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2/9/2015 Association football positions Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football_positions 1/17 Association football positions. Association football positions From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In the sport of association football, each of the 11 players on a team is assigned to a particular position on the field of play. A team is made up of one goalkeeper and ten outfield players who fill various defensive, midfield and attacking positions depending on the formation deployed. These positions describe both the player's main role and their area of operation on the pitch. In the early development of the game outfield players were known simply as forwards, halfbacks and threequarter backs, depending on how far up the pitch they played. In the latter part of the 19th century, the 2–3–5 formation became widely used and the position names became more refined to reflect this. In defence, there were fullbacks, known as the leftback and rightback; in midfield, lefthalf, centrehalf and righthalf; and for the forward line there were outside left (or left wing), insideleft, centreforward, insideright and outsideright (or right wing). As the game has evolved, tactics and team formations have changed and so many of the names of the positions have changed to reflect their duties in the modern game (though some old familiar ones remain). The term "halfback" fell out of use by the early 1970s and "midfield" was used in naming the positions that play around the middle third as in centre midfield and wide midfield. The centre midfield position has evolved further with the attacking midfield and defensive midfield variants being recognised in their own right. The fluid nature of the modern game means that positions in football are not as rigidly defined as in sports such as rugby or American football. Even so, most players will play in a limited range of positions throughout their career, as each position requires a particular set of skills and physical attributes. Footballers who are able to play comfortably in a number of positions are referred to as "utility players". [1] However, in Total Football tactics, the players are only loosely defined into a position. This tactic required players who were extremely versatile, such as Johan Cruyff, who could play every position on the pitch apart from goalkeeper. [2] Contents 1 Goalkeeper 2 Defender 2.1 Centreback 2.2 Sweeper 2.3 Fullback GK SW RB CB LB RWB LWB DM RM CM LM AM RW SS LW CF

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Page 1: Soccer Positions

2/9/2015 Association football positions ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football_positions 1/17

Association football positions.

Association football positionsFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the sport of association football, each of the 11 players ona team is assigned to a particular position on the field ofplay. A team is made up of one goalkeeper and ten outfieldplayers who fill various defensive, midfield and attackingpositions depending on the formation deployed. Thesepositions describe both the player's main role and their areaof operation on the pitch.

In the early development of the game outfield players wereknown simply as forwards, half­backs and three­quarter­backs, depending on how far up the pitch they played. In thelatter part of the 19th century, the 2–3–5 formation becamewidely used and the position names became more refined toreflect this. In defence, there were full­backs, known as theleft­back and right­back; in midfield, left­half, centre­halfand right­half; and for the forward line there were outside­left (or left wing), inside­left, centre­forward, inside­rightand outside­right (or right wing). As the game has evolved,tactics and team formations have changed and so many of thenames of the positions have changed to reflect their duties inthe modern game (though some old familiar ones remain).The term "half­back" fell out of use by the early 1970s and"midfield" was used in naming the positions that play aroundthe middle third as in centre midfield and wide midfield. Thecentre midfield position has evolved further with the attacking midfield and defensive midfield variantsbeing recognised in their own right.

The fluid nature of the modern game means that positions in football are not as rigidly defined as insports such as rugby or American football. Even so, most players will play in a limited range of positionsthroughout their career, as each position requires a particular set of skills and physical attributes.Footballers who are able to play comfortably in a number of positions are referred to as "utilityplayers".[1]

However, in Total Football tactics, the players are only loosely defined into a position. This tacticrequired players who were extremely versatile, such as Johan Cruyff, who could play every position onthe pitch apart from goalkeeper.[2]

Contents

1 Goalkeeper2 Defender

2.1 Centre­back2.2 Sweeper2.3 Full­back

GK

SW

RBCBLB

RWBLWBDM

RMCMLM

AM

RWSSLW

CF

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Goalkeeper diving to keep the ballaway from goal

2.4 Wing­back3 Midfielder

3.1 Centre midfield3.2 Defensive midfield3.3 Attacking midfield3.4 Wide midfield

4 Forward4.1 Centre forward4.2 Second striker4.3 Winger

5 Player styles5.1 Goalkeeper5.2 Defensive5.3 Midfield5.4 Attacking

6 Tactical evolution7 See also8 References

Goalkeeper

Goalkeeper is the most defensive position in football. Thegoalkeeper's main job is to stop the other team from scoring bycatching, palming or punching the ball from shots, headers andcrosses. Unlike their team­mates, goalkeepers typically remain inand around their own penalty area for most of the game. As aresult, goalkeepers have a better view of the pitch and often giveadvice to their defence when the other team is on the attack orduring set pieces.[3] Goalkeepers are the only players on the pitchwho are allowed to handle the ball, but this is restricted to theirown penalty area. Positioning is another important job and is oneof the hardest to master as keeper.[4]

