PPM - Places shots vs Finishing skill

Hi,

I wanted to get some feedback and advice on the above.

I was thinking of asking one of my players to learn the PPM - Place shots. But then I got to thinking about the manuals translation of the finishing skill:

Finishing: The players ability to put the ball in the back of the net when presented with a chance. A high finishing attribute will put the shot on target a majority of the time as a bare minimum but compared to a player with pooper finishing will find the places where the goalkeeper can’t save it. This is purely the ability of the player to perform an accurate shot – composure and decisions will also impact on the ability of a player to score consistently.

Please note that this was taken from the 2009 manual.

Now.... where I am coming from is that, surely the PPM - place shots requires a certain level of finishing as you are asking your player to find a paricular spot and hit it, rather than simply aiming for the goal.

So... If I have a player of mid quality finishing.... say 12/13 should I really be asking him to learn this PPM? or am I wasting it on him?

I would love to hear all thoughts on this, but can I please ask that you state wether your information is fact or assumption.

Ta

Regards

LAM

I think it's more a players preference of shot. There is also blast shots so I like to think places shots is the complete opposite. Finishing skill will still be counted as a factor when trying to score. However I would say places shots should be left to strikers who have high finishing, composure and technique as they'll benefit more from trying to pass the ball into the corner of the net. Average strikers should just be left alone in my opinion.

I would only use it on a player with sufficiently high finishing, composure and technique - but not so hot decisions or flair. With this PPM you are overriding the player's natural shot selection (decisions) and making sure he doesn't just try to get it on target all the time (flair). 'Tries to lob keeper' requires more technique and composure than finishing and it also requires flair. 'Shoots with power' I reserve for players who might not be too good at finishing but have a lot of strength to really power the ball home - in FM10, this can really help 1v1s if the shot is on target because the keeper simply can't save such powerful shots.

Hi lam,

I'm not sure where but I read on some of the FM fan sites, that every striker should have 'Places Shots'. Because it increases the chance of him scoring.

So from then I try to learn all my strikers to place shots. And as far as I'm concerned that is a must have for strikers.

On FM09 while playing with York City I learned Ever Guzman that PPM, and he had only 11 for finishing, but he was scoring like crazy. Don't know is it due to places shots, but I'm sure it does helps.

Hi lam,

I'm not sure where but I read on some of the FM fan sites, that every striker should have 'Places Shots'. Because it increases the chance of him scoring.

So from then I try to learn all my strikers to place shots. And as far as I'm concerned that is a must have for strikers.

On FM09 while playing with York City I learned Ever Guzman that PPM, and he had only 11 for finishing, but he was scoring like crazy. Don't know is it due to places shots, but I'm sure it does helps.

Well that is just wrong.I think that shoots with power should be just as effective as places shots if the attributes of 2 players are equal.

IIRC, when SI did a breakdown in a blog a few years back for PPM's (07 I think?) places shots was said to be the positive one of the two finishing PPM's, and shoots with power was the negative.

Am thinking totaly diffrent from you guys again. lets me explain how i see it.

Lets take rooney as a exempal, technique are good soo he are able to pull off both places shot and shoot with power. but he dont have the composure enoff to pull off place shots.

Lets take another exempal, the brazilian ronaldo, his technique is also good enoff to pull off both, but with composure at 18 it dosent realy mater if you give him place shots, or shoot with power because he got enoff composer to be a ice cold finisher. someting rooney dont. thats why rooney will be better at shooting hard

i also think long shots can have someting to say, and the reson is simpal. take owen, his long ***** is 7, he got good stats in composure technique, and finishing, but i think i player like him will be best to have place shots, just because if he have 7 in longshots he dont shoot the ball hard enoff to have shoots with power.

SOO ill say , if you striker got finishing, longshoot, technique, but low composure try learn him shoot with power.

If a player got more like finishing, and composure, but lacks the longshoots learn him to place the shoots. ( ppl like brazilian ronaldo, owen, inzaghi and soo on)

Ps YOU do NOT NEED high technique to place the shoots, but its nice, inzaghi is a striker that can easly score alot of goals with place shoots without much techique, off the ball and first tougth can be realy realy good stats for a player with places the shots.

hope everyone understood my bad english

Editing part : van der vaart is a player that scores ALOT more goals if you can make him to shoot with power, because off his 19 in longshoots and the tecnique he will strike the ball like a rocket, van persie is a striker that also need to shoot with power, because of his lack of composure.

Its also another move to learn that you guys havnt even talked about, and i belive it to be better then both places shoots and shoots with power, not sure if i spell it rigth in english but i think its called, tryes first time shots, and its most likly the best of them all, but you need to have a super striker, torres is the only striker in the game i have seen it with

Am pretty sure you need super tecnique when you shoot and strike the ball, someting like ole gunnar solskjaer hade and torres got, am gonna try learn it to berbatov on my next game and see if his tecnique can pull it off, it hade been cool,am pretty sure it will work becaue off his finishing and composure, and tecnique is very close to torres stats.

