This guide is about the roles & positions used in Football Manager 2014. I wrote this guide to help me, and I published it to help you. Although this guide is based on my guide for Football Manager 2013, I will not link to the previous guide because I believe this guide will be vastly superior. This guide is better because it will:

• be a more accurate & thorough guide; and
  
• have more detailed explanations of the purpose, advantages and disadvantages of every role.

I have copied some of the original text from SI and expanded upon it with my own text. Feel free to ignore this guide and only follow what SI wrote in game.

• Key attributes are highlighted with bold & underline text. This is just my opinion. You could say that all mentioned attributes are key attributes and that there are some other useful attributes not mentioned. In a sense you would be right, but that isn't what this guide is about. This guide is about the role of every player on the field and the highlighted attributes are what I think are essential to do each player's core role.
  
  
• Model Players are real life players who have demonstrated the ideal method of executing the role. Most of these player have shown they are excellant at many roles and have shifted positions throughout their career, but this is not a guide about players and what positions they play.
  
  
• I really do appreciate feedback. Your opinions do help me and make this guide better.
  
  
• If you like this guide please give it the thumbs up! I would like to know how successful this guide is

The Advanced Forward’s main role is to lead the line and look spearhead attacking moves.

The primary duty of the Advanced Forward is to be the focal point of attacking moves so that he can both score and create goals.

Secondary duties include:

• chasing down misplaced through balls or clearances from deep,
  
• winning possession
  
• laying off passes or crosses for teammates.

The Advanced Forward is only available with an attack duty

Acceleration, Agility and Technique are also important attributes.

• Crossing
  
• Dribbling
  
• Finishing
  
• Heading
  
• Anticipation
  
• Composure
  
• Flair
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Work Rate
  
• Pace

Robin van Persie, Sergio Aguero, Torres

The Advanced Playmaker aims to drop into hole between the opposition’s midfield and defence making himself available for his teammates passes. The attacking ability of the Advanced Playmaker can turn defence into attack in an instant.


A Playmaker is really just a state of mind: any player can create goal oppotunities. There is a type of player who specialises in "creating" goal/attacking opportunities and this type of player is known as a playmaker. Here are the important features of being a Playmaker:

• A Playmaker should have a good first touch so that that they can quickly gain control the ball. This allows for more time for passing options. An immaculate first touch would have the Playmaker passing the ball with the same touch that he receives the ball. This leaves the defence with very little time to react.
  
  
• Playmakers require very good passing ability to deliver their attacking passes
  
  
• The Playmaker will typically be positioned so that he has a lot of the focus of how the team plays: this requires good off the ball intelligence.
  
  
• The Playmaker is said to "dictate the tempo" of the game and/or the attacking options used by team (“pulls strings of attack”). The Playmaker should be good at teamwork or the Playmaker's possession may be wasted often by looking for his own opportunities.
  
  
• The most lethal of Playmakers will do “defence splitting passes”. Defence splitting passes are the passes which become goal threats (key passes and assists). This requires the creativity to recognise these opportunities, and good decision(s) making to know when to execute them.
  
  
• Playmakers tend to be deeper/more withdrawn than players in similar positions. As a goal threat by himself the Playmaker will shoot from long range.
  
  
• Most importantly, Playmakers require very good overall mental attributes (in Football Manager 2014 this is the middle column of attributes).

The Advanced Playmaker can operate in the centre midfield, centre attacking midfield, or wide attacking midfield.

With attack duty the Advanced Playmaker will look to run at the defensive line from deeper positions, aims to craft out crossing or through ball opportunities as he moves into the final third

With support, the Advanced Playmaker will stay in the hole and look to spay passes to support players and forwards

• First Touch
  
• Passing
  
• Technique
  
• Creativity
  
• Decisions
  
• Flair
  
• Teamwork

support - work rate, stamina
attack - dribbling, anticipation, off the ball

Zinedine Zidane, Kaka

• "too many chefs in the kitchen": you can have too many playmakers in your team. You need players stay back to defend or staying forward to attack.

