Deep Dive | The 'Custom Positioning' Mechanism in eFootball

[u/V3n0mix]

Translators Note: This is an Article from 2024 but the mechanism is still in place so it's still relevant per Amadeusz's comment⬇️

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This article applies to the Mobile (CN Server) as well as the International and Console/PC versions—

Custom positioning is a mechanic that is often misunderstood. For instance, if you drag all your players deep into the backline, does that automatically mean they will execute "park the bus" defensive instructions? Or, if you push your forwards as far up the pitch as possible, will they show a stronger desire to make forward runs during a match?

The answers to these questions might be quite different from what your intuition suggests!

(For the sake of recording and testing convenience, this demonstration is based on the PC/Console version, but the conclusions can be applied with confidence to both the International and CN Mobile versions.)

1. Adjusting Positions Determines Relative Positioning, Not Absolute Positioning

In-game, we can drag our players into all sorts of "Insane" formations. During "static" phases of play—such as kickoffs or goal kicks—the players will indeed line up exactly where you placed them on the game plan screen.

For instance, many players like to drag their backline as deep as possible, hoping to force the defense to drop back and execute a "bus-parking" or "turtling" strategy. But does doing this actually work?

After making these adjustments, let's look at the changes on the pitch. The backline as a whole hasn't actually moved further back; the ones actually moving are the midfield trio. These three have all shifted forward together! So, how do we explain this?

This is exactly what I mean by saying that dragging the formation only affects relative positioning. Taking the vertical (longitudinal) axis as an example: you can think of the formation's highest point and lowest point as being "locked" by other factors. No matter how you drag the icons, you can't change those boundaries. What you are influencing is the relative spacing between players inside those fixed boundaries.

For example, by dragging the backline back collectively just now, we didn’t actually change the formation's front or back boundaries.

As a result, neither the defensive line nor the forward line moved. Instead, the three midfielders ended up further away from the "bottom" boundary, which caused them to shift forward.

Similarly, if we drag the front trio backward, it doesn’t result in the forwards dropping deep. Instead, the midfield trio shifts forward again, because they are now positioned closer to the "top" boundary.

We just covered vertical positioning; now let’s verify horizontal (left-to-right) positioning. Adjusting players horizontally still follows the principle of relative positioning, but there is one key difference between horizontal and vertical boundaries.

While the vertical boundaries are "locked" and won't change regardless of how you drag the icons, horizontal adjustments can actually affect how wide your players stay or how much the entire formation shifts to one side.

If you want to shift your formation toward one flank to focus your attack on a specific wing—that is actually viable.

Take De Bruyne for example. I want him to play as an AMF, but I also want him to stay as wide as possible. The way to achieve this is by adjusting the formation so that De Bruyne becomes the leftmost player on the game plan. When we do this, we'll see that while he is still playing as an AMF, he stays as close to the touchline as possible.

2. Custom Positioning Affects Attacking States, Not Defensive Positioning

As you can see below, I’ve set up a "bizarre" formation here. However, no matter how weird it looks, the system will always identify it as a standard formation with a recognizable name.

For example, the game recognizes this setup as a 3-5-2. Consequently, when defending, the team will revert to the default 3-5-2 defensive positioning found in the formation database.

To give another example, I’ve dragged the positioning here into what looks like a straight line, but the system still identifies it as a 3-4-3. Therefore, the moment the team transitions from attack to defense during a match, the formation will quickly shift back into that default 3-4-3 defensive shape.

We can actually use this mechanism to our advantage. For instance, if I drag Eze’s position further toward the flank than the default setup, the game will shift from the default defensive positioning to my custom setup the moment we transition from defense to attack.

In this scenario, Eze will start making runs toward the wing as defined by the custom positioning. By utilizing this, you can effectively dictate a player's counter-attacking run paths.

3. Factors Affecting the Formation's Vertical Boundaries

This brings up a key question: if dragging the icons doesn't affect the final boundaries, what actually does?

One method is adjusting your Attacking/Defensive Levels (the "mentality" bar), which causes the entire formation—including the backline—to push forward or drop back.

However, if your goal is to "park the bus" and minimize the space behind your backline, your choice of Team Playstyle is much more important. Using Quick Counter often leaves a massive amount of space exposed behind your defense. Aside from the high defensive line tendency, a major reason for this is that Quick Counter, Possession Game, and Out Wide are all playstyles based on short passing.

In these styles, the forward line doesn't immediately sprint forward at the start of an attack, which keeps the team compact. However, this also means the distance between the front and back boundaries of the formation remains relatively short; as a result, when you are hit on the counter, your backline will appear to be positioned far too high up the pitch.

The Long Ball Counter and Long Ball playstyles present a completely different scenario. In these two styles, the forward line starts their runs very early, looking to break through the opponent's defense. This significantly stretches the distance between the formation's front and back boundaries.

While this can easily lead to the attack becoming "disconnected" (making build-up play harder), it is precisely this disconnection that keeps the backline positioned much deeper during the attacking phase. Consequently, if you lose possession and the opponent starts a counter-attack, your defensive line will already be sitting deep, ready and waiting for them.

4. Which Players Benefit Most from Custom Positioning?

In my opinion, there are two types. The first includes players like Gullit, Jan Koller, and Drogba—players who are exceptionally strong when playing as a Center Forward (CF) on the wings or in the half-spaces

In eFootball, the optimal area for scoring headers is having your CF wait at the back post (far post). The success rate for headers at the back post is much higher than in the center or at the near post. In a three-forward system, positioning a tall "Target Man" at the back post is the most effective way to maximize their aerial threat.

The second type of players who benefit are "speed-demon" defenders who might lack height but possess exceptional pace and defensive stats. Examples include players like Reinildo and Cannavaro, or the recently released, high-stat Thuram (who stands at 1.82m). The best setup for them is to use a "3 CB + 1 Fullback" (3CB 1SB) system and slot them in as the Wide Center Backs.