PPM Guide part 2

The last PPM article featured an introduction to PPMs and a shortlist of a few traditional back to goal target men (you can find it here).

Today I am going to look for the kind of player you want in an attacking formation, the kind of player England could do with - an MC who has the "likes to run with the ball through the middle". Being a good dribbler (I used 14+ as a filter for this analysis) and prefering to do it through the middle of the pitch commits defenders. As soon as you begin to commit defenders you midfielders will find it very easy to complete key passes. Key passes create goal chances.

The best players in the world at doing this are Diego, Matais Ferndandez, Daniel Carvalho, Lulinha, Anderson and Sergio Aguero. But you knew that, right? If you are looking for a cheaper option, I'd recommend the following (in no particular order):

(filter= dribbling >13, PPM="run with ball through centre" and position=MC)

1. Willian - ok not much of a hidden gem, but the Brazil U20 and Shaktar player has a great future ahead of him. High technique, creative, quick and an excellent dribbler - my kind of MC.

2. Oguz Sabankay - when will Galatasaray give him his chance? Turkey U20 player who has great technical skills - similar to Willian.

3. Anton Putsilo (really spelt Putsila) - another young player - this time Belarussian - plenty of room for improvement - with good base stats

4. Igor Burzanovic (pictured right), Red Star and Montenegro star. Also likes to try killer balls and knocks balls past opponents. A real handful.

5. Elton - plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. Probably the worst character of any player you are likely to see, but highly technical and very quick.

If you don't like your MCs playing dribbling all the time you could go for the quarterback (surely Beckham's future position for England?) role. Toulalan, Arsenal's Denilson and a young Brazilian called Ananias from Bahia all have the wicked combination of PMMs - attempts killer balls often and attempts long range passes. Don't bother instructing these guys to keep it short and simple. You just might find they prefer make 'hollywood' passes over their striker's shoulder all the time. It should result in high key passes - but their completion rates, and your attempts to play a control-possession may go out the window.