In FIFA 21, pace was the dominant attribute you cared about when looking for players. Most noticeably in Ultimate Team, but it flowed into Career Mode and Pro Clubs too.
The franchise has often struggled to find the right balance of pace for players, where we see meta's that are dominated by it, defenders unable to keep up with play, and top players going unused.
With FIFA 22, it appears that the right balance has been struck, and we will explore that thought and the impact it is having on the game.
Days gone by
Cast your mind back a couple of months and remember the meta in FIFA 21.
Players that didn't have 85+ PAC weren't used, centre-backs were redundant, with wing-backs being used centrally instead, with most goals being scored through counter-attacks.
If you want to play that way, it's perfectly acceptable, go for it.
However, the issue comes when everyone is having to play that way in order to stand a chance.
Times they are a-changin'
With FIFA 22, players went into the game expecting the same but found a different style of play was needed.
No longer could you just blitz past defenders, with contact impacting speed like never before.
Fast players needed something more about them, with passing more difficult to be accurate with and finishing inside the box harder.
This has seen the reliance on pace drop, and we are now in new territory.
Slow and steady
As mentioned, passing now requires more skill than before, with looser play happening more regularly if you don't have the best personnel.
This means you can't just have legs in midfield, as they won't string play together well.
Now the likes of Marco Verratti and Luka Modric, both world-class talents, are featuring in teams to control play, something that wouldn't have happened last year.
This also leads to a slower build-up in play and showcases different play styles, not just counter-attacking football.
Return of the CB
A big gripe for many last year was seeing full-backs, like Jordi Alba, employed as a centre-back just because they were quick.
It allowed you to battle it out with pacey strikers but made the line-ups less realistic and cut a mass of players from the player pool.
One way this has been combated is by giving centre-backs pace boosts, fighting fire with fire.
Another is more intelligent defending, and also the effect contact has on the striker.
When trying to get around defenders you can't just run through them, as the defender will use their body as an obstacle, slowing the attacker down.
Although not the best around, someone like Harry Maguire is now a useable card, despite being slow and cumbersome, because he can use his size to his advantage.
More room in the pool
Both of the prior examples showcase one of the best changes we are seeing in FIFA 22, and that is an increase in the player pool.
With more useable players in the game, there is a greater variety of teams, fewer dead pack openings, and top players are more likely to see game-time even if they lack pace.
If you pack Toni Kroos you should be excited about having one of the best midfielders around added to your squad, not just think about using him for SBC fodder.
Benzema brilliance
Perhaps Karim Benzema, above all other players, shows off just what a change there has been between games.
Last year, despite being one of the top strikers around, he saw hardly any play.
Even when boosted cards came out that upped his pace, it wasn't good enough to see him become meta.
Now, he is one of the most feared strikers in the game, with top dribbling, finishing, and passing proving more useful than just outright speed.
Don't worry, pace isn't dead
You may be thinking that pace is totally unnecessary now, but you'd be wrong.
The reason FIFA 22 has managed to fix the pace issue isn't by nerfing it, but by balancing it.
Speedy players still have their place, with quick bursts of acceleration letting you nip in front of the opposition, and if given open space to run into they will exploit the situation.
It's all about knowing when and where to use that super speed.
Too early to be reminiscing?
Yes, it's still fairly early on to be looking back with rose-tinted glasses, but we may come to see FIFA 22 as the time EA got the balance right and continued to build from there.
Players are interacting with each other in physical combat more realistically than ever, with different game plans being implemented and the player selection pool is inclusive of nearly everyone.
FIFA 22 has hit a sweet spot, let's hope that EA brings a similar formula to their future games.