I get asked this question all the time. “What formation should I use?”. There’s no one answer to this question. I usually reply by saying “well what are you most good at and at what are your biggest weaknesses?”. Each formation has strengths and weaknesses. Each formation also has tendencies in build up or attack. Let’s Break some of these formations down.

4-1-2-1-2 a very balanced and highly used formation in FUT. The key is the CDM and your 3 central attackers (the CAM & the 2 STs). I like to play at least one ST that’s very pacey and instruct him to “get in behind”. Then I usually use a bigger ST to partner him up with. The CAM is an interesting roll. You want someone who can pass, shoot and dribble. Some pace in that role doesn’t hurt either but the focus should be playmaking ability. The CDM is the main defensive man. Someone who can handle the work rate by himself is very important. I like Ramires of Chelsea over Yaya Toure but I completely understand the Yaya choice. For me, Ramires seems to cover a lot more ground than Yaya. Make sure to instruct your CDM to “Stay back while attacking”. I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again. You want to do most of your defending in the central areas (edge of your box even) with your midfielders. That way if you make a mistake you get another chance at breaking up the play with a CB.

4-3-3 is my favorite formation and highly underused in my opinion but I also understand why it’s underused. It takes skill and control to capitalize on the strengths of the 4-3-3. You must be comfortable enough to take players on with your wide players causing havoc and getting your opponent to make a mistake.  The mistake most players make is right after taking on and beating a player, they look to do more tricks to beat the next defender. I usually look up and try to find a quick pass to a better positioned teammate. Once you beat the first defender the runs from your teammates become way more dangerous and you can usually find someone for a shot. If that option’s not there then you may have a chance at taking a nice finesse shot from outside the box. If that’s not there either, then go ahead and try to beat the next defender. You should’ve guessed by now, you’re going to need pacey wingers with high dribbling abilities. I usually instruct my wingers to “stay forward” and “get in behind”. These settings will make your counterattacks highly effective and fast. You can use a ST or a CF of any size and skill sets, just make sure you play them to their strengths. Basically if you’re using Messi or a ST similar, then most of your crosses to him should be with the tripple tap (ground cross). If it’s Falcao or someone bigger, then put it in the air for a header. Your mids should be a mix of two box to box type of players (Ramires, Yaya, Gundogan, Lahm, Pogba, and the list goes on) and one expert passer with high dribbling attributes (Oscar, Iniesta, Gotze, and so on). Instruct your fullbacks and your best defending midfielder to “stay back while attacking” so you don’t get caught on the counter.

4-2-2-2 is another very well balanced formation. With two CDMs you’re well covered in the back, and 4 attackers give you a chance to create a bunch of chances. Depending on the players you choose up front you can create chances with slow build up play or incorporate a run and gun style of attacking. This is my second favorite formation and my favorite formation to recommend to beginners. Definitely a formation that calls for good passing. If you make quick decisions and the right passes you’ll rarely have to dribble or pull off complicated skill moves. Your 2 CDM choices are key. I like to pick one faster paced CDM who can cover tons of ground and one bigger more physical CDM who can boss his way around the pitch (Ramires and Yaya, Schweinsteiger and Lahm). Instruct one or both CDMs to “stay back while attacking”. Anytime you’re playing a 2 striker formation you should choose one pacey player and one more physical “target man” type (Messi and Benzema, Aubamayang and lewandowski). Set the pacey ST on “get in behind”. Use CAMs that can pass and have high attacking work rates with low defending work rates. If you make the right passes, you should find this formation very effective.

3-5-2 is an interesting little formation. An acquired taste. More effective in Fifa Ultimate Team 15 than in was in FUT 14 but not one of my favorites. The midfield is packed with your players so you should be high pressing and double teaming as often and as fast as possible. Your CDMs need to have high defensive work rates and make sure your LM and RM have at least medium defensive work rates. As I said before whenever you have 2 STs, one should be pacey and the other should be physically strong (although in this formation more than any other 2 pacey forwards work pretty well). Games in this formation can go either way really. The high press is such a gamble that most games involving a 3-5-2 usually end with more goals than usual. Either the 3-5-2 is gonna dominate the midfield by breaking up plays early and counter punching till the other guy is laying down on the matt. OR… The other team has a wide formation (like my beloved 4-3-3 ) and some pacey wingers are gonna punish that 3 back system. Honestly, more times than not when I come up against a 3-5-2 they often forfeit by halftime. My 4-3-3 with Robben on one side and Ronaldo on the other, both set on “get in behind” just get behind that back line time after time. So be careful using this. If you’re not comfortable with the high pressure and would rather build up attacks slower and more calculated, make sure you use midfielders that have high passing and positioning ratings and at least one target man for a forward. But I can’t stress enough, watch out for the 4-3-3

4-2-3-1 is a great formation for those who have a rough time defending and need help on that side of the ball. I hate playing against this formation. Such a frustrating time trying to break this formation down. In contrast, it’s also tough for your opponent to get many chances with only one forward and no help. The key is to use two CDMs with high defensive work rates and a CAM who’s fast paced with high attacking work rates, in order to get up front as quick as possible to help that single ST. When this formation is being used, it’s not uncommon for games to end 0-0 or 1-0. I think it’s boring but if you have issues defending, you might want to give this a try.