See also: Water Carrier and Holding Midfielder

The Anchor man’s main duty is to be positioned in the space between your defensive line and your midfield players (in the hole). The purpose of the Anchor man is to intercept the opponent's attacking moves, win the ball (hard tackling & in aerial duels) and then lay off simple passes to his more creative teammates.

Since the Anchor man's key duty is to "anchor" the defence, he doesn’t venture too far from his position either to close down the opposition or to support the more advanced players.

The anchor man is only available with a defend duty.

• Heading
  
• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Anticipation
  
• Concentration
  
• Decisions
  
• Determination
  
• Positioning
  
• Work Rate
  
• Strength

Makelele, Alexandre Song

The Attacking Midfielder is a basically a Central Midfielder in an advanced position of the field.

The Attacking Midfielder will fashion chances for himself and others in the final third of the field. This positioning will be against a lot of opposition pressure as they try to stop the ball from being played around this area. For these reasons Technical ability and good mental strength/ability are paramount.

With support duty the Attacking Midfielder is willing to help out with Midfield and tends to sit in the hole rather than get into the opposition's penalty box.

With attack duty the Attacking Midfielder looks to craft out chances for forwards as well as being in the penalty box himself.

• First Touch
  
• Passing
  
• Technique
  
• Creativity
  
• Decisions
  
• Flair
  
• Work Rate

[/b]
[/list]

Attack - Dribbling, Off the ball, Acceleration
Support- Long Shots, Teamwork, Balance

The Attacking Midfielder is sometimes said to be an "offensive pivot" of the team

Enganche

The main job of the Ball Playing Defender is to stop the opposing attackers from playing and to clear the ball from danger when required.

Unlike a standard central defenders, the Ball Playing Defender is encouraged to launch defence splitting through balls from deep to generate counter attacking oppotunites: this require good passing ability and some creative talent.

With a Cover duty, the Ball Playing Defender will drop a little deeper and sweep up through balls behind the defensive line.

With a Defend duty, the Ball Playing Defender will stay in line with his defensive partner and look to break up attacks, mark opposing forwards and prevent the ball from getting into the box

With Stopper duty – the the Ball Playing Defender will push ahead of the defensive line and close down players before they get to the area.

• Heading
  
• Marking
  
• Passing
  
• Tackling
  
• Technique
  
• Composure
  
• Concentration
  
• Creativity
  
• Decisions
  
• Determination
  
• Positioning
  
• Jumping
  
• Strength

[/b]
[/list]

Stopper - Aggression, Bravery
Cover - Anticipation, Acceleration, Pace
Defend - Teamwork


Vincent Kompany, Ricardo Carvalho & Pique


This is a risky position... relative to other Central Defenders who get the ball out of your penalty area in a no nonsense manner. You should not have 2 Ball Playing Defenders together.

See also: Destroyer

The Ball Winning Midfielder is player who is technically skilled player at making strong tackles.

Operating In the central midfield, the Ball Winning Midfielder's primary function is to close down the opposition and try to win the ball. This role requires a lot of physical ability. Being able to read the game is important (anticipation) to being able to win the ball, but superior athleticism help cover positioning mistakes.

The secondary function is to pass the ball to the team's creative outlets. This will require the Ball Winning Midfielder to be competant with technical skills (by no means an expert). When your team is In attack, the Ball Winning Midfielder will help the team keep possession and look to find players with attacking roles

It is recommended that you also consider/improve the Ball Winning Midfielder's ability to win the ball in the air (jumping, height, heading, strength, bravery).

With support duty the Ball Winning Midfielder aims to win the ball back high up the pitch and support counter attacking opportunities

With defend duty the Ball Winning Midfielder looks to win the ball in the centre of midfield and quickly lay it off to a more creative player

• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Aggression
  
• Bravery
  
• Determination
  
• Teamwork
  
• Work Rate
  
• Stamina
  
• Strength

Support - Passing
Defend - Positioning

Michael Essien, Nigel de Jong, Rino Gattuso, Arturo Vidal

See also: Shuttler

The non-stop dynamism of the box-to-box midfield enables the player to contribute greatly to both defending and attacking. Although the "shuttler" is required to be good at many skills, superior athleticism is essential.

