The new EA FC 26 has had its first intense days of gameplay. A part of the community noticed that forgoing defense seems to be the key to success.
Is attack the best defense? Some Reddit users have intensively discussed that a central component in football seems to be unimportant in the new EA FC: defending.
A focus on defenders like Virgil Van Dijk and others seems completely unnecessary, as the new iteration of the football hit is all about scoring more goals than the opponent. One user describes it as back-and-forth like in basketball – this quickly leads to final scores like 14-9, 9-6, 12-10, and 11-9 in EA FC.
Full throttle towards the goal – attack for everyone?
Where does this forgoing come from? Some in the mentioned Reddit feed point out that with the fast passing and dribbling, it often seems pointless to really pay attention to defense. Other users support this tactic by saying that defending itself is simply not fun in the new EA FC:
My opponents are so good at fast passing and dribbling that it’s pointless to rely on defensive stability. That’s why I just go all out for attack, with midfielders as playmakers, and I win almost every time by double-digit scores – it’s ridiculous.
Bagelodon states on Reddit that he knows how to defend, but he has no desire for the “boring Beyblade duels.” S7l0D claims to have completely given up defending: The best way to win? Score more points than the opponent. Attack is the best defense.
Are there other opinions in the feed? Although many in the feed seem to join this particular style of football tactics, there are a few voices that want to advocate a bit for all defenders.
Defending is difficult, but not impossible. Just use central midfielders to track back and anticipate the opponent’s movements. It doesn’t always work, but I don’t concede so many goals.
FerociouZ (via Reddit) adds that he never struggles with such high scores even though he plays in the second division: I play in the second league and have scored or conceded a maximum of 4 goals in the last 20 games.
Focus on attack yes, forgoing defense no
Only attack? A universally valid tactic and a recipe for success is not forgoing defense. However, it is interesting that many players seem to focus solely on attack. After all, in the new EA FC, pace is much more important again to overrun the defense, long shots are more effective, and crossing is more worthwhile.
The first patch has also shown that the focus of developer EA is more on attack.
How do I still strengthen the defense? A good offense in EA FC 26 is indeed the jewel of any team, but defense should not really be entirely neglected.
Three simple tips can help:
- Never recklessly pull your center-backs out of the defensive line. Always try to bring back the central midfielders first.
- Use defending with L2+R2 and skillfully move the player with the left stick to close gaps and wait for the right moment to tackle.
- Choose defenders with the shielding ability. You can find a list of the best players with this skill here.
If you want to dive deeper into the tactics world of the new EA FC and also want to know how one of the best players in the world approaches their matches, feel free to click here: EA FC 26: Best Tactics and Tactics Codes – How one of the best players in the world plays.
