Things that need to be improved in FIFA 14

Happy FIFA 14 reveal day! It's that time of the year when EA Sports lifts the lid on one of the best-selling games in the world. Little is known about the next iteration in the franchise, though obviously we'll see the usual updated squads, player stats and kits. However there are a few things we would like to see added this year that would make fans turn their backs on FIFA 13 forever and treat it like the mistake that never happened.

Better commentary

This point seems to crop up every year, and to be fair the commentary does seem to improve each season but there is still plenty of room for improvement. There are too many phrases that I hear several times throughout the game, and overall there just needs to be a bit more variety. It's also annoying when your goalkeeper makes a save but the commentators talk about how he's had a terrible game up until that point, even though he's pretty much been an innocent bystander throughout the match.

Better refereeing

This is probably one of the hardest features to get right, and it's certainly one of the most controversial points in real world football. But there have been occasions when referees have given fouls against me for seemingly winning the ball fairly and cleanly, and times when they've not done anything after I've deliberately tripped a player. Maybe EA Sports is trying to match referee inconsistency with what happens in real life, or maybe they just need to tweak things slightly.

Kicking players instead of the ball

Probably my most personally frustrating aspect of FIFA 13 is when the ball is bouncing around the box after a corner-kick and is there to be contested, however when I hit the shoot button my player decides to go in for a slide tackle instead and take out half of the other team in the process. Needless to say I'm swiftly shown a red card and have to play the rest of the game at a disadvantage, even though I was just trying to put the ball into an open net. Hopefully this won't happen in FIFA 14.

Improved manager mode

The manager mode was touched up a bit last year, with the ability to manage international teams a welcome addition. I know it's never going to reach the level of depth that Sports Interactive's Football Manager series can offer, but a bit more interaction would be nice. The chance to respond to the press or tell players exactly what you think of them and having that influence performance would add another dimension to being a manager. 

Better slide tackling

In FIFA 13, slide tackling is pretty much useless. Remember the days when a Patrick Vieira or a Roy Keane would hunt down an opposition player and perform a perfect slide tackle to win the ball back? Well, FIFA 13 doesn't. Slide tackling is so ineffective you might as well be pushing a button that tells your player to sit down and have a quick rest. These days I only perform a slide tackle to intercept a pass, because the rest of the time I'll either be flopping to the floor or giving away a foul.