Goalkeepers must also wear a different coloured kit from the outfielders and officials. Common coloursinclude yellow, green, grey, black and shades of blue. Since the 1970s, goalkeepers have also typicallyworn specialised gloves. They provide better grip on the ball and protect their hands from hard shots andheaders, as well making it easier to punch or push the ball away. Caps were common between the 1910sand 1960s, as well as woolly jumpers but these are not worn in any professional or semi­professionalcontext today.

Defender

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A defender (in the foreground,wearing a white shirt) challenging forpossession

Defenders play behind the midfielders and their primary responsibility is to provide support to the teamand to prevent the opposition from scoring a goal.[5] They usuallyremain in the half of the field that contains the goal they aredefending. Taller defenders will move forward to the opposingteam's penalty box when their team takes corner kicks or freekicks, where scoring with one's head is a possibility.[6]

Centre­back

The job of the centre­back,[7][8] (or central defender[9])(historically called a centre­half[10][11]) is to stop opposingplayers, particularly the strikers, from scoring, and to bring theball out from their penalty area. As their name suggests, theyplay in a central position. Most teams employ two centre­backs, stationed in front of the goalkeeper.There are two main defensive strategies used by centre­backs: the zonal defence, where each centre­backcovers a specific area of the pitch, and man­to­man marking, where each centre­back has the job ofcovering a particular opposition player.[12]

Centre­backs are often tall, strong and have a good jumping, heading and tackling ability. Successfulcentre­backs also need to be able to concentrate, read the game well, and be brave and decisive inmaking last­ditch tackles on attacking players who might otherwise be through on goal.[13] Sometimes,particularly in lower leagues, centre­backs concentrate less on ball control and passing, preferringsimply to clear the ball in a "safety­first" fashion.[14] However, there is a long tradition of centre­backshaving more than just rudimentary footballing skill, enabling a more possession­oriented playing style.[9]

Centre­backs will usually go forward for set piece corners and free­kicks, where their height andjumping ability give them an aerial goal threat, while defensive duties are covered by the full­backs.Once the set piece is complete, they will retreat to their own half.[15]

The position is sometimes referred to as "centre­half". This originates the late part of the 19th century,when most teams employed the 2–3–5 formation, the row of three players were called half­backs. Asformations evolved, the central player in this trio (the centre­half), moved into a more defensive positionon the field, taking the name of the position with them.[16][17]

Sweeper

The sweeper (or libero (Italian: free)) is a more versatile type of centre­back that, as the name suggests,"sweeps up" the ball if the opponent manages to breach the defensive line.[18] Their position is rathermore fluid than other defenders who mark their designated opponents.[18] The sweeper's ability to readthe game is even more vital than for a centre­back.[19] The catenaccio system of play, used in Italianfootball in the 1960s, notably employed a defensive libero.[20] With the advent of the modern offsiderule came the need to hold more of a defensive line to catch opposing players offside. Use of a sweeperrole became less popular as the last man can play an attacking opponent onside, which could in the caseof the sweeper be behind the main defence.[21]

Former German captain Franz Beckenbauer is commonly seen as the inventor of the libero and the bestplayer in the role.[22] However, players such as Velibor Vasović[23] and Armando Picchi[24] wereprominent sweepers prior to Beckenbauer. Some of the greatest sweepers were Gaetano Scirea, Bobby

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Moore, Franco Baresi, Daniel Passarella and Elías Figueroa.

