The midfield positions highlighted in relation to other positions in association football
In the sport ofassociation football, amidfielder takes anoutfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch.[1] Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. Ascentral midfielders often go across boundaries, with mobility and passing ability, they are often referred to as deep-lying midfielders, play-makers, box-to-box midfielders, or holding midfielders. There are also attacking midfielders with limited defensive assignments.
The size of midfield units on a team and their assigned roles depend on whichformation is used; the unit of these players on the pitch is commonly referred to as themidfield.[2] Its name derives from the fact that midfield units typically make up the in-between units to thedefensive units andforward units of aformation.
Managers frequently assign one or more midfielders to disrupt the opposing team's attacks, while others may be tasked with creating goals, or have equal responsibilities between attack and defence. Midfielders are the players who typically travel the greatest distance during a match. Midfielders arguably have the most possession during a game, and thus they are some of the fittest players on the pitch.[3] Midfielders are often assigned the task ofassisting forwards to create scoring opportunities.
Central orcentre midfielders are players whose role is divided between attacking and defensive duties to control the play in and around the centre of the pitch. These players will try topass the ball to the team'sattacking midfielders and forwards and may also help their team's attacks by making runs into the opposition'spenalty area and attemptingshots on goal themselves. They also provide secondary support toattackers, both in and out of possession.
When the opposing team has the ball, a central midfielder may drop back to protect the goal or move forward andpress the opposition ball-carrier to recover the ball. A centre midfielder defending their goal will move in front of theircentre-backs to block longshots by the opposition and track opposition midfielders making runs towards the goal.
The4–3–3 and4–5–1 formations each use three central midfielders. The4−4−2 formation may use two central midfielders,[4] and in the4–2–3–1 formation one of the two deeper midfielders may be a central midfielder. Prominent central midfielders are known for their ability to pace the game when their team is in possession of the ball, by dictating the tempo of play from the centre of the pitch.
A hardworking box-to-box midfielder,Steven Gerrard has been lauded for his effectiveness both offensively and defensively;[5] and his ability to make late runs from behind into the penalty area.[6]
The termbox-to-box midfielder refers to central midfielders who are hard-working and who have good all-round abilities, which makes them skilled at both defending and attacking.[7] These players can therefore track back to their own box to make tackles and block shots and also carry the ball forward or run to the opponents' box to try to score.[8] Beginning in the mid-2000s, the change of trends and the decline of the standard 4–4–2 formation (in many cases making way for the 4–2–3–1 and 4–3–3 formations) imposed restrictions on the typical box-to-box midfielders of the 1980s and 1990s, as teams' two midfield roles were now often divided into "holders" or "creators", with a third variation upon the role being described as that of a "carrier" or "surger".[9] Some notable examples of box-to-box midfielders areLothar Matthäus,Clarence Seedorf,Bastian Schweinsteiger,Steven Gerrard,Johan Neeskens,Sócrates,Yaya Touré,Arturo Vidal,Patrick Vieira,Frank Lampard,Bryan Robson,Roy Keane, and more recently,Jude Bellingham.[10]
In Italian football, the termmezzala (literally "half-winger" in Italian) is used to describe the position of the one or two central midfielders who play on either side of a holding midfielder and/or playmaker. The term was initially applied to the role of aninside forward in theWM andMetodo formations in Italian, but later described a specific type of central midfielder. The Mezzala is often a quick and hard-working attack-minded midfielder, with good skills and noted offensive capabilities, as well as a tendency to make overlapping attacking runs, but also a player who participates in the defensive aspect of the game, and who can give width to a team by drifting out wide; as such, the term can be applied to several different roles. In English, the term has come to be seen as a variant of the box-to-box midfielder role.[11][12][13]
A wide midfielder,David Beckham was lauded for his range of passing, vision,crossing ability andbending free-kicks, which enabled him to create chances for teammates or score goals.[14][15][16]
Left and right midfielders have a role balanced between attack and defence while they play a lot of crosses in the box for forwards. They are positioned closer to thetouchlines of thepitch. They may be asked tocross the ball into the opponent's penalty area to make scoring chances for their teammates, and when defending they may put pressure on opponents who are trying to cross.[17]
