Midfield Positions

Midfielders are players whose position of play is midway between the attacking strikers and the defenders. Their main duties are to maintain possession of the ball, taking the ball from defenders and feeding it to the strikers, as well as dispossessing opposing players. Most managers field at least one central midfielder with a marked task of breaking up opposition's attacks while 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 into defence or required to attack with the strikers.

Centre Midfield (CM)

Central midfielders play several roles on the field of play, depending on their particular strengths and weaknesses and the tactics of the team. They are the link between defence and attack, and must also defend when the opposition are in possession. Their central position enables them to have an all-round view of the match, and as most of the action takes place in and around their area of the pitch, midfielders often exert the greatest degree of control over how a match is played.

Steven Gerrard, Michael Essien, and Michael Ballack are good examples of central midfielders. All are capable of playing from "box to box" and as the norm rather than the exception, use their strength, their passing ability, and their work rate to affect their team's game play. This section of the field is often known as a team's "engine room".

Defensive Midfielder (DM)

A defensive midfielder or holding midfielder is a central midfielder who is stationed in front of the back defenders for defensive reasons, thus "holding back" the freedom of the opponents to attack. This specialist midfielder's responsibilities are to tackle the ball away from the opposing team's attackers and midfielders and to safely distribute it to more attacking-minded players. Not only do the players protect their team's defence, they also give their fellow midfielders a license to play with more attacking flair without the worry of defensive work.

The defensive midfielder position is also referred to in Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese as volante ("rudder"). Good examples of this player are; Esteban Cambiasso, Owen Hargreaves, former Brazil international Dunga, David Albelda, Gennaro Gattuso, Gilberto Silva, Emerson and Claude Makélélé.

Some defensive midfielders are called deep-lying playmakers, due to their ability to dictate tempo from a deep position with their passing. Most often, due to their lack of defensive abilities, they have to be supported by a more defensive holding midfielder. Some of the notable deep-lying playmakers include Andrea Pirlo, Xavi, Michael Carrick and Xabi Alonso.

Attacking Midfielder (AM)

A attacking midfielder is a central midfielder who is stationed in an advanced midfield position, usually behind the strikers. 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 to describe the positioning of deep-lying centre-forwards. This specialist midfielder's main role is to create goal-scoring opportunities using superior vision and skill. The attacking midfielder is an important position and requires the player to possess superior technical abilities in terms of passing and most importantly the ability to read the opposing defence in order to deliver defence-splitting passes to the strikers.

Attacking midfielders are playmakers, known for their deft touch, ability to shoot from range, and passing prowess. Oftentimes, a team is constructed as to allow their attacking midfielder to roam free and create as the situation demands. Some notable attacking midfielders include Juan Román Riquelme, Kaká, Pablo Aimar, Rafael van der Vaart, Lionel Messi, Frank Lampard, and the epitome of this position, players like, Bobby Charlton, Zico, Sócrates, Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane, and Gheorghe Hagi.

Side Midfielders (LM/RM)

A side midfielder is placed at left or right of the midfield and expected to support the full back and assist. David Beckham is probably the most famous example of a side midfielder, recognised as an expert crosser for Real Madrid. Side midfielders are often skilful dribblers, using the benefit of the byline to beat players. They also play with versatility, capable of playing as wing back or as wingers, supporting the attack.The side midfielders must work up and down the line and create attacking moves and help the full back

Winger (LW/RW)

Similar to a side midfielder but with fewer defensive duties, a winger is an attacking midfielder who is stationed in a wide position effectively hugging the touchline. Wingers used to be classified as forwards in traditional W-shaped formations, but as tactics evolved over the last 30 years, wingers have dropped to deeper field positions. Modern wingers are now usually classified as part of the midfield, usually in 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 formations. It is a winger's duty to beat opposing fullbacks and to deliver cut-backs and crosses from wide positions. They are usually some of the most technically gifted players in the team and usually have very good dribbling skills as well as good pace.

