In EA FC 24 it is important to have a stable defense to succeed in Ultimate Team, especially in Division Rivals and soon also in Weekend League. Often, it’s just small adjustments that can help you defend better. We will show you with tips and tricks how you can definitely concede fewer goals in your next match.

What are the key aspects of defending? Defensive work is much about patience, organization, and timing. For an attacker, there is nothing easier than a wild, rushing defender or a leaky, disorganized defensive line.

We will explain to you how you can appear more stable and compact in defense even with small changes.

5 Tips and Tricks for EA FC 24 to Defend Better

1. Set “Tactical Defending” in the Game Settings

Before we focus on defense on the field, a preset makes defending in FC 24 easier, which many of you may need to adjust manually.

How do I activate “Tactical Defending”? Go to the “Game Settings” under “Gameplay” in the subcategory “Defense”. There you will find the preset “Advanced Defending” next to the term Defensive.

Advanced defending differs from normal tactical defending that you already know from previous FIFA installments. Instead of a contextual tackle animation like in tactical defending, you can choose between shoulder barges and tackles with legs in advanced defending.

As the name suggests, you should only use advanced defending if you are already familiar with the gameplay, as it may otherwise overwhelm you.

Therefore, we would advise you to initially use normal tactical defending. This is how it should look in your game settings.

2. Opt for Fast, Tall, and Robust Players in Central Defense

What should I pay attention to when selecting my center-backs? EA has shifted the focus towards speed with the expansion of the three acceleration types (controlled, explosive, and sustained) in FC 24. Regardless of which acceleration type your center-back has, make sure they come with a certain base speed.

With the new evolution feature, you can even give certain defenders a decent speed boost.

However, it’s not just speed that should play an important role in your choice for center-backs. Two other aspects are equally essential, which may be mentally sidelined due to a new feature in FC 24.

With the inclusion of women in FC 24, some well-rated female defenders have also been added to the Ultimate Team player pool. The ratings look quite solid in some cases, but the players have a significant disadvantage.

They are smaller than their male counterparts. In central defense, however, you will have to compete in many aerial duels. Generally, taller players also win more headers.

Combined with the reduced size, a further deficiency appears with female players. Their player model is not as robust and wide as that of their tall male colleagues. This becomes especially evident in duels and blocking attempts.

So, if you are still unsure in defense, initially choose center-backs who have at least 70 pace and are at least 1.85 m tall. These will ensure more stability and compactness without your intervention.

If your defender also possesses defensive playstyles, you will have at least fulfilled the basic requirements to defend better.

3. Use Tactical Instructions for Covering

What is meant by covering? There is only one thing worse than poorly defending, namely not being able to defend at all because you have no players left in defense. Especially after losing the ball, the missing instructions can quickly become fatal for you.

Conversely, you should always ensure that you have a residual defense.

For this, we recommend in the tactical instructions which you can set for each position before the match, to give both outside defenders the instruction “Stay back while attacking”.

This way, the back four will always remain in their formation, and you will be prepared for potential counterattacks from the opponent.

4. Let the Opponent Come – Use Sidesteps to Challenge the Attacker

Why you shouldn’t defend too aggressively: As mentioned before, you become an easy target if you rush towards your opponent. Turn the table and stay in a passive observer role. As long as you let the attacker come to you, they first have to think of something to get past you.

In the game, this specifically means, only try to take the ball from the opponent when you are really sure you can do so. Try to match the opponent’s running paths and movement changes. The best way to do this is by following the opponent’s steps with sidesteps (jockey movement).

This is how defending with side steps works: To execute this defensive stance, hold down the L2 button on PlayStation or the LT button on Xbox. Additionally, you can also press the sprint button if you notice that your opponent wants to increase the pace in the duel. Your defender will then execute the lateral steps more quickly.

Finally, we have one tip that seems very trivial at first glance but is still very important.

5. Switch Between Players to Maintain Your Compactness

To prevent your defenders from breaking apart the defensive line, pass the attackers of your opponent to the colleagues who are better positioned.

This is how you switch your players: If the opponent launches an attack from the left, your right defender will engage with the attacking player. You select this player using the L1 button on PlayStation or the LB button on Xbox to position yourself.

If the ball is passed into the center, or the opponent runs with the ball towards the center, then use the player switch button to select a better positioned, ball-near player in the center. With this player, you can then receive the opponent again.

At the same time, the AI ensures that the right defender keeps their position in the defensive line.

With this simple trick, you maintain your compactness and make it difficult for your opponent to find the gap in your defensive unit. Press the player switch button one more time rather than too few.

With these tips and tricks, we promise you more stability in defense. If not everything should work perfectly at the beginning, that is completely normal.

With just the tactical instructions and the choice of robust center-backs, safety should already be felt in the first match.

If you also want to improve in offense, you should take a closer look at our article on the new OP dribbling in FC 24.