Playing outside midfield

[thedefender23]

I want to play outside midfield for my high school team and i was wondering why it seems that pro outside midfielders never seem to play defense(e.g. beckham).

[rgrayson]

beckham plays middle for real.

my 2 cents sorry i cant help you otherwise :)

[hawk_claw]

well our team went from playing 4-3-3 to 4-4-3...i went from playing center mid to right "wing"...the way my coach drew it up fer me...was that i had an "egg contorlling the middle of the flank i play on...the 2 center mids we have were more defensive especially since in our league...the middle is crowded and the outside mid's produce offense for the forwards...its more of an attacking position...rather than the center mids which are more defensive mids. hope that hleps

[phillys]

It's very important to know how to use both your feet when you play as a winger because defenders and midfielders will try to close you down time and time to for you to use the foot that you're uncomfortable with. so, to be on the safe side, use both feet :)

[Galgowski]

hey hawk claw your team went from playing with 11 to 12 huh? thats a way to get an advantage

[Callump]

hey hawk claw your team went from playing with 11 to 12 huh? thats a way to get an advantage

lol

[hawk_claw]

whoa my bad....lol didnt catch that...i meant 4-4-2....lol! good eyes

[afgrijselijkheid]

if an outside midfielder isnt playing any defense, he's doing it wrong

[astabooty]

if an outside midfielder isnt playing any defense, he's doing it wrong

agreed, plus ithink beckham hustles and comes back a lot, even while playing wing.

[envisionz]

i usually play left mid for my club team, and man i would rarely go back on D cause i would be so burnt out from running back and forth that i just gave up ( I know its wrong, but i did it anyways ) You do the most running playing the midfield positions and i couldnt do it but i need more conditioning!

[phillys]

Even with conditioning, I find myself still lagging and couldnt keep up if I ever HAVE TO paly central mid.

[Blippity-Blip21]

My team has always played where the center middies are offensive and the wingers help out on defense. However, the crosses still need to come from somewhere, which leaves us (the wingers) with alot of running to do. Is this a good thing? How do you guys play your midfielders offensively and defensively?

[Callump]

my team plays a 4-3-3 with flat back 4, 3 center midfielders with 2 in the front and one more defensive like in a triangle and a center forward with right and left wingers. Its better this way then having the center mids play offensive and wingers back because most teams dont realize we dont have left or right mids and there mids play defensive against our wingers. so we attack all the game mostly

[cpwilson80]

My one defensive tip: when the other team has the ball on the far side of the field, pinch and sag into the middle instead of running straight back. Even if the ball is crossed back to your side, you'll win any short crosses. Should the pass go to your man, it's just a short sprint, and you'll immediately be goal side.

On attack: use the width of the field! Even if you aren't getting the ball right in midfield, you'll stretch the defense and create space, allowing for easier passes forward.

[hawk_claw]

we play like this....

------FW---FW------
LW--------------Rw
-----LCM---RCM----
---------SP---------
LB---------------RB
---------SW--------

FW= forward LW/RW= wings RCM/LCM= Central Mids SP= Stopper
LB/RB= Backs SW= Sweeper

we usually play like this and i play one of the wing positions....i rarely have to come back near the goal...its hard for the central mids i think because when i had to play there...it got crowded on defense because we have a diamond defense and the stopper is up a bit...But on the outside thrs a lot of room for you to move

[phillys]

can someone please tell me the purpose of having a diamond defence instead of a flat 4?

[Fleck]

can someone please tell me the purpose of having a diamond defence instead of a flat 4?

The sweeper is there for any breakaways or through balls.

[Sky_]

The sweeper is there for any breakaways or through balls.

My team plays with a similar formation to yours, except the stopper is actually a defensive midfielder who pushes forward, and the d-line only has 3 people. Basically if you have a strong commanding midfield you can sacrifice one defender for more midfield control.

[AE1603s]

my team plays a 4 4 2. i play the play maker role, free roam behind the forwards, and my outside midfielders play both up and down the field, so im not sure how u play outside middy if u dont run like our midfielders do

[sunburnt]

midfield is hard to play cause it tires you easy. when i play i usualy hustle back and then i get a yellow for all that hard work by knoking someone over.