The forward that you buy needs to get free from his marker, receive the ball and then shoot. He either needs to be talented at doing many different things, or be an expert at doing one type of thing and win the positioning or reception duel.
Player A: 80 SC, 40 OP, 40 BC
Player B: 50 SC, 60 OP, 60 BC
Player A is a great finisher, but he has a hard time receiving the ball and losing the defender. Player B will get more shots on goal than Player A, but the shot quality will be worse. Still, more shots are preferable and will wear down the goalkeeper as the goalkeeper will get tired of being put to work so often. Player A may get one or two golden chances against a rested and ready goalkeeper. Player B will get more opportunities to score and more opportunities to test the goalkeeper and to hope he makes a mistake.
When shopping, always look for a forward with the ability to get the shot, instead over the quality of the shot. Think of a forward's OP as "speed" and his BC as having "soft feet" and then you will see that SC is the third important skill.
- If the opposition has defenders that lack DP, then use a forward with high OP.
- If the opposition has defenders that lack TA, then use a forward with high BC.
- If the opposition has defenders that lack AE, then use a forward with high AE and BC.
Player B: 60 SC, 80 OP, 40 BC
Player A gets marked a lot, but he has soft feet. Player B is not good with the ball at his feet, but he has room and space on the field to make a bad reception because he often loses his marker. Player B can get free and also use his speed to get to rebounds from "power shots" if the goalkeeper has low CT (Control).
Player A: 60 SC, 60 OP, 80 BC, 20 AE
Player B: 60 SC, 40 OP, 60 BC, 60 AE
Player A is called a ground attacker. He would prefer the "Demand Low" to call for the ball from his midfielders. Player B is called an aerial attacker. He would prefer the "Demand High". Player B, in comparison with Player A, can have success on the ground and in the air though so you can choose his tactic to "Tricky Shot" or something else. The "Demand" tactics will lower your club's Fun Factor, however.
