"Picked Up Easily By Opposition Players"

"...notes that the player's lack of movement means he's very easily picked up by opposition players"

That's a weakness note from the scout report of a defender whose only attributes are as follows in the image:

What does that comment depend on according to the player's profile ? A hidden attribute ? Something I don't know with the attributes already out there? Or is that a bad report ?

I'd assume it's down to his off the ball rating?

Take alook at he off the ball rating of 3

Not really an issue though as you want him marking other players, not being marked himself. Probably means he may struggle to score, but as a centre back a low off-the-ball rating isn't really relevant.

At least I believe I am correct in saying off-the-ball is an attacking attribute?

Yeah, off the ball.

As he weighs 75kg he can't be picked up...

And yes, it is an attacking attribute. Positioning is the defensive equivalent.

wats the skin used in this ?

Hmm, well I understood "very easily picked up by opposition players" as "he can be easily dodged".

The skin is named Still -available at Sortitoutsi.net

Anyway, consequently, was it my English failing to understand that comment correctly ? There's nothing there to do wih his defensive quality, right?

Nope, off the ball is more about how a player would move around to find space to receive the ball. Positioning is the more defensively oreintated attribute and describes how the player positions himself with regards to an opponent.

His low "Off the Ball" means he really doesn't understand how to move into space to get open.

Therefore, he's "Easily marked by the opposition players" .. only somebody replaced "marked" with "picked up" in this scouting report.

Do you remember the old CM commentary line "Nobody is picking up Johnson's runs from midfield?" ... this would be the opposite, he's "easily picked up" if he tries to make a run into space.

Ok. Then consequently, this has nothing to do with Mofrad's primary duty -defending.

Yup.

Its only going to matter if you like sending your central defenders forward on corner kicks ... (where he would struggle to get free of his marker) .. and even then, for this guy, with a Jumping of 13, that doesn't look like a great idea.

I also wouldn't use him as the defender who collects if you set your goalkeeper to "Defender Collect" - he's the kind of guy who might let a striker step in front of him and pick it off.

Also, he'll be a slight liability against the 4-2-4, where the opposition's four forwards each mark your defenders. He won't get open, so that'll be one less target for his neighbors to pass to. Not a big deal, I hope - they ought to be moving the ball forward into your midfield, where you have the 4-2-4 badly outnumbered!

I also wouldn't use him as the defender who collects if you set your goalkeeper to "Defender Collect" - he's the kind of guy who might let a striker step in front of him and pick it off

Also, he'll be a slight liability against the 4-2-4, where the opposition's four forwards each mark your defenders. He won't get open, so that'll be one less target for his neighbors to pass to. Not a big deal, I hope - they ought to be moving the ball forward into your midfield, where you have the 4-2-4 badly outnumbered!

Both because he has a low level of Off The Ball attribute ?

its low off the ball attribute as everyone else has said (Y)

Yep, all three points because of the low "Off The Ball".

In the defender collect case, I'd expect that Anticipation and Decisions play into that as well - anticipating that the striker can nip in front of him, and deciding to do something about it. However, he's not exactly "strong" at either of those, either (12 and 7, respectively).

Same thing with the "getting open vs the 4-2-4", Off the Ball is the big one, but Teamwork and Decisions would also play into it, and at 13 and 7, those aren't great either.

In general, I wouldn't find a 3 Off The Ball to be a dealbreaker for a central defender ... in fact, personally, I'd be much more worried about the 7 Decisions.

In general, my opinion of the importance of mental attributes has shifted a lot as the game progressed ... back in CM01/02, you could pretty much get away with straight Technical and Physical attributes, and dominate. By FM'05, though, I started to put more and more emphasis on the Mental.

As I see players complain about things I don't see in-forum, I have to wonder how much their players' Mental attributes contribute to the things that they're thinking of as "bugs in the match engine". Not saying the ME is perfect .. just that "Decisions" is one litmus test I use for players whom I'm looking to purchase, the way some managers use "Pace" .. and, I suspect, consequently I don't see my players making cover-your-eyes-awful decisions as often. Go figure!

Thanks for the clarifications.

You're welcome!

