FIFA 21 Guide

At a time when everyone is being asked to stay home and avoid social gatherings to curb the spread of a devastating pandemic, sports fans around the world have undoubtedly had a hard time adjusting.

… Not us, though, since we stick to virtual sports anyway.

Jokes aside, it’s great to see FIFA’s fan base growing in these dark times. Whether you’re a fan of the sport (physically or otherwise), you want to play as your favorite players on the pitch, or you just want to pick up a new game to try out with some friends, there’s plenty to enjoy in FIFA 21. While there may not be too many changes over the years, there are some subtle variations in mechanics between iterations that will take even the most experienced veterans a bit of elbow grease to master.

Much like the real game of football, there’s no surefire way to cheat the system on a technical level. Add some strategy to that, and you may find an extra depth to the game that could prove challenging. Needless to say, there’s a learning curve to these things, and we’re here to give you that little push you need to make your virtual practice as effective as possible before you step out onto the pitch.

Stamina Management

Let’s start with stamina management. For those of you who didn’t know, a real-life football match lasts at least 90 minutes. Of course, things don’t feel the same on a virtual platform. However, stamina loss is still a very real mechanic in FIFA. While it may not be immediately obvious, given that your players move faster with the ball, get into position faster and play faster overall, there are certain caveats to holding down the Sprint button throughout the entire game.

First, it exhausts your players, driving them into such poor physical condition that they basically move at a snail’s pace and eventually have to be subbed out for second- or even third-string players. Second, not only will they move slower, but their skills also drop significantly. This means they’ll be more likely to miss shots, lose passes, have poorer ball control and so on. Ergo, this should be your first takeaway: sprint as much as you need to, not as much as you want to. You don’t expect real players to play at 100% for all 90 minutes of a real game, and you shouldn’t expect it from your virtual players either.

Defensive Play

Next up is defense. And this isn’t said often enough. While it’s true that you need to score goals to win matches, it’s arguably just as important not to concede any. Many players adopt almost purely offensive strategies in which any semblance of a defensive plan is practically negligible, so neglecting it will hurt you more than it helps when competing against other people. Being able to restrict your opponent’s movement while they’re on the offensive, boxing them in and covering their shooting angles, will make it much easier for you to take the ball from them and turn things around. As boring as it may sound, a good player should know when to step back and hold the fort, not just how to seize a scoring opportunity.

Basic Drills

With FIFA 21, we’re seeing a couple of new features called Agile Dribbling and Creative Runs. These two new movement options are designed to give you much more control over your players’ positioning and how you want them to move. With Agile Dribbling, when your player has possession of the ball, they’ll dribble it at a slightly slower pace but with much greater ball control, since it stays closer to the player’s body. Of course, with higher dribbling stats, your player will show a greater level of dexterity and finesse with the ball. But regardless, you should still make a habit of using this skill whenever you’re trying to get past the opposing team’s defenders.

Creative Runs, on the other hand, involves a bit more planning ahead. What it does is let you tell your other players to move in a particular direction and how fast you want them to move. You can use it to set up formations for quick plays, create scoring opportunities, get another player into a good position to receive a pass, and so on. Admittedly, this will be one of the harder tricks to get used to and master, but once you do, you’ll be able to move your players as if they were a single unit. This definitely takes the element of chance out of previous iterations of FIFA, where you had to rely on the AI to figure out what you wanted to do and put players in place. Teamwork makes the dream work.

Like real players on match day, it’s always good to work on some of your technical skills with the controls. Those of you returning from FIFA 20 may already be familiar with some of the skill sets we’ll be talking about, but again, there’s no harm in a refresher. Now picture this. You’re pushing deep into the opposing defense and the goal is almost within reach. However, you’ve gone too far and now you’re boxed in. Your other players aren’t in any viable position to receive a pass. At least not a conventional one. In a situation like this, you might go for a lob pass instead. After all, if you passed it straight, you might as well hand the ball to the opposing team.

