In EA FC 24, all players actually use the same two tactics. MyMMO author Thomas Dummer tried a completely different formation, a 4-1-4-1, in the Weekend League. The new defensive stability earned him first place in the Champions and could help you get better rewards for TOTS.
What is this new formation? It is the 4-1-4-1 setup. In this formation, you have a back line of four defenders, a midfield line of four, and a striker up front.
What makes this formation so special is the single Central Defensive Midfielder (CDM) in front of your defense. This provides much more compactness and makes it harder for the opponent to create chances and score goals.
I’ll tell you what tactical instructions you should choose to pose a threat offensively and which types of players are recommended for the respective positions.
4-1-4-1 formation in FC 24: The most compact defense
What characterizes the formation? Primarily, this formation helps you to be more stable defensively. Especially in the Weekend League, you often face some tougher opponents with stronger teams.
The majority of your opponents play with the 4-3-2-1 or 4-2-3-1. In a separate article, we explained to you what makes the two formations so popular and what adjustments you should make to make them even better.
Since the 4-3-2-1 is primarily a very offensive formation, it doesn’t hurt to gain an advantage with a compact defense. This stability is guaranteed by the two lines of four (defense and midfield), but especially by the additional CDM. The CDM is the game changer in the 4-1-4-1 formation and fills gaps in front of your defense.
In earlier days, such a position was called “vacuum cleaner in front of the defense” – Dieter Eilts played this role for Bremen under Otto Rehhagel.
Tactics and instructions
To optimize the 4-1-4-1 defensively and offensively, you should make a few additional settings.
Tactics (Defense):
- Defensive style: Balanced
- Width: 44
- Depth: 100
With the small width, you try to direct the opponent’s game out wide and give them little space in the center. This keeps them away from your goal. With a depth of 100, your defensive line is very high. When you have the ball, your center-backs are at the midfield line. Although this poses a small risk, this setting is also important for your offense.
If you are still having trouble defending: 5 tips for better defense and fewer goals conceded in Ultimate Team
Tactics (Offensive):
- Build-up play: Balanced
- Chance creation: Direct passes
- Width: 50
- Players in the box: 5
- Corners: 1
- Free kicks: 1
In the offensive setting, you only need to set the chance creation to “Direct Passes.” This causes your players to try to burst directly into the open spaces and remain in motion. For corners and free kicks, I prefer to have as few players as possible in the opponent’s box to avoid a counterattack.
Instructions:
In the instructions, I have only listed the positions and their respective changes that you need to make independently. All other default settings remain unchanged.
- GK: Sweeper, Goalkeeper
- RB: Stay back while attacking, Overlap
- LB: Stay back while attacking, Overlap
- CDM: Stay back while attacking, Cover center
- LAM: Get forward, Cover center
- RAM: Get forward, Cover center
- ST: Stay central
The settings for the wing-backs (LB, RB) and central midfielders (LAM, RAM) are particularly significant for the offense. Your two central midfielders (encircled in blue in the image) take on the role of two additional strikers with the instruction “Get forward,” making you offensively strong with 5 attackers (LM, LAM, ST, RAM, RM).
The absence of central midfielders in the midfield is compensated by the two wing-backs (encircled in red in the image). They move forward into the vacant positions in midfield with the instruction “Overlap” and maintain their positions through “Stay back while attacking.” At this point, the “Depth 100” from the tactics also helps. It ensures that the wing-backs position themselves at the level of the CDM and create a line.
You can also apply this tactical trick for the most popular formation in FC 24: A small trick makes the strongest tactic even better – This is how you score more goals
These players should be deployed in key positions
What qualities should players at these positions possess? When selecting players, you should ensure that they have certain qualities and the best playstyles in the game. Particularly, the wing-backs and central midfielders come into focus here.
Wing-backs (RB, LB) and Central Defensive Midfielder (CDM)
These players should be good defensively, as they need to do crucial defensive work in the back. Since the wing-backs take on the positions of the central midfielders in attack, they also need the attributes of a good central midfielder. The same applies to the CDM.
- Defense (min. 85) and defensive playstyles (Interception, Anticipation, Tackle)
- Passing (min. 85) and strong passing playstyles (Through Ball, One-touch Pass, Key Pass, Tiki-Taka)
- Dribbling (min. 85) and ball control playstyles (First Touch, Calm)
Central Midfielders (LAM, RAM)
The central midfielders should also have solid defensive attributes as they help keep the center secure in defense. However, they primarily need to perform well offensively and have a certain finishing quality.
- Shooting (min. 85); strong shooting playstyles (curled shot, trivela) desirable
- Dribbling (min. 85) and strong ball control playstyles (see above + skill for the OP-R1-dribbling)
- Passing (min. 85) and strong passing playstyles (see above)
- Defense (min. 80)
For the central midfielders, it’s important that they are dangerous in front of goal, as they will often find themselves in scoring positions. Here’s how to best utilize the appropriate shooting techniques: Curled shot, finesse shot, and co. – These finishes guarantee many goals
Wingers (RM and LM)
The wingers should have good pace (90+) and strong dribbling (90+). They will usually stay further out wide but can also cut inside when there’s an opportunity. With two playstyles, you can gain an additional speed advantage. If you rely heavily on crosses, it is advisable for your wingers to have at least a silver proficiency in the playstyle “Hard Pass.”
For the other positions (CB, ST), you have free choice and can select players according to your preferences. I like to play with center-backs who have good passing stats, as this makes your build-up play a bit more variable.
In attack, you can use either a big, physically strong target man or a smaller, tricky player. If you prefer powerful striker types, I have a clear recommendation for you: I tested a striker who plays like a significantly better Haaland – This is how strong Future Stars Højlund is
