Every great manager throughout history has had a signature style to their coaching. From Sir Alex Ferguson to Pep Guardiola, all of them have evolved along with the game and made changes to their tactics as the game evolved.
If you want to commandeer your troops to victory in FUT 19 you have come to the right place. Today we will teach you how to get the best from your players in FUT 19. Making use of tactics you can choose whether you want to play highly defensive and hit on the counter-attack like Jose Mourinho, or if you want to monopolize possession and control the game through lots of passes in the midfield like Pep Guardiola. Maybe you would want to tweak these tactics to suit your own needs and establish your own identity on the virtual field.
Regardless of what playstyle you wish to use, you have come to the right place. After you finish this epic guide you will be an expert in tactics and instructions and it will help you take your game a step further. Tactics and instructions can turn an average player into a good player and a good player into an expert.
So you’ve spent a lot of time building your team? Spent hours over hours trading and played over 400 games in the WL only to pack Fellaini in your rewards. You still trade up and slog your way to an icon and a super team only to find out you are getting the same number of wins and results are not improving at all.
Then you must address on of the most ignored aspects in Team Management in FIFA.- Custom tactics. Custom Tactics will help you give your team an identity and dictate exactly how the play in certain situations. In decreasing order of their effectiveness you can use-
Custom Tactics Player Instructions Player Roles
Custom Tactics can be accessed in this way-
Ultimate Team >> Squads >> Active Squad >> Squad Actions >> Tactics.
You can make changes to your tactics in your FUT Hub, on the menu just before the match begins or even during a match. The game will always consider the most recent custom tactics.
Before we go on to explain what custom tactics do and how they work it would be important to note that you should try to make subtle changes to these so that they are tailored to fit you. Copying someone else’s Custom Tactics won’t always work because they may have a different approach to the game. Unless you are ready to radically change your playstyle along with their tactics, you are going to have a hard time adjusting to their tactics is it is best to use them as a guideline and slowly form your identity.
Another thing to note is that tactics are all about maintaining a fine balance between different aspects of the game. If you set up your team to constantly pressure the opposition you may dominate in the game but as the match goes on your players will lose stamina rapidly and you will be at the mercy of your opponent during the last 20 odd minutes of the match.
A new addition to FIFA 19 tactics was Dynamic Tactics. These include everything-Tactics and Instructions which can be made use of on the go without having to pause the game. You can predefine your offensive and defensive play styles before the match and change them during the match by using the D-pad. Dynamic Tactics can help you immensely whether you’re trying to steal a late winner from trying to defend a 1 goal lead.
In FIFA 19 tactics are divided into 2 subgroups
Defensive Depth Width Defensive Style
Offensive Style Width Players in the Box Corners Free Kicks
This is used to dictate how your defense sets up against the opponent. You can use this to change when you would like your defenders to pressure the opponent. Depending on your selection your players will force pressure. This value will determine if the players will sit deep and wait for the opponent to come before putting the pressure on them or will the players’ press as soon as the opponent enters your half. You can select a value between 1 to 10, where 1 is the deepest and 10 is the highest. An important point to note is that this does not determine how your players will press but when they will start applying the pressure.
To play a deep formation, select a value between 1 and 3. This causes the entire team to drop back deep and tries to maximise the number of bodies between the ball and the goal. This type of tactic invites a lot of pressure. The opponent is free to pass the ball around in your half. But, this formation has its benefits. Pacey Attackers are completely nullified as they cant get a run in behind your deep lying defenders. However this may lead you to be vulnerable to longs shots.
To play a medium depth formation, select a value between 4 and 7. This causes the entire team to maintain a constant shape and tries to ensure that you are not overworked in midfield. This type of tactic will start defending in the opponent’s half, close to the half line. This type of depth is useful when you have a good set of midfielders who will ensure that you can win the midfield battle and dictate the play for the course of the game. The players will defend in the opponent’s half but will not constantly defend throughout the length of the pitch.
To play a high formation, select a value between 8 and 10. This causes the entire team to try and win the ball as close the goal as possible and tries to ensure that you are not overworked in midfield. Your players will apply pressure throughout the length of the pitch. This is especially effective against teams that try to dominate the possession in a game. This comes with its own disadvantages. Naturally, as one would expect pushing your players high up the pitch will leave your team open to attacks through long through balls and balls played over the top of the defence into the feet of the pacey forwards. Your wide midfielders and fullbacks will push out wide and make it very difficult for your opponent to play from the back.