Years ago, wingers were more highly prized, but their importance has dwindled throughout the years. In the 1966 World Cup for example, England manager Alf Ramsey led a team without natural wingers to championship. This was unusual enough at the time for the team to be nicknamed "The Wingless Wonders."

Examples of wingers are Luís Figo, Joaquín, Marc Overmars, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Quaresma, Vicente, Arjen Robben and Ryan Giggs.

Strikers/Forwards

Strikers or forwards are the players on a team in the row nearest to the opposing team's goal (note: the term attacker is also sometimes used to describe strikers/forwards but is now more commonly used to describe any player on the team currently in possession of the ball). The primary responsibility of strikers/forwards is to score goals. Good examples of strikers are noted for their fantastic goal scoring ability. Other duties can include setting up goals for other players (usually another forward, but sometimes midfielders as well) and holding the ball up so that other players may join the attack. Modern player formations include between one and three strikers; two is most common, as in the 4-4-2 formation. Because they score more goals than other players, forwards are often among the best-known and most expensive players on their teams.

Centre Forward (CF)

The centre forward, has one main task: to score goals. Coaches will often field one striker who plays over the shoulder of the last opposing defender and another attacking forward who plays somewhat deeper and assists in creating goals as well as scoring. The former is usually a large striker, typically known as a "target man," who is used either to distract opposing defenders to help teammates score, or to score himself; the latter is usually of quicker pace. In other cases, strikers will operate on the wings of the field and work their way goalward. Yet another variation is the replacement of the target man with a striker who can thread through balls.

Players who specialise in playing as a target are usually of above-average height, with good heading ability and an accurate shot. They tend to be the "outlet" player for both midfielders and defenders, able to hold the ball up and allow other players time to enter the game. They tend to score goals from crosses, often with the head, and can use their body strength to shield the ball while turning to score. Didier Drogba, Alan Shearer, Luca Toni, David Trezeguet, and Adriano are some examples.

Other forwards may rely on their pace to run onto long balls passed over or through the opposition defence, rather than collecting the ball with their back to goal like a target man. Some forwards can play both of these roles equally well, for example players such as Thierry Henry or past players Eusébio, Gerd Müller, Marco van Basten and to a certain extent Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Striker (S)

It should be noted that there is a difference between a centre forward and a striker and these two roles are easily confused, although they do share similarities. A striker is better known for making runs to beat defenders, trying to beat the offside trap and playing close to the goal area. They are typically recognised as quick, with good reaction speed and given few defensive responsibilites. Examples of these are Samuel Eto'o, Obafemi Martins, Henrik Larsson, Michael Owen and David Villa. This contrasts with the centre forward's different style of holding up play and leading the front line.

Deep-Lying Forwards (SS)

Deep-lying forwards have a long history in the game, but the terminology to describe them has varied over the years. Originally such players were termed inside forwards, or deep-lying centre forwards. More recently, the preferred terms have been "withdrawn striker", "Second Striker" or playing "in the hole" (i.e., the space between the midfield and defence of the opposing team). The position itself was popularized in Italian football as the Trequartista - 'three-quarters' - the playmaker who plays neither in midfield nor as a forward, but effectively pulls the strings for his team's attack. Many players in this position can play as an attacking midfielder or sometimes winger.These players usually stay on the last man so they can beat him for pace.

Whatever the terminology, the position itself is a loosely-defined one somewhere between the out-and-out striker and the midfield. Such a player is either a skilful, attack-minded midfielder or a striker who can both score and create opportunities for centre forwards. Widely-known deep-lying forwards include Rivaldo, Pelé, Dennis Bergkamp, Alessandro Del Piero, Roberto Baggio, Raúl González, Wayne Rooney and Gianfranco Zola. Many midfielders have also been employed in this area by club and country, such as Zinedine Zidane, and Francesco Totti.

Source: Wikipedia