Defending Guide

Tactical defending
This without doubt, was the most challenging change that EA made to this years game.  I know a lot of people who only play offline modes (god knows why?!) and they are still usng the old style of defending we used in Fifa11 and previous versions.

For me, they are missing out.  The reward for dispossessing the opposition, although not quite the same thrill as bending one in from outisde the box is still extremely gratifying.

Yes, adapting to the new style is initially quite tricky (especially if you relied on holding down the automatic tackle button or secondary press buttons in previous versions.)  However, if you stick with it you’ll soon find defending a rewarding part to the game instead of just holding down buttons and hoping to win the ball back.  Jump to the Defending Tips area of the site for my guide to conceding less goals, hence, hopefully winning more games.

The video below shows the in-game tutorial that EA sports used to introduce tactical defending to the fifa community. It does help to go back to the tutorial from time-to-time even if you think you’ve mastered the new system.

What if I really can’t get the hang of tactical defending?
Legacy defending does still exist but as mentioned earlier, is restricted to offline game modes such as kick-off and career mode.  This is another reason to try get to grips with tactical defending if you have not already done so.  You won’t regret it.