FIFA 22 may not seem like much of an update on paper, but a few minutes on the pitch is all you’ll need to realize that this isn’t just a re-skin of its predecessor. Gameplay changes make this latest entry punishingly difficult for those who aren’t willing to adjust their tactics. The game is now slower and more methodical than ever, with midfield dominance becoming more crucial than having the paciest players in the league.
If you don’t adapt to the changes made in FIFA, you will struggle. Hell, I lost the first three matches against an AI opponent I could normally beat in my sleep. With that said, I’ve refined my skills and would like to share my newfound knowledge, so you don’t have to experience the same struggles as I did when I started my FIFA 22 career. Here are some FIFA 22 tips and tricks to help you get ahead of your opponents.
Adapt your playstyle
What FIFA 22 does best is creating a more realistic on-the-pitch experience where simply through-balls and streaky runs from pacey wingers won’t help you rack up the score. In FIFA 22, deliberate midfield play, speedy ball movement and retaining your shape are more important than ever. As I said in my review, it feels as if EA swapped out Jurgen Klopp’s aggressive counterattacking football for Pep Guardiola’s tiki-taka style.
That doesn’t mean speed isn’t important. You can still find open spaces for wingers, like Leroy Sane or Raheem Sterling, to exploit. But in FIFA 22, finding those gaps requires you to work the ball around more, and be precise and strategic about your passing.
Learn how to use explosive sprint
Introduced this year, explosive sprint is exactly what the name implies. This move gives your player a massive speed boost, so they can quickly dart past opposing defenders. To get this power-up, move the left stick in a straight line (run in a straight direction) then, when a defender gets near, tap the R2/RT button to activate the explosive boost. Time it wrong, and you’ll run head-first into a defender.
Time it correctly and you’ll have one less person between you and the goal. This really is a matter of “practice makes perfect,” so I’ll leave it at that and wish you the best!
Finesse shots are overpowered
Forget about putting your laces through it; finesse shots are the best way to get the ball behind the opposing goalie. This is especially true of finesse shots taken from deep outside the box and with enough space between you and the defender to get off a clean kick.
To try a finesse shot, get the ball onto your player’s dominant foot (make sure you’re using someone with a decent shot rating), then hold down the shoot button along with R1 (PS4, PS5) or RB (Xbox One/Series X). With enough space and the right amount of power, your shot will be curling into the top corner of the net, and there’s nothing the improved goalies in FIFA 22 can do about it.
Use your Volta Signature Abilities early and often
New to Volta is a fun Signature Abilities feature you can activate once your meter is full. Play well and that meter goes up quickly, allowing you to use one of three beastly abilities: Power Strike, Pure Pace and Aggressive Tackle. My recommendation? Use these as soon as your meter is full and you’re in possession of the ball.
Much like in hockey, these give you a massive “power play” advantage for as long as the ability stays active. With Pure Pace enabled, my superhuman speed was no match for my opponents and made scoring a breeze. Don’t be shy about using these abilities because you might get a chance to enable them two or more times during a match.
Here’s when to buy/sell players in FUT
Much like buying or selling a product on eBay, choosing the right time to release or acquire new players in Ultimate Team can give you an advantage when building your team. Prices are typically lowest overnight given the decreased competition, so we recommend looking at between 10pm ET to 5am ET. As for selling, you’ll get the best prices at peak times, so between 1pm ET or 4pm ET ( or 6pm and 9pm UK or Europe time).
Of course, it’s important to keep track of player performance — if a player you own nets a few goals, their value will increase exponentially. Want to get serious about FUT? Check out card tracking sites like FUTBin for all the buying and selling statistics you could need.
Career mode: Get the training sessions done early
There is no change here. When you’re developing players in Career Mode, the best thing to do is score an “A” grade in the training sessions as early as possible.
This way, you can simulate through them for the rest of the career (or your entire career). Why? Because simulating will net you the highest grade you scored manually. So master all the training sessions and you no longer have to stop simulating every few days to get your players ready for the big match.
Set your team formations manually
One lingering issue in FIFA 22 is what happens when you change your formations on the fly. Go from balanced to attacking, and all of a sudden, your players’ positions have changed. Now your winger is in attack and your striker is playing midfield. What gives?! Until FIFA resolves that problem, you need to change your team formations manually. That means, before your match starts, going into your team formations and choosing a setup for each of the tactic types: Ultra Defensive, Defensive, Balanced, Attacking and Ultra Attacking.
Put yourself in a manager’s shoes. If you’re losing, you’ll want to shift to an attacking formation, right? And when you do, it should mean going from a more balanced or defensive formation to a more striker-heavy one. So shift out of that 5-4-1 and go into a 3-4-3 or a 3-5-1. Want to close out a game? Set your Ultra Defensive formation to have five defenders.
Ditch skill moves and adopt fake shots
Skill moves just don’t work as effectively as they did before. And that’s good for most players who don’t sink hours into perfecting these difficult-to-master abilities. Defenders are more robust and players don’t move with the same arcadey smoothness as they did before. Instead, try using a fake shot as you get near the box. Do this by pressing the shot button then quickly tap A or X before you fire. Pull it off and you’ll get defenders and goalies diving in the wrong direction.
