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Soccer Position Overview

“Football [soccer] is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the German’s win,” England legend Gary Lineker once stated. That is a fairly accurate statement – soccer is a simple game to understand, but when it comes to playing it, things get a lot more complicated.

The first step to playing soccer is understanding the different areas of the pitch, the positions that operate within those areas and each position’s’ role in the side.

There are three main areas of the pitch; the defensive third, the middle third and the offensive third. Within these areas, there are four specific soccer positions which are assigned to each of the 11 players on each team.

These positions are the goalkeeper, the defender, the midfielder and the forward, each of which have their own fundamental actions to perform. However, while this is somewhat easy to comprehend, each position breaks down further into a number of ‘types’, as outlined below.

Goalkeeper

The goalkeeper is a team’s last line of defence, required to stop opposition players from putting the ball into the back of their team’s net. Unlike other positions, the goalkeeper is permitted to use their hands to keep the ball out of the goal.

Traditional:

Sticks to their penalty box and only moves to stop an attack if there is a direct threat to the goal, using diving, catching and punching techniques.

Sweeper:

Pushes further up the field, often standing outside of their penalty box. Tasked with intercepting long balls and dispossessing attackers that have broken past the defensive line.

Defender

The defender is tasked with marking the opposition’s attacking players and stopping them from getting a shot on goal. While they often go forward to attack set-pieces, they are most often limited to the defensive third of the pitch.

Centre-back:

Positioned directly in front of the goal, centre-backs are there to protect the goalkeeper and block opposition players from reaching the goal.

Full-back:

Operate to the left and right of the centre-backs and are often restricted to the defensive and middle third, ensuring that no attacks break out down the wings.

Wing-back:

Positioned on either side of the centre-backs, like full-backs. However, wing-backs are often required to contribute in the attacking third, breaking down the wings and putting in crosses to attackers.

Midfielder

The midfielder acts as the bridge between the defense and the attack, helping to move the ball out of their team’s own half into the opponent’s half of the field. A bit of an all-rounder, midfielders are required to disturb opposition attacks, as well as create attacks for their own team-mates.

Central Midfielder:

The most basic midfield position. Central midfielders will push up the field when in possession and drop back to help the defense when possession is lost.

Wide Midfielder

Positioned on either side of the midfield, wide midfielders perform a similar role to the central midfielder, pushing forward during attacks and tracking back while defending.

Defensive Midfielder

Sits in front of the centre-backs, adding an extra layer of protection to their team’s goal.

Attacking Midfielder:

Sits behind the attacking players, putting pressure on the opposition’s defense and playing balls into the attacking players.

Forward

The forward sits in the opposition’s half, waiting for their teammates to move the ball up the field into the offensive third. Their job is to get into goalscoring positions and put the ball into the opposition’s net.

Striker:

A team’s biggest goal threat, the striker is positioned in the center of the field to disrupt centre-backs and goalkeepers, as they try to find a way to score.

Winger:

Positioned on the left or right side of the offensive third, wingers are tasked with breaking down the wings and putting in passes and crosses to the striker.

 

Learn More

Soccer Positions: Defenders

Soccer Positions: Forwards

Soccer Positions: Midfielders

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