Help Attributes vs Ability vs Rating. Questions from a newbie.

[Archj]

Hey guys! Been playing and loving the game for the past few weeks. Have managed to bring Triestina from Serie C to Serie A, though I'm most likely getting relegated. One thing I haven't been able to understand is what exactly makes a player good. Let me give you a few examples to illustrate.

I have a midfielder with great attributes, lots of green and the rest blue. Judging by this alone, he looks like an amazing player. However my couch only rates him 2.5 stars, perfectly average. He mostly gets 7 in match rating, often 6 and sometimes 8. 

I have an inside forward that I acquired in Serie C, with good enough attributes, lots of blue but nothing amazing. Just looks like a useful player. This guy has by far been my best player through 5 seasons, it's not even close. He is rated 3 or 3.5 stars by my couch. He never drops below 7 in matches, regularily gets 8-10. He has won player of the year every damn season since I got him, usually ending up with 7.8 average rating or something.

I have plenty more examples, but I think this should suffice. So, what exactly should I be looking for in a player? Attributes? Coach/scout opinions? Average match ratings? Maybe a combination? I have no idea... but to me it looks like attributes matters far less than I thought. Hopefully someone can shed some light on this for me.

Bonus question: what exactly do the match ratings mean? If a player scores an 8, does that mean he's doing great in general, or does it mean he's doing great in relation to his own abilities? Is a 7 rated Messi performing at the same level as a 7 rated sunday league player?

This got pretty long, sorry about that. I've just been wondering about this stuff for so long now!

[Ashez]

Ignore the scout reports would be my advice, personally I base my views on the players attributes but at the end of the day it's the performances that matter. If a player is delivering the goods he's good enough. 

Rating wise I see a 6 as doing the basics, a 7 is the average you're after and 8-10 are top performances. 

[Rob]

Get the attributes to match your style of play. Don’t get too hung up on the coach star ratings. A player may be five stars In one role, but you may end finding yourself trying to cram him in another position without realising that, actually, he isn’t five stars in that role. Get players to suit your methodology.

p.s. Well done on the rise to Serie A

[Archj]

Thanks for responding! When you mention star ratings and roles, will the coach rating relate to whatever the recommended role and position the player currently has?

[JohnyBravo]

Check out this guide from Prize. He explains which attributes are important for specific positions and roles.

 

 

[PriZe]

@Archj the rating is also compaired to the rest of the league mate. You say you brought your Serie C star to the serie A. There he will be judged to the rest of the league. So let's say your striker gets compaired to Dybala then it's logical that your players rating is lower. This doesn't affect his ability to still perform like a beast  

and like the rest say, ignore 80% of what your staff say. That reminds me i think the level of your staff has impact on their ability to judge certain things. So a gold staff would be more accurate. 

[Archj]

Alright! Well I'll do that, I'll look more at what the match ratings and attributes are, and listen to the coaches less. I bought a new winger with great attributes. According to my coaches he's almost the worst player in the squad lol. Board ain't happy either. He seems to be performing though, 6-7-7-8 so far! 

[wonders17]

Also regarding the inside forward being your best player, inside forwards are generally considered to be quite overpowered and are always getting good ratings for me. I had a similar situation taking Piacenza from Serie C to Serie A, signed Simone Guerra from FeralpiSalò and used him as an inside forward. He had average stats but still got decent ratings when I got to the Serie A

[AYB]

Lots of green attributes don’t necessarily mean the player will play well for you. Case in point, Oumar Niasse of Everton has scored 40+ goals for me, because he is suited to my tactics. 

 

I second the “ignore coach ratings”, I go by average ratings, goals assists etc when looking at players. Also by previous experience of a player in other saves. Sometimes a player can have lots of green attributes but very weak hidden attributes as well