In FIFA 23, just like in real football, there is no “universal” formation that can apply to every team. Every formation must be chosen based on several factors, like players’ rating, the number of players in particular positions, and more. We’ll take you through the best formations to use in Career Mode in FIFA 23 to help you find your winning formula and get the best results.
Best Career Mode Formation #1: 4-4-2
Style of play: Attacking
Prerequisites:
- Outstanding two central midfielders; one with excellent passing skills and another that can help defenders.
- Fast left and right midfielders with solid crossing skills and good stamina because they must fall back whenever necessary.
- Ideally, one “target man” type of attacker, with good heading and strength, assisted by an additional striker with decent speed.
The tried-and-true formation of 4-4-2, used in almost every FIFA game, offers an outstanding balance without taking too many risks. Having four defenders, four midfielders, and two attackers allows every team to fill out any gaps so that your opponent can rarely find a “hole” and use it to its advantage.
4-4-2 is ideal for those who like to play counterattacks, so it’s a massive bonus if you have fast players on your team.
One of its main disadvantages is that players must work extra hard to cover every “hole,” which means their stamina will rapidly deplete. This applies to the left and right midfielders, who must continuously run back and forth.
4-4-2 is widely considered a formation in which you can’t expect to see much of the ball and may require discipline.
Furthermore, suppose your opponent plays with three midfielders (which will happen very often). In that case, your two central midfielders will be overrun and you can’t expect to dominate that area.
Best Career Mode Formation #2: 4-3-3 (Holding)
Style of play: Balanced
Prerequisites:
- A dominant central defensive midfielder with excellent defending skills, assisted by two central midfielders in front, which can pass and connect defensive players with attacking ones.
- Two super-fast wingers who can cross the ball to a target man striker and cut in from flanks.
- Solid backs with good positioning skills who can always maintain the defensive shape.
In FIFA 23 Career Mode, a few variations exist of the 4-3-3 formation, but the holding style is one of the most dominant formations that gives you midfield control. It’s crucial, however, that you have players who can make it work. This is a very flexible formation where CDM goes back to aid his fellow defenders while the other seven players are attacking.
Though mainly defensive, it can be very attacking-oriented when necessary—especially with fullbacks who make overlapping runs to aid the attackers.
But your team will be exposed to a lot of pressure when you have seven players attacking. However, there are ways to counter this with custom tactics that will prevent some players from pushing forward too much.
Finally, this formation demands the players’ skills, so ensure you have enough skilled players if you want to use it. Despite of that, 4-3-3 in all variations is certainly one of the best formations in FIFA 23 Career Mode.
Best Career Mode Formation #3: 5-3-2
Style of play: Defending
Prerequisites:
- Three solid defenders, including two wide, should have decent acceleration, sprint speed, and defensive awareness, while the central one should have height, jumping, strength, and such.
- Fullbacks and wingers with lots of stamina who can get up and down on the pitch, depending on the situation.
- Central midfielders who can contribute both defense and attack, with great passing and vision. One of them should ideally have excellent defensive abilities, such as standing tackle, interceptions, and strength.
If you’re in a situation where you want to play defensively, then 5-3-2 may be the ideal formation for you. 5-3-2 is all about parking the bus in front of your goal and passing the ball around. This is quite simple, considering the high number of defense and midfield players.
In FIFA 23’s Career Mode, 5-3-2 can be a real asset. It’s perfect for keeping possession and preventing your opponent from scoring. Plus, you can use it to stop counterattacks by assigning a defensive midfielder to assist three center-backs.
The main disadvantage of 5-3-2 is that it lacks width and leaves you vulnerable down the wings. If your backs don’t return to their main position on time, your team can look disorganized and lack focus. Furthermore, midfielders need exceptional stamina to keep up with covering both attack and defense.
Finally, your one striker will be lonely too often, so he’ll be underutilized in this formation.
Best Career Mode Formation #4: 4-2-3-1 (Narrow)
Style of play: Balanced
Prerequisites:
- A goal-scorer who can convert most of the goal-scoring opportunities that may appear but that also can perform defensive duties when required.
- One central or attacking midfielder with excellent passing skills, vision, and other play-making abilities, combined with a box-to-box midfielder with composure, stamina, defensive awareness, and different defensive abilities.
- Left and right attacking midfielders that can cut in and assist the attacker when necessary while constantly returning to aid in defense.
4-2-3-1 is one of the most used formations in modern football. It offers an outstanding balance between offensive and defensive game styles, allowing for the construction of “triangles” at all times, which provide lots of passing opportunities.
Also, 4-2-3-1 is great for transitions, allowing you to easily switch from attack to defense without being prone to counterattacks—especially when you have a tremendous box-to-box midfielder. It’s also an excellent formation for building up your play from goalkeeper to attacker.
Like any other formation, 4-2-3-1 has its drawbacks. For example, there is massive pressure on fullbacks because the formation is based on the center of the field and leaves your wings exposed.
Your opponents will have lots of chances to cross the ball into your box, and they will try to exploit the space between your midfielders and defenders–leaving your striker very isolated.
Every formation needs decent players to be successfully realized. We have compiled a few lists with some of the best and money efficient players in FIFA 23:
FIFA 23: Best Cheap Players to Buy in Career Mode | FIFA 23: The Best Young Players in Career Mode | FIFA 23: Best Career Mode Teams to Play With
