On The Ball Vs Off The Ball Defending
Two defensive approaches which are both valid and needed. This lesson explains what on and off the ball defending means and why fluently transitioning between them is the best way to defend in FC 24.
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Check OptionsKey takeaways for this lesson:
- On the ball defending means that you control a player that directly defends the opponent's player which is controlling the ball. Off the ball defending means that you have a player selected which is not directly at the opponent, but instead covers the next passing option or covers a certain area.
- On the ball defending is especially helpful to directly win the ball when the opponent is dribbling. You should do it when there is a direct threat on goal of the opponent (e.g. can break through on goal) or it is not clear how the opponent will distribute the ball or shift the play.
- Off the ball defending is extremely useful to anticipate the next pass of the opponent to either intercept it directly or apply early pressure after the opponent's player received the ball.
- When you defend on the ball, you can use less right stick switching (L1/LB player switches most often will switch you to a player close by) and tackle more often. For defending off the ball, right stick player switching is essential as this allows you to execute the specific player switches required.
- The fluent transition between on and off the ball defending is one of the best ways to apply constant pressure on to the opponent while maintaining defensive stability.
About the author: Benjamin "TaZz" Drexler is creating tutorial videos since 2011 and started to compete in tournaments at the same time. Among several weekly and monthly Top100 finishes in FUT Champions, he reached the Top8 at the Virtual Bundesliga in 2013/14 and finished in the Top8 in 2017 at the first European Regional Qualifier Event in Paris.
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Music from https://filmmusic.io "Future Logo Intro" by WinnieTheMoog (https://taigasoundprod.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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