On Sunday evening, the official German “FIFA 18” champion of the Virtual Bundesliga was crowned. Tim Katnawatos secured the title mainly due to his strong defense. We show you how to emulate “The StrxngeR’s” pressing.
The final of the Virtual Bundesliga in FIFA 18 took place on the weekend of March 31 to April 1 and was broadcast live on TV for the first time. On Saturday, it started with the group stage, which concluded with the semifinals. On Sunday, the console finals and the grand final of the console champions were held.
Although many high-profile players like “Tim Latka” and “TimoX” had to pack their bags early, the final matches were still strongly contested: Tim “The StrxngeR” Katnawatos defeated Cihan Yasarlar on the PS4. Mirza Jahic eliminated Niklas Raseck from the tournament on the Xbox with a Golden Goal.
In the cross-console final, the favorite won: Katnawatos triumphed over Mirza and took home the €25,000 prize money as well as the title “German FIFA 18 Champion”.
“The StrxngeR” entered the final as the favorite
Mirza Jahic and “The StrxngeR” have never faced each other in a competition before. However, the clear favorite in this match was Katnawatos – even though he was the only semifinal participant who had not yet won the Virtual Bundesliga.
While “The StrxngeR” tends to play decisively towards the goal and presses hard on ball losses, Mirza is an absolute possession player.
The first leg on the PS4
Mirza started with the 4-4-2 formation in the first game on the PlayStation 4. Katnawatos initially began with the 4-2-3-1 but later switched to the 4-2-2-2 during the match.
The match ended 0-0. Mirza had more possession and a slight advantage in chances. From his perspective, it was frustrating that he did not score an away goal. The Virtual Bundesliga plays with the away goal rule known from the Champions League.
The formations have a big impact on your chances of winning: These 3 formations are used by professionals in FIFA 18 Ultimate Team.
The second leg on the Xbox One
In the second game on the Xbox One – actually Mirza’s preferred console – “The StrxngeR” dominated. He took the lead from a corner, preventing Mirza from establishing his possession play. Additionally, he now had to win in any case due to the away goal rule. A draw would not have sufficed.
Appropriately: Corner kicking in FIFA 18 – tips on how to successfully convert corners.
After the 2-0 at halftime and the 3-0 from a counterattack, the matter was settled. Mirza remained true to his motto “Never Give Up” and switched first to a diamond and then to a three-man defense. However, the defeat was no longer avoidable.
“The Strxnger” played extremely confidently until the end, standing out as he did throughout the tournament with his strong defense, good pressing, and many pass anticipations.
You can watch the match again here:
Katnawatos Defense: How to Press Like the German Champion
Katnawatos’ key to success was his strong pressing in combination with the skillful interception of the opponent’s passes. To apply pressure to the opponent with pressing, it is not enough to constantly rush at him with the selected player. It is too easy for him to counter with simple passes.
Passive defending makes the difference here. You let the CPU attack the ball carrier while using your selected player to cover possible passing lanes.
To bring in another player for defending, you press the RB button (Xbox) or the R1 button (PS4) in defense. You can press it multiple times if your players do not react initially.
The CPU now pressures the ball carrier. At the same time, you can approach the most dangerous or obvious passing option. Side-steps are suitable for this – the player takes a defensive position and can react more quickly to changes in direction. You perform them on the Xbox controller with the LT button and on the PlayStation with the L2 button.
Things to consider when CPU pressing:
- Start pressing in midfield with midfielders or even strikers
- Do not pull out or draw away the center-backs – only if you are absolutely sure you can win the tackle
- For anticipating passes, fast players with a high interception value are suitable: N’Golo Kante is a prime example of this
Voices on the Final
For Katnawatos, who is rather introverted compared to Mirza, the title means “extremely much”, as the Virtual Bundesliga is “the most important title you can win nationally”. Shortly after the final, he could hardly believe it himself, and his family was also there, overwhelmed.
Despite the lost final, Mirza will also be satisfied with his tournament performance and the €10,000 won, as few actually expected to see him in the knockout round.
“Are you schörzing with me?” – Mirza used his well-known slogan several times, underscoring that he probably also did not expect to reach the final.
In response to our inquiry, Mirza explained once again what ultimately led to his downfall: The missing away goal in the first leg and the deficit in the second game meant that he could not continue to establish his possession play. He also revealed that he probably stayed too long in the 4-4-2 and should have switched to the 4-3-1-2 earlier.
The DFB president, by the way, does not see much value in this: DFB boss Grindel attacks FIFA 18 and PES: “Absolute impoverishment”.