Full­back

The left­back and the right­back (generally referred to as the full­backs[25]) are the defenders stationedeither side of the centre­backs to provide protection from attacking wide players. They often have todefend against the opponent's wingers, who will try to take the ball past them down the flanks in order tocross or pass into the penalty area to their attackers.[26] Full­backs traditionally do not go up to supportthe attack but may move up as far as the half way line depending on the defensive line being held.[27] Inthe modern game, there has been the tendency to prefer the use of the attacking full­back (wing­back)role though they are more often than not still referred to as right­ or left­backs.[26]

Originally, a full­back was the last line of defence, but as the game developed in the early 20th century,the centre­half role was dropped backwards and came to be known as 'centre­back', and the full­backswere then pushed out wider to create the right­back and left­back positions.[28]

Wing­back

The wing­back (or attacking full­back) are defenders with heavier emphasis on attack. The name is aportmanteau of "winger" and "full­back", indicating the greater emphasis on their responsibilities inattack.[29] They are usually employed as part of a 3–5–2 formation, and can therefore be considered partof the midfield when a team is attacking.[30] They may also be used in a 5–3–2 formation and thereforehave a more defensive role.[31] The term "wing­back" itself is gradually falling out of use as there is lessof a distinction with the full­back roles in the modern game, especially when used in a 4–3–3 or 4–2–3–1 formation.[29][32]

The wing­back role is one of the most physically demanding positions in modern football. Wing­backsare often more adventurous than traditional full­backs and are expected to provide width, especially inteams without wingers. A wing­back needs to be of exceptional stamina, be able to provide crossesupfield and then defend effectively against an opponent's attack down the flanks. A defensive midfielderis usually fielded to cover the advances of an opponent's wing­back.[33]

Midfielder

Midfielders (originally called half­backs) are players whose position of play is midway between theattacking forwards and the defenders. Their main duties are to maintain possession of the ball, taking theball from defenders and feeding it to the strikers, as well as dispossessing opposing players. Mostmanagers field at least one central midfielder with a marked task of breaking up opposition's attackswhile the rest are more adept to creating goals or have equal responsibilities between attack and defence.Midfielders can be expected to cover many areas of a pitch, as at times they can be called back intodefence or required to attack with the strikers. They are more often the players that initiate attacking playfor a team.[34]

Centre midfield

Central midfielders provide the link between defence and attack, how fulfilling a number of duties andtend to operate mostly in the middle third of the pitch between opposing penalty boxes. They willsupport attacking play by the team and when the ball is lost they will endeavour to win it back and try to

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A midfielder plays between thedefence and attack.

break up the opposition's own attacking play before they reachthe last third of the playing field. A central midfielder willendeavour to initiate attacking play after receiving the ball outfrom the defence or after winning the ball back and can besometimes described as playmakers. They will also offer anadditional line of defence when the team is under sustainedattack and when defending corners. Central midfielders arealways busy in a game and are often therefore sometimesdescribed as the engine room of the team.[34]

Their central position enables them to have an all­round view ofthe match, and as most of the action takes place in and aroundtheir area of the pitch, midfielders often exert the greatest degreeof control over how a match is played.[35] It is often said that amatch is won or lost in midfield, meaning that whichever teamdominates the middle area of the pitch is able to dictate the game. A central midfielder is expected tohave good vision, be adept at long and short passing and have great stamina because of the ground theycover in a game.[36] They also need to be good at tackling to win the ball back.

Over time two additional central midfield roles have developed from the standard role, though theirduties do have a degree of overlap. These are the attacking midfield and defensive midfield roles and areexplained in the sections below. Depending on the team's tactics a combination of all three roles may bedeployed in midfield. Sometimes a central midfielder will be used in a wide midfield role to providewidth or as cover.[34]

Defensive midfield

A defensive midfielder (holding midfielder or midfield anchor) is a central midfielder who is stationedin front of the defenders to provide more defensive protection, thus "holding back" when the rest of themidfield supports the attack. The defensive midfielder screens the defence by harrying and tackling theopposition teams' attackers and defenders.[37] They also help tactically, for instance, by directingopposing attacking players out to the wing where they have more limited influence, and by covering thepositions of full­backs, other midfielders and even the centre­backs if they charge up to support theattack.[38][39] In the mid­2000s, the role was popularised by Claude Makélélé, resulting in the positionoften being referred to as the 'Makélélé role'. The position may also be referred to as the team's 'watercarrier', in reference to a derogatory comment made by Eric Cantona towards his French national team­mate Didier Deschamps.[40]

Although the duties of defensive midfielders are primarily defensive, some midfielders are deployed asdeep­lying playmakers, due to their ability to dictate tempo from a deep position with their passing.Sometimes a defensive midfielder will be paired with a central midfielder who will act as the deep­lyingplaymaker. When ever the central midfielder ventures forward the defensive midfielder will holdback.[41]

