EA FC 24 is a very different game from any of EA Sports' past FIFA titles, so players must learn some new tricks to try and adapt to the new gameplay.

A host of new additions and changes have been made to the gameplay in EA FC 24, and some of the new features have become essential to master since the game's release. Playing football through the middle has felt impossible at times, defending is tougher, and EA Sports' addition of PlayStyles has impacted ways to score.

If you were looking to continue playing the way you have in past FIFA titles, think again. You'll need to adapt to the new gameplay mechanics if you want a better chance of winning games, so here are five EA FC 24 tips for beginners that we think can help improve your game.

EA FC 24 tips for beginners

These are the tips we've found most effective when trying to improve our game during the first few months of EA FC 24.

R1 dribbling

We've found that left-stick dribbling in EA FC 24 can feel extremely clunky, no matter what player you use. Touches can be heavy and turning speeds can be slow, but a way to get around this is R1 dribbling. Simply just hold down R1 on PlayStation or RB on Xbox when dribbling, and the player will take smaller touches, making sure the ball stays closer to the player's feet.

It also makes turning with the ball much sharper, consequently making it harder for the opposition to steal the ball from you. You can also R1 dribble while sprinting, but it does decrease your player's top speed to around 70% of what it would usually be. And, if you have a player with a Technical PlayStyle Plus, this will work even better!

Don't sprint all the time

We all know that pace is a very important factor in EA FC 24 - it has been one of the most important stats for players since around FIFA 14. So understandably, when you are controlling a quick player and receive the ball, your first instinct will be to sprint.

But in EA FC 24, limiting the amount of time you're sprinting can be extremely beneficial for several reasons. When you sprint, you have less control of the ball, similar to the point we made above. You should only sprint when you have lots of space to run into, ideally only down the wing with no defenders in front.

When you receive the ball in tight spaces, don't sprint. It will increase your chances of maintaining possession and not losing the ball before an attack has also started. Not constantly sprinting with the ball will also hand you an advantage over the opponent who won't know if and when you will speed away.

Use the width

A problem that players have detected in EA FC 24 is that the midfield tends to get over-congested, meaning unless you are the best of the best, it's almost impossible to play through the middle of the pitch. Even though this is frustrating, we've admitted defeat and have come to terms with the fact that attacking down the wings is the best way to score goals.

Wide formations feel best in-game while having attacking-minded full-backs who can get forward is also extremely overpowered. Some of the best PlayStyles to use in EA FC 24 are Finesse Shot, Trivela and Whipped Cross, and these all work best when performed from wide areas on the pitch.

Focus on the first touch

When receiving the ball in EA FC 24, your first touch plays a big part in what happens next. Whether it's your defender receiving the ball under pressure or your striker receiving the ball with his back to goal, a poor first touch will always work in the opposition's favour.

We've found that when receiving a pass, always make sure you aren't holding down the sprint trigger, otherwise, your first touch will be heavy and give the opponent a great chance to win the ball back. As well as letting go of sprint, pointing the right analog stick in the direction you want your player to turn makes it more difficult for the opponent to anticipate where you are going to go.

Don't dive in

Defending feels harder in EA FC 24, and this is due to the new defending animations EA has introduced. To make the game more true to life, players who lunge into a standing tackle now take longer to recover, so if you are unsuccessful in your tackle, it's likely the player you attempted a tackle with won't recover.

Instead, try to jockey your opponent when they are attacking, simply by holding down X on PlayStation and A on Xbox. Jockeying allows the defender you are controlling to stay in front of the ball, limiting the options for the attacking player. If you can jockey correctly, you will more than likely force your opponent into making a rash decision or even running into you, hoping you lunge in.