Midfielder

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 term box-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 are Lothar Matthäus, Clarence Seedorf, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Steven Gerrard, Johan Neeskens, Sócrates, Yaya Touré, Park Ji-sung, Patrick Vieira, Frank Lampard, Bryan Robson and Roy Keane.[10]

In Italian football, the term mezzala (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 an inside forward in the WM and Metodo 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]

The number 8 generally, refers to the heartbeat of the team, like a box-to-box midfielder, having both offensive and defensive duties, but their main role to control the tempo of the game. For example, Xavi was the Number 8 in the Spanish National team during its highly successful period between 2008–2013; in this role, he could act as a double pivot or controller in a box midfield, and in a positional play system. The tiki-taka era of the Spanish national team was where the "Number 8" thrived. These midfielders require a sense of 'what' and 'when,' depending on the phase of buildup, opponent, and the team's style of play. For example, under a manager such as José Mourinho, the number 8's role would be to speed up play, so that the offensive transition is quick and hard to catch up, and would generally be played as a wide midfielder; however under a manager such as Pep Guardiola, Vicente del Bosque, Johan Cruyff, or Zinedine Zidane, the number 8 would be played as a deeper or more central midfielder whose job is to slow down play, hold and pass, or create small breaches to open more passes. Examples under these managers would be Xavi, Guardiola himself during his playing careere, and Luka Modrić, respectively.

A wide midfielder, David Beckham was lauded for his range of passing, vision, crossing ability and bending 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 whilst they play a lot of crosses in the box for forwards. 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.[17]

Common modern formations that include left and right midfielders are the 4−4−2, the 4−4−1−1, the 4–2–3–1 and the 4−5−1 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 are David Beckham and Ryan Giggs.[20]

In Italian football, the role of the wide midfielder is known as tornante di centrocampo or simply tornante ("returning"); it originated from the role of an outside 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 of wing-half (not to be confused with mezzala) 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 as full-backs.[23][24]

Yaya Touré, pictured playing for the Ivory 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's defence, 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 the 4–2–3–1 and 4–4–2 diamond formations.[32]

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 or regista (see below). Early examples of a destroyer are Obdulio Varela, Nobby Stiles, Herbert Wimmer, Marco Tardelli, while later examples include Claude Makélélé, Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busquets, although several of these players also possessed qualities of other types of midfielders, and were therefore not confined to a single role. Early examples of a creator would be Gérson, Glenn Hoddle, and Sunday Oliseh, while more recent examples are Xabi Alonso, Michael Carrick and Keira Walsh.

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 are Clarence Seedorf and Bastian Schweinsteiger, while Sami Khedira and Fernandinho are destroyers with carrying tendencies. Luka Modrić is a carrier with several qualities of the regista, and Yaya 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 under Antonio Conte at Chelsea.

Italian deep-lying playmaker Andrea 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 specializes in ball skills such as passing, rather than defensive skills like tackling.[34] 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 a centre forward or winger, or even pass short to a teammate in the hole, the area between the opponents' defenders and midfielders.[34][35][36] In Italy, the deep-lying playmaker is known as a regista,[37] whereas in Brazil, it is known as a "meia-armador".[38] In Italy, the role of the regista developed from the centre half-back or centromediano metodista position in Vittorio Pozzo's metodo system (a precursor of the central or holding midfield position in the 2–3–2–3 formation), as the metodista's responsibilities were not entirely defensive but also creative; as such, the metodista was not solely tasked with breaking down possession, but also with starting attacking plays after winning back the ball.[39]

Writer Jonathan Wilson instead described Xabi 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 or regista, 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 – that dedicated defensive role in the centre is still commonly referred to as a "centre-half" as a legacy of its origins.[40] In Italian football jargon, this position was known as the centromediano metodista or metodista, as it became an increasingly important role in Vittorio Pozzo's metodo 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.[39]

Italian offensive playmaker Francesco Totti in action for Roma in 2013

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 and dribbling, 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 to create good shooting and goal-scoring opportunities using superior vision, control, and technical skill, by making crosses, through balls, and headed knockdowns to teammates. They may try to set up shooting opportunities for themselves by dribbling or performing a give-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. an Advanced playmaker, is regularly utilized, they are commonly the team's star player, and often wear the number 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,[42] in Spain, the offensive playmaker is known as the "Mediapunta, in Brazil, the offensive playmaker is known as the "meia atacante",[38] whereas in Argentina and Uruguay, it is known as the "enganche".[46] Some examples of the advanced playmaker would be Zico, Francesco Totti, Kevin De Bruyne, and Martin Ødegaard.

