The Hardest Position in Soccer

One of the things it took me a long time to figure out in soccer is the different ways to play each position. So much emphasis is put on tackling hard, finding triangles, covering your man, etc, it is as if any position could be interchanged with one another - at least in the way I was coached for much of my life. But as I've gotten older, and played nearly every position for an extensive amount of time, I've come to understand what makes a good center midfielder, different types of forwards, how to play a good marking back and so forth.

I guess I'd make one caveat to these statements, playing forward is always given special treatment and skills, mostly related to finishing. But to me, there are several sets of values important in a forward. One, being able to collect and possess the ball up top. A good forward who can possess the ball and drop it back to an open midfielder is as valuable as a good point guard to the offense. I've played on teams with such forwards and the offense is always more potent. Two, being able to finish. Some players have a knack - they know how to drill shots and get in the right position for headers. It's a skill that can be learned, but I've seen very few great finishers in all my years of playing, so I imagine it has a lot to do with some natural talent. Three, break away speed. There are two types of speed that are valuable in soccer: quickness/anticipatory and breakaway. I am quick. It helps a lot in the midfield and on defense, because you can beat your man to the ball and get a foot in. But to be a great forward, you need the breakaway speed, when you can keep and sustain a fast pace 5-7 strides past a defender. See Michael Owen play and you'll understand. Guys that are gone once they get past a defense are beautiful to watch play.

Midfield. It's hard to understand a great central midfielder until you see one play. But the essential qualities for a good central mid, to me, are having eyes in the back of your head. The key is to be able to collect the ball from one side of the field, be able to turn it and distribute to the other side of the field. Sounds easy, but it's very rare, a player that is able to do it. It's like a good quarterback, being able to analyse the entire field and play it to either the player or space that is most dangerous. A center mid that can score is like having another forward and a center mid that wins balls in the middle is the key to controlling possession - which many feel wins the game.

Wings. You need speed, endurance, and to be able to beat a man one-on-one. If you have all of that and can make nice crosses, you're set.

Marking Back. A lot people think of marking back as a thug position, a position to intimidate the forward, knock him around a bit. I actually think of it the opposite. I think it's a finesse position that requires toughness, not thuggary. It's similar to a cornerback in football, if you ask me. I also think it's a psychological game you play with the forward. You need to figure out how the forward likes to play and disrupt that play. Forwards that are big and like to use their body - you play off of them and make them dribble you one on one. Forwards that like to run into space, you play the space before they can run into it. Forwards that don't like getting kicked, you kick them - a lot.

Sweeper. I like sweepers that tackle really hard and play very safe. I hate sweepers with flair, who try to dribble and get fancy. I love wings with flair. I love forwards with flair. Sweepers with flair are annoying. Sweeper requires wisdom, how to mark, how to clear it, how to coach the defense and be in the right positions and angles, so the other team doesn't get good scoring opportunities.

Which brings us to the point of my entry - THE HARDEST POSITION IN SOCCER - if you ask me, is Stopper. The man who plays in the middle, in front of the sweeper and behind the center mid. The stopper has a rough job. On the one hand, he is supposed to be the enforcer, the thug in the middle who wins all the 50/50 balls up in the air on goal kicks and free kicks. He marks forwards when they sneak into the middle, but he also marks the center mids when they make a run through the middle. Now, he's supposed to win balls, but he also shouldn't foul people very much, since he's almost always in a dangerous position for the defense. He's also supposed to be available to collect passes from the back and drop passes from the midfield - but he collects those passes in the middle, near the back, almost always the most dangerous place to receive a ball. He can make runs up, but also needs to get back to help anchor the defense. A good stopper wins all the balls in the middle, doesn't foul, and doesn't lose the ball in the most dangerous part of the field. It's the hardest position to play right and play well and there's never any glory to it.