Introduction: What are different Football Positions?
Imagine a field, now put 22 players on it and ask them to chase a ball. It could be football if different positions in football didn’t exist. Football is a team sport and just like any other team sport each individual has some roles and responsibilities.
Today I will tell you about all the different football positions and their associated roles and responsibilities. In Football, the Position of a player tells a lot about the player profile and the type of responsibilities he carries on the pitch, To understand the positions we first need to learn about the Formations.
Table of Contents
Formations
Formation is a huge topic in itself, I will try to explain it as a whole in some other blog till then formation is how a team sets up during a game. Although a team will not stay in the same formation throughout the match, they will keep changing their structure and players will keep rotating their positions.
How to understand a formation?
To understand a formation start looking at how the team has set up from the back, first is the Goalkeeper, The last line of Defense, while counting the formation goalkeepers are not counted as they are considered to be present in the game. Then there is the Defense Line, the number of players standing in the defense line is the number of defenders of a team. Most teams like to defend with 4 players and some like to defend with 3, you would usually see 4 defenders in a 4-4-2 formation or a 4-3-3 formation. When a team is defending with 3 defenders they usually set up in 3-4-3 formation.
In front of the defense line plays the midfielders, they are the heart of the team. Midfielders control the tempo of the game and dictate the game. Finally the Attack line, their sole responsibility is to score goals for the team. Some teams prefer playing with just 2 attackers while some use 3 the difference it makes can be differentiated by their positions. Let’s study different positions in details.
Goalkeeper(GK)
A goalkeeper as his name sounds his sole responsibility is to stop the ball from going inside the net. He is the only player on the pitch who is allowed to use his hands in a certain area of the pitch. A goalkeeper is also called a shot-stopper but as the game is changing, goalkeepers are adapting in a new role, a Sweeper Keeper.
Unlike a traditional keeper, a sweeper keeper is good with his hands as well as his feet. He can make long passes and can combine with the defenders in the build-up phase of the game.
You will usually see a goalkeeper wearing a Number 1 on his back. Some of the most popular and greatest goalkeepers of all them are Iker Casillas(Real Madrid/Spain), Gianluigi Buffon(Juventus/Italy), Emiliano Martínez(Aston Villa/Argentina).
Full Backs(RB/LB)
The full-back is a wide defender in a back line of four who, as well as defending the wide areas, is also responsible for joining attacks and creating chances. This is done primarily through forward runs that either overlap or underlap a winger or wide-midfield teammate. The modern full-back’s duties are at both ends of the pitch; they must support attacks and defend in almost equal measure.
A few examples of full-backs are Trent Alexander-Arnold(Liverpool/England), Dani Carjaval(Real Madrid/Spain), Roberto Carlos(Real Madrid/Brazil).
Center Backs(CB)
A center-back’s only job is to prevent the opposition attackers from creating chances and not letting them score. They have a big responsibility to protect the goal. A center back is usually associated with the number 3 or 4 on his back. A defender has different roles and responsibilities according:
Stopper
A stopper is a no-nonsense defender who dives into crazy tackles and sometimes commits technical fouls to stop the opposition from scoring. Some great examples of stoppers are Pepe(Real Madrid/Portugal), Carles Puyol(Barcelona/Spain), Rio Ferdinand(Manchester United/England).
Ball-Playing Defender
A ball-playing defender is a player with a good amount of technical abilities and is good with the ball at his feet. He is crucial during the build-up phase and usually carries the ball from defense to midfield. He poses all the qualities of a stopper but he also has the ability to start the counterattack by pinging the long balls straight to the attackers.
Some great examples of a Ball-Playing Defender are Sergio Ramos(Real Madrid/Spain), Ronald Araujo(Barcelona/Uruguay), Virgil van Dijk(Liverpool/Netherlands).
Libero/Sweeper
The sweeper (or libero) is a more versatile center-back who “sweeps up” the ball if an opponent manages to breach the defensive line. This position is rather more fluid than that of other defenders who man-mark their designated opponents. It is close to an extinct position in football you will not see a libero in the modern game where getting out of your position can get you punished.
A few examples of libero are Franz Beckenbauer(FC Bayern Munich/Germany).
Midfielders(MF)
A midfielder is the heart of the team because they connect the defense and the attack. They keep hold of the ball and try to create chances for attackers. They are constantly moving and creating spaces, often controlling the tempo of the game and dictating the flow of the game. Midfielders have the most number of roles and responsibilities in a game:
Ball Winning Midfielder
Often associated with a Defensive Midfielder, a Ball Winning Midfielder disrupts opposition build-up and breaks their attacks. He is a midfielder with more defensive responsibilities rather than attacking. You would often see these midfielders making tackles and disrupting the play, sometimes even committing fouls to stop the opposition from attacking.
A few example of ball winning midfielders are Gavi(Barcelona/Spain), Aurélien Tchouaméni(Real Madrid/France), Casemiro(Real Madrid/Brazil)
Deep-Lying Playmaker
The Deep-Lying Playmaker(or Regista) is essentially a central midfielder who sits in a deeper position, in front of the two center backs, and is known for their ability to start attacking movements and keep possession. Deep-lying playmakers are often known for their vision, technique, and passing.
