Soccer midfielders serve as central links in a chain between the defense and the forwards. The exact job of a midfielder in soccer depends on your assignment within the midfield and your team's playing formation. Mastery of the midfield can make you resemble Barcelona's fearsome fivesome of Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez in the middle, Sergio Busquets as defensive midfielder, and Pedro Rodriguez and David Villa playing wide on the wings and often roaming up the field to act as de facto forwards.
Attacking Midfielder
The attacking midfielder essentially acts as quarterback for the team, with a quarterback's leadership and offensive coordination responsibilities as well as 360-degree vision. This midfielder needs to know what is going on behind him, as a turnover will likely come his way for distribution laterally or forward. Usually the player with the most well-rounded talents gains this position and its associated No. 10 jersey. He may demand the ball from defenders with two open palms or a finger pointed to the ground. Or he may roam nearer to the goal, "making runs into spaces created by the forwards in order to penetrate and score," writes Jacob Daniel, Georgia Soccer's director of coaching, in "The Complete Guide to Coaching Soccer Systems and Tactics."
Defensive Midfielder
If the attacking midfielder is the quarterback, the defensive midfielder, who plays in the middle of the field but a bit farther back, is something of a firefighter, designated to stomp out problems before they flare out of control. The defensive midfielder occupies the territory in front of the defensive line of typically four players in a 4-4-2 formation. He roams from one side of the field to the other, always near dangerous balls, trying to win any loose balls and snuff out an attack, Daniel notes.
Wide Midfielders
A team's two wide midfielders, as the name suggests, occupy the right and left wings of the field. They often romp up and down an imaginary lane five yards wide on the edge of the field from one end to another. They mark their counterpart on the other team defensively and support offensive thrusts toward the goal. An ability to cross the ball or receive a cross and score proves valuable in this position.
Total Football
Recreational teams tend to play with four midfielders, unlike Barcelona's five, which include two attacking midfielders. The Barcelona approach reflects a philosophy called "total football" developed by Barcelona's Dutch coaches, including Johan Cruyff. Total football entails versatile players who can play every position, shifting and covering for each other. In the total football system, a midfielder may roam into the territory of a forward or defender. Barcelona's version of total football relies on all players to control the ball with perfect short passes, moving in support of teammates in a hypnotic pattern that Spanish radio announcers call tika-taka.
References
- SI.com; Breakdown of Barcelona vs. Man United Player Matchups; Ben Lyttleton; May 2011
- "The Complete Guide to Coaching Soccer Systems and Tactics"; Jacob Daniel; 2004
- The Sun; The Little BIG Men Walk Tall in Europe; Steven Howard; June 2011
- Bleacher Report; FC Barcelona: Tiki Taka or Quite Simply The Beautiful Game; Adi-Oula Sebastian; November 2010
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