In attack the Box-to-Box Midfielder pushes forward, often surging late into the box to get on the end of crosses and pullbacks as wells as providing a threat from a distance

The Box-to-Box midifielder is only available with support

• Dribbling
  
• Finishing
  
• First Touch
  
• Heading
  
• Long Shots
  
• Marking
  
• Passing
  
• Technique
  
• Anticipation
  
• Bravery
  
• Decisions
  
• Determination
  
• Off The Ball
  
• Positioning
  
• Work Rate
  
• Acceleration
  
• Stamina
  
• Strength

Yaya Toure, Ramires

See also: Centreback

The main job of the Central Defender is to stop the opposing attackers from playing the ball in and around the penalty box. The ability to read the game is important to being able to get the opportunities to win the ball back. Aerial ability is very important (height, jumping, strength, heading) for defending and attacking set pieces (corners and indirect penalties).

The Central Defender will try to clear the ball from danger rather than looking/waiting for a passing oppotunity. In more aggressive tactics, the Central Defender must possess the technique and composure to be able to help the team maintain possession and lay off simple passes to more creative players.

In tired players or old&slow Central Defenders (or any defensive player), a lack of pace and acceleration can be largely covered with very good positioning.

Bravery, Composure and Tackling ability are the important attributes needed to make "last ditch" tackles to stop opponents from scoring. Being good at "last ditch" tackles is not necessarily important as it is far more important to break down attacks before the opponent gets into goal scoring opportunities.

With Stopper duty the Central Defender will push ahead of the defensive line and close down players before they get to your defensive line.

With Cover Duty the Central Defender will drop a little deeper and sweep through balls behind the defensive line.

With Defend duty the Central Defender will stay in line with his defensive partner/s and look to break up attacks, mark opposing forwards and prevent the ball from getting into the box.

Stamina is one of the important attributes and should have been included in game. Tired players do not make good decisions (poor mentally) and give less effort .

Man marking requires good marking skills and physically skilled defenders who have strength;
Zonal defending requires good teamwork and positioning

• Heading
  
• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Composure
  
• Concentration
  
• Decisions
  
• Determination
  
• Positioning
  
• Jumping
  
• Strength

Stopper - Aggression, Bravery
Cover - Anticipation, Acceleration, Pace
Defend - Teamwork

Thiago Silva, John Terry, Pique

The Central Midfielder has the technical ability to play in Attacking, Support or Defensive roles, but tends to lack the stamina, vision and drive to perform more than one simultaneously.

The Central Midfielder is the link between your Defense and your Attack. How the your Central Midfielder plays will largely dictates how the rest of the team play.

With Defend duty, the Central Midfielder stays back in front of the defense and plays a simple supporting game for those playing further up the pitch

With support duty, the Central Midfielder looks to hold his position in the middle of the park and play balls into players ahead of him

With Attack duty, the Central Midfielder looks to get forward to support the forwards, drift wide to support the flanks in the flanks in the final third and play in teammates ahead of him.

• First Touch
  
• Passing
  
• Decisions
  
• Determination
  
• Teamwork
  
• Work Rate

Defend - Heading, Marking, Tackling, Positioning
Support - Long Shots, Tackling, Creativity, Positioning, Off the Ball
Attack - Dribbling, Finishing, First Touch, Long Shots, Creativity, Off the Ball

A Complete Forward possesses all the mental and technical attributes of a Deep Lying Forward, the goal scoring ability of a Poacher and the strength and power of a Target Man. The Complete Forward is a role for the very best attacking players.

He is equally adept at playing in others, fashioning chances for himself and getting on the end of team moves. Such a player transcends tactical instructions and should simply be allowed to do his own thing (ie. Roams from position). This does mean that the Complete Forward is good mentally: good decisions, positioning and off the ball intelligence.

With an attack duty the Complete Forward will lead the line, spearhead attacks and craft out chances for himself and others.

With a support duty the Complete Forward will look to drop into space, run at the defence, take more long shots, drive to the flanks and/or play ball through the defensive line.

