A midfielder is a player whose position of play is midway between the attacking strikers and the defenders. Their main functions are to dispossess and keep possession of the ball, and to feed it to the strikers. However, some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and strikers.



A midfielder's many responsibilities - to send the ball forward, to defend against or tackle the opposing team, to score or assist the strikers to score - make them amongst the most value members of a team. In essence, a good midfielder must possess the ability to be combative whilst also being creative. Most managers field at least one central midfielder with a marked task of breaking up opposition's attacks while the rest are more adept at creating goals or have equal responsibilities in attack and defence. At either side of the pitch, a coach can field a winger, a specialist side midfielder used expressedly for attack.



Outstanding midfielders require a number of skills on top of fundamental ball skills and fitness. A modicum of skills - tackling, dribbling, shooting, distributing and passing - can all come into play at different points in the match. Because they occupy the most influential parts of the pitch, midfielders are perhaps more likely to influence the outcome of a match than most, especially through their vision for a good pass or ability to score. A good striker without midfield support would lack attacking chances, while a defence likewise would be severely tested.



Midfielders typically exhaust the most energy during a match due to the distance they cover on a pitch, as at times they can be called back into defence or required to attack with the strikers.



Defensive Midfielder

A defensive midfielder or holding midfielder is a central midfielder who is stationed in front of the back defenders for defensive reasons, thus 'holding back' the freedom of the opponents to attack. This specialist midfielder's responsibilities are to defend against or tackle the opposing team, to recover the ball for their own team, and to safely distribute it to more offensive-minded players.



Not only does the player protect his team's defence, he also gives his fellow midfielders a 'license' to parade their more attacking flair without the worry of defensive work (in other words, sai gang warrior!). For this reason, the holding midfielder may be one of the most important positions in football, as it allows the rest of the team to play a more aggressive game. This position is sometimes overlooked but it is a very important position in the modern game. It is a highly specialized position only executed successfully by very few talented players.



Roles

The primary job of a defensive midfielder is to dispossess any opposing team's player with the ball primarily in midfield. This is a crucial aspect of the modern game since this minimises the risk of an attacking move developing into a real threat. Usually, the holding midfielder does not move much in his attacking half. Defensive midfielders must be very aggressive and constantly marshall the opposing team's attacking players. The player must also be able to be very physical without being scared of getting injured. Most defensive holding players are the team's 'hard men'.



The secondary role of a defensive midfield player is to initiate the attacking movement after he has won the ball. A good defensive midfielder is not only able to win the ball, but can also make a decisive pass in order to initiate an attacking sequence.

Centre Midfield

Central midfielders play several roles on the field of play, depending on their particular strengths and weaknesses and the tactics of the team. They are the link between defence and attack, and must also defend when the opposition are in possession. Their central position enables them to have an all-round view of the match, and as most of the action takes place in and around their area of the pitch, midfielders often exert the greatest degree of control over how a match is played. They must be equally skilled at tackling, passing and keeping possession.

An attacking midfielder is often confused with a centre midfielder. Kaka and Frank Lampard are examples of centre midfielders, as are Michael Ballack and Steven Gerrard. Both are capable of playing from 'box to box' and as the norm rather than the exception, use their strength, their passing ability, and their high work rate to affect their team's gameplay. This section of the field is often known as a team's 'engine room', because rarely have great teams succeeded without skillful, commanding centre midfielders.

Attacking midfielders or 'playmakers' are known for their deft touch, their ability to shoot from range, and their passing prowess on top of their vision. Often, a team is constructed as to allow their attacking midfielder to roam free and create as the situation demands by maybe opening up scoring chances, drawing fouls/ penalties or taking shots at goal when the chance arises.

Attacking Midfield

An attacking midfielder is a central midfielder who is stationed in an advance midfield position, usually behind the strikers. He is typically the offensive pivot of the team, sometimes known in football as 'playing in the hole', although this term can also be used to describe a deep-lying centre forward. This specialist midfielder's main role is to create goal-scoring opportunities for his own team via his superior vision and skill. The attacking midfielder is an influential position and requires the player to possess superior technical abilities in terms of passing and more importantly the ability to 'read' the opposing defence in order to deliver a defence splitting pass for the strikers.

Winger

A winger is a wide midfielder who is stationed in a wide midfield position near the touchlines. Wingers used to be classified as forwards in traditional W-shaped formations, but as tactics evolved through the last 30 years, wingers have dropped to deeper field positions. Modern wingers are now usually classified as part of the midfield, usually in 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 formations.

It is a winger's duty to beat opposing fullbacks and to deliver cut-backs or crosses from wide positions. They are usually some of the most technically gifted players in the team and usually have very good dribbling skills as well as a fair amount of pace. Traditionally, wingers are not expected to track back and defend. However, most modern wingers do defend and track back to repossess the ball, although their primary function lies in attack.

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