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Get ready because I'm about to reveal a bunch of important passing techniques that are often overlooked but are currently proving to be crucial in the EA FC 24 Team of the Season event. However, before we delve into these techniques, let's take a moment to enhance our understanding of passing fundamentals.
Passing is the cornerstone of gameplay in EA Sports FC 24. It's not just about moving the ball between players. An effective passing involves delivering the ball to a teammate smoothly, without disrupting the game's flow. An inaccurate pass can lead to missed offensive opportunities or the opponent gaining possession.
In the game, there are various types of passing, each serving different purposes:
Let's begin with the Ground Pass, the simplest passing method in the EA FC 24. Target a player with your Left Analog Stick and press your X or A button to send a Ground Pass directly to their feet. This is the most commonly used pass, but ensure there's no opponent blocking the passing lane.
The Driven Ground Pass, which is also called the Long Driven Pass, is a more forceful version of the normal Ground Pass. Hold R1 or RB button and power up a normal pass for a faster and stronger delivery. Use it when your passer isn't under pressure to speed up the play, though it relies on the skills of the passer and receiver.
Moving on to the Lofted Ground Pass, it's ideal for bypassing Defenders blocking Ground Passes. Double-tap the Pass button to lift the ball slightly, making it harder to intercept. You can employ this pass inside the box to evade Defenders.
Lastly, the 1-2 Pass adds dynamism to your attack. Hold L1 or LB and pass to a teammate, then watch as your initial passer makes a forward run. Use this to create new passing opportunities and confuse Defenders. It's effective when combined with other passing techniques, especially on the wing to exploit space.
However, not all passes need to go directly to where the receiver is. Sometimes, you need to send the ball to his running lane so that he doesn't lose any speed while catching the ball. Therefore, we have 2 passes that point out the direction your runner is heading to.
Through Pass: Power up the Through Pass with your Triangle or Y button while giving your passer a side angle towards the receiver. This increases the efficiency of the through ball and allows the runner to get behind the defensive line.
Lobbed Through Pass: If someone is trying to anticipate the passing lane and cut it off, allowing runners to get in behind the defense, you can use a Lobbed Through Pass to get the ball past them and into the path of the player. Watch the movement of players, identify the defensive behavior of the opponent. If not, hold down the L1 or LB button and step up the Through Pass.
Another Through Pass variation is a lofted one. It can easily dodge a Defender's interception and get the ball towards your running lane. It is much easier to control the ball with this method compared to the lobbed one. In short distances, double-tapping the Triangle or Y button will allow you to execute it.
The next one is known as the Driven Through Pass, which can be executed by holding on to both the L1 and R1 or LB and RB buttons together. The Driven Through Passes are particularly effective in wider spaces. If you spot a teammate making a direct run towards the goal with minimal defensive coverage, consider using a Driven Through Pass to swiftly deliver the ball to them.
Moving on to the Lob Pass section, by only using the Square or X button, you can achieve a lot of things, especially when facing pressure. Using a simple Long Pass easily lets you break the pressure. You can also switch sides consistently with the Long Pass to get your buildup in another direction.
If you want your Long Pass to get even higher, which can be very useful for players who have the Aerial PlayStyle. You can utilize your EA FC 24 Coins to acquire a player with this particular PlayStyle. Then you can hold on to the L1 or LB button before going for a Lob Pass. This higher Lob Pass will give your pass more height, making headers easier.
On the other side, the Driven Lob Pass does exactly the opposite. Your pass loses height but gains speed, which can be very practical if there's no one between your passer and his target. To be able to use it, hold on to both L1 and R1 or LB and RB buttons together and power up the Lob Pass.
Using this Driven Lob Pass while switching sides is very effective if you're not under any pressure. It allows you to get towards the other side rapidly and increase the pace in your buildup before the defense settles.
Here are a few passing techniques I suggest trying out in the EA FC 24 TOTS Weekend League. Have fun and win more games with them!
Most players in FC 24 want to learn advanced offensive techniques, which they consider being the most important, but most of them ignore executing the basics. Without mastering these basics, you won’t be able to improve your game.
In this guide, we’ll show you 4 important basic aspects that make an attack incredibly powerful, before moving on to the advanced stuff.
When we talk about a high-performing offense, safety comes first. This means understanding the value of possession and not giving it away easily. If you’re not careful with the ball or passing it forward, you can easily lose possession and the attack will be over before it even begins. This is why you need to safely cover the ball before you start moving.
Your touch on the ball is most important. Always aim to control the ball away from your opponent, especially when you are under pressure. Turning your back briefly to your opponent after each touch of the dribble can be an immense help.
Remember to always watch for defenders coming towards you. Safely dodging them will add another dimension to your attacks. Of course, spending FC 24 Coins to buy a suitable player will make your attack more effective.
Let me show you an example of scoring a goal just by using the safety rule concept I just explained. When I’m attacking my opponent, he’s constantly putting pressure on me, and turning my back to my opponent allows me to stay safely away from him.
When he selects a new defender, I keep possession and quickly understand their intentions so I can keep the ball from continuing the offense.
Just be careful and try not to run too much. Keeping the ball at my feet with the left stick just to keep the ball safely away from my opponent every contact so I can go through it and then I score.
As you saw in the previous example, once you have the ball safely, you need to find available space to pass or dribble.
Whatever your goals are, find the next space and recognize what your underlying goals are. If you have a legitimate passing target in front of you, make sure you turn yourself toward them and pass the ball in their direction.
If you apply the safety concept and control the ball in a way that works in your favor, then you can look for the next target that will keep you going as a chain. Finding the right space can lead you directly to the goal.