Defensive midfielders require good positional sense, work rate, tackling ability, and anticipation (ofplayer and ball movement) to excel. They also need to possess good passing skills and close control tohold the ball in midfield under sustained pressure.[42] Most importantly, defensive midfielders requiregreat stamina as they are the outfield players who cover the greatest distance during a professional

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The striker (wearing the red shirt) ispast the defence (in the white shirts)and is about to take a shot at the goal.

match. In top football clubs, a midfielder may cover up to 12 kilometres for a full 90­minute game.[43]Deep­lying playmakers typically require a good first touch under opposition pressure and the ability toplay long crossfield passes to attacking players further upfield.[41]

Attacking midfield

An attacking midfielder is a central midfielder who is stationed in an advanced midfield position, usuallybehind the strikers. These players typically serve as the offensive pivot of the team, and are sometimessaid to be "playing in the hole", although this term can also be used to describe the positioning of a deep­lying forward. This specialist midfielder's main role is to create goal­scoring opportunities using superiorvision and skill. The attacking midfielder is an important position that requires the player to possesssuperior technical abilities in terms of passing and, perhaps more importantly, the ability to read theopposing defence in order to deliver defence­splitting passes to the strikers.

Some attacking midfielders are called trequartistas (Italian: three­quarter specialist, i.e. a playmakerbetween the forwards and the midfield), known for their deft touch, ability to shoot from range, andpassing prowess; however, not all attacking midfielders are trequartistas – some attacking midfieldersare very vertical and are essentially auxiliary attackers. Where a creative attacking midfielder isregularly utilised, he is commonly the team's star player. As such, a team is often constructed so as toallow their attacking midfielder to roam free and create as the situation demands. One such popularformation is the 4–4–2 "diamond" (or 4–1–2–1–2), in which defined attacking and defensive midfieldersreplace the more traditional pair of central midfielders.

Wide midfield

A wide midfielder (left midfield and right midfield, or generally side midfielder) (historically called left­half and right­half, or wing­half) is a midfielder who is stationed to the left or right of central midfield.Though they are often referred to as wingers, not all players in these positions are stereotypical speedy,touchline hugging players. With the advent of the modern game the traditional outside forwards knownas "wingers" were pushed back to wide midfield, though still commonly referred to as wingers. As thegame has developed further, some tactical formations (for example, 4–3–3) have used centralmidfielders deployed in a wider position to provide width, more defensive protection along the flanksand to help compress play in the opponents half. They will still support attacking play and sometimes beexpected to act as a semi­winger.[44]

Forward

Forwards (or strikers) are the players who are positioned nearestto the opposing team's goal. The primary responsibility offorwards is to score goals and to create scoring chances for otherplayers. Forwards may also contribute defensively by harryingopposition defenders and goalkeepers whilst not in possession.The most common modern formations include between one andthree forwards; for example, a lone striker in a 4–2–3–1, pairedstrikers in a 4–4–2 or a striker and two wingers in a 4–3–3.[45]

Coaches will often field one striker who plays on the shoulder ofthe last opposing defender and another attacking forward whoplays somewhat deeper and assists in creating goals as well asscoring. The former is sometimes a large striker, typically known

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as a "target man", who is used either to distract opposing defenders to help team mates score, or to scorehimself; the latter is usually of quicker pace, and is required to have some abilities like finding holes inthe opposing defence and, sometimes, dribbling. In other cases, strikers will operate on the wings of thefield and work their way goalwards. Yet another variation is the replacement of the target man with astriker who can thread through­balls.[45]

Players who specialise in playing as a target are usually of above­average height with good headingability and an accurate shot. They tend to be the "outlet" player for both midfielders and defenders, ableto "hold the ball up" (retain possession of the ball in an advanced position while team­mates run forwardto join the attack). They tend to score goals from crosses, often with the head, and can use their bodystrength to shield the ball while turning to score.[46]

Other forwards may rely on their pace to run onto long balls passed over or through the oppositiondefence, rather than collecting the ball with their back to goal like a target man. Some forwards can playboth of these roles equally well.[46]

Centre forward

A centre forward (main striker) has the key task of scoring goals and for this reason acts as the focalpoint of the majority of attacking play by a team. As such, how well a striker is performing tends to bemeasured purely on goals scored despite the fact that they may be contributing in other ways to a team'ssuccess. A traditional centre forward was required to be tall in height and strong physically in order to beable to win the ball in the area from crosses and attempt to score with either their feet or head, or toknock the ball down for a team mate to score. Whilst these assets are still an advantage, in the moderngame speed and movement are also required as there is more interplay when attacking.[47] In a 4–4–2 or4–4–1–1 formation the centre forward is often paired with a second striker who may play around him orin a slightly withdrawn role respectively, though it is not unknown to play two recognised centreforwards.[48]

