FIFA 23: How To Defend In FUT

As football fans, we love games with a lot of goals. But the FIFA commentators would say: "This is not a game for the coaches."

Speaking of coaches: Famous coaches like Simeone or Mourinho have defensive work in their blood. And we are also happiest when we don't concede a goal. Because without conceding a goal, you can't lose either. OK, in the Weekend League you can lose on penalties after 120 minutes, but that's often just a matter of luck.

• The following adjustments also help to get better at FUT: Best FIFA 23 Controller Settings For FUT

If you follow our tips and tricks, you will certainly concede fewer goals in FIFA 23 - regardless of whether you prefer to play Ultimate Team or Career mode.

FIFA 23: How To Defend In FUT

In our golden C-L-E-A-N-Sheet rules, we have put together five tips and tricks for you that will make you suddenly better. Promised!

• With these tips, you can also put the best strikers in FIFA 23 in your pocket

Clear The Situation

Clearance is one of the most underrated actions in FIFA. Defending in particular is not about beauty, but about effectiveness. Especially when winning the ball in your own penalty box, for example after free kicks or corner kicks, it makes sense to simply use the shot button to clear the ball. This allows for some breathing room.

Let the AI do the work

The R1 button on PS or the RB button on Xbox is one of the pieces of the puzzle for a functioning defense. This button allows you to request an additional player to do the work for you.

Especially in combination with "Come Back on Defence", an additional player gives you the opportunity to attack the opponent without losing your defensive stability. Request your defending Midfielder to attack the opponent by holding the R1 button, and at the same time close any gaps with your selected defender.

In other words: You attack with the R1 player while preventing the opponent's actions with the player you control yourself. This requires some practice, so it's best to practice in offline modes if you haven't integrated the R1/RB button into your game yet. Done perfectly, it will make it much harder for your opponent to find a way through your defence.

Attention: Unlike the other buttons, you should not press R1/RB continuously. For the following reasons:

1. It's also possible that a Centre Back will rush out to support, and that's something we want to avoid at all costs
   
2. The R1 feature has a cooldown and will need to recharge after prolonged use. Letting the AI defend on its own doesn't work in FIFA 23 anymore.

The rule here is: less is more.

Ease Off And Let The Opponent Come

The first rule is the simplest but also the most effective. There's nothing easier for a Striker than a Defender rushing out. The Forward only needs to feint, and he'll be past your defender. Turn the tables and let the attacking player come at you.

In-game, you should always use the L2 button on PS or the LT button on Xbox while defending. Your defender adopts a lower stance with many small sidesteps. So you can follow every change in movement of the striker. Ideally, you always push your opponent away from the goal.

An additional tip: Of course, it can also happen that the opponent's Wingers run towards your defense at full speed and have a lot of space in front of them. For this situation, you press the R2/RT button in addition to the L2/LT button. Your player will now perform the sidesteps way faster.

• Defensive work means attrition, also for our controllers, fortunately Amazon has new PS5 Controllers

Adjust The Player Instructions

The next tip is the only one that cannot be implemented directly in the game. In your Tactics and Formations, you can give each player individual Instructions.

If you don't feel confident on defense yet, then select "Defensive Support" and choose "Come back on Defence" for your Midfielders. Players with this instruction don't stand still when they lose the ball. The basics of defense should be mentioned at this point: more defenders → more legs → less space for the opponent → fewer goals conceded.

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Never Give Up Your Defender's Actual Position

Leave your defenders in their formation. The basic idea of every functioning defense is: the Full Backs cover the flanks, the Center Backs cover the center.

If your Full Back suddenly stands between your two Centre Backs, there will inevitably be more space for the opponent. So let your players just defend their area. You can find out how to do this in the next tip.

Switch Your Player

The player switch button, the L1 button on the PS and the LB button on the Xbox, is one of the most important buttons in defensive work. It helps you keep the basic order on the defensive. With this button, you can select the player close to the ball.

So if your opponent pulls into the middle from the outside, don't run after with your Full Back, just take control of your nearest, better-positioned defender with the player switch button.

• Assuming a ball slips through, then you should have one of these goalkeepers behind your defense.

If you master the automatic player switching perfectly, you can get a few more percentages out of the player switching function. Use the right stick to manually switch players while your opponent has the ball. This is useful for precisely selecting a midfielder or forward supporting your defense.

If you press the right stick in once, the exact direction instructions will appear above your players and how to switch to them with the right stick. It's best to try the whole thing in offline mode first – if it helps you, use it in online modes as well.

With these tips and tricks, you should notice clear differences in the next game. If something doesn't work right away, that's completely normal. You might also start by integrating just one adaption into your next match. We wish you good luck.

• With these ultimate Defenders in your squad, you wouldn't need any more tips either, and we'd be out of a job