In Football Manager, there are a range of playmakers to choose from and we will be looking at each of the playmaker roles to understand them better.
In Football Manager, there are a range of playmakers to choose from, and we will be looking at each of the playmaker roles to understand how they operate so you can fit a perfect system around your talented playmaker.
But first things first, playmakers, just like Target Men, act as a focal point so when your team are in possession, they will look for your playmaker to dictate the tempo and inject some creative inspiration.
That being said, there are a few attributes you should look for in ALL your playmakers.
Your playmaker will receive a lot of the ball so being able to control it is the absolutely key attribute to look out for.
Probably the first thing you look at when searching for a playmaker. He needs to be able to pass accurately in order to be effective.
Could well be the least essential attribute here but still holds great importance. A playmaker with good technique can mean he has no limit to the action he wants to perform, for an example trying to pull off a long pass. Not only does he need passing accuracy, but needs technique to perform the pass well.
First Touch
Your playmaker will receive a lot of the ball so being able to control it is the absolutely key attribute to look out for.
Passing
Probably the first thing you look at when searching for a playmaker. He needs to be able to pass accurately in order to be effective.
Technique
Could well be the least essential attribute here but still holds great importance. A playmaker with good technique can mean he has no limit to the action he wants to perform, for an example trying to pull off a long pass. Not only does he need passing accuracy, but needs technique to perform the pass well.
RELATED: All technical attributes explained
Your playmaker should be able to see things on the pitch the average player shouldn’t, after all, he is your playmaker! A player with high vision will be able to scan the options around him.
Teamwork is generally an underrated attribute in Football Manager, and the reason why it could be so is because people don’t understand it completely. A player with higher teamwork has the capabilities of following team instructions better but also and what’s key here, a player with higher teamwork attributes understands the movement of his teammates.
Making the right decisions for a playmaker is understandably very important. Better decision making can lead to better creative results.
Your playmaker will be under pressure a lot as opponents will start to recognise your pattern of play. So, composure on the ball will be key to not losing the ball under pressure, and you can say this has some relation to decisions and balance. Higher the composure, less likely he will make a poor decision and higher the balance the better your playmaker can deal with pressure on the ball.
Vision
Your playmaker should be able to see things on the pitch the average player shouldn’t, after all, he is your playmaker! A player with high vision will be able to scan the options around him.
Teamwork
Teamwork is generally an underrated attribute in Football Manager, and the reason why it could be so is because people don’t understand it completely. A player with higher teamwork has the capabilities of following team instructions better but also and what’s key here, a player with higher teamwork attributes understands the movement of his teammates.
Decisions
Making the right decisions for a playmaker is understandably very important. Better decision making can lead to better creative results.
Composure
Your playmaker will be under pressure a lot as opponents will start to recognise your pattern of play. So, composure on the ball will be key to not losing the ball under pressure, and you can say this has some relation to decisions and balance. Higher the composure, less likely he will make a poor decision and higher the balance the better your playmaker can deal with pressure on the ball.
RELATED: All mental attributes explained
Like we already touched on, the higher the balance, the better your playmaker will balance himself on the ball when under pressure.
Balance
Like we already touched on, the higher the balance, the better your playmaker will balance himself on the ball when under pressure.
Those are the important attributes ALL playmakers should have in Football Manager to perform well and be effective.
And now when we've discovered what the important playmaking attributes are, we can dive deeper into each playmaking role and talk about some more essential attributes for different types of playmakers.
A deep-lying playmaker's job is mainly to control the game from deeper areas on the pitch for your team.
Playmaking Roles
And now when we've discovered what the important playmaking attributes are, we can dive deeper into each playmaking role and talk about some more essential attributes for different types of playmakers.
Deep-Lying Playmaker
A deep-lying playmaker's job is mainly to control the game from deeper areas on the pitch for your team.
They also come in two duties, defend and support. Needless to say, on the defend duty your playmaker will look to add some defensive stability and therefore would not look to play a risky pass unless told too.
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| Key attributes for a Deep Lying Playmaker. |
A deep-lying playmaker will look to hold his position and not roam around as he needs to be present in his position so his teammates can find him as he will operate between your defence line and midfield.
