Are you having a hard time adjusting to the new meta brought about by Fifa 22’s buff to goalkeeping and tweaks to the AI’s intelligence? Scoring goals has become one of the most contentious talking points about the latest entry in the Fifa series, but Gamelevate have you covered with 5 quick tips you NEED for finding the net more in-game.
Shot Selection
With goalkeepers receiving a noticeable buff in Fifa 22, selecting the right shot for each attack has never been more crucial. The first part of this tip is to always look over the traits each of your players have, especially for those playing at the top end of the pitch. A lot of the time, these players will have special skills such as finesse shots or noticeable buffs to particular stats such as shot power that give them an edge for particular shot selections.
You should also always be aware of what sided foot a player is and where they are shooting from when deciding on a shot.
We’ve also found that finesse shots, on the whole, feel exceptionally hard to perform optimally when inside the box, so, if there’s one thing to take away from this section, just stick your laces through the ball when you’re inside the 18-yard box.
Use The Ball
It’s one of the most overused cliches in the world of sport, but only the team with the ball can score in a game of football.
Fifa 22 still very much feels like a game that rewards players for taking the time to move the ball around in patient build-up patterns of play, rather than those that attempt crazy long dribbles or overly ambitious through passes.
Take the time to get to grips with passing in the game, especially in close-knit quarters under pressure, and the right options will soon become clear.
Running Into The Space
Whilst Fifa 22 doesn’t allow for Adama Traore-Esque runs at entire backlines, the improvements in AI mechanics mean the game is far more likely to reward attacks that know how to work the space a defense might have left exposed.
There are two ways in which you can manually ensure a player is making the right runs into space in Fifa 22:
- Press L3 and R3 (LS/RS on Xbox) and flick the right analog stick to a player. The AI will take control of the player on the ball, allowing you to take over the player in space and make a run.
- Simply flick the right stick in the direction you want a player to run, allowing you to keep hold of the ball and make the pass yourself.
Keep Crossing
After Fifa 20 and Fifa 21 nerfed crossing into the ground, Fifa 22 seems to have been given a sizeable enough buff to keep delivering balls into the box in mind when attacking. There are eight different kinds of crosses you can utilize in the game, each with their own pros and cons depending on the scenario:
- Standard Cross (Square/X)
- Low Cross (Square+Square/X+X) – Delivers a low cross into the box
- Driven Cross (R1+Square/RB+X) – A fast cross perfect for beating the first man
- High Cross (L1+Square/LB+X) – A higher choice of cross.
- Flair Cross (L2+Square/LT+X) – The highest cross, perfect for the back post.
- Whipped Cross (R1+L1+Square/RB+LB+X) - Fast cross to present a one-touch finish.
- Driven Cross (R1+Square/RB+X) - Delivering a cross at waist height.
- Ground Driven Cross (R1+Square, then Square/RB+X, then X) - A cross that goes across the floor.
Triangles And Balls In Behind
Once you’re able to progress play up to the pitch and are bearing down on goal, mastering close control of the ball and passing in neat triangles between two or three players can be the perfect way of opening up the space for a shot.
Triangles were famously the secret to success for Pep Guardiola’s tiki-taka style of play that took over football in the late 2000s, and are achieved by a player knocking a ball into the feet of one of their teammates, before continuing on into the space. The player then receives the ball via a one-touch pass from the teammate, with this sudden burst of pace enabling the attacker to break through the lines of the defense before they have time to reposition themselves.
