I'd like to know what every one else defines these positions as and what role they play in a soccer match. I think a lot of discussions around here are popping up because people keep on misunderstanding where the other is coming from. So this is mine: Attacking Midfielder: His first and foremost responsibility is to lead the team's attack. He needs initiate through balls, making attacking runs into the box, and organize wingers and strikers. He should be in the midfield area but does not neccasarily have to have the ball at his feet to be effectivre. Should be quick, decisive, have great vision, excellent passing skills, good finishing ability both inside and outside the box, have some set peice ability, creativity is essential as willingness to not only spread the ball around, but to be selfish when neccasary Examples: Rui Costa, Zidane, Rooney, Diego, D'Allessandro Defensive Midfielder: His first and foremost responsibility is to destroy the other teams attack by use of ball winning and marking the attacking midfielders out of the offense. He must disrupt passing lanes, and help relieve pressure from the defense. He doesn't have too many offensive responsibilities outside of not turning the ball over in the middle of the4 field. Should not be responsible for initiating the offense at any given moment, rather - just get the ball to an offensive player. His is more to transition rather than initiate. A good defensive midfielder will be aggressive, smart, have excellent lateral quickenss and good tackling skill aong with hgood ball winning skills. Size isn't too much of an issue but is definatly something you'd want when availible. Passing skills don't have to be very good. Examples: difficult because they are mostly invisibly and good teams don't usually field them. But...Chris Armas would be the classic D-Mid. Central Midfiekder: not an A-Mid not a D-Mid. His main responsibility is to set tempo and try to control the game. Its his responsibility to tell the team when to attacl, when to to defend, and at what intensity. He must understand the flow of the game and must make decisions based upon it. Its his job to both transition, initiate when availible for the offense, and support the defense at all times. Integral assignments is to be availible to the ball AT ALL TIMES. whether on the attack or defending, he must be in position for his teamate to pass him the ball. Key skills include ability to posses under pressure, mental ability to read and understand the game are at a premium. Should not be overly aggressive , should not be too conservative. Should be happy attacking or defending. Must have an idea of when to counter and when not to counter during the flow of the game. Generally, this is the player who can win a ball, turn around and send a class through ball. Generally thought of as the best soccer players in the world because they must be able to excel in all 3 facets of the field game, offense, defense, and the mental game. Examples: Keane, Viera, Davids, Baraja, Galasek
Didn't Brazil win a World Cup with Dunga as a true destroyer Dmid? At any rate, I'm fine with your definitions. Or you could just say Donovan, Reyna, Armas as prime examples of attacking, central, and defensive, and I'd be fine too.
so where do we place a holding mid in to this classification?? Is it a 4th type or should it be placed withe the generic central mid??
whats a holding mid? btw - I do have an ulterior motive for this. so please keep it in this forum Mods
not an A-Mid not a D-Mid. His main responsibility is to set tempo and try to control the game was the first sentence in describing the central mid...and almost 90% of what you post a CM to be fits into my concept of a HOLDING MID... except I don't see reyna as a keane...but I see reyna as a holding mid
Good definitions. I think most would agree with those, except the part about the central midfielders generally being thought of as the best players in the world. You are entitled to your opinion, so it's fine if you think that, but don't try and say that that is the general thinking, because it's not. Generally, people regard attacking midfielders, like Ronaldinho, Kaka, Totti, and Zidane in his prime as the best players in the world. Players like Viera, Baraja, etc are generally regarded as great players, but most would not rank them in the same class as the top attacking midfielders. Also, many good teams have no use for a defensive midfielder, because they usually have a great player who can go beyond the bounds of these conventional definitions. For example, Zidane in his prime could control the pace of the game better than any central midfielder and still orchestrate lethal attacks at the same time, so he could be paired with Viera, a central midfielder and Viera could concentrate more on defending. Another example is Davids in his prime, who could shut down any attacking midfielder and still contribute greatly to the attack.
I think some of this is fair, especially the AM description, but some is a bit off the mark. A Dmid doesn't have to be just a destroyer. The destroyer title just seems to be reserved for players with very little ball skills. Does anyone think that Armas or even Dunga are better Dmids than Keane, Viera, or Davids? Or that Keane, Viera or Davids aren't Dmids because they actually have skill on the ball? This just seems silly to me.
I think it depends on the responsibility. Dunga and Armas aren't asked to get involved in the attack. Keane is. So you might be right in that Keano is better than both od those players as pure D-Mids, you shouldn't because they have different responsibilities
your correct, it is my opinion that central midfielders are generally the best in the world. I also think you might be right that an elite attacking midfielder would top an elite central midfielder because the A-Mid would probably impact the game more. But I think you can only say that about the elite. I think a good Central midfielder has more impact than a good attacking midfielder. but like you said, its all opinion. But like I said before, I think it depends on what you ASK your players to do. I'm not saying Zidane couldn't shut down attacks, but I don't think he's asked too that often. and in my mind, thats what makes him an attacking midfielder
But their responsibilities are determined by their abilities and their teammates abilities, not just by position. You can't just say that because a player can go forward that they aren't a Dmid. I think you're trying to make too much out of the difference between Central Mids and D mids and I'm really not sure what your motives are. If a player can add to the attack while being just as effective defensively why not allow them to go forward. Davids has played with the same defensive responsibilities as a destroyer Dmid like Armas but at the same time he has had the ability to do something with the ball. What seperates these players isn't their position, it's their ability.
