Are you having trouble overwhelming your opponents with shots in FIFA 21? Then here are some tips on how to attack better.
A strong offense is crucial for winning in FIFA 21. After all, you can only win if you score goals. An important point is to be as unpredictable as possible, so opponents can’t anticipate your moves.
That’s why we’ve outlined some tips that you can integrate into your offense to create more scoring opportunities.
Canceling Shots
This feature is new in FIFA 21. No, it’s not about faking shots – although that is also a useful trick. It’s about interrupting the shot animation.
To do this, you have to press both triggers (L2/R2 or LT/RT) immediately after performing a shot. The shot you just charged will not happen – and you can keep running. This can confuse your opponent and even AI-controlled defenders trying to block your shots.
You can cancel nearly everything. It also works with passes, crosses, or skill moves. It takes a bit of practice, but the effects can be very strong.
Send your players actively into the offense
Here’s how the offensive run works: When you stand in front of the opponent’s penalty area, the AI won’t always run effectively into the offense on its own. You can change that: As the ball-carrying player, use L1/LB to signal to the next player to execute an offensive run towards the opponent’s goal.
You can also briefly use the right stick after pressing L1/LB to tell the sent player exactly which direction to run. This feature is called “Creative Run” and is new in FIFA 21. It takes a bit of practice with timing, but this way you can trick your opponent with surprising runs.
Use the sharply hit cross
Here’s how the cross works: Scoring goals with crosses and headers is not necessarily easy. There is often still a defender between your attacker and the opponent’s goal preventing the shot.
A crossing variant that works well is a cross with decent pressure behind it. When you combine the cross button (Square/X) with R1/RB, your player will execute a flat, sharply hit cross. If you use this from the side and fire the ball into the penalty area, your attackers can simply get their foot on it and convert the ball. Of course, this isn’t a guaranteed recipe for goals, but the cross is a good opportunity for a goal setup.
Perfect timing with long through passes
To get your strikers in front of the goal, through passes are a good means. But a particular through pass is especially powerful – namely the one you send from your own half straight to the front.
Here’s how it works:
- Use a ball-carrying player in your half and send the striker at the front with L1/LB on an offensive run.
- Then you should run with the ball-carrying player to the outside to buy some time.
- Keep an eye on the striker as he runs forward. Use the radar at the bottom for this.
- Then fire a long through pass with Triangle/Y as soon as the attacker is level with the last defender. If you have a fast striker at the front, he will outrun your opponent completely and bring you right in front of the keeper. Then you just need to finish.
Lob passes in close space
Are you having trouble with your passes being intercepted or played inaccurately? Bring some variety into your play and use lob passes. To do this, simply double tap the pass button (X/A) or the through pass button (Triangle/Y).
The advantage of these passes is that they are not easily blocked and also fly with great accuracy. Especially in the opponent’s penalty area, this can be the necessary surprise you need for a scoring opportunity.
If you still can’t get past the opponent despite the lob passes in close spaces, you should incorporate some tricks into your play. Some skills are quite easy but still very effective. These include:
- The Bridge (double R1/RB), which gives you a slight speed boost.
- The Ball Roll (move the right stick sideways), which can give you the necessary space through a slight shift.
Even a few simple trick movements can help you gain that crucial bit of space.
We have compiled an overview of effective skill moves for more goals.
