One of the most fun builds you can use in FIFA 22 Pro Clubs is that of a central defensive midfielder.
You may not be getting many goals and assists, but what you bring to the side is an engine in the middle, breaking down play with ease and providing your side with the knowledge that the defence is being supported.
We take a look at the best build for a central defensive midfielder, including height, weight, and what attributes you should look to increase, below.
Weight and Height
There are a couple of different ways you can take your CDM build.
One option is to go big, being 6'2" to cut out balls over the top, but still just weighing 119lbs, so you have some agility and mobility.
A much more meta option is to use a wing-back as your base position, with 5'6" height and 119lbs.
You can take the height down to 5'4" if you want that extra bit of pace, but you will lose a bit of physicality in the process.
The idea of this build is to be a real pacey nuisance between the lines, intercepting with ease and not letting any attacking players escape you.
By choosing a wing-back as your base position you will get a speed bonus compared to picking a CDM, but still be good and the ball and great defensively.
Midfield Attributes
Due to the type of player you will be, maxing out on Pace will be vital.
This will be the first place to start improving, as you need to make sure attackers can't pass you by with ease.
If you're having to pick between increasing either your acceleration or sprint speed, go for acceleration first, as this will help you nick in front of the opposition.
Being a midfielder Stamina will also be important, and it will only take up five skill points to do the initial upgrade you need.
You may eventually want to work all the way up to the Acrobat Archetype, but for now, the three boosts shown below will suffice.
They are the basics of your player build, giving you a solid physical base, then it is time to focus on Defending.
It's really simple what you need to do here, and that is to max it out!
Keep adding to the defending tree every time more skill points become available, making sure you hit the Guardian Archetype.
Eventually, you will have a player with max pace and defending that the opposition will find it really hard to get past.
Any extra skill points you gain can be used as you see fit, probably dashed about on Dribbling and Passing attributes.
CDM Archetypes
With enough skill points, you will be able to gain multiple archetypes from the skill tree. The ones you should be aiming for are:
- Acrobat
- Guardian
- Cheetah
The Cheetah gives you all the pace you need and is so meta for any build you go for.
Guardian will boost all your defensive abilities, making you as hard to pass as possible.
Perfect Perks
You will earn more Perks as you increase in level, with all 26 being unlocked once you get to level 25.
Of the 26 you can only assign three to your Virtual Pro, one as soon as you start, the second when you reach level nine, and the third at level 19.
The best Perks to assign to your CDM build are:
- Active First Touch (level 5) - Better ball control, acceleration and sprint speed
- Physical Strength (level 5) - Boosts strength, ball control and jumping when jostling, shielding or heading the ball
- Ball Winner (level 7) - Boost tackling ability when close to the dribbler
- Skilled Dribbler (level 9) - Increases dribbling and skill moves, and gives Flair trait
- Precision Pass (level 17) - Increases pass accuracy and speed, as well as giving Swerve and Flair traits and five-star weak foot ability
- Tireless Runner (level 23) - Grants Second Wind and Solid Player traits