After a disappointing streak, EA Sports hit it out of the park withFC25, where for the first time in ages the gameplayfeels like football.
A lot ofthis authenticity comes from the overhauled tactics system, which if you close your eyes feels a little likeFootball Managerlite.
Mastering the tactical settings isessential to succeed inFC25, be it on Career Mode orUltimate Team, and this tactics handbook is here to give you efficient setups for every type of player.
6The Safe 3-4-1-2
Atalanta’s Secret Sauce
Safe wide build-up
Gaps without possession
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Gian Piero Gasperini’s story is everyFC25player’s dream. In 2016, he took over a struggling Atalanta (or Bergamo, in EA-speak) and molded it to his liking, making it Italy’s ‘best of the rest’.
The signature move of this system is that the central midfielders and wingbacks overlap in possession, freeing the latter to move further up the pitch. Meanwhile, the #10 drops closer to the central defenders to receive the ball.
This makes the buildup phase safe and creates space in the middlesector by baiting the opposing midfield and forwards wide.
As the ball moves forward, the drifting central mids and wingbacks can combine with the #10 or one of the forwards to make effective passing triangles.
In the final third,the attacking mid roams to the flank to pick up the balland feed it to one of the forwards.
Without the ball, this tactic requires pressing the opposing defense to make the build-up more uncomfortable.
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The main weakness with this 3-4-1-2 is thatit is very vulnerable to an opponent with defenders who are good with the ball, as they can easily bypass the early press and send trouble straight to the midfield pair.
This setupworks best witha traditional #9and a nominal attacking midfield or wingernext to them. The player behind the front two must have good lungs, as they will be working as a box-to-box midfielder and roaming forward depending on the situation.
54-4-Bloody-2
If It Ain’t Broke, Cross It In
Simple and effective even with weak teams
Easy to nullify tactically
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If in doubt, play some four-four-bloody-two. The 4-4-2 gets a bad rep for being basic, but it isone of those formations that just worksif you have the right players for it.
The criticism is not entirely unwarranted, as this formation does lend itself to less exciting football than your fancy 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 variations, but it lingers on so long because it offers lesser teams a way to fight the big guys on their terms.
The main advantage of a 4-4-2 is thathaving two dedicated forwards in front of four midfielders makes it easy to move the ball upto them.
After that, they are largely on their own, which is why you need forwards that can either outrun or outmuscle the opposition.
The fullbacks are crucial here to provide with and move the ball from the flanks into the box, while also bypassing a tight midfield via combinations with the wingers.
The default4-4-2 struggles against sides playing a five or three-man backline, which is why this model uses an inside forward on one end. This means that, situationally, your team will move to a 4-3-3 when the right flank drifts infield.
Themidfield pairingneeds one enforcer with good distribution and a Duracell bunny type that can run all day long.
Since this tactical setup is compact and sits deeper,do not shy away from Route One footballif push comes to shove.
4High-Pressing 4-3-3
Tactics So Good Even Liverpool Can Win The League
Lightning counterattacks
Exhausting if playing more than one competition
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Jürgen Klopp is gone from Liverpool, but he left a tactical legacy that revolutionized world football.
Klopp imported his aggressive pressing style from Dortmund and refined it to bring Liverpool’s first-ever Premier League.
This tactics setup isperfect if you have wide players with good positioning and finishingskills, supported by a light center-forward who can create space for them instead of hogging up the ball.
The flat midfield trio has no focal point, but that is by design. The goal here is tosuffocate your adversary, regain possession, and move the ball to the front threebefore the defense can reorganize.
The falseback behind the inside forward beefs up the midfield line in possession, but it needs a defender with good passing stats to work.
Keeping that level of pressure up takes a lot of stamina and leaves space behind, soyou need versatile midfielders and defenders who can track back fastto avoid getting smoked by long balls on the counter.
3Possession Obsession 4-1-4-1
Flexible Attacking Football
Defeats man-marking
Strike struggles alone
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This tactic takesa carousel approach to positioning, and you will regularly find a central midfielder playing pair up top by your striker, or a winger running into space down the middle.
This asymmetrical formation hinges on a creative midfield that can pull its weight when defending andfullbacks that are not scared to control the flowof the game.
The wide midfielders drift inside during most of the attacks to link up with the central mids, eventually overwhelming the defense in the process.
For that to work,you need a good ball-playing defensive midfielder who can survive the opposing pressand move the ball between the lines, and quick central defenders, as losing possession here almost can lead to a blistering counterattack.
This tactic can struggle to break into the box against very deep-seated teams. You can get around this via the generous use of long shots, or by replacing the poacher with a mobile forward that can make incisive runs.
2The Italian 5-3-2
Antonio Conte’s Signature Back Five
Balanced play
Weak against back three/five systems
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Since leaving Juventus, Antonio Conte has earned a reputation for being a passionate genius whose tactical innovations are eventually undone by his temper after a season or two.
Fortunately, your FC25 players are easier to deal with, allowing this tactic to earn you a few titles undisturbed.
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Defensively,this is a compact setupboth horizontally and vertically, which focuses on squeezing the opponent into the flanks and then overwhelming them there.
This formation hasa playmaker central defender protected by two pitbull typeson the flanks and a defensive midfield enforcer ahead.
No-nonsense wingbacks make or break this system.Keep it simple: a guy that can hug the touchline and put a good cross in, then track back and regain possession if it goes wrong.
The Conte 5-3-2 needs two central midfielders with good stamina and aggression, sitting behind one traditional poacher and a mobile forward that can drop back to create.
If you want to go for a more offensive approach, you may change this for a 3-4-3, but it leaves you more exposed to counterattacks.
1The Pep 4-3-3
The Secret to Manchester City’s Success
Overwhelming attacks
Requires total possession
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Pep Guardiola managed to bring the Champions League trophy to the Etihad after 7 long years, and this tactic was crucial in that campaign.
This 4-3-3 hinges on the defenders, withat least one ball-playing center back to move up the fieldand join the holding midfielder. The fullbacks need to be defensively solid, beefing up the midfield instead of bombing forwards.
This defensive foundation frees up the other two midfieldersto roam and find space to create, allowing an offensive-minded central midfielder or an attacking midfielder to slot into either CM role.
The magic happens witha creative wide forward playing off a traditional #9 and an incisive wingeron the opposite end.
This tactic overwhelms the final third with creative players and beats the defense into submission.
The main weakness of this 4-3-3 is thatit is overly reliant on possession, so an aggressive team that does not sit back can make for a miserable time if your defenders are not up to the task.
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