The resident Dream Team Gaming FIFA-pro Fully is back this week to help you improve your game.
After revealing the 7 tips for perfecting your attacking last week, Fully has turned his attention to how best to defend against a capable opponent.
Here are 6 essential defensive tips that will guarantee you more wins.
1 Second man press (R1/RB)
The second man press is a very good way of defending, should you use it correctly.
The basic concept of this is to press the man with the ball whilst also covering any space left behind with a second player.
By pressing R1/RB, a CPU controlled player will press your opponent’s player who has the ball.
This leaves you controlling a different player where you can cover a potential pass.
The key to this is not to overuse it – for example holding R1 and just controlling one player on the edge of your box without changing.
You have to use it in periods. You want to master the technique of switching players at the correct the time.
When you’re holding R1/RB, as soon as you have covered any potential passes/space with the player you’re controlling, press L1 to switch players.
This will give you the player who was previously pressing when you were holding R1 and should be right next to the opposing player with the ball.
Now you can press the player manually and attempt a tackle.
2 Try not to take players out of position
This is one of the basics of FIFA, but it’s a basic that gets left behind by a lot of people in frustrating games.
I’m specifically talking about full backs. In an attempt to press higher, a lot of people will take full backs out of position.
This is a high-risk medium-reward tactic. If it works? You get the ball. If it doesn’t? You’re gonna concede. It’s just not worth it.
It can be hard enough to break players down as it is since most players on the current patch play the “drop back” tactic so if you concede because you stupidly pulled your defender out of position, that can be game.
Keep your team structured. Play to the advantages of your formation. 4231 is easily the most used formation.
You’re being attacked down the wings? Defend with your wide midfielders. Being attacked centrally, use your 2 CDM’s. Keep your defenders in the line that they’re meant to be in.
3 Keeper movement
This is a game winner/loser in every top-level match of FIFA and is something everyone needs to master.
If you don’t, the chances are your opponent has and it will decide the game.
It’s so simple to do. You press in the right stick giving you complete control of the keeper.
This is important when you see someone go through your defence and they are one on one with your keeper.
Most players will shoot across goal, so you press the right stick in and move it so the keeper covers the space at the far post.
We see it in every pro event in every single match.
4 Possession
This doesn’t sound like a defending tip, but your decision making with the ball is everything, especially in your own half.
Top level players can attack with incredible accuracy and the last thing you want to do is give them the opportunity to do that by making rash decisions in your own half of the pitch.
Sometimes you have to take risks to get creative. Do that in your opponents half.
Take your time to allow your players to move forward and find space. The easiest way to do this in your own half is switch the ball between full backs.
5 Do not use the contain button (X on PS4 and A on Xbox One)
This is not something you want to get into the habit of using.
It’s like the second man press, except for the fact that it’s the player you’re controlling who runs to press the player with the ball.
But when they get to the player, they don’t attempt a tackle they just jockey 1 yard or so away.
This leaves space around you which you can’t cover using other players.
A simple heel to heel flick skill move beats this way of defending every single time and makes you look like an amateur player.
6 Jockey (L2+R2, LT+RT)
There are two parts to the jockey. Holding both back triggers or just holding LT/L2.
The difference is, by holding both buttons, your players has a wider range of motion. They can move in forward, backwards and left and right.
Holding just the left trigger has limited backwards and forwards motion but faster left and right.
If you’re defending on the wings and you know your opponent is going to cut back to try and find space. You use LT/L2. You only need to go side to
side when defending the wings.
If you’re more central, you want to use both triggers as there are more attacking options for you to try and cover.
You are trying to read your opponent’s turns so you can intercept the ball but also you are trying to read their pass.
So if you read it incorrectly, the jockey doesn’t allow your player to over-commit as you are not sprinting so there is still time for you to try and cover the next attacking option.
Fully will be back next week to reveal more secret tips to help you master FIFA 19.
Be sure to follow Fully on Twitter and tune in next Monday for more tips from a pro