However, the term free space is not always available because the opposing defense may cover it. Here, you don’t need to force the pass, but dribble further or make a side pass.
This also helps if you have multiple targets to pass to. Because then we can take a breath and analyze which player is free and has a better chance of moving forward.
Combining the facts about your chances with your opponent’s defensive behavior allows you to act accordingly. So you either go to an available teammate or you dribble into the open space.
Let’s look at an example of how I use the available space in my build. When I receive the ball, I apply safety rules, turn my back on the opponent, and analyze how to move forward as quickly as possible.
The space on the underside seemed good, and I passed her immediately. But the opponent presses up high, so I have to be careful. There’s an open spot in the middle and I’ll immediately make two passes there while avoiding the defender as the ball travels.
I looked at the pitch again and saw freedom again in the second half and passed the ball to my full-back so he could explore there.
Now all my passing targets are covered, but my fullbacks are free. So I decided to take advantage and sprint forward to the available space to one side. The midfielder moves wide to cover me and he leaves a space open. This creates a new free space for me which I have to exploit, control the ball safely away from the opponent and pass it towards the middle.
I then pass the ball to my wing-back again, who is free on the wing, creating a perfect passing angle for my striker.
We arrive at the two-on-one situation by exploring the concept of free space. The opponent may stay somewhere between the forwards to prevent the pass. So this will allow the running forward to open up another free base in space. This time I ran forward, used my speed to get past my opponent and pass the ball inside to score.
In the example, we see players active in attack and receiving the ball in the right spaces, but we still see a lot of players not moving, they are just waiting.
If your players are too obvious on offense, this can cause problems for you because you won’t be able to find anywhere to pass the ball. That’s why you need to create a movement with yourself to create space.
We can accomplish this in a variety of ways. The easiest way to move a player into free space is to use L1/LB button to send them forward, point them with the left analog stick, and tap L1/LB.
If you want your current player to start running, you can use the 1-2 pass. Hold L1/LB button to pass after your player has passed the ball and he will sprint forward into space.
Let me show you how I use this example. When I got the ball back, I saw free space on the wing. To explore there, I need to create a movement from behind. So I’m going to play a perfect pass with Zidane, let him run, and prepare to pass to his side.
I dribble forward and play a through ball so he can get it in behind the defense and score.
However, running forward is not the only way to use space. Sometimes our players are too far apart from each other, in which case the space in between disappears. Point your target with the left analog stick again and tap R1/RB button. This will make the distance shorter and allow you to fill the free space closer to you.
Finally, we need to think outside the box. You can’t always do the same thing to a guy because they’ll start to get defensive. So you need to anticipate their defensive moves, learn their tendencies, and outwit them. Let me give you a few late-game examples.
Because the defender was very aggressive towards me. Therefore, I will move my players forward into open space in a 1-2 pass and analyze the position.
If I cover the ball well enough and watch the defender move, I can potentially break through the defense. Because he moved the wing back, he would cover like crazy with the centre-back and then run towards my winger.
So I turned around and got out of there and observed what was going on. Because of this move, the opponent created more space in the back.
So, with two passes, I explored the space where I had an advantage in an almost one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. When he’s trying to run back as fast as he can and get the goalie two or three steps forward, he’s definitely going in the same direction as the defender. That’s why I roll the ball calmly and create a clever angle.
Since I knew his next move, I needed something to stop him. I walked right up to the goalie, forced him out, then immediately changed the direction of the ball and passed it to my teammate, who could finish this simple shot.
For the offensive fundamentals we just used, especially those that allow you to change direction quickly, will be a key tool in defeating your opponent. You can perform many tricks with them, and while defeating your opponents, you can mentally destroy them.
In this guide, we’ll cover how to defend every attack using unique Madden 24 strategies, blitzes, coverages, and disguises. If you want to learn the best defensive techniques, this guide is for you!
This game-changing defense is designed to create lightning-fast blitzes, lockdown coverages, and defensive disguises that force opponents into multiple interceptions. Without further ado, let’s get started.
We’ll be running Dollar 3-2 formation in Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Playbook.
For adjustments, first, press the right stick to make coaching adjustments, then make sure auto-flip is off. This will be used for our blitzes, as they need to come from the left side. Automatically aligns the base next turn to help disguise the defense. Then set the option defense to conservative and make sure everything else is set to default.
The next step is to select our audibles, this is very important because every time we snap we will audible to a new play. Press the left trigger to access sounds, then select from these three key plays: Cover 4 Drop, Overload 3 Seam, and FS Zone Blitz.
The last part is selecting DBL Safety Go for each snap, which rolls both safeties into the box and then pre-snaps. While the safeties remain in the box, you can audible any play you choose in the formation.
The safeties scrolled down will help disguise your defense, help play tighter coverage, and provide better run support. If you want to adjust the secondary pre-snap, adjust the player individually because if you adjust the entire secondary, the safeties will return to their original position outside the box.
The first gameplay we’re going to review is Overload 3 Seam. This will be your first choice because of its insane pressure and excellent coverage on the back end.
Please remember to select “DBL Safety Go” in the play calling menu first and then select “Overload 3 Seam” in the audibles pre snap so that the safeties are in the box.
To make adjustments, press left on D-pad and hold down the left analog stick, pinching D line. Then place the free outside blitzer in the left vertical hook and press Y or Triangle to shade your coverage, then press the right stick to get hard flat zones.
When the user plays the coverage linebacker as opposed to the blitzing linebacker, your job is to immediately hover over this A-gap, which will allow this A-Gap Blitz to move in freely for easy sacks while locking down coverage.