Most people think that this setting only affects the position of the dense and dictated where the pressure will be applied. This also will dictate the positions of the attackers. If you choose to play a deep formation your attackers too will be in your own half. This will not allow you to quickly counter attack and take advantage of the turn over in possession. Playing deep can be used to defend a narrow lead and simply stifle attacks by getting bodies behind the ball. However you should change your depth if you are chasing the game. We suggest that a value of anywhere from 4 to 6 should be used ideally to maintain a balance.
This is used to dictate how your defense sets up against the opponent. You can use this to change how you would like your defenders to position themselves. Depending on your selection your defenders will form a close compact unit or an expansive wide line to help deal with pacey outside forwards. You can select a value between 1 to 10, where 1 is the most compact and 10 is the widest.
- Narrow – To play a narrow defensive unit select a value between 1 and 3. Narrow defenses will make it hard for the opponent to break down through the middle and force them out wide which might reduce the attacks potency. This type of defense width is especially useful against narrow formations where the midfielders are used excessively. An example of this is 41212(2) where the onus is on the midfielders to create goals through the center of the field. Narrow width is very effective against narrow formation but is also very susceptible to any wide formations.
- Balanced – To play a balanced defensive unit select a value between 4 and 7.Normal defenses are neither too narrow nor too wide. These allow for some flexibility. You can also deal with narrow formations as well as cope with formations which make use of wide player. However you may be susceptible to attacks where your CB is left stranded on a one on one situation against the opponents’ attacker. This is because the fullbacks aren’t available for quick support. Balanced width is neither very effective against any particular formation but is also not very susceptible to any formation.
- Wide – To play a wide defensive unit, select a value between 8 and 10.Wide formations are built to deal with wide attacks involving fullbacks and wingers. They are not at all useful against narrow formations ad they are open to attacks down the middle. Because narrow formations with quick pass and move tactics are the norm in recent FIFAs the wide defensive line is not very popular. Many situations may arise where your opponent is one on one against your defender. These are not particularly useful and we do not suggest that yo use a excessively wide formation. However against a n opponent who clearly favours his wingers you should not be afraid to increase your team’s width.
Additional Tips - One should realize that this tactic focuses on how the players are positioned with respect to one another.
Narrow – Focus on the middle.
Wide – Focus on the flanks.
Anyone who has watched football can attest to the fact that mostly defending consists of staying as compact as possible and thereby directing the attack towards the flanks where they get nullified. The same goes for FIFA, you should make sure that nothing comes straight at you and try to ensure that all attacks are broken down. We highly recommend that you use a value between 2 and 4 so as to remain immune to most popular narrow formations. However in specific cases you could easily opt for a wider defense.
This is used to tune how you want your players to behave when trying to win the ball back. You can change how hard you want to tackle the opponent as well as how much pressure is applied on the player on the ball in order to win the ball back.
This is best used when you want to maintain your team’s shape when defending. However this comes at a high price, using this Tactic, you will allow your opponent to have the majority of the ball. Even when you win the ball it won’t be of much use because your attackers won’t be any dangerous positions. You can use this late in game if you are defending a narrow lead.
This is a very neutral tactic. Your Team will occupy the middle of the field and try to win he ball through normal pressure and interceptions. Not great when chasing a game because of the lack of urgency and aggression shown by the players.
- Pressure on Heavy Touch
As the name suggests, your players will apply pressure on the ball only when your opponent makes a mistake. It will make sure that you capitalize on any mistakes your opponent makes. This can be hit or miss depending on the caliber of your opponent. If your opponent has good players with a neat first touch and superior passing it can be difficult to get the ball off of him using this style.
- Press After Possession Loss
Using this tactic you can bring Prime Barcelona back to life in FIFA. Based upon Pep Guardiola’s revolutionary 6-second rule, your players will press aggressively when you lose the ball, trying to win the ball back immediately. When used correctly it can be very effective and can utterly destroy players who cannot handle the sudden pressure. However this will drastically affect the players’ positions and also cause them to lose stamina quickly.
