Choosing and training my youngsters - A helpful thread part 2

[mccollio09]

So, continuing on from part 1 where criteria of a wonderkid was chosen and the importance of using your scouts was somewhat downplayed with in game examples given, lets move onto attributes to look for.

A quick look at the basics (which I'm assuming you all know). The game has kindly given us some easy to read highlight sections for each position:

View attachment 166098​

There we have the example of one of my particular favourite positions, the poacher (as demonstrated by Luis Suarez - not the best poacher on the game, but adequate). Now, logic should tell you that if you want a good young poacher, then you scale down the filter search a few notches until you start coming across players with decent attributes in the right sections/ high attributes in the majority of stats suggested. Easy. Key attributes for other positions also explained here​

So why is it then, that once every so often, we get users on this site complaining that their 20 finishing poacher always hits his shot against the keeper? Or, alternatively, users demanding why a striker with 10 finishing has managed to score past their quality keeper. Here's where prime, secondary and background attributes come into play.​

No one can put it better than Mantralux already has in this article, and so before I elaborate I encourage you to read that first, not only will it give you an idea of how the game engne works, but it should help you think about what you need to train your youngster for.​

Now that you have read through that, you'll now know that having finishing 20, important as it may be, is only a fraction of what decides whether or not your striker will put the ball in the back of the net: Decisions - where do I place the ball/do I hit it with power, Anticipation - where will the keeper go, Composure - will I remain calm?, Technique - do I have the shot in my repertoire? All come into it as well as finishing -accuracy of the shot are taken into account.​

Putting it all into a very basic sentence, what's the point in the player hitting the target if poor technique means he scuffs the shot, or poor decision making means he has put his accurate shot on goal to the keepers strongest side?​

Just to stick with this particular example, lets come onto Preferred Player Moves (PPMs). Teaching/ your player already having a PPM can help enhance/ offset some of his strengths/weaknesses.​

Lets take the much debated decision on FM base of whether to teach my striker hits shots with power, or places shots.​

Hits shots with power. Ideally, the player needs to have good strength (so that he has the capacity to blast the ball in the first place), good balance (he isn't going to fall over whilst unleashing ****) as well as the typical attributes needed for a striker.​

Who is this useful for? Ideally, I agree you need a player with good finishing and composure, but it IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD for you striker if these are just average. Blasting the ball means that even if the shot isn't that accurate, it will give the ball a chance of ripping through the keepers gloves and finding the back of the net.​

Example: Anyone who has made a save with West Brom will know that no matter how useless Ishmael Miller may look as a striker, play him and he can get you 20 league goals a season despite having 12 finishing and 10 composure. Why? Largely thanks to him compensating his lack of finesse with added power.​

Places shots
Rather the opposite of someone who blasts their shots, this is ideal for a player who has great teachnique and little strength. Rather than trying to nail their shot all the time the player will be encourage to use the classy shot that due to high technique, he should have in his repertoire.
Example: During my Derby save, I chose to teach David Hoilett (now Junior Hoilett) places shots. An ideal candidate for this move, with technique and flair both high, he was able to score 13 league goals in one season using this style despite only playing on the wing.​

Mccollio's suggestion:​

It might be great having a young striker who have at least 15 on their finishing, but remember that it is not the be all and end all when you are looking for the next star. Before buying a player, have a think about whether their weakness can be cured by him learning a PPM. And as already stated, don't be fooled into automatically thinking that a player with excellent finishing will automatically make him a born goalscorer - keep in mind the background attributes and how they interact with each other.​

Still not sure on what PPM to teach your youngster? Do a customised filter search on their profile, increase attributes until only the best players ressembling them remain, click on said world class players profile, see what PPMs they have and hey presto.​

That should give you enough to think about before you go out and buy your next wonderkid. However, there are 3 attributes which haven't been discussed yet, and which are important for ANY youngster you buy. Namely: ​

Work rate: This attribute will have a determining role in how a players attributes will rise. It is just as much to do with a players all round attitude as anything else. A player with a high work rate will work hard on the pitch as well as in training, meaning a rise in stats.​

Determination: This stat is arguably just as important as work rate. In a game, it decides how much a player is willing to fight for the team and not give up, win lose or draw. A player with high determination will do likewise in training, he will keep on working and keep on fighting, determined on improving, again helping other stats rise.
N.B This stat can increase or decrease with tutoring.​

Natural fitness: Particularly important if you want to push a player hard in training. Natural fitness (a self explanatory term) generates how susceptible a player is to injury. Take a look back at Sebastian Metz, talked about in part 1. One of the main reasons why I was able to push him beyond what my scout report gave was that I could increase his training workload to heavy, safe in the knowledge that, due to his natural fitness being at 18, I knew I could push him more than other players still whilst having a low risk of injury. Sure enough, he never complained about the workload and the stats rocketed in improvement by as much as 5 or 6 in some areas.​

Mccollio's suggestion:
Don't try my stupid mistake after reading this and sign all your youngsters based soley on good stats in these three areas. At the end of the day, having a defender with 17 work rate, 16 determination and 18 natural fitness is still going to be rubbish no matter how well you train him if his tackling, marking, concentration, strength etc are 3. Again, these three core stats are just something to bare in mind. Likewise, if you see a player that looks amazing already but these three stats are average, buy him anyway, if he only needs to improve by a small amount then improvement by game time should be enough to push him through.​

That is pretty much all I can tell you about attributes to look for in your youngster, interpretting those guidelines correctly should help you find youngsters who will go on to be stars - regardless of how your scout rates them, and regardless or one or two missing supposedly key attributes.​

Part three will cover anything left unsaid and arguably the most important part of getting the best from your wonderkid - training​

Continued - Part three​

 

[mccollio09]

link added to part three