Soccer Midfield Tactics I

The soccer midfield is the engine of the team. It connects defense to attack and steps in to defend after loss of possession in the opposing half. Therefore, one cannot discuss midfeld tactics without at the same time discussing defensive and attacking tactics. That is a common error amongst unexperienced coaches, to view the different functional units in isolation.

Looking at the recent world cup there was a significant development in midfield play. Most teams played with a flat back four defense, very few with a flat back three. So let's consider the flat back four defense (by the way, if you are playing with a sweeper and three defenders, this still is relevant).

The next question is how to organize the remaining 6 players between midfield and attack. There seemed to be an even split between teams with two strikers and those with one. Today we'll deal with the two striker concept, a future topic will consider single striker formations.

With two striker systems we have 4 defenders and 2 strikers, leaving 4 midfielders. There are four practical ways of organizing the 4 midfielders.

There is a flat four across midfield. Typically the wide players become wingers when attacking and the central players can join the attack through the middle (typically only one at a time). Attacking down the flanks is really the hallmark of this system.

There is a diamond midfield, with one attacking midfielder, two wide midfielders and one centrally defensive midfielder. The key here is that the offensive central midfielder is typically the playmaker and quite a bit of the play comes up through the middle as opposed to down the sides. Often the wide midfielders also pull into the middle to fill in behind the attackers or simply because that is where the action is. If the team has the discipline to adopt a central as well as a flank attack, then this system offers many advantages.

There is a system with one central defensive midfielder behind three flat across players. Two of the three typically are wingers while the third plays the role of the attacking midfielder. It very often looks like the diamond midfield. The difference is that any of the flat three misdielders can be the playmaker and these three often rotate positions. So it tends to be not as static as the diamond midfield.

Finally, there is a system with two central defensively oriented midfielders and two wide players. This is probably the newest tactical concept. The two central midfielders must be very versatile. Their main job is to win balls in midfield and then set up the attack. The outside midfielders quite often are wingers, however they can pull into the middle to support central attacking. Why? Because in this system the outside defenders often overlap and become wingers as well. They can afford to do this knowing that in case of loss of possession there are two central defensive midfielders who can provide cover. The advantage of this system is that the attack can be very variable, particularly if the central midfielders play a bit staggered. The drawback can be a gaping hole in the middle between the central strikers and midfielders if a) the central midfielders don't stagger, b) none of the outside midfielders draw into the middle or c)none of the strikers drops back. This system requires more tactical training than any of the others.

How to choose what's right for your team? Look at your players skills and tactical understanding. Consider how much time you have to train before competition. Consider which system you, as coach, think you know best and can most easily convey to your team. Then pick the one that you think will work best. Try it out with your team and see how comfortable they are with it. If they catch on quickly, teach them a second system to add another weapon to your game strategic arsenal. If they don't catch on, ask them why. If there is no specific reason you can fix, then try another system.

For an introduction to systems of play and game tactics, click: