About Me & FAQ

I’m Neal (NealGuides) — an EA SPORTS FC 27 gameplay expert and tutorial maker. I’ve built a YouTube channel with 300,000+ subscribers with one goal: help everyday players get better, fast. The most important thing for me is teaching fundamentals of football and also applying the basics at a very high level.

I coach players at every level, from casual Division 10 newcomers to Elite/Top-200 competitors, eSports professionals, and even coached a few real life footballers who grind on virtual pitch.

My game knowledge has been ahead of the competition, I have be notably known for predicted the META – before it becomes the META – for numerous years and help players get ahead of the game. This comes from my passion for the game, studying every aspect and every core mechanic in detail. This was noticed by EA and I was selected to be one of the very few members of the Design Council, providing hands-on feedback to EA, and also playing in numerous Closed Playtests including travelling to Vancouver on regular basis to test the game before it comes out, helping shape and improve the game we all love.
NealGuides has been featured and referenced across gaming, football and eSports media for EA SPORTS FC/FIFA gameplay analysis, tutorials and expert advice.

If you do want to improve in FC 27, you can join my FC School and get better at FC in a structured format, we almost guarantee it to the point that if you do not get better after one month we will refund your money. This initially started as a hobby to give more insights and detailed videos that went beyond my YouTube channel, but has grown and people even stay on to learn and be part of the community. We have now built it to a small team that help make NealGuides tutorials what it is.

Outside of FC, I am an avid Arsenal fan, and currently a season ticket holder, my influence of the beautiful game was from Arsene Wenger, and to this day, I try to replicate the beautiful game inside FC, I have been known to use cheap teams, and play basic football, playing FC for me has to be without mechanic abusing, in fact I never used to teach any form of broken mechanics even though it was the most requested videos by far, however we only very recently made the decision to teach these mechanics only on the FC School for those players pushing to the professional level and want to take their game to a career path as a pro gamer.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When did you start playing FC / FIFA?

I started playing FIFA / FC around FIFA 98, although growing up I also played a lot of ISS (International Superstar Soccer) and Pro Evolution Soccer. Two of the games that stand out most to me are ISS Pro Evolution 2 and PES 5. In terms of FIFA / FC, I played every iteration, however I would say FIFA 16 was one of my favourites.
I have been playing football games for most of my life, and to this day I still use a variation of the old Pro Evolution control layout.

What is your goal with teaching people FC?

I genuinely enjoy teaching. One of the most rewarding parts of what I do is receiving messages from players who finally understand something they had been struggling with or have reached a level they never thought they could.
My teaching style is very direct. I would rather explain honestly what someone is doing wrong and how to fix it than tell people what they want to hear. I believe that is the fastest way to improve.
My goal is to help players understand the game rather than simply copy tactics or mechanics. I want people to understand football fundamentals, decision-making and why certain things work so they can eventually analyse and improve their own gameplay.

I don’t think you can improve me. I’ve tried everything…

This is something I hear quite often. Many players watch tutorials and know a lot about the game, but still struggle to identify the mistakes they are making themselves.
The difficult thing about FC is that you can make the wrong decision and still win the match, or make the correct decision and still concede. That can make it difficult to understand what actually needs improving without analysing your gameplay properly.
FC School teaches you how to analyse your own gameplay and work through the game in a structured way. In many cases, players do not need to completely change how they play. They may have one or two repeated habits that have been holding them back for years.
The aim is to identify those problems, understand why they happen and then work on them one at a time. If you ever need help with FC and you are limited on time, you can consider my 1-on-1 Coaching.

Do I need one-on-one coaching?

Not necessarily. For most players, I recommend starting with FC School first. It is much more cost-effective and teaches you how to analyse your own gameplay, understand your mistakes and improve independently.

One-to-one coaching is most useful if you are short on time, have a specific problem you cannot identify yourself, or want personalised feedback on your own gameplay.

Standard one-to-one coaching is reserved for Elite FC School members and is purchased separately from the membership. Clip Analysis is available to everyone, while non-Elite players can also access a full coaching session through Skip the Queue.

If you are unsure, start with FC School. If you are still stuck after working through the relevant lessons, coaching is there as an additional option.

How do you test gameplay mechanics & META strategies?

I spend a huge amount of time testing gameplay mechanics, formations, tactics and player behaviour. When I play FC, I am rarely just playing for the sake of playing. I repeatedly test different inputs, situations and tactical setups to understand what is effective, why it works and whether it works consistently.

This has sometimes allowed me to identify META trends before they become widely used. For example, I was testing and using the 3-5-2 in FIFA 20 before it became one of the META formations in FIFA 21. I was also using full-backs at centre-back before in FIFA 20, where it was really META, as there was not much heading ability, until they community changed in FIFA 21

The goal is not simply to copy the META once everybody else is using it. I try to understand the gameplay deeply enough to identify what is likely to become effective beforehand.
Whenever FC is patched or updated, I test everything again. The game changes throughout the year, so tactics and mechanics that work at launch may behave differently after future updates.

Have you played EA Sports FC before release?

Yes. I have played EA SPORTS FC 27 before release, as well as previous EA SPORTS FC titles, through closed playtests, early gameplay sessions and visits to EA Vancouver.

I have travelled to EA Vancouver on numerous occasions to play early builds of the game, test new gameplay systems and provide feedback on potential changes and improvements.

It is important to understand that these early builds are not necessarily the final version of the game. Features, mechanics and balancing can change before release, so anything experienced during an early build is always subject to change. Once the final game becomes available, I test everything again before making my final recommendations on gameplay, tactics and the META.

Through my involvement with the EA Creator Network and Gameplay Design Council, I have also had opportunities to play and stream the game early with EA approval. This is why you may occasionally see me producing gameplay content before the wider community has access to the game.

Some of the builds, features and information I see before release are also subject to NDAs, embargoes or other confidentiality restrictions. I only discuss information that I am authorised to make public. There may therefore be occasions where I am aware of upcoming gameplay changes before they are announced, but I cannot discuss them until I am permitted to do so.

What experience do you have working with EA?

For several years, I was already providing EA with gameplay feedback, suggestions and ideas for improving the game through various feedback channels.

EA eventually invited me to become one of the first members of the EA Gameplay Design Council. Through the Council, I take part in gameplay testing and regular discussions with EA about the game, problems we identify, potential improvements and how different mechanics affect players at different levels.

This has included travelling to EA Vancouver, playing early versions of EA SPORTS FC and providing direct feedback while the game is still being developed.

One thing that is particularly important to me is understanding FC from more than one level. I closely follow the professional and competitive scene, but I also spend time playing across different divisions so I can understand how the game feels for casual, average and high-level players. This allows me to teach and provide feedback from a much wider range of perspectives rather than looking at FC purely from an Elite or professional level.

I do not work for EA and remain completely independent in my opinions. I have always been very direct and straight to the point, and you will have seen me constructively criticise areas of the game when I believe they can be improved. I do not simply agree with everything. If I disagree with something, I try to identify the underlying problem and provide alternative ideas or potential solutions.

That is an important part of the feedback I provide. My role is to bring the perspective of someone who spends a significant amount of time playing, testing, analysing and teaching EA SPORTS FC.

Ultimately, the goal is to help make the game we all love better. EA obviously cannot act on every piece of feedback, but my job is to provide as much useful information, context and as many potential solutions as I can when I identify a problem.

About Me & FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Give FC 27 School ago, you have nothing to lose...

Bronze

£14 / Monthly

Gold

£19.50 / Monthly

Elite

£23 / Monthly