What to look for in a player

People often ask on the forums what are the key attributes for each position. Whilst a lot of this information can be found on the SI games forum, here's a quick cheat sheet based purely on my opinion and my observations from beta.

Fullbacks / Wingbacks
I play very attacking fullbacks and look for 15+ in crossing, dribbling, flair, acceleration and pace. A more sensible approach to fullback talent spotting would focus far more on tackling and positioning. Slow fullbacks are a definite no, and depending on how much work you expect your fullbacks to deliver, stamina is vital.

Centre halves
Sometimes when you let a goal in it's easy to point the finger at the centre half who couldn't stop Eto'o spinning on a sixpence and lashing in a thunderbolt. However you will come to love your centre backs if they have 15+ for heading, tackling and marking. If your DC has pace 15+ you can relax those scores slightly. Secondary considerations should be given to strength, jumping, positioning and concentration. A player with 17+ in any of the three key attributes is gold dust and should be snapped up, as long as they possess at least average pace. Slow DCs will cause you to pull your hair out.

Defensive midfielders
A DMC or a defensively minded MC will find themself on the ball more than anyone else in the entire team if played correctly. Watching the game engine you will see these guys often have very little pressure when in possession. Therefore passing is vital. The person in this role should average 85% passing completion. He should also have 15+ for tackling and positioning. Tactically you can either play the person as a Mascherano (mark the space with low closing down) or Sissoko (chase the ball with high closing down) or Pirlo (deep lying creative force).

Creative central midfielders
Being creative in the final third is far harder than being creative deeper on the pitch. The defense is more packed and there is less time and space on the ball. Passing, creativity, dribbling and flair over 15 are a dangerous combination. The ability to beat a man means someone else has to close the ball, leaving one of your players open. Long shots for attacking midfielders is often the number one consideration.

Wingers
Quite simply the match engine seems to like wingers with plenty of pace, acceleration, dribbling and crossing. If you set them to high forward runs, you will need plenty of stamina too.

Strikers
All strikers should have finishing and composure. A lone striker needs strength, off the ball movement, first touch and heading. A target man in the traditional sense, ignoring the way Tevez played in that role last season, needs good heading and jumping, strength, touch and passing. Fast strikers need the skills of a winger with off the ball as probably the key additional ingredient. Often off the ball is overlooked - credit goes to the midfielder making the key pass rather than the clever movement of the striker who created the chance by their off the ball movement.