FIFA 19 has been out for a while now and it's that time of year where players realise what strategies and in-game systems are the strongest. So far, there have been two clear issues in the game which has affected players of all levels: first-time timed finesse shots and moving the goalkeeper.
EA Sports received a lot of feedback on these issues from players and has looked to solve these issues in the latest patch. The update has already launched on PC and will be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One soon.
One part of the game that has been notably overpowered over the last few months are first-time finesse shots, especially when timed with the new "timed finishing" mechanic in the game. Timed finishing was introduced to FIFA 19 to add another layer of skill to the game for competitive players. To initiate timed finishing, you tap the shoot button a second time before the shot is taken. If you perfectly time this and hit the second press just as the player connects with the ball, the shot is more likely to be accurate and powerful.
However, due to an error in the game EA found that timed finishing would work a little too well when combined with a finesse shot that was hit first-time - even if you didn't perfectly time the shot. If you've tuned into any esport tournament in FIFA 19, you likely will have seen that a majority of the goals were curling peaches hit from outside of the box. These shots would rarely miss, even if you had your back to goal.
EA has looked to combat this by returning the risk factor to timed finishing. There is now a much shorter window to perfectly time your shot and finesse shots have been brought in line to work the same as the other types of shot in the game. Whether your perfectly or horribly time your finesse shot, there should be a larger variety of where the shot will end up.
Before the update, mistimed finesse shots would still potentially go in and, at worst, would drift slightly wide. Now, a mistimed finesse shot could fly in any direction and will be much less likely to challenge the goalkeeper - as can be seen in the image below in which EA demonstrates 100 mistimed finesses on the latest patch.
EA Sports
As well as finesse shots, many FIFA 19 players have found issue with the new ability to move goalkeepers. EA have made goalkeepers move slower when manually controlled with the right stick which should hopefully see the feature become more consistent. Previously, moving the goalkeeper would either result in improbable saves or horrendous mistakes.
With these aforementioned changes as well as updates to career mode and pro clubs, it appears EA are listening to feedback. The shooting changes, in particular, should have a huge impact on the game.