Aggression and Bravery is also useful

• Dribbling
  
• Finishing
  
• First Touch
  
• Heading
  
• Long Shots
  
• Passing
  
• Technique
  
• Anticipation
  
• Composure
  
• Creativity
  
• Decisions
  
• Determination
  
• Off The Ball
  
• Teamwork
  
• Acceleration
  
• Agility
  
• Balance
  
• Jumping
  
• Pace
  
• Strength

think Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid but playing in the Centre Forward position (not hugging the touchline so much); Zlatan Ibrahimovic; Edinson Cavani; Samuel Eto’o

Possibly in a 4-5-1

Your player is probably not good/balanced enough to be a Complete Forward.

Probably the most physically demanding role in the game. The Complete Wingback aims to get forward whenever possible.

The Complete Wingback is only available with Attack duty.

Aggression and Long shots are also very useful attributes.

• Crossing
  
• Dribbling
  
• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Decisions
  
• Flair
  
• Positions
  
• Teamwork
  
• Work Rate
  
• Acceleration
  
• Stamina

Marcelo

You may find your Complete Wingback will sometimes not get back into position in time to help with the defense, or is not far forward enough to contribute to the attack.

See also: Number 10 and 9 and a half

The Deep Lying Forward combines both goal scoring technical ability with creative talent.

The Deep Lying Forward’s main function is to link the attack to the midfield. He aims to drop deep into space and hold possession of the ball before

• supplying linking passes to teammates;
  
• moving the ball back to midfield support;
  
• spreading it wide to the flanks; and
  
• turning and playing the ball to the strike partner

Similar to other "number 10" roles (such as the Trequartista) in that the Deep Lying Forward is basically a support striker.

With Attack duty the Deep Lying Forward will look to fashion chances for himself in addition to playing others in.

With Support duty the Deep Lying Forward will largely aim to bring teammates into play before attacking the box from deep.

• Dribbling
  
• First Touch
  
• Passing
  
• Technique
  
• Creativity
  
• Decisions
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Teamwork
  
• Balance
  
• Strength

Support duty - Long shots
Attack duty - Finishing, Anticipation and Composure

Wayne Rooney

The Deep Lying Playmaker operates/aims to initiate attacking moves via pinpoint passes to players positioned higher up the pitch. The Deep Lying Playmaker is said to "dictate the game" because of their ability to spread the ball across the field from their deep position. Americans would understand this position to be "the Quarter-back role".

The Deep Lying Playmaker may "drift" from their position to find space to attack. The Deep Lying Playmaker should be well positioned to receive the ball and to provide some defensive cover.

Although the Deep Lying Playmaker is a creative player, because of the positioning the Deep Lying Playmaker should be reasonably competent in defense. This does not mean the Deep Lying Playmaker is a defensive specialist. This is why the Deep Lying Playmaker is not considered to be a Defensive Midfielder. It is likely that the Deep Lying Playmaker is deployed alongside a combative defensive minded midfielder.

The Deep Lying Playmaker is a playmaker. See Advanced Playmaker for more information on playmakers.

In support duty the Deep Lying Playermaker will bring the ball out of defense and look for long shot opportunities as well as supplying through balls

With a defend duty the Deep Lying Playermaker will fulfil extra defensive responsibilities by holding position in front of the defence and will rarely look to support attacks

• Passing
  
• Tackling
  
• Technique
  
• Composure
  
• Creativity
  
• Decisions
  
• Positioning
  
• Teamwork
  
• Strength

defend - marking
support - first touch, off the ball

Xavi, Paul Scholes, Luka Modric

• like other playmakers, the Deep Lying Playmaker performs better when there is time to do their magic (read:needs space)

• See Regista
  
• A Volante is a Deep Lying Playmaker operating in the position of a Defensive Midfielder who uses positioning to opportunistically intercept the opposition's attacking moves. ‘Volante’ literally means "the steering wheel" in Brazilian Portugese and describes the defensive pivot of the team. Much like an Anchor man, the Volante aims to secure the defense and not venture into the attack

The main duty of the Defensive Forward is to put pressure on the defensive line with a high pressing (superior athleticism is essential).

The Defensive Forward will close down the opposition player in possession, chase loose balls and generally stop the opposing defensive players having any time on the ball.

