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Master EA FC 27 with these pro-approved custom tactics
Get more from your Ultimate Team with formations, player roles and custom tactics recommended by pros Tekkz and RedLac. Learn how to control the midfield, defend through balls and chase a winner.
When it comes to EA Sports FC 27’s Ultimate Team mode, using custom tactics can be the difference between dominating a game and being on the receiving end of a 4-0 whitewash. Having a great team is all well and good, but if your players aren’t set up with the right roles and tactical foundations, you’re not allowing them to put their best foot forward on the pitch.
With the help of RBLZ professional FC players Donovan 'Tekkz' Hunt and Alfie 'RedLac' Calder, this guide covers the formations, tactics and player roles you can use to get the most out of your team.
01
The best EA FC 27 formations for controlling the game
It makes sense to focus on the centre of the pitch
© EA Sports
Crossing has become a more viable option in EA FC 27, but when it comes to the meta, lofted through balls over the centre backs or close dribbling and quick passing are still highly effective.
As such, it makes sense to focus your attacking and defensive play through the centre of the pitch, while leaving more space on the wings. Tekkz recommends using a 4-4-1-1 formation with a few adjustments to the player roles to help keep the majority of your play through the middle of the pitch.
Alternatively, RedLac recommends using a 4-3-1-2. This formation does away with wide players entirely to bolster your central midfield, giving you more options when assigning roles to your midfielders.
Both formations offer a strong foundation for the rest of the custom tactics covered in this guide, although which one works best will ultimately come down to your preferred style of play.
02
The EA FC 27 tactics to balance attack and defence
The Short Passing and Balanced build-up styles are strong in this meta
© EA Sports
In previous years, Counter has been the preferred build-up style for many pro players. With the changes to gameplay in EA FC 27 favouring lofted through balls and playing down the middle, having players sprinting forward and leaving their defensive positions can leave you exposed to a counter-attack.
Instead, choose one of either the Short Passing or Balanced build-up styles. Both prevent your players from making overly aggressive attacking runs and ignoring their defensive responsibilities too frequently. Short Passing is the more reserved of the two, and will see players coming short to support the ball carrier. Balanced allows players to make forward runs, but will also see them come short and take a little longer to move into their in-possession shape.
Both are viable options. Short Passing suits the 4-4-1-1 formation, while those who feel more comfortable defensively (and want extra reinforcement in central midfield with the 4-3-1-2 formation) may find Balanced gives them additional attacking options.
For the defensive approach, both RedLac and Tekkz recommend setting this to ‘High.’ However, rather than simply selecting the preset, highlight the setting and press Triangle on PlayStation or Y on Xbox. This will allow you to change the exact value on a 100-point scale.
Both pros recommend setting this value anywhere between 61 and 65. This puts you right at the bottom of the ‘High’ defensive approach range. With one of these values, you still get a more aggressive defensive approach, but your defenders won’t sit so far up the pitch that lofted through balls can easily exploit the space behind them, as they will on the default ‘High’ defensive line setting.
FUT has long been the most popular game mode in EA FC
© Stefaan Temmerman/Red Bull Content Pool
It also gives your defenders a better chance of disrupting attacks before they can properly develop.
In EA FC 27, the AI will make dangerous attacking runs for your players off-the-ball, which is one reason why lofted through balls are so effective this year. Highly skilled players will also trigger off-the-ball runs manually. A higher defensive line makes it more likely that some of these runs will end up in an offside position by the time the player with the ball has found space to play the pass.
There is one consideration when adopting a higher defensive line: you’ll need to have at least one centre back with excellent Pace. Ideally, both centre backs should be quick enough to make recovery runs and deal with lofted through balls.
03
The best EA FC 27 player roles for your formation
Utilise individual player roles to maximise your tactics
© EA Sports
With the foundations of your tactics now set up, it’s time to give your players specific roles to make them as effective as possible.
These are the preferred player roles for DhTekKz’s preferred 4-4-1-1 formation:
- GK – Goalkeeper – Defend
- LB – Fullback – Balanced
- RB – Fullback – Balanced
- CB – Defender – Defend
- CB – Defender – Defend
- CM – Deep-Lying Playmaker – Build-Up
- CM – Deep-Lying Playmaker – Build-Up
- CAM – Playmaker – Balanced
- LM – Inside Forward – Balanced
- RM – Inside Forward – Balanced
- ST – Advanced Forward – Attack
If you’re playing with the 4-3-1-2, these are RedLac’s recommended player roles:
- GK – Sweeper Keeper – Balanced
- LB – Fullback – Balanced
- RB – Fullback – Balanced
- CB – Defender – Defend
- CB – Defender – Defend
- CM – Holding – Defend
- CM – Box-to-Box – Balanced
- CM – Box-to-Box – Balanced
- CAM – Playmaker – Balanced
- ST – False 9 – Attack
- ST – Advanced Forward – Attack
These player roles are down to personal preference, and some may suit certain players more than others. However, as a rule of thumb, these should give you defensive stability and the keys to unlock defences.
04
Switch tactics to chase a winner or protect a lead
Be prepared to switch tactics to respond to different game states
© EA Sports
The custom tactics and formations above should work for the majority of your games, but sometimes you’ll need to change your approach. If you’re chasing a last-minute winner or trying to protect a narrow lead, having alternative tactics ready to go can make a big difference.
Tekkz recommends having an attacking tactic based on a 4-4-2 flat formation with the same Balanced build-up style and High defensive approach. He changes the Goalkeeper’s role to Sweeper Keeper to help maintain the pressure further up the pitch.
He also changes both CM roles to Box-to-Box with a Balanced focus, giving them more freedom to get involved in attacks. This can help overload the opposition and give you more options when trying to find an equaliser or winner.
A defensive custom tactic is more subjective. You can drop your defensive line deep and effectively park the bus, but this also invites pressure from your opponent, which may not suit everyone.
Another option is to change your Fullback’s focus to Defend, giving you greater protection on the flanks and helping to keep your back four compact.
The most important thing is to have these alternatives ready before you need them. That way, you can quickly change your approach when the game state demands it rather than trying to make in-depth tactical adjustments while under pressure.
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