But after you hover, it’s important that you run back into coverage to defend this area with no defensive help.
Another way to set up coverage is to control the outside blitzer with the biggest threat in your attack, then press Y or Triangle and press the right stick to lower the coverage.
For blitz, pinch the line like we did before. Now that the offense is in a tight double formation, what I’m most worried about is the short-side receiver running the corner route.
On the far side, I’m not worried about corner routes because no receivers line up far enough to occupy the back third of any route. So this back third can easily match the corner kick you see here.
Back on the short side, if the receiver were to run the vertical and corner, the vertical would occupy the back third, which would leave the corner route open. That’s why I use the slot corner to guard the inside receiver. When the two inside receivers run corners, they are locked in and heavily guarded by the defense.
As a user in this setting, your job is to guard the middle of the field. Overload 3 Seam is very effective compared to a 5-wide offense with no running backs in the backfield.
Start by pinching D line to blitz and make sure to hover over this A gap. Then man the weak-side corner of the slot receiver and man the strong-side corner of the middle receiver.
As a user, if the inside receiver goes to the middle of the field or to the corner, follow him. Because of the tight coverage, this setup results in A-gap pressure, easy sacks and interceptions.
Now strategically, it’s important to mix your blitz and coverage calls. Once you’ve called Overload 3 Seam blitz multiple times, try pulling more players back into coverage by running a Cover 4 Drop.
Call DBL Safety Go to place safety items in the box, then audible to Cover 4 Drop pre-snap.
As a user, playing the same player and hovering in the same A-gap, so the play looks exactly like every other play will make your defense unpredictable and difficult to read.
In Cover 4 Drop, you can use it as a base or shade it for hard flat zones. Because if you blitz too often, your opponent will think he has to get rid of the ball quickly. If he does that, we’ll immediately set up zones to stop it, like you saw in this game.
If you can block one of the most popular Flood Concept plays using Vertical route, Corner route, and a Flat route, you’ll be victorious in a ton of games.
What we’re going to do is something called “Double Mable” in Cover 4 Drop, which will block Flood Concepts and Corner Routes.
First, enter the zone drops in coaching adjustments. Then, place the flat on the 30 yards and the curl flat on the 5 yard. Afterwards, select DLB Safety Go so that the safeties roll into the box and audible to Cover 4 Drop.
If Bunch set is on the short side of the field, place the outside corner where Bunch formation is on the hard flat zones and individually back him up. This way, the corner will be 30 yards deep to defend the deep cut route on the outside.
On the lone receiver side, we will use a regular Cover 4. So when the offense gets the ball, you see the corner route extending directly to a 30-yard hard flat. The flat route extends directly to the 5 yard curl flat. The vertical route just enters the inner safe zone.
One of the best meta plays this year is vertical out of a trips set, where if you can’t stop it, players will spam you and kill you for the entire game quickly.
For this play through, we’ll be doing a FS Zone Blitz. We should note that in order to change the defensive look, please do not choose DBL Safety Go, but choose to play FS Zone Blitz. Make sure zone drop is off and you have the original coaching adjustments shown at the beginning.
In this play, the left safety will roll into the box instead of both safeties rolling down, and it consists of another A-Gap Blitz.
For this adjustment versus a trips set on the left side, you need to use the middle catcher to control the rolled down safety. Then turn the coverage down for light blue hard flats. Then pinch the line and make sure you’re using the linebacker in coverage and hover over the other A gap to optimize the blitz.
Your job is to guard the inside receiver, and if he runs down the middle of the field, on a corner route, or on a vertical route, you’ll be able to sneak under like a tight end and jump over the route for an easy interception.
Also note that we get a free rusher on this A-gap while all vertical routes are locked, as are the tight end’s crossing route and the hard flats defended by the running back.
If Trips set is on the right side, put the left rolled down safety in the middle third and the other safety in the middle receiver assignment. Then pull down the shadow, pinch D Line and hover over this A gap to blitz.
Your assignment as a user is the same, just to the opposite side. If he runs down the middle of the field, running a vertical route or a corner route, catch the inside receiver. This way, you’ll be able to lock down the most popular matchups and routes in Madden with your best formation.
Here, we are showcasing 7 FC 24 football clubs in no particular order, all of whom are currently experiencing a challenging football season and are in need of a rebuilding phase as they aim to elevate their performance to a higher level.
Let's start with Spain. At the time of recording, Sevilla is just one point above the relegation zone, performing significantly below expectations.
Known as the kings of the Europa League, this season has been a struggle despite a strong squad, including veteran Sergio Ramos.
What's a rebuild without goals? Achieve the following objectives to consider the rebuild a success:
To make it challenging, we suggest the following rules during this Sevilla rebuild:
Sevilla is in dire need of a rebuild and hungry for new European success. Can you lead them there?
Now, let's head to the capital of Germany, Berlin. There are 2 clubs here, and no more in need of a rebuild, but for this guide, we'll focus on Union Berlin.
After 2 sensational seasons, they now find themselves in the lower regions of the Bundesliga. Achieve the following goals with Union Berlin to complete the rebuild:
Union Berlin's journey is remarkable, considering they were nearly bankrupt 20 years ago and were kept afloat by their supporters.
This inspires our sole unique rule for this rebuild: Never spend more FC 24 Coins than what is earned.
Additionally, we'll stick to the 2 standard rules: Choose a challenging difficulty level and repeat the same yearly goal if not achieved.
Union Berlin is a beautiful club on the quest for upward mobility, a truly great challenge.
Our next destination: 2019 Shadow.
In 2019, Ajax captured the hearts of football fans by impressively defeating Real Madrid and Juventus in the Champions League before being dramatically eliminated by Tottenham.
