Which attributes matter by position in a football manager

Understanding which attributes matter by position changes the way you buy, train and build your squad. In ELDT each player has 22 attributes, but they do not all count the same in every role: the OVR you see on the player page is calculated differently for a centre-back than for a winger. In this guide we go through the attributes, how they make up each position’s OVR and what the engine looks at during the match.

The 22 attributes of a player

All attributes run from 1 to 20 and are grouped like this:

eldt.com.ar

• Physical: pace, stamina, strength and jumping.
• Technical: control, dribbling, short passing and long passing.
• Attacking: shooting, finishing and heading.
• Defensive: marking, tackling and positioning.
• Mental: decisions, vision, composure, aggression and leadership.
• Goalkeeper: reflexes, handling and positioning.

Some players also have a speciality (header, quick, dribbler, scorer, leader and others) shown on their player page. It comes from their standout attributes: for example, a player with loads of jumping and heading is a header.

Which attributes matter by position: how OVR is built

A player’s OVR is calculated according to their main position, with different attribute groups carrying different weightings. Here are the weightings for each role.

Goalkeeper

• Reflexes, handling and positioning: 55%.
• Composure, decisions and positioning: 30%.
• Jumping and strength: 15%.

For a goalkeeper, the keeper-specific stuff makes up more than half of the OVR. But the head on his shoulders (composure and decisions) is still worth almost a third.

Centre-back

• Marking, tackling and positioning: 40%.
• Heading, jumping and strength: 25%.
• Short passing, composure and decisions: 20%.
• Pace and stamina: 15%.

Full-backs

• Marking and tackling: 30%.
• Pace and stamina: 25%.
• Short passing, long passing, dribbling and control: 25%.
• Positioning and decisions: 20%.

A full-back is a hybrid role: he defends, gets up and down the flank and can play. A full-back who can only mark has a low ceiling.

Defensive midfielder

• Tackling, marking and positioning: 35%.
• Short passing, long passing and control: 30%.
• Decisions and vision: 20%.
• Stamina and composure: 15%.

Central midfielder

• Short passing, long passing, control and vision: 40%.
• Decisions, stamina and positioning: 30%.
• Dribbling and composure: 15%.
• Tackling and marking: 15%.

Attacking midfielder

• Short passing, long passing and vision: 35%.
• Dribbling, control and composure: 30%.
• Shooting and finishing: 20%.
• Decisions and positioning: 15%.

Left and right midfielders

• Pace, dribbling and stamina: 35%.
• Short passing, long passing and control: 25%.
• Vision and decisions: 20%.
• Shooting, finishing and tackling: 20%.

Wingers

• Pace, dribbling and control: 35%.
• Shooting, finishing and composure: 30%.
• Short passing, long passing and vision: 20%.
• Stamina and decisions: 15%.

Striker

• Shooting, finishing and composure: 40%.
• Heading, jumping and strength: 20%.
• Pace, dribbling and control: 20%.
• Positioning and decisions: 20%.

Composure shows up everywhere

If you look closely at the list, there is one attribute that crops up in almost every position: composure. It appears in the goalkeeper, the centre-back, the defensive midfielder, the central midfielder, the attacking midfielder, the wingers and the striker. It also matters in penalty shoot-outs, alongside shooting and finishing. A player with good technique but poor composure will have a lower OVR than his technique alone might suggest.

What the engine looks at during the match

OVR sums up a player’s level, but in the match the engine uses specific attributes depending on the move:

• Goal chances: your attackers’ shooting and finishing go up against the opposition defenders’ marking and positioning. If your defence marks well, it becomes harder for the other side to score.
• Who scores the goal: players with more shooting and finishing, especially those playing up top, have the best chance of scoring. For assists, short passing and vision matter.
• Fouls: aggression influences who gives away fouls.
• Captain: the player wearing the armband gives the team a small boost, and it is bigger with very high leadership.
• Penalties in a shoot-out: shooting, finishing and composure of the taker against the goalkeeper’s attributes.

That is why two players with the same OVR can perform differently. A striker with a high OVR built on pace and dribbling does not finish like one with a high OVR built on shooting and finishing.

Playing out of position

Every player has a main position. If you put him somewhere else, the game distinguishes between a natural position, an adaptable one and an out-of-position role. Away from his natural spot, the player performs below his OVR. The line-up screen warns you when someone is in the wrong place. This matters when choosing your system: you have more ideas in how to choose the best formation.

eldt.com.ar

How to use this when buying and training

When you buy, do not look only at OVR. Open the player page and check whether the strong attributes are the ones your system needs. If you want a number 9 who dominates in the air, heading and jumping matter more than pace. If you want a winger to get at full-backs, it is the other way round. The guide on how much to pay for a player helps you put a figure on it.

When you train, each area raises a group of attributes and affects certain positions more heavily. Training Finishing for your strikers raises exactly the attributes that count most towards their OVR. We explain it in how to train players.

If you come across an abbreviation or a term you do not know, you can find it in the glossary. And the full player page is explained in the squad help.

Create your club and check your squad’s attributes →