A couple days ago, just on March 22, EA Sports released a Title Update #9 for FIFA 23 and it made significant changes to the game. This patch brings back the power of an offensive mechanic and also requires you to be more active in defense. Please note that this article is only going to cover the most important changes and how you can instantly adapt to them.

Driven Passes

Driven Passes were part of the meta in the previous years. But this year, they have been so inconsistent even if you think like, alright this is a good opportunity for a Driven Pass they might have failed you. With the title update 9, they are now back on the menu first. Let’s see how EA visualizes the change.

As you can see in the image, the passing lines are spreading more and more as the distance gets longer. Since we want to achieve passes towards longer distances in shorter times with rivet passes, this was the main reason for inaccuracy. However, as we take a look at the image from the post patch, the lines are looking much tighter and this can be felt in the game as well.

To be able to send a Driven Pass, point out their target with the left analog stick, simply hold on to R1, RB button and power up the pass regarding the distance. However, this improvement with the accuracy still doesn’t mean that the consent of the ball is mindlessly. If there is someone defending a passing lane, the pass will be intercepted. So, make sure you have a clear straight path between the passer and the receiver before sending a Driven Pass. 

Here is how effective Driven Passes can become after the patch. I want to distribute the bolt as fast as I can to other teammates, so I think of the Driven Pass and for that, the passing lane should be clear. 

Going for a Driven Pass from the center back to my Midfielder reduces the time of the travel of the ball, so the Defender can’t react in time.

This allows me to go for another Driven Pass since the passing lanes are undefended so I pass the ball towards Modric and instantly take the ball towards the lower side, which opens up another wide passing angle towards Messi (who is a strong player you can get by using FUT 23 Coins). Another one point Driven Pass towards him and one final one towards his co-striker finishes the job. 

Taking a look at the same position without pausing shows us how hard it is to switch players and defend consecutive accurate Driven Passes, so look out for more Driven Passes opportunities and maybe create them by yourself occasionally.

Explosive Accelerate Type

The second change is a bit more interesting. At the start of the year, a new player attribute was introduced to the Neogen players, which is the accelerate archetypes and most of you probably still remember the length of the archetype dominating the beginning phase.

EA has been making changes to this attribute. With the latest patch, players with explosive archetype accelerate slightly faster during the early stages of the requested Sprint. That means they are now more capable of reaching their full speed earlier than the players with other accelerate archetypes.

This is how it was before the patch. Explosive players were starting their runs faster than the others even then. However, they were easily caught by the others in a short distance. With this title update, the distance has been slightly increased, as you can see in the second footage. 

We can also feel the difference in the game. With the knowledge of having explosive players in my hands, I tend to accelerate towards the empty spaces much more because they feel like they’re uncatchable in short distances.

Here, as I received the ball with Pele, I instantly realized that he has an explosive archetype, so I know that he will be unstoppable to catch once I start running towards the goal. 

After facing towards my target, I immediately start running and look how fast it explodes with this run. As a conclusion to this, if you know you’re controlling an explosive player and have open space in front of you, make sure to try by exploring it by running.

Reduced Auto Tackling

Our last major point is about defending. Auto tackles have been in question for quite a while and there is something you need to know. Even though Defenders are not better able to take control of the ball after intercepting it while jockeying, the range of auto tackles has been reduced. 

You will notice that even if you’re trying to mirror the opponent while jockeying, you might not intercept or get a foot in this is because of the patch. So, there are two things you can do:

You can either position yourself perfectly with your jockey, right in front of the opponent, and then get the ball automatically or try to get a manual tackled in right when you have the opportunity. Either way, you’re going to have to be more precise and manual with your defending.