Following 10 Hag's departure to Manchester United, the club is a shadow of its 2019 self. This year, they can already forget about winning the Eredivisie title, which leads us to the objectives for Ajax:
Ajax fans, known for not resting on past laurels, mean 2 rules must be considered:
With these 2 rules, winning the Champions League in Year 5 becomes a significant challenge, especially when choosing a challenging difficulty level.
Bring Ajax back to the promised land, as they did in 1995 and were so close to in 2019.
For our final 4 clubs, we turn our attention to various levels in England, the mecca of football. We start in Stoke City, the least glamorous of the four.
Six years ago, their run as a mid-table Premier League team for a decade ended, and now they're languishing at the bottom of the Championship, England's second tier.
Stoke was always known for playing hard with the well-known kick and rush approach. We'll incorporate this into our rebuild:
As I said, Stoke City was known for playing hard with the well-known kick and rush football.
For this rebuild, maintain this as a rule: for transfers, we're looking for strong, fast, and tall players who imprint their aggression on the game.
Leave the beautiful, elegant football behind and dive in with the Stoke City rebuild.
Now, let's move up a level to the Premier League, where Everton is fighting relegation and facing penalties due to financial issues.
Everton has long been a solid mid-table team but has fallen so far that they are seriously fearing relegation. Additionally, there's a new stadium in the pipeline, which might not materialize if they're relegated. Everton could certainly use some renewed vigor.
We've also devised some rules for Everton to make it extra challenging due to financial troubles. Everton faces penalties such as points deductions.
Therefore, don't spend more than what is earned. Save Everton from the brink and restore them to their rightful place and beyond.
In our discussion of the final two clubs, we shift our focus to the upper echelons of the Premier League, or more accurately, its erstwhile summit. These two teams now exist as faint reflections of their former greatness, earnestly pursuing a resurgence.
Even with just a modest interest in the Premier League, the mention of these 2 clubs—Manchester United and Chelsea—undoubtedly rings familiar.
Both teams have invested heavily yet seem further from success than ever. These powerhouses are yearning for success and ready for a new rebuild.
Manchester United and Chelsea have both been trying for years to regain their form and win another Premier League title, but to no avail.
To keep it realistic, we've set the following rules:
These clubs are closer to the ultimate goal, but the journey will be a significant challenge.
Finesse Shot and Controlled Sprint are both old meta on FC 24, so what is the new meta on FC 24? That’s exactly what we’re going to learn today. In this guide, we’ll take a look at 4 game-changing new meta Skill Moves. Without further ado, let’s get started!
First, there is a new Skill Move introduced at FC 24 this year, and that is Flair Nutmeg. Even at the highest levels of the game, Flair Nutmeg and Flair Nutmeg Pass are the most impactful weapons.
I’m talking about Pro vs Pro gameplay, but not many people are using it in their games. I rarely encounter players using Flair Nutmeg Pass. As a new meta-Skill Move, this is definitely worth learning.
Flair Nutmeg is a new 5-star skill in EA FC. This means you can only use it on players with a 5-star Skill Move. To get the most out of Flair Nutmeg, it is necessary to spend FC 24 Coins on explosive players such as Kylian Mbappé, Marcus Rashford, or Ousmane Dembélé.
In fact, executing Flair Nutmeg is actually pretty simple. All you have to do is hold down L1/LB and R1/RB, flick the right analog stick to cancel the movement and rush in the specified direction. While we recommend using Flair Nutmeg to get into the side areas, you can go wherever you want.
So what is Flair Nutmeg Pass? It’s best used on wings. While we’re doing Flair Nutmeg, I’m going to press X, which will cancel Nutmeg animation. Then I’ll pass the ball to the excellent players. It’s a game-changer!
When you go down the side, your opponent may expect you to go straight in this game, but you have to surprise it. At this moment, the best way to surprise him is to use Flair Nutmeg Pass. This way, you can take a clever shot when your opponent isn’t expecting it. Now you have a new weapon to use on Wings.
One way to defend against Flair Nutmeg is to take a few steps back and hold L2 in line with Skill Move to make a tackle. However, be careful with this strategy, as missed tackles can leave a lot of room for the opposing striker.
Next on our list is Inverted Trivela. This Trivela technique involves hitting the ball with the outside of the foot, creating a turning effect. Use this technique during a match to surprise your opponents.
The goal is approached from that corner based on the player’s dominant foot. For example, if you are a right-footed football player, run towards the goal from the right side. Make sure to stay diagonal to the goal; otherwise, you won’t be able to get the shooting angle Trivela needs.
Before shooting, press and hold L2/LT button on your gamepad. Aim for the far post and keep shooting.
The far post detail is crucial here. The goal is to use the outside of your foot to shoot the ball into a corner that the goalkeeper cannot reach. So, no matter which corner you attack from, aim in the opposite direction of the goalkeeper on your gamepad.
Shooting ability is also something to pay attention to. It is crucial to adjust the power based on the distance from the target. Failure to do so could result in a shot being deflected or leaving it too easy for the goalkeeper to catch the ball.
Next we have Crossing. Crossing is the best trick we’ve seen since FIFA 19. And FC 24 Crossing is crazy and you really need to master it. Even at the highest levels of play, it’s the most threatening skill.
Classic Crossing in EA FC 24 is one of the best ways to get the ball into the box, especially when the forward is in a suitable position. However, it is important not to use too much force when passing the ball, lest the ball fly over the player’s head. Before you pass the ball, make sure your attacker is ready to receive the ball and shoot to complete the move.
