Acceleration
This is purely about how long it takes a player to reach his top speed, so it needs to be considered alongside the Sprint Speed stat. Some players have a high Acceleration rating but only average Sprint Speed so, in their case, Acceleration becomes almost irrelevant – it’s no good getting to your top speed really quickly if that top speed really isn’t very quick.
Agility
Players with high agility can perform acrobatic shots or clearances, and agility also affects dribbling ability. If you’re a player who likes to run with the ball, Agility is one of the stats to keep an eye on. The higher the better.
Balance
This is another attribute that influences a player’s dribbling skill and, more generally, how responsive the player you’re controlling feels. If you have high stats for Agility and Balance then you’ll move fluidly and you’ll be able to get in or out of tight spots. Also, high Agility and Balance scores are needed to get the most out of fast players – even if you have 95+ for Acceleration and Sprint Speed, your player could feel sluggish and a little unresponsive if they lack Agility and Balance. It’s important to remember that when you’re looking at potential new players, as it’s easy to spend a lot of money on quick players, only to find they don’t feel to sharp due to low stats in other areas like these.
Jumping
Quite simply, how high a player can jump. Useful if you’re scouting for a player to win you more headers but, like speed, it’s fairly useless without its related attributes. For example, for a player to be really good in the air they need to have high Jumping, Strength Aggression and Heading Acc stats.
Reactions
This will also affect how responsive a player feels. The higher the stat, the easier they’ll adapt to contextual changes – an attribute that’s vital for effective dribbling.
Sprint Speed
You don’t need any explanation here, I’m sure. As with the Attributes above though, remember that Sprint Speed in isolation is less effective – it needs to be combined with Acceleration, Agility, Balance and Reactions to be unleashed.
Stamina
This attribute plays a huge part in FIFA 12. With True Injuries now occurring in game, it’s important to keep an eye on your players’ stamina levels, as tired players get injured. As well as affecting fatigue during a game, Stamina also determines how quickly a player recovers between matches. I’ve had players in Career Mode that constantly ask to be rested because they’re tired – due to a poor Stamina rating – which can be annoying.
Strength
Another attribute with more importance in FIFA 12. Your players Strength stat will decide how they cope with any physical battles, so a good score in this area is important for anyone with defensive responsibilities. It’s also a desirable attribute to have for at least one of your strikers, just to give you a chance in 50-50s with defenders.
Aggression
This works in tandem with Strength; you’ll usually find that a player has high scores for both, rather than one or the other. Aggressive players generally win more tackles, but also risk giving away more free-kicks.
Att. Position
This Attacking Position attribute deals with a player’s ability to spot open space and move into good positions that offer an attacking advantage. The higher this stat, the more likely a player is to make enough space to receive the ball in dangerous areas.
Interceptions
This applies more to AI controlled team-mates rather than the player you’ve selected, as it determines the ability to read the game and intercept passes. If you’ve seen players stick out legs or do something unexpected to prevent a pass, it’s likely they’ll have a high score for Interceptions.
Vision
It’s all very well you being able to spot a pass from your sofa, but if the player you’re controlling can’t see what you’re telling it to do then the pass is going to be off. The higher the score in this attribute, the further the player will be able to see and so the better their passing will be – as long as they have a good Long Pass rating of course.
Ball Control
This determines two things; how well a player initially controls the ball, then how good they are at keeping it under control. It’s another attribute that’s very desirable for dribblers and also for strikers – you could have the best finisher in the world up front, but if he can’t trap a bag of cement then he isn’t going to get goals.
Crossing
This obviously deals with the accuracy of crosses, but it also determines how easy it is for a player to get the ball in the box in the first place. If your winger keeps getting blocked when you are expecting him to whip the ball in, there’s a good chance he has a poor Crossing score.
Curve
Dictates how effective a player is at applying curl to crosses, passes and shots. It’s a good attribute to have for any set piece takers; curling corners can be a nightmare to defend against, and curling free-kicks can be tough to save.
Dribbling
Lionel Messi has 97 for this, which may actually be a couple of points too low as this attribute affects how well the player keeps possession of the ball while running with it. I’ve seen him lose it once. Possibly.
Finishing
Career Mode managers often largely overlook this essential attribute. Without a high score here, it’s going to be very difficult to find the back of the net consistently. In my opinion, this is easily the most important attribute to consider when you’re scouting for a striker, but keep in mind that it only determines the accuracy of your shooting from inside the box. Shots outside of the box are dealt with by the Long Shots attribute, which we’ll get to in a sec.
FK Acc.
Simply, how good a player is at taking free-kicks. Ideally you want your free-kick taker to have a good score for Curve too. Then they really are a weapon from dead balls.
Heading Acc.
The does two things; affects your player’s ability to get their head on the ball, then how accurate that header is going to be. It applies to headed passes as well as headers at goal.
Long Pass
Clearly, the ability to pick out a team-mate that’s far away. This also determines how quickly the ball gets to them – the higher the score, the faster and more accurate the pass will be.
Long Shots
The ability to shoot with accuracy from outside the box. A great attribute for midfielders to have.
Marking
This determines your player’s ability to track and defend against an opposing player. AI players will do this off the ball, and when you’re in control of a defender their Marking stat will affect how good they are at containing.
Short Passing
Determines a player’s accuracy and speed of passing over a short distance.
Shot Power
Affects how fast the ball travels when struck from any distance.
Standing Tackle
Deals with the ability to win the ball while staying on your feet.
Sliding Tackle
Controls how accurate a player’s sliding tackle is and what chance it has of succeeding.
Volleys
Affects the technique and accuracy of shots taken while the ball is in the air.
Penalties
This is an obvious one.