- Constant Pressure
As the name suggests, your players will constantly try to win the ball back through aggressive pressuring. They, however will be pulled out of position and this will cause them to lose fatigue. It is advisable to use this tactic only when you high caliber cdms and other midfielders, because otherwise it will be an exercise in futility because later in the game you will be open to attacks wowing to lesser stamina in your players.
These styles control how often the AI will be affecting your players. If you trust your own abilities you can easily go ‘Drop Back’ when you are winning and simply crowd your opponent out. If you are on constant pressure, the AI will constantly try to aggressively tackle the opponent leaving spaces in behind that he can make use of. As we stated earlier it is all about finding a fine balance.
We suggest that when you are chasing the game only then you must resort to the aggressive pressure options, otherwise when you are in the lead using ‘Drop Back’ or balanced is a very viable option.
Just like your defensive tactics, you can also customize your team’s mentality going forward. You can tailor the team to suit your needs and be completely in sync with your players. You have a plethora of options to choose from and there is a correct fit for everybody, it is only a matter of finding it through experience. Nevertheless, we will guide you through the basics after which you should be comfortable enough to find out how you would like to set up your team.
Offensively, you will be able to customize 5 different aspects which are:
Offensive Style Width Players in the Box Corners Free Kicks
This is without the doubt one of the most important tactics that you can customise. Get this to tailor fit your needs and half your work is already done. If you have a lethal attack it becomes very easy to win games and quickly move up the ranks. You can change this to suit your playstyle. It dictats how your team transitions into attacks and the way it goes about. Your attacking options can vary from a possession styled attack that slowly breaks down the opponent. Or you could resort to hoofball relying on the physical attributes of your strikers.
This offensive style relies on the technical qualities of your players. The goal is too stifle the opponent and negate their efforts by simply having the ball. Your opponent can’t hurt you if they don’t have the ball at all. You rely on short safe passes and on the patient build up. This, however, can slow the game down and requires a lot of team to execute an attack. However if it suits your style you should go for it. Your midfielders should be good at passing and at controlling the ball because they will have to deal with a lot of passes.
This type of style is neither too fast nor too slow. The players will try to maintain the formation as much as possible. The AI will intelligently try to make decisions and forward runs. The build up is not excessively fast and is easy to handle. This is suitable for newer players who prefer to have some time to think about their next decision be it a pass or a run.However, we feel as you get better you should adapt to faster offensive play styles as it will keep your opponent guessing and you can take advantage of any mistakes he makes in his hesitation
This type of style heavily relies on your attacking players physical attributes rather than their technical abilities. Wingers and strikers with abundance of pace are best suited to this type of attacking. You can also use players with a physical presence as they are more likely to win one on one battles physical with strong defenders. You will need midfielders with good technical qualities to launch inch perfect balls to your wingers and forwards to spring on the counter attacks. Formations like 433 can be used with this tactic because they use the wingers in wide positions where they have the time and space to get behind and exploit the defenders on pace.
- Fast Build Up
This type of attack, unlike others relies majorly on your qualities as a FIFA player rather than the stats of your players. You try to push the ball as fast as possible up the pitch relying on everything from short bursts of pace to quick intricate passes. The better player you are the more advantage you can take. This type of play is notoriously to defend against because it is very unpredictable.
We highly suggest that you use the fast build up option because it is a pain to defend against and the smallest lapse of concentration for your opponent can lead to a goal. It is understandable that it can be hard to suddenly jump to a fast build up if you are used to playing a more possession-based game. If that is the case, you should slowly try to go from Possession >> Balance >> Long Ball >> Fast Build Up. Once you master Fast Build Up you will not only master FUT19 but also any upcoming FIFA games as they all seem to rely on unpredictability.
Just like defensive width that we discussed earlier, we also have the option to customize our attacking width to suit our needs. Depending on your playstyle you can choose whether you want to focus on quick short passes in the narrow midfield or do you want to stretch your opponents defense before cutting through them. You should make a note of the fact that your formation and width should o hand in hand. There is not point in having a narrow formation with the width maxed out, or vice versa.
This is used to dictate how your attack sets up against the opponent. You can use this to change how you would like your midfielders and attackers to position themselves. You can select a value between 1 to 10, where 1 is the most compact and 10 is the widest.
