Playing defense isn’t the most exciting thing in FIFA -- If anything it’s probably the least exciting. But you know what they say in many American sports: “Defense wins championships,” and the same logic applies in soccer, and playing FIFA.

This is a quick basic guide to all the key positions and roles in defense, what stats to look out for and some tips to make sure you’re playing better.

 

 

Key Roles - Formations and Roles

First up, you got to realize how many defenders your team is playing. When you see formation types (like 4-4-2 for instance), the first digit will generally tell you how many defenders you (or your opponent), are running. Here are the key differences.

3-defender setups - Generally used in formations like 3-5-2. Pretty much always use three central defenders. The best advantage of this is that it’s very hard for a team to break you down through the middle of the pitch, but the downside is they have to cover more space and can often be vulnerable if spread out. It can leave a lot of holes. Rarely used at the highest level, but can be effective if you have good covering center backs, with decent speed.

4-defender setups - The industry standard, so to speak. The most commonly used defensive setup in soccer. It tends to have two central defenders and two full backs in an equal line. The two center backs will cover the middle of the pitch, one often covering space, while the other one will be the stopper who gets stuck in more often to clear any danger.

Full backs cover the flanks, and any danger coming from the wings primarily. But they may also often can play deeper down the field, joining the attack on the overlap, as “Wing Backs,” a hybrid between a full back a winger. You’ll often see teams like Barcelona and Madrid utilize this with players like Daniel Alves, Marcelo, and Jordi Alba. The 4-back system is well balanced, with no major strength, or weakness.

5-defender systems - There are two kind of 5-back systems. One’s a main variant of the 3-back, and that’s using wing backs down the sides to swing and counter the play, and the other, is ultra-defensive, often done by teams looking to defend a lead, or play conservatively. With less space to cover, defenders are more comfortable and when effective, can be extremely frugal in terms of scoring goals. Often seen in Italy where defenders can afford to be slower and limited, as they tend to be older.

 

 

Key Stats and Abilities

Physical - Jumping, Strength and Balance. You have to be good in the air as a defensive player to deal with aerial threats like goal kicks, crosses and corners. It’s a given. Strength is vital to be able to push attacking players off the ball, thus giving yourself a better chance to win the ball. Similar deal with balance, you don’t want to get knocked off balance yourself by stronger attackers like Mario Balotelli or Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Agility - Sprint Speed and Acceleration is a bonus. It’s nice to have it, but if your positioned well, and your tactical awareness is sound, it’s not completely necessary.

Mental - The stats can be a little misleading, because ultimately, you control the defensive player in-game, but the higher stat, the better chance you have of getting in the middle of a pass. (Mark Sanchez has a 99 in this stat.)

Technical - Short Tackle and Slide Tackle. Do I really need to explain this one? In all seriousness, the slide tackle is a little more important if you’re slower and you need the extra yard to poke the ball out, like a Nemanja Vidic, or Mats Hummels, who aren’t known for their speed.

 

 

General Tips

Learn Tactical Defensive Play - Legacy defending is easy (Sprint to the player and hold A/X till you get the ball back), but trust me it’s worth learning and playing online where you HAVE to play tactical...It’ll make you a better player in the long run. Practise against the AI if you must on Professional AI difficulty or higher.

Know your opponent and tendencies - I’ve mentioned this before, but it really does help. Know what your opponent’s best strengths are, and work around that. For example, you’re against Angel Di Maria of Madrid. He’s got a very strong left foot, and a weak right foot, so as a defender, push him outside, so you don’t have to worry about him cutting inside on that stronger foot. It’s things like that which will give you an edge.

Don’t Tackle Recklessly - This isn't Madden, be careful when tactical defending, especially with tackling. If you miss and get it wrong, the animations are lengthy and you can lose half a yard...it's costly. Try and cover and play behind your attack and get alongside, and you will have a much better chance in that matchup.

Don’t be too aggressive with your full backs - Also, this happens a lot, where players will attack with their full backs, making them vulnerable on the counter, leaving them having to work extra hard to track back out of position. Don’t leave your centre backs exposed and attack in moderation.

Hope you guys enjoyed the post and appreciated this little beginner’s guide - Let me know if you liked it, or if you have other tips worth sharing, and I’ll get in touch in the comments. Or you can follow me on Twitter at @Harrison101HD.

PS: This post is dedicated to the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster on their 25th anniversary this year. May we as football fans, come together and support them all. Thank you.