Common modern formations that include left and right midfielders are the4−4−2, the4−4−1−1, the4–2–3–1 and the4−5−1 formations.[18]Jonathan Wilson describes the development of the 4−4−2 formation: "…the winger became a wide midfielder, a shuttler, somebody who might be expected to cross a ball but was also meant to put in a defensive shift."[19] Two notable examples of wide midfielders areDavid Beckham andRyan Giggs.[20]
In Italian football, the role of the wide midfielder is known astornante di centrocampo or simplytornante ("returning"); it originated from the role of anoutside forward, and came to be known as such as it often required players in this position to track back and assist the back-line with defensive duties, in addition to aiding the midfield and attacking.[21][22]
The historic position ofwing-half (not to be confused withmezzala) was given to midfielders (half-backs) who played near the side of the pitch. It became obsolete as wide players with defensive duties have tended to become more a part of the defence asfull-backs.[23][24]
Defensive midfielders are midfield players who focus on protecting their team'sgoal. These players may defend azone in front of their team'sdefence, orman mark specific opposition attackers.[25][26][27] Defensive midfielders may also move to thefull-back orcentre-back positions if those players move forward to join in an attack.[28][29]
Sergio Busquets described his attitude: "Thecoach knows that I am an obedient player who likes to help out and if I have to run to the wing to cover someone's position, great."[29] A good defensive midfielder needs good positional awareness, anticipation of the opponent's play, marking, tackling, interceptions, passing and great stamina and strength (for their tackling). In South American football, this role is known as avolante de marca, while in Mexico it is known asvolante de contención. In Portugal, it is instead known astrinco.[30]
Yaya Touré, pictured playing for theIvory Coast in 2012, was a versatile holding midfielder; although his playing style initially led him to be described by pundits as a "carrier", due to his ability to carry the ball and transition from defence to attack, he later adapted to more of a playmaking role.
A holding or deep-lying midfielder stays close to their team'sdefence, while other midfielders may move forward to attack.[31] The holding midfielder may also have responsibilities when their team has the ball. This player will make mostly short and simple passes to more attacking members of their team but may try some more difficult passes depending on the team's strategy.Marcelo Bielsa is considered a pioneer in the use of a holding midfielder in defence.[9] This position may be seen in the4–2–3–1 and4–4–2 diamond formations.[32] Writer Jonathan Wilson has identified three different types of holding midfielder, namely thedestroyer, thecreator, and thecarrier.[9]
…we knew thatZidane,Raúl andFigo didn't track back, so we had to put a guy in front of theback four who would defend.
Initially, a defensive midfielder, or "destroyer", and a playmaker, or "creator", were often fielded alongside each other as a team's two holding central midfielders. The destroyer was usually responsible for making tackles, regaining possession, and distributing the ball to the creator, while the creator was responsible for retaining possession and keeping the ball moving, often with long passes out to the flanks, in the manner of a more old-fashioned deep-lying playmaker orregista (see below).[9] Earlier examples of a destroyer areNobby Stiles,Herbert Wimmer, andMarco Tardelli, while later examples includeClaude Makélélé andJavier Mascherano,[9] although several of these players also possessed qualities of other types of midfielders, and were therefore not confined to a single role.[citation needed] Early examples of a creator would beGérson,Glenn Hoddle, andSunday Oliseh, while more recent examples areXabi Alonso,[9] as well asMichael Carrick andKeira Walsh.[34]
The latest and third type of holding midfielder developed as a box-to-box midfielder, or "carrier" or "surger", neither entirely destructive nor creative, who is capable of winning back possession and subsequently advancing from deeper positions either by distributing the ball to a teammate and making late runs into the box, or by carrying the ball themselves; recent examples of this type of player areClarence Seedorf andBastian Schweinsteiger, whileSami Khedira andFernandinho are destroyers with carrying tendencies.Luka Modrić is a carrier with several qualities of theregista, andYaya Touré was a carrier who became a playmaker later in his career after losing his stamina.[9]N'Golo Kanté started out as the quintessential destroyer, but developed carrying tendencies underAntonio Conte atChelsea.[citation needed]
Italian deep-lying playmakerAndrea Pirlo executing a pass for Juventus. Pirlo is often regarded as one of the best deep-lying playmakers of all time.
