Possession game = you have more midefielders than your opponent
Good defense = you have two or more more defensemen than your opponent has strikers

In other words, if you want a shutdown formation, you leave only one striker, and go 4-1-4-1 or 5-4-1, depending on your opponent's formation. Personallly, I find the DMC very important in intercepting passes.

My shutdown formation: 4-1-4-1, hard defending, attacking from flank, short passes, counterattack off, high pressure, normal tackling (you don't want cards), man-on-man marking, offside trap off.