In attack, the Defensive Forward will keep attacking things as simple as possible, preferring to bring other players into the game than create his own chances.


With defend duty the Defensive Forward will stay a little deeper and put pressure on the opposition's Defensive Midfielders.

With support duty the Defensive Forward will press and put pressure on the backline (i.e. the Central Defenders).

• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Teamwork
  
• Work rate
  
• Stamina
  
• Strength

Support - First Touch, Long Shots, Passing, Pace

The Defensive Midfielder’s main duty is to protect the defensive line from breaking attackers by closing them down quickly (this high pressing requires good physical ability).

Positioned in front of the defense and roaming the field laterally (sideline to sideline). The Defensive Midfielder should have the ability to read the game so that they will always be well positioned.

The Defensive Midfielder should be able to keep hold of the ball while the defence and attack are reorganising themselves after a period of opposition pressure ("shielding the ball"). This is why Defensive Midfielders typically act as a "pivot" or "fulcrum" (an important player when a team changes from defence to attack).

When the team is in attack the Defensive Midfielder will support the creative midfielder's possession by being a back passing opportunity or by making supporting runs.

The Defensive Midfielder is usually used to temporarily cover the positions of Central Defenders and Fullbacks/Wingbacks while they join the attack.

With a Defend duty, the Defensive Midfielder will hold position between the midfield and defensive line and recycle possession from a deep position

With a Support duty, the Defensive Midfielder will step into the midfield line and support attacking moves.

Determination is also an important attribute.

• Marking (depends if zonal or man marking)
  
• Tackling
  
• Decisions
  
• Positioning
  
• Teamwork
  
• Work Rate
  
• Acceleration
  
• Stamina
  
• Strength

Defend - Concentration
Support - Passing

Javi Martinez, Sergio Busquets

The Defensive winger uses high pressing of the opposing fullbacks/wingbacks to win back the ball high up the pitch with tackling or by intercepting the ball.

Once the ball has been won the ball, the Defensive Winger will:

• hold up the ball for the rest of the team (to reorganise to get into advanced attacking positions);
  
• drive to the byline (dribbling down the sidelines); or
  
• get in a quick/early cross or through ball for the Centre Forwards.

With a Defend duty the Defensive Winger will try to win the ball, get past his man and put in early cross for the forwards

With a Support duty the Defensive Winger will try to run at the defence in the final third once he has won the ball. Running at the defense aims to cause panic and indecision prior to shooting or attempting to make through ball/cross to a teammate.

Acceleration and Strength are also an important attributes.

• Crossing
  
• Dribbling
  
• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Technique
  
• Decisions
  
• Teamwork
  
• Workrate
  
• Pace
  
• Stamina

Javier Zanetti, Park Ji-Sung

Won't exploit the weakness of your opponent on the flanks - i.e. no good at attacking

• countering against teams that attack on the flanks; and
  
• your attack focuses on creative players through the middle.

If you have a high defensive line, you should probably use a wingback instead.

Enganche literally means "hook" in Spanish (Argentina) - i.e. the enganche is the hook that joins that joins the midfield and attack

The Enganche is the side’s prime creator who sticks to his position and becomes a pivot to his team as they move around him. The Enganche differs to the Trequartista because the Trequartista likes to roam from his position (drifting around and looking for space between the lines).

The Enganche is only available with attack duty.

• Finishing
  
• First Touch
  
• Passing
  
• Technique
  
• Anticipation
  
• Composure
  
• Creativity
  
• Flair
  
• Off the Ball

Juan Roman Riquelme

Maradona, Ortega

As the Central Attacking Midfielder (AM(c) or CAM) in the 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-1-2.

The False Nine positions deeper than a typical Centre Forward so that the Centreback pair have nobody to naturally mark. Essentially the objective is to get the Centrebacks out of position so that your team can exploit the space behind the defenders somehow. This is usually done with the help of pacey Inside Forwards or attacking Wingbacks. This can also be exploited by the False Nine himself by running at the Centrebacks to pressure them (SI should have included dribbling as an important statistic with dribbling as an included instruction - but this is not possible in