A feature that is all-new to FIFA 09 is the choice of setting Custom Tactics. With Custom Tactics, you can make your team play exactly the way you want them to. You can expound on the advantages of a team such as Barcelona with such great passing by specifying them to play with quick, short passes and increase their build up play. You could set free form positioning to take advantage of AC Milan's abundance of players who have a high positioning stat. Most importantly, you can customize your team's settings to make them play just how you want.
There are eleven factors you can alter to your liking, each with their own advantage and sometimes disadvantages. Below is a table of all of these factors.
| Type | Name | Causes | Advantages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build-Up | Speed | Determines the speed with which attacks are put together. | Makes counter attacks more effective. Chances are quickly made. |
| Build-Up | Passing | Determines the typical distance of passing and players will organize in such a way that allows you to pass in your selected distance-type. | When set low, allows for short passes around midfield that allow you to possess the ball more effectively. When set high, players will go for the risky, chance-creating passes more often. |
| Build-Up | Positioning | Determines the freedom of movement in the first two thirds of the pitch. | When coupled with a team who has players with high positional stats, free-form is very effective. Organized allows for more concrete attacks. |
| Chance Creation | Passing | Determines risk in pass decision and runs that support these passes. | Useful when playing with a team of good passers of the ball. |
| Chance Creation | Crossing | Determines frequency of crosses into the penalty box. | When set high on a team with fast wingers and big forwards, this is very useful. |
| Chance Creation | Shooting | Determines the frequency of attempted shots. | Useful for teams with players with high shooting stats. |
| Chance Creation | Positioning | Determines the freedom of movement in the final third of the pitch. | When coupled with a team who has players with high positional stats, free-form is very effective. Organized allows for more concrete attacks. |
| Defence | Pressure | Determines how drastically your players pressure opponents. | Useful against teams who dribble frequently and do not try to possess the ball a lot. |
| Defence | Aggression | Determines the team's approach to tackling the opponent who possess the ball. | Useful against teams who are proficient in the passing game. |
| Defence | Team Width | Determines how drastically the team shifts across the field as the ball is shifted across. | Useful against teams who are dangerous on dribbles down the flanks. |
| Defence | Defender Line | Determines the shape and strategy of the defence. | Offside-Trap is useful against teams who frequently utilize the long ball or through-ball. Cover is useful against teams who are good at dribbling. |