I've always been a fan of mental attributes. I almost never require my players to have high technical attributes (not so radical though, I would like at least 12's in important tech attributes of the position) but I always look for the mental ones.

I have my mental list about mental attributes, are those right or wrong?

Aggression: too much is bad (except DM's maybe), too low is bad (except offensive players)

too high for defenders may mean lots of penalties. too low for defenders mean they will be too gentle. DM's are allowed to break anybody's neck on will. too high for offensive players don't matter. too low for offensive players may cause sissy forwards.

Anticipation: must for all

jedi players who know what will happen is always good.

Bravery: must for all

defenders to put their head in front of opponents foot, forwards to not get sissy.

Composure: must for anybody I expect to score/make assists, don't care for defensive players

I want my offensive players to be calm when making important business.

Concentration: must for anybody I expect to defend, don't care for offensive players

defensive counterpart of composure.

Creativity: a plus for offensive players and at least half of them should have high, don't care for defensive players

ability to create chances.

Decisions: must for all

most important attribute in my opinion. deciding to shoot/pass/dribble? deciding to tackle/fall back/intercept?

Determination: must for all

ability to have the winning spirit. also will to become a better footballer.

Flair: a plus for offensive players and at least a few of them should have high, don't care for defensive players

I think this is for doing strange things with the ball a la Ronaldinho.

Influence: a plus for anybody and at least a few of my players should have high

influencing others around. if mental stats are bad, this may actually be a bad attribute.

Off the ball: must for offensive players, don't care for defensive players

moving into channels and stuff.

Positioning: must for defensive players, don't care for offensive players

defensive counterpart of off the ball

Teamwork: must for all

good passing, good defending and good assists rely on this ability.

Work Rate: must for all

how much the player works on the pitch and during training.

Hey, praxiteles, that's pretty similar to my list. I'll touch on how I think of them:

Aggression: Too much = too many fouls. Not enough = not going in committed on the tackle. Mid-to-high values seem ideal, 10-16 perhaps.

Anticipation: Key attribute for all positions. Must have attribute for a Target Man (Run onto Ball).

Bravery: "Nice to have", not a deal-breaker for me.

Composure: Important for all players. I don't want my defenders to lose their composure when on the ball while under pressure, and I don't want my players losing their composure and arguing with the referee. Even a goalkeeper needs it, in my mind, so my 'keepers train on the "Shooting" group because that's where it lives. Must have attribute for my Captain.

Concentration: Important for all players. I don't want my strikers or midfielders to lose concentration.

Creativity: Useful for all outfield players. For a strike partnership, I like at least one of the two to have high Creativity. I'm also looking for it in midfield and wingers for the "create chances" .. but I've noticed that it really impacts the service from the back row as well: defenders with high Creativity are much more likely to make incisive long balls. Must have attribute for my Playmaker, also useful for a Target Man (To Head / To Feet).

Decisions: Must have attribute for all positions.

Determination: Key attribute for all positions. Very important for team-talks: determined players are much more likely to respond to criticism while trailing at half-time, and give you that determined fight-back in the second half, even from two goals down. Must have attribute for a Captain.

Flair: Nice-to-have for offensive players. This seems to impact things like volleys, backheels, overhead kicks, stepovers, etc. It can almost be a negative for defensive players - if you don't like seeing your defenders attempt an overhead-kick-clearance, for example.

Influence: Nice-to-have. Important attribute for a Captain. I've also found it useful to have an influential leader-type in central defense and in goal.

Off the ball: Important attribute for offensive players. Useful attribute for defensive players, as it helps them give options vs the 4-2-4, get involved in corner kicks, and helps fullbacks decide when to get involved in the build-up. Must have attribute for at least one striker.

Positioning: Must have attribute for defenders. Useful attribute in midfield and for a Target Man (To Head) as I believe it impacts headers.

Teamwork: Important attribute for all players, especially a Captain or a Playmaker.

Work Rate: Useful attribute for all players. Can be a negative for a player with low Stamina or low Natural Fitness, as he will exhaust himself before the 90 minutes are up, or exhaust himself too much to recover for the next match. Important attribute for fullbacks and midfielders. Key attribute for a Captain and defensive midfielder.