Positions on the pitch

Goalkeeper: Placed exactly at the team's goalpost, the goalkeeper can and must have the entire pitch within vision range, so that directing the defenders is a more convenient and reliable process. Saves and blocks are only meant to be made when the opposition finds space for a shot. A goalkeeper who makes a lot of "great saves" is actually not a very good goalkeeper: shot-stopper is a better term. For the end I left this craze we see with "goalkeepers" such as Manuel Neuer, who go forwards and play as attacking midfielders. The media promote this kind of "goalkeepers" like crazy, but for the proper form of football they 're actually trash.

Libero: The media present this position as "dead and buried", but liberos are actually very handy for when the opposition is expected to hoof the ball very often. Regardless what might have been said or written about this position, the libero is a CENTRAL DEFENDER: this means a position just in front of the goalkeeper. Actually, the libero is the closest-positioned player to the goalkeeper - if a libero is in the team's formation, of course. This is because the stopper(s) and semilibero (if a semilibero exists in the formation) are positioned a little bit more up the front, so the libero is there to cover them from behind. The libero is the technical sort of central defender, ideal for collecting loose balls.

Stopper: The physical (and mandatory) kind of central defender. The positioning space for all 3 kinds of central defenders is defined by the goal line, the top of the area's semicircle and the width of the small area (because the entire penalty area is far too wide for being the limit of such a crucial area). The media claim that "the best stoppers are those who score goals", but this is far from the truth. The best stoppers are those who hold their positions with the most discipline and actually manage to win the ball off their personal opponents. Passing is also an important skill for all three kinds of central defenders, but a substantial passing game has major differences to the widely known "tiki-taka" - I 'll cover that in the post about team tactics.

Semilibero: This is the third kind of central defender. As it might be obvious by the position's name, a semilibero is meant to balance between stopper and libero duties. The media ignore this position as it doesn't suit their line. It was invented by a women's team in summer 2010. Theoretically one would expect all central defenders to turn into semiliberos, but in practice this is a very difficult position, so having at least one (if not more) stopper in the formation is and will always be mandatory. So far the best ways to play with three at the back are libero-semilibero-stopper, libero-stopper-stopper, semilibero-stopper-stopper and... stopper-stopper-stopper. The media tend to call all central defenders "stoppers", but this is just because the central defenders seen on TV are all slow and clumsy.

Side defender: The media have mixed this position up with back-halves, fullbacks, attacking wingers and... strikers (all these positions are actually different to each other). Side defenders are mandatory if the formation doesn't contain a third central defender. Their positioning space is important to be kept with as much discipline as possible: they mustn't leave their own defending third of the field, but they can go all the way inwards to support the central defenders when such a need arises. This is because their duty is to defend the flank so that the central defenders don't have to drift wide. If side defenders need help on the flanks, they 'll either have to get it from back-halves, fullbacks, mid-attackers, or strikers (depending on what the formation contains). The goalkeeper, the central defenders and the axis midfielders are only for the spine of the team and must never drift wide.

Mid-defender: Some journalists refer to defensive (or even central) midfielders with this term, but the duties of a mid-defender are different to those of a defensive midfielder, let alone a central one. These three positions are all axis midfielders, but the mid-defender is a depth-holding player, placed behind the defensive midfielder(s) and the central midfielder (if a central midfielder exists in the formation) with the aim of collecting loose passes that happened to get past the midfield's pressing. The area on which the mid-defender is positioned is exactly in front of the central defenders' area, has exactly the same width as that and is only on the defending third of the pitch. The mid-defender isn't a mandatory position, but works wonders against teams who stubbornly try to camp on the opponents' half of the pitch, especially as long as the central defenders hold their positions properly as described above. The mid-defender is considered as part of the "midfield base" or "axis base". The other part of the "base" is the defensive midfielder(s). This is because mid-defenders and defensive midfielders are both very defence-oriented positions and play close enough to each other to look like forming a base behind the central midfielder or the striker.

Defensive midfielder: Some journalists of those who don't use the term "mid-defender" make exactly the same kind of mistake in using the term "defensive midfielder": they use it to refer to all kinds of axis midfielders. Unlike the mid-defender though, the defensive midfielders apply defensive pressing on the opposition's axis. Depth-holding isn't the same thing as defensive pressing. It is mandatory to have at least one (if not more) defensive midfielder in the formation at all times, because defensive pressing on the axis is an essential part of proper teamwork. In total, it is mandatory to have at least three axis midfielders (although not more than one mid-defender and not more than one central midfielder). The axis has to be well-guarded, or the centre of defence will be doomed to break down. The positioning area for the defensive midfielder(s) is exactly in front of the mid-defender's area, has exactly the same width as that and only covers half the distance between the defending third and the kickoff line (the rest of this distance defines the central midfielder's area).

