formation There may also need to be separate gameplay style modes in FUT.
choice. With Game Plans, competitors can now quickly switch One mode catered to the larger non-competitive majority of FIFA
formations with the D-pad during a game. It will be important to players, and another, more manual submode for highly-competi-
analyze your opponent’s adjustments and change accordingly. tive players. I think the gameplay demands of both factions often
cannibalize each other.
The new L1 running fake shot is very effective with players like
Mbappé and Neymar with the crazy speed boost it gives them. In addition, more anti-cheating security measures need be present
to ensure only the legitimate pro players are present at events.
Heel to heel is not too OP this year, so you won’t be seeing too much of that. It’s a two-way street however. The pro players must make sure
they carry themselves in a professional manner, both offline and
How did you find the new dynamic tactics system and online, as they are the representatives to the outside world. I’m
do you think it was a good addition to FUT? not sure they realize how many high-level company representa-
tives pay attention to them on social media.
I think the new game plan system is a very important addition as
it will allow players to have more control of the game. As a community we also need to attend our local events, support
our pro players, support the streams, and give as much as we can
Changing tactics on the fly will be good for team management in to the scene.
gameplay. Being able to change formation mid-game will keep the
opposition guessing. It adds another bit of strategy to the game… Finally, my own personal request is to bring a teamplay aspect
changing how wide the team plays, how many players in the box for to FIFA esports. 2v2, 3v3, or 4v4… team vs team formats. In
corners. It’s an extra layer of depth that shows how FIFA 19 needs my personal opinion these numbers get you more invested
more dedication that ever in order to compete at the top level. than 1v1. 11vs11 might be too much to manage. I want to
be a fan of a team and how see how their chemistry is with
Do you think kick-off will still be a factor in FIFA19? each other. I want to see Nicolas, Strxnger, Cody, and Lubo of
FC Basel take on Hashtag United. Or take on Marcuzo, Deto,
From what I have seen so far I do not think it is as strong as FIFA 18 NYCFC Chris, and Marcus of the City Football Group. In the
but it still is a factor. Hopefully EA are looking for ways to minimize it. end, football is a team sport.

What do you think the future holds for the FIFA scene? I think the future is definitely bright. Our game is based on the
beautiful game and the beautiful game is watched by billions so
would say the future is definitely bright, but it’s going to there is no reason why the FIFA esports could not be watched by
come down to how far EA is willing to take it. They may have billions some day. EWF

www.esportsworldfootball.com 11
 GameChanger
EA GameChanger, FootballQueeny discusses the role, FIFA 19 and the recent
Capture event in Berlin
How did you get into e-sports and become I was very thankful for EA’s invitation. It was a very well run, three-
an EA GameChanger? day long event that gave FIFA content creators the opportunity to
record some early footage for their channels.
I have always liked football and gaming but becoming an EA
GameChanger was mostly due to my YouTube and Twitter, I think. On top of that, it was also great to meet and catch up with
Through building relationships with fellow YouTubers and FIFA all of the other Game Changers, some of them you can see
esport players, I got far more involved with the competitive side of in the picture.
the game.
You also got the opportunity to go to Gamescom
However, I am definitely nowhere near as good as the pros what was the highlight of this event?
at playing FIFA, unfortunately!
Th e m os t e xci ti n g th i n g f or m e w a s to m e e t u p w i th all
What does it take to be an EA Game Changer? of th e You Tu be r s w h os e co n te n t I h ave be e n w a tch ing
f or ye a r s .
The program gives us the opportunity to voice our opinions
and represent the community. Therefore, both a real interest Do you think EA did plenty of research
in the game and a passion for change are vital to make the before launching FIFA 19?
most of this chance.
I think they always do. This time around, their research
Tell us about the Capture Event in Berlin also included obtaining feedback from the community

FootballQueeny pictured 4th from left hand side

which makes this year’s FIFA even better. I am sure, in the past few years, similarly to Career Mode. Personally, I
however, that there are even greater and bigger things to believe that it has got the potential to become one of the
come in the future. most popular game modes if EA starts investing more time
and money into its development.
What improvements will we experience in
FIFA 19? Competitive Pro Clubs events, for example, could prove to be
very successful.
I think that the online gameplay has been improved a lot. The game
seems far more fluid and less pace-based, which I prefer. Although, Who out there produces your favourite
for example, kick-off glitches and things still pop up every now online content?
and then, EA has definitely worked on reducing their occurrence.
Furthermore, I enjoy the new Divisions system: I think it makes I really enjoy watching, inter alia, Spencer FC’s, AJ3’s, and
playing FUT more exciting and rewarding. GamerBrother’s content on YouTube.

You played Pro Clubs at the Capture Event, Who would win out of you and
why does the Pro Club community feel EA is ItsFangs?
ignoring them?
Good question - I probably would have to back myself here
I did and I really enjoyed it. The community feels neglected but the best way to answer this would be to actually arrange
because Pro Clubs has not experienced any significant changes a game! EWF
 w

Teaching causal gamers

the tricks to become
great players
w

Ovidiu Patrascu
How long have you been playing FIFA? player, wing or tiki taka. Both formations offer a strong
defence and a lot of options in attack.
First FIFA I ever played was FIFA 98, but at a pro level FIFA 2005
Is the drag back still the most overpowered
Can you tell us about your first YouTube video? move in FIFA 19 and what makes it so good?

