Automatic defense is slowly becoming one of the biggest problems for FIFA 19 players. All over the Internet, we can see a bunch of videos about annoying automatic defense. Here, we will talk about how to beat automatic defense playing against EA’s AI.
Agony caused by the automatic defense
FIFA 19 players don’t have a problem to pierce through defense when they confront other players (human that is). At least, it’s not an impossible mission for them. Of course, from time to time, players meet someone who knows how to defend pretty well, and it can be equally annoying to overcome those opponents as well as AI defense. However, these are sporadic cases. Therefore, we enjoy most of the time competing with other FIFA competitors and trying to play attractive and aggressive football.
When we try to use the same method against Artificial Intelligence, we feel like we met an immovable object. We often feel like we play against a solid wall, and there is no way through it. Many joysticks became victims of our immense anger when we find ourselves in such situations. The question is – is there a solution?
What exactly makes the computer almost unbeatable?
If we want to beat someone or something, we first need to understand our opponent. At first glance, it looks like a very paradoxical fact that AI is better than human, but it’s actually not the case, and we will explain it later. FIFA 19 players think in that way simply because AI is capable of controlling all players at the same time, which human is apparently not. That gives AI a huge advantage over humans, and if the player doesn’t know how to face that problem, he thinks that AI is just too hard to beat.
During a Free Win session for Saint-Maximin, I tried to show that automatic defense is a problem.
In this video, I do not touch a single button except the shoot button at certain times.
Auto interception, auto pressing, auto tackle… why are we playing ? IA plays for us #FIFA19 pic.twitter.com/R99LEl6cVJ— IamFrench (@IamFrench_) January 30, 2019
On the contrary, AI is way weaker than human players and here is why. Once when you learn an AI’s patterns, it becomes much easier for you to beat AI automatic defense. On the other hand, the human is an intelligent being, and he or she knows how to adapt to new situations. Therefore, the goal of this guide is to show you what patterns you should use in order to be able to beat the computer in 90% of matches.
Slow down
This is the best thing you can do when you switch from Online to Offline gaming. FIFA tends to be an interesting game, at least while played by humans. Consequently, FIFA players like to play fast and attractive. The problem is that the same style doesn’t work in Offline matches. The automatic defense just won’t allow you to push the ball and run across the whole field. On top of that, FIFA 19 favors slower game more than FIFA 18. So, it’s even harder know to just run by opponents’ players.
You should enforce this advice in two domains. First, you should literally slow down your game. That means that the player who wants to beat automatic defense should focus more on keeping the ball and slowly building-up the game. Of course, this only applies when we talk about standard attacks. If you have an opportunity for a counter-attack, don’t wait, go straight forward to your opponent’s goal.
The other part of this advice refers to sprinting. You should sprint only when there is enough space to do so. Otherwise, AI will steal your ball very easily. AI players are able to react in a split of a second, and you don’t have that ability because of various reasons. Therefore, don’t rush, and keep the ball near your feet.
Shoot more often, and be concrete
This may sound contradictory to the previous tip, but it’s not. Building-up the game means finding the best way to approach the opponent’s goal, not to walk into the goal. You should try to find the best position for shooting and create enough space.
However, don’t hesitate to shoot. The worst thing that can happen to you is to completely miss the target. But most of the time, you will either score or get the corner kick. That further means another opportunity for you. By the way, this is just the best alternative when you face automatic defense, as you will never be able to trick AI and pass by the defensive line.
Don’t try to pierce through the middle, try to outflank AI’s defense
This is just a continuation of the previous tip. As mentioned, you hardly can manage to pierce through your
pponent’s defensive line, especially through the center of it. This is mainly possible when you have extraordinary good dribblers. Otherwise, you’ll just lose your nerves. Also, if you think about assisting between two center-backs, think again. That ain’t going to happen against the automatic defense, except Kevin de Bruyne is passing the ball, and you got some striker with exceptional flair.
- Check this: LaLiga Squad for 50,000 Coins [FIFA 19 Guide]
Therefore, the solution is to try to outflank the computer’s defense. FIFA 19 made crossing much easier than FIFA 18 and you should use that. This is just another way to be more concrete and to try to score as many times as possible.
Practice Time finishing, and shield the ball
Here is a couple of pointers. Time finishing became a trademark of FIFA 19. All professionals are using it, so you should too. It’s not easy, so the one who wants to use time finishing must practice a lot. This can help you to score from countless positions. You must not overuse it. Simply, if you have some easy situation to score, use an ordinary shot. It’s way easier, and there is much less chance to miss the net.
Another useful tip is to shield your ball with the player’s body. It will be harder for the AI and automatic defense to take the ball from your players. On the consoles, that command is set to the L2 button.
Learn a couple of simple skill moves, and look at players, not the ball
While you shouldn’t try to dribble all opponent’s defense, knowing a couple of simple tricks may be useful. Here are a couple of useful skill moves to know:
- La Croqueta: Hold LB/L1 and flick the right stick to left or right (it depends on where you want to direct the player)
- Fake shot: Press circle/B and then instantly X/A, and use left stick to direct the player
- Body feint: Simply flick the right stick in the direction in which you want to make a feint
- Heel flick: Flick the right stick in the direction of your player’s movement and then instantly flick it in the opposite direction
- Roulette: Flick the right stick to the bottom and then rotate it for 270 degrees in the direction you want to perform roulette
Players choice and formation
When it comes to the choice of players and formation, it can really kill all the joy of FIFA. The reason is simple. You can hardly experiment with formations and styles of play. The best thing is to find a formation that suits you the most and to use those as much as possible. That means that if you try to use some fancy and unusual formations, you will get destroyed by the AI and automatic defense. There are a couple of formations that can make beating automatic defense easier.
One of those formations is 3-4-3, but it has its own downsides. That’s why it’s maybe slightly better (and more boring) to use 5-2-3 because it will provide you with more safety at the back. The formation of 4-3-3 is also interesting and helpful. These three formations are convenient because of attacking wingers, and you need those for outflanking automatic defense. So basically, any formation with attacking wingers is good for playing to AI.
As a result, you will need fast and quality wingers. These must have a very good pace and dribbling skills. Good crossing skills are a bonus, but most of the wingers have decent crossing skills. When we talk about other players, you will generally need a concrete player. That means as fewer ball magicians as possible. It narrows the game to the power and strength, which really kills the main purpose of the game, but that’s how it is. Therefore, you’ll need strikers with good flair and shooting skills. Midfielders with good agility, passing and shooting skills, and strong and aggressive defenders. It is recommended to have very aggressive wing-backs as well.
Conclusion
Although automatic defense seems to be unbeatable, once you get used to its patterns, you will understand it’s not unbeatable. Therefore, it’s only up to you to practice as much as you want, and to learn how to beat AI. Truly, it’s not how anyone of us imagined FIFA to look like, but EA obviously thinks differently.
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