Being a good scorer is just one aspect of a FIFA player. Having a deep understanding of defending in FIFA games goes a long way and FIFA 20 is no different in this regard. With manual defense back in full force, defending in FIFA 20 should feel a tad harder as compared to FIFA 19 but this is where our Defending Guide comes in.
Defending in FIFA 20
Before we get to nitty-gritty of defending mechanics in FIFA 20, it’s important to take note of defense controls in the game. Knowing how to perform a particular maneuver in different situations is something you should be well-versed with as a FIFA player. FIFA 20 defense controls below are only for the PS4 version of the game.
Change Player | L1 |
Manual Change Player | RS |
Push/Pull | Circle |
Pull and Hold | Hold Circle |
Tackle | Circle |
Hard Tackle | Hold Circle |
Sliding Tackle | Square |
Quick Get Up (After Slide Tackle) | Square |
Clearance | Circle |
Jockey/Grab & Hold | L2 |
Contain | Hold X |
Teammate Contain | R1 |
Running Jockey | L2 + R2 |
Pull and Hold (When Chasing) | Hold Circle |
Engage Shielding Opponent | L2 + L |
Rush Goalkeeper Out | Hold Triangle |
Goalkeeper Cross Intercept | Hold Triangle, Triangle |
Display Defensive Tactics | D-pad |
Striker Drop Back | D-pad Down, D-pad Up |
Team Press | D-pad Down, D-pad Right |
Overload Ball Side | D-pad Down, D-pad Left |
Offside Trap | D-pad Down, D-pad Down |
Choosing Defenders
This one is fairly obvious. Your defenders in FIFA 20 need to have exceptional or at least decent ratings in the following stats: DEF, PAC, HEA, and PHY. Apart from this, having good pace doesn’t hurt too. Therefore, try to have your best defenders on the field and you’ll immediately start to see the difference.
Ideal Formations
We’ve talked more about it in our Defensive Formations Guide but you need to choose a formation that you feel comfortable with. There are some formations that may be deemed better than the others in some situations, but at the end of the day, it’s all about you and how you play the game. What works for us won’t necessarily work for you.
However, try to go with formations that are a little flexible and will give you adaptability when need be. It’s important to remember that preventing goals isn’t the job of your 4-5 defenders, it’s a collective effort and choosing an ideal formation plays a huge part in it.
Utilize the Training System
FIFA’s robust Training System, when utilized properly, can help you improve your defense game a lot. Sure, it can get boring, tedious, and frustrating really quick but practice makes perfect. You’ve to put in hours if you wish to be a good defender in real-world situations against other human players.
If you get bored of using the Training System, you should jump into a couple of offline/online matches to see how you fare against the best players in your league. When playing these games, try to note down how you concede goals and try to minimize those mistakes.
Since the manual defending in back in FIFA 20, it’ll probably take you a little while to get accustomed to it.
This marks the end of our FIFA 20 Defending Guide. If you’re interested in learning more about the game, then be sure to check out our Defensive Formations Guide, Offensive Formations Guide, and Volta Football Tips and Tricks Guide.