Hey guys, I thought I would share a guide that has been quite successful for me so far in online seasons in FUT 17. Whilst it is a new game and there are still things to work on, I thought I would post an update here on the guide. Feel free to ask me any questions below. Feedback would be welcome.

So I know what you're thinking, a boring 5-2-1-2 ultra defensive guide huh? Wrong! This year the 5-2-1-2 is extremely versatile as it allows you to play a variety of different play styles. I had success playing tiki-taka and counter attacking. Why has this formation improved this year? Two things have led me to believe this:

• Passing is now very accurate.
• Defending is less automated.

Passing in the previous years was much more difficult and inaccurate. You would struggle to string together a passing move as someone inevitably gave up possesion. This year, the "ping-pong" passing that was prevalent in 11' and 12' has returned. Even 360 degree passes now find their way to the target more often than not. This has led to the formation being a much safer choice, since in previous years you'd be punished for losing possession in your half.

Defending is also much trickier this year. It definitely isn't as automated as last year, meaning you actually have to start tracking runs and using R1(RB) to call in other defenders at the right time. One thing I have noticed is that the Full backs refuse to stay back, often playing their own "Total Football". The amount of times i've seen LBs on the right wing and RBs on the left wing is crazily high. Even asking them to stay behind doesn't really do much apart from a few times when i would notice that my full backs wouldn't make a run down the wing. Their starting position is still crazily high up the pitch by default. Luckily there are a few custom tactics to help alleviate this issue. Without further ado, lets start with the nitty gritty of the guide.

Squad Selection

• GK = Personal preference. I prefer tall goalkeepers with good reflexes.

• LB/RB = Someone with H/H or M/H workrates. This is important as it ensures the wing backs track back and provide cover on the wings. Good crossing is another thing to look out for, especially if you like overlapping. Recommended chemistry style: Shadow.

• CB = Anybody with L/H or M/H workrates. Personally, I go for a few CBs with 65 pace and decent heading. Normally the outer centre backs have to keep up with opposition strikers whilst the middle CB acts as a kind of "sweeper" that ensures he mops up any strikers that get through. Recommended Chemistry Style: Anchor

• CM = Someone with H/H or M/H work rates that can really chase down the ball. Make sure these guys have good stamina as they will be going the most running for the team. Good interceptions and pace are also beneficial for this role. I found Kante and Delph to be excellent in this role. Recommended Chemistry Style: Engine

• CAM = Someone who is an all-rounder. H/M work rates would be preferred. Personal choices really. I found Lanzini to be excellent in this role as his pace allowed him to intercept the ball a lot. Recommended Chemistry Style: Maestro

• STR = Go with 1 striker who is good in the air and another who is quick. Both should have Shooting stats above 80 if possible.

Team Instructions

• Set the Wing backs to "stay back while attacking". Aggressive interceptions.
• Set the CMs to have "aggressive interceptions".
• Set the CAM to "free roam".
• Set one striker to "get in behind".

Custom Tactics

My custom tactic

Remember that this is a work in progress and those custom tactics might still require some fine tuning. That is what I have been running for the past few games but can be fine tuned to suit your individual play style.

Key points about Custom Tactics

• Ensure that your defending is set to 'Cover'. The default setting is 'Offside Trap'. This makes your defenders try and stay in line with the opposition strikers, leaving you susceptible to counter attacks from a well timed through ball.
• Keep the pressure and aggression relatively low. I found that this ensures the CBs don't wander too high up the pitch and leave glaring holes. The default setting for pressure is 60, which is quite high.
• Increase the team width. The default setting is once again low. By increasing this, i found my wing backs stay closer to the touchline and the opposition strikers. It has also meant my outer CBs will often drift wider to deal with intercept through balls meant for wing backs.

Some gameplay Tips

• The shooting has changed a lot! Finesse shots are no longer godly. Use them wisely. Shots across the goal and chip shots are significantly easier. Double tapping the shoot button also allows you to do a shot along the ground, which is quite useful in one-on-one situations.
• Ensure you don't drag defenders out of position. Quite a simple tactic on paper, but one that requires a lot of training to get right. Know when to bring your defender out and when to keep him back. Sometimes it is better to use R1.
• You can do a fake throw in by pressing Square X (X A).
• Look up the traits for a player before you buy them. This is quite useful as it is actually detrimental to buy some of the "injury-prone" players as they can get easily injured and miss a lot of games.

My Team

My current team

• Standout players would be Bony. Seriously this guy is a frickin' beast. 10 goals in 7 games. Much faster than his pace stat and allows you to win long goal kicks. Kante, Delph and both wing backs have been amazing too. Really solid all round.

Match History & Analysis Here I will provide my first 6 games using this team and provide a short analysis on why this formation worked during the game.

• Match 1 = A draw to start things off. As you can see from the stats, some very tiki-taka oriented football.

• Match 2 = A big win to follow up my first match. I did really well to hang on to the ball as this guy tried his best to press my defenders. Sadly, it didn't quite work out for him as the scoreline could've very easily been much higher if it wasn't for some poor finishing and good goalkeeping.

• Match 3 = Another strong performance. Limited this guy to 3 shots for the entire game and managed to see plenty of the ball.

• Match 4 = A harder match for sure. This guy knew how to attack and pass the ball around, but wasn't able to really penetrate my defence much as most of his shots were from outside the box.

• Match 5 = My first loss. A very close game. Both teams fought hard. As you can see, my opponent was really good at passing. He scored his winner from a 90th min corner :(

• Match 6 = Went down to 10 men in the 60th minute but was able to keep defending on bossing the midfield even with 10 men. Really limited this guy to a handful of chances and his only goal came from a penalty.

So what do these games tell you? The formation is really good at limiting chances. I faced a total of 20 shots on target in my first six games, with 8 of them coming in 1 match. 5 Goals were scored in the 6 matches, with 2 of them coming from set pieces. The formation is also great for playing some possession-oriented football. I was able to average around 58% possession in these 6 games.

Feel free to give me some feedback and show me some squads :) These games were all played online in division 7 with the last one being in division 6. Hopefully some of you will find this helpful and i'll be sure to update it in the future if this is successful. Cheers