A deep-lying playmaker (Strolling 10) is a holding midfielder who specialises in ball skills such as passing, rather than defensive skills like tackling.[35] When this player has the ball, they may attempt longer or more complex passes than other holding players. They may try to set the tempo of their team's play, retain possession, or build plays through short exchanges, or they may try to pass the ball long to acentre forward or winger, or even pass short to a teammate inthe hole, the area between the opponents' defenders and midfielders.[35][36][37]
In Italy, the deep-lying playmaker is known as aregista,[38] whereas in Brazil, it is known as a "meia-armador".[39] In Italy, the role of theregista developed from the centre half-back orcentromediano metodista position inVittorio Pozzo'smetodo system (a precursor of the central or holding midfield position in the 2–3–2–3 formation), as themetodista's responsibilities were not entirely defensive but also creative; as such, themetodista was not solely tasked with breaking down possession, but also with starting attacking plays after winning back the ball.[40]
WriterJonathan Wilson instead describedXabi Alonso's holding midfield role as that of a "creator", a player who was responsible for retaining possession in the manner of a more old-fashioned deep-lying playmaker orregista, noting that: "although capable of making tackles, [Alonso] focused on keeping the ball moving, occasionally raking long passes out to the flanks to change the angle of attack."[9]
2–3–5 formation: the wing-halves (yellow) flank the centre half.
The historic central half-back position gradually retreated from the midfield line to provide increased protection to the back line against centre-forwards – thatdedicated defensive role in the centre is still commonly referred to as a "centre-half" as a legacy of its origins.[41] In Italian football jargon, this position was known as thecentromediano metodista ormetodista, as it became an increasingly important role inVittorio Pozzo'smetodo system, although this term was later also applied to describe players who operated in a central holding-midfielder role, but who also had creative responsibilities in addition to defensive duties.[40]
An attacking midfielder is a midfield or forward player who is positioned in an advanced midfield position, usually between central midfield and the team's forwards, and who has a primarily offensive role.[42]
Some attacking midfielders are calledtrequartista orfantasista (Italian:three-quarter specialist, i.e. a creativeplaymaker between the forwards and the midfield), who are usually mobile, creative and highly skilful players, known for their deft touch, technical ability, dribbling skills, vision, ability to shoot from long range, and passing prowess.
However, not all attacking midfielders are trequartistas – some attacking midfielders are very vertical and are essentially auxiliary attackers who serve to link-up play, hold up the ball, or provide the final pass, i.e.secondary strikers.[43] As with any attacking player, the role of the attacking midfielder involves being able to create space for attack.[44]
According to positioning along the field, attacking midfield may be divided intoleft,right andcentral attacking midfield roles but most importantly they are a striker behind the forwards. A central attacking midfielder may be referred to as aplaymaker, ornumber 10 (due to the association of thenumber 10 shirt with this position).[45][46]
These players typically serve as the offensive pivot of the team, and are sometimes said to be "playing in the hole", although this term can also be used as deep-lying forward. The attacking midfielder is an important position that requires the player to possess superior technical abilities in terms of passing anddribbling, as well as, perhaps more importantly, the ability to read the opposing defence to deliver defence-splitting passes to the striker.
This specialist midfielder's main role is tocreate good shooting and goal-scoring opportunities using superior vision, control, and technical skill, by makingcrosses,through balls, and headedknockdowns to teammates. They may try to set up shooting opportunities for themselves bydribbling or performing agive-and-go with a teammate. Attacking midfielders may also make runs into the opponents' penalty area to shoot from another teammate's pass.[2]
Where a creative attacking midfielder, i.e. anAdvanced playmaker, is regularly utilised, they are commonly the team's star player, and often wear thenumber 10 shirt. As such, a team is often constructed so as to allow their attacking midfielder to roam free and create as the situation demands. One such popular formation is the 4–4–2 "diamond" (or 4–1–2–1–2), in which defined attacking and defensive midfielders replace the more traditional pair of central midfielders. Known as the "fantasista" or "trequartista" in Italy,[43] in Spain, the offensive playmaker is known as the "Mediapunta, in Brazil, the offensive playmaker is known as the "meia atacante",[39] whereas in Argentina and Uruguay, it is known as the "enganche".[47] Some examples of the advanced playmaker would beZico,Francesco Totti,Lionel Messi,Diego Maradona,Kevin De Bruyne,Wim van Hanegem andMichel Platini.