To play a narrow formation select a value between 1 and 3. Such a width coupled with a formation like 41212(2) will make for a deadly combination because you will have a plethora of options to make short quick passes and cut through defenses. Using such a formation against a wide defence will be lethal because you will be presented with a plethora of one on one situations. But a narrow attack vs a narrow defence will be hard to break down because of the lace of space and time in the centre of the pitch.
To play a balanced or moderate offensive unit select a value between 4 and 7.They are neither too narrow nor too wide. These allow for some flexibility. You can also deal with narrow defences as well as cope with wide formations. The players position to offer a lot of flexibility rather than stick to narrow or wide positions. Balanced width is neither very effective against any particular formation but is also not very susceptible to any formation. You can use such a tactic with most formations as it can suit a number of play styles.
If you want to play a wide formation you should select a value between 8 and 10.This will get your players to occupy the wider areas of the pitch rather than the centre. This will give you more passing options at the flanks and will limit your options in the middle of the field. These formations are notoriously bad against narrow formations which dominate the competitive scene. Because against narrow formations, your opponents can take advantage of the lack of players in the midfield can simply pass their way through your defense. We don’t recommend that you use such a width as it makes you very weak defensively because your midfield is exposed.
Again we suggest that you use a moderate amount to give you more flexibility and not be either too top heavy or too defensive as it can mess with the balance of your team. If you favour short passes and quick movements you should opt for a narrow attack and pass your way through the opponent. If you like crosses into the box you could opt for wider formation. It also depends on what kind of strikers you prefer using.
This is a fairly self explanatory tactic. It simply allows you to adjust the kind of runs in the box your players make. Depending on your settings you can customise it to suit your needs. Whether you only want your Strikers to enter the box for a header or if you want additional quick backup runs from your midfielders into the box, everything can be controlled using this section. You can select a value from 1 to 10 where 1 stands for less frequent and less aggressive runs into the box and 10 represents the most aggressive runs into the box. You should try to experiment and find an ideal value that compliments your playstyle.
To have the least aggressive runs into the box, choose a value between 1 to 3. This will ensure that your defenders stay at the edge of the box while only your strikers get in to the box for crosses from wide areas. Having such a low value will also decrease the frequency of runs into the box. You will often find that when you are in wide areas you have no one in the box to aim for. This can be frustrating at times. This is okay in narrow formations, but we wouldn’t suggest using this with wide formations like 442 or a 433.
- Normal / Balanced Amount
To have moderately risky runs into the box, choose a value between 4 to 7.This will ensure that your some of your midfielders stay at the edge of the box while your attacking mids get into the box and join you strikers for crosses from wide areas. Having medium value will ensure that a balance is maintained. Even if you misplace the cross you will still have bodies to defend the counter attack. Whenever you get into wide position, players will make runs into the box in the hopes of getting on the end of a cross. This tactic can be especially useful if you have tall and strong Attacking midfielders like Paul Pogba.
To have highly aggressive runs into the box, choose a value between 8 to 10.This will make sure that all your midfielders get into the box and join you strikers for crosses from wide areas. Having such a high value will make you vulnerable to counter attacks if you give away the ball cheaply. If you misplace the cross you will not have any bodies to defend the counter attack. Whenever you get into wide position, players will make runs into the box in the hopes of getting on the end of a cross. This tactic can and should be used only when chasing a game, because of it’s risky nature.
We suggest that you choose a moderate value for this. Having too many players in the box can alter your midfield options while defending, while too less players in the box will virtually eliminate any chance of scoring from crosses. However, you should feel free to make your own changes. If you(like me) hardly ever cross the ball you can set the value to 3 or 4.What works for someone mustn’t necessarily work for you.
In this section you will be able to choose how many players you want in the box during corners. You can select a value between 1 to 5 , where 1 stands for the lowest amount of people you can have and 5 is represents the most people you can have in the box during a corner..Depending on your selection you can go for a defensive approach that is unlikely to get goals or an offensive approach that will leave you short on players to defend a counter attack.
To have very few people in the box during corners, choose a value from either 1 or 2. This will ensure that you have enough men back to deal with counter attacks in case you give the ball away to the first man while crossing the ball in. This can be useful when you are defending a lead and don’t need the extra bodies in the box. It is unlikely to score using this approach.