my response is that Holland doesn't field a D-Mid. they field a central mid in the middle. Davids doesn't need the protection of a D-Mid. I think what separates these players is that no matter their abilities, its what the coaches ask them to do. For example, would you agree that there is a difference between Landon donovan the striker, and Landon Donovan the A-Mid? Both guys have the same ability and very different responsibilities. bigtimebuck4 - I wouldn't call Viera a D-Mid because he's responsible for controlling the tempo of France and Arsenal matches. Which is generally pretty easy because Arsenal and France are good enough to simply attack at will. Most teams are not. He's also an important part of both teams attacks. Couold you say that about Chris Armas?
Davids doesn't need the protection of a Dmid because he already fills that role. Call his position what you want, maybe Dmid+, but he fills the Dmid role and more. Same with Viera. He would be a better stay at home Dmid than Armas could ever dream of, but why would any coach ask him to do just that. He can handle the defensive responsibilities and go forward. Landon Donovan has a certain skill set and he basically plays the same way wheather he is the AM or the forward. He doesn't turn into a striker with a nose for the goal just because he plays up there. That's why some people don't think he's that good as a forward. I don't think he can play both positions at a very high level. He plays AM because that's where his best abilities are.
Just my opinion, but I think you've got this completely wrong. Davids can only do what he does because of his abilities. I'd say a coach would be a fool to force players into roles that they didn't have the ability to play. Appoo, I'm guessing where you are going with this and I'm pretty sure this is a continuation of the Donovan vs Reyna thread. Reyna is a central/holding mid because he isn't that great as an Amid or as a Dmid. Not because he can handle 2 roles at once like Keane, Viera or Davids.
Among most of the guys I talk soccer with Davids, Keane, Gattuso, Armas, Makelele, Barton, Bosvelt etc. are usually considered D-mids. There are also a lot of guys that are just midfielders. Usually a guy is an "attacking midfielder" because he never gets his lazy ass back to defend.
That depends on the roles that Cocu and Seedorf are expected to play in that same midfield. Im sure one of those three is asked to play more defensive than the others.
This is not only a question of individuals and their styles, but rather one of positioning. Assuming a 4-4-2, a manager seems to have 3 options -- a flat midfield with two wingers and two, in the nomenclature of this thread, central midfielders. He can also have a diamond with an attacking and a defensive midfielder. Finally, he can have a box midfield with two attacking and two defensive midfielders with the outside defenders having the responsibility for providing width. Of course, there are more options that this, even inside a 4-4-2. You can play two defensive midfielders and two attacking wingers (though I'd argue this is just a variation on a box) or you can go unbalanced. Our midfielders have each played versions of these positions. Since 98, Reyna has most commonly been played as a central mid in a flat 4 paired with Armas with attacking wings (formerly stewart and jones, now Donovan and beasley). But he's also played defensive midfield, with almost purely defensive responsibilities (the first game against panama being the best example) and as an attacking midfielder, with Armas playing directly behind him as a true defensive midfielder. These definitions are, of course, more fluid than I'm making them -- during the course of one game, a coach may flatten his two central mids or line them up and then switch them back again. Donovan has played as a wide midfielder, an attacking wing, and as an attacking central midfielder (and, of course, as a striker). I think what appooonu is driving at is that Reyna would be best played in a flat four with another, perhaps faster, central midfielder (the perfect example would be a healthy John O'Brien). Donovan, I think he's saying, is best in the middle if you're going to play a diamond with a true destroyer (armas, Zavagnin, mastroeni) because he's more natural as an attacker. Generally speaking I agree, though if I had my druthers, we'd do something different entirely. Given that our worst positions are outside back and striker, while we are comparatively deep in the midfield, I would like to see us move to the formation that Real Madrid used last season, a 4-2-3-1, which would allow us to play defensive-specialists at outside back (e.g. bocanegra or gibbs) and would allow Donovan, Beasley and someone else (Mathis if he's on form, Gaven if he grows up, Lewis, or someone else -- we have a lot of players who can play this spot) to all play attacking midfield roles. We wouldn't have to scrounge around for another striker to pair with whatever target man we play. Finally, it would fit Reyna's game well -- he would play the Beckham role in the formation, sitting back, dictating the pace and spraying balls around the field, but not be in the position of being responsible for the entire attack. We could pair Zavagnin or some other good defending/decent passing central or defensive midfielder with him. It's just a thought......
figuring out where to play Reyna or LD through a thread on definitions of midfield positions is the kind of thing only a lawyer could devise. The terms are created after watching guys play to try to describe what they do. Players are not directed to do something based on pre-existing definitions. There are no slots in soccer! And somebody bent my defenseman. Artie, Eddie, Phil are men. She hates men. It's a goddamn syllogism!!