Drag-back, side-step and leave the defender on his arse
To counteract the more tactical defence system, dribbling has been made easier to execute than previous games, which instills you with the confidence to try to take players on. And you'll certainly need to practice your dribbling skills because creating that small amount of space is now even more important than ever if you hope to make that killer pass or get a shot on goal.The new change of pace in FIFA 12 makes it feel like a totally new game of football, but the informative defence tutorials that kick in when you boot-up the game help to get you used to the changes. Defending is now more in-depth, challenging and tactical than previous FIFA games as you attempt to "contain" and "jockey" attacking players, ostensibly to narrow down their space for passing or shooting.
Ultimately, the new defence mechanic forces a more zonal way of defending rather than the tackle-pass-and-dash approach of last year's FIFA. In FIFA 11, we became masters at timing sliding tackles to steal the ball from the foot of a player, but in FIFA 12 an ill-timed tackle can leave you looking like a fool as the opposition makes the most of the easier-to-use dribble system.
If you fail to make the most out of the new way to defend, drag-backs and side-steps will leave you grounded like a victim of a Vidic tackle - ouch - while the opposition creates space to build an attack.