If I remember correctly, my first ever YouTube video I`m not sure it’s as good as it was in FIFA 18 but for
was a tutorial about the Body Feint, which was sure it is a top 3 skill move in the game.
the most overpowered skill move in the game. The
quality of the video was of course, not at the level Do the pros have preferred formations,
of today’s videos, but I believe it was a revolutionary tactics and skill moves?
tutorial for the community as it showed also to the
casual gamer, a trick that can improve his game and Of course, there are 4-5 TOP formations in FIFA, each
with practice maybe get him at a pro level. pro choses a formation depending on his playstyle and
sometimes depending on what the opponent uses.
What’s the biggest competition you’ve been
involved in so far? As a pro player can we expect to see you
at any competitive tournaments for FIFA 19
I can’t really pick one, back in my PC days, World this coming year?
Cyber Games, on console Fifa Interactive World Cup &
Electrons Sports World Cup. I`ve been doing only YouTube for a couple of years
now, 10 years in the pro scene was more than
enough for me, now putting the work in creating
What are your top five fundamentals for content daily, sometimes 2-3 videos per day, doesn’t
any FIFA 19 beginner? leave you the time to practice as much as you want
in order to play in pro tournaments. I could still be at
Precision movement from the left analog a very good level but that’s not enough for me, when
I was active as a pro player I always targeted the no1
Passing position at each event, but now it’s not possible to
train that much anymore.
Right Analog selection of the 2nd player in defence
Since your time as a pro what changes
Finishing have you seen on the pro circuit?

Drag back Move I think the fact that there are some big youtubers that
are former pro’s or current pro’s, which do tutorials
has raised a lot the level in the community. There are
What formation would you advise a no more secret moves or skills or attacking tricks,
beginner to use and why? all of them are on YouTube now, easy to access to
everyone, so more and more players make the jump
4-2-3-1 or 4-1-2-1-2 narrow, depending on his style of from good to great. EWF
Not my rating:
Harry Cornick
In the first of a new series, Esports World
Football speaks to 23-year-old Luton
Town forward Harry Cornick about his
love of Costa and the disappointment of
his pace rating
 JUSTIN LAWSON

Harry Cornick, rated 60, has been playing

FIFA since 2004. Accumulating a solid 14
years of experience and knowledge of the
game, it’s fair to say he has become a bit of
an expert—but how does he feel about his
own ratings?
 
After school, Cornick would play FIFA against his older brother and
his friends, this evolved to playing online, and now playing Pro Clubs
against his fellow pro footballers at Luton Town.
 
Cornick recently got involved with the Ultimate Teams and his
account is progressing nicely, but the preferred format is the draft.
 
The Ultimate Team Draft is a unique game mode within FIFA
Ultimate Team in which you build a team from a selection of players
presented to you as options for each position.
 
To enter a Draft you must pay 15,000 FIFA Coins or 300 FIFA Points.
It can work out as more cost effective for getting high performing
cards than grinding your way through Weekend Leagues or
purchasing packs in-game.
 
Away from the FUT Draft, Harry often plays using the FIFA Team
Randomiser, which is a mode where the game selects a number of
teams for the player.
 
Cornick says: “If I could choose any team, I would always in the
past have played as Chelsea, especially when Diego Costa was
in the middle and you can get Willian or Hazard down the wings.
If you’ve got two quick wingers it’s a win-win for me as Costa is
almost unplayable.”
 
He adds: “Now, with Costa having moved, I would have to choose
Atletico Madrid”. 
 
FIFA 19 sees Costa, the beast of a player, rated at 85 overall with a
physicality of 87 and shot rating of 83, so we can see why anyone
would like to have him in their FUT.
 
You would have thought all this love for Costa would make him
Harry’s favourite player in FIFA, but that special place—the first on his
team sheet—would always belong to N’Golo Kante.
 
Kante has had a memorable Premiership journey. After joining
Leicester City on a three year contract in 2015, he went on to win
back to back titles with Leicester and Chelsea, and a year later
he was called up to the 23-man French squad for the 2018 FIFA
World Cup.
 
Cornick says that Kante is his “favourite player in FIFA”.
 
He remarks: “You have to have him as CM. If you have him as CM he
is everywhere, he is my must have, my rock.”

www.esportsworldfootball.com 17
  
Cornick questions the rating system, adding: “I saw a video of Daniel
Sturridge and his pace was like 78 and he is rapid, but then you have
Harry Maguire and he is 71 pace and you think that can’t be right”.
 
With his physical rating increasing a few points, Cornick says EA
must have seen a few centre backs nailing him every time he goes up
for a header. He has hit the gym, but overall they have probably just
taken pity on him after reducing his speed and just bumped this up!
 
At Yeovil in 2015-16 he scored eight times in 34 starts and he
followed up with a few goals at Luton he is quite reflective on his

play myself shooting rating being perhaps a little high.

I will be able to  
e Costa.
up top alongsid Cornick says: “To be honest I do miss my fair few chances so maybe
ination
A dream comb
52 is generous. Eventually this will go up as I start putting them away
and scoring more goals. It will happen.”
 
