What are the different field positions in football?

Midfield:

Defensive midfielder – Holding and Deep-lying Playmaker

The defensive midfielder’s primary task is to break down attacks

As the name suggests. a defensive midfielder’s primary role is to intercept oppositions attacks before they reach the defenders. They are stationed centrally in front of the defence and require a combination of high work-rate to constantly snuff out attacks, strength, expert reading of the game and good tackling ability. Generally, a team plays one defensive midfielder and they are also called holding midfielders because they “hold back” when the rest of the midfield joins the attack.

Claude Makelele: The man to have a position named after him

Some of the best players in this role are Claude Makelele for Chelsea and France who owned the role to such an extent that it is now called the “Makelele role”, Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets and N’Golo Kante at Leicester City last season.

A variation of the defensive midfield role exists called the deep-lying playmaker or Regista where the player possesses exceptional vision and range of passing to put cross-field passes for his attack and basically act as a fulcrum for the team’s forward forays. Andrea Pirlo and Bayern Munich’s Xabi Alonso are two of the best players in the role.

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Central midfielder

The central midfield role in the modern game requires high work-rate

The all-action role in the team, positioned at the centre of the pitch and requiring a combination of defensive and attacking attributes, the central midfield role is the link between the defence and the attack. They receive the ball from the defence and take it along to the attack, either through passes, crosses and even scoring goals when the opportunity arises. Thus, high work-rate, strong tePopularisedlity and immense stamina are required to succeed in the role.

Gerrard – one of best central midfielders of his generation

They are generally present in formations that have two central midfielders such as 4-2-3-1 and their defensive ability is just as important as there is no defensive midfielder in this formation. Given the all-round game these players possess, they are also called box-to-box midfielders as they run from their penalty box to the opponents’ for the entire 90 minutes.

Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard, world’s most expensive player Paul Pogba, Real Madrid’s Luka Modric and Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan are some of the best players in the position.