BASICS: Attributes

BY: Mark Bowen [A.Ramsey]

Ok a general run through of the stats copied from an old guide I had. Hopefully this will help new users work out what is best to train for their character. A lot of stats like vision get ignored by people who want their player to be a passer, this guide should help people develop their player in a more rounded way.


Physical

Acceleration
If you are chasing after a ball, or moving into position to receive a pass, having better acceleration than your opponent will mean you can move into position to get the ball quicker than they can. By being able to get into position first, you then "own the spot", which means you can take up the best position to try to control the ball, while your opponent will have to make do with trying to work around you to take the ball from you. Owning the spot doesn't guarentee you will win the fight for the ball, but it gives you the advantage.

Agility
As the Attribute Dictionary says, this is a basic attribute used in many situations. Pretty much every time you interact with the ball, you will use agility. This means it is quite a useful secondary skill, but it is important to get up the primary skills you use most often first.

Balance
You use balance every time you interact with a high ball - When the ball is in the yellow section of the line. It doesn't have huge importance when fighting with an opponent for the ball, as other attributes come into that, but you can win the fight for the high ball and then still fail to control the ball, because your balance was not good enough! A lot of high passes are made in FID, so it is important to train balance. However, central players will probably benefit from balance a bit more than wide players.

Jumping
Obviously, this is only used when the ball is in the air. Being able to jump higher than your opponent means you can reach the ball first, making it a very useful fight for the ball (FFB) attribute. Is used to both win and control a high ball, as well as winning headers.

Speed
Does what it say! You will quickly come to realise that speed in FID is the most important attribute to train. I think it's fair to say most people will train speed up to the maximum of 100. Simply put, if you can run to the ball faster than your opponent, you can control the ball without even having to fight for it in the first place!

Stamina
A self-explanatory attribute, this one. So, in terms of how much you will need, about 50-60 stamina should get you through most matches with enough condition left that you recover back to 100% in time for the next match. If you don't use No Action much, then you will need 70-80 stamina if you're running around like a headless chicken the entire game! Early in your career you want just enough stamina to get you through the match (50-60). Later in your career, training this much higher will give you bonuses in the final 30 minutes of the match, as a fitter player will have more energy to keep fighting for the ball and winning it against their more tired opponents!

Strength
This is the main fight for the ball (FFB) attribute, and this is only used when you are up against an opponent trying to win the ball from them, whether that's an interception, or a tackle, etc. Central players will benefit the most from this, as they will be involved in the most FFBs, and particularly Central Defenders.

Technical

Ball Control
Another basic attribute, but an important one for players who will see more of the ball. Will be useful when controlling the ball, and also when shooting, or passing, or dribbling.

Blocking
Self-Explanatory. Used when attempting the Block action.

Curving
When passing or shooting, curving basically makes the ball harder for the opponent to block, and harder for them to intercept. However, on regular passes this effect is quite small. But it has much more importance when using the Cross action, crossing the ball into the opposition's box. This makes it a bit more important for side midfielders, but CMs and CFs will also benefit.

Dribble
Another pretty obvious skill. It's most often used by SMs, but CFs will also find a fair few situations to use it, and CMs might occasionally, but CMs have other things more important to train first.

High Passing
This will make your high passes more accurate. It does not affect how long your passes can be, only accuracy.

Low Passing
This will make your low passes more accurate. It does not affect how long your passes can be, only accuracy.

One Touch
This is used when performing a one touch action, and makes one touch actions more accurate. This includes one touch shots, one touch passes, and also - I'm not sure why, I don't think it makes sense - Headers.

Tackling
Again pretty self-explanatory. The higher your tackling, the more likely you will win the ball, and the less likely you will commit a foul. Most useful for SDs, as opposition SMs are most likely to dribble at you. Also useful for CDs and DCMs.

Mental

Anticipation
This is about your footballer being able to predict where a high ball is going to land. If he doesn't have very good anticipation, he's going to mis-judge the flight of the ball, and he won't be able to get it.

Defensive Positioning
This has a small effect when trying to win FFBs against opponents in your own half when the opposition is attacking. However, it has a much greater effect in your own penalty box. So this is generally only worth training if you are a defender.

Fearlessness
This is again used in FFBs, so players who are in positions that are regularly involved in FFBs will benefit from a high level of fearlessness. However, this is more of a secondary attribute.

Scoring Positioning
This is basically the opposite of Defensive Positioning. So this will generally only be worth training if you are a CF, as they will regularly find themselves in the opposition's box.

Vision
This is a secondary attribute to both High and Low passing. As well as training high and low passing to improve the accuracy of your passes, training vision will also help improve accuracy. It will also make your passes slightly more difficult for your opponent to intercept, but not as much as the Curving attribute will. 

Finishing

Heading
While this is under finishing, it is not just for headers at goal. A good heading attribute makes your headed passes more accurate too. Heading is NOT involved in FFBs. Heading is just to help make your headers more accurate.

Shooting Accuracy
Another self-explanatory attribute. High shooting accuracy makes your shots more likely to hit the target. By far most important for CFs to train, than any other position.

Shooting Strength
High shooting strength makes your shots more likely to beat the keeper! Again, by far more important that CFs train this, than any other position.

Keeper

Aerial Ability
An attribute used by the goalkeeper when coming out to attempt to intercept crosses. However, as a keeper it can sometimes be best to stay in goal and not try to intercept the cross if your penalty box is very crowded. Only attempt this if you have a clear run to the ball.

Handling
Probably the single most important goalkeeping attribute. Good hands help you keep the ball out your goal!

Keeper Positioning
This is basically a secondary skill to all goalkeeping actions you perform. Most important to train your primary skills first, but this is definitely worth training after that.

Passing with Hands
This improves the goalkeepers accuracy when throwing the ball to a teammate after making a save/picking the ball up. However, as you can always kick the ball, you can pretty much get away with ignoring this attribute. I don't know many good goalkeepers who have bothered to train this skill at all.

Reflexes
An attribute you will use every time you make a save. This makes it the second most important attribute for a goalkeeper to train, behind Handling.

As mentioned in the Dictionary, goalkeepers will also use Acceleration, Agility, Anticipation, Balance, Fearlessness, Jumping, One Touch, Strength and Vision depending on what action you are performing. The goalkeeping attributes are your primary attributes, but these secondary attributes are worth looking into at a later date.