FIFA 22 is taking its place in the most played football titles of this last part of the year. Among the various novelties of this year, at this moment we want to analyze that of the defensive sector. As you surely know, the policy of Electronic Arts up to now was unbalanced towards the attack, according to the software house in fact, the players would not find great fun if all the parties ended up with a poor 1-0 , or even worse in a draw. In this edition of the football title, however, something has changed and in this article we want to guide you on the most effective and intuitive defensive practices.

Guide to improve your defensive phase

Defense in FIFA 22 is certainly complicated. As you will have seen by practicing in these first few months of the game, your defensive ability depends a lot on how good you are at choosing the right timing or in anticipating your opponent’s moves. Many players, in order not to train hard even in the non-possession phase, decide to rely on the AI ​​of the title, which however does not always produce the desired effects. To improve this situation even more you will need to train yourself on the correct way to hold down the L2 / LT button. With the pressure that you will exert in this way, you will force your opponent to long passes and therefore you will open up the possibility of intercepting the ball and going on the counterattack.Always choose the right player in this phase , because faster players in the non-possession phase will close the spaces better to the opponents and will give you much more versatility, even the physique makes the difference, because with players of substance instead you will occupy more space. , awarding you a direct recovery of the ball.

When you find yourself defending, you can intervene once positioned correctly, pressing the O / B buttons,  in this way you can sink on the ball carrier. Also on this occasion, the pressure of the button is essential, if you go too heavy you risk committing fouls and taking nasty and painful warnings. The ideal for all players is to position themselves adequately towards the ball carrier with L2 / LT , put the right pressure with O / B and then in extreme cases intervene in a pressing square / X slide. Trust your defensive instincts and you will see that you will improve a lot from this point of view.

Switch between players

Once you’ve trained to keep pressure on your opponents, the next step to master is player switching. Many are used to switching players with the simple R1 / RB relying on the interpretation of the AI, but this is not effective. Remember that you are the only ones who best interpret some situations. That’s why we recommend that you start mastering player shifting with manual shifting. To do this, all you have to do is press R1 / RB and direct the right analog stick towards the player or the area of ​​the field concerned. In FIFA 22this topical moment has been improved compared to its predecessors, because when you are in the defensive phase, pressing the right analog stick also means activating the Icon Switching function . The four or three defenders, depending on the module chosen, will have a specific direction to follow above their head, so that you can guide them more effectively than the attack phase you have to stem. Surely this last feature is very complex, so it will take a lot of practice, before giving you the right amount of security.

If you are not yet a master of Icon Switching, don’t worry because you should know that holding down R1 / RB will call a double marking. This is another of the main dynamics of the defensive phase of FIFA 22 . If you don’t want to mess around too much with the change of player, pressing the two keys described above will allow you to call a second man to your rescue. Sure, it’s an effective way to put pressure on your opponent, but he could overrun you with targeted insertions and through balls, so put it to good use.

Some considerations to keep in mind

In addition to mastering the keys in the best possible way and correctly interpreting the various phases of the game, if you want to stem your opponents with the right safety, you will have to pay attention to the module to be used. To complete your growth path in FIFA 22, you’ll need to start familiarizing yourself with different game modules, understanding their benefits and modifying them to suit your play style. Taking risks does not always bring good results, the most balanced teams are certainly the most formidable to face. Creating a completely unbalanced formation in attack or defense will certainly create uncomfortable situations that are impossible to manage. For this reason, it will be essential to normalize the pressing phase of your wings, call the doubling of the midfielders and so on, just like a real football.

Speed ​​is nothing without control

There is little to do, despite all the years that have passed since the first FIFA, the speed of some players is a determining factor on countless occasions. Also in this FIFA 22, speed is one of the most determining factors, those who, like me, played in the first titles, tended to put Roberto Carlos on the tip, because he was very fast and equipped with precise and powerful feet. Things have improved, but choosing fast defenders currently is definitely better than choosing sturdy and slow ones. Unfortunately the defensive system is still a bit plastered compared to the attack one, and this is why we tend to have quick defenders, who can intervene quickly to stop the actions, rather than those with great physicality. The dynamics of contact is still very difficult to bring back into a video game, so also for this year, choose quick defenders,

That’s all for today, we remind you not to miss all the other guides on FIFA 22, such as the one to the best young people in career mode  as well as our detailed review .