If you’ve ever spent 20 minutes building your dream eFootball 2023 squad only to get destroyed 4-0 by a random opponent online, you know how frustrating the game can be when you don’t have a solid grasp of its core mechanics. Most players assume winning only comes from having rare, high-rated players, but that’s far from the truth. Even if you’re using a mostly free-to-play squad, you can beat teams with stacked legend cards if you know the right moves. This guide breaks down exactly how to get better at eFootball 2023, with tips I’ve tested over 300+ online matches over the past few months.
Core Mechanics to Master First If You Want to Get Better at eFootball 2023
Most new players skip over the basics to learn fancy skill moves or grind for rare players, but strong fundamentals will win you way more matches than a 5-star rainbow flick ever could. The first skill you need to lock in is first touch control. If you sprint immediately when you receive a pass, you’ll lose possession 70% of the time against decent opponents. Holding L2/LT while receiving a pass lets you cushion the ball and turn in one smooth motion, so you can make your next move without fumbling.
Next, stop relying on constant pressure for defending. Jockeying instead of spamming the tackle button is the single biggest change that improved my defense. Holding L2/LT + R2/RT lets you stay between the attacker and the goal, and you only need to press tackle when they make a bad touch or overcommit to a move. I used to hold the pressure button nonstop my first month playing, and I’d concede 3+ goals per game from counterattacks because my center backs were always pulled out of position. Once I switched to mostly jockeying, my goals conceded per game dropped to 0.8 on average.
You also need to get comfortable with adjusting pass weight instead of tapping the pass button every single time. If you’re passing across half the pitch, hold the pass button slightly longer to get it there faster, so opposing midfielders don’t have time to intercept. Small adjustments to pass weight will cut your turnover rate by almost half, I promise.
Build a Squad That Fits Your Playstyle, Not Just Meta Ratings
It’s easy to fall into the trap of picking the highest-rated player available for every position, but that’s one of the most common mistakes that holds players back. Meta players aren’t always the right fit for your personal playstyle. For example, if you love slow, possession-based tiki-taka play, a 95-rated winger with 99 speed and terrible passing is completely useless for your squad. I’ve beaten so many teams with 90+ overall squads using my 85-rated team full of players with high passing and stamina, because they fit exactly how I like to play.
Team playstyle level is also far more important than individual player ratings. If your squad’s playstyle level is below 80, even 99-rated players will feel sluggish and out of position, because they won’t make the runs you expect them to. When you’re building your squad, prioritize players that match your chosen playstyle over higher-rated players that don’t. Here are three underrated stats you should look for instead of just focusing on overall rating:
- Weak foot accuracy – players with 4+ star weak feet can shoot and pass from any angle, so you don’t have to waste time adjusting to their strong foot before taking a shot in the box
- Stamina – players with 80+ stamina won’t drop off in performance in the second half, so you don’t have to waste early substitutions just to keep your attackers fast
- Defensive awareness – even for attackers, high defensive awareness means they’ll track back to help defend when you lose possession, cutting down on opponent counterattack opportunities
A lot of free-to-play players skip over these stats to grab the highest-rated player they get from a pack, but that’s a mistake that will hold you back far more than having a slightly lower overall squad rating. My go-to left midfielder is an 82-rated silver player with 87 passing, 89 stamina, and 4-star weak foot, and he performs better than most 88-rated gold wingers I’ve tested.
Adjust Your In-Game Tactics for Different Opponents
You can’t use the same exact formation and tactics for every match, or you’ll get crushed by players who have a playstyle that counters yours. The first thing you should do in every match is scout your opponent in the first 10 minutes. If they’re constantly playing long balls over the top to fast strikers, bump your defensive line down to 3 or lower and turn on the offside trap. If they’re holding possession and passing around the back to draw your defenders out, push your defensive line up to 7 and turn on high press to force them to make mistakes.
Don’t be afraid to make mid-game tactical changes either. If you’re down a goal in the 60th minute, you can switch to a more attacking formation, add an extra striker, and bump your attack level up to 8 to create more scoring chances. Just make sure you don’t leave your defense too open, or you’ll concede even more goals from counterattacks.
I used to stick to the same 4-3-3 formation with the exact same tactics every single game, and I’d lose to players who were way worse than me just because their playstyle countered mine. Now I adjust my tactics within the first 15 minutes of every match, and my win rate has jumped by 32% since I started doing that.
Practice Low-Risk Drills to Build Muscle Memory Without Wasting Ranked Points
You don’t have to grind ranked matches every time you log on to get better at the game. In fact, playing only ranked matches when you’re learning new skills will just make you frustrated when you lose points for silly mistakes. Spend 10 minutes every session in the practice arena working on 2 or 3 simple skill moves – you don’t need to learn all the fancy, complicated ones. Even a simple stepover or body feint is enough to beat 90% of casual defenders, as long as you can pull it off consistently.
If you’re testing out a new formation or tactic, play a few matches against top-level AI or friends first before you take it into ranked. That way you can get used to how your players move and where they make runs without risking your rank. It’s also a good idea to watch replays of your losses, not just your wins. It’s easy to get tilted after a bad loss and quit the game immediately, but watching the replay will show you exactly where you messed up – maybe you left your right back out of position three times, or you kept overhitting through balls.
I watch at least one loss replay per week, and I’ve fixed so many bad habits I didn’t even know I had, like sprinting through the middle of the pitch with my center back when I lost possession. You don’t have to spend hours practicing every week, even 10 minutes of focused practice per session will make a huge difference over time.
At the end of the day, you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on premium packs or grind 10 hours a day to get good at this game. Small, consistent changes to how you control the ball, build your squad, and adjust your tactics will make a way bigger difference than any rare player card you can pull. If you stick to these tips and don’t get discouraged by the occasional bad loss, you’ll notice a huge improvement in your win rate in just a few weeks. That’s really all it takes to learn how to get better at eFootball 2023 – focus on the basics first, play to your strengths, and stop worrying about what everyone else says is meta.