Success in such a complex game as football is made up of a variety of approaches and skills. And although many may say that the best defense is an attack, it is not always possible to score more than an opponent. In this case, you have to turn to players from other positions. Our new guide will tell you how to defend well in FIFA.
FIFA 23 Defence Controls
Before we get into detailed tips and tricks, you should know that even technically defending in FIFA is a very difficult part of the game. To be able to resist the attacking players, you need to master several dozen buttons and their combinations in order to be ready for any scenario. Except for unexpected ball rebounds.
| Action | PlayStation Controls | Xbox Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Change Player | L1 | LB |
| Change Player (Manual) | R + Direction | R + Direction |
| Icon Switching | R | R |
| Tackle / Push or Pull (when chasing) | ◯ | B |
| Hard Tackle | ◯ Press and Hold | B Press and Hold |
| Instant Hard Tackle | R1 + ◯ | RB + ◯ |
| Sliding Tackle | ▢ | X |
| Hard/Clearance Slide Tackle | R1 + ▢ | RB + X |
| Hard Tackle (VOLTA FOOTBALL only) | ▢ | X |
| Clearance | ◯ | B |
| Technical Clearance | R1 + ◯ | R1 + B |
| Shoulder Challenge / Sealout | ◯ | ◯ |
| Contain | X Press and Hold | A Press and Hold |
| Teammate Contain | R1 Press and Hold | RB Press and Hold |
| Running Jockey | L2 + R2 Hold Down | LT + RT Hold Down |
| Pull and Hold (when chasing) | ◯ Press and Hold | B Press and Hold |
| Quick Get Up (after slide tackle) | ▢ | X |
| Engage Shielding Opponent | L2 + L Towards Shielding Dribbler | LT + L Towards Shielding Dribbler |
| Rush Goalkeeper Out | △ Press and Hold | Y Press and Hold |
| Goalkeeper Cross Intercept | △ + △ Press and Hold | Y + Y Press and Hold |
As you can see, it’s a pretty difficult challenge to master defending controls. But understanding the game also will give you a lot of profit.
FIFA 23 Best Squads For Defence
It doesn’t matter what season it is, fast players always is a meta. Sometimes even cards with not the best rating can be used and be a lot of trouble because of simple PAC attribute. So, if you want to hold them off, you should have fast defensive players not only at LB and RB positions but also suitable players on the CB and midfielder positions.
Yes, in today’s football, defending starts from the attacking players. And while FIFA is still arcade in many aspects, and you shouldn’t build your strategy like Jurgen Klopp, you still have to use midfielders to make first efforts to stop the opponent. So, it will be better for you to have pair of CDM or CDM mixed with CM with the high PAC.
In general, building your team, don’t forget about all attributes your players need to have in various situations. For defending, look better at this list:
- DEF (defending attribute)
- Tackling
- PAC (pace)
- HEA (heading)
- PHY (physicality)
FIFA 23 Best Defensive Formation
Beginners may think the number of defensive players can easily solve defensive problems. For example, choosing a formation with five defenders and adding two defensive midfielders to them can make your defensive performances much better. This approach is questionable for a number of reasons. First, you may not have enough attacking players. Secondly, the quality of an opponent cannot always be held simply by the number of players. Third, some formations with more defenders may actually look better offensively. Therefore, it is worthwhile to approach the choice of a game formation carefully.
Often, the best advice experienced players can give you is simple. Play, and try different formations to understand personally which one is better for you. Yes, of course, there are generally recognized formations more suitable for defending, like 4-1-3-2, 4-3-1-2, or 5-3-2, especially if you switch between defence and attack mode. But who knows, maybe you will find the best option for you among formations with three central defenders.
FIFA 23 AI Defending
While you just learn how to defend in FIFA 23, AI patterns can be useful, like the second-man press (holding RB/R1), but with experience, you will understand that it is better to play for players by yourself. FIFA was never known as a game with perfect AI, and AI or mankind’s opponents can easily read a limited set of patterns.
In most cases, you will get much more profit from controlling the players by yourself: switching players in time, tracking passing lanes to play on the ball, and blocking your opponent using short tackles and slide tackles. Also, even the best meta card can fail if you unexpectedly rush the goalkeeper out or move him in the right direction. Of course, mastering your understanding of the defense can take time, but it’s the best way we have.
FIFA 23 Defending Tricks
As we already said, practice is the best option to learn how to defend in FIFA 23 effectively. But let us share some common helpful tricks you should be focused on:
- Use Jockeying: holding LT/L2, you can keep the eyes of the player you control on the opponent with a ball to remain face-up. You probably saw this every time you watch or play real football, and it is useful in FIFA 23 too. Jockeying will help you to lead the opponent to an unfavorable zone to win the ball. Even if you only slow down your opponent, it can save you;
- Use Hard Tackle: in FIFA 23, hard tackle became the strong defensive weapon. So don’t ignore it, but always remember about timing to effectively win the ball, and don’t let the opponent earn a free kick or even a penalty. If you lost your position, it is a problem too. To use this defensive option, you should hold down B/O for a standing tackle or hold down X/Square for a hard sliding tackle;
- Switch between your defenders: sometimes, it can be more important to switch players and block the trajectory of the ball, press the opponent player without the ball, or face the player who will take the pass later. Also, you can switch your players to block the shot at your goal;
- Don’t forget about defensive actions you can open holding Down: Striker Drop Back, Team Press, Overload Ball Side, and Offside Trap are the options that can save you the game, but you should master your skill to choose the right action at the right time.
We hope this article will help you to become better in defence. Please, don’t forget to rate our FIFA 23 defence guide.
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