EA FC 26 Avoid 3 Defensive Mistakes In Ultimate Team: How To Win Every Running Duel In The Beta?
Posted: Aug 19, 2025 Views: 16
It's no secret that winning in FC 26 isn't just about improving your technique; you also need to constantly analyze the reasons for your mistakes. This is the key to growing from a rookie to a Hall of Fame star.
During the recent closed beta, I saw many players facing similar defensive issues. Losing easily earned FUT 26 Coins is a minor issue; the more important thing is that these mistakes lead to repeated losses. You may have found yourself in the same situation. If you're still unsure of what you're doing wrong, check out this guide.
Here, we'll summarize several essential defensive mistakes you must avoid in Ultimate Team mode to help you minimize conceding goals and significantly increase your chances of winning. Ready? Let's get started!
Mistake 1: Focusing Exclusively On The On-Ball Defending
First, I want to mention a common mistake many players make: focusing exclusively on the on-ball defending.
Let me explain on-ball defending. Players may be tempted to actively use the defender closest to the opponent in possession, attempting to win the ball back through direct pressure and tackles. However, on-ball defending isn't always enough, as it can leave dangerous space and passing opportunities for the opponent.
Therefore, we must also consider off-ball defending. We need to proactively select defenders farther from the player in possession to defend against dangerous passes or spaces. This allows us to easily intercept and win the ball back when the opponent attempts a through ball.
To make this approach effective, you need to proactively use Right Stick Switching to select the best defender. Simply flick the right stick to the defender you want. This allows you to cover the most dangerous passing options, close in on dangerous spaces, or track runners attempting to make runs from behind.
What makes a great defender? Investing more EA FC 26 coins in individual player defensive stats isn't enough. You must ensure you can seamlessly switch between on-ball and off-ball defending styles, which means considering a combination of both at every turn.
Mistake 2: Being Afraid Of Proactive Defending And Overly Reliant On AI Defending
Now let's address the second mistake: over-reliance on AI defending, constantly chasing from behind, which leads to a predictable, passive rhythm throughout the game, making it vulnerable to attacks from skilled opponents.
To address this, we must improve our defensive control. This means being more proactive in defending, rather than relying on AI to do it for us.
Remember, early control of the defense is key. If you leave AI under pressure for too long, you'll give the opponent too much room to maneuver, so don't be afraid to defend proactively.
Let's use a specific example. To execute a good defensive move, the first thing we need to do is identify a specific player with the best position to defend the incoming attacker. Since we don't want to chase the attacker from behind, this defender needs to be between the ball and our goal.
After identifying this player, we can use Player Switching, preferably by clicking the right analog stick in their direction.
Of course, switching control to this specific player is only the first part. Now we need to get them into a position that allows us to counter the opponent and then anticipate their next move.
Once we're certain we have a 100% chance of getting a touch, we need to observe the opponent's body positioning and patterns to ensure we're aware of all dangers ahead of time and maximize our chances of a successful goal.
Mistake 3: Risky Tackles
However, while doing this, we also need to be mindful of a key issue: avoiding being overly aggressive in the wrong position. This can lead to two of the most serious defensive errors: dragging players out of position and taking risks with low-success tackles.
So, let me show you how to use a proactive defensive mentality to become a better defender and avoid these mistakes.
Dragging players like center-backs or full-backs while chasing the ball can leave large gaps behind the defense and disrupt the shape. The solution to this problem is to shift our defensive mentality, prioritizing shape over immediately pressing the opponent, even sending defenders out early in the game.
I've also found that as long as the opponent doesn't get close to our box, we can still rely on our midfielders to defend. Therefore, marking the midfielders and wingers is extremely useful, and there's absolutely no need to disrupt the backline's shape.
We also need to be mindful of our positioning. While not the only issue, using a tackle or sliding tackle while off-balance or away from the ball can also significantly disrupt the defensive structure - a classic mistake.
If we attempt a tackle too far, the player will lose their balance, and our next player switch will be delayed, resulting in a lose-lose situation.
However, if we remain patient, using only LT/L2 for jockeying and maintaining balance, we can mirror our opponent's movements until we find an opportunity to tackle. Simply continue this mirroring defense patiently, and when the opponent directly faces you and pushes the ball away from their feet to facilitate dribbling, your opportunity presents itself!
In short, if you want to maintain a defensive advantage in FIFA 26, avoid these three mistakes. Stay patient, and you'll easily win the game defensively by removing the ball from your opponent's hands as they make runs wide.
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