SQs in more detail

There is some conflicting information as to how SQs work in X11. According to Iwe (original Xpert Eleven designer) the "outfield" SQs (heading, quick, Goal Instincts and Shooting Power) work by making players more specialised, but not better overall. That is to say that a player who has heading will get a bonus to heading activities but a penalty to activities requiring speed. Quick players will get a  penalty to heading chances. Goal Instincts and Shooting Power work similarly, with skill in one area educing ability in the other.

There are 2 aspects to the effect - a player with a special quality will have an improved conversion rate for that kind of chance but also those types of chances will fall to that player more often.

This first graph was based on analysis of thousands of matches and shows the affect of heading on a player's conversion rate.

This graph shows chance distribution for players with the heading SQs

These graphs were originally posted on a website by an X11 player called Terjekv. The affect of SQs seems to correspond to about 3 extra skill levels but probably the most significant factor is chance distribution. The players who are better at heading get significantly more heading opportunities and less through play opportunities and vice versa.

The big question comes when a player had both opposing SQs, and the analysis seems to suggest there are only benefits and no negatives applied.