There are many players in the game who can fill this role for you. As you can see, we have Ronaldo as RF and RAM, and what you want to do is you want to use L1 Square Cross. You can use it once you are in and around the area, or even inside the box. It will increase the force by 1 to 1.5 bars, making it more difficult for the goalkeeper to catch crosses.
The last one on the list is Player Lock Fake. Player Lock Fake is a game-changing move that you really need to master.
So how to implement Player Lock? You just need to hold down L3 and R3, then flick the right stick toward the player. So how do you fake it? You can cancel it by pressing R3 and L3 again.
Just like you can see in the example. If you’re running down the wing and a player moves inside. After you do this, most opponents will try to track the run. Then you just cancel it and choose another option directly. It’s all about finding space, utilizing space and creating space.
That’s it for the four new meta Skill Moves we’re talking about here: Flair Nutmeg Pass, Inverted Trivela, Crossing and Player Lock Fake. These are powerful skills that can change the rules of the game, so come and try them out!
Talking about defending in FC 24, there are 3 types of defending, which are Legacy, Tactical, and Advanced Defending. However, you can’t use Legacy Defending in competitive mode, meaning you can’t use it to play online games.
So, if you want to learn how to defend in FC 24, Tactical and Advanced Defending is what you need to learn.
In Legacy Defending, by holding X, your player will press the ball holder.
But that’s not how it works in Tactical and Advanced Defending. This is what will happen if you hold X or A to contain in Tactical and Advanced Defending: observe the behavior of the player with the indicator.
Instead of the player standing in front of the attacker and challenging him, he will just run beside him. That means, in Tactical and Advanced Defending, you need to be the one to control the behavior of your defenders.
Jockeying is crucial to control the behavior of your players when defending.
Whenever your opponent is approaching, instead of holding X or A to press the attacker, what you need to do is hold L2 or LT button. By holding the L2 or LT button, your player will stand in a good shape to defend.
Then, use your left analog to move your player while holding the L2 or LT button.
Whenever you’re using the Jockey, your first objective is to deny him of free passage. Your second objective is to place yourself in a position to block any shot he plays. Your third objective is to wait for him to try and dribble past you. But since you’re standing in front of him, you will win the ball.
The last thing is to wait for the perfect time to use Stand Tackle to win the ball.
To use Stand Tackle in Tactical or Advanced Defending, press the button you used to shoot.
You can also use Hard Stand Tackle. This is more effective than a normal Stand Tackle. Hold R1 or RB, then press Circle to use this.
Whenever you want to make the tackle, make sure it’s from forward to avoid any foul. If you tackle from behind, you will give away a free kick or penalty inside the box.
Also, get the timing right because if you miss a tackle, it won’t be easy to recover with that player.
Now, let’s go back to Jockey and talk about how to use Speed Jockey and when to use it.
Once you hold L2 or LT to activate your Jockey, your player’s speed will reduce. So, if the attacker is moving fast in front of you, you need to use the Speed Jockey to keep up with him.
To perform this, hold your Sprint button together with the Jockey button. There are some situations in which your opponent will get past you while using Jockey.
Then, you need to take your hands off the Jockey button and let your player run at full speed to get the ball. To do this, use your left analog and Sprint button only to control your player.
Let’s talk about how to keep a good defensive structure when playing the game.
If you use all the defensive techniques very well but can’t keep a good structure when defending, it won’t be enough. That is why I’m going to teach you how to avoid those common mistakes that always make your defense slack.
Firstly, whenever your opponent is attacking, don’t ever press with any one of your 2 center backs. Pressing with either one of them will destroy your defensive shape. If your opponent is a good attacker, he will utilize the opportunity you gave him.
To keep a good defensive shape, your right back, left back, and 2 center backs should be intact with no cursor on them. If you rush out to press with one of your center backs with no 100% guarantee of winning the ball back, you will leave your defense vulnerable.
It’s not forbidden to switch to your center backs. You can switch to your center back to anticipate and stop your opponent’s movement. Once I see his opponent making a run, I switch to the center back to stop the run. The difference here is that I switch to my center back to drop back. The other one is that I switch to my center back to press. You should know the difference and avoid making mistakes.
Anytime your opponent is attacking, press with your midfielders or any other players except the center back. Pressing with your midfielders will keep your defensive shape, and your opponents will find it hard to go through.
Of course, if you learn these tips and know how to properly invest your FC 24 Coins in your players, winning various games easily will be a piece of cake for you!
As a Madden 24 player, my approach revolves around coverage strategies. Each year, certain metas such as corner routes and bunch trips tight formations tend to trouble many players online. I take immense pride in effectively countering these prevalent metas through strategic coverage adjustments. In this guide, I will dissect 5 tips, catering to players ranging from beginners to those seeking super-advanced techniques. These insights are designed to elevate your coverage skills swiftly.
Let’s start it off with the number 5 tip. You should be playing the game of base align auto-alignment. If you don’t play with base align, every coverage that you could call is going to come with tells. Let’s come out on Cover 1. First things first, you see that we have a single high alignment. Notice the alignment of our 2 safeties, 2 high Cover 2 Man. Now let’s audible to Tampa 2. Notice the width change in the outside corners. Now it’s audible to Cover 3, single high, but kind of looks like Cover 1.
Let’s take a look back at Cover 1. Notice the depth change of the outside corners. Let’s look at Cover 4, which just like 2-man under. Different alignment by the outside corners. The point that I’m trying to make here with this is that if you are playing anyone who knows anything about this game, you need to make sure your coaching suggestion is set to baseline.
