Target men: do they have to be strong, or can they be fast?

Been playing the game for several months, but one thing that has eluded me is the role of a target man vs. a playmaker. I've done several searches but haven't found a satisfactory answer, so here's my question:

Is the role of a target man strictly designed for strong players with high heading/jumping stats? Or can they be speedsters that chase the ball?

In the game I just started I lack a forward with any real ability when it comes to headers, but I have two players that I would like to see on the ball. One has a speed rating of 18, while the other's speed is only about 12 but has 18 or so for finishing, dribbling, long shot and first touch ability. How can I ensure that they become the focus of my attack? If I make a forward my playmaker will he look to score or look to set up another player?

I play with small, low jumping forwards who are really fast, they suit my style of play, seems to be similar to yours, I set them as target men and set the target man delivery to play the ball for them to run on to, most of the time, they will outsprint the defenders and be in on goal

It works great if your opponents defensive line is high.

In my opinion the best target men have high stats in: dribbling, finishing, first touch, heading, composure, concentration, decisions & off the ball skills.

And they also have to be either strong or fast imo.

Thanks for the quick replies!

So if I understand correctly, I should utilize my forward with 18 speed as a target man with the "run onto ball" option? Should I use the other forward as a playmaker (17 creativity, to boot) or would he better utilized as an attacking-midfield playmaker?

So if I understand correctly, I should utilize my forward with 18 speed as a target man with the "run onto ball" option?

Yes, that is essentially what I do, although a high acceleration stat is also imperative and he needs to be able to out sprint the defenders

I prefer a Niall Quinn/Kevin Phillips-type partnership and knock long-balls up and wait for the knock-downs or flick-ons. It's not pretty but it's very effective.

looknohands -

Yes, you can use your pacey guy as the Target Man with a "Run Onto Ball" instruction. That's going to work best in cases where you're defending a lead and then hitting them on the counter-attack. (It's likely to shred a 4-2-4, for example).

Its going to bog down if the enemy are defending in depth, with no offsides trap, e.g., the way they go with a 1-0 lead at the 80th minute.

For a "Playmaker", I like to use a central midfielder or a winger in the "Playmaker" role - basically somebody who can show to the ball in possession. He becomes the default option that the other players look to, e.g., the linkup between my back line and the front. That's what I go to when I start feeling like the pacey Target Man isn't working as well: so, in my "Creative" and "Patient" offenses, when I start giving my players more attacking options, I often turn off the Target Man and turn on the Playmaker.

That's not to say that they have to be mutually exclusive - with Nigeria, it's almost a no-brainer to use both: you have a clear Playmaker in midfield (Mikel) and a plethora of pacey strikers up front for that Target Man. Its just that, for default league play at a high level, I find myself using them for different purposes, and therefore, sometimes, at different times in the game.

If you're blessed with with a pacey striker then going long ball with the target man settings at 'run onto ball' can often prove productive, although it's often worth checking what the speed of your next opponent's CBs before you go to the match. Also it's worth lining up your pacey CF against the slower of their two CBs.

This tactic works particularly well in the lower leagues where a pacey CB isn't exactly common place.

Personally i try to sign tall strong target men and play them alongside somebody quick. Classic big man little man partnership has always done wonders for me especially when playing direct.

What buzzinghornet and cwxstorm said is what I try to do. Play it to the big man's head and let him nod it on for the little fast guy to run onto. Works well in the lower leagues when your teams typically don't pass the ball very well. Speed will absolutely kill in the lower leagues.

I tend to be very simplistic - if I have a tall striker I used ball to head, if I have a fast striker I use run onto the ball, if I have one of each I alternate depending on which I feel would be most effective. My playmaker is almost always a midfielder when I use one.

I have to say I have never really used a ball to feet target man much though - on occasion I have, but without any obvious benefit. It's not all that obvious to me what the difference is between a ball to feet targetman and a playmaker. I have found though that targetman instructions can be a bit buggy. Often I have two strikers, name the big fella as ball to head targetman and come the end of the game find he has contested 5 headers and won them all whilst my small striker has contested 30 headers and won 3 so clearly my players have totally ignored my instructions!

I've tried a target man with balls to feet dropping deep and then setting up attacks. I think the principle was sound, but the formation ended up a confusing mess of arrows and highly individualised instructions... kind of broke the all important KISS rule.

This goes more along the lines of aerial target men:

What's the difference between heading and jumping? I've had a 5'7" striker with 3 jumping and 18 heading, and currently have a backup defender that's 6'0" with 20 jumping and 6 heading. Is one offensive (heading) and one defensive (jumping)? Could I use the little guy as a "to head" target man?

Oooh .. no no no!

"Jumping" is the distance above the ground that your player can get his head.

"Heading" is the technical ability to control the ball with one's head.

So "Jumping" plays into whether or not you win an aerial challenge ... while "Heading" drives where the ball goes afterwards.

The "Height" score is purely cosmetic - so Peter Crouch is likely to get, say, a 19 in Jumping because he is so tall .... but a 5'8" player with a tremendous vertical leap might get a 17 .. he can't quite get his head higher than Crouch's .. but he can get close enough that other factors (Positioning, Anticipation, Strength, motivation) play into whether or not he gets to the ball.

A little noticed thing for the "tall target man" is that you probably want high Decisions Anticipation and Creativity for him, too: its not just winning the ball .. its deciding where to put it when you do win it!

Looking at your two guys:

The short striker is unlikely to win an aerial challenge. However, if he can get free in the box on a corner (Off The Ball, Anticipation), he's highly likely to score on an unchallenged header: he can place it beautifully, and will be great at the diving header. You might use him as "Attack Near Post", for example.

The tall defender has a massive vertical leap: he's perfect for covering Crouch. Yeah, he can't control where the header goes after he wins it, but you don't really need him to. You just need him to disrupt the offense. I doubt I'd use him on offensive corners, but if you don't have anybody else tall, placing him on "Challenge GK", "Stand on Near Post", or "Stand on Far Post" will be the best use of him. In defending corners, you might set him at "Mark Tall" (obviously), or you might use him on "Near Post" - he'll come out into the six and take care of a lot of dangerous balls before they become dangerous.

Thanks for the reply. I'd never been very clear on what to look for out of a defender- jumping or heading.

Interesting that jumping is tied into height, and not a seperate stat on its own. Would this mean that a 6'0" striker with 20 jumping could get just as high as 6'6" defender with 20 jumping?

You're welcome!

Interesting that jumping is tied into height, and not a seperate stat on its own. Would this mean that a 6'0" striker with 20 jumping could get just as high as 6'6" defender with 20 jumping?

Yes, precisely.

Think of it more like "height is cosmetic, and Jumping is a match-engine attribute."

For interpreting the 6'6" defender with 20 jumping and the 6'0" striker with 20 jumping, think of it as, the defender has a 33" vertical leap, and the striker has a phenomenal 39" vertical leap. Therefore, if they both jump, the tops of their heads are each at 9'3".

Yes, this means that there's no way for the match engine to represent a freak of nature who is 6'6" and has a 39" vertical leap ... but there's no way for the Pace attribute to reflect Usain Bolt, either.

Torres is a pretty good targetman for some reason.