Subject: How important is playmaking?

Would i be right in saying that playmaking is how good they are at deciding what to do with the ball? If this is the case, how important is it for strikers? I mean, when you're clean through on goal it's not the best option to pass to your right back is it? Also, why do players do that annoying pause? What skill level do they need to be on before they stop that?

Cheers

I asked about PM and striking and the consensus seemed to be PM only mattered once they'd decided to pass.
When you talk about the annoying pause is it the one after a players been tackled or the one when a players running with the ball?

Both are annoying, but when they just stand there and let the opposition take the ball off them?! Aaarrgh!

When your player's got the ball and is being tackled, it's your players technique v's the opponents defending skill. So you need to get your tech skills up for your mids and strikers to win the tackles.

Having said that I pretty sure it's not an even match, lower level defending skills will beat higher level tech skills. e.g Good defenders will successfully tackle strikers with very good tech.

Not sure what, if any, skill reduces the time your player stands there like a lemon after a tackle though??

ability to meet tackles and running with the ball are affected tech. sometimes i think the delay after tackles is partly down to the limits of the swf match. in RL after a tackle the player is often down or stumbling - the match player cannot show that level of detail so it looks like they are just standing like lemons.

Ok guys, thanks for your replies, looks like i'll have to put up with lemons for a while then :(

I was talking to another manager the other day, and we were discussing what would be better... an outstanding playmaker and an average passer, or an outstanding passer and an average playmaker?

My idea is that theres no point in being an amazingly accurate passer if you dont know who or where to pass it!

I'm a slow learner on this game, so I'm not sure

It rather depends on your tactic to answer that question, imo. Put your outstanding passer far enough away from an opponent's defender and he'll have all the time he needs to pick the right pass, given his lower pm. He can then execute it.

On the other hand, if he's being played in amongst a defensive mid or two, you might want him to get rid of the ball more quickly to avoid the tackle. Of course, if he has divine tech, you might not be too btohered about that.

In short ask yourself "Will he have time to make his mind up?" (of course this time could be made available by space or tech/pace combo or both) If he will, low pm isn't much of an issue.

so its more a case of 'timing to make the right choice' rather than 'ability to make the right choice'?

Its hard to judge a players ability to make the right choice as we can't really see what else he would have done with higher/lower playmaking. However, as has been said before, you can notice that on players with higher PM they make their decisions faster, and they don't get caught on the ball as much as a result.

the outstanding passing/average PM guy will make occasionally great passes among generally erratic kicks

the average/outs will kick the ball in a sensible direction usually but rarely provide a killer pass

I would say a high PM player is nicer near to your defence and the high passer should be up nearer the strikers - although all proper MIDs will be more balanced if possible of course

I also raised this very subject myself in Sokker England a couple of months ago...with very different replies.

Read it, here

Interesting read, thanks mate.

I was talking to another manager the other day, and we were discussing what would be better... an outstanding playmaker and an average passer, or an outstanding passer and an average playmaker?

My idea is that theres no point in being an amazingly accurate passer if you dont know who or where to pass it!

I'm a slow learner on this game, so I'm not sure


Better passing definitely does the trick. last time my good playmaker mad a bent ball back that ended up hiting the post. whereas better passing means accurate passes every time no matter the circumstances like corstophine(my player) whos freekicks are awesome accurate and even score.