This is going to make sure that your players are locked into a position no matter what play call you have as soon as you break the huddle. So now we can come out in that Cover 1, audible to the 2-man under, audible into the Cover 3, and audible into the Cover 2, and you’re going to see that we have the same alignment from all of our defensive backs. This is going to make it so much easier to set up more consistent blitz pressures, as well as disguising your coverage behind those blitzes as well.
Mable coverage is your friend. So many players are afraid to attack the user in the middle of the field in Madden 24 for that matter. To make sure that your opponent has to attack your user, the coverage known as Mable is very prominent. In which players will set 30 yard flats, 5 yard Curl Flats, and they will come out in some sort of Cover 2 or Cover 4 and make these adjustments. By having 2 5 yard purples and 2 30 yard blues on both sides of the field, your opponent will have to throw into the middle because the sidelines are going to be covered. You’ll note that if you actually look at this coverage, it still can be thrown to the sideline.
Then comes for our number 3 tip. Your 30 yard blues must be backed up. So whether you want to do this individually or globally, you will want to make sure that they are in an off alignment by backing them up to 12 yards off the ball. They will play the correct depth that is necessary to defend a corner route. Now, in this situation, you’re looking at interceptions instead of wondering why your coverage broke down.
A lot of players do not know the grid that deep out knockout works in this game. In fact, a lot of players in Madden 24 will actually use deep in KO when running a Cover 3 base defense after all they think that middle third defender should have that ability. The deep out KO works on the field from the hash marks all the way to the sideline on either side of the field.
So even if you are using a middle third defender, it’s better to have the deep out KO because you’re going to run more coverages in which that player can actually impact throws like corner routes to the sideline, for instance. After all, if the only area in the middle of the field that a deep out KO doesn’t work is basically roughly 10 yards between the hash marks.
Keep the play that you break the huddle in on defense in your audibles. Let’s take, for instance, that I have zone drops active. I’m coming out in Tampa 2. Maybe I fear that corner route we were just talking about, but I have that zone drop set to 30, and I’ve backed it up. But then suddenly, my opponent decides that they want to maybe audible. Now, I’m put in a spot where I don’t want that 30 yard blue anymore. So I reset my play, resetting the play when you have zone drops on changes your zones back to default setting.
As a result, I can actually be in a spot where if my opponent were to try something, maybe like an out a route from the slot, I won’t have a player in a 30-yard setting. And then they’ll audible or motion into something where you want those zone drops back. But then I want them back on.
I have covered 2 already in the audibles. Choose it from the audible menu, and your zone drops go back to where they were. So now if you want that 30-yard setting, it’s all the way reset, and you’re going to be in a spot where you can defend that route for you once again. Keep the play in your audibles. That does it for today’s list of tips that will help you in coverage, no matter your skill level.
EA FC 24’s Career Mode provides players with an exciting football gaming experience. Whether you manage an existing club or create a new one from scratch, finding the right players to strengthen your team is crucial to success. While chasing top talent is exciting, sometimes the best deals are found in Free Agent Market.
These players can strengthen your squad without affecting your transfer budget, as you don’t have to worry about release clauses or additional transfer fees. In this guide, we will list the five best Free Agents in EA FC 24 Career Mode that are worth signing, all of whom have a combination of experience, versatility, and skills.
Miguel Angelo Da Silva Rocha, also known as Xeka, is a skilled Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.
His football career mainly started in France. He showcased his talent in Ligue 1 with famous clubs such as Lille, Dijon, and Rennes, making an impressive 145 appearances in total.
Xeka played a key role in Lille’s 2020-2021 league victory, achieving the highest level of achievement. However, injuries hampered his run and ultimately made his return uncertain.
After five years, Rennes released him this summer, leaving him currently without a club. Nonetheless, Xeka will definitely strengthen your midfield significantly in EA FC 24.
Santiago “Santi” Mina Lorenzo is a talented Spanish professional player who is well-known in the football world for his outstanding performance as a forward on the field.
While the majority of his career was spent at Celta Vigo, where he made 163 appearances and scored 42 goals, Santi Mina also left his mark in La Liga. However, in August 2023, his contract with the club was terminated.
He spent four seasons in Valencia jersey before rejoining Celta in 2019 for a transfer fee of €10 million. Meanwhile, he played a crucial role in the club’s 2019 Copa del Rey victory.
Therefore, Santi Mina is definitely a strong contender as a potential goal threat in your EA FC 24 lineup.
Jesse Ellis Lingard is a versatile English professional footballer known for his abilities as an attacking midfielder or winger.
Lingard holds many famous championship titles, such as UEFA Europa League, FA Cup, FA Community Shield, and EFL Cup. What makes him even more special is his remarkable feat of scoring in the finals of all three domestic competitions, which is very impressive.
When he played for Manchester United for more than ten years, he was often loaned out to different clubs. He enjoyed a stunning loan spell at West Ham, where he scored a career-best nine goals in a single season. Moreover, he accomplished this feat in just 14 appearances.
However, his future at Manchester United still looks bleak. As a result, he was offered the opportunity to move to Nottingham Forest at the time. Unlike his time at West Ham, his performances during this period were disappointing, and the club released him at the end of the season.
Nonetheless, Lingard is also currently a coveted free agent who could provide a wealth of talent and experience to any future team. The English midfielder will definitely expand your attacking opportunities in EA FC 24.
Eden Michael Walter Hazard is a talented Belgian professional footballer known for his versatility as a winger or attacking midfielder. He has already risen to the top ranks of football.
Eden Hazard’s reputation as a creative genius, coupled with his dribbling skills, precision passing, and remarkable vision, has cemented his status as one of the best players of this generation.