Sometimes a team may opt on a more defensive formation such as 4–5–1 in which the centre forward isrequired to play a "lone role" up front. In these cases a team may look for opportunities to counter­attackon the break and the centre forward may find himself attacking the goal on his own with just a defenderto beat or alternatively he may hold the ball up in the opponent's half to allow other players to join in theattack. Modern footballing tactics have made more use of 4–3–3 and 4–2–3–1 formations.[47] Here thecentre forward may be involved more with the attacking build up play, supported by wingers (who oftencome infield) and attacking midfielders. The play uses more shorter, quick passes with movement off theball, looking to create an opening on goal.[49]

Second striker

The second striker (withdrawn striker or support striker) (historically called inside­left and inside­right,or inside forward) has a long history in the game, but the terminology to describe them has varied overthe years. Originally such players were termed inside forwards. More recently, the preferred terms havebeen withdrawn striker, second striker, or support striker, and are often referred to as playing "in thehole" (i.e. the space between the midfield and the defence of the opposing team). Second strikers tendnot to be as tall or as physically imposing as a centre forward.[50] They are required to be more "nippy"and skillful helping to create goals opportunities for centre forwards, utilising spaces created in theopposition's defence, picking up loose balls around the area or attempting to score themselves.[50]

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The position was initially developed by the famous Hungary national team of the late 1940s and mid­1950s led by Ferenc Puskás. Later, it was popularised in Italian football as the trequartista ("three­quarters"), the playmaker who plays neither in midfield nor as a forward, but effectively pulls the stringsfor his team's attack.[51] Many players in this position can play as an attacking midfielder or sometimeson the wing.

Whatever the terminology, the position itself is a loosely defined one somewhere between the out­and­out striker and the midfield. Such a player is either a skillful, attack­minded midfielder or a striker whocan both score and create opportunities for centre forwards. Attacking midfielders can also perform thisrole effectively.

Winger

A winger (left winger and right winger) (historically called outside­left and outside­right, or outsideforward) is an attacking player who is stationed in a wide position near the touchlines. They can beclassified as forwards, considering their origin as the old outside forward who played out on the "wing"(i.e. side of the pitch). They continue to be termed as such in many parts of the world, especially in Latinand Dutch footballing cultures. However, in the English­speaking world, they are usually counted as partof the midfield having been pushed back there with the advent of the 4–4–2 formation which graduallyrose to prominence in the 1960s, given the role additional defensive duties.[52] A winger's main attributeis usually speed which is used to attack and dribble past opponent's full­backs in order to get behind thedefence and to then deliver crosses and passes into the centre for their attackers.[53] Occasionally left andright footed wingers may swap sides of the field as a tactical move to enable the winger to cut insideagainst the opposing full­backs weaker foot, looking for a shooting opportunity or just as a means ofopening up the defence. Clubs such as Barcelona and Real Madrid often choose to play their wingers onthe 'wrong' flank for this reason.[52]

Although wingers are a familiar part of football, the use of wingers is by no means universal, and manysuccessful teams have operated without wingers. At the 1966 World Cup, England manager Alf Ramseyled a team without natural wingers to the title; this was unusual enough at the time for the team to benicknamed "The Wingless Wonders".[54] A more recent example is that of Italian club Milan, who havetypically played in a narrow midfield diamond formation or in a "Christmas tree" formation (4–3–2–1),relying on attacking full­backs to provide the necessary width down the wings.[55]

Player styles

Goalkeeper

Shot stopperA goalkeeper known as being very good at saving strikes on goal, many at point blank range. They areknown for having great reactions, an almost instinctive ability to anticipate where to position themselvesand to dive or spread themselves in order to effect a save, often from a shot that may look impossible toprevent going in. They can be recognized by a high saves to shots ratio.Sweeper KeeperWith the advent of the offside rule, the role of a sweeping defender or libero has become pretty muchobsolete. However, in the last decades it has become popular for goalkeepers to take that role instead. Asweeping goalkeeper is good at reading the game, and prevents scoring opportunities by clearing passesand crosses outside of the goal area without the use of his hands.