At Luton Town there is quite an active FIFA scene and a large number
of players get involved. Challenging for the crown but not quite
Kante has risen from 35th place in FIFA 18 to 16th in FIFA 19 with reaching the pinnacle as this belongs to another.
unbelievable stats. He is 89 rated as a CDM and his pace is 80, with  
87 defence and 84 physicality. The number one FIFA player at Luton Town is 61 rated James Justin.
  Harry says: “he has the FIFA crown at Luton Town, if you 1v1 him you
Looking at Cornick’s own stats and positioning on FIFA, he is still will not win. He justly deserves that title.”
classed as a RM, but this is not how he sees himself.    
  There is also some interest in the growing Pro Clubs scene with a
Explaining his positional preference, he comments: “I used to be RM, number of the team playing in teams with friends. They mainly play
but over the past 18 months I have slowly converted to a striker, I each other and are not part of any official league set up such as the
have been moved further up field and operated as a striker, with every VPG or VFL but who knows what the future holds. EWF
appearance this season up top.”
 
Despite FIFA 19 showing him as a RM, he is determined to score
more goals on the pitch to make sure that, by FIFA 20, he is no longer
classed as a midfielder.
 
He adds: “I will be able to play myself up top alongside Costa. A
dream combination.”
 
Ratings are always contentious and having his pace moved
down to 77 on FIFA 18 from a high of 82 on FIFA 17 Cornick was
disgusted. It’s like saying just because he is one year older he is
naturally going to get slower. Still, young Cornick was completely
baffled, commenting: “I definitely feel my pace should be in the
high 80’s. I have not slowed down at all and even when it was at
82 that was a disgrace. It needs to go up. My teammate James
Justin is up there with me for pace but I win every speed test at
Luton Town.”
 
do miss
His pace again in FIFA 19, now it has been released, shows he is
To be honest I
ances so
my fair few ch
held at 77 for pace once again but there have been improvements

enerous
in other areas, showing that EA think he is improving as a player,
most notably his passing has gone up to 54 from a rating of 47 on maybe 52 is g
FIFA 18.

18 Esports World Football

 VPGW
Seeking Managers

Do you have what it takes to lead a team to glory in

the illustrious VPG Weekend League?
Are you committed to sticking with your
team and do you strive for success?

Do you want to test yourselves against professional

teams such as the likes of
WGN, Oxford, Scunthorpe
to prove that you are the best?

Contact
@boarvpg or @DanTV24_
for more information and get set up ready for Season 11!

#WheretheChampionsPlayr
xVennyy
With his first competitive FIFA season under his belt
this year xVennyy wants to take his game further.

How did you get into it FIFA? Can you tell us about the FIFA 18 season
and how it went for you?
I’ve played FIFA since I was very young. I remember being around a
friend’s house and he had a World Cup version and from there I just ESWC in Paris was the first tournament I qualified for where I finishe
always bought it. top 8 and that was my first ever experience of competing in a LAN
event which was a bit nerve-wracking because it was all a bit new to
At what stage did you realise you was me, but luckily it went well. I also qualified for the FUT Champions
better than most of your friends and Cup in Manchester. I didn’t do too well in that and I finished 2 and 4
actually quite good at FIFA? in the Swiss format.

I never really thought too much of it when I was beating my mates, The last event I qualified for was the eClub World Cup, which
but over recent years I started to get a lot better at the game and I qualified for with method and that was the biggest thing I’ve
I noticed a complete difference. I was beating my mates by 4, or 5 attended, it was broadcasted live on Sky Sports.
goals and that’s when I thought maybe there was something I could
do about this. How did the eClub World Cup go for you?

Once you got to that level how did We started really well. We won our first two games by 8 plus goals.
you progress? No one really expected our team to do that well and we found
ourselves near the top of the table and then I don’t know what
I got noticed in the Gfinity Challenges Series. I only started playing happened, but we must have hit a wall. We literally couldn’t win, but
competitively last year and that was my first taste of it and basically it was a good experience and with regards to exposure it was the
that’s how I got my name out there biggest tournament that I have participated in so far.
.
How does the Gfinity draft work? What do you make of FIFA 19?

So you have to finish top 30 to be eligible for the draft and then it’s A lot of it has been improved, but there are a lot of things that
up to the teams to pick who they want to sign. are still missing if I’m being honest. There are a lot of bugs that’s
going to frustrate the casual player, but I think it’s a step in the right
So how many players in team Methods? direction once they patch the stuff that is irritating. I mean some
people are complaining about the pace right now. I think once you
There are only two currently, but when I joined they did a partnership get used to stuff like pace it’s actually not too bad, you know you
with an organisation called FUTWIZ, in order to be ready to play in can’t just run straight past people now.
the Gfinity Elite Series.
Is there more of a skill gap?
Does every team taking part in Gfinity have
to pick from the draft? Yes and no. When you get a really good player going up against a
really bad player you’re going to notice it, especially with the timed
I believe each team has to draft at least 2 players, one on PlayStation finishing, but when it comes to pro vs. pro, every pro is going to know
and one on Xbox, but the players are quite in control, so if they don’t how to do the timed finishing and the skill gap is not going to be
want to play for a team, for whatever reason, they can just say no actually that clear when it comes to the top level but for the casual
and the team will then replace them with whoever they want. players if I’m doing the timed finishing and the player I’m playing
against isn’t it’s going to give me the edge over him. sponsors that may approach you.

