Key attributes & Roles

Key attributes to look for when manually scouting coaches and players

Introduction

The guide in the link below is better (but it is for FM2014)
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=190613409


This is not a guide about players and what positions they play. I have another guide for that.

Forwards

Targetman

Role: plays deeper than a poacher; teammates will tend to look to pass the ball to the targetman; good at shielding the ball from opposition pressure ; potent aerial threat in goal especially on set piece corners; plays other forwards into attack; distracts opposing defenders; typically used in direct passing teams; technical ability isn't important

• First Touch
  
• Heading
  
• Aggression
  
• Bravery
  
• Determination
  
• Teamwork
  
• Work Rate
  
• Jumping
  
• Strength

Support - Long shots
Attaack - Finishing, Anticipation, Composure, Creativity

Example: Jan Koller, Drogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic (who arguably transcends this role to being a Complete Forward - wait, I have no argument with the Zlatan - this is just one of his roles)

Poacher

Role: plays on the shoulder of the last opposing defender; does not fashion his own chances; takes advantage of any defense mistakes; acceleration and off the ball intelligence is key; Common in the 90's and early 2000's, but most forwards now tend to play a more rounded game ( i.e. need to help create chances not just wait for them).

• Dribbling
  
• Finishing
  
• First Touch
  
• Anticipation
  
• Composure
  
• Off The Ball
  
• Acceleration
  
• Agility
  
• Balance
  
• Pace

Example: Thierry Henry, Klaan-Jas Huntelaar, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Gabriel Batistuta, Inzaghi, Romario (all retired historical legends)

Complete forward

Role: the very best attacking players; has good technical ability + "physical presence" + good mental ability; think Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid but playing in the Centre Forward position (not hugging the touchline so much); typically given freedom to do whatever they want;

• Dribbling
  
• Finishing
  
• First Touch
  
• Heading
  
• Long Shots
  
• Passing
  
• Technique
  
• Anticipation
  
• Composure
  
• Creativity
  
• Decisions
  
• Determination
  
• Off The Ball
  
• Teamwork
  
• Acceleration
  
• Agility
  
• Balance
  
• Jumping
  
• Pace
  
• Strength

Example: Messi, Messi, Messi, Messi, Messi

Trequartista ("three-quarters")

aka enganche ("hook" in Argentina)

Role: playmaker (good mental stats); plays behind the Centre Forward (three quaters up the field); positions in the space between the opposition's defence and midfielder ("in the hole"); pulls strings of attack (dictates forward play - dictates tempo); similiar to an attacking midfielder; role is a combination of an Advanced Forward and a Midfielder; good first touch; shoots from long range; good passing abilitiy (defence splitting passes); tends to roam; typically is a player of exceptional ability

• Finishing
  
• First Touch
  
• Passing
  
• Technique
  
• Anticipation
  
• Composure
  
• Creativity
  
• Flair
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Agility

Example: Antonio Cassano, Kaka, Juan Roman Riquelme, Zinedine Zidane

Advanced Forward

• Crossing
  
• Dribbling
  
• Finishing
  
• Heading
  
• Anticipation
  
• Composure
  
• Flair
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Work Rate
  
• Pace

Example: Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie, Sergio Aguero, Torres

Inside Forward

aka Central Winger

Role: similiar role to an attacking midfielder but plays wide; supports the centre forward with passes; runs to make space in opposition defense for centre forward; tends to play on the opposite flank so that he can cut inside with the use of his dominant foot;

• Dribbling
  
• Passing
  
• Decisions
  
• Flair
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Teamwork
  
• Acceleration
  
• Pace

Support - long shots, technique
Attack - Crossing, finishing, creativity

Example: David Silva, Samir Nasri, Oscar. Juan Manuel Mata, Santi Cazorla

Deep Lying Forward

aka false 9

Role: similiar to a trequartista (a playmaker); makes runs in the middle of the pitch (for goals and assists); used to draw Centre Backs out of position for Inside forwards or Wingbacks to exploit (creating space in middle); tend to be traditional midifielders playing as Centre-Forwards; More forward/goal focused than an attacking midfielder;

• Dribbling
  
• First Touch
  
• Passing
  
• Technique
  
• Creativity
  
• Decisions
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Teamwork
  
• Balance
  
• Strength

Support duty - Long shots
Attack duty - Finishing, Anticipation and Composure

Example: Michu in some games in 12/13, Cesc Fabregas playing for Spain in Euro2012, Francesco Totti under Spalletti, Tim Cahill playing for Everton when all their forwards were injured in 2009.

Winger

Role: similiar position to a wide midfielder except focused on attack; should be fast, have excellent dribbling abilities, and accurate with passes/crosses.