The trequartista description has been used inItalian football to describe a player who is seemingly playing as an attacking midfielder in a 4–3–1–2 formation, but who eventually drops deeper into midfield, drawing opposing players out of position and creating space to be exploited by teammates making attacking runs; the trequartista will eventually sit in a central midfield role and function as adeep-lying playmaker. The trequartista is, therefore, usually a creative and tactically intelligent player with good vision, technique, movement, passing ability, and striking ability from a distance. They should also be a hard-working player, who is able to read the game and help the team defensively.[53]Wayne Rooney has been deployed in a similar role, on occasion; seemingly positioned as a number 10 behind the main striker, he would often drop even deeper into midfield to help his team retrieve possession and start attacks.[54]
The "false 10" or "central winger"[55] is a type of midfielder, which differs from the trequartista. Much like the "false 9", their specificity lies in the fact that, although they seemingly play as an attacking midfielder on paper, unlike a traditional playmaker who stays behind the striker in the centre of the pitch, the false 10's goal is to move out of position and drift wide when in possession of the ball to help both the wingers and fullbacks to overload the flanks. This means two problems for the opposing midfielders: either they let the false 10 drift wide, and their presence, along with both the winger and the fullback, creates a three-on-two player advantage out wide; or they follow the false 10, but leave space in the centre of the pitch for wingers or onrushing midfielders to exploit. False 10s are usually traditional wingers who are told to play in the centre of the pitch, and their natural way of playing makes them drift wide and look to provide deliveries into the box for teammates. On occasion, the false-10 can also function in a different manner alongside a false-9, usually in a 4–6–0 formation, disguised as either a 4–3–3 or 4–2–3–1 formation. When other forwards or false-9s drop deep and draw defenders away from the false-10s, creating space in the middle of the pitch, the false-10 will then also surprise defenders by exploiting this space and moving out of position once again, often undertaking offensive dribbling runs forward towards goal, or running on to passes from false-9s, which in turn enables them to create goalscoring opportunities or go for goal themselves.[56]
Players in the bold positions can be referred to as wingers.
In modern football, the terms winger or wide player refer to a non-defender who plays on the left or right sides of the pitch. These terms can apply to left or rightforwards.[17] Left or right-sided defenders such aswing-backs or left or right midfielders, left or right attacking midfielders, orfull-backs are generally not called wingers.
In the2−3−5 formation popular in the late 19th century wingers remained mostly near the touchlines of the pitch, and were expected to cross the ball for the team'sinside andcentre forwards.[57] Traditionally, wingers were purely attacking players and were not expected to track back and defend. This began to change in the 1960s. In the1966 World Cup,EnglandmanagerAlf Ramsey did not select wingers from the quarter-final onwards. This team was known as the "Wingless Wonders" and led to the modern 4–4–2 formation.[58][59]
This has led to most modern wide players having a more demanding role in the sense that they are expected to provide defensive cover for their full-backs and track back to repossess the ball, as well as provide skilful crosses for centre forwards and strikers.[60] Some forwards are able to operate as wingers behind a lone striker. In a three-man midfield, specialist wingers are sometimes deployed down the flanks alongside the central midfielder or playmaker.
Even more demanding is the role ofwing-back, where the wide player is expected to provide both defence and attack.[61] As the role of winger can be classed as a forward or a midfielder, this role instead blurs the divide between defender and midfielder. Italian managerAntonio Conte has been known to use wide midfielders or wingers who act as wing-backs in his trademark3–5–2 and3–4–3 formations, for example; these players are expected both to push up and provide width in attack as well as track back and assist their team defensively.[62]
On occasion, the role of a winger can also be occupied by a different type of player. For example, certain managers have been known to use a "wide target man" on the wing, namely a large and physical player who usually plays as a centre-forward, and who will attempt to win aerial challenges and hold up the ball on the flank, or drag full-backs out of position;Romelu Lukaku, for example, has been used in this role on occasion.[63] Another example isMario Mandžukić under managerMassimiliano Allegri at Juventus during the 2016–17 season; normally a striker, he was instead used on the left flank, and was required to win aerial duels, hold up the ball, and create space, as well as being tasked with pressing opposing players.[64]
Wingers are indicated in red, while the "wide men" (who play to the flanks of the central midfielders) are indicated in blue.
Today, a winger is usually an attacking midfielder who is stationed in a wide position near the touchlines.[60] Wingers such asStanley Matthews orJimmy Johnstone used to be classified as outside forwards in traditional W-shaped formations, and were formally known as "Outside Right" or "Outside Left", but as tactics evolved through the last 40 years, wingers have dropped to deeper field positions and are now usually classified as part of the midfield, usually in 4–4–2 or 4–5–1 formations (but while the team is on the attack, they tend to resemble 4–2–4/2–4–4 and 4–3–3 formations respectively).
The responsibilities of the winger include:
Providing a "wide presence" as a passing option on the flank.
To beat the opposing full-back either with skill or with speed.
To read passes from the midfield that give them a clear crossing opportunity, when going wide, or that give them a clear scoring opportunity, when cutting inside towards the goal.
To double up on the opposition winger, particularly when they are being "double-marked" by both the team's full back and winger.
