To succeed in FIFA 22, you should defend strongly to prevent goals. We show you tips for defense and how to defend effectively.
No matter how strong your attack is and how many goals you score, if your defense isn’t solid, things look bleak. Therefore, you should know how to defend properly in FIFA 22 and keep the opponent away from the goal.
We explain to you what has changed in FIFA 22 and what the best defensive techniques are.
Defending in FIFA 22 – This is how you do it correctly
Gameplay-wise, a lot has changed compared to FIFA 21. The new FIFA title is noticeably slower and passing is much more difficult due to the new competitive controls than its predecessor. Passes now require more precision and it is important that the player does not turn while passing.
These are disadvantages for the attack that you can cleverly exploit to prevent goals.
Defense starts in midfield
To intercept the opponent as early as possible, you should start defending in midfield. When your opponent has the ball and is approaching your half, use a midfielder to block passing lanes and win the ball early with a clever tackle.
It is important that you have strong midfielders whose defensive stats are sufficiently high. You should not use traditional central midfielders whose physical and defensive stats leave much to be desired; a strong defensive midfielder is best suited for this job.
Defend patiently
When defending in FIFA 22, timing is the crucial factor. If your tackle comes too early or too late, the opponent will have slipped past you or you will have caused a penalty or free kick. Patience is therefore required.
It is important to pay close attention to the opponent and their movements and to enter the tackle at the right moment. This means: You take your defending player and press the L2/LT and R2/RT buttons. Now your player moves with sidesteps and blocks passing and running lanes. Now the opponent has no choice but to trick you with a clever maneuver – which is not so easy – or to pass the ball.
This is how it works:
- Control your player with the left stick and hold L2/LT to close the passing and running lanes with sidesteps.
- Simultaneously use R2/RT to regulate your speed so you don’t get left behind.
Use a second player to apply pressure
While you are blocking passing lanes and covering opposing strikers with the player you control, you have the option to send one of your teammates towards the opponent at the press of a button and apply pressure with this action. This is now quite strong again in FIFA 22.
Pay attention to a green cursor above your players. The player with the green symbol is the one you can send towards the opponent.
This is how it works:
- Hold R1/RB to make the teammate run at the opponent. This will apply pressure on the opposing player and ensure that they have less space and need to pass the ball or break off their attack.
However, you should be cautious and not use this technique too often. In the worst case, you open up a large gap in your defense with the player you sent away, which can help the opponent. Especially your last line of defense should only be used cautiously for doubling.
Trust the center-backs in the defensive line
If there is one thing you should avoid in defense, it is breaking up the defensive line and attacking the opponent with one of the center-backs. This can lead to a large gap that the opponent can exploit with 1 or 2 passes.
Things to keep in mind: Let your defensive line do the defending and control a defensive midfielder to attack the opponent instead. Only at the very last moment should you actively use your center-backs to prevent a shot on goal.
However, if your opponent is coming down the wings, you should control the full-backs to actively prevent the opponent from crossing or penetrating the penalty area.
Use defensive tactics
If you generally have problems in defense, there are some tactical instructions that can help you. You should always tailor these to your own play, but the following have proven effective:
- “Stay back while attacking” for the full-backs who would otherwise join the attack.
- “Stay back while attacking” or “Drop back on defense” for one of your central midfielders. This will reinforce the defense instead of pushing forward.
- “Cover center” for defensive midfielders/central midfielders: If you use this instruction, your central midfielders will not focus on ball recoveries in the wide areas but will cover the central area directly in front of the goal. Especially if you want to intercept opponents who might shoot early or penetrate through the middle, this instruction is worthwhile.
What do you think about defending in FIFA 22? Let us know in the comments! If you want to know which tricks are particularly effective in addition to defense, check out this post:
