Playing as a central defensive midfielder in FIFA 23 Pro Clubs isn't the most glamourous role, however, it is vitally important for your side.
Sniffing out danger, breaking down the play, and stopping attacks will be your bread and butter, giving your defence the shield it needs.
The best build means getting the right height, weight, attributes, archetypes and perks, as we will show you below.
NOTE: These player builds are based on what worked in FIFA 22, and will be updated accordingly when FIFA 23 is released.
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Incredible Interceptor
- Base Position: RWB (or LWB)
It's all-out defence with this build, creating a super quick Virtual Pro that can cover the ground with ease and intercept everything.
To do this, we use a RWB (or LWB) as the base position, which can become the fastest player in-game, is defensively sound, and still very capable on the ball.
This comes at the cost of slightly worse Shooting and Long Passing attributes compared to the CDM base, but the increased Pace more than makes up for that.
Size
- Height: 5'3" - 5'4"
- Weight: 99lbs - 119lbs
If you want to max out on Pace, then you have to go short and light.
We don't mind this, as it gives you the ability to intercept balls well, however, it will reduce your Strength and Balance so physical tussles may be a bit tougher.
Attributes
It's very simple where to spend your points on this build, as you are looking to max out the Pace and Defending attributes as soon as you can, gaining the Cheetah and Guardian archetypes in the process.
We would recommend increasing the Acceleration and Interceptions and Defensive Awareness sides of each tree fully first, as this will allow you to respond quickly in cutting out passes.
Stamina is also an important area to improve, and if you find yourself with a few spare points definitely spend them there.
Once you've maxed out your Defending and Pace attributes you can then look to start spending on Short Passing and Dribbling stats, improving Agility and Balance slightly so the Virtual Pro feels better to control in-game.
Archetypes
The archetypes you are aiming to give this build are:
- Cheetah
- Guardian
- Maestro
The Cheetah and Guardian archetypes are your main aims and you should look to gain them fast.
Perks
The best Perks to assign to your CDM build are:
- Active First Touch - Better ball control, acceleration and sprint speed
- Ball Winner - Boosted tackling ability when close to the dribbler
- Chase Down - Increases your pace when defending immediately following a loss of possession. The perk will deactivate after 40 in-game seconds if you have not regained possession
- Interceptor - Improves your ability to intercept & disrupt your opposition's passes & shots when defending and in close proximity to the ball
- Precision Pass - Improves shot and long pass accuracy and speed, and grants Swerve, Flair and 5* Weak Foot
- Physical Strength - Boosted strength, ball control, and jumping when jostling, shielding, or heading the ball
- Skilled Dribbler - Increases dribbling and skill moves, and gives Flair trait
- Tireless Runner - Grants Second Wind and Solid Player traits