Up until this year, I've been wearing the same shinguards that I've worn since 1988. Adidas has been trying to convince me to try these new form-fitting shinguards for about two years. I put them on this year, and I've since retired the old shinguards that I've worn for years. Some of the best fishing happens when it rains, so I'm actually pretty excited. I can see it out my window, but I'll brave it nonetheless.
Different players have different tendencies.
As a general rule of thumb, you can expect defenders to be guys that are normally going to play the ball with power, whereas forwards will attempt to place balls and bend balls. More often than not, you have a scouting report on what the player has done with his penalty kicks. Although you can't always rely on that, it does help a little bit. My vote goes to Ben Olsen. I think just his sense of creativity and imagination always makes watching him exciting, and he also has an unbelievable work rate, which is a pretty rare mix for that kind of player.