WikiStrength system
Strength decides how good a player is – but there is no single number. It pays to understand what it's made of and why the same player performs better on one day than another.
Attributes
Every player has several attributes, each on a scale from 10 to 140 – values beyond 100 are reached only by absolute once-in-a-generation players:
- Field players (7): Pace, Tackling, Heading, Shot power, Shot accuracy, Technique, Game intelligence.
- Goalkeepers (5): Reflexes, Saves, Aerial command, Rushing out, Ball handling.
Which attribute matters in a situation depends on the duel: a sprint uses Pace, a finish uses Shot power/accuracy, and so on (see also special abilities, which feed straight into these duels).
In training you additionally see the training values on a scale of 1–100. They measure how well a value has been trained over the half-season – and only feed into the real attributes at the PSD.
Base strength
The base strength is the average of all attributes – a player's "business card". It doesn't change daily but at the two Player Skill Developments (PSD) per season – and then, depending on the player, quite possibly in big jumps: a young talent with good training and plenty of playing time can improve rapidly, while a veteran past 30 tends to decline. How big the jump is, is largely in your hands – which levers matter and how much is explained in Development & braking.
Line-up strength — what counts in matches
In matches it's not base strength that applies but line-up strength. It is calculated at kick-off from several factors:
Daily form: stamina, freshness, morale
- Stamina & freshness raise line-up strength above ~50 and lower it below.
- Morale has the strongest effect: at exactly 100 the player shows his true base strength; above/below it moves up or down noticeably.
Position
Players are strongest in their ideal positions:
| Line-up | Line-up strength |
|---|---|
| Ideal position (or 2nd ideal position) | full (×1.0) |
| Same line (e.g. CB instead of LB) | ×0.9 |
| Foreign line | ×0.5 |
| Outfield player in goal / keeper outfield | ×0.15 |
Effort (tactics)
The chosen effort scales line-up strength from ×0.8 (no effort) to ×1.1 (full effort). If both freshness and stamina are very low, the bonus fizzles out.
Further influences
- Man-marking: the marker loses strength (×0.6); the marked player too (×0.67).
- Red/second-yellow card: line-up strength = 0 (the player is off), and every remaining team-mate loses ~5% per missing man (demoralisation) plus a line penalty.
- Leader: raises the line-up strength of team-mates in the same line.
Team lines
From line-up strengths the lines defence, midfield and attack are formed (weighted, with some carry-over from midfield). These line strengths plus your alignment determine how often your team creates chances and how dangerous it is. That balance of power is exactly what you read in the match report as possession – whoever dominates midfield has the ball.
Field players in their ideal position, keep freshness & morale high and dose the effort – that's how you get the most out of the same base strength.