Read the manual!
SHORT:
Your players will look to pass the ball to feet of the nearest player in his team who is not marked.
Benefits should be keeping possesion, controlling the game, pleasing the audience with some nice five a side football. Your players need skills like passing, movement and teamwork to do this effectively.
DIRECT: Your players will look to play the ball from defence or midfield to an attacker as quickly as possible.
Benefits should be faster attacks, bypassing the midfield, counter attacking and the aim will often be to catch your opponent off guard. This can be very usefull when the AI is coming at you with all guns blazing.
Passing style 
Linear Mode
