Alright, what's up, guys? Today, we're diving deep into a formation that's been absolutely insane for me in FC25: the 4-4-1-1. And trust me, I'm not just throwing these custom tactics out there for the sake of it. I'm currently cruising in Division 2 with this setup, and I've only been grinding Rivals for a couple of days. I've been spending a lot of time in drafts, building my team, and on this server, you mostly face good players. The reason I'm telling you this is because this formation works against meta teams, pay-to-win squads, and top-tier players. I'll also share the codes for both the 4-4-1-1 and a tweaked 4-4-2 at the end of this video. But first, let's break down the player roles, because just copying the code won't get you very far.
Player Roles: The Foundation of Success
Understanding player roles is absolutely crucial. Right now, the "Power" role is super popular for strikers, and it's effective. They make great runs, especially with good attacking positioning. However, for this 4-4-1-1, we're going with Advanced Forward for the striker, with the focus set to Complete. Why complete? Because we don't want him straying too far from the midfield. We want neutral positioning.
Next up, the CAM. I'm using a Shadow Striker here. This makes him play almost like a second striker, an attack-minded midfielder who plays just behind the striker. You want someone rapid who can utilize the speed boost in this CAM position.
For the CMs, I usually recommend Box-to-Box for both. However, in this formation, I've been using Holding, and it's been working wonders. Both CMs are set to Holding. This keeps them back when we're in the opponent's half, providing a reliable passing option if we need to recycle possession. With the CAM, LM, and RM providing so much attacking support, we can afford to have our CMs stay back.
Now, the wingers. My favorite role is the Winger role, but for this formation, I've tested everything. Believe me, the Wide Playmaker role is the best for this setup. You want them set to Wide Playmaker. These roles can change depending on the game situation, which I'll explain later. But from the start of the match, both the LM and RM are Wide Playmakers.
Formation Shape and Player Instructions
This is how it looks in-game, almost like a 4-2-3-1.
- Left Back: Wing Back, balanced focus.
- Right Back: Fullback, balanced focus.
We want neutral positioning at all times. If you set the focus to "Defend," they'll tuck inside, which we don't want.
Both of our center backs are set to the Defend role. The goalkeeper, I just leave on the Goalkeeper role.
Custom Tactics: The Secret Sauce
For the tactics, I've tried short passing, I've tried counter, but the best setup for this formation is Balanced.
- Defensive Style: Balanced
- Defensive Width: 50
I've experimented with both 60 and 50. I personally like 50 because of the current speed boost meta. Good players will feed the ball to their strikers with the R1/RB + X/A pass and go with the sprint boost on the last defender. If you don't switch correctly, you're toast. So, 50 depth reduces the margin of error. If you feel it's too low, you can go back to 60, it's absolutely fine.
In-Game Adjustments: Adapting to the Flow
Now, here's a crucial tip: if I'm winning, I don't change the formation. I simply switch the roles of my LM and RM to Wide Midfielder and set the focus to Defend. My striker gets set to Playmaker, and the left back goes to the Fullback role. This is only when we are winning.
The 4-4-2 Alternative
I also use a tweaked 4-4-2 formation. I use this when I need a goal back in the game.
- One striker is set to Power.
- The other striker is set to Advanced Forward with the focus set to Complete. This helps link up play between the strikers and the CMs.
- Both CMs are Box-to-Box.
- Both LM and RM are Inside Forwards.
- One of your fullbacks is a Wing Back.
I'm not a huge fan of CDMs, which is why I prefer the 4-4-2 over the 4-2-3-1.
Tactics Codes
Here are the codes for my formations:
- 4-4-1-1: [Insert Code Here]
- 4-4-2: [Insert Code Here]
Pause the video and copy them down. Good luck, and go get those wins!