FIFA Custom Tactics

Custom tactics

Same for FIFA 14 as before custom tactics can give you a whole new FIFA experience and can help a less skilled FIFA player beat a higher skilled opponent. Creating attacking and defending tactics then combining with custom formations will change how you play FIFA forever. If you prefer to play like Barcelona slowly passing looking for a killer pass with high pressure defending then you can make any team do this with custom tactics. It helps if the players in your team are suited to your style and tactic. You can also use custom tactics in Ultimate team as well as head to head.

To the right are a set of videos we have created to show how to set them up and various examples. The first video also shows how you can use the custom tactic of any team such as Brazil or Spain and apply that to your team in any online or offline mode in FIFA. Other videos include how to create possession football to all out desperation attack. Open them full screen using the bottom right button on each or simply open our youtube channel on them. Below we describe what the basic options are when setting up a custom tactic. To create any custom tactic go into an exhibition mode and select a team. Before starting the game click on team management and custom tactics. You will see options as below. You can save the tactic and this becomes a custom tactic named after the team you chose. As in the first video you could simply choose Barcelona and save the tactic as custom to use in Ultimate team or anywhere else. During games use the D-Pad up and down arrows to access the custom tactics you have created.

Build up play settings

How your team builds up the play to get into positions where they can create chances.

Speed

Slow – will keep possession with players coming short for passes (passing possession game). Fast – players will always look for ball ahead into space and make runs forward expecting longer balls (quicker direct play).

Passing

Short mixed or long. Whichever you select your team mates will expect so position themselves accordingly. If your previous choices were slow it will help to have shorter passing.

Positioning

Organised keeps defenders and midfielders roughly in their positions. Free form allows them to swap and make runs away from their normal posisiton of the pitch. Others drop to cover. If you don’t have great players able to cover positions stick to organised.

Chance creation settings

A key area of FIFA. When attacking opponents third other players you aren’t controlling react to these settings.

Passing

Determines if players are looking for you to play a safe ball or try squeeze through a tight gap (risky). Often you will see players offside on FIFA because the player is expecting a through ball early. Change passing to safer than riskier and they will stay onside more. You can always tell a player to go on a run using the left bumper when you want them to.

Crossing

Set to lots and players look for the ball in to the box all the time. If you use little they won’t run in waiting to head or volley it but will pull short for the pass to feet. If you have passing set to risky and crossing set to lots you will need to cross the ball early as the players will get into the box as fast as they can.

Shooting

As you control the player who is going to be shooting (unless only controlling pro in career mode etc) this isn’t about whether a player will shoot as soon as they can. It is more about them positioning themselves and being ready to shoot as soon as they have the ball. You might as well set this to high to make the rest of your team try to find space for first time shot.

Positioning

This is the key setting and has been added to each of the formations on that page. Some formations are better with organised positioning to keep players in their best positions. Some have a more creative attacking set up and free form helps certain players dictate the play. As a rule if you have highly skilled players in attack using a short passing game free form is the way to go. If playing direct or less skilled players Organised is usually better.

Defence settings

We all know how bad defenders are on FIFA. The dreaded first touch and appauling back pass attempts. Make them slightly better with custom tactics.

Pressure

Deep will make your team drop back and invite the other team to try break them down. Will catch less offside but you will stop most of the lobbed through ball abuse. Set to medium your players will start to press in your half and set to high they will go press your opponent in their half. Have a couple of tactics with this set high and low and switch between them to confuse your opponent.

Aggression

If set to contain your players will hold off the attacker and force him to pass or try and beat them. If players are using skill moves this will stop them more often. When set to press you will notice your players attempting tackles and sliding usually when you don’t want them to. With double set it is even worse as two or more players will press and attempt tackles. Advice here is to always set to contain unless desperately trying to get the ball back with time running out. Or annoyed and just want to kick as many players as possible ;-). This does affect stamina too so only advisable if they have lots of it such as in form Ultimate Team players.

Team width

Narrow defends attacks through middle, wide expects attacks down wings and normal gives a balance. If opponent using a narrow formation such as 4-1-2-1-2 then set to narrow. A formation with wingers such as 4-3-3 set to wide! Job done.

Defender line

Cover makes defenders do just that, cover each other. A left or right back will run inside to stop a striker bursting through if centre back is missing or has been beaten for example. They will hold a deeper line whereas using offside trap they will push up the field. The left back would leave the striker breaking through hoping he is offside.

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