Alright, what's up everyone, it's Omex here! After the recent patch, I've been absolutely loving the 4231 wide formation. It's a killer combo of pressure play, lightning-fast counterattacks, and always having a passing option, which gives me so much confidence when I'm playing. Let's dive into the tactics and gameplay that make this formation so effective.
Formation and General Tactics
This is the wide variation of the 4231, and I'm running it with a balanced buildup style and a balanced defensive approach. For the defensive style, I'm currently using 50 depth. I've been experimenting with 70 depth, knowing that AI defending has been nerfed, and it might be better to take the fight to the midfield. But for now, I'm sticking with 50 until I can confirm that 70 is the way to go.
Player Roles and Instructions
Let's break down the player roles and instructions, starting from the top:
- Striker: Advanced forward. Simple, right? We've got one central attacker up top, so we don't need to overcomplicate things.
- CAM: Playmaker. This has been my favorite CAM instruction in FC25 so far. I'm waiting for my Zidane EVO to finish to test out that classic number 10 role with a Plus+ card. You could also use Shadow Striker if that fits your playstyle, but I keep mine on playmaker.
- Left and Right Midfielders: Inside forward and focus on attack. Yes, you heard that right! With this setup, we're defending with six players, which is more than enough to keep us covered. But when we win the ball back and transition into a counterattack, the CAM on playmaker is always free. As soon as he gets the ball, if you play your wingers on attack, you have a deadly trio all running forward. With the AI defending nerf, it's almost impossible to defend.
- CDMs: For one of the CDMs, I love deploying playmaker and roaming. This year, it's just that extra bit of freedom in moving forward that makes all the difference when you're playing with a CDM. The other defensive midfielder I have on holding and roaming focus. The reason I have the roaming is because he covers up the wide areas left behind by my fullback, because I enjoy having him on wing back and balance, giving him freedom to move up when we're attacking and help us in chance creation, kind of as a third center mid. But if you want to play it 100% safe, have the fullback on fallback and defend, and then the CDM can be holding and defend.
- Fullbacks: One fullback on wing back and balance, the other on fullback and defend.
- Center Backs: Both on defender and defend.
- Goalkeeper: Sweeper keeper and balance.
You can see the tactics code on your screen, and I'll make sure to put it down in the description as well.
Gameplay and Key Strategies
Now, let's talk about the gameplay. Listen, I don't like these tactics, I love them! This has been my go-to setup after the recent patch. Just give it a try for a few games, and you'll understand why. Initially, it's the same vibe as the 4213, but honestly, I like the movement and involvement of the wide players better on the 4231. There's probably something about the patch that improved the attacking presence of the LM and RM. Just give it a try, okay? I promise you, if you've been enjoying any variation of the 433 or if you've been enjoying the 4213, you're going to love this one.