The prototypical winger is fast, tricky and enjoys 'hugging' the touchline, that is, running downfield close to the touchline and delivering crosses. However, players with different attributes can thrive on the wing as well. Some wingers prefer to cutinfield (as opposed to staying wide) and pose a threat as playmakers by playing diagonal passes to forwards or taking a shot at goal. Even players who are not considered quick, have been successfully fielded as wingers at club and international level for their ability to create play from the flank. Occasionally wingers are given a free role to roam across the front line and are relieved of defensive responsibilities.Johann Cruijff frequently exhibited this prowess, as a true model of Total Football, an ultimate "master-style" of play, in its earliest form believed to originate with theHungary national football team - and nearly perfected - in the late 40s and early 50s.
Technical skill to beat a full-back in a one-to-one situation.
Pace, to beat the full-back one-on-one.
Crossing ability when out wide.
Good off-the-ball ability when judging a pass from the midfield or from fellow attackers.
Good passing ability and composure, to retain possession while in opposition territory.
The modern winger should also be comfortable on either wing so as to adapt to quick tactical changes required by the coach.
Although wingers are a familiar part of football, the use of wingers is by no means universal. There are many successful football teams who operate without wingers. A famous example isCarlo Ancelotti's late 2000sMilan, who typically plays in a narrow midfield diamond formation or in a Christmas tree formation (4–3–2–1), relying on full-backs to provide the necessary width down the wings.
USWNT midfielderMegan Rapinoe (left) has been deployed as an inverted winger throughout her career.
An inverted winger is a modern tactical development of the traditional winger position. Most wingers are assigned to either side of the field based on theirfootedness, with right-footed players on the right and left-footed players on the left.[65] This assumes that assigning a player to their natural side ensures a more powerful cross as well as greater ball protection along thetouch-lines. However, when the position is inverted and a winger instead plays inside-out on the opposite flank (i.e., a right-footed player as a left inverted winger), they effectively become supporting strikers and primarily assume a role in the attack.[66]
As opposed to traditionally pulling the opponent'sfull-back out and down the flanks before crossing the ball in near theby-line, positioning a winger on the opposite side of the field allows the player to cut-in around the18-yard box, either threading passes between defenders or shooting on goal using the dominant foot.[67] This offensive tactic has found popularity in the modern game due to the fact that it gives traditional wingers increased mobility as playmakers and goalscorers,[68] such as the left-footed right wingerDomenico Berardi ofSassuolo who achieved 30 career goals faster than any player in the past half-century ofSerie A football.[69] Not only are inverted wingers able to push full-backs onto their weak sides, but they are also able to spread and force the other team to defend deeper as forwards andwing-backs route towards the goal, ultimately creating more scoring opportunities.[70]
Although naturally left-footedArjen Robben (left, 11) has often been deployed as an inverted winger on the right flank throughout his career, which allows him to cut inside and shoot on goal with his stronger foot.
A description that has been used in the media to label a variation upon the inverted winger position is that of an "attacking", "false", or "goalscoring winger", as exemplified by Cristiano Ronaldo's role on the left flank during his time at Real Madrid in particular. This label has been used to describe an offensive-minded inverted winger, who will seemingly operate out wide on paper, but who instead will be given the freedom to make unmarked runs into more advanced central areas inside the penalty area to get on the end of passes and crosses and score goals, effectively functioning as astriker.[79][80][81][82][83]
This role is somewhat comparable to what is known as theraumdeuter role in German football jargon (literally "space interpreter"), as exemplified byThomas Müller, as well asDele Alli andTim Cahill, namely an attacking-minded wide player, who will move into effective central attacking areas to find spaces from which they can receive passes and score or assist goals, while other teammates create space for their runs by drawing opponents away from them.[63][84]
The "false winger" or "seven-and-a-half" is a label which has been used to describe a type of player who normally plays centrally, but who instead is deployed out wide on paper; during the course of a match, however, they will move inside and operate in the centre of the pitch to drag defenders out of position, congest the midfield and give their team a numerical advantage in this area, so that they can dominate possession in the middle of the pitch and create chances for the forwards; this position also leaves space for full-backs to make overlapping attacking runs up the flank.Samir Nasri, who has been deployed in this role, once described it as that of a "non-axial playmaker".[85][86][87][88][89][90][91]
^Di Salvo, V. (6 October 2005). "Performance characteristics according to playing position in elite soccer".International Journal of Sports Medicine.28 (3):222–227.doi:10.1055/s-2006-924294.PMID17024626.S2CID46557339.
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