Passing
These traits affect a player’s passing decisions when he is on the ball.
Dictates Tempo
The player will be more likely to use his intelligence to decide what tempo to play at, rather than following the tempo instruction you have given to your team.
For example, he may decide it is appropriate to slow down the game by holding up the ball or he may instead try to increase the urgency of your team’s play by attempting a quick pass.
- Required abilities: excellent creativity (Anticipation, Decisions, Flair, Teamwork and Vision) and good passing ability (Passing and Technique).
- Useful for: midfield players expected to be the main creative presence in your team (midfield creators), especially those in playmaker roles expected to receive the ball more often.
- Complementary tactical instructions: Be More Expressive (team).
- Contrasting tactical instructions: Be More Disciplined (team).
Likes To Switch Ball To Other Flank
The player will be more likely to attempt to pass the ball to a player on the opposite side of the pitch.
This can allow your team to attack down the other flank where more space is likely to be available.
- Required abilities: good creativity (Anticipation, Decisions, Teamwork and Vision) and passing ability (Passing and Technique).
- Useful for: wide players, especially the less attacking player in a wide partnership; and central midfielders playing off-centre. The more attacking wide player on the opposite side should ideally be expected to stay wider in order to receive such a pass in space.
- Complementary tactical instructions: Go Route One, More Direct Passing, Clear Ball To Flanks, Exploit The Flanks and Exploit the Left/Right Flank (whichever is the opposite side to where the player is) (team), More Direct Passes (player).
- Contrasting tactical instructions: Retain Possession, Shorter Passing, Play Out Of Defence, Exploit The Middle, Exploit The Left/Right Flank (whichever is the same side as where the player is) (team), Pass It Shorter (player).
Looks For Pass Rather Than Attempting To Score
The player will be more likely to try to pass the ball to a teammate instead of shooting when he believes he has a goal-scoring chance.
This can help him to set up a better scoring opportunity for another player, but can also result in him wasting good chances.
- Required abilities: good creativity (Anticipation, Decisions, Teamwork and Vision) and preferably good passing ability (Passing).
- Useful for: players in more advanced positions who have poor shooting ability and are therefore less likely to convert chances themselves.
- Unsuitable for: players with good shooting ability, especially more attacking strikers (number nines) expected to be the main source of goals.
- Complementary tactical instructions: Work Ball Into Box (team), Shoot Less Often (player).
- Contrasting tactical instructions: Shoot On Sight (team), Shoot More Often (player).
Plays No Through Balls
The player will be less likely to attempt creative, risky passes (through balls) and so more likely to pass directly to the feet, chest or head of a teammate. His tendency to make more direct (longer) passes will be unaffected, however.
- Useful for: more defensive players expected to play more cautiously on the ball and make safer passes; players expected to make safer passes in order to keep possession and allow teammates with better creativity and passing ability to attempt more penetrative passes; players expected to make direct passes straight to the chest or head of a teammate; and players with poor creativity or passing ability.
- Unsuitable for: players expected to attempt creative, risky passes (such as midfield creators and number tens); and players with good creativity and passing ability.
- Complementary tactical instructions: Fewer Risky Passes (player).
- Contrasting tactical instructions: Pass Into Space (team), More Risky Passes (player).
You should be careful not to have too many players in your team with this move in order to ensure that there is a good balance between keeping possession and trying to penetrate the opposition.
Plays Short Simple Passes
The player will be more likely to pass straight to the feet of a nearby teammate, rather than attempting a creative, risky pass (through ball) into space or a more direct (longer) pass.
This can help him to keep possession but will restrict the penetration of his passing.
- Useful for: more defensive players expected to play more cautiously on the ball and make shorter, safer passes; players expected to make shorter, safer passes in order to keep possession and allow teammates with better creativity and passing ability to attempt more penetrative passes; and players with poor creativity or passing ability.
- Unsuitable for: players expected to attempt creative, risky passes (such as midfield creators and number tens); players expected to attempt direct passes; and players with good creativity and passing ability.
- Complementary tactical instructions: Retain Possession, Shorter Passing and Play Out Of Defence (team), Pass It Shorter and Fewer Risky Passes (player).
- Contrasting tactical instructions: Go Route One, More Direct Passing, Pass Into Space, Pump Ball Into Box and Clear Ball To Flanks (team), More Direct Passes and More Risky Passes (player).