• Crossing
  
• Dribbling
  
• Technique
  
• Decisions
  
• Flair
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Acceleration
  
• Agility
  
• Balance
  
• Pace

Example: Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo (Winger - Inside Forward - Complete Forward - Footballing Monster: these are all viable positions for Cristiano)

Midfielders

Defensive midfiielder

Role: plays in front of defense to secure defense; roams laterally from sideline to sideline; pressures the ball when the opposition have possession; tends to be used to cover wingbacks when they move up into attack; if a teammate has been beaten, the defensive midfielder will step in to provide cover; in attack the defensive midfielder should make supporting runs and create back passing oppotunities; good at shielding the ball from the opposition pressure; always well positioned

• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Concentration
  
• Decisions
  
• Positioning
  
• Teamwork
  
• Work Rate
  
• Acceleration
  
• Stamina
  
• Strength

defend - concentration
support - passing

Example: Felipe Melo, Lassana Diarra

Anchorman

aka holding midfielder aka Water carrier

Role: defensive midfielder; should be able to shield the ball in the midfield under sustained pressure; "holds back" attackers by being strategically positioned to intercept passes and tackling hard; positioning and tackling is key

• Heading
  
• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Anticipation
  
• Concentration
  
• Decisions
  
• Determination
  
• Positioning
  
• Work Rate
  
• Strength

Example:Makelele, Alexandre Song

Deep Lying Playmaker

aka Regista aka meia-armador

Role: dictates tempo from a deep position via passing abiltiy; not a defensive specialist; good first touch under opposition pressure; delivers accurate crossfield passes to attacking players; a combination of good mental attribrutes is key; passing ability is almost as important as mental attributes

• Passing
  
• Tackling
  
• Technique
  
• Composure
  
• Creativity
  
• Decisions
  
• Positioning
  
• Teamwork
  
• Strength

defend - marking
support - first touch, off the ball

Example: Luka Modric, Andrea Pirlo, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard

Centre Midfielder

Role: the link between defense and attack, may have several roles from defense to attack; has a great influence on how the game is played,

• First Touch
  
• Passing
  
• Decisions
  
• Determination
  
• Positioning
  
• Teamwork
  
• Work Rate

Attack - Dribbling, Finishing, Long Shots, Creativity, Off the Ball
Support - Long Shots, Marking, Tackling, Creativity, Off the Ball
Defend - Heading, Marking and Tackling

Example: Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Paul Scholes

Advanced Playmaker

aka fantasisti (italian for free role playmakers) aka meia-de-ligação

Role: like a deep lying playmaker but in the central attacking midfield position; similar role to a trequartista

• First Touch
  
• Passing
  
• Technique
  
• Creativity
  
• Decisions
  
• Flair
  
• Teamwork

support - work rate, stamina
attack - dribbling, anticipation, off the ball

Example: Toni Kroos, Mario Götze, Sneijder, Diego Maradona

Ball Winning Midfielder

Role; technically skilled player at making strong tackles; good at heading

• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Aggression
  
• Bravery
  
• Determination
  
• Positioning
  
• Teamwork
  
• Work Rate
  
• Stamina
  
• Strength

Support - passing

Example: Michael Essien, Nigel de Jong, Sergio Busquets, Gattuso

Box-to-Box Midfielder

aka shuttler

Role: helps in all aspects of the game; very high stamina;

• Dribbling
  
• Finishing
  
• First Touch
  
• Heading
  
• Long Shots
  
• Marking
  
• Passing
  
• Technique
  
• Anticipation
  
• Bravery
  
• Decisions
  
• Determination
  
• Off The Ball
  
• Positioning
  
• Work Rate
  
• Acceleration
  
• Stamina
  
• Strength

Example: Yaya Toure, Ramires, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio, Romulo

Wide Midfielder aka Outside midfielder

role: midfielders positioned near the touchline; active in defense and attack; good off the ball intelligence; stretches the field of play to the touchlines; typically tends to switch flanks during play; dribbles the ball down the flanks; does drift infield; covers the forward runs of the fullback/wingback

• Crossing
  
• Passing
  
• Tackling
  
• Anticipation
  
• Decisions
  
• Determination
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Teamwork
  
• Work Rate
  
• Stamina

Example: Ángel Di María, Antonio Valencia, Nani

Attacking Midfielder

role: a centre mid in an advanced positon on the field; offensive pivot of the team; creates goal scoring opportunities; technical ability is paramount; must be able to read the defense to create goal scoring opportunities