Out of all the FIFA’s you’ve played which one It’s really cool I see some of the other players and you see kids
do you prefer? coming up asking for photos to me it’s so unreal we just play FIFA
and they come up asking for photos, so it would be really cold to get
FIFA 15. It was quick and fun and I was at the age where I could just to that point.
sit there for hours.
Have you got your own YouTube
How long does it take for you to get use to or twitch channel?
the latest edition of FIFA?
I have both, Twitch is more streaming and Method have a really
When I first got my hands on FIFA 19 I was struggling. I was a bit good partnership with Twitch; we do a lot of streaming.
worried at first to be honest. It took me about 100 Games to be
comfortable with the new mechanics, with the dribbling, defending I do YouTube on the side and my plan is to do more pack
and shooting. I feel like it took me that long to latch onto what I openings, maybe rewards because everyone loves to watch the
really had to do and now I’m a lot more comfortable. Luckily there rewards because some people can’t achieve them, so they like to
are no tournaments until a couple of months. see what you can actually get. It might be an entertaining thing
for people to watch pro vs. pro. I’m also going to do some other
How far did yourself and method get in the things like squad buildings.
Gfinity Elite Series last year?
Who are your go to FUT players and what
I took more of a coaching role because method already had two do you make of the Icons in this year’s FIFA?
players. We got to the semi-finals where Unilad knocked us out.
My go to player has got to be Neymar on FIFA 19. He’s just so quick.
What do you make of your chances at the I really like the new additions for the Icons. It was getting a bit stale
Gfinity Elite Series this year? to be honest at a competitive level because you were just seeing the
same Icons and the same teams over and over.
My plan is to actually win it. I’m going for the silverware this
year for sure. It would be cool if they had some kind of Rule where you can
only use a certain number of icons just to make it look bit
What’s it like playing in the Gfinity Arena? different. I don’t know it might not be better competitively, as a
player, but it would be better for the spectator because they get
It’s cool. The actual arena was a cinema room and they actually to see more than just a standard team over and over and over
converted it. and over.

You’re quite high up on the stage, so you can always look out and Who do you enjoy playing against?
you see the crowd and at first it was quite daunting with all the
cameras in your face and if you’re not used to it, it can be a bit I like playing against the best, Gorilla, Kurt, Tekkz, obviously
like whoa. when I play against them I get to learn a lot more then when
I’m playing an average standard game so those sort of games
What are your main goals for FIFA 19 and are awesome to play.
next year?
Who’s the best FIFA player at the moment?
My aim is obviously too compete at the highest level, but I also want
to try and build my brand. I think it’s really important for esports I can’t really say for FIFA 19 because it’s obviously a new
players to build their brand as much as possible. Obviously things game, but going from FIFA 18 I’d have to say last year’s world
like fan base comes with its rewards regarding things like new champion, MSDossary. EWF
 KLUTCH

24 Esports World Football

10 wwwesportsworldfootball.com
With FIFA 19 dropping only
a few weeks ago we catch
up with exceL Esports FIFA
star Klutch and discuss all
things good and bad with the
latest version of the game
You are on the exceL Esports roster. How
did that come about?

This came about by competing in the Gfinity Challenger Series. Over

six weeks, I competed in cups against the best in the game to qualify
for the Elite Series and make it into the pro scene. There was a draft
to sign players and exceL chose me!
Share your views on Division Rivals on
On FIFA 18, who were your go-to players FIFA 19?
and what formation did you play?
I love the introduction to FUT Rivals! I think it allows everyone to play
On FIFA 18 my go-to players were Cristiano Ronaldo TOTY/TOTS, players at there own skill and gives you a place to improve loads! I do
any version of Patrick Vieira and prime Rio Ferdinand. I had three think that some of the skill rating distribution needs to be changed a
formations which I changed to based on in game situations which bit, but all in all its an excellent addition!
were 4-4-2, 4-1-2-1-2(2) and 4-2-3-1, but 4-2-3-1 was my favourite!
Whats your view on WL dropping from 40
So now FIFA 19 has dropped, what’s your down to 30 games and will this mean it is
view so far? easier to get T100?

Now FIFA 19 is out, I think it’s a game with a lot of potential but I feel that WL dropping down to 30 weekend league games makes
with a lot of broken things in the game. There are a lot of good new it easier for many. If pros have less games to distribute out over
mechanics but some of the stuff they have changed has made it the the same amount of time it means they can play in shorter sets of
worst FIFA in my opinion. BUT it has potential to be one of the best! games which allows them to perform better in those games.

Ok, so we know EA have failed to please To make you happy what changes would
you, but is there anything you think they you make?
got right?
There are a lot of changes needed to be made if FIFA 19 is to be a
I think there’s quite a lot they got right. I like some of the new skill good game in my opinion. They need to nerf AI defending, they need
moves like the LB fake shot and the La Croqueta. I also like the new to make other forms of finishing viable instead of just finesse shots.
flair shots and the active touch system, FUT Rivals and the wider I think the first touches of players are nowhere near as good as they
variety in Icons this year. should be considering I’m using some of the best footballers of all
time. Corners are practically penalties due to near post corners being
With FUT is there a big skill gap between so overpowered. Overhead kicks are more accurate and powerful and
players or is it down to how much you can easier to score than normal shots which is unrealistic at best. Volleys
spend on packs? in general are incredibly OP and goalies get nowhere near them. Low
driven shots are nowhere near as good as what they should be in my
I do not think its down to what you spend on packs. Obviously there opinion. Timed finishing is great, but its incredibly easy to learn and
is an advantage to people who spend money but just because you considering they go in most of the time I think it also lowers the skill
buy expensive players it doesn’t mean that you put the controller gap. There are also a lot of in game bugs and glitches that need to
down and thats it. be fixed.