There are also some examples of more flexible advanced playmakers, such as Zinedine Zidane, Rui Costa, Andrés Iniesta, Juan Riquelme, David Silva, and Nécib. These players could control the tempo of the game in deeper areas of the pitch while also being able to push forward and play line-breaking through balls.[47][48][49][50][51]

Mesut Özil can be considered as a classic 10 who adopted a slightly more direct approach and specialised in playing the final ball.

The false attacking midfielder description has been used in Italian 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 false-attacking midfielder will eventually sit in a central midfield role and function as a deep-lying playmaker. The false-attacking midfielder 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.[52] 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.[53]

Advanced playmaker Mesut Özil was used as a false 10 with Germany during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The "false 10" or "central winger"[54] is a type of midfielder, which differs from the false-attacking midfielder. 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.[55]

Lionel Messi is regarded as the Greatest False 9 of All Time.

A false nine is an attacking player who is stationed high up the pitch but has the freedom to roam around and drop back into deeper positions to receive the ball and link up play. These players tend to operate primarily in central areas, somewhere between centre-forward and central attacking midfield. It is thought that the false nine was first used by English football club Corinthians in the late 1890s, when centre-forward G.O. Smith preferred to supply the wingers with through balls and create for others. This was a shift from staying as high as possible, as was customary for a striker.[56] The term "false nine" has however only been used in more modern times.[57]

The false nine rose to popularity during Pep Guardiola's highly successful tenure as the head coach of Barcelona, a spell in which he won multiple Champions League and La Liga titles. During this period, he achieved great success by moving Argentine attacker Lionel Messi from the right wing to the center. Leaving the team with no traditional striker, Messi played as a false nine, responsible for scoring and creating in equal measure.[58]

Another notable example of playing without a striker using a false nine up front is Spain during Euro 2012. Cesc Fabregas adeptly assumed the false nine role in the majority of Spain's games, including the final against Italy, thereby guiding the country to secure their second consecutive Euro title.[59]

More Notable examples include, Francesco Totti, Roberto Firmino, and Johan Cruyff.

Coined the term in 2011, referred to as the greatest to play the Raumdeuter role.

USWNT midfielder Megan 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 their footedness, with right-footed players on the right and left-footed players on the left.[68] This assumes that assigning a player to their natural side ensures a more powerful cross as well as greater ball protection along the touch-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.[69]

As opposed to traditionally pulling the opponent's full-back out and down the flanks before crossing the ball in near the by-line, positioning a winger on the opposite side of the field allows the player to cut-in around the 18-yard box, either threading passes between defenders or shooting on goal using the dominant foot.[70] 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,[71] such as the left-footed right winger Domenico Berardi of Sassuolo who achieved 30 career goals faster than any player in the past half-century of Serie A football.[72] 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 and wing-backs route towards the goal, ultimately creating more scoring opportunities.[73]

Although naturally left-footed Arjen 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.

Other midfielders within this tactical archetype include Lionel Messi[74] and Eden Hazard,[75] as well as Megan Rapinoe of the USWNT.[76] Clubs such as Real Madrid often choose to play their wingers on the "wrong" flank for this reason; former Real Madrid coach José Mourinho often played Ángel Di María on the right and Cristiano Ronaldo on the left.[77][78][79] Former Bayern Munich manager Jupp Heynckes often played the left-footed Arjen Robben on the right and the right-footed Franck Ribéry on the left.[80][81] One of the foremost practitioners of playing from either flank was German winger Jürgen Grabowski, whose flexibility helped Germany to third place in the 1970 World Cup, and the world title in 1974.

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 a striker.[82][83][84][85][86]

This role is somewhat comparable to what is known as the raumdeuter role in German football jargon (literally "space interpreter"), as exemplified by Thomas Müller, as well as Dele Alli and Tim 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.[66][87]

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".[88][89][90][91][92][93][94]