Are you a Midfield Player?
Hey Coach I’m a Midfielder…any tips to better understand the position?
Hey Hey, Great question! I love playing that position myself! The central midfielder has many responsibilities and those tend to change depending on what formation your coach chooses to play. In the 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 formation you will share the space with another midfielder and you maybe required to play side by side or stacked on top of each other. In a 4-3-3 you might be a true center with two other mids that play below you or above you. In any case I believe I can help you have a better idea how to be a more effective player no matter where the heck you play!! So for the sake of this article I’m going to refer to the central mid as the “play maker” because no matter the formation your job is to make plays, help transition from offense to defense and back again. In the next few lines I will outline some basic responsibilities or jobs that a midfielder needs to understand and carry out each and every game. This advice is general enough that it should not conflict with what your coach and team need of you.
Defensive Responsibilities
*Most C M’s need to be able to play “box to box”….meaning that they should travel as far as the opponents 18yd box in the attack and retreat as far as their own teams 18yd box in defense.
*Many times the play makers best defensive move is being at the right place at the right time. Positioning on the field is super important. You want to be just enough in the pressure to help cause the opponent to make mistakes but just available enough to help transition the ball into attack when your team wins it. So put yourself in areas where you can read the opponents plays and ball movements and call them out to your team mates directing them where the play may happen.
*Always be looking to cut off passes and ball circulation. Watch the opponents eyes when they are making decisions and pay attention to patterns or habits. You are looking for opportunities to intercept balls coming through the center of the field.
*Figure out who the opponents “play maker” is and how they fit into the attack. What are their habits, moves, weaknesses, strengths, strong foot, weak foot, and speed.
*On corner kick, set pieces and goal kicks you may be required to mark up and help defend. If this is not the case then try to figure out where the ball might go and be there ready to win it. Try to place yourself in some space to be dangerous on the attack!
*ASK QUESTIONS TO YOURSELF LIKE…….Where is the Play? Who is their play maker? Who does the team consistently pass to? Where can I position myself to cut off passes? How can I be sneaky and read their plays? Where can I position myself to help my team transition from DEFENSE to POSSESSION or ATTACK?
Offensive Responsibilities
*As the play maker you need to be open at all times or available to receive passes and keep the ball moving or circulating.
*Think of yourself as the center of a wheel and everything revolves around you. If you position yourself at the center of the rest of your team mates with time and space you can WATCH, SCAN, THINK, AND CREATE!
*You are like the Quarterback, the architect, you are designing plays moment to moment by constantly moving the ball. You set up the rhythm, the tempo of the attack. You can slow things down or speed them up by feeling what the game needs.
*Look for patterns in players movement. Watch the runs of your team mates and how they are defended so that you get a feel for space, speed, time and pressure.
*Position yourself in a way that you always have several passing options: forward, diagonal, drop, chip, wide, horizontal, long or short passes. Always Looking..Always Thinking.
*When your team is in full attack and deep in the opponents defense….be available with space and time for drop passes so you can circulate the ball or set yourself up for a shot on goal. Try to read the play and set yourself up to be dangerous. At this time you should also have options to drop the ball back to your fullbacks in order to maintain possession and relieve pressure.
*ASK QUESTIONS TO YOURSELF LIKE..… Where is the Play? Where do I need to position myself so I have working space? Where are my team mates? Do we need to move more or less for each other? Where is the space and who has time to use it? Where can the run come from? When my center or full backs have the ball….how can I provide them an option to pass to me? How can I slow the tempo down or speed it up?
Every player on the field needs to be watching and thinking from moment to moment for the entire game. Each of your team mates should be working to find ways to keep the ball and make plays or win the ball back and shut down the opponents attack. The Central Midfielder in my opinion has the most responsibilities and needs to be the most engaged player on the field. So much of the game is played through the middle, even when the ball is out wide it is the middle that dictates the space for ball movement. I hope this article gave you a few new ideas, questions, and vision. Remember the game is meant to be played beautifully and the central midfielder has the opportunity to paint a masterpiece!!
See you out on the field,
Coach Sam
Be Creative..Be Fearless..Have Fun!