• First Touch
  
• Passing
  
• Technique
  
• Creativity
  
• Decisions
  
• Flair
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Work Rate

Example: Shinji Kagawa, Marouane Fellaini

Defenders

Centre-Back(CB) aka Centre-half aka Central Defender (CD)

Role: to stop opposing players from scoring primarily by winning the ball back; height is a big plus as it allows the defender to easily win the ball in the air (scoring on set piece corners and intercepting the opponent's set pieces); clear the ball out of the penalty box; ability to read the game is important to winning the ball back; Bravery, composure and tackling technical ability is needed to make "last ditch" tackles in the goal mouth

Stamina and Tackling are key attributes

• Heading
  
• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Composure
  
• Concentration
  
• Decisions
  
• Determination
  
• Positioning
  
• Jumping
  
• Strength

Stopper - aggression, bravery
Cover - anticipation, acceleration, pace
Defend - teamwork

man marking relis on physically skilled defenders who have strength;
zonal defending requires good teamwork and positioning

example: Mats Hummels, John Terry & Pique

Ball playing defender

• Heading
  
• Marking
  
• Passing
  
• Tackling
  
• Technique
  
• Composure
  
• Concentration
  
• Creativity
  
• Decisions
  
• Determination
  
• Positioning
  
• Jumping
  
• Strength

Stopper - aggression, bravery
Cover - anticipation, acceleration, pace
Defend - teamwork

Example: Vincent Kompany, Thiago Silva, Ricardo Carvalho & Pique

Limited Defender

• Heading
  
• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Determination
  
• Positioning
  
• Jumping
  
• Strength

Stopper - aggression, bravery
Cover - anticipation, acceleration, pace
Defend - teamwork

Example: Nemanja Vidic & Carles Puyol

Fullback aka Right-back & Left-back

Role: side defenders; do not tend to attack unlike wingbacks; must be quick to stop wingers from making crosses; usually marks a designated forward

• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Anticipation
  
• Concentration
  
• Positioning
  
• Teamwork
  
• Work Rate
  
• Acceleration
  
• Pace
  
• Stamina

Support - crossing
Attack - crossing, dribbling, passing, off the ball

Example: Philip Lahm, Sergio Ramos & Ashley Cole

Wingback

Role: Combination of a fullback and a winger; a defender with a heavier emphasis on attack; tend to be more adventurous than fullback; runs full length of the touchline; stamina is key; delivers ball to attack via crosses

• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Decisions
  
• Positioning
  
• Teamwork
  
• Work Rate
  
• Acceleration
  
• Pace
  
• Stamina

Support - crossing, passing
Attack - crossing, passing , off the ball, dribbling

Example: Maicon, Daniel Alves, Mauricio Isla, Sime Vrsaljko

Sweeper

Role: does not man mark so that he "sweeps up" the ball if the opponent manages to breach the defensive line; fluid positioning around the goal mouth; faster than other players; tend to be small in size; plays at the back of the defensive line; used in the catenaccio formation

rarely used in the modern game (Juventus sometimes, see de Rossi in the 2012 euro); modern games uses defensive midfielders instead; tends to lead to inflexible defenses.

• Heading
  
• Marking
  
• Passing
  
• Tackling
  
• Anticipation
  
• Composure
  
• Concentration
  
• Decisions
  
• Positioning
  
• Acceleration
  
• Balance
  
• Jumping

Example: Franco Baresi & Ronald Koeman (both historical legends). No current leading sweepers* (de Rossi one of the rare exceptions only on occassion). You could train a ball playing defender for this position.

Libero

(italian for "free") aka midfield sweeper

role: a sweeper with permission to leave the defense and join the attack (instruction: runs from deep); used in the 3-5-2 formation; Fitness and discipline are key (read: stamina and mental attributes); tends to be used when the two centrebacks are against one centre forward (of a 4 man backline); Similiar to a Ball-playing Centre Back.

Would only truely be "free" to go forward in a zonal marking system

• Dribbling
  
• Heading
  
• Marking
  
• Passing
  
• Tackling
  
• Anticipation
  
• Composure
  
• Concentration
  
• Creativity
  
• Decisions
  
• Positioning
  
• Teamwork
  
• Acceleration
  
• Balance
  
• Jumping

Attack - Long shots, pace, stamina, work rate

Occassional examples: de Rossi, Vermaelen, Vertonghen, David Luiz

Goalkeepers

Shot-stopping Goalkeeper

Role: saving; clearing; directing the defence;distributing the ball.

As the furtherest player back, the goalkeeper can see the entire defensive line and how the defenders should be positioned. Directing the defense is particularly important during free kicks when the goalkeeper organises the wall.

Kicking and Throwing are important depending on the goalkeeper's distribution method. Flair is always a poor attribute in a goalkeeper (but it can be entertaining).