You should be careful not to have too many players in your team with this move in order to ensure that there is a good balance between keeping possession and trying to penetrate the opposition.
Tries Killer Balls Often
The player will be more likely to attempt creative, risky passes (through balls) into space for teammates to run onto.
- Required abilities: good creativity (Anticipation, Decisions, Flair, Teamwork and Vision) and passing ability (Passing and Technique).
- Useful for: players expected to attempt creative, risky passes (such as midfield creators and number tens). Ideally, there should be at least one more advanced player who has good attacking movement or mobility and is expected to make forward runs off the ball.
- Unsuitable for: more defensive players expected to play more cautiously on the ball and make safer passes; players expected to make safer passes in order to keep possession and allow teammates with better creativity and passing ability to attempt more penetrative passes; and players expected to make direct passes straight to the chest or head of a teammate.
- Complementary tactical instructions: Pass Into Space (team), More Risky Passes (player).
- Contrasting tactical instructions: Fewer Risky Passes (player).
You should be careful not to have too many players in your team with this move in order to ensure that there is a good balance between keeping possession and trying to penetrate the opposition.
Tries Long Range Passes
The player will be more likely to attempt very direct (very long) passes.
- Required abilities: good passing ability (Passing and Technique), and preferably good creativity (Anticipation, Decisions, Teamwork and Vision).
- Useful for: players in deeper positions expected to make very direct passes.
- Unsuitable for: creative players (such as midfield creators) expected to vary their passing range according to what they consider is appropriate; and players expected to make shorter passes in order to keep possession and allow teammates with better creativity and passing ability to attempt more penetrative passes.
- Complementary tactical instructions: Go Route One, More Direct Passing, Pump Ball Into Box and Clear Ball To Flanks (team), More Direct Passes (player).
- Contrasting tactical instructions: Retain Possession, Shorter Passing and Play Out Of Defence (team), Pass It Shorter (player).
You should be careful not to have too many players in your team with this move in order to ensure that there is a good balance between keeping possession and trying to penetrate the opposition.
Uses Long Throw To Start Counter Attacks
The player will be more likely to take a quick, long throw-in from deep positions (or, for goalkeepers, throw the ball long after catching it or picking it up in his penalty area) when the opposition has pushed high up the pitch and there is an opportunity to attack on the break.
- Required abilities: excellent Long Throws (or Throwing for goalkeepers), and good Balance and Strength.
- Useful for: wide players in deeper positions who will be more likely to be close to the ball when it goes out for a throw-in in such a situation.
Finishing
These traits affect a player’s decisions when he believes he has a chance to score.
Attempts Overhead Kicks
The player will be more likely to attempt bicycle kicks when the opportunity arises. These are acrobatic volleys performed with both legs off the ground and the body facing away from the goal.
- Required abilities: excellent shooting ability (Finishing and Technique) and very good awareness (Anticipation).
- Useful for: strikers who you want to score more memorable goals. However, although it can result in spectacular goals on occasion, it is probably not worth a player adding to his training workload in order to learn it. Other potential traits should take precedence.
If already possessed by a player it need not be unlearned due to its fairly rare occurrence in matches.
Hits Free Kicks With Power
The player will be more likely to shoot with force from free kicks.
This can make his free kicks more difficult for the goalkeeper to reach and deal with with if on target, but also more likely to be inaccurate.
- Required abilities: very good Free Kicks and Technique, and good Long Shots.
- Useful for: preferred free kick takers.
It need not be unlearned by a player who does not take free kicks regularly.
Likes To Lob Keeper
The player will be more likely to try to lift the ball over the goalkeeper and into the goal when he believes there is an opportunity to score with such a chipped shot.
- Required abilities: very good shooting ability (Finishing, Technique and Composure) and good creativity (Anticipation and Decisions).
- Useful for: strikers, to encourage them to use an alternative scoring method when appropriate. However, you may prefer to give preference to Places Shots, Shoots With Power or Likes To Round Keeper to help a capable striker to score more goals as they will be of more use for general goalscoring chances.
Likes To Round Keeper
The player will be more likely to try to dribble past the goalkeeper when one-on-one so he can potentially put the ball into an unguarded net.
- Required abilities: good dribbling ability (Dribbling, Technique, Anticipation, Composure, Decisions and Flair) and mobility (Acceleration, Agility and Pace).
