FIFA 22: Best Defensive Teams

Want a defence that you can rely on to let you attack as freely as you can? These are the best defensive teams to pick in FIFA 22.

Author:

Ben Chopping

Started off as a sports writer with a focus on football, ice hockey, boxing, and American football. After leaving RealSport, I diversified my writing substantially, kept with sport, but also leaned much more heavily into pop culture, iGaming, travel, business, tech, and especially gaming. Later, I co-founded Outsider Gaming, was the primary writer and editor-in-chief, and helped to train and bring on the writing talents who also had a passion for gaming. Now, I’m writing everything and anything, from sports to gaming, SEO-optimised content to reviews and previews.

Published on: Sep 23, 2021 | Updated on: Jul 7, 2023

Contents

1 1. Manchester City (Defence: 86)
2 2. Paris Saint-Germain (Defence: 85)
3 3. Liverpool (Defence: 85)
4 4. Piemonte Calcio (Defence: 84)
5 5. Manchester United (Defence: 83)
6 6. Real Madrid (Defence: 83)
7 7. Atlético Madrid (Defence: 83)

The hallmark of every successful team is a rock-solid defence that’s backed up by a top-class goalkeeper. From Career Mode to Quick Play matches, having one of the best defensive teams can give you a considerable boost in FIFA 22.

So, sorted by their overall defence rating, these are the best defensive teams to play as in FIFA 22.

1. Manchester City (Defence: 86)

Defence: 86
Overall: 85
Best Goalkeeper: Ederson (89 OVR)
Best Defenders: Rúben Dias (87 OVR), Aymeric Laporte (86 OVR)

Manchester City weigh-in as the best defensive team in FIFA 22, boasting an 86 defence. Being the reigning Premier League champions and the Champions League runners-up, it’s not surprising that the Pep Guardiola-led team was given such a lofty rating.

With the 89-rated Ederson in net, City were always going to be a tough team to get the ball past. Still, in front of him, there’s also João Cancelo, Kyle Walker, Rúben Dias, and Aymeric Laporte – all of whom have at least an 85 overall rating.

In front of the back-four, City can either deploy the 86-overall Rodri, who’s a solid defensive midfielder, or Fernandinho (83 OVR), who’s so strong defensively that he can even fit in at centre back when needed.

2. Paris Saint-Germain (Defence: 85)

Defence: 85
Overall: 86
Best Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma (89 OVR)
Best Defenders: Sergio Ramos (88 OVR), Marquinhos (87 OVR)

Paris Saint-Germain have been one of Europe’s superpowers for several years, spending copious amounts of money to get some of the best players in the world. Yet, it was the addition of two free agents, and a splash at right back, that’s made the Parisians such a mighty defensive team in FIFA 22.

Snapping up the legendary Sergio Ramos (88 OVR) to join Marquinhos at centre-half was the first step, but then they also lured in one of the top goalkeepers in the world: Gianluigi Donnarumma (89 OVR). Left back’s a little bit shallow with Juan Bernat (82 OVR), but Nuno Mendes (78 OVR) looks set to develop into a top option.

While they play as a central midfield trio, all of Idrissa Gueye (82 OVR), Marco Verratti (87 OVR), and Georginio Wijnaldum (84 OVR) are all decent defensively, with Gueye being the more defence-minded of the trio. In reserve, PSG can call upon Danilo Pereira for defensive midfield work, or Presnel Kimpembe (83 OVR) at the back.

3. Liverpool (Defence: 85)

Defence: 85
Overall: 84
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson (89 OVR)
Best Defenders: Virgil van Dijk (89 OVR), Trent Alexander-Arnold (87 OVR)

While Liverpool’s attacking trio often steals the headlines, the Reds wouldn’t be fully-fledged title contenders without their superb defence. Given an 85, they rank among the best defensive teams in FIFA 22, featuring a very strong starting backline and plenty of depth.

Virgil van Dijk is the star of the show, boasting an 89 overall rating to stand as one of the best centre backs in the game. Both full-backs also rank among the best in their respective positions with 87 overall ratings, while Alisson is an incredibly tough goalie to beat with an 89 overall rating.