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Defensive

Attacking full­backAn attacking full­back (or wing­back) is a defender stationed on the flank with emphasis on attack aswell as defense. The name wing­back is a portmanteau of "winger" (see above) and "full­back". As therole combines that of the winger and the full­back, attacking full­backs need to be blessed with goodstamina. Where a teams fields three centre­backs, the attacking full­back is expected to concentrate moreon providing support for strikers than concentrating on their defensive duties.[56]

LiberoThe libero (Italian: free) or sweeper is a more versatile type of defender that "sweeps up" the ball if theopponent manages to breach the defensive line. Their position is rather more fluid than other defenderswho mark their designated opponents.[41] Sweepers are usually faster than that of the other players onthe team, and are built slightly smaller than the others. The sweeper's ability to read the game is evenmore vital than for a centre­back.[19] The catenaccio system of play, used in Italian football in the 1960s,notably employed a defensive libero.[20]

StopperStoppers are skilled defenders who rely on their strength, stamina and man marking abilities to be able tostop the opposition's attacking play by making strong tackles. They are usually uncompromising in theirtackling and would rather give away a foul than let an opposition player get past them with the ball.Stoppers usually play as centre­backs or could be a defensive midfielder playing in front of the defence.

Midfield

Ball winnerA ball winner is a player skilled at winning the ball back from the opposition through tackling andinterceptions in the midfield area of the pitch. They endeavour to break up the opposition's attackingplay by regaining possession. Ball winners are usually defensive midfielders or central midfielders butthis can also be an attribute of a defender.

Defensive midfielderDefensive midfielders are central midfield players that focus more on defence than attack. They needstrength to make strong tackles and they also need stamina and some degree of passing skill as they needto support other midfielders.

Creative midfielderCreative midfielders are midfield players that are able to create goal scoring opportunities for the teamoften in situations where nothing seems likely. They usually have good ball control, passing ability andmovement and will be blessed with vision and on­the­ball intelligence. They are usually attackingmidfielders, though second strikers, wingers and central midfielders can also be known as creativeplayers.

Box to boxBox to box midfielders help with almost every aspect of the game. They need immense stamina as theyneed to cover most areas of the pitch, as well as some degree of passing skills. They would be up oneend of the pitch assisting the attack one moment then back helping to defend around their own penaltyarea the next. They normally play as central midfielders but any of the midfield players may have thisattribute.

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Pulls wide right/leftThese are wide midfielders that have pace and/or dribbling ability to be able to beat defenders along theflank. The will have the habit of running wide whenever they get possession of the ball or when theirteam is attacking, to receive the ball. Their most important skill is to be able to cross the ball into thepenalty box to create opportunities for strikers. Sometimes strikers will pull right or left as a tactic todraw a defender out of position or to get into unmarked space.

PlaymakerPlaymakers are midfielders that controls the flow of attacking play, starting off attacking moves. Theyhave good passing ability and also good off­the­ball ability and vision to be able to read the game and tosee where goal­scoring opportunities may come from. Playmakers usually play as central midfielders orattacking midfielders, but some play as defensive midfielders (known as deep­lying playmakers).

Midfield generalA central midfield player who absolutely controls the midfield area, directing team play and breaking upthe opponent's attacks. They are known for having the biggest influence on their team's overallperformances, driving them forward to attack, putting sustained pressure on the opposition and leadingby example when the team is defending. They more often than not will be the team captain.

Attacking

DribblerDribblers are players known for their close ball control ability that is used to go past defenders bysudden change of direction and acceleration sometimes combined with great pace. The skill is used tocreate opportunities for other attackers or to score themselves having broken through the opposition'sdefence using what is sometimes referred to as "trickery". One of the great spectator sights in football isa player going on a "mazy run" with the ball, twisting and turning to avoid opposition tackles, beating anumber of players.

They usually play as wingers, secondary strikers or attacking midfielders, but in some cases, a centreforward may also have these skills.

Counter attackerCounter attackers are any attacking player that uses their pace to beat defenders and cause unexpectedscoring opportunities at any time. They also need some degree of shooting skill. Counter attackingopportunities occur when the opposition are themselves attacking a team with most of their playersforward. A counterattack happens when the ball is won back and is quickly played into space for acounterattacking player to run onto or where a player takes the ball themselves and runs with pace into asparsely defended opposition half.

Clinical finisherClinical finishers are forwards that specialise in their accurate shooting ability. They are "clinical" in thatthey need few opportunities to score a goal being able to strike and place the ball exactly where it willbeat the goalkeeper. They can be identified by their high goal to shots ratio. Clinical strikers usually playas centre forwards though other attacking players can often be said to be clinical finishers.

