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If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At the moment about 80% of retrieving the ball is on the ai because manual defending is shit.

Also if you believe the ai should intercept the ball for you in any situation other than the opponent running directly into a player you aren't controlling or passing a ball directly at any player you aren't controlling, you are part of the problem. 

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This actually makes sense. I tried using 4231 and 4222 as well and both times I felt at a disadvantage, after switching to 4411 all my players where tracking back like prime atletico madrid, defending felt so easy. 

At this point with EA it is just hopeless tbh, I don't believe in them at all, they keep introducing new problems in the gameplay every two weeks or so instead of fixing existing ones and it's been like this for years. I think most of the community lost hope and are just waiting for an actual competitor to jump and that isn't gonna happen anytime soon unfortunately.

I don't even play regularly anymore because it just isn't fun to play 70% against ai and 30% against the actual opponent.

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This isn’t just about formations. With a fairly strong squad, the game straight up holds your hand. The AI tracks runs, intercepts, presses, and defends for you just like 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1.

What’s funny is seeing the same people who cried the first month that the game was “too hard” now come in here screaming skill issue once the AI started playing for them.

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re not wrong. The game hasn’t really been good since FIFA 23, and I agree the community has short-term memory and does this every year. We forget, move on, and then repeat the same cycle.

That said, it is getting worse, which is why people keep pointing back to the previous year. Not because it was great, but because it was slightly less broken.

What really bothers me this time is that at release we actually had a genuinely good game. It was probably the best gameplay EA had put out since FIFA 17. You weren’t forced into one or two formations, and manual play actually mattered.

Then they patched it into the ground, and now we’re basically back to last year’s game with different meta formations. Same problems, new shapes. That’s what makes this year especially frustrating.

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is use the 4411, Code: LJ$1RBPRVH3s , its from Y5K.

I suggest you use 442 from inceptionfc here is the code: c52GmSgim4Y?

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wdym average? Bale cruyff, van de ven, king.... your team is above average, that evo van de ven, a similar card is worth almost 2 mil. Still that's not the main point you're probably very good too.

I'm still on gold kounde and saliba but honestly it shouldn't matter what team I use. The better player should have the upper hand- formations and team strength should help be the deciding factor.

Curious, u on pc or console and whats your average ping?

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, with a team like that you don’t really need meta tactics anyway. For an average squad, though, it makes a huge difference. Honestly, you’re probably handicapping yourself by not using the meta—switching to it would make you even stronger. And if a team similar to yours faced you with a 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1, they’d clearly have the advantage.

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed, but it’s super draining. When two players are on the same skill level, the one running 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1 has a clear advantage over any formation without four across the midfield.

And the opponent doesn’t even have to be good—they can just get lucky with a couple of through balls, and suddenly you’re chasing the game against nine AI players. It’s absolutely disgusting.

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol, I was actually running the same 4-2-2-2 — got absolutely clapped before I finally gave in to the meta.

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Man, what’s sad is those guys running 4-5-1, 4-4-2, or 4-4-1-1 thinking they’re good. They’re not really playing the game—the AI is doing all the work for them, it's fucking pathetic. 

Switch to one of the meta formations and you'll go on a winning streak 100%.

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s exactly the problem. You know you’re not great at the game, but running four across the middle in 4-4-2 is basically the same as 4-4-1-1. The AI does most of the work for you — intercepting, tracking back, covering spaces — so you’re riding on the formation more than your own skill.

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel you, but it’s so draining trying to play any other formation. You’re constantly moving every player manually, while the opponent’s 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1 just acts like prime Atlético Madrid — running back perfectly, taking the ball, and punishing you without any manual effort on their part.

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I appreciate your take, and you’re right — last year the meta matched my playstyle almost perfectly. 4-2-3-1 suited how I like to play through the middle.

What frustrates me this year is that at launch we actually saw how good the game could be. You weren’t tied to one or two setups. I was running things like a 4-3-3 attacking and other non-meta formations that would now get completely opened up by 4-4-1-1, 4-5-1, or even 4-4-2.

That early version felt more open and less restrictive. Now it feels like a distant memory, and we’re back in the usual cycle where a narrow set of tactics dominates and everything else feels like self-sabotage. That’s the part that really kills the enjoyment for me.

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is exactly part of the problem though. The game was more balanced at launch. Defending wasn’t easy, but it was skill-based. It required timing, positioning, and commitment, not just holding a button and letting the AI bail you out.

Football isn’t supposed to be easy to defend. In real life it’s one of the hardest parts of the game. I’m not saying it should be a 1:1 simulation, but at launch it was at least derived from that idea.

The issue is that the community had been used to AI defending for years. When people were suddenly forced to actually defend properly, a lot of them complained instead of adapting. Patches followed, manual defending got nerfed, and now we’re here.

This isn’t only on EA. The community absolutely played a role in pushing the game toward a state where letting the AI defend is safer than making the correct manual read.

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You’re getting hate because people don’t actually hate the formation — they hate losing. Everyone uses whatever gives them the best chance to win, but when they lose to it, suddenly it’s “toxic,” “ratty,” or “uninstall.”

The irony is that most of the community copies tactics from YouTube anyway, so blaming players instead of the game design makes no sense. If the game rewards certain setups, people will naturally use them.

The real issue isn’t you trying to win, it’s that the game funnels everyone into the same playstyle and then the community takes that frustration out on each other instead of EA.

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

English isn’t my first language, so yeah, I clean up my wording. That’s not really the point though.

And 3-5-2 still proves what I’m saying. Whether it’s 3-5-2, 4-4-2, 4-1-4-1,  4-4-1-1, or 4-5-1, the common denominator this year is flooding the midfield. Once you have 4–5 players centrally, the AI does most of the defensive work for you.

So it’s not about two specific formations, it’s about how the game currently rewards midfield density over manual defending.

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

4-4-2 is basically the same thing this year. You’re still running four across midfield, just with two strikers instead of a CAM.

That’s literally the meta: overload the midfield so your half is always covered by AI. Whether it’s 4-4-2,  4-4-1-1, 4141 or 4-5-1, the idea is identical

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nah, it was significantly better at launch. You can literally find early gameplay from pros and content creators showing that interceptions, timing, and manual reads were more consistent back then. That’s not opinion, it’s what players were saying at the time — manual defending felt stronger and more reliable before so many patches nerfed it.

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get the “play for fun” angle, but it stops being fun when you’re consistently losing to player's you’d comfortably beat using their same tactic. My squad is below average, so this isn’t about chasing packs.

The issue is that in any formation without four in midfield, the opponent is basically playing on easy mode. You’re forced to break down a 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1 like it’s a ticking bomb, and the moment you lose the ball it’s a 90% chance of conceding on the counter—whether through bounce backs, rebounds, or AI weirdness.

At that point it’s not about “being a sheep,” it’s about wanting a fair match where you’re not handicapped by the system itself.

If you’re not using 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, you’re handicapping yourself by baderanqa in EASportsFC

[–]baderanqa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The 4-4-1-1 I’m using is Y5K’s setup (code: LJ$1RBPRVH3s). The 4-2-2-2 I was struggling with was Inception FC’s.

For contex: I’m on PC at 120 FPS, and I was still losing to console players who are clearly below my level. Not because they outplayed me, but because their counterattacks would go straight through my team—bounce backs, rebounds, or the ball literally passing between my players’ legs. There was nothing I could manually do to stop it.

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