- Normal amount
To have a normal amount of players in the box during free kicks, choose a value 3. This will ensure that you have few men back to deal with counter attacks in case you give the ball away but also gives you a chance to nick a goal. This is the most recommended setting as it offers you a neat balance between having a goal threat and enough players behind to defend a counter attack.
To have a high amount of players in the box during corners, choose a value from either 4 or 5. This will ensure that you have lots of men in the box which gives you a high chance to score. This can be useful when you are a goal down in the game. Having lots of players in the box can come back to bite you because ou won’t have any players to defend a counter attack just in case you give the ball away cheaply.
Additional Tips
We suggest that you choose a value 3 and set up dynamic tactics with the other values depending on whether you are defending a slender lead or whether you are chasing a game. Corners can be incredibly useful because you get a high number of corners in a match. If you perfect a specific technique it will be very hard to beat you. Even if you have a 20 – 25 % success rate you can still become very hard to beat. And your corners will only get more and more lethal as your players improve and you get more practice.
In this section you will be able to choose how many players you want in the box during free kicks. You can select a value between 1 to 5 , where 1 stands for the lowest amount of people you can have and 5 is represents the most people you can have in the box during a free kick. Depending on your selection you can go for a defensive approach that is unlikely to get goals or an offensive approach that will leave you short on players on the counter attack.
To have very few people in the box during free kicks, choose a value from either 1 or 2. This will ensure that you have enough men back to deal with counter attacks in case you give the ball away to the defensive players as is often the case during set pieces. This can be useful when you are defending a lead and don’t need the extra bodies in the box. However this is a very timid approach and unless you have an absolute maverick of a player in the box and an excellent crosser to put the ball on his head, it is not very likely to score using this approach.
- Normal amount
To have a normal amount of players in the box during free kicks, choose a value 3. This will ensure that you have few men back to deal with counter attacks in case you give the ball away but also gives you a chance to nick a goal. This can be useful when throughout the game even if you are leading to establish a secure lead whilst remaining vary of the counter. You won’t need a 6 ft 6 in player to score goals in this approach because you are more likely to get the ball when you have more players in the box.
To have a high amount of players in the box during free kicks, choose a value from either 4 or 5. This will ensure that you have lots of men in the box which gives you a realistic chance to nick a goal. This can be useful when you are chasing the game and you are desperately in search of the equalizer. Naturally, this comes with its own drawbacks. Having so many players in the box will surely be threatening but in the case that you give away the ball you will have to deal with your opponent’s pacey meta strikers tearing down at you because the lack of defenders left you open at the back.
Additional Tips: We suggest that you choose a value 3 and set up dynamic tactics with the other values depending on whether you are defending a slender lead or whether you are chasing a game.
Now that you know how these custom tactics work, you will need some different formations to try these with. Different situations call for different formations and mentalities. If you’re losing you could opt for a 3-man defence in the hopes of getting a goal, or if you’re trying to defend a lead you can go for a 5 man defence where the priority is keeping the ball out of your own net by any means necessary
We will go over the most commonly used formations in FIFA19 used by Pro players because they are tried and tested at the highest levels of the game and are pretty much guaranteed to be effective.
Top 3 formations used are-
The first formation that we will be seeing is the 433(4). There are many variations to the 433 formation but we feel that this highly attacking variant is the best amongst the lot.
Suggested attributes for your players-
Wingers - You should have fast pacey agile wingers who are comfortable cutting inside or going out wide. If they have only one skill in their arsenal it will be very easy to read them so it is best to be comfortable with either option.
Players like Neymar or Messi can be used to deadly effect and can cut inside and hit a timed finesse shot straight into the corner or can stretch the defence and pick out a target in the centre. Cheaper options are players like Douglas Costa or Leroy Sane who are nearly as adept as their more expensive counterparts.
Striker- Because most of your counters will be lead by your wingers, there is virtually no need for a pacey striker too. You could easily use a slower, stronger striker as a target man to whom your wingers can cross the ball to f the option to cut in is not available.
Players like Suarez, Higuain can be used and owing to their insane finishing skills you will have no trouble finding the back of the net. On the cheaper end of the spectrum, you have players like Lukaku, who in his own right too can lead a counterattack if the situation arises. Giroud is an option if you are really strapped for coins.
