SEASON 4: PLAYER ROLES ; EPISODE 19: PLAYER ROLE (ADVANCED PLAYMAKER Type 2)

(UPDATE: SUMMER 25′) As we discussed in our previous episode, there are 2 different types of ‘Advanced Playmakers’ within Soccermanager, and today, we’ll be taking a look at the second type: The ‘Classic No.10‘

The ‘Classic No.10’ (also known as the Static no.10) is a type of player who arguably possesses the highest level of techincal ability within football. These guys are simply masters at manipulating the ball, as well as using their incredible vision to create goal scoring opportunities that we mere mortals can never fathom. If you’ve ever heard of the term “passing through the needle”, Classic no.10’s are masters of this art. Additionally, they’re also masters of keeping possession no matter where they get the ball on the pitch or how much pressure they’re under. It seems as if the ball is stuck to their feet which just goes to show how great they are technically.

Unlike ‘Floating A.P’s‘, ‘Classic no.10’s’ want the ball at all times when your team is in possession, and no matter where they are on the pitch, they will make it their life’s work to get the ball to their feet. You cannot blame them for this obsession of having the ball since they possess so much quality on it that it basically grants them the will to win an entire match on their own.

ATTACKING PHASE

Even though they want the ball habitually, they’re quite similar to Floating A.P’s in that they both like operating “between the lines” with the only difference being that ‘Classic No.10’s‘ do not have an appetite for swapping positions with other attacking teammates. They’ll still roam around but only in positions where they can be the main reveiver of the ball. Whenever they do collect that round sphere, their attacking teammates automatically become even more switched on as they know that their ‘Classic No. 10‘ possesses the passing ability and vision to see gaps in the opposition’s defence that no other type of player can.

Additionally, Classic No.10’s prefer to pass the ball over dribbling past their opposition, but that dosen’t mean that they’re not exceptional techincal dribblers (think of players like James Rodríguez or Mesut Özil in their prime) . Another important thing to remember is that they must be on the ball at all times, so you’ll need the right kind of players around them in order for them to be at their best.

DEFENSIVE PHASE

For all their amazing techincal abilities, (most) ‘Classic no.10’s‘ are terrible in defence. Every team sport has that one player that believes he’s too good to do any hardwork off the ball, and in soccer the ‘Classic No.10‘ is that player. Unfortunately, they are a liability when your team is out of possession so you’ll have to compensate for this within your defensive structure. My advise would be to play a formation that allows your ‘Classic No.10‘ to operate dead center within said formation (so, formations like the 4-4-2C, both variations of the 4-2-3-1, and 3-4-1-2 are ideal).

POSITIONAL TRAITS

Like I just mentioned, ‘Classic No.10’s‘ will play their best football when operating within central areas on the pitch. So, they only want to play as an AM(C), however, there are a few ‘Classic No.10’s‘ that can play in AM,F(RLC) positions (like Dybala or Messi) but their style remains the same no matter where they play: They ALWAYS want to be the centre of every attack!

One last thing to mention, and it is VERY important. When it comes to ‘Advanced Playmakers’ and ticking the ‘use playmaker‘ box (UPDATE: Choosing the ‘Yes’ option under ‘Use Playmaker’), there is one rule I need you to adhere to: Always tick the ‘use playmaker‘ box when you have a ‘Classic No.10‘ playing, but NEVER tick that box when you have a ‘Floating A.P‘ playing (UPDATE: So, choose ‘Yes’ if you’re utilizing a ‘Classic No.10’, and ‘No’ if you’re utilizing a ‘Floating Advanced Playmaker’ [unless you have a M(C) operating as your ‘Playmaker’ alongside your ‘Floating Advanced Playmaker’ within the same XI] ). As an example, let’s say you have Bruno Fernandes (who is considered the 4th best ‘Floating A.P’ within Soccermanager 👀) playing as a No.10 in a 4-2-3-1B, with Ugarte and Casemiro as your no.6 and no.8. In this case, you can place Bruno’s name where it says ‘Playmaker’ under ‘Player Instructions’ but place a ‘No’ under ‘Use Playmaker’ within the ‘Attack’ section of your tactics page, beacuse if you don’t, you’ll be stiffling Bruno’s game since he wants the freedom to swap postions with his teammates, float around the gaf, as well as make runs in behind of the opposition’s defence (watch him when he plays for Man U in real life and you’ll see him do this a lot). These are things he won’t be able to do if you’ve given him the role as your ‘Classic No.10’.

A player like Maddison, on the other hand, needs the ball at his feet all the time, so it is imperative that you use him as your playmaker especially if he’s playing in those central positions in one of those formations I’ve mentioned earlier.

KEY ATTRIBUTES (From SM25 and beyond)

Here are the key attributes which determine a player’s ability to perform as a ‘Classic No.10‘. Feel free to compare this list to the attributes associated with a ‘Floating A.P’:

Positioning
Finishing
Dribbling
Long shots
Control
Passing 
Long Passing 
Creativity 
Composure
Flair 

BEST PLAYERS OF ROLE IN SOCCERMANAGER WORLDS

(UPDATE) As per every update, the following 15 are the best ‘Classic No.10’s’ within S.M.W despite how they are performing within real life footy (except for players like James Rodríguez, Mario Götze, or Nabil Fekir who have either fallen off or are not at an age where most Managers will be picking them).

Lionel Messi 🇦🇷
Júnior Neymar 🇧🇷
Martin Ødegaard 🇳🇴 
Paulo Dybala 🇦🇷
Florian Wirtz 🇩🇪
James Maddison 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Cristian Eriksen 🇩🇰
Antoine Griezmann 🇫🇷
Dani Olmo 🇪🇸
Luis Alberto 🇪🇸
Dušan Tadić 🇷🇸
Oihan Sancet 🇪🇸
Arda Güler 🇹🇷
Alarcón Isco 🇪🇸
Mikkel Damsgaard 🇩🇰

There’s the look at your ‘Advanced Playmaker’ roles! I hope this was beneficial for you and that it made sense. As always, I appreciate you for showing up and giving me some of your precious time. I intend never to waste it . Adios! 💚🙂