In a similar way, understanding and using the different shooting options at your disposal will help create more scoring opportunities. Should you take the risk? Or would a curled shot be better? There are numerous ways to get your ball past the goalkeeper. A standard shot will send the ball far and high, depending on how much power you put into it. It’s not the hardest to block, but it’s ideal when you’re able to force it through. A finesse shot curls the ball toward the goal at an angle and is ideal for setting up headers. A low driven shot sends the ball forward low and fast; good for when you’re already in the penalty area. And the notorious chip shot lobs the ball over the goalkeeper’s head and drops just behind them, finding its way into the back of the net. Needless to say, mastering these shots will undoubtedly take a certain degree of effort and time. If it seems like too much, we suggest sticking to a few shots per match and committing them to muscle memory before moving on to the next.

At the same time, you should also spend a few sessions in Skill Games and Set Pieces to really nail down those button combinations. Skill Games are, simply put, gameplay tutorials, and they cover everything from shooting and passing to dribbling and more. Set Pieces are a bit more refined, giving you a replication of specific scenarios you’ll eventually find yourself in, such as throw-ins, corners, free kicks and penalties. These tutorials don’t just teach you how to make the right shot or move, but also when you should make them.

Stand Your Ground

For those of you who are a bit more familiar with the game’s mechanics at this point, let’s move on to some of the more nuanced gameplay controls. First, jockeying. In case you didn’t know, jockeying allows your active player to quickly break and change direction without losing too much momentum, while still maintaining forward pressure. Needless to say, this is an essential skill to pick up and should be used whenever you’re on defense. Jockeying will help you limit your opponent’s actions by restricting their effective range and put you in a better position to intercept and steal the ball.

For a more coordinated defense, the teammate press is always an option. Teammate pressing generally involves getting help from another player to contain and restrain your opponent’s actions. This also makes it one of the more situational skills, as part of your defense will be left almost unguarded in order to strengthen another part. It’s up to you when to use it, but you shouldn’t overlook the advantages of boxing in your opponent.

Let’s say you have possession of the ball. However, you don’t see any viable course of action to take. If you find yourself in that situation, you can give yourself some breathing room by shielding the ball. Shielding lets you buy time and can be useful if you’re waiting for teammates to get into position for a play, or even if you’re just waiting for the whistle that signals the end of the match.

Beyond these general defensive plays, you should also refine your own individual blocking techniques. In FIFA, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that you’ll find yourself in the path of an opponent’s shot or pass. Boxing in your opponent and restricting that path is one thing, but you should also know where to move to shut it down completely, and when to play more aggressively to take possession away from your opponent. Defending this way can be a risky move, especially if you’re in the penalty area, but proper maneuvering and timing will let you block and steal the ball in one move.

Offensive Techniques

Besides jockeying and waiting to intercept a pass or shot, you’re also free to take the offensive against your opponent. If you ever find yourself running shoulder to shoulder with the player holding the ball, you’ll often see the two of them trying to push each other off. If your player has high aggression and strength and manages to push the other one off, then great. However, keep in mind that a foul can sometimes be called whenever players collide shoulder to shoulder. In those cases, there’s actually a less risky way to take possession from your opponent. Using the tackle button, you can actually try to pull your opponent back by their jersey. This will slow them down, letting you take the ball without getting too aggressive.

Finally, for an attacking approach, use the team press. This will make your entire team rush forward into the opposing half of the pitch for an all-out attack. Of course, this will leave a lot of open space in your own half. So this is best used as a Hail Mary when you’re behind on points and don’t have much time left on the clock. The advantage of going 100% offensive is that you put a lot of pressure on your opponent. If they’re already leading, they’ll probably try to protect their lead and run down the clock until the final whistle. By applying constant pressure, your opponents will likely stumble and give you an opening you can use to potentially turn the match around. The downside is that it obviously tires out your players faster.

Tips and Tricks

Like all of its previous iterations, FIFA 21 is a highly competitive game, and that’s where you’ll undoubtedly have fun. There’s no greater satisfaction than a come-from-behind win against a skilled opponent, and with a shifting meta and countless different team combinations and formations, there will always be a reason to pick up a few handy tricks, both on and off the pitch.