CAM – This guy is really going to be the heart of your attack. Everything in the midfield will be going through him so you can afford to cut too many corners in this department. Someone who is both physically as well as technically gifted is suited to this role. Someone who will be able to let your wingers run down the flanks while he picks them out with an inch perfect pass.
Players like Pogba, De Bruyne all excel in this role. Players like Dybala who are not too physically dominant can also do well in this role. Another thing that will be expected of these CAM players is the ability to pick out the top corner if the situation calls for it. You should keep such things in mind when building a team.
CMs-These two players also have an important role to play. They will be in charge of breaking up the play in the midfield as well as starting counter attacks. Some people opt for a pairing of an out an out CDM like Kante and Fabinho paired with a more attacking based CM, while some go for balance and try to field two balanced midfielders.
Players like Matuidi, Rabiot, Fred, Herrera all excel in these roles. If you win the midfield battle in the game, the battle is half won already. In case you have a high budget you couldn’t go wrong with Icon Players like Paul Scholes or Steven Gerrard.
CBs- For all of these formations the types of CBs are going to be the same. Tall, Strong, Commanding and fast. They should b able to deal with the best of target men as well as cope with pacey agile strikers in the form of Gabriel Jesus and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.
Players like Van Dijk, Davinson Sanchez and fit this mold and are excessively used in any division of the game.
The fullbacks will complement your strikers. We wouldn’t suggest going with overly attacking full backs as that could leave your defense exposed. It is easy to do that in this formation because of the absence of a pure CDM. You should make sure that your fullbacks are solid defensively before you consider their attacking potential.
Pro player and former World Champion YouTuber Ovvy uses the above Custom Tactics to go with this formation. You should try to play something similar to this and then maybe adjusting it to suit your preferences.
FIFA 18’s favorite formation is overpowered again this year, no surprises here. This formation offers one of the best balances between attack and defence and will also allow quick transition from back to front. It’s no surprise that this formation is big among pro players. Former champion Krasi also uses this formation. He did an entire video about this formation - We have condensed this into a nifty guide below-
General tips for playing 41212(2)-
You should try to form lots of passing triangles. You can use passes to draw the players out of position before hitting that killer pass that sets you through on goal. Using L1 or LB passes are very effective and you will stroll through any player who can’t defend that well.
You should be patient on the attack if you have the ball in midfield. You don’t need to keep the sprint button held down always. You can take your time and look for passes to the forwards and attacking runs from midfield. In case the opportunity arises don’t be afraid to smack one into the top corner using timed finishing.
You should definitely put your pacey strikers to use, but don’t become too predictable. You should not force through balls to your forwards to chase all the time, only when there are time and space.
Suggested attributes for your players-
Fullbacks-Pace is an important factor in every game, FIFA 19 is not an exception to this rule. Unless you want to get absolutely humiliated by four opponents 96 pace but 76 rated Adama Traore, we would suggest that you make sure that you have fast full backs at your disposal.
If you play possession-based football, you should use full backs that can carry the ball forward and support the midfield when necessary.
Players like Bellerin, Walker, Jordi Alba, Alex Sandro should suit your needs.
CBs- Fairly routine, same as 433(4), Strong and fast.
CDM- You can go two ways in this department. You can go for the tall strong, destroyer type of CDM - the likes of Matic and such. Or you could go for the smaller faster B2B(box to box) type of players like Kante. Personally, i use Kante because of his exceptional interceptions and pace. The CDM should be good at other things and not only at destroying attacks. All attacks start from the defense. He should be able to launch accurate passes to your CMs so they can take over or get away with the ball at his feet. Suitable players are – Kante, Fabinho or Matic like players.
FUN FACT - Fabinho is the most used player in this edition of FIFA.
CMs CAMs are nearly the same as 433(4).The players we described earlier will suit this role in this formation too.
ST– The Strikers are going to be most important to this formation as they are going to be scoring most of the goals for your team. P acey Agile players do splendidly in this formation. You should make sure you set them to get in behind so they can peel away from their marker and go through on goal. However be sure that they aren’t just fast, a little strength goes a far way when you’re up against a strong pair of CBs.
Players like Ronaldo, Bale, Reus Aubameyang are tailor made for this formation. Cheaper options are Jesus or even Zaha.
