creativity

can too much creativity in midfield be a bad thing?

Yep.

Too much creativity means that the players start ignoring your other instructions and begin following their own inclinations. You run a risk of losing your shape, getting players out of position, etc.

If you have superstar players with tremendous Decisions, Teamwork, etc., then this may work out for you - "playing instinctively" may actually get great results from them.

However, for most squads, you're better suited to have most of the squad on the centre-point of Creativity, with one or two stars on higher Creativity - again, paying attention to their Decisions and other mental attributes to ensure that they are going to use their creative freedom in a beneficial way.

no, its the other way around. The more, the better. Its a midfielder so... no problem.

Yep.

Too much creativity means that the players start ignoring your other instructions and begin following their own inclinations. You run a risk of losing your shape, getting players out of position, etc.

If you have superstar players with tremendous Decisions, Teamwork, etc., then this may work out for you - "playing instinctively" may actually get great results from them.

However, for most squads, you're better suited to have most of the squad on the centre-point of Creativity, with one or two stars on higher Creativity - again, paying attention to their Decisions and other mental attributes to ensure that they are going to use their creative freedom in a beneficial way.

Isnt creativity just how well a player can spot an opening or chance however small? I think its more or less an indication of the players vision. So in my understanding, the higher the creativity, the better.

Soup_is_cool, it's far from being the other way round, try actually not just reading what Amaroq said but absorbing too, and as for it being a midfielder and not being a problem that's just obsurd, if you have any football knowledge you'd know midfielder's have just as much defensive responsibility as they do attacking.

Are we talking about the creativity stat or giving players high creative freedom?

Soup_is_cool, it's far from being the other way round, try actually not just reading what Amaroq said but absorbing too, and as for it being a midfielder and not being a problem that's just obsurd, if you have any football knowledge you'd know midfielder's have just as much defensive responsibility as they do attacking.

a midfielder, not a defensive midfielder---

Soup_is_cool, it's far from being the other way round, try actually not just reading what Amaroq said but absorbing too, and as for it being a midfielder and not being a problem that's just obsurd, if you have any football knowledge you'd know midfielder's have just as much defensive responsibility as they do attacking.

I think Amaroqs talking about "Creative Freedom" there mate. From what the OP said, he's talking about the attribute "creativity". They're two different things.

I actually think Amaroq got creativity and creative freedom mixed up. There can't be too much creativity in midfield as being creative doesn't necessarily mean a player can't be disciplined while defending. However there can be too much creative freedom given to your players - which could turn out to be a bad thing.

Edit: or what's been said above.

a midfielder, not a defensive midfielder---

Errr my point still stands, just because a midfielder's focus isn't solely on defensive duties doesn't mean that he shouldn't be helping out.

Are we talking about the creativity stat or giving players high creative freedom?

Good point.

I was speaking exclusively about the Creative Freedom tactical instruction.

For the Creativity attribute, I think its a key attribute for midfielders, and also somewhat so for wingers and strikers. Essentially, its the ability to spot a pass - to imagine how a pass will work out. That plus Decisions and Teamwork will impact which pass the player attempts. Technique and Passing will determine whether its on target, leads the guy perfectly, or he has to wait for it.

So, I definitely search for high Creativity midfielders, 15 is nice but 17+ seems to give the best results. (A striker with 17+ creativity seems to generate a lot of assists by setting up his strike partner with intricate in-the-box passes.)

Not surprisingly, its those high Creativity midfielders whom I then give the high Creative Freedom settings to..

I initially made the same mistake Amaroq. I was ready to reply talking about Creative Freedom then realised that may not be what he is talking about.

Thanks for the catch.

without other vital mental stats, eg decision making, movement (off the ball), concentration (i've seen mistakes from midfield from players with 14-17 in this stat) etc i think even highly creative players must be restricted in their freedom. anything short of gerrard, fabregas and the like never get more than 1/2 bar creative freedom for me.

Your creative strikers should generate a fan increase for your club! Nothing like seeing Ibra or Kanute dish a ridiculous pass that exposes the defense like a gutted fish.

That said, it seems the best for the playmaking midfielder who makes the insightful pass or cut. Creativity is sometimes a bad thing though, when you have great midfielders but dunces for strikers who cannot anticipate or 'off-the-ball' and the penetrating pass just rolls to the keeper harmlessly. You do see this frequently in FM08 with improper settings or playing staff, and I like it.

I saw that with too many "Tries Through Balls Often" set. I was managing Brazil, and struggling, believe it or not. We weren't beating teams I expected us to beat easily - and it turned out to be my Through Balls setting. Working against packed defenses, there just wasn't enough space to try through balls all the time - it was too likely that the opposition would have a defender in place to pick off the pass. Just reducing that to Mixed made my entire team come alive and start playing like Brazil!