A Deep Lying Playmaker is also known as a Dictator or an Orchestrater, as he operates from a deep position, in or even behind the main midfield line in a seemingly central or defensive midfield role, where they can use space and time on the ball to dictate the tempo of their team’s play and orchestrate the moves of the whole team, not just attacks on goal.
A few good examples of Deep Lying Playmakers are Andrea Pirlo(AC Milan/Italy) by whom the name of the blog is inspired, Toni Kroos(Real Madrid/Germany), and Xabi Alonso(Liverpool/Spain). I can keep talking about them all-day.
Box-to-Box Midfielders
A Box-to-Box Midfielder is the engine of the team they act as an extra man in attack if needed and also contribute defensively. They drop back to help out in defensive situations, intercepting, tackling, and blocking the ball, and as soon they win it, they’re expected to progress the ball forward and mount attacks.
Ball-carrying, dribbling, and passing are essential in these transitional moments. What’s more, box-to-box midfielders also need to be potent in the opposition penalty area.
Some Examples of Box-to-Box Midfielders are Federico Valverde(Real Madrid/ Uruguay), Frank Lampard(Chelsea/England), İlkay Gündoğan(Manchester City/Germany).
Holding Midfielders
A holding midfielder stays close to their team’s defense, while other midfielders may move forward to attack. 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.
A few Examples of Holding Midfielders are Rodri(Manchester City/Spain) and Sergio Busquets(Barcelona/Spain).
Wide Midfielders
They are positioned closer to the touchlines of the pitch. They may be asked to cross 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.
Don’t confuse wide midfielders for Wingers, cause, unlike wingers they contribute to the defense too. Some of the examples of Wide Midfielder are David Beckham (Manchester United/England).
Playmakers
A playmaker is the most creative player on the pitch, the player who often provides the final pass before the goal is a playmaker. They are more involved in the attacking phase of the game their key attributes are vision, technique, ball control, creativity and passing ability.
A few examples of playmakers are Luka Modric(Real Madrid/Croatia), Dani Olmo(Barcelona/Spain), Bruno Fernandes(Manchester United/Portugal).
Advance Playmakers
The most complete and versatile playmakers are often known as advanced playmakers, or free-role playmakers, as they can operate both in central, attacking midfield positions, and in wider positions on the wings. The attacking playmakers are sometimes called the “number 10” of the team, as they often wear the number 10 jersey.
The attacking midfield playmaker will sit in a free role between the midfield and the forwards, either in the center of the pitch or on either flank. These offensive playmakers will often make incisive passes to the wingers or forwards, seeing them through on goal or to deliver killer crosses, as well as scoring goals themselves.
Some of great example of the number 10 are Lionel Messi(Barcelona/Argentina), Zinedine Zidane(Real Madrid/France), Diego Maradona(Napoli/Argentina).
Attackers
Finally, the attackers are the players usually responsible for scoring the goals and getting the spotlight. Attackers don’t usually have any sort of defensive duties, most of their responsibilities include linking up with teammates, getting past the defender and scoring the goals. The different types of attackers are:
Second Striker or Shadow Striker(SS)
A Second Striker, a Deep-lying forward or a sub-forward is a striker whose roles is to create chances and scoring opportunities for the other/main striker in their team. Second strikers usually play just in behind the main striker.
A second striker is usually able to dribble and pass the ball very well. Depending on the abilities of the main striker, the second strikers are able to cover the weaknesses of the main strikers. For example, if the main striker is not good enough at header, usually a second striker who is good at header is positioned behind him to cover the issue.
A few examples of Second Striker are Roberto Firmino(Liverpool/Brazil), Paulo Dybala(Juventus/Argentina), Antoine Griezmann(Atletico de Madrid/France).
Wingers(RW/LW)
A winger is an offensive player located in a wide position near the touchlines. It is a winger’s duty to beat opposing full-backs, deliver cut-backs or crosses from wide positions and, to a lesser extent, to beat defenders and score from close range. They are usually some of the quickest players in the team and usually have good dribbling skills as well.
A few examples of world class wingers are Vinicius Jr.(Real Madrid/Brazil), Neymar Jr.(Barcelona/Brazil), Mohamed Salah(Liverpool/Egypt), Lamine Yamal(Barcelona/Spain).
Strikers(ST)
A player whose main purpose is to score rather than to prevent another team from scoring. Strikers have it’s own subtypes but let’s not dive deeper.
A few of the greatest strikers are: Robert Lewandowski(FC Bayern Munich/Poland), Erling Haaland(Manchester City/Norway), Karim Benzema(Real Madrid/France), Harry Kane(Spurs/England).
Conclusion
That concludes the different positions in football, I haven’t covered the Wingback position. I will be talking about that in the next blog where we will be discussing the different formations and how these positions are associated with different formations.
Till then let me know if I missed any position and tell me your favorite player in the positions they play. Read How Haaland can break Ronaldo’s Most goals scored in UCL record here.
