If you have played FIFA for a while, chances are that you have had a bit of experience in defending, controlling the ball in the midfield, completing difficult passes, attacking, and even scoring goals.
However, one of the positions that we as regular FIFA players don’t get the chance to practice is playing as a goalkeeper.
And yes, while we certainly do have some control over our goalkeeper, besides bringing him out of the goal line by pressing Y or Triangle, or by using the manual keeper option to move him side-to-side, there isn’t much more to it than that.
With this minimal experience using a goalkeeper, anyone that decides to hop onto Pro Clubs with their friends and jump between the sticks will struggle immensely, and most often than not be blamed for every single goal conceded – regardless of whether it was the keeper’s fault or not.
So, if you want to learn how to play as a goalkeeper in Pro Clubs on FIFA 21 and become a true beast between the sticks, with more clean sheets on your record than you can keep track of, keep reading as in this how-to guide, I will teach you everything you need to know.
A Pro Clubs team with a tall, highly-rated goalkeeper and a person controlling it that really knows what they’re doing is almost unstoppable.
Goalkeeper Controls
First and foremost, let’s take a look at the FIFA 21 goalkeeper controls.
Those are important to learn because you will only have a split second to make a decision as a goalkeeper what your next action should be.
And, as you may already know, a single mistake or a misclick can lead to a goal for the opposing team. So, below, you can find a table with all PlayStation & Xbox goalkeeper controls in FIFA 21 that you must learn off by heart.
Goalkeeper Action | Playstation | Xbox |
Drop Kick | ◯ or ▢ | B or X |
Throw/Pass | X | A |
Drop Ball | △ | Y |
Pick Up Ball | R1 | RB |
Driven Throw | R1 + X | RB + A |
Driven Kick | R1 + ▢ | RB + X |
Move Goalkeeper | Hold R3 + R in any direction | Hold RS + R in any direction |
Cover Far Post | Hold R3 | Hold RS |
Switch To Goalkeeper | TouchPad Button | View Button |
Note: If you are only just starting out as a goalkeeper, keep in mind that you will make mistakes until you get the hang of the mechanics behind playing as the final man in defense.
The best way to learn and get used to the basics is by completing drills in the arena & playing actual games. That’s where you can practice the goalkeeper controls in FIFA 21.
It’;s also worth mentioning that regardless of the game mode, the settings are always the same, meaning your Pro Clubs goalkeeper controls will be the same as they are in the arena.
Mistakes That You Should Avoid
I have been playing pro clubs pretty much since FIFA 16, and to be honest, the goalkeeping position is by far my favorite. I am not quite sure why, it just has a special place in my heart.
So, with all that experience behind my back, I will give you a couple of very simple mistakes that you should try and avoid at all costs as most often than not, they lead to a goal in your net.
- Don’t make your player too short or heavy: This one is a no brainer. If your player is too short, there is literally zero chance for you to be able to save any shots towards your goal that are not directly aiming at you or are in close proximity to you unless you can predict where each shot will go.
Likewise, if your player is too heavy, your reaction time and movement speed will be impacted so much that you might as well have an outfield player play as a goalkeeper.
- Don’t try to guess: As a keeper, one mistake can lead to a goal. It is just as simple as that. So, rather than guessing where your opponent will shoot, wait for them to shoot and react quickly. If it’s from further out, chances are that you will catch/save the ball with ease. If you are in a 1v1 situation, what I would recommend you to do is press Y on Xbox or Triangle on PlayStation to bring your keeper out.
This will not only close down the angle but will limit your opponents shooting options, which in turn will increase your chances of making a successful save.
- Don’t come off your goal-line too much: On Pro Clubs specifically, in the higher divisions, you will come across some really good players. Chances are that they know exactly what your abilities are as a goalkeeper and if you are too far out of the goal-line, they might attempt a shot from an unrealistic distance.
Chip shots (or lobs) are also very overpowered on FIFA 21 so by coming too far from your goal you are giving the opposing team a very simple opportunity a lot of the time.
This tip also applies to corners and 1v1s. If you are too far of your line, headers or tap-ins will become extremely easy. That said, on corners it is worthwhile to bring your goalkeeper away from his line as winning the ball from these types of set pieces is definitely easier for Pro Club goalkeepers than it is for the attacking team. - Don’t give your Pro a brightly colored afro: This might sound like a joke, but seriously, making it very obvious that you’re a user-controlled goalkeeper is a bad idea. Yes, the triangle above your player’s head gives it away too, but that’s harder to spot and that’s even if the opposition know about this way of identifying players.
When players know they’re playing against a Pro goalkeeper, they’ll play differently because there are different ways to score against a Pro goalkeeper when compared to an AI goalkeeper. If your Pro looks like a regular AI goalkeeper, you’ll be able to trick your opponents into playing against you like you’re AI, and that makes it very easy to save their shots.