A content creator for EA FC 25 has tried a new tactic in Ultimate Team that is promising against teams with aggressive defensive behavior. You can find out why he only needed one button for 10 consecutive victories in Rivals Division 1 on MeinMMO.
Who is this content creator? NickRTFM is one of the most well-known content creators for EA FC. According to Sullygnome, he ranks among the top 3 most-watched Twitch streamers for FC 25 worldwide.
On his second channel nickrtfm2 on YouTube, he regularly uploads highlight videos of his streams, showcasing new players and tactics.
The streamer has successfully tried a new tactic in Division 1 of the Rivals, which is the second highest league, achieving 10 wins from 10 matches.
It was noticeable that despite some goals conceded, he scored many goals himself. This ultimately resulted in an impressive winning streak against strong opponents.
Strong Tiki-Taka with 4-2-2-2 tactic and pass button
What kind of tactic does the expert use? NickRTFM plays in a 4-2-2-2 formation with the following player roles/focuses and team tactics:
- GK: TH Professional (Defense)
- LB: Defense Professionals (Defense)
- RB: Defense Professionals (Defense)
- LM: Fullback (Defense)
- RM: Fullback (Defense)
- CDM: Deep-lying Playmaker (Build-up)
- CDM: Deep-lying Playmaker (Build-up)
- CAM: Wide Midfielder (Balance)
- CAM: Shadow Striker (Attack)
- ST: Target Man (Attack)
- ST: Target Man (Attack)
- Build-up Style: Short Passes
- Defensive Approach: Aggressiveness (Line height min. 95).
Why this tactic is suitable for strong Tiki-Taka: The expert relies on continuous short passing in this tactic, which in football is also referred to as “Tiki-Taka.” Essentially, you only need the X button on PlayStation or the A button on Xbox.
The players continuously offer themselves for passes due to the build-up style “Short Passes.” Your only task is to charge the passes with the necessary sharpness and direct them towards the open player.
With this style of play, you can gradually combine your way forward.
Of course, you can also vary your passes and incorporate through balls (Triangle/Y) or high passes (Square/X). This gives your players more variability, which could especially help you against stronger opponents.
Which players are suitable for this tactic? Coincidentally, there is also a suitable PlayStyle for the Tiki-Taka tactic. The Passing PlayStyle “Tiki-Taka” grants increased precision to your short passes, even when played in difficult situations, such as unfavorable passing angles to teammates or under defensive pressure.
Therefore, if you want to play the formation as faultlessly as possible, it is advisable to have as many players with the Tiki-Taka PlayStyle among your ranks.
Further advantages and disadvantages of NickRTFM’s 4-2-2-2 formation
Advantages:
- The fullbacks are very close together during your possession, allowing them to cover the wingers in the 4-2-1-3 meta as they cut inside. This also provides good counter-attack protection.
- With the CAMs, you have both a central attacking midfielder who can pose a goal threat directly behind your strikers, and a winger providing a passing option on the flanks.
- The two CDMs are the engine of your team: they assist in build-up play and defensively cover the center in front of your defensive line against the opposing ST and CAM.
- With the Defensive Approach “Aggressiveness,” you put pressure on the opponent early and force them into mistakes.
How the advantages of the setup can lead to goal success is demonstrated by the expert in an exemplary scene:
Disadvantages of the 4-2-2-2 formation and what you can do about them:
- Problem: Wings are only occupied offensively on one side, as the fullbacks are instructed to stay back
- Solution: Try in build-up play to send your fullbacks with a one-two (L1+X/LB+A) or manually (L1/LB in the direction of the desired player).
- Problem: Stagnant attacking play and little space in the center due to 5 central players (CDM, CDM, CAM, ST, ST)
- Solution: Assign 1 of 2 CDMs as deep-lying playmaker the focus “Freedom of Movement” or your CAM the player role playmaker with freedom of movement, or 1 of 2 STs as target men the focus “Support” or “Complete.” You will see that the professionals will now more often drift to the flanks during ball possession.
Once you have familiarized yourself with the formation, you can also experiment with player roles and their focuses from time to time. However, we always recommend first adjusting one position to better observe the effects on your game.
Of course, you should not expect that with the setup you will only win from now on. However, with this tactic and a little practice, you will create many chances to score at least one more goal than your opponent. A strong striker, which you can get through one or another evolution, could help you: Strong & affordable players for all EVO upgrades
