Alright, what's up everyone, it's only the X here, and we're diving deep into the 4-3-3 (Holding) formation. This one's been getting some serious love in the FIFA community, and honestly, with its ability to control the game, pull off some sweet tiki-taka, and absolutely shred defenses, I totally get why. Let's break down how to make this formation chef's kiss perfect.
Build-Up Play and Defensive Setup
First things first, let's talk about the build-up. I'm rolling with Counter for this one. It just fits the formation like a glove. You want that general AI movement, not having to trigger every run yourself. This is key for making those passes and through balls pop. If Counter feels a bit too fast for you, Balanced is always a solid, safe option.
Defensively, we're going high. We're talking 70 depth. You don't want to be sitting too far back; it's all about presence up the pitch. Seventy is the bare minimum I'd go, and you could even bump it up to 95 and get aggressive if you're a higher-tier player and know what you're doing. But for this, we'll stick with 70 to keep it more casual-friendly.
Player Instructions: The Secret Sauce
Now, let's get into the player roles. This is where the magic happens.
- Striker: Keep it simple. Advance Forward and Attack. We want him up there, ready to pounce.
- Wingers: Both wingers are on Inside Forward and Attack. We want a triangle of these three players always staying up and ready to deal some damage. The counterattacks are the main focus of this formation and some fast wingers always staying forward. If you're not feeling the Counter build-up style, or you've gone with Balanced, make sure to switch up the focus on your wingers to Balanced as well.
- Midfield (Left and Right Center Mids): This is the most important part. Both your left and right center mids must be on Box to Box. There's no other instruction that lets them make those runs forward into the free space between the striker and the winger. When you have this going on both sides, it's crazy. It might take some getting used to, but trust me, both your center mids will be scoring goals, and it will surprise you. The overlapping runs on box-to-box instructions, especially if you have the plus+ role, are just impossible to defend against. It's like you always have two late runners looking to overlap, and no player is marking them.
- Central CDM: This is another crucial one. You want to go Deep Lying Playmaker and Defend, or Holding and Ball Winning, whichever plus+ version your CDM might have. If you have both options, for me personally, Deep Lying Playmaker and Defend is slightly better.
- Fullbacks: Both fullbacks are on Stay Back While Attacking.
- Center Backs: Default (Defend).
- Goalkeeper: Sweeper Keeper.
Tactics Code
Here's the tactics code you can use: (The original transcript did not provide the code, so I am unable to provide it)
That's the 4-3-3 (Holding) in a nutshell, folks! Get out there, try it, and let me know what you think.