One of the tactical gurus posted the other day showing that as soon as a striker completes this kind of PPM his finishing attribute actually drops. It seems that he may PREFER to try a placed or power shot, but his chance of scoring is not higher - possibly even reduced because he tries it too often rather that use his head.

I think it's more a players preference of shot. There is also blast shots so I like to think places shots is the complete opposite. Finishing skill will still be counted as a factor when trying to score. However I would say places shots should be left to strikers who have high finishing, composure and technique as they'll benefit more from trying to pass the ball into the corner of the net. Average strikers should just be left alone in my opinion.

Spot on coudln't have put it better myself.

A down side of asking someone with a high finishing attribute to do a specific type of shot can be it takes away from a players game. You are asking him to limit the kind of shots he attempts. I personally like players to be varied and not try just 1 thing.

................. his long ***** is 7, ..............

(sniggers)

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate all the comments, but does anyone know for FACT?

On my savegame, Keogh became the premier league top scorer with over 20 goals a season ago.

He had finishing and composure 10, but relatively high technique. He's also a consistent player. And he has "places shots".

I have a feeling different attributes are used when different types of shots are made, though I don't know for sure. I feel like technique is used for placing shots and maybe strength for shooting hard.

Anyway.. On a player with high finishing and composure, I don't think any shooting PPM would be smart, because (as mentioned above) it limits the options. And a player good at making decisions on where to shoot won't need the "help" he gets from such a PPM.

Some very interesting points chaps.... especially Saevels view on strength.

This years manual seems to be attributing strength to a number of other skills and associated attributes.... so its looking likely.

I may very well test this out and see if I can train some people up.

Will look for low finishing and high technique for places shots and low technique but decent strength for shoots with power.

LAM

Like Saevel said, Keogh has "places shots" and can score boatloads of goals. I think it depends on the types of chances you are creating. It's a good move for Keogh because he's fast and most of his shots come when he's inside the box 1-on-1 with the keeper. Power isn't necessary from that range, but placement is. If you have a player that is shooting from further out more often, sacrificing power for placement won't be as useful because the keeper will have time to get to the corner of the net and save shots anyway.

EDIT: Also, my AssMan just advised telling Kevin Doyle not to try to place his shots af often. I'm not sure what the result of this will be, but it certainly implies that you don't want every striker placing their shots.

I don't use Shoots with power on strikes as from my experience even good strikers would just hit the keeper. For other players it's ok as they might hit some bomb from outside the box.

That's what I use it for. People with long shots would be useful blasting it, but if I told my target man to only place shots he'd rarely ever get a shot away. He only really ever shoots with long shots or headers.

I don't use Shoots with power on strikes as from my experience even good strikers would just hit the keeper. For other players it's ok as they might hit some bomb from outside the box.

Not true, Dzeko has this move in his armoury and he's prolific infront of goal as any of the top strikers in the game.

I've had a lot of success with deep lying forwords on support that have shoots with power. Amr Zaki has shoots with power and plays with back to goal and he scored 21 in 23 apps in the Championship for me in my second season before my board forced me to sell him. He had a number of beautiful blasts from just outside the box in that role.

LAM,

I think that placing shots is just the type of shot u want them to make, rather than blasting at goal for instance. it doesnt really matter what their finishing attribute is, its just how u would want them to try finish a move etc.

For instance if it was a straight challenge between myself and Thierry Henry to place shots, then its obvious who would win hands down. Likewise if it was a Challenge between me and Mr. Henry at blasting at goal, he would still be better. Finishing is an overall chance of him scoring imo and asking someone to place shots just asks them to be more precise rather than getting the head down and attempting to take the goalie out.

Finishing is obviously a key attribute here, surely composure affects decisions and then decisions affects where to PLACE the ball, depending upon having the technique to place the ball where they decide. Power is logically more decided to strength and, possibly, long shots. So, for a striker with composure and decisions surely places shots is the natural PPM (especially where pace and off the ball decide 1v1s).

However, its interesting that a couple of people have said Keogh thrives with this PPM when he has neither comp or dec but he is quick and good off the ball. I had to sell him as I played him mainly in the creative FC role although he also did quite well in my game when he played in the more poacher-like ST role.

I'm just speaking from what I think is logical about finishing, composure, decisions and technique, not necessarily what SI think is important.

well... my thoughts on placing the ball are that the shots do appear to be slower, therefore, possibly easier to block...... though, I am not to sure on any of it!

LAM

well... my thoughts on placing the ball are that the shots do appear to be slower, therefore, possibly easier to block...... though, I am not to sure on any of it!

LAM

I think you're right... placed shots from just outside the box seem to be stopped more often. So I guess that would mean you want "places shots" for your poacher type strikers who shoot from up close and "shoots with power" for strong support/target man/deep lying forward type strikers who shoot more from outside the box.