- Useful for: strikers, especially more attacking strikers (number nines) who are more likely to get chances to score close to goal; and strikers with poor Finishing.
Places Shots
The player will be more likely to attempt to shoot with more accuracy and less power.
This can make his shots more likely to be on target and more difficult for the goalkeeper to reach if they are taken well.
- Required abilities: very good shooting ability (Finishing, Technique and Composure) and good creativity (Anticipation and Decisions).
- Useful for: strikers, especially more attacking strikers (number nines), who are more likely to get chances to score close to goal.
Refrains From Taking Long Shots
The player will be less likely to attempt shots from outside the opposition penalty area.
- Required abilities: preferably good creativity (Anticipation, Decisions, Teamwork and Vision), especially Teamwork, and on the ball attacking abilities such passing and dribbling so he can provide an alternative threat or help keep possession effectively.
- Useful for: players with poor long range shooting ability; players expected to focus on providing an alternative threat such as by making creative, risky passes (such as midfield creators and number tens), dribbling, or getting into goal-scoring positions close to goal (such as number nines); and players expected to play more cautiously on the ball and try to keep possession.
- Complementary tactical instructions: Work Ball Into Box (team), Shoot Less Often (player).
- Contrasting tactical instructions: Shoot On Sight (team), Shoot More Often (player).
Shoots From Distance
The player will be more likely to attempt shots from outside the opposition penalty area.
- Required abilities: very good long range shooting ability (Finishing, Long Shots and Technique).
- Useful for: players who you want to provide a goal-scoring threat from distance so that your team does not rely on getting closer to the opposition goal, particularly central midfielders, wide attackers instructed to cut inside onto their stronger foot and supporting strikers (number tens). However, ideally it should not be possessed by more than one or two players in the same line-up as this could result in too many long shots being taken, reducing the amount of good chances created by your team.
- Unsuitable for: players expected to focus on providing an alternative threat such as by making creative, risky passes (such as midfield creators and number tens), dribbling, or getting into goal-scoring positions close to goal (such as number nines); and players expected to play more cautiously on the ball and try to keep possession.
- Complementary tactical instructions: Shoot On Sight (team), Shoot More Often (player).
- Contrasting tactical instructions: Work Ball Into Box (team), Shoot Less Often (player).
Shoots With Power
The player will be more likely to shoot with force, both from inside the opposition penalty area and when attempting long shots.
This can make his shots more difficult for the goalkeeper to reach and deal with if on target, but also more likely to be inaccurate.
- Required abilities: good shooting ability (Finishing and Technique).
- Useful for: supporting strikers (number tens), as they are more likely to shoot from further away from goal or when defenders are blocking some areas of the goal; strikers with poor Composure, Anticipation, Decisions and Flair; and players expected to attempt long shots.
- Unsuitable for: more attacking strikers (number nines) with good Composure, Anticipation, Decisions and Flair.
Tries First Time Shots
The player will be more likely to shoot at goal without controlling the ball first when he receives a pass and believes he has a goal-scoring chance.
This can allow him to make the most of a chance before he is closed down or the goalkeeper moves into a better position, as long as his shot is well taken. However, such a skill is technically difficult and first time shots can easily be mis-hit.
- Required abilities: very good shooting ability (Finishing, Technique and Composure) and good creativity (Anticipation and Decisions).
- Useful for: more attacking strikers (number nines) expected to focus largely on goal-scoring. However, since this is a difficult skill you may want to give preference to Places Shots, Shoots With Power or Likes To Round Keeper to help a capable striker to score more goals.
- Unsuitable for: strikers expected to contribute to build-up play or create chances (especially number tens); and midfielders expected to attempt creative, risky passes (especially midfield creators).
- Complementary tactical instructions: Shoot On Sight (team), Shoot More Often (player).
- Contrasting tactical instructions: Work Ball Into Box (team), Shoot Less Often (player).
Tries Long Range Free Kicks
The player will be more likely to shoot from free kicks taken from further away from the opposition goal, rather than making a short pass or delivering an aerial ball into the penalty area.
- Required abilities: excellent Free Kicks, Technique and Long Shots.
- Useful for: preferred free kick takers who perhaps have poor Passing.
If you have players with good physical and aerial presence who can provide a threat in the penalty area at free kicks then this trait is perhaps not suitable.
This trait must be requested from the Passing Training section when initiating player trait training, but is included here as it relates to shooting rather than passing.