There is a skill gap but nowhere as big as I would like there to be! In my opinion, all of these things lower the skill gap. EWF

www.esportsworldfootball.com Esports World Football 25

 The coach
One of the leading analysts in the game, Thomas
Temperli aka Coach Janthana shares his thoughts
on coaching, tournaments and FIFA 19
Nathan ‘Zelonius’ Horton, professional FIFA
player for Team FUTWIZ talks FIFA 19,
coaching and the route to the top
Do you like what you have seen of tutorials from people like BorasLegend. Don’t always blame
FIFA 19 so far? the game, look for the mistakes they are making.

Yes, I think there is a bigger skill gap than last FIFA and What are the goals for Team FUTWIZ
the game feels a lot more realistic in my opinion. However, this season?
there are issues that need fixing still such as the shooting
glitches. If these issues get fixed then I think we are in for a Keep improving, go further in events and grow closer as a
great year gameplay wise. team. We won an event with Dubzje last year and had one
player at the FeWC Grand Finals in Honey Badger.
Who would be your Icon of choice?
I think we have a great roster this season and are constantly
Prime Gullit would be the perfect allround option. For now I looking to improve and do better year by year.
am using the 86 Vieira who is very solid and the glue
in midfield. What differentiates you from the others
who stream?
Which Icon is best value in terms of
price and ratings? I think I have been streaming consistently pretty much every
day which not many pros have been doing. I look to educate
How
It’s harddid youwhilst
to say get the
into esports?
prices are fluctuating so much, a lot onmore
worked the intensively
stream and talk
with Kaiabout
“Deto” what
Wollin.I I’ve
am known
doing him
right
for
but I would go with somebody like Campbell who would be and wrong.
over 10 years now, as we used to play together in a team.
meta
It all started
all year
in 2004,
around.
when
However,
the competitive
at thisscene
pointwas
of the
still year
on theI
wouldn’t
computer.be Likeinvesting
many other
in e-athletes,
an icon CB.I looked for the challenge on What arelots
I also offer theof main
differentroles
perksthe agency
for my plays?
subscribers and
the internet and from then on, the scene cast a spell over me. I’ve feel I have my own community which not as many pros offer
Other
been here forthan the
a good obvious,
14 years now and I’m what is theto many
looking forward right
We asnow.
an agency, especially our general manager - Sport, Joshua
main
more. difference we will see with 40 Begehr, take care of the marketing and team search for our contract
becoming 30 on the WL? Iplayers.
have seen
We also
quite
helpa players
few pro’s
withstarting
private matters,
to stream
financial
morematters
We understand you are quite good at FIFA, regularly
and are always
so far
available
on thistoFIFA
the parents
such asof the
F2Tekkz
players.and
We’re
Gorilla
actually
do you
You still
may see play?
more pro’s attempting to play more consoles. which
doing the
is same
nice to
work
see.
as a player agency in real football.
It’s also good for the casual player base and will potentially
bring a lot I’m
As a coach, morenotof them
quite back as
as active into
thethe game.
players Top 100 Every
themselves. may What
What doone thing
you look would you
for when change
signing most
players
be
timeharder because
they release one
a new disconnect
version, I play asormuch
lossasisthe
a lot more
pros do. As about the FIFA scene?
to the agency?
punishing now.
soon as I know the new mechanisms in the game and know the new
features and tactics, I can reduce the active play to the minimum and Having
Of course,a alot more player
potential eventsforwould be great.
our agency Lastthe
must bring season there
necessary
How didonyou
focus mainly get into
the coaching tasks.coaching? was
talenttoo
and few. I think for
understanding thegame.
of the scene to grow
These moreare
two things events
very difficult
is important.
or even impossible to teach. For comparison, game intelligence cannot
IYour
used to current rolesoisthat
be a teacher assomewhat
head coach & analyst
naturally helped be practiced in real football. Either you have it or you don’t.
withit,eSportsReputation,
with but a lot of viewers on my which gamers
stream were askingdo me to Who is your ‘Emerging Talent’ tip for
you
do it. Icurrently
put it off forlook after?
a while, but went with it and it’s helped FIFA 19?
The whole in-game skills do not have to be perfect, you can
a lot of people and become very popular. improve them with targeted coaching. However, the personality
As head coach of eSportsReputation I keep an eye on the Iand
think it’s too early
environment of a to tell is
player right now as very
additionally it’s aimportant
very different
to us.
What advice
development of all our would youOfgive
contract players. course,casuals
the focus is more game that family
Supporting peoplemembers,
are trying fortoexample,
adjust to.
are Iawon’t name
great advantage
to improve?
on the young players, who have not quite made the leap to the top, anybody
because the in particular, but there
player can engage are without
in time quite a afew players
guilty conscience
but have the talent to make it. In recent months, however, I have who were doing very well towards the end of last FIFA that
for esports.
Watch players better than them, grind Rivals a lot as this if they keep grinding I could see going pro and having a
is far better for fair matchmaking. Check out YouTube big year. EWF

