Position-by-position picking guide
Draft for the empty position and the rating a player will keep there. A good picking order combines each role’s contribution, the cover available and the kinds of positions that appear most often in the squad pool.
Judge cover before committing
Natural placement retains the player’s full overall rating. A listed alternative retains 95%, another role in the same line generally retains 88%, a neighbouring line 75%, and a distant line 55%. Same-side wide roles have their own progression: full-back, wing-back, wide midfielder, winger. One step retains 90%, two 82% and three 74%, with listed alternatives taking priority.
These percentages adjust overall contribution, and the placement screen shows the rounded result. The simulation also uses attributes appropriate to the line occupied. The ratings explanation shows how those parts combine. Read the actual alternatives, because two players with the same primary position may cover your vacancy differently.
The scarcity observations below come from counting player entries in the club and nation seed squads, including repeated names across different squads. They describe the mix of roles in that collection. Your chosen mode uses its own pool and weighted squad draw, so use scarcity to plan cover while judging the offer in front of you.
GK: a separate decision with a large defensive effect
The goalkeeper contributes keeping to the team’s defence. That makes a good keeper useful throughout the run, especially when the rest of the back line is merely adequate. The keeper slot is exclusive to players whose primary position is GK, and those players fill that slot. A defender’s apparent closeness on the pitch has a different meaning from goalkeeper eligibility.
Keeper entries are common in the counted collection, and almost every squad file includes one. Even so, leaving GK until last narrows your final offer to one position group. Take a strong keeper early when the outfield options provide modest improvements. If you postpone it, keep a re-spin available and check the keeper quality on each subsequent squad.
CB: dependable supply, repeated demand
Centre-backs feed the defensive line through effective overall and defending. Their defensive contribution supports the resistance your opponents face when trying to score. The formation table shows the demand: the back-four shapes need two CBs, while 3-5-2 and 5-3-2 need three.
An unlisted full-back covering CB retains 88% because both are defensive roles. A CDM covering CB retains 75% through the neighbouring-line rule, or 95% when CB is a listed alternative. An attacker covering CB reaches the 55% emergency level unless an alternative says otherwise. Those distinctions make a versatile holding midfielder a useful candidate to inspect.
CB is the largest primary-position group in the counted seed pool, at roughly 18% of entries. You can often leave one CB vacancy for later while solving a scarce flank, but three required centre-backs deserve more deliberate attention. Take an outstanding natural CB when offered, then preserve flexibility over the remaining defensive places.
LB, RB, LWB and RWB: solve the side as well as the role
All four positions feed the defensive line. The simulation uses effective overall and defending there, including wing-backs drawn further forward in the 3-5-2 layout. A full-back and a winger may look interchangeable along the touchline, but their placement ratings show the cost of turning attacking talent into defensive cover.
A same-side full-back at wing-back keeps 90%, and a same-side wide midfielder at wing-back also keeps 90%. A winger at wing-back keeps 82%. For a full-back vacancy, a same-side wide midfielder keeps 82% and a winger 74%. Check alternatives first: an RB with RWB listed receives the stronger 95% alternative fit.
Primary RB entries account for about 9% of the counted collection and LB about 7%. Primary wing-backs together account for less than 1%, making explicit LWB and RWB labels unusually scarce. In a wing-back shape, recruit suitable same-side cover early. In a back four, a good natural left-back deserves attention when the alternative is spending later re-spins searching for that flank.
CDM, CM and CAM: midfield helps both ends
All three positions feed midfield using effective overall, creativity and defending. Midfield then supports the team’s attack and defence. Think of these as differently labelled recruitment slots feeding a shared central unit: the fit of the chosen player still changes the overall component, and the attributes make their own contribution.
A CM can fill an unlisted CDM or CAM role at 88%, since the roles share a line. The same applies between CDM and CAM. A defender or forward covering one of these central midfield places generally keeps 75%, while a listed alternative improves the fit to 95%. Inspect a forward’s alternatives before using that player as your creator.
CM is the second-largest primary group in the collection, at about 14% of entries. CDM and CAM are both less common. Fill a strong specialist CDM or CAM slot when an appropriate player appears, particularly in 4-2-3-1; use the broader CM supply to keep later options open. A three-CM shape still needs three separate players, so balance patience with the number of vacancies.
LM, RM, LW and RW: the occupied slot changes the contribution
LM and RM feed midfield, where creativity and defending join effective overall. LW and RW feed attack, where goal threat joins effective overall. The difference matters when you place a winger deeper: the player contributes through the midfield calculation in that slot. Goal and assist allocation also takes account of the occupied line.
Moving a same-side winger to wide midfield retains 90%, and the reverse move does the same. A full-back at wide midfield retains 82%; a wing-back there retains 90%. Across opposite flanks, the ordinary line rules apply unless an alternative covers the exact slot. An RW used at an unlisted LW retains 88%, while an RW at an unlisted LM retains 75%.
Primary LM and RM entries together make up about 3% of the counted collection. Primary LW and RW entries together are about 11%. That makes wide-midfield alternatives particularly useful in 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1 and 4-5-1. Fill those places before your last turns when a strong fit appears. In 4-3-3, keep track of both wing vacancies as you take central players.
ST: concentrate on the role your shape needs
Strikers feed attacking strength through effective overall and goal threat. Attacking slots also give players a larger share of the weighting used to distribute team goals. A lone striker carries the attacking-line average in 4-5-1 and 4-2-3-1, while a front pair shares that responsibility between two picks.
A CF covering ST keeps 88%, or 95% if ST is listed as an alternative. Wingers also share the attacking line and keep 88% at an unlisted ST slot. A midfielder covering ST keeps 75%; an unlisted defender there uses the 55% emergency fit. Compare those adjusted ratings with a less famous natural striker before deciding.
Primary ST entries are about 10% of the collection, with CF entries providing another source of central-forward cover. Take a strong lone striker when offered, especially if other positions still have several cover routes. In a two-striker shape, leave room for a second good forward while attending to the wide or defensive positions your formation also requires.
A recommended drafting order
Start by taking exceptional fits, especially at wing-back, wide midfield or a specialist CDM or CAM slot your formation needs. Next secure a strong keeper and the core attacking role. Then complete the required flanks and extra centre-backs, using the more plentiful CM and CB options to finish the shape. Treat this as a priority list that responds to offers.
Review the remaining slots after every pick and save a Casual re-spin for a weak closing offer. For 5-a-side Arena, give extra care to the lone striker and any line with one player. The full playing guide shows how to carry those decisions through to the result screen.