The Custom Tactics that Krasi Uses
One of the surprise contenders for this year’s most OP formation has to be 4231 with the CAMs. This formation has been present in FIFA for ages but has been overlooked, so far. With this years new finishing mechanic - Timed Finishes, any timed finesse long shot just sails into the top corner and is just unstoppable. This formation aims to maximize those opportunities for long shots.
If you have good CAMs you will have your opponent at your longshots‘ mercy. Due to this, 4231 has become the most used formation for pro players with 80%+ using this formation. Pro Player Huge Gorilla went 30-0 with this formation in FUT Champs.
We’ve broken his guide down below so you too can reach the heights of pro players.
Players that suit this formation
Fullbacks- Your fullbacks primary goal in this formation is to offer defensive stability. They are not expected to contribute offensively because all your attacking will be coming from your midfielders. So you should go for players with good defensive skill even if they offer little going forward. Although if they have the ability to carry the ball into space when the opportunity arises, it is highly welcome.
Alex Sandro is perfect for this role as he is fast strong and adept defensively. For the other side you could use his teammate Joao Cancelo who is no slouch either.
CBs- In this formation there is only one rule when picking your Centre Backs-the faster and stronger they are, the better. Players with pace and power will be crucial for this formation. Players like Varane, Ramos are great. If you have a higher budget you should really try to get one of the Icon CBs, because they are in a league of their own.
CDMs- Again here, you should opt for pace and power rather than their technical qualities. Players who can read the play and break up attacks are essential. Players like Fabinho or Matuidi can be very useful. Again, if you have the budget you should go for players like Vieira who are miles ahead of any players available in these positions.
Your CDMs can offer a second attack by joining late into attacks and offering another passing option.
Middle CAM- This is a very physically demanding position as you need a lot of stamina otherwise you will need to sub him off at the 60-70th minute mark. Physically imposing players are preferred because they will often get into battles with CDMs making space for the other CAMs. Pogba absolutely bosses this role owing to his attacking qualities as well as his physical presence.
If your budget won’t allow to get him, you could also get Alli who is quite good too.
Wide CAMs- They will be the spearheads of your attack. 50% of your goals will come from these two guys even if you have amazing strikers. They have only one aim, cut inside and finesse it into top bins. Every pro match you see this will be the only thing that both players will attempt. It is very effective and many players have been calling to EA to nerf it, but don’t expect that to happen(at least until FIFA 2020). Small agile players who can drop a shoulder and disappear into space before firing a shot are amazing here.
By my description alone you should have thought about Paulo Dybala, it is almost as if he was born for his role in a video game. A great long shot on him and a gem of a left foot.
Because you will be finessing shots, you should play left footed players on the right and vice versa. This will allow them to cut in on their stronger foot before firing.
Icon wingers like Cruyff or Ronaldinho can play the role of RCAM. But you will need to change formation in the game.
Strikers- This is down to your preference, we would suggest a strong imposing type of player so that in case you can’t cut inside, you can at least go wide and get a cross in. But you cannot go wrong here as long as he suits for play style. Although we won’t suggest any specific type we think that players like CR7 absolutely destroy it in this formation. The combination of pace and power is immense in this formation.
In conclusion, we would like to say that we hope this guide managed to help you understand what every tactic means. You should try to experiment with all different combinations so you understand what gets the best out of your playstyle.
There are lots of tactics you can use from Pep Guardiola’s Tiki-Taka to Jose Mourinho’s pragmatic approach of parking the metaphorical bus and springing on the counter attack. You too can become a top tactician. Once you have a preferred system and formation that you have mastered it will become very hard to beat you. We wish you all the best and hope that you dominate the virtual football scene.
We also broke down the most OP formations for you. We have that you can put these to good use and rise through the ranks in FUT 19. We wish you the best.
The fullbacks will complement your strikers. We wouldn’t suggest going with overly attacking full backs as that could leave your defense exposed. It is easy to do that in this formation because of the absence of a pure CDM. You should make sure that your fullbacks are solid defensively before you consider their attacking potential. We suggest that you choose a moderate value for this. Having too many players in the box can alter your midfield options while defending, while too less players in the box will virtually eliminate any chance of scoring from crosses. However, you should feel free to make your own changes. If you(like me) hardly ever cross the ball you can set the value to 3 or 4.What works for someone mustn’t necessarily work for you.