Hazard’s impressive career tally of 170 goals in 622 games is testament to his enduring excellence.
His talent is unparalleled, and his time at Chelsea is proof of that. However, things turned around when he realized his dream of moving to Real Madrid. Despite his obvious potential, injury ended his Real Madrid career. Fans only saw him 54 times during his four years at the club.
Ultimately, the club had to part ways with him, leaving him as one of the most talented Free Agents. Eden Hazard is bound to give an outstanding performance in EA FC 24 lineup.
David De Gea is a highly regarded Spanish professional goalkeeper who has left an unforgettable mark at the club and international level.
During his time at Manchester United, De Gea etched his name in the club’s history. He racked up over 500 appearances and collected a host of trophies. Despite his outstanding performance, the club decided not to renew his contract for the 2023/2024 season.
His outstanding performances earned him the prestigious Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award, a title he held for an unprecedented three consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2016. This makes him the first player in the club’s history to achieve this feat.
In addition, De Gea was selected to PFA Team of the Year four consecutive times from 2015 to 2018. In 2018, he also earned a spot in FIFA FIFPro World 11.
With his contract expiring in 2023, De Gea is now a Free Agent, ready to offer his incredible goalkeeping skills to any team lucky enough to secure his services. In EA FC 24, a goalkeeper with this potential will always be a solid defender in front of your goal.
The above are 5 Free Agents that I think are most worth signing in Career Mode. Obtaining them will definitely make your team better and have more chances to win the game!
This offense has explosive one play touchdowns, an elite running game, and domination all over the field. So, we will be using the playbook called Spread, running the formation Tight Slot Open.
This formation is unique and hard to defend because it has one receiver and a tight end lined up tight to the line, and two receivers on the opposite side lined up near the slot. Which means defenses will need to guard a tight offensive look, and a spread offensive look, which can be very difficult for your opponent.
The first play we will go over to Tight Slot Open is PA Read. This is one of the most underrated plays in Madden 24, simply because this stock play can destroy man coverage or zone coverage.
In the stock play, you have this glitch bending, vertical route that absolutely fries man coverage, a zig route that puts man coverage in a blender, the tight end crossing route that creates a ton of separation, and a backside post that takes the lid off the defense. But make sure you are running this play with the zig and the streak to the far side of the field.
In the play, your reads will be low to high. So, when you snap the ball, your first read will be the zig route. If the zig is open, which it usually is, hit it quickly for an easy gain.
Your second read will be the vertical route, if you see that there is no help over the top, and he could beat his man of the line, free form pass the ball to lead the receiver by holding the left trigger and the left stick up. This will help to hit the receiver in stride for an explosive play.
What makes this vertical route so good is the way it bends to the outside. Because of this, if a corner is pressing in man coverage, you will sometimes get this cool press beating animation where the receiver practically runs through the defender and leaves him stranded behind. That’s what makes that route so deadly.
Your third read is the crosser ran by Tight End. This route takes a little more time to develop, but if you have time in the pocket, he will create a lot of separation by the time he hits the other side of the field.
Your last read is the backside post. This route works best against a 0 Man Blitz, simply because there will be no help over the top. With enough time in the pocket, you will hit the post for one play touchdowns against all out blitzing players.
Another way you can set this play up against man coverage is by putting the zig receiver on a slant. This will keep the defense on their toes because there will be two man beating routes crossing the field.
So, your read in this setup is to wait and see what route gets open first, the slant or the tight end crosser like you see here in this play.
PA Read against zone coverage is as deadly as it is against man coverage, all because it works as a delayed flood concept.
And if you don’t know already, flood concepts destroy every zone in Madden. Flood concepts overload a side of the field, so generally, there will be a deep route like a vertical, a medium route like a corner, and a quick route like a flat.
The reason most zone defenses struggle with this concept is because there are not enough zones on one side of the field to defend these routes. So, the reason PA Read is a flood concept is that there is a deep route, a quick route, and a medium route coming across the field flooding one side.
But for this play against a zone, you just want to be sure to run it on a Hash Mark.
Your reads will go from high to low. So, when you snap the ball, you will first look at the crossing route to see to see if you can hit him quick. If not, you will want to take a brief look at the zig.
If you see that this low zone defender crashes to the zig, you will have the crosser wide open behind him towards the numbers. If the zig is wide open off the bat, though, you can give it to him for some easy yards.
But a great offense will throw the ball to the sidelines and attack the middle of the field. So we are going to use this post route.
To get this post route open against any zone defense, all you’re going to do is put the tight end on a streak. This streak will pull any of the deep zone defenders away from the post route.
So when we snap the ball your read will be the deep safety on the post side. If he backs up to defend the vertical, throw a bullet pass to the post, aggressively catch it away from the safety and you’ll be throwing dots all over the field.
The next play we are going to go over is Bench Switch.
The first setup is an ultimate zone beater. But make sure you run this play to the short side of the field.
What you’ll want to do is put A on a streak, then motion the running back to become a receiver, and put him on a curl route.
On the backside, leave the receiver on a corner and put the tight end on a drag. Your first read here will be C route by the outside wide receiver. If Streak by A pulls the deep defenders, the drag keeps the short zone low, and the curl route occupies the user, C route will be wide open near the sidelines.
If for some reason C route is not open because the user guarded it or the short zone backed up to defend it, you will either have the drag or the curl route in the middle of the field for a quick check down.
Another way to run this is to put A on a streak, the running back on a table route to the right and the tight end on a streak. Your first read in this setup is the same, C route and then, if that is guarded.