Making a mistake in goal hurts morale much more than an outfield player.Determination is important.

Bravery, Reflexes and Concentration are arguably the most important attributes.

• Aerial Ability
  
• Command of Area
  
• Communication
  
• Handling
  
• One on Ones
  
• Reflexes
  
• Bravery
  
• Composure
  
• Concentration
  
• Decisions
  
• Positioning
  
• Agility

Example: Petr Cech, Iker Casillas, Manuel Neuer & Joe Hart

Sweeper keeper

Role: a shot stopping goalkeeper with additional attributes; passing ability is arguably needed

• First touch
  
• Rushing Out
  
• Anticipation
  
• Creativity
  
• Acceleration
  
• Pace

Coaches

The rating of a coach for training is measured by:

• Determination
  
• Level of Discipline
  
• Motivating
  
• metrics relevant to a particular role, see below

Roles

• Strength - Fitness
  
• Aeobics - Fitness
  
• Goalkeeper - Goalkeeping
  
• Tactics - Tactics
  
• Defense - Defense + Tactics
  
• Attack - Attacking + Tactics
  
• Shooting - Attacking + Technique
  
• Set Pieces - Attacking + Mental + Technique

Other attributes (some hidden) determine the preferences and style of a coach.

Staff

Note: Adaptablity is relevant to all staff but only if the staff member comes from another country

Director of Football

- aka the boss scout
role: you can choose for the director fo football to be responsible for - hiring/firing staff/wage negotiotions/transfer negotiations/incoming youth; depending on the responsibilities you give to your director, the attributes needed will also change (although these attributes are all very important). Example - Your director's scouting knowledge will influence your annual youth intake, but only if responsible for it.

• motivating
  
• level of discipline
  
• determination
  
• mental
  
• man management (and counterpart "working with youth" when dealing players under 18 years).
  
• Current PA
  
• Potential PA
  
• tactical knowledge
  
• Scouting knowledge

Scout

role: find players; more exact recommendations; more exact and detailed information on wages and expected transfer pricing

• Current PA
  
• Potential PA
  
• tactical knowledge
  
• Scouting knowledge
  
• Motivation
  
• Determination

Physio

role: higher fitness levels of players; more exact injury reporting

• Physiotherapy
  
• level of discipline
  
• motivating
  
• determination
  
• man management (and counterpart "working with youth" when dealing players under 18

[k-dog18]

good

[CI_Senig]

good

[attention-have_self-discipline_p]

bvbvb

[andro17]

good!

[[SoS] Tempest]

I am just stating the facts about Messi, he can obvious play roles who involve playmaking but he is used more for finishing in real life, Ronaldo could play poacher, remember that goal vs Barca in the Super cup where Ronaldo flicked the ball over Pique and scored, that was poacher supreme, I guess Falcao is the best example for a poacher nowadays, I consider Ronaldo benefits more from space so Poacher isn't suited for him, but he could play it nonetheless

[Conditional Love]

oops, error, it should be "Ronaldo is deadly in the AIR".

[Conditional Love]

@severusl - I would change to Cristiano Ronaldo & Ibrahimovic, but that would ruin the joke >.> I know this is kinda a cop out, but this isn't a player guide. It is a guide to help people better understand the roles of the players. I do feel I should give more explanation in this guide. I think I will add Ronaldo as a model "Complete Forward" in the description.

[Conditional Love]

@severusl - I respectfully disagree with your conclusion. While Messi is more suited to being a Trequartista or Deep Lying Playmaker, he has all the skills to exceed in any role. His only real weakness is in his core-strength and height (although height doesn't seem to be much of a problem with the headers he scores). This isn't much of a problem because Barca don't play a target in the box (and why Ibrahimovic was doomed to fail... er not fail.. not fit in). Whereas Ronaldo is deadly in the box (did you see how he dominated Evra and scored that magnificent header in the Champions league). So yeah, Ronaldo is a more/better "Complete Forward" in that sense but messi is in all other aspects a deadly footballing calculator machine. To be fair, Ronaldo isn't a good poacher: he uses power a lot and this requires space that doesn't exist in the box.

[[SoS] Tempest]

Messi is not a complete forward, a complete forward has all the skills needed and he can play all the roles, clearly messi cannot play target man, also he doesn't have good heading or strength, and he is only left footed, messi started as a winger(AMR)/ Inside Forward and is playing now false 9

Cristiano Ronaldo on the other hand is a complete attacker, also I would include here Ibrahimovic, a better attacker for a Targetman would be Jan Koller :)

[Barterpetter]

i think this works okay.. i use some og the same attributes wen scouting for players.