www.esportsworldfootball.com 27
FIFA 19 REVIEW

Neuer and Approved

Steven Lafferty and Ben Wodecki at the FIFA eWorld Cup, O2 London

28 Esports World Football

 BEN WODECKI

Overall thoughts So what’s for our team? We want to improve the backline, as
Toprak isn’t the player he was on FIFA 18, and while Tah is still
FIFA 19 is the first FIFA in a long time to feel different. It doesn’t a joy to play with, given Bayer’s poor league form, we fear he
reinvent the wheel, but it certainly changes the way that it works won’t get a TOTW card anytime soon. Kagawa seems the weak
to make for a fun and flair-filled rollercoaster. The Champions link in our forward three, given his pace and a poor shot. James
League is FIFA’s marquee signing and frankly, it was needed. PES Rodriguez, we’re coming for you…
had that by the scruff of its neck for so long and gaining control
of Europe’s most exciting competition is a welcome breath of Tactics Analysed
fresh air. What makes it oh so special, is the looks of this game.
Gorgeously crafted to give off an authentic experience that In this FIFA edition, what’s best to do? Volleys. Headers. Set-
you can’t help but gaze at lovingly. There are some interesting pieces. All you need is a big, powerful striker, who can hit the
additions this year that we’ll discuss more in detail, namely the ball well off his head and feet and you’ll be laughing. Giroud,
new touch and shooting systems. FIFA 19 does what the fans Arnatoovic, and Batshuayi make great editions to start your team
want - giving an authentic and fun experience that has copious off this time around. Be prepared to score a lot of volleys and
amounts of content to offer than previous entries. What more headers - so play to that strength. Mario Mandzukic is another
could you ask for? great early card for this tactic. This time out, you’ll want flair,
skill, and just a little luck to make it. We’d also highly recommend
What is the Esports World Football FUT sorting out all your formations for when you go from ‘balanced’
team like? to ‘attack’ as you might find your team reverting to a flat 4-4-2
without realizing. This new feature enables your team to adapt to
Get your judging caps on as its time to point fingers. We’ve a more attacking or defensive formation at a moments notice.
started off with a Bundesliga gold team in a 4-1-2-1-2. We like
this formation as it’s flexible in both attack and defence. Having Make sure you’ve got a plenty with decent shot power and long
that holding midfielder can help when on the back foot, but it shots. In this game, it is so much easier to score a lovely struck
helps even more with how we play. With a focus on possession long shot. The new showing system allows balls to fizz past the
and cutting through opponents when they’re fed up of endless ‘keeper from 25-40 yards when struck correctly. Having a player
passing, abusing the spaces that they’ve created charging our who can hit them well will help you score these more.
players down. The likes of pass maestro Thiago, Javi Martinez
and Corentin Tollisso help set the pace to what we want it to be, Remember chemistry is everything and player overalls aren’t.
by creating dynamic and fluid passing, which creates enough Some early game players are so powerful that they are literal
spaces for our fullbacks to bomb forward. This FIFA is not all game changers. Axel Witsel, now of Dortmund, is looking tone
about pace. For years, that was essentially all that mattered. But one of those. His strength, height, and overall abilities make him
that hasn’t stopped us with our choices for forwards. Werner a frightening possibility to play against in the middle of the park.
and Plea are a double act more effective than you could possibly The same goes for Lemina of Southampton, well priced for such
imagine. Werner is faster than time itself, and Plea may only be 80 a low rated gold, but he can hurt you - we should know.
rated, but his strength and shooting capabilities are entertaining
at times. It’s a great early game pairing that we’re looking to use Remember, never quiet the game, losing your DNF modifier
and have done to great success, scoring for fun at times. really isn’t worth it, especially in the early game. FIFA is
frustrating at times, but you’ve just got to remember that
Now, this formation doesn’t cater for the wider players. But when another game will come.
it comes to late game tactics, we like to keep things fresh and
quick. Jadon Sancho, Marcel Sabitzer and Leon Bailey can turn House rules rules
the tide of games as the clock ticks on, saving us from egg on
our faces more times than we’d like to admit. One of the most welcome additions to the game is the house
rules mode for kick off. It allows users to play with restricted
In goal for EWF is Hradecky of Bayer Leverkusen. The 6 foot 2 Fin rules, or none at all. A plethora of modes like Elimination allows
got a move to Bayer and got an upgrade to an 84. What he lacks for a more intense offline experience. A game mode has been
in handling and speed, he more than makes up for in diving and a staple of the series as far as we’ve been playing, it allows for
reflexes, and whilst ‘keepers have received somewhat of a nerfing more variety and the fact that these modes are available offline,
in this title, he seems good value for money in terms of stats and it means that you can invite all your friends over for an enjoyable
longevity when compared to the other Bundesliga ‘keepers. evening of house rules. EWF

www.esportsworldfootball.com 29
WIN A COPY OF FIFA 19
SUBSCRIBE
FOR FREE TODAY

ALL SUBSCRIBERS WILL BE

ENTERED INTO A DRAW FOR A
CHANCE TO WIN FIFA 19

For all the latest news and exclusive interviews

www.esportsworldfootball.com
VPG WGN ESPORTS

Fresh from winning the VPG Weekend League double, we speak

with members of the Welsh Gaming Network eSports team about
the upcoming season and FIFA 19

32 Esports World Football wwwesportsworldfootball.com

WGN eSports seems to have dominated What is the best team you have faced?
last season, tell us about it?
The best team we’ve faced has to be Royals. They have been
We wouldn’t go as far as to say dominated, but we were the most one of the best disciplined teams in attack and defence
consistent. There were a lot of strong teams which we faced that we have seen. There are not many teams who are so well
had the potential to cause us upset, but we fought through and rounded from front to back, but these are a team people
came out better. seriously need to look out for in the future.

