Passing is the primary method of distributing the ball in a game of FIFA. It might appear to be easy on the surface, but a massive skill gap exists between players who know how to press the pass button and players who have gained mastery of FIFA 20’s passing mechanics.
As passing is such a core and fundamental element of football, if you have not got to grips with consistently picking out your virtual teammates from a variety of distances, then you will struggle to beat experienced players online. Most goals generally come from a sequence of completed passes, therefore ball distribution is paramount.
Being able to accurately pass the ball is also a key factor in your possession stats at the end of each game. By consistently keeping the ball and outmanoeuvring your opponent’s press, you will frustrate them, and end up creating space. The following tutorial will teach you how to use the game’s intricate passing mechanics to your advantage.
Guide to Mastering Every Pass in FIFA 20
Best Types of Passes to Use in Build-Up Play
Your build-up play is the foundation of every attack you launch. Good build-up play is heavily dependent on good passing.
A key characteristic of good build-up play is passing with intent. There should be a reason behind every pass you make in order to avoid falling into a cycle where you’re constantly losing the ball due to a string of bad passes.
Here’s a look at some of the most effective passess to aid your build-up play on FIFA 20;
The Lofted Pass
Back on FIFA 19, your players automatically added height to a pass if your opponent was in a position to intercept the ball.
However, on FIFA 20, to raise the skill gap, EA introduced the lofted pass which is pretty much a normal pass with a bit of height applied to it.
The lofted pass allows you to distribute the ball to one of your players while reducing the risk of your opponent making an interception due to the height applied on the ball. It is great for distributing the ball in tight passing lanes.
You can perform the lofted pass by double tapping X (PS4) or A (Xbox One). Adding the lofted pass to your arsenal is sure to help you distribute the ball more effectively.
The Driven Pass
Normal ground passes move far too slowly across the pitch, which makes them ineffective for distributing the ball across large distances – this is where the driven pass comes in.
The driven pass is a pass tailor made for sending the ball across far distances. It is more powerful and more direct than a normal pass, making the best option for passing to a player in a far position.
You can perform the driven pass by pressing R1 + X (PS) or RT + A (Xbox).
The Through Pass
The through pass allows you to play the ball into space for your opponent to run into.
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It’s a bit less accurate than a normal ground pass as its target is the space in front of your player and not your player himself – but it is incredibly effective for distributing the ball to a player running in behind your opponent’s defence.
It can be performed by pressing triangle (PS) or Y (Xbox).
The Threaded Through Pass
The threaded through pass is essentially a longer through pass which is harder to intercept due to the finesse applied on the ball. It can be performed by pressing R1 + triangle (PS) or RT + triangle (Xbox).
How to Turn Passing Into a Weapon
Now that we’ve touched on the main types of passes, here’s an in-depth guide on how you can use passes to improve your all-round play;
Use One-Twos
One-twos offer you the best opportunity to move into your opponent’s half, and into their 18-yard-box. You can play one-two passes between two or more of your players to get them into the right areas for a decisive pass.
When making one-two passes, you will need to press L1 (PS) or LT (Xbox) to manually trigger runs. Triggering runs will give you more options to work with as you make your way into your opponent’s territory.
Most of the time, If you don’t manually trigger runs, your players will just stand there and do nothing, creating a linear back and forth sequence instead of a dynamic one-two sequence between multiple players.
Find Triangles All Over the Pitch
Finding triangles on the pitch allows you to utilize intricate and direct patterns of play which carves out openings in your opponent’s midfield and defence.
Most formations are set up in such a way that three of your players, in different areas of the pitch stand close to each other in a triangle-like manner.
Making use of these ‘triangles’ allows you to have three players to pass the ball off of at any given time which improves the potency of your attacking moves.
Call Your Players Short
There will be times when you are short of passing options deep into your opponent’s territory or even within your own half.
To safely make passess in this type of scenario you can call players short by pressing R1 (PS) or RT (Xbox) – doing this creates more passing options and reduces your chances of losing the ball by trying to distribute the ball across long distances.
Calling players short can also help in situations where you need to keep possession of the ball to wind down the clock and preserve a lead. Having close passing options allows you make safer passes which, in turn reduces the likelihood of giving the ball away.