Play smarter, win more: 10 essential EA FC 27 tips from a pro

Timing is everything when it comes to tackles. If you tackle at the right moment, the ball won’t bounce straight back to your opponent. The ‘ping-pong’ effect from earlier versions of the game isn’t as pronounced any more. However, don’t expect a player with an overall rating of 60 and a tackling rating of 40 to win every challenge simply because you’re in the right position. The higher the tackling rating, the greater your chance of success.

Targeted pressing can force your opponents into giving up possession. By pressing R1/RB, you send an additional player to apply pressure to the player in possession. The more aggressively you use it, the more you’ll unsettle the attacker. But be careful – aggressive pressing with R1/RB can leave your defensive line exposed to other attackers. Think carefully about how often you use it. You can see which additional player is applying pressure from the grey icon above that player. This is also the player you’ll select when making a substitution using the right stick or L1/LB.

Pulling your centre-backs out of the defensive line is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. It creates huge gaps that your opponent can exploit with dangerous through balls.

To keep your centre-backs in the defensive line while still defending further up the pitch, have one of your midfielders drop back. This creates a numerical advantage and gives you an extra player to block your opponent’s attacks. It also makes it harder for them to find gaps in your defence.

Another important point when using your midfielders defensively: in EA FC 27, more than ever, you need to make sure your central midfielders block passing lanes to the centre-forward. The centre is key this season.

If you don’t press L2/LT while defending, you’ll have less control in one-on-one situations and allow opponents to get past you too easily. With L2/LT (jockey defence), you’ll be better positioned, move within a smaller radius and defend more effectively thanks to quicker movement in tight spaces. Press L2/LT and R2/RT at the same time and you’ll move faster while still keeping your focus on the player in possession. Even at high speed, you can defend effectively with L2/LT.

Never rely solely on the CPU’s defence – defend manually whenever possible. As already explained, manual defending is more valuable than ever, while AI defending has been weakened. Only when you have truly top-class defenders can the CPU defence become particularly useful. Practise manual defending using the tips above and take control yourself.

Staying calm is crucial. You mustn’t panic just because an opponent is approaching. Have confidence in your skills, stay composed and avoid rushing. Your dribbling skills are also important. If you’ve mastered dribbling, you’ll be better equipped to withstand your opponent’s pressing. You’ll be able to keep the ball at your feet even in tight spaces and keep it away from your opponent.

The same principle applies here: stay calm and be patient. If you press X/A too frantically, you’ll play an inaccurate or misplaced pass. When playing a pass, the direction should match the direction your player is looking. If your player is looking forwards and you pass to the left or right, the ball might not reach your teammate accurately – or at all. So it’s best to play a pass once you’re looking at your team-mate. It’s just like in real football – players don’t have eyes in the sides or back of their heads!

Here, you’ll have to make lots of quick decisions in tight spaces. Quick passing, dribbling and skill moves are crucial for leaving opponents behind. To create goalscoring opportunities, your pass into space needs to come at the right moment. Through balls, in particular, can be effective when timed correctly. One reason for this is that players’ runs in EA FC 27 are more intelligently selected than ever before.

The same principle applies to attacking in EA FC 27: the centre is key. Form triangles and try to play the ball to your striker or No. 10 through the middle. Wingers with an ‘inside forward’ role help stretch the centre of the defence and create space for your central attackers.

Here, you’ll often have more space than when playing through the middle. However, you’re further away from the opposition goal and will eventually have to decide how to get the ball back into the centre. There are several options. You can choose the simplest solution and send a high cross into the box. With high crosses, however, you often have to cover a lot of ground, which means accuracy can sometimes suffer. If none of your players is completely unmarked in the penalty area, think twice about whether to cross or keep the ball at your feet.

Another option is to cut back into the centre from the wing – either with quick, precise short passes and powerful through balls into the penalty area (X/A + R1/RB), or with a skilful solo run that incorporates skill moves. Often, your opponent won’t expect this and the defence will be disorganised. Moving inwards first, then outwards and back inwards again can be effective.

Don’t always try to carry the ball into the goal. Shots from outside the penalty area can be more effective than you might think. With goalkeepers getting better all the time, scoring inside the penalty area can be difficult anyway. However, you shouldn’t just shoot from every possible position. When shooting from distance, you need the right player and the right opportunity. If you have enough space and the ball is on your stronger foot, go ahead and have a go! Finesse shots into the far corner, in particular, can be an effective way to score from distance.

Classic left-stick dribbling is significantly stronger again in EA FC 27. This is a major change compared with the last two games, where it was weaker and had therefore lost some of its relevance. In EA FC 27, you’ll need to adapt to it again. Left-stick dribbling is back!

Your first touch is hugely important when dribbling. Do you go for a direct sprint? Do you have enough space to do so? Or will sprint dribbling lead to a quick loss of possession? In EA FC 27, you need to dribble effectively and think your decisions through more carefully.

The reduction in shielding, which was introduced in FC 26, means you need to maintain more distance from opponents while dribbling. Keep a close eye on your opponent and react quickly to their movements. That way, you’ll make better decisions when dribbling and avoid losing possession.

Often, the classic Fake Shot is enough to catch your opponent off guard. The key, however, lies in the different ways you can execute it.

You can also leave the left stick untouched. In that case, you’ll perform a shot feint while standing still. There’s also a shot feint followed by a speed boost. To do this, press L1/LB in addition to the normal shot feint. So, if you want to perform a feint diagonally to the right or left while gaining pace, you should definitely use the L1/LB button. If you manage to get past your opponent this way, it’ll be difficult for them to catch you again.

The Fake Shot can help in many situations. You can use it to get into promising shooting positions in and around the penalty area. Using the Fake Shot to stop suddenly allows you to break off running duels with opponents. If your opponent carries on running, you’ll have space again for a short while and get the chance to create a new attacking situation. The shot feint with a speed boost is particularly useful out wide when you need extra pace for sprints with your wingers.

All you need for the Ball Roll is the right stick. Push the stick in the direction you want to perform the Ball Roll. For example, if you’re running towards the right-hand goal and want to perform a Ball Roll to the right, push the right stick to the right.

To make the Ball Roll work, you need to hold the stick in the relevant direction for a short time. The longer you hold the stick in that direction, the more Ball Rolls your player will perform.

Timing is particularly important when using the Ball Roll effectively. For example, imagine you’re running forwards with the ball and an opponent is coming towards you. You anticipate that they’re about to make a tackle. Just before the challenge, perform the Ball Roll. You’ll evade the tackle and leave your opponent tackling thin air. However, if you use the Ball Roll too early or too late, it won’t have the desired effect and your opponent may simply take the ball from you.

The different possible exit directions make it difficult for your opponent to anticipate what you’re planning with the Drag Back. Here are two examples of how to use it:

Christian Knoth is a former professional FIFA / EA FC player. He represented Germany at international level, won the European Championship and competed against the world’s best players in national and international tournaments. Chris has now been a coach for many years and has also trained esports players in the Virtual Bundesliga – the official German championship in EA FC.