Target manTarget men are forwards that generally have a high degree of physical strength and are usually tall inheight. They are able to make space, score goals, or hold up play with the ball waiting for support nomatter how much pressure defenders are putting on them. They specialise in taking and controlling theball in the air or along the ground often from long passes, strength to hold off defenders when receiving

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long passes and sometimes volleying the ball. The term "target" refers to the fact that other team playerswill use them to play long balls or crosses to even though they may be surrounded by oppositiondefenders. The role is unique to centre forwards.

Goal poacherGoal poachers are forwards who wait in the six­yard box or the penalty area for a cross, pass or looseball and pounce to try to score a goal. Their "poaching" refers to the fact that they will often score a goalout of the slightest of opportunities i.e. steal a goal. Goal poachers usually play as centre forwards orsecond strikers.

False nineA false nine is a player who appears to be playing as a centre­forward (traditionally a number nine shirt),but drops deeps or pulls wide disrupting the opposing team's marking. Usually the centre forward will bemarked by one of the centre­backs but the false nine will often move away into a grey area causing adilemma on whether the centre­back follows, isolating them from the other centre­back or stays wherethey are, making themselves redundant.[51]

Tactical evolution

1–2–7 formationIn the sport's early days, football was very much focused on attack and, as such, many teams (e.g. RoyalEngineers, 1872) played with a 1–2–7 formation (one defender, two mid­fielders and seven attackers).The single defender was known as the three­quarter­back, and he was supported in part by two half­backs from mid­field who would be in charge of orchestrating the game with short passing. Up front, theseven forwards were split into four wing forwards and three centre forwards. The wingers' main task wasto use their pace to pick up on the long balls sent forward by the half­ and three­quarter­backs, whereasthe centre forwards were charged with taking the short passes from the half­backs.

2–3–5 formationIn order to combat the short­passing threat, the championship­winning Preston North End side of 1888devised a more defensive 2–3–5 formation (two defenders, three mid­fielders and five attackers), whichwould become the standard formation for many teams for the best part of the next 40 years. One of thehalf­backs was brought back into defence, which sat deeper than before, making the two defenders full­backs as opposed to three­quarter­backs. Their main job was to mark the opposition's inside forwardsand cut out the short passes in mid­field. Furthermore, two forwards were brought back into midfield ashalf­backs to mark the opposition wingers and negate the pace threat. The remaining half­back became acentre­half, who would patrol the field, drifting from defence to attack as he saw fit. This left twowingers up front (outside­right and outside­left), along with two inside­forwards (inside­right and inside­left) and a centre­forward.

W­M formationUp until this point, for an attacking player to be onside, there had to be at least three opposing playerscloser to their goal­line than the attacker. In the 1920s, the offside rule was changed so that only twoopposing players were required between the attacker and the goal­line for the attacker to still be onside.This made it easier for attackers to score against the two­man defences of the day. To combat this,Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman devised a system that utilised three defenders as opposed to theusual two. This system was complemented by a strict man­marking regime, whereby the centre­back –who had now retreated to the centre of the three man defence – would stick as close to the opposingcentre­forward as possible, while the full­backs – who had moved further wide to accommodate thecentre­back – would mark the wingers. This left two mid­fielders in a slightly less advanced positionthan before to act as wing­halves who would have the dual responsibility of loosely marking the inside

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forwards and providing the forwards with the ball. This was helped by the slight withdrawal of the insideforwards from the front line. Chapman's formation was referred to as the W–M formation due to itsappearance on the field with all the players in their described positions.

Hungarian M­U formationA variation of the W–M formation was the M–U formation used to great effect by the Hungary nationalteam against England in 1953, when they became the first non­British side to beat England at the oldWembley Stadium. This formation was so­called because of the deep­lying centre­forward NándorHidegkuti, used to draw the opposition centre­back out of position, leaving plenty of space between thefull­backs for the inside­forwards Ferenc Puskás and Sándor Kocsis to exploit.

Flat back fourIn 1958, the Brazil national team won their first of five World Cups to date thanks to the "flat back four"system they had developed to counter the Hungarians' M–U. Two centre­backs would mark the inside­forwards' runs from deep, while the wider full­backs would not only cut out the threat of the opposingwingers but also provide width on the counter­attack. The relative lack of numbers in the middle of thepark meant a creative presence was required, and for the Brazilians, that presence was provided in theform of their dazzling midfielder Didi. Also in Mario Zagallo they had a left winger years ahead of histime, proficient at funnelling back and helping out the midfield when the team lost possession.