Central midfielder: This term is used by vastly more journalists than "mid-defender" and "defensive midfielder", because it is supposed to sound more marketable. Again, they use it to refer to all three kinds of axis midfielders. Guess what? They 're doing it wrong. The central midfielder does have to apply defensive pressing on the axis, but also has heavier creative duties than defensive midfielders. In spite of their creative skills though, central midfielders are not mandatory, because the important thing to achieve is a robust defensive scheme - how will you attack if you don't win the ball? Will you wait for the referee to "win" it for you? Is that your idea of "robust defensive scheme"? Well then, be sure to avoid leagues with fair refs or you 'll suffer enormous humiliations with scores such as 2-0...

Back-half: Contrary to what is most commonly said, back-halves DON'T play the entire flank. They only play what their name says: the BACK HALF of it. They 're free to go all the way inwards and help either at the axis or at the centre of defence, but they mustn't go ahead of the kickoff line. They must keep their positioning area strictly shut. Back-halves are optional as long as side defenders are included in the formation. If the formation doesn't include side defenders, it must include back-halves (and of course a third central defender). Despite their duties being entirely defensive, back-halves are counted as midfielders (same happens with mid-defenders) when naming the formation. For example, where a 5-4-1 has side defenders, a 3-6-1 has back-halves. Many journalists would say "It is the same formation in both cases", but in fact the difference in how space is covered is enormous. The choice of formation has to be exact and cautious, you can't set up a serious team if you generalise like those journalists do. Of course journalists don't set up teams, but they do pass a certain image to people, so they 'd better pass it properly, without that appalling lack of depth.

Fullback: This position plays the entire flank. BUT... when I say the entire, I mean THE ENTIRE, not just its front end. Fullbacks are an optional position. And, when fullbacks are used, side defenders are mandatory (for example in the proper form of 4-3-3). Fullbacks apply defensive pressing, their main duties are defence and participation in a substantial passing game, but they count as front-line players (for example the proper form of 4-3-3 contains two central defenders, three axis midfielders, one side defender behind each fullback and one player on top).

Mid-attacker: Although journalists have given this term a rather wide definition (ranging from quick and explosive wingers to static No10s and peripheral strikers), the correct definition of mid-attacker is this: quick and explosive like a fullback, but placed in front of the team's spine instead of playing on a flank. Optional position, can be used alone on top, or together with another mid-attacker, or with a striker. And yes, this position does have its defensive duties too. Be it within a patient defence tactic or a high-pressing team, there is no room for slackers when it comes to defending. The media ask for fancy dribbles and lots of goals, right? Right, but they 're wrong. If you play properly, you don't have to strain the ball with dribble abuse or score a shitload of goals. In most cases the best dribble is a... pass, and if you play properly you don't need more than one goal per match.

Striker: The media present this position as "just for scoring goals", but the truth is far from that. This position actually is the kid for all the jobs. To play proper football as a striker, first of all you have to consistently fulfil your DEFENSIVE duties: run all over the pitch and help your team's defenders and midfielders anywhere necessary. In second place comes passing: again run all over the pitch and take part in your team's passing game, providing support anywhere necessary. Sorry if you were going for the glory, but scoring comes THIRD. Proper football is all about how you defend your space, not how fancy tricks you may do (or goals you may score) with the ball. Football is a sport of positioning, it is played much more off the ball than on it. The striker has to follow suit, or he/she will be isolated in a "graceless role" as the media love to say. Last but not least, there can only be up to one striker in each formation. Yes, UP TO one: the striker is an optional position.

Attacking midfielder (aka No10): Highly advertised on the media, but doesn't exist in proper football.

Attacking winger: Also highly advertised on the media, also non-existent in proper football.

Peripheral/Second striker: Also highly advertised on the media, also non-existent in proper football.

After all this, I can reveal my positions. My basic position is central midfielder, but sometimes I play as a fullback or mid-attacker. It all depends on the formation we 're applying. Next post shows how a formation has to be made. Several people support the notion that "formations don't matter", but I can tell you for real, they DO matter A LOT. They define how space is covered, which is the entire base of football. The other factor that defines how space is covered is the runnings each player can give, so this means a formation has several ways of being applied - choose the right way for your players and you 've suddenly set up a serious team. But, for any way to work, the formation has to follow all the rules explained in the corresponding post, while the players themselves obey the positioning rules as described in this post.