We did well to stay at a consistent level and compete for all the What developments would you like to see
titles available to us - 49 games in a season is long and hard going, to VPG?
but that’s where you see who has what it takes to come out on top.
We would like to see VPG keep doing what it’s doing, and to
Looking back on it, there’s a few things we’d have done keep expanding.
differently, but we look forward to seeing what Season 11 has
to offer us. They’re doing such a good job with the promotion of Pro Clubs
and esports in general. We’re excited for what the new site has
Tell us about the standard in the Weekend in store and to see what the future holds for VPG.
League, does this differ to the midweek
leagues in ability? Where do you aim to improve as a team?

The standard of both midweek and weekend leagues are high, but We aim to improve in every position. There are always going to be
yes, they do differ to an extent. VPGW is so well run, that it makes things that need to be improved on, and we’re a team that aims to
it easier for teams to focus on the task at hand. The quality of the be the best team from front to back. Occasionally it’s about taking a
league increases season by season, and each is much stronger than bit of a step back and asking your players where improvements are
the previous. needed. We’re all for the development of players and are happy to
take time out and help with that.
For the past two seasons, we have been pushed until the very last
day to win the VPGW Premiership, yet Season 10 it was pushed to With football clubs like Rotherham and Scunthorpe entering VPG do
the very last game. It felt amazing when the results came through you think they will have unfair advantage?
and we could see that we had won the VPGW Premiership for the
second season running. We don’t believe teams will have an unfair advantage at all.
We all aim to be the best and with the right team, guidance
Is it hard coordinating everyone to be available and drive, you can achieve that. You just need to have a little
for matches or are players pretty committed? bit of patience and take your chance when it arrives. Everyone
started at the bottom.
It was extremely difficult at times, especially with the World
Cup running along side the season. With it being a weekend Has EA let Pro Clubs down with what you
league, a lot of players have outside commitments, but we have seen from FIFA 19?
ensured that we had a squad big enough to cope with these
situations, which everyone played such a vital part in the We don’t believe so. Of course, there are a few additions we’d have
League and Cup campaign. liked i.e Pro Clubs Training mode instead of Divisions, but Pro Clubs
is on it’s 3 year cycle. The game play itself on FIFA 19 is one of the
What formation do you prefer and why? best we’ve played in a long time.

We’ve always used 4-3-3 holding. We feel as though it’s the most Can you see LAN events happening the Pro
dynamic formation to play. It offers so much space in attack, Clubs scene?
and allows you to defend narrowly. However, it’s one of the few
formations that needs a specific type of player. If played wrong, the In the future we’d love to see LAN events happening, but we’re also
game can turn on it’s head very quickly. aware at how costly it can be funding a full squad.

www.esportsworldfootball.com Esports World Football 33

VPG ROTHERHAM

We talk to one of the newest Pro Clubs

teams, the official Rotherham United
Football Club’s esports team

Tell us about the Virtual Pro Gaming (VPG)

How did the formation of the esports team
come about?

After a short break from FIFA I was persuaded to

try FIFA 18 on the PS4 by the man who would come
to be joint project manager on this venture, Dave
Raybould. Dave already had a reasonable successful
FIFA YouTube channel in place and after seeing QPR
become part of the VPG roughly a year ago we just
knew there was a gap in the market for more collabora-
tions of that kind. How close will the links with the real foot-
balling side will be?
So after months of chatting, we decided to approach
two local clubs (chosen from a shortlist of ten) and Our YouTube channel will of course follow our
after connecting with Jamie Noble through a mutual adventure into esports, but it will also be much
acquaintance, we were invited to Rotherham United more, it will tie in with the club’s other social media
to discuss our ideas. platforms and we will be looking to capitalise on
having a partnership with a professional football
Once we sat down with Jamie it was clear to us both that club by brining new original content such as player
Rotherham United was the right professional club for us. and staff challenges, interviews and much more.

We outlined our vision for a fan engagement attraction Tell us about the recent gaming event you
(which is now known as the FIFA HUB) and additionally held at the AESSEAL New York Stadium,
our ideas for the club’s growth into digital media using what were the aims and how did it go?
esports as a vessel.
Day two of our launch included the launch of the FIFA
Jamie loved the whole concept and gave us his full support HUB which offered Rotherham United fans the chance
and from that Rotherham United Esports was born. to come, chat and have a game of FIFA 19 on the

34 Esports World Football wwwesportsworldfootball.com

“It took lots of hard work and planning
I am very proud of what we have achieved.”
Playstation 4 or Xbox One, we had visits from mascot looking over their shoulders.
Miller Bear and Scottish centre half Clark Robertson,
which the fans loved. Tell us about some of the squad?