Fabinho is a solid option as the team’s defensive midfielder at 86 overall, but the 84-rated Jordan Henderson is also very defensively inclined. The only hole is at centre back, where you can choose between the hefty Joel Matip (83 OVR) or the high potential Joe Gomez (82 OVR).

4. Piemonte Calcio (Defence: 84)

Defence: 84
Overall: 83
Best Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczęsny (87 OVR)
Best Defenders: Giorgio Chiellini (86 OVR), Matthijs de Ligt (85 OVR)

Juventus, known as Piemonte Calcio in FIFA 22, have long been known for their stout defence, but after losing the Serie A crown last season, it’s starting to become clear that a rebuild is in order. Even so, the Turin team still comes into the game with a defence rating of 84.

Along the backline, exciting former FC Porto prospects Alex Sandro (83 OVR) and Danilo (81 OVR) have been reunited, while one of the top defensive talents, Matthijs de Ligt (85 OVR), is only outshone by whichever Italian legend he lines up alongside.

Reinforcing the defence are two savvy defensive midfielders. Manuel Locatelli (82 OVR) and Adrien Rabiot (81 OVR) sit very deep and are aggressive in the middle of the park. While they don’t have the highest overall ratings, they are fine-tuned to supporting the defensive effort.

5. Manchester United (Defence: 83)

Defence: 83
Overall: 84
Best Goalkeeper: David de Gea (84 OVR)
Best Defenders: Raphaël Varane (86 OVR), Harry Maguire (84 OVR)

It’s been many, many years in the making, but Manchester United have finally upgraded the defence to feature an elite-tier centre back, allowing them to become one of the best defensive teams in FIFA 22.

The English trio of Luke Shaw (84 OVR), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (83 OVR), and Harry Maguire (84 OVR) offer stout defending, even if the right back’s distribution is lacking at times. Now, the centrepiece is Raphaël Varane – a truly elite defender who commands and dominates.

In front of the defence, United are still lacking. Fred (81 OVR), Scott McTominay (80 OVR), and Nemanja Matić (79 OVR) can’t offer the protection that a team of this overall rating should have. Also a bit lacking is David de Gea’s rating (84 OVR), but that could improve in future updates if he keeps his early-season form.

6. Real Madrid (Defence: 83)

Defence: 83
Overall: 84
Best Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois (89 OVR)
Best Defenders: Daniel Carvajal (85 OVR), David Alaba (84 OVR)

Losing Sergio Ramos certainly cut back the prowess of the Real Madrid defence, but it still boasts enough quality down the flanks and in goal to rank as one of FIFA 22’s best defensive teams.

Given his concluding role with Bayern Munich, to strengthen the Los Blancos backline, it’d be wise to shift David Alaba (84 OVR) to centre back. This pairs him with the high potential Éder Militão (82 OVR), leaves Dani Carvajal (85 OVR) down the right, and gets the young speedster Ferland Mendy (83 OVR) into the starting XI.

To get to the box, opponents will have to get past one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, Casemiro, who boasts an 89 overall rating. If players get through the defence, they’ll have to contend with the lanky, 89-rated Thibaut Courtois in net.

7. Atlético Madrid (Defence: 83)

Defence: 83
Overall: 84
Best Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak (91 OVR)
Best Defenders: Stefan Savić (84 OVR), José Giménez (84 OVR)

Atlético Madrid won La Liga by riding its rock-solid defence last season, only conceding 25 goals to keep a +42 goal difference. As a result, FIFA 22 grades Jan Oblak as the very best goalie at 91 overall.

In front of Oblak, in the default three-at-the-back formation, are three centre backs rated at 84 overall: José Giménez, Stefan Savic, and Felipe. The defence can easily morph into a back-four or back-five, though, by adding Kieran Trippier (84 OVR) and Renan Lodi (83 OVR) to the flanks.

While Geoffrey Kondogbia (79 OVR) is the only one whose primary position is CDM, Koke (85 OVR) is also strong defensively – particularly when it comes to tracking back and retrieving the ball.

If you’re one to build from the back and prefer to stifle your foes with sound defending, choose one of the best defensive teams in FIFA 22 listed above.

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