Alright lads, let's dive into the best pressing formation in FC25! We loved it last year, and it's just as good this year: the 4-2-4. Let's get into it!
Tactics Breakdown: 4-2-4 Formation
This formation is all about relentless pressure and attacking intent. Here's how to set it up:
Build Up Play
- Build Up Style: Balanced. I don't really like Counter or Short Passing. Balanced is perfect.
- If you're struggling: If you're finding your play rushed and losing the ball a lot, switch to Short Passing for a while to focus on your build-up. As you get more comfortable, move back to Balanced.
Defensive Approach
- Defensive Style: Press After Possession Loss.
- Width: 40.
- Depth: 70. This is the sweet spot for me. If you're not used to this high of a depth, start at 61.
- When losing: When you're losing and want to put tons of pressure on your opponent, 70 is great. Even as high as 95 late in the game is acceptable.
Player Instructions
- Goalkeeper: Super Keeper. I prefer Super Keeper out of all the goalkeeper roles because they command the box a bit better. Sweeper Keeper is the best, lads.
- Fullbacks: Fullback - Defend. They'll scrunch in and bunch up more in the middle, giving you a good defensive line. We don't want to overcommit and leave ourselves super exposed. They're just there to defend, lads.
- Center Backs: Defender. Use whatever role best suits you. If you like Stopper and want to be more aggressive, use it. However, if you've got one defender on Stopper, you need to have the other one on the same role. If they're on different settings, they'll create a bit of a dog leg in your backline. When they're both on the same role, they work together as a unit, making you a lot harder to break down.
- Center Midfielders: Box to Box. You need to have a left-footed player on the left-hand side and a right-footed player on the right-hand side if you can help it. They're going to get up and almost support the attacking play, but when we don't have the ball, they're going to be dropping in and helping out defensively as well. Having players that have Relentless is key. You need to either have subs to replace these guys or they've got to have some form of Relentless so they don't get absolutely annihilated.
- Wingers: Winger - Balanced. They'll offer defensive support as well. If you have it on Attack, they don't really come back, and you're defending with a two-man midfield. If you're losing and going into this formation, I recommend going on Inside Forward or something like that, really pushing those wingers up. But as a base starting point, if you want to use this formation for the entire game, Winger is the most balanced way of approaching this.
- Strikers:
- One on False 9. This is more specific to me and Griezmann. You can put this into Advanced Forward, and that will work just as fine. If you've got two regular forwards that have Poacher or Advanced Forward, change this to Advanced Forward.
- The other one on Advanced Forward.
General Strategy
This is the formation I go into when I'm losing and really want to pile it on. Don't be afraid to go 90 depth, 95 depth if you're really chasing the game. The way the attack lines up on this when you're pressing, your four forwards will marry up against, for the most part, people using four backs. Even if they're using a five-back, lads, having those bodies on the pitch, you do get a lot of those bounce backs, and they make a lot of mistakes and sometimes they're just forced to clear it, and then you can build your attacks out again. It's an amazing formation, lads. I definitely, definitely recommend you get it in your rotation.