FIFA 21 Tactics (Custom Tactics & Game Plans)

FIFA 21 Tactics

In FIFA 21, custom tactics and game plans will allow you to change your tactics before and during matches. Your team will execute in FIFA 21 your approach in an obvious manner, so that you can get a visual idea of how it works on the pitch.

Setting dynamic tactics will help your team to do a better job on the pitch. The tactics are available under Team Management screen in FIFA 21 before going play a match. In FIFA 21 Ultimate Team, you can also access the custom tactics from the Squad Actions menu > Custom Tactics.

You can customise your tactics based on your Defence and Offence. In each mode, you can set your tactic style and adjust the its balance, shapes and situations. Here are the settings and details on each modes and their breakdowns.


Custom Tactics

DEFENCE

Defensive tactic setting will help you define your team’s playing style in terms of defence. Below is the list of setting to set your defensive style:

Defensive Style
  • Balanced – Using this balanced style your team presses the ball to the middle of the pitch and your team’s shape is neutral.
  • Pressure on Heavy Touch – This style will let your team to preserve their shape until the opportunity to pressure appears. Pressure when the opposition takes a heavy touch, it’s a loose ball, or controlling a difficult pass facing their own goal.
  • Pressure After Possession Loss – Using this style, after your team loses possession of the ball, your teammates will press the ball for approximately 7 seconds. This will affect player fatigue and your players could be out of position if you don’t win it back during this time.
  • Constant Pressure – This tactic style will put high pressure over opposing players on the field. This tactic may leave your team vulnerable as your players become increasingly fatigued, leading to them being pushed out of position.
  • Drop Back – A tactic style that preserves your team shape and will offer your opponents more possession. Your strikers will stay passive and you may find yourself having less attacking options when you win the ball.
Width

The width of your team which affects how much the team will shift to the ball side. The narrower width will keep your team to cover central position while the wider width will cover the wings.

  • 1 to 3 / 10 [Narrow] – This will set your defensive team shape to be narrow and to cover central position to make it harder for your opponent to play through the middle of your team, but keep this in mind that you’ll leave more spaces out wide for the opposition wingers. Your team will defend compactly, your players will pinch in on the far side to cover teammates and allow for ball side pressure.
  • 4 to 7 / 10 [Balanced] – This will keep your defensive team shape to be balanced. Your team will not try to defend particularly narrow or wide. You may find that one-to-one situations are more common when you don’t have the ball.
  • 8 to 10 / 10 [Wide] – This adjustment will keep your defensive team shape to be wide to cover the wings, but your team could leave holes in central positions. The team will not pinch as much. Players on the far side will mark opponents tightly, sacrificing cover in favor of making it difficult for the opposition to pull them out of shape.
Depth

The depth of your team which defines how deep or high your team should go to put pressure on your opponent. The deeper depth will give less space behind back line while the higher one will put more pressure on possession teams.

  • 1 to 3 / 10 [Deep] – This will keep your defensive team shape to be deep to give less space behind your back line for long balls and fast strikers to make runs in behind your team. Playing deep will open more spaces for long shots or more possession for the opposition team. The team will drop back and allow the opposition team in their own half in exchange for getting numbers behind the ball.
  • 4 to 7 / 10 [Balanced] – This setting will help your defensive team shape to be balanced to keep tour team in the middle of the pitch to try to win the midfield battle..
  • 8 to 10 / 10 [High] – This will adjust your defensive team shape to be high to help put pressure on possession teams. Your back line will be high and vulnerable for long balls in behind.

OFFENSE

Offensive tactic adjustments will help you define your team’s playing style in terms of defence. Below is the list of setting to set your offensive style:

Defensive Style
  • Balanced – This tactic is used for a balanced team that maintains its formation. Players will support and make runs when they think it’s the right time to do so.
  • Long Ball – Your team will make runs for long balls into space behind the opposing back line, or up to a target man. Strikers who are fast with a good attacking positioning attribute are the best at this tactic.
  • Fast Build Up – Fast Build Up tactic pushes players forward for a faster build up, but if you lose possession of the ball you could find yourself open to a counter attack.
  • Possession – Players will support more, rather than going on forward runs. The team is patient building play, often passing the ball around in defence with players regularly passing backwards. This tactic strengthens a short passing game, but will cause your team to take longer to build up.
Width

The width of your team which affects how much the team will shift to the ball side. The narrower width will keep your team to cover central position while the wider width will cover the wings.

  • 1 to 3 / 10 [Narrow] – This will adjust your offensive team shape to be narrow to have more players in the middle of the pitch for short passing options. The wings will be open when you lose possession.
  • 4 to 7 / 10 [Balanced] – Adjust your offensive team shape to be balanced for generic positioning to give you more varied attacking options.
  • 8 to 10 / 10 [Wide] – Adjust your offensive team shape to push your wide players towards the sidelines. You will have more passing options wide, but less in the middle of the pitch.
Players in Box

This will help you to determine how many players make run into your opponent’s box when crossing the ball there.

  • 1 to 3 / 10 [Low] – When in the crossing zone adjust your team to have less players in the box for a more patient attacking style. Your players will stay outside the box and rarely make forwards runs for crossing situations.
  • 4 to 7 / 10 [Balanced] – When in the crossing zone, you will have some players making runs into penalty area if it’s the right time to make the run.
  • 8 to 10 / 10 [High] – When in the crossing zone ask your players to make lots of runs into the box. This could be effective to get numbers in the box, but it could leave you vulnerable for a counter attack.
Corners

The amount of players in opposition’s penalty are during corner kicks.

  • 1 to 3 / 5 [Low] – Have a low amount of players in the opposition’s penalty area during corners for a more defensive approach.
  • 4 / 5 [Normal] – Have a normal amount of players in the opposition’s penalty area during corners.
  • 5 / 5 [High] – Have a high amount of players in the opposition’s penalty area during corners for a more offensive approach.
Free Kicks

The amount of players in opposition’s penalty are during free kicks.

  • 1 to 3 / 5 [Low] – Have a low amount of players in the opposition’s penalty area during free kicks for a more defensive approach.
  • 4 / 5 [Normal] – Have a normal amount of players in the opposition’s penalty area during free kicks.
  • 5 / 5 [High] – Have a high amount of players in the opposition’s penalty area during free kicks for a more offensive approach.

Game Plans

You can also edit your Game Plans before and during a game. There are 5 game plans you can preset for your matches. You can change your game plan on the fly mid-match using your gamepad D-Pad Left/Right buttons.

To edit your Game Plans in FIFA 21, got to the Team Management menu – Available under Squad Actions menu (L2/LT) in FUT Squad screen, select Custom Tactics, then press L2/LT to navigate to the Edit Game Plans menu.

Each Game Plan will allow you to assign a formation and a custom tactic set for defensive and offensive playing styles to your a game plan so you can easily switch to before and during a game play. Here are the game plan tactics in FIFA 21:

  • Ultra Defensive – You can set a tighter defensive tactic in this game plan to make your team be super defensive.
  • Defensive – You can set a defensive tactic in this game plan to make your team be defensive.
  • Attacking – You can set a attacking tactic in this game plan to provide more opportunities for you to score.
  • Ultra Attacking – You can set a tactic to push your players to attack and score goals desperately.

To switch your tactics and game plans during a match, use your left and right directional buttons on your gamepad.

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