For fans of FIFA 19, tuning into a tournament live stream can be a jaw-dropping experience. Slick passing moves and skill combinations are on show that amateurs can only dream of pulling off with a controller in their hand.

So we thought we’d ask the pros themselves for their top tips on how fans around the world can improve their game – and no, it’s not El Tornado crosses. Instead, much of it is in your head.

Not every pro can claim to pull this off 100 per cent of the time on the biggest stage, but you know when they’re grinding for wins on Weekend League they have their game face on. You may have seen plenty of YouTubers smashing their controllers after conceding an unlucky goal, but that kind of emotion doesn’t boost your game.

“For me, at the top level I think the only thing that separates us is mentality. The mental part of the game is probably the biggest part of it. Because once you can compete at the top level you need to be able to hold your head.”

“Always stay calm. That’s always the biggest thing. Even on this stage, if you get mad you’re going to play worse, so just stay calm, play your game and you’ll be fine.”

“Just stay calm when you’re playing and let your instinct take over. Don’t really think too much. Then, if your instinct is good enough then hopefully you’ll be good at the game.

Following that train of thought, calm heads lead to calm play. Rushing often leads to poor choices, so being clear in your mind about what you’re doing makes all the difference.

“It’s 90 per cent decision making. You can know all the skills but it doesn’t matter if you don’t use them at the right time.”

“It’s not always good to rush your play. You don’t necessarily have to advance up the pitch all the time as fast as possible. It’s good to keep possession and try to find the best passes.”

Pablo Picasso said: “good artists copy, great artists steal”, so why take the next weapon in your FIFA arsenal from anyone but the best? It’s what the pros do! They all watch each other stream, so if you really want to up your game, that’s where to look.

“The main thing is watching streamers. Watching Gorilla, Tekkz, all these guys that are better than you. Every player has their little techniques and tendencies that you might learn and pick up from.”

“You need to see how the best players are playing. I do this all the time, watching the top ten players and how they play their games, seeing what they do and how I should do it, and this makes me better.”

“See what their habits are, how they play, what’s their game management, how they score their goals, how they defend. If you apply that to your game, then you’ll get better.”

Once you’ve observed these techniques it’s then down to applying it to your style of play. If you’re a great counter-attacking player, don’t throw it out the window just because ‘nicolas99FC’ and his possession play are top. If skills aren’t your thing, suddenly trying to use the right stick like ‘F2Tekkz’ makes no sense. Apply the techniques to improve your game, rather than trying to be someone else.

“Watch YouTube pros doing skill moves, how to score, stuff like that. Just watching YouTube pros and look for the most effective ways to score, to defend and adjust it to your own play style.”

“Everyone has their own play style. So, you just have to work on that and what suits you. You just need to learn and adapt.”