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| Available in both DM and CM positions. Movements depending on the duty. |
Suitable for all playing styles and the only playmaking role that also provides both attacking and defensive cover. He will look to cover your attacking players when they attack but also provide cover when you are out of possession.
Very similar to the deep-lying playmaker but more aggressive and adds more unpredictability with his movement.
Regista
Very similar to the deep-lying playmaker but more aggressive and adds more unpredictability with his movement.
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| Available only in DM position. |
DLP’s are instructed to hold their shape whilst Regista is asked to roam, and you can encourage your Regista to make more forward movements.
Suitable for more aggressive systems that like to put pressure on their opponents. He is given the freedom to roam, so it would be wise to make sure he has the proper coverage. He does not provide attacking cover like the DLP.
Suitable for more aggressive systems that like to put pressure on their opponents. He is given the freedom to roam, so it would be wise to make sure he has the proper coverage. He does not provide attacking cover like the DLP.
Roaming Playmaker
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| FM 2021 Steam Trading Cards |
Maybe we could describe this role as a Playmaking Box-To-Box midfielder? Besides his playmaking duties, he is also asked to get up and down the pitch, like a box-to-box midfielder, which will be very physically demanding.
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| He will mainly start off his position in deeper areas and then work his way, with the team, up the pitch. |
Due to his attacking nature, don’t be surprised to see him grab a few goals. Available in both DM and CM positions. Suitable for more positive systems that aim to play risky football.
TIP: Upon my usage of this role, I find it very handy for a Ball Winning Midfielder to be his midfield partner.
Advanced Playmaker
As we start to move up the pitch now, the advanced playmaker is a great place to start. The word “advanced” in the name gives the intention away.
They aim to operate further up the field and be more directly involved in creating scoring chances.
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| Advanced Playmaker will operate between the opponent's defensive and midfield line, so he doesn't just remain centrally, he can also be seen drifting across the line. |
They also come in two duties, support and attack. On support, he will look to give and go, spray passes and remain a presence, but on the attack, he’ll look to be more direct and run at the opponents.
Suitable for most systems but have found this playmaker to be more effective with more aggressive team mentality as your players will take more risk to find your AP.
Suitable for most systems but have found this playmaker to be more effective with more aggressive team mentality as your players will take more risk to find your AP.
Available in CM, AM and AMR/L positions.
You can mentally just copy and paste what I've had to say about the Advanced Playmaker. They perform similar, especially when the AP is on the attack duty, but the main difference between the two is when they are out of possession.
Trequartista
You can mentally just copy and paste what I've had to say about the Advanced Playmaker. They perform similar, especially when the AP is on the attack duty, but the main difference between the two is when they are out of possession.
The Trequartista will look to do little off the ball when defending but not to be lazy, but simply to look for space so if your team wins the ball back, he should be free as a bird and ready to create something immediately.
Suitable for most systems, but arguably most effective in the more cautious systems as he won’t close down but will look to be a target when your team counter-attacks.
Available in AM, AMR/L and ST positions
And lastly, we have the Enganche, probably one of the most underused roles in Football Manager as we see less of them in modern football. Simply, the Enganche translates to ‘hook’ and that’s exactly what to expect from this role.
Suitable for most systems, but arguably most effective in the more cautious systems as he won’t close down but will look to be a target when your team counter-attacks.
Available in AM, AMR/L and ST positions
Enganche
And lastly, we have the Enganche, probably one of the most underused roles in Football Manager as we see less of them in modern football. Simply, the Enganche translates to ‘hook’ and that’s exactly what to expect from this role.
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| Highlighted are the key attributes for Enganche role. |
To be the hook between your midfield and the attack. He’s the main link between the two and acts as a pivot whilst the team moves around him. He focusses purely on distribution.
Suitable for all systems, his mentality and risk-taking will all depend on the team's mentality.
Available only in AM position
This is all you need to know about playmakers in Football Manager, and hopefully, this guide has helped massively in how your approach to using a playmaker in your next FM save.
Suitable for all systems, his mentality and risk-taking will all depend on the team's mentality.
Available only in AM position
Summary
This is all you need to know about playmakers in Football Manager, and hopefully, this guide has helped massively in how your approach to using a playmaker in your next FM save.
For more Football Manager tactics related discussion, visit RDF website or YouTube channel. This concludes the very first of many guest blogs for FM BLOG by RDF Tactics.
