Goalkeeper: The simple settings for a goalkeeper. A reasonably neutral setting which should see the ‘keeper patrol his penalty area. He will be asked to do little more than be a shot-stopper and to distribute the ball to his team mates to start attacks.
Full Back: Full backs are more restricted in their forward runs and dribbling, and look to move the ball on to the more creative players in front of them in the midfield. They will support wingers by offering a passing option in the final third, but will tend to stay behind them and look to cover any breaks that come down the wings from lost possession. Full backs tend to have more strength and tackling skills than wing backs, but need to be more mobile than centre backs. For this reason, they tend to be shorter and quicker than centre backs, but not as tricky and pacy as wingers or wing backs. The modern game, since the decline of out-and-out wingers has tended to favour the quicker and more attacking DR/L, but this does not mean that the position is anywhere near dead, and is very important in forming a good solid defensive line in games against attacking sides with lots of width.
Limited Defender: Some centre backs are not good for much else than simply being the big rock who intimidates the attack. This is not a problem if the player knows his role. Usually very strong, very tall and very aggressive, the limited defender is designed to win the ball and get it to safety: for this reason he tends to have limited skills in other areas. It might seem cruel to characterise some rather talented players as limited defenders. We are not making judgements on their rounded skill sets, more commenting on their primary function in their team’s defence.
Anchor Man: The other type of specialised DMC is the anchor man – a bigger, stronger, more defensive player with good marking, tackling and positional skills. He acts as the first line of defence, protecting the defensive line and harrying the opposition’s attacking midfielders. The anchor man is the much more traditional version of the DMC, also known as the “holding midfielder” or the “Makélélé position”.
Deep-Lying Playmaker: As with the DMC the regista will look to drop deeper to find the ball and to find space for himself before looking for the perfect pass to the opposition. In the MC position, he will be slightly further up the field, so may require a little more strength to cope with the reduced space afforded to him by the opposition midfield.
Ball-Winning Midfielder: The ball-winning midfielder is akin to the anchor man. His more advance position here means that he will also need to be useful with the ball at his feet. More rounded than the anchor man, the ball-winning midfielder has to be strong, a good tackler and good at positioning himself, but he will also need to be a half-decent passer of the ball to keep the team’s attacks alive. Very useful in attacking tactics or pressing tactics with a high defensive line where the team need to win the ball higher up the pitch and do something with it much quicker.
Advanced Playmaker: Very similar to the MC version of the advanced playmaker, except he will probably need even fewer defensive qualities. The AMC version will sit in the hole looking to receive the ball and spray it to whoever is in the best position. The AMC is probably the classic advanced playmaker. It was a position that Zinedine Zidane played so well in the late 90s/early 2000s, and it has been the position of many great players such as Riqelme, Didi and, more recently, Kaká and Modric. Allowed the space to roam around between the defence and the midfield, the advanced playmaker will certainly need other midfielders in support if the team is to retain shape and possession in the centre of the field.
Target Man: The target man is the big guy up front who can hold up the ball as well as flick it on to his strike partner. With excellent jumping, heading and strength, he is in the perfect place to deal with long balls coming from the goal keeper and the defence. He is also good at terrorising defences with his height when the ball comes in from crosses and corners. The target man does not need to be the best finisher in the world, nor does he need great technical ability. His size and strength are enough to disrupt the opposition long enough for his more creative teammates to score. As a lone forward, the target man would struggle. Without support, there would be nobody for him to create space for. However, as part of a strike partnership, especially with an advanced forward or a poacher, he can be very effective.
Poacher: The poacher is dying out in modern, top-level football, but there is still room for a man who “only” scores goals. The tendency has been for forwards to become more well-rounded; helping the midfield, being creative and moving around to create more space for other players. The poacher, however, does little of this. His job is to hang around the penalty area creating a yard of space at the last moment to pick up a through ball or cross and score goals. A good poacher can easily get 30 goals a season, but the whole team needs to be set up for him. He will absolutely need a strike partner, otherwise he will be totally isolated, and the midfield need to work the ball into the box to provide him with lots of opportunities to score. He needs to be incredibly composed, have great finishing, be brilliant off the ball and be very consistent.
Jonathan Cristaldo (born 5 March, 1989), nicknamed "Churry", scored for Stoke City this season 19 goals in 24 appearances.
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