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Defending is one of the most difficult things to master inEA Sports FC 25. In challenging modes like Ulitmate Team Champions, patience and consistency are vital to defending successfully. A solid defense can win you games and separate the professionals from the masses.
Even though attacking is important, being unable to stop attacks will result in you losing matches, no matter how much you score. The better players willplay with your weak backlineand move around without resistance. This can make playing against decentEA Sports FC 25players quite frustrating.
How To Defend Better In EA Sports FC 25
Defending is not an easy skill to master inEA Sports FC 25, especially with players who have low defensive stats. In cases like that, it can be tough to win the ball without using some unique techniques. If you can utilize these tips, then you can effectively maintain your backline, even with strikers in your central defense. Here are a few tricks that you can practice to slowly but surelyimprove your defensive capabilities inEA Sports FC 25:
Reduce Your Use Of The Tackle Button
A useful tip that most players don’t know is thatusing the jockey button makes it easier to win back the ball compared to tackling. Even when there is some distance between you and the attacker., your defender will move and position themselves more effectively, allowing you to win the ball more easily.
On PlayStation, the jockey button is L2, and on Xbox, it’s LB.
Despite its simplicity, jockeying requires some practice. If you constantly press the button, you won’t win the ball. Instead, try to focus on timing, and if done correctly, you’ll beat the attacker easily. Because of how easy this is, you’ll find yourself not depending on tackling all the time. This also reduces the chances of players committing a foul and giving away a free kick from a risky spot.
Slide Tackle As A Last Resort
Just like howEA Sports FC 25players should minimize the use of the tackling button, they should also do the same with slide tackles. Even though it can work out in certain situations, it’s too risky, as there is the chance of causing a foul and getting a card. Besides, not winning the ball from a slide tackle means that your defender will fall very far behind the attacking player and will have no chance of catching up in time.
The only time you may even consider a slide tackle is during a fast counterattack when the opposition does not have full control of the ball. Even then, however, it is advised to be cautious because of the risk of a suspension.
Apply Gegenpressing
Gegenpressing is a tactic popularized by Jurgen Klopp in the Premier League.This team, Liverpool, has found massive successthanks to it, and you can translate this into the game as well. The basic concept of this technique is to apply pressure on the man with the ball while he is high up on the pitch. This denies any chance of counter-attacking and allows your team to create a goal-scoring opportunity out of nothing. In the game, this is known as second-man pressing.
By pressingthe R1 button on PlayStationandthe RT button while on Xbox, you’ll see a green arrow appear on one of your teammates, and they will pressure the player with the ball with you. This forces the opponent to make mistakes, allowing you to win the ball more effectively. Even though you shouldn’t use it all the time, as it makes your players fatigue faster, in the right spot, this technique can save your team from a tricky spot.
Guard All The Passing Lanes
In real football, one of the factors that can determine a squad’s merit is their ability to push through the center of the field. It is easier to glide down the wings, but it becomes hard to score, as you’re too far away from the post. So, the best teams in the world develop their movement and pass in such a way that they can run through the middle without breaking a sweat.
This also translates intoEAFC; while attacking,the best players will try to utilize all the pathwaysgiven to them to reach the posts. So, it is crucial to cover these lanes and block their path. Effectively using the space between every defender and covering the angles from which the runner can pass to his teammates will tear apart a counterattack. This also denies the chances of the attackers getting a through ball between the defensive line.
This may take some time to visualize and apply, but once you do, it will be extremely effective in helping you control the field.
Use L2/LT To Stop Passes
This technique allows you to be more in control during duels and deny your target the chance of passing to a teammate. It’s quite a simple thing, but it makes such a difference in breaking the momentum of a counterattack. You can make use of it by holding the left trigger while dueling an attacker.
Doing so will reduce the range by which your defender is around the attacker, minimizing the distance between you and the ball and making your turns quicker. You also sprint while doing this. So, holding down L2/LT and R2/RT together will not only let you move faster but also give you more time to focus on the ball without slowing down.
Use Players In The Meta
Unfortunately, you can apply all the tactics in the world and still lose out to a quick attack. No matter how effective your skills are, you simply won’t be bulletproof without strong players in your defense. Thankfully, the game adds new special cards every week, allowing you to pick your own crops, but you need to keep some things in mind before choosing your defenses.
Pace is one of the most important factors inEA FC 25. The intensity of the game can be hard to match, and players without at least 80 pace might struggle to keep up with counter-attacks and all the throws. You also need to filter out the cards where the players are composed, have good physicality, and are defensively aware. These are all vital aspects for a defender to possess in this game.
Some of the best defenders in the game right now areMicky van de Venfrom Tottenham,Theo Hernandezfrom AC Milan, andKoundefrom Barcelona. If you can’t get these players, you can hold them as the standard and collect cards with stats similar to them. A good example of internal stats is Micky van de Ven, who only has a base rating of 82. However, his defensive capabilities are through the roof, mainly because of his high physical stats and defense awareness. Numbers like this are the ones that matter more than base ratings, so when searching for defenders, make sure you keep these criteria in mind.
