In EA FC 24 a tactic has emerged as a clear favorite among professionals. MeinMMO author Thomas Dummer has spent a long time experimenting with the most popular formation and shows you which settings will help you develop more attacking powerlt, to get better rewards in the Weekend League.
Which formation is it about? Of course, we’re talking about the 4-3-2-1. After almost 6 months of EA FC 24, you have surely noticed that most players prefer this tactic because it promises the greatest success.
The 4-3-2-1 is primarily characterized by its concentrated offense. 3 forwards on paper make a clear statement. Furthermore, the tactic also allows for playing in a compact defensive block. You just need to make a few small adjustments. We explained how this works in our article about the two best tactics in EA FC 24.
After the 4-3-2-1 has established itself as the undisputed “number 1” among formations, I wanted to see what else could be drawn from this formation. I came across an interesting variant where you can attack with as many as 5 offensive players. This guarantees even more chances and even more goals.
New 4-3-2-1 Tactic: Full Offensive Power with 5 Attackers
What advantages does the alternative to the classic 4-3-2-1 bring? The clear motto here is: More attackers mean more goal threat. In the picture, you can see how 5 players have gathered at the edge of the penalty area. 5 players in attack already give you a numerical advantage, as most opponents will face you with a 4-man defense.
Thus, at least one of your teammates should always be free and ready for a pass. Once you’ve found the free player at the opponent’s 16-meter area, the opponent has to attack you since you are in dangerous proximity to the goal. By the mere fact that the opponent has to attack you to prevent a shot on goal, yet another teammate will become free that you can pass to.
Eventually, you will have played yourself into such a favorable situation to be able to take a shot from a promising position.
From 4-3-2-1 to 2-3-5: These are the Instructions
This is how you turn 3 forwards into 5 attackers: To try out the new variant, you need to first get your outer central midfielders (CM) onto the wings. Set your formations in the pre-selection to the 4-3-2-1 and then open the individual tactics.
In the instructions, change the settings for both the left and right CM as follows:
- Offensive support: Forward-oriented
- Cross support: At the edge of the penalty area for crosses
- Position freedom: Pull to the outside
In attack, your CMs will now move to the outside and flank the 3 central forwards. To get into the formation as quickly as possible and position the wing CMs as wide as possible, we recommend making two further adjustments in the “Tactics” under the category “Offensive”:
- Build-up play: Fast build-up
- Width: 100
“Width 100” ensures that the wing CMs position themselves as wide as possible next to your forwards. Consequently, the opposing defense must also stretch out, which in turn creates new spaces.
“Fast build-up” helps you form the 5-man attack as quickly as possible. In build-up play and after winning the ball, your outer CMs will quickly take their new positions in the offensive 5-man line.
What qualities should your wing CMs have? Since the central midfielders in the new formation take on the role of wingers, they should possess very good pace and dribbling.
To feed your central forwards with passes, they should also have good crossing and passing abilities. Since the wing CMs play in the front line, it would also be advisable for them to master a certain finishing quality to become a threat in front of the goal themselves.
These are quite high demands. We tested one of the best cards for this position and found that it offers the best value for money in FC 24.
Fullbacks Become Your Central Midfielders
This is how you make your fullbacks into CMs: To fill the gap in the center of midfield and feed your 5 attackers with passes, another adjustment is necessary. The positions of the outer CMs will be filled by the fullbacks. For this, you need to make a specific adjustment in tactics again. Select both fullbacks under “Instructions” and give them the following commands:
- Offensive runs: Stay back on attacks
- Run type: Inverted
The crucial setting is the inverted run type of the fullbacks. With this change, they will pull into the center in build-up play and move up one position. This way, they fill the gaps left by your wing CMs.
The instruction “Stay back on attacks” ensures that the fullbacks maintain their new position in midfield and do not make forward ventures. This way, you are well-positioned in attack with 5 players and secure yourself defensively with the remaining 5 players.
As a final adjustment, you should set the depth of the defense in tactics to “100”. The last line of defense will then stand extremely high. This poses a certain risk. However, you will be very compact after losing the ball, and the distances between your lines (attack, midfield, defense) will be so small that the opponent will have difficulty freeing themselves.
What qualities do your fullbacks need? Since fullbacks need to heavily contribute to build-up play, they should not only have good defensive stats but also strong passing values. Additionally, we recommend using fullbacks that also shine with good dribbling stats so they can hold their own in midfield against their opponents.
If you follow the instructions and settings, a very offensive tactic will result that can be a lot of fun. Feel free to try it out and let us know about your experiences in the comments.
Finally, we have a recommendation for a forward who fits perfectly with the new tactic: I tested a forward who plays like a significantly better Haaland – How strong is Future Stars Højlund
