Advanced defense in FIFA 19 FIFA 19 Guide and FUT Tips

Last update: 26 September 2018

Once you have mastered the basic principles of defense, you should learn more advanced techniques that will surely enrich and improve your defensive game. This section contains information that will help you defend your goal box and make your opponent's life miserable.

• Shoulder to shoulder skirmish
• Pressing a friend from your team
• Covering the ball
• Locking the shot in the penalty area
• Pressing on the opponent's half

Shoulder to shoulder skirmish

Overtaking strikers is one of the main ways to stop rivals from attacking and involves shoulder to shoulder battles when trying to pick up the ball. To knock a player out of the running rhythm, try to pull him by grabbing his shirt by pressing the receive button, which may slow him down enough to be able to pick up the ball in a non-invasive way. Remember that a player playing in this way must have adequate physical strength.

Pressing a friend from your team

If you have problems interrupting an opponent's action, you can always use the help of a teammate. This way you will be able to embed an opponent who is likely to lose the ball or kick it behind the field's sideline. Before applying this manoeuvre, you must be aware that a sector of the field will not be adequately defended. In order to ask another player for help, press and hold the button responsible for pressing a colleague.

Covering the ball

Covering the ball with your own body is a technique that allows you to keep the ball in play until you receive support from the team. Covering the ball is especially useful when you are unable to perform any task or when you want to play on time and you are waiting for the final whistle of the referee. To perform this manoeuvre, press the button responsible for covering the ball.

Locking the shot in the penalty area

When an opponent gets into a shooting situation, you must try to block his shot. You can do this by using the button responsible for picking up the ball, but in extreme cases you will be forced to perform a sliding tackle. Deciding to play such a risky game you have to take into account the possible consequences in the form of a red card and a penalty kick.

Pressing on the opponent's half

Pressing on the opponent's half is used when the outcome of the game is against you and the last whistle of referee is going to be blown soon. In this case, the opponent is not very hasting to play the ball, so it is necessary to send more players to opponent's half in order to retrieve the football. It is always worth pressing on goalkeepers to whom the ball can be passed in such a situation. This often results in inaccurate play of the ball to the defender or hitting the ball, which may give a chance to lead the action. Pressing manoeuvre results in leaving a large area of the pitch without covering, which may result in a counter-strike from the opponent.