This is my Ultimate Team:



I play 5 at the back. So what? Look at it this way. I'm the coach and they're my tactics. I win games and it's fun. Is it against the rules to deploy 5 defenders? No. Is it against the rules to deploy 10 defenders? No. It's your team and you can position the players where you please.

Contrary to popular belief, 5 defender formations are certainly not negative. It depends entirely on the offensive skill of the player. On average I will have between 12-20 shots per game & more possession than my opponent, whereas other 5 at the back users will only manage a fraction of those shots and will be outplayed. I also score around 2-3 goals per game.

With that being said, the main focus of the system I play on FIFA is defending but that doesn't make it a negative tactic. It just means I don't concede many due to my solid setup.

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For the system to work successfully it's about balancing the team out, for example both of my central-midfielders will generally be all-round midfielders and have H/H work-rates so they're always there to support the team both on the offense and defense. Sebastian Rode is the perfect man for the job. Other CMs I like to use in this system are Julian Draxler, Kevin Prince-Boateng, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sami Khedira and Thomas Muller can also do a great job there.

I like to make sure all 3 centre-backs have either a high or medium defensive work-rate and a low or medium attacking work-rate to ensure they remain in position at all times. A minimum of 70 pace to counter the likes of Neymar and Ibarbo and good heading and height is always essential on a centre-back too. I'd recommend the likes of Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, Felipe Santana, Benedikt Howedes and Omer Toprak.

The wing-backs' attacking work-rates aren't as important as the CBs however I always make sure that their defensive work-rates are high and their pace is above 80. David Alaba, Philip Lahm and Lukas Pisczek have all filled this role successfully for me.

For my wingers I like fast, skillful players who can finish. The front 3 tend to move around a lot so it's essential that your wingers can tuck away chances. 4 star skills minimum. 86-87 pace minimum. Marco Reus is a perfect example of a player who fits this description. Farfan too, he's incredible. I also enjoy using Mario Gotze on the right wing when I'm playing as Germany.

And finally the striker. They need to be agile, clinical and be able to win headers. As for speed, anything above 80 pace is fine. Thomas Muller fits this role perfectly, he's the best striker to ever play in my 5-2-2-1 system. Benteke is another great striker for the system but I think he's one of those who plays well for everyone (over-powered).

Choosing a goalkeeper is common sense. Just choose a good one.

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Once you've got the team, you need to learn how to play with it.

At first, when only deploying 2 midfielders it's natural for your opponent to have more possession of the ball (most players will have a minimum of 3 midfielders). You need to learn how to survive long spells without the ball. Defending on FIFA can get boring quick therefore you lose concentration and concede a cheap goal, remain focused and that won't happen.

When your opponent is attacking, keep the structure of the back five and bring your two central midfielders deep to help defend. Don't bring any defenders out unless you're confident of winning the ball. Leaving holes in your defence is how easy goals are conceded, be safe and control your two CMs and try to win the ball with them first.

How you play offensively is down to player preference and skill so I'm not gonna go into that too much. Just try and score goals when you're in possession, it's that simple.

The more you use this system, the more you will get used to it. It's very straight forward yet effective.

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I feel too many people on FIFA are afraid to use 5 defender formations because of the reputation they've got. Well the way I see it, if it's supposed to give players an advantage then why not take advantage of it? So that's what I did on FIFA 12 and I've never gone back since.

Any questions then please feel free to ask.

#Team5AtTheBack