The most common, and frustrating, goal that many Barcelona users score comes from a striker receiving a pass, turning, and simply running past all defenders for a breakaway with the goalkeeper. This can be very difficult to defend against simply because most central defenders aren't fast enough to turn and run with the Barca strikers. If the central defenders don't win the tackle, they are in big trouble. However, there is a tactic that is seldom used that can really slow down the attack through the middle of the defense -- utilizing a sweeper.
A sweeper is a defender that plays behind the defense to create depth in the back line. His job is to quite literally "sweep" up any through balls or mistakes in the middle of the field. Watch as SportsGamer shows you how to put a sweeper system into any formation, and take a look at how it could provide you with the defensive help you've been looking for.
I'm showing this example with Manchester United because are the perfect example of a very good team with very slow central defenders. You can play a nearly perfect game with ManU and still give up a couple goals that simply come from being outrun through the middle of the defense. In the left image you can see the list of formations. When selecting your formation, you have the option to choose the Default formation or any one of the several formations listed below. After you select your formation, simply press the SQUARE button if you're on the PS3 or the X button if you're playing on the 360. This will change the formation and take one defender and line him up as a sweeper. Here are a couple more examples.
*Note that you can't use a sweeper with a default formation. You have to choose one of the formations under the default formation to use a sweeper.
You can use a sweeper with a three back system, a four back system or a five back system - it doesn't matter. Now take a look at how the sweeper can help you on the field.
In the above image you can see that the Barcelona striker has received the ball in the middle of the field. The defensive line is still not in the screen.
The ball is going to the deepest striker on the field. Often times with a flat back system there will be two central defenders near the ball. If the striker beats one defender he can simply outrun the rest of the defense for a breakaway on goal. Notice that there are three backs to the left of the image. The sweeper is lined up BEHIND these three backs, so there is good depth to prevent this type of attack.
As the striker turns with the ball, the defense continues to provide depth and the sweeper is still not in the screen. This allows the midfield to put pressure on the striker from behind because the attacker can't really use the speed burst without the risk of losing the ball due to a tackle by the central defense.
The striker tries to make a pass to the outside wing player but it is intercepted by the midfielder. Now you can see the sweeper playing behind the defense. This makes your opponent work the ball to score instead of getting cheap breakaways.
Advantages of Using a Sweeper
Using a sweeper adds depth to your defense and makes it much more difficult to score by going straight up the middle.
Disadvantages of Using a Sweeper
By using a sweeper you don't have as much width with your wing defenders. This can be a problem if you use them to swing the point of attack. In addition, the sweeper in FIFA 08 often times seems to drop back too far before attacking the ball. You may want to click on the Sweeper a bit quicker than you would with other defenders.
Final Thoughts
Against Barcelona, I like to mix in using a sweeper. Often times I will start the game with a sweeper and then change back to a flat back system at halftime. Any good opponent will adjust, and potentially spot a weakness in your formation. By using a sweeper this gives you one more tool to confuse your opponent and defend against the speed of a top flight attack.
