If you’re sick and tired of constantly losing matches in FIFA 23 because of poor defending, even when you have decent defensive players, then it’s time to improve your defensive skills.
Whether you’re playing FIFA 23 Ultimate Team or simply trying to defend against an opponent in one of the game’s other modes, it’s important to learn how to take care of business at the back. This guide will get you up to speed and show you some ways to defend better in FIFA 23.
Familiarize Yourself With FIFA 23 Defense Controls
The most essential requirement for becoming a better defender in FIFA 23 is getting familiarized with the controls. While you may already know most of the controls relevant to defending, you’d be surprised to find out some advanced controls that can make all the difference.
In the table below, you’ll find all the defensive controls in FIFA 23:
| Control | PlayStation | Xbox |
| Switch Player | L1 | LB |
| Manually Switch Player | R + Direction | R + Direction |
| Switch Player Icon | R | R |
| Tackle / Push or Pull (While chasing) | ◯ | B |
| Hard Tackle | ◯ Press and Hold | B Press and Hold |
| Instant Hard Tackle | R1 + ◯ | RB + ◯ |
| Sliding Tackle | ▢ | X |
| Hard/Clearance Slide Tackle | R1 + ▢ | RB + X |
| Hard Tackle (available in VOLTA FOOTBALL only) | ▢ | X |
| Clearance | ◯ | B |
| Technical Clearance | R1 + ◯ | R1 + B |
| Shoulder Challenge / Sealout | ◯ | ◯ |
| Contain | X Press and Hold | A Press and Hold |
| Teammate Contain | R1 Press and Hold | RB Press and Hold |
| Running Jockey | L2 + R2 Hold Down | LT + RT Hold Down |
| Pull and Hold (While chasing) | ◯ Press and Hold | B Press and Hold |
| Quick Get Up (After slide tackle) | ▢ | X |
| Engage Shielding Opponent | L2 + L Towards Shielding Dribbler | LT + L Towards Shielding Dribbler |
| Rush With The Goalkeeper | △ Press and Hold | Y Press and Hold |
| Goalkeeper Cross Intercept | △ + △ Press and Hold | Y + Y Press and Hold |
Get The Adequate FIFA 23 Players To Defend Better
What good are advanced defending techniques if you can’t put them into practice because your players are preventing you from doing so? Speed is not crucial in FIFA 23, but it’s always good to have at least one pacey defender who can chase after running attackers of your opponent, especially in counterattacks.
When choosing Defensive players for your line-up in FIFA 23, make sure you choose ones with high Defensive ratings, such as Standing Tackling, Sliding Tackling, Heading, Marking, and more. But don’t forget about your full-backs or wing-backs, which should have all of the above + speed.
Finally, you should put at least one midfielder in your team who can help out defensively when it’s needed. He’ll come in handy as an extra player during specific situations.
Defend Smart and Don’t Rush
In FIFA 23, patience is a virtue. So don’t rush to tackle the opponent immediately. Instead, wait for the right opportunity and then take him down. When you tackle an opposing player, it will knock your defending player off balance and make it harder for him to catch up with the other players.
Remember that you won’t be defending alone—your AI teammates in FIFA 23 will always be by your side, especially if you bring an additional player to help you out by pressing R1 or RB. Even though they may appear useless sometimes, AI defenders can teach you patience.
Be Unpredictable in Defending, Especially During Online Matches
Although some defensive tactics are best when used against AI, your human opponents will expect certain moves. For example, using the jockey button to force your opponent’s attacking players away from the goal can be effective—but it’s easy to anticipate.
So why not try sliding tackles instead? Although they can be risky, that risk can be worthwhile if you do it the right way and outside of your box.
In another example, when your opponent’s player has broken free of the pack and is rushing toward your goal, the most predictable move you can make is to press Triangle/Y and rush with your goalkeeper. Your opponent will see this coming and do a chip shot past you for an easy goal.
So instead, you can move your goalie just a few meters from the goal line. This way, your opponent won’t know if you’re going all the way or teasing him, which can confuse him and make him indecisive about what to do. This can save you from conceding a goal.
Defensive Formations / Custom Tactics
You can choose from a variety of formations to use in FIFA 23, but some are better than others when it comes to defending. For example, 4-2-2-2, 4-3-3 Defend, 5-2-1-2, and 5-3-2 can all create an intimidating wall of defenders behind the ball to make life hard for your opponent’s attacking players.
You can also make use of custom tactics to help with defending. If you move your width and depth sliders to the left, you can have your defensive players stay in their own half and avoid rushing forward. You can also set your defensive style to Drop Back if you wish to park the bus in front of your goal.
Practice Builds Perfection
The more matches you play, the better you’ll become at defending, and that’s a hard fact. Practice by playing against AI opponents before moving up to online matches.
Practice defending in the single-player mode offline, and you’ll be able to use your knowledge of defending when you play FUT or other online modes against human opponents.
Your mechanical skills are a decider when it comes to a match but to set yourself up for a win you need the best team with the best players you can get:
FIFA 23: The Best Young Players in Career Mode | FIFA 23: Best Career Mode Teams to Play With | FIFA 23: Best Cheap Players to Buy in Career Mode
