EA Sports FC 24: 4-3-3 Formation Guide

Choosing the right formation is as crucial to your experience of EA Sports FC 24 Ultimate Team as the players you select. The best formation EA FC 24 has to offer is the 4-3-3, which provides several variations that pivot to fit your available players.

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Whether you're building a Premier League team, a La Liga squad, or prefer a Serie A and Bundesliga hybrid, there are plenty of ways to use the 4-3-3. Consider your preferred style of play before deciding on your best formation in EA FC 24 Ultimate Team.

Updated April 9, 2024, by Andrew Scariati: The 4-3-3 is one of the best formations FC 24 has to offer as of the Spring Update, patch 11. The best 4-3-3 tactics in FC 24 rely primarily on the personnel you have available, so we've added further tips to help you pick the best 4-3-3 formation in FC 24 for your team.

What Are The Best Custom Tactics For 4-3-3?

Since each 4-3-3 is constructed around a similar basic idea, you can use these 4-3-3 custom tactics in FC 24 as a template.

You may need to adjust your 4-3-3 tactics in FC24 during the game, so stay flexible depending on the game.

If you want to press your opponent, increase your team's depth with your defensive tactics to the 60-75 range.

This will cause your players to remain higher up the pitch by default.

While 71-depth was once optimal, this FC 24 4-3-3 custom tactic has been nerfed by EA, making it less of a guaranteed advantage.

Your players will still press high up the pitch, but the midfield congestion won't be as stifling as it once was.

Furthermore, pressing higher using 71 depth can leave you open to counterattacks.

It can still work very well, but you must be careful and control your defenders to create pressure.

The width depends on which areas you want to attack – the middle or the wings.

Width in the 40-60 range should provide a good range depending on what appeals to you.

Using the sidelines to move downfield and get into a dangerous position is an effective method of scoring, as repetitive as it may be.

Generally, if you have faster players who can take advantage of space, then more Width should serve you well.

Running down the wing to the byline is no longer the only way to score, as EA nerfed the defensive pressure applied by defenders on the wing, allowing more passing options for your winger.

Five players in the box should be plenty for you to take advantage of your opportunities, but you can always add one more if you are feeling risky.

It's generally not recommended to go all-in on Corners or Free Kicks, so keep those at a happy medium of two or three, or bump it down to one if you prefer to be conservative.

Build-Up Play should remain set to Balanced.

Your Chance Creation should be set to Direct Passing.

Each formation will vary slightly, but here are some general outlines for your player instructions:

Striker/Center Forward

• Support Runs: Stay Central
• Attacking Runs: Get In Behind
• Interceptions: Normal (Default)
• Defensive Support: Basic (Default)

Right Wing/Left Wing

• Defensive Support: Come Back On Defense
• Chance Creation: Balanced (Default)
• Support Runs: Come Short
• Support On Crosses: Get Into The Box
• Interceptions: Normal (Default)

Center Backs

• Attacking Support: Stay Back While Attacking
• Interceptions: Normal (Default)
• Defensive Positioning: Stick To Position

Left Back/Right Back

• Attacking Runs: Stay Back While Attacking
• Interceptions: Normal (Default)
• Defensive Positioning: Stick To Position (Default)
• Run Type: Overlap

Goalkeeper

• Saving On Crosses: Balanced (Default)
• Saving Outside Box: Balanced (Default)

You can make your fullbacks and Goalkeeper more aggressive as you see fit, depending on which 4-3-3 variation you're using.

Generally, you can let your fullbacks go forward in formations where you can rely on strong central defenders to cover for them, like the 4-3-3 (2) and 4-3-3 (3).

How To Use The 4-3-3

Personnel Needed:

• One LB & one RB
• Two CBs
• Three CMs
• One RW & one LW
• One ST

The base 4-3-3 will be the standard by which you can judge which variation is best for your style of play. While it's not the best formation EA FC 24 Ultimate Team has to choose from, it's an excellent starting point.

This formation offers a complete balance between offense and defense, keeping every player strictly in their listed positions.

Midfielders will stay central and maintain control, but won't be asked to jump into the play very often, except in rare all-out offensives.

You will rely on your forwards to generate offense and the Striker should be a target man or someone who can score from service via the wingers.

If you value adhering to the strict definitions of each third of the pitch, then this formation will keep things simple, yet flexible.

How To Use The 4-3-3 (2)

Personnel Needed:

• One LB & one RB
• Two CBs
• Two CMs
• One CDM
• One RW & one LW
• One ST

The 4-3-3 (2) shifts the focus from a midfield three who stick to their positions to a more specialized distribution of roles.

One midfielder drops back into a CDM role, which means you're able to take more risks with your two box-to-box midfielders, but they won't be diving into the box without your encouragement.

Your forwards will still carry your offensive output, but they should have an extra bit of support from either CM if they decide to step up.

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How To Use The 4-3-3 (3)

Personnel Needed:

• One LB & one RB
• Two CBs
• Two CDMs
• One CM
• One RW & one LW
• One ST

The 4-3-3 (3) leans further into the defensive approach that began in the 4-3-3 (2), converting another CM to CDM, creating a double pivot in your midfield.

Here, you should focus on setting traps and clogging the midfield to create counter-attacking opportunities.

CDMs that possess good passing range will excel here as they should focus on winning possession, and then redistributing it out wide into space.

If you prefer slower buildups and strong defensive play, this is the best formation EA FC 24 can provide without switching to a 5-at-the-back setup.

How To Use The 4-3-3 (4)

Personnel Needed:

• One LB & one RB
• Two CBs
• Two CMs
• One CAM
• One RW & one LW
• One ST

The 4-3-3 (4) is arguably the best formation EA FC 24 offers, and is often the favored variation of the famous 4-3-3 formation, as it offers a much more offensive approach than any of the prior iterations.

Your CAM will act as a fourth forward, occasionally rotating with the Striker who may be leading an attack, or pushing up to get into a dangerous position.

Each CM should function in a versatile box-to-box role, so players who excel on both sides of the ball are preferred here.

Keeping possession and distributing the ball to your CAM and forwards in dangerous positions is the key focus.

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How To Use The 4-3-3 (5)

Personnel Needed:

• One LB & one RB
• Two CBs
• Two CMs
• One CDM
• One RW & one LW
• One CF

The 4-3-3 (5) is reminiscent of the formation that brought Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool to Champions League and Premier League glory.

The Striker is swapped for a Central Forward who will pivot between a distributing role (like a CAM) and a more direct, attacking position.

In essence, the CF functions as both a fourth midfielder and a third forward, depending on the position of the ball.

Your CDM should be adept at breaking up opposing breaks and clearing the ball out of danger. Someone like Rodri who can also step into a distributing role would be ideal for a CDM.

Follow these instructions as a template to build the best formation in EA FC 24, and pay attention to the skills of your personnel to choose the best EA FC 24 4-3-3 tactics.

Tips For Choosing Your 4-3-3 Variation

Ultimately, choosing the best FC24 4-3-3 custom tactics and formation variant depends on who you have available for your starting 11 and what style you want to play.

Keep these tips in mind when deciding on a formation:

1. If you have a strong, defensive midfield or prefer a counter-attacking style, you should stick with defensive options like the second, third, or fifth 4-3-3 versions.
2. Alternatively, if your offensive players are better, and you want to focus on attacking, the base 4-3-3 or fourth version with a CAM will help you take advantage of your attackers.
3. Your 4-3-3 custom tactics in FC 24 can be prepared in advance, so you can alter your formation in-game if you need to take more risks, for example.
4. It's best to use the base 4-3-3 custom tactics if you want to adjust to your opponent's style using in-game adjustments.

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