Our aim for the FIFA HUB is simple, bring in fans and We have players from all over the UK and beyond, from
build bridges with the community in the local area, we Surrey to Barking and from Ireland to Germany.
feel if we can attract fans (that would otherwise be at
home in their bedrooms playing games) and not only Every one of our current players are here by merit and
offer them a game of FIFA but help them make new not just here to make up numbers.
friends and help give them confidence too.
What league have you been entered in?
The Rotherham Community Sports Trust is also
accessible via the FIFA HUB and they can also offer We want to feel like any success achieved has been
opportunities for the very same kids that are gaming earned so we felt starting in the highest league (even
each day on FIFA. though prestigious) would not be the best thing for us,
we are on a journey after all.
We will also be looking at other special events
through the season and already have some ideas for The league we will be joining is the VPG L2 South.
late November time.
Do you feel the backing of the football club will
Who is managing the team? give you an unfair advantage over other teams?

Our first team head coach is called Luke Ace. Whilst still Unfair would indicate rules have been broken,
in his early twenties is a very mature and passionate 11v11 means exactly that, the only advantage
player, Luke has racked up many wins in all modes of the I can see is the marketing side of things and
game, we felt his natural FIFA ability and communication additionally greater exposure.
skills were a perfect fit to lead our first team.
It took lots of hard work and planning to get here, I am
How have you selected players for the team? very proud of what we have achieved.

As we have been planning this venture for several I just hope others follow our lead as we are proof of
months we already have what we consider the spine what can be done with hard work.
of the team, however we are still looking to trial
players for key positions. Can you get to the Premier League?

Will you be looking to have a big squad? A tough question, I believe the club will one day win trophies,
but we need to keep focussed and take it one step at a time.
We are also looking for a development squad
too, so I feel we will be looking at a total of Our players are passionate and have bags of character,
between twenty three and twenty six players for we want to compete at the very top but understand
both squads in total. success is not given away on a platter, it is earned
through hard work and passion.
Not all will play competitive football but we feel
that having a development squad will keep anyone With all that said, I think we will make it to the
playing in our first team on their toes and always premier League. EWF

www.esportsworldfootball.com Esports World Football 35

VFL WEST HAM

Come on you Irons

Lewis Wright talks about his new role taking
the reigns of VFL West Ham PS4 and the
aims for the new season
You have played and managed in both a huge competition, all the teams are going to be competitive,
VPG and VFL leagues, how do you however, a good cup run and getting close to a cup trophy is also
compare the two? big for us. We will aim to go as far as we can in all competitions
we enter.
I really enjoy using both of the sites and I find they both have their
own advantages and disadvantages. What formation do you like your teams
to play?
On VPG I really like how the contract section works, however,
with VFL I find that the site overall is much easier to work my way Usually I tend to stick with 4-2-3-1 because I like the two holding
around. If I was asked to pick which is the better site out of the midfielders and also the three CAMS, but I don’t mind using
two, I would struggle to be honest. 4-1-2-1-2 narrow especially when you’ve got some good passing
players in the side. I also like to occasionally use 3-5-2 but that
Who will you be managing this season? formation only works in my eyes with the right players.

This season on FIFA 19 I will be managing VFL West Ham on the How did you do last season?
PS4 side.
Last season on VFL I was in charge over at Augsburg which was
What league are you in and who do you my first season fully in charge and we just missed out on the
see as your main competition? play-offs by a few points. On VPG, I was playing CB for The Mighty
Imps where I managed to get myself in TOTS for my first time
We’re playing in the Championship and we see the league as which I was pretty chuffed with!
Where would you like to see Pro Clubs develop? seem to have made some aspects of tackling over powered when
you time it right. I thought defending at some points on FIFA 18 was
I would love to see pro clubs hit the heights that FUT has. It would comfortable but FIFA 19 has made me realise that it wasn’t all that good.
be insane to play in a 11v11 LAN tournament. I’ve seen some of I’ve really only played Pro Clubs at the moment but I’m definitely
the emotions that Pro Clubs brings to players and to have that all going to be playing a lot of career mode and UT as the game
in one room would be amazing. Even if these 11v11 games were seems really good.
slowly dragged in at future FUT events, for some of the big guys
out there to play, that would benefit Pro Clubs massively. All just What would you like to see EA do for
stuff we can only dream of at the moment. Pro Clubs?

Slowly we are seeing football clubs setting up Pro Clubs teams, After playing FIFA 19 for a couple of days it would be nice
would you like to play for one of them one day? to see them sort out a couple of things in Pro Clubs such as
the CAM glitch where it drags the CAM back into a defensive
Playing for a professional esports team would be insane. Always position and also sort out some of the lock-ons which I’ve
something I’ve wanted to do whilst playing Pro Clubs so it is a noticed is still an issue.
dream of mine. Something for me could be in the pipeline, but I
can’t comment on that too much as of yet! I’m also hearing that we have that friendly glitch again which we
suffered with for a while last season on FIFA 18.
Do you like what you have seen from FIFA 19?
I just think EA should sort out the basics in the gameplay before
I’m really loving the defending on Pro Clubs. It feels so dominant. They they think about touching the menus layouts and designs. EWF
www.berggrinhosamgmt.com [email protected]
38 Esports World Football
www.esportsworldfootball.com Esports World Football 39
 Dan B Design
Graphic Designer

YouTube Thumbnails

YouTube Channel Art

Previous Clients Include... Get In Touch

Spencer FC Hashtag United SkillTwins Hugh Wizzy danbdesign.com

Hashtag Harry Stalybridge Celtic FUTWIZ ChrisMD @danbdesign

Hashtag Boras Brandon Smith

www.esportsworldfootball.com
Hashtag Ryan Morgz [email protected]
Esports World Football
40