4–3–3 formationBy 1962, the Brazilian 4–2–4 formation evolved into an asymmetrical 4–3–3, with Mario Zagallo nowplaying as a left wide midfielder instead of a left defensive outside forward/winger.

Italian Catenaccio systemThe advent of the Italian "Catenaccio" (bolt) system came soon after, and was a more defensive variationon the Brazilians' 4–2–4 system. Two forwards were withdrawn to leave just two up front, and an extramidfielder was added to bolster the midfield. However, the major tactical innovation with this formationwas the floating sweeper, often referred to in Italian as a "libero", or "free man". While the four maindefenders would have the task of strict man­marking the opposition forwards, the libero would act as asponge, mopping up any attacks that might happen to get through the tight defence. Franz Beckenbauerof Bayern Munich gave the position a more attacking role and played a major part as captain of the WestGermany national side that won the World Cup in 1974 and came third in 1970.

4–4–2 formationMeanwhile in the United Kingdom the 4–4–2 formation rose to prominence in the 1960s. The Englishalso developed a tactical formation that looked like a 4–4–2 (more accurately 4–1–3–2) but switched to4–2–4 or 4–3–3 depending on how they attacked. The flat back four that had become so popularremained intact, but the midfield was a free­flowing unit with players given license to attack as thescenario saw fit. In defence, using the 1966 World Cup side as an example, Martin Peters, BobbyCharlton and Alan Ball would all stay back to counter the opposition attack. However, in attack they hadtwo options: Peters and Ball could charge forward, creating problems for the opposition out wide withtheir pace and crossing ability, creating either a 4–2–4 formation or a 3–3–4 formation when one of thefull­backs pushed forward; or Charlton could burst through the middle of the strike partnership of RogerHunt and Geoff Hurst and overload the centre of the opposition defence in a 4–3–3, providing either anextra man in the box or an effective long­shot alternative. The unsung hero of Alf Ramsey's Englandside was Nobby Stiles, who was the midfield linchpin, whom the team relied on in defence whenCharlton surged forward in support of the strikers.

Dutch "Total Football"The 1970s saw the coming of the Dutch "Total Football" scheme. While not burdened with a specific,rigid formation, the system relied on extremely versatile players who were able to fill in at any position

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the circumstances of the game required them to. One such player was the legendary Johan Cruyff, whoepitomised the Total Football ideology by being able to play in almost every outfield position. A majorcriticism of this style of play was that, for the Dutch national side, it never yielded a major trophy,though it did help them to reach two consecutive World Cup finals (1974 and 1978). The argument issomewhat negated by the fact that the Ajax side that Cruijff played in won three consecutive EuropeanCup titles in the early to mid­1970s.

3–5–2 formationAt the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Argentina's Carlos Bilardo unveiled a 3–5–2 formation (or perhaps, moreprecisely, 3–5–1–1), as his playmaker, Diego Maradona, also operated a as second striker playing in the"hole".

4–4–2 variationThe last major tactical evolution occurred in the late 1980s/early 1990s, when the Milan side played witha variation on the 4–4–2 formation. This formation relied extensively on the four defenders' ability towork as a unit in order to spring the offside trap on slower attackers, as well as the stamina of themidfielders who would be expected to pressure the opposition as soon as they gained possession of theball. In attack, the team would play short passes within the midfield, using their crisp passing anddynamic movement to open up holes in the defence and create attacking opportunities.

4–2–3–1 formationThe 2010 World Cup confirmed a general shift toward a broadly counter­attacking, reactive 4–2–3–1formation by the tournament's more successful teams.[57] Indeed, of the four semi­finalists in thattournament, all but Uruguay employed some variation of this tactic. This shape tends to utilise fluidmovement between the four wing players, with full­backs expected to provide plenty of support to thewingers in front of them. Following the World Cup, most of the world's major leagues have seen thistactic being used by an increasing number of teams.

5–3–2 formationA formation used by most Italian teams, that became a popular choice among the teams that participatedin the 2014 World Cup. Louis van Gaal's Holland and Miguel Herrera's Mexico were among the WorldCup teams that used some variation of the 5–3–2 formation.

See also

Football tactics and skills

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