Here’s how to master defence in FC 26
(Image credit: EA Sports)
EA Sports FC 26 is out this week, with tips and tricks on all kinds of aspects of the game starting to drop.
But these days, EA Sports FC 26 is so realistic that there’s actually more that can be learned from watching real football than there is from copying nerds on YouTube (no offence, nerds) – so pay attention at the back (literally, ha) and we can help you organise your backline like peak Sean Dyche (oh, and we have attacking tips, ‘n’ all).
You’ve found the top-rated players and got a few wonderkids in your team, too… so how about we get them all in shape and turn your side into a phenomenal defensive unit?
EA Sports FC 26 attacking tips: 1. A high press isn’t always best
EA Sports FC 26 (Image credit: EA Sports FC 24)Jurgen Norbert Klopp. He sold us a dream.
Before the Liverpool fans come for us, we’re talking strictly about gaming, here: gegenpressing looks amazing, but it works because it relies on human nature. Real players are most likely to be dispossessed within the first couple of seconds of losing it, and real players tire out after 90 minutes.
It’s not the same in FC 26: this is an arcade game that’s already played at speed and instead of charging towards a defence, gung-ho and wasting your green bar, it’s often better to be measured. Hang back, cover the passing lane and let the AI do the work. Press Left to view the team options: in pressuring your opponent with another player, he’s going to be more lapse in possession… and you’re waiting back for him to slip up.
Actually, Liverpool moved more towards this ‘targeted press’ style in Jurgen’s later years – and Arne Slot has continued it.
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2. Work on your counter-press
Counterpressing is a major skill in FC 26 (Image credit: EA Sports)Look at the shape your team is in and assess who can win the ball in which situations. For example, your CDM needs to sit in front of your defence to handle transitions: your forwards should be the ones looking to press high.
If you’re running towards an opponent and ready to intercept, press X/A to get in ahead of him and play the ball quickly to a team-mate. Learn when you can win the ball and when it’s best off to hold back – with a bit of practice, you’ll recognise when the interception is on.
3. Don’t commit full-backs in one-on-ones
Jurrien Timber: the master of the 1v1 (Image credit: Alamy)There’s a reason that Sean Dyche’s Burnley became Premier League staples with nowhere near as much technical quality or financial resources as their rivals: they defended as a unit.
As we literally just said above, the temptation is to look to intercept quickly and commit defenders when you get a sight of the ball – but when it comes to full-backs, these are the players most vulnerable. A pacy winger can burn you out wide, and often you then have to commit a centre-back to help. That weakens you in the middle.
Think of the way Jurrien Timber defends. He rarely actually flies into a tackle, he just has a low centre of gravity that enables him to stick with a winger and track them. When a ball gets played to an opposing winger in FC 26, switch control to your full-back and be patient: jockey them (L2/LT) rather than tackling.
If the opponent skins you, you’re going to be out of the game for 10 seconds: so don’t give them the opportunity. Don’t watch the player, think of the space that he can run into.
4. ‘The touchline is your greatest defender’
‘Ave it when you need to (Image credit: EA Sports FC)OK, we can’t take the credit for that quote – it was Pep Guardiola who said it first. But he’s right – and not just because Nicolas Otamendi could never be trusted.
Yes, it’s nice to pay the ball out from the back, but there’s nothing wrong with going all Peter Kay and walloping the ball out of play with Square/X. Don’t think of it as negative football: think of it as a chance to get your defence back into the optimum shape to press once more.
5. Never tactically foul
It’s not a good idea to give away tactical fouls (Image credit: Alamy)On the subject of Pep, don’t follow all of his principles.
When Guardiola first arrived at Manchester City, a lot was made of the role of his CDM, giving away soft fouls to slow counter-attacks down – but in FC 26, a referee won’t take the occasion into account. Rodri’s winning grin won’t win them over. You can’t cheekily pull a shirt.
Refs in FC 26 play on as much as they can, and they will usually come back and book you. It’s not 90 minutes here: they have no issue in dishing out a yellow within seconds of a game beginning. Pep’s a genius but he’s not innovated the virtual world just yet.
6. Bring midfielders back to help out
Even he has to defend (Image credit: EA Sports)Back in the day, AI would do most of the defending for you in FIFA – but as he game develops, EA Sports FC has given more emphasis to the player (gee, thanks).
As much as pressing high looks great and it seen as the sexy way to play the game, getting bodies back is so much easier, isn’t it? Use R3/RSB to flick to a midfielder if you’re defending a transition and get them to run back and help you defend.
It’s all very well getting superstars who can anticipate and pen opponents in their box – but even the best teams in the world sometimes need to build a solid wall in front of their own goal and just defend for their lives out of possession.
7. Call for defensive help wisely
Careful who you call for help (Image credit: Getty Images)The R1/RB button is great for calling a second player over to help you double up on a tricky winger. But you’ve got to be careful about who you call over and when.
Imagine you’re playing with Liverpool against PSG: Kvaratskhelia has the ball on the left wing and Jeremie Frimpong is over there tracking him. Obviously, you don’t want Ibrahima Konate to come over and help – because that leaves Ousmane Dembele free in the centre. How often have you seen teams try and stick two men on an attacker that he just shakes off easily with one simple ball?
It’s a good habit to never use the ‘teammate control’ once your opponent enters the final third. Try and defend the space as much as you can, rather than ball-watching.
8. Bring the goalkeeper out early for one-on-ones
Don’t give attackers options: they like options (Image credit: EA Sports)Remember when Andy Gray used to invent full-blown conversations between attackers and goalkeepers? Maybe we’re pitching to the wrong generation, here.
The hardest kind of shot to make in FC 26 is a lob or chip: so ask the question of your opponent, “Are you brave enough to slot the ball over my goalkeeper?” Bringing the goalkeeper out – hold Triangle/Y – puts a striker under pressure to make a decision quickly… and hey, your opponent might not even have the ball under control yet, and you can take it off them.
When it goes wrong, it looks hilarious. But there’s a reason that sweeper-keepering is king in the modern game: in FC 26, it’s essentially the best option purely by the numbers game.
9. Claim crosses where you can
Get a glove on it! (Image credit: Michael Regan/Getty Images)Just as rushing towards the feet of your attacker has its merits, so does rushing out to meet headers.
Claiming crosses, either from corners or open play is tricky to judge but if the ball is played close enough to your man between the sticks, then a quick catch can set up another attack before you know it. Learn when to claim and when not to and you can really demoralise even the most whip-happy wingers.
There’s no fun pummelling the ball onto the foreheads of tall defenders in a deep block, after all.
10. Keep possession better
The best way to win is not to lose… duh (Image credit: EA Sports)Pep Guardiola is a pragmatist: no, really. The only reason that he believes so passionately in keeping in the ball is that when you’ve got possession, the other team can’t score.
We can tell you how to defend 100 balls whipped into your box, but if one of them goes in the net, you’re 1-0 down – and there isn’t much time to get an equaliser after those 100 crosses: so actually, the best form of defence is often attack.
If you’re not very good at defending, practice. But also practice putting the ball in the back of the net because if the other team are going to score four goals against you, you’re gonna need to get five. That’s just how football – and FC 26 – works, unfortunately.
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn’t receive a winners’ medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson’s season at Barcelona to Robinho’s career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