The second read will be the flat by the running back. One thing to look out for, though, is the streak by Tight End. Many people will not be ready to defend quick streaks from this position, so you can surprise your opponent with a quick snap and throw the streak quickly in the middle of the field.
And if the defense is in a man's coverage when you thought they were in a zone, look at the corner route's backside. This corner does a great job of creating separation over the top of the defense.
The next play we will go over is called Bench. And We will have 2 setups to beat man coverage for one play touchdowns and short yardage situations.
For the first setup, what you’ll want to do is put X on a drag and A on a zig, then you can leave everything else. Make sure you run the zig and drag to the far side of the field. Your main read is the zig route.
This concept is meant to clear out space for the zig and setting up a natural pick by the drag to create even more separation for the zig. This setup is great for the red zone or if you need short first downs.
For the one play touchdown setup, you will want to be sure to be on a Hash Mark, and then put B on a drag, A on a zig, and the running back on a wheel.
On the backside, put an X on a streak. Your main read here is the running back, but if that is guarded, shift your focus to the corner route by the tight end. If he has a step on his defender, high ball the throw using L1 or LB to throw over the defender for a deep ball dot. If the deep routes are guarded, though, you can look at your short routes for a check down.
The last play we will go over is PRO Zone Weak. This is one of the best RPO’s in the game. What you’ll want to do is read the slot corner.
If the defender crashes towards the run, throw the ball to the flat. This will put you in a position to make moves in the open field for huge gains. If the slot corner stays with the flat, give the ball to the running back for an outside zone run.
In short, it is important to read how your blocks develop so you can make the right cuts to optimize this run.
Have you made any progress on FC 24? A lot of players lately have been complaining that they’re playing a lot but not seeing any improvements, which is frustrating them.
It’s time to change that. Because from my experience as a coach, I know that all you need is some focused practice and you’ll get better. If you know what to focus on, develop a proper training plan and practice accordingly. In this guide, we will show you 3 key points to becoming a good player.
There are many aspects to FC 24, and you can’t learn every aspect at once, which is why you have to set some small goals by sorting out the mechanics.
You need to practice prioritizing them and plan focused workouts for each one during the week. Winning one-on-one Tackles, Player Switching and Skill Moves are probably the best examples.
So tell yourself, today I’m going to focus on Stepovers and how to perform them cleanly, and do about 60 minutes of focus training. The next day, you can do the same thing with another mechanic, such as Player Switching.
Focusing on just one mechanic of the game will allow you to improve at this point and take a step forward. Because improvements to a specific mechanic or skill are more important than winning the game.
If you don’t know which mechanics to focus on, you need to have this mindset and don’t worry. Because we have a series of guides for you here, plus we have many in-depth tutorials that may give you ideas for training in the different major categories.
We want to take the next step and train on almost every mechanic of the game. There is a different type of training section here. Let me give you a personal example in FIFA 19.
I’m one of those players who never reaches for the right analog stick to perform some skill moves. But that time I felt like I was missing something in the game, and it stopped me for a while. Then I prioritize learning important basic and advanced Skill Moves.
All I did was go into Practice Arena, where I could actually perform specific Skill Moves. Let’s take Elastico as an example. After learning input, I told myself that this Skill Move is directional. Since the input always changes based on which direction my player is facing, I have to practice it everywhere.
I’ve invested some time and FC 24 coins to complete a basic build. Then, when it was enough, I jumped into a squad battle game against AI first before trying to train against AI with actual players. This is the perfect tool for your daily training because you can test everything without having to deal with too much stress.
Once I get a good feel for it, I move to the online portion and start trying out Skill Moves against real opponents. FIFA players just focus on that specific set of skills and try it out in different situations, showing me when and where it works, and when it doesn’t.
So you have to experience the positive and negative results of the execution mechanism. So when you embrace this mindset, you will feel it clearly. You won’t force yourself to learn all the mechanics, but once you’re done training, they will actually come naturally to you.
Remember, winning or losing doesn’t matter when training. If you focus on winning or losing situations, you can easily fall back into your bad habits. So just focus on clean execution of the mechanism. That’s the only way you can achieve your goal.
Now I want you to listen to me carefully here, because this is the most important practical part: watching and analyzing your own game, even if it’s a painful defeat. That’s not only why I’m a good player, but also what makes me a successful coach.
During your game, you may not realize what mistakes you are making in the heat of the game, and you will repeat them and possibly blame them on the game. Therefore, please observe your performance on time.
Let me tell you a brief but very important story from my coaching experience. When I send introductory emails to my students, I ask them what their strengths and weaknesses are. Sometimes I get responses like: I’m great at building, but I can’t beat the script for this game very well.
When I watch them play, I take notes and analyze their games. The funny thing is that in some cases, I don’t have to tell them anything. Because when I ask if you see the question here, they insert the correct answer into the reply and tell me what they should have done instead of what they did.
So after losing a game, make sure to use the recording option from the console and watch yourself, even if you win and it was a hard to win, do it again. Because winning a game doesn’t mean you’ve done everything right, there’s always room to correct mistakes or improve.
So you need to take that step, watch your own games, recognize your mistakes, take notes, gain focus, and retrain to be reminded again.
Finally, let’s wrap it all up with an example session. You start in Practice Arena, practicing a specific mechanic for 20 to 30 minutes. Then you go and play three or four online matches. At this point, your primary focus is on clean execution of the mechanic, not on achieving victory.
Here you can improve yourself immediately after recording a game or two and spend the rest of the course of analyzing your own games. This will make you realize what you did wrong, what you did right, and push you in the right direction of learning.
That’s it for today’s guide. We really want you to have the right training plan and the right mindset to push you in the right direction and become a better player!