In our last sections, we’ve largely covered the things you should do on the pitch or in an actual match. However, we all know FIFA is much more than that. Outside of matches and the game’s football mechanics, there’s also team management and individual player development to think about. Here are a few guidelines you should keep in mind the next time you’re in the game.

Headers and Crosses

Unlike FIFA 20, headers are easier to score this time around, making them a viable play. They’re nowhere near as broken as they were a few years ago, but with a suitably tall player in the right position, a well-placed cross will give you enough room to put away that sweet goal. If you’re coming from a previous FIFA and aren’t used to headers being a scoring option, now is as good a time as any to start training for it.

Tricks Aren’t Just for Show

While getting the ball deep into the enemy defense is vital for scoring a goal, it also limits your options with the ball. With opposing defenders closing in on you, there’s little time to pull off any elaborate maneuvers without losing possession. In situations like these, using one of the many dribbling tricks available to you can sometimes help create an opening, believe it or not. The element of surprise is key here, as players don’t always expect their opponents to use tricks when things get dicey. Use that to your advantage and fool the other player into committing to a challenge while you masterfully maneuver the ball around their attempts to take it from you. Not only does it scream “style”, but it can also be effective.

Cash In with FUT Squad Building Challenges

Squad Building Challenges in FIFA are essentially challenge missions for you to build unique teams made up of different players. Afterward, you can submit your squads to earn rewards. Admittedly, you’re not always guaranteed a reward, but over time you’re more likely to earn than not. And for those of you who want to aim for the optimal cost-to-reward ratio, you can check out platforms like Futbin, a community website that offers some of the cheapest solutions for completing both simple and more advanced SBCs.

Earn Easily with Squad Battles

A challenge is always fun, but constant challenge can wear on the mind. Of course, Division Rivals helps you stay on your toes by pitting you against players of similar skill. However, if you expect to always come out on top, you’ll have a hard time. Squad Battles, on the other hand, gives you a decent amount of points for your weekly ranking while also letting you earn some coins for wins, even at lower difficulties. So if you’re tired of grinding out every match, or if you want to play at a more relaxed pace, feel free to give them a try.

Master the Free Kick in Set Pieces

We briefly talked about Set Pieces in one of the earlier sections of this article, and one of the most important skills to nail down, especially if you’re new, is probably the free kick. It’s easy to mess up the power and direction if you’re not familiar with the controls. To mitigate this, we recommend completing all the basic and advanced free kick Set Pieces within Skill Games. Mastering this shooting method will undoubtedly take your attacking potential to the next level, and beyond that, it opens you up to a range of different shots depending on the situation.

Find Your Underdogs

We all know the big names, and we all know how well they perform on the pitch. However, that fame comes with a very steep price. If you want to transfer in some top players to build your Ultimate Team, be prepared to spend a considerable amount of coins on them. As with all marketplaces, the Transfer Market isn’t just home to the Mbappés, Gullits and Ronaldos; it also has some very high-potential players who aren’t even half as expensive as the top dogs. Take the time to go through leagues outside the usual picks, such as Ligue 1 or the Chinese Super League, and you might be pleasantly surprised. Make use of Player Links (measured by the shared attributes of players across their nationality, club and league) and Chemistry to build unique teams with players from around the world. Not to mention, winning is more about practice than buying strong players. Take our word for it.

Figure Out Which Formations Suit Your Playstyle

Whether it’s a standard formation like 4-4-2 or one of the more niche picks like 3-5-2, formations play a certain role in managing your players in an actual match. Before getting into the nitty-gritty of each formation’s strengths and weaknesses, you first need to be aware of what kind of player you are. If you think you’re a more aggressive player and would like to take a more offensive stance in a match, you might opt for something like a 4-2-4 formation. And if slow and steady wins the race for you, a 5-2-2-1 might be a better choice. The possibilities are almost endless, and you may want to not only refine your knowledge of formations and the team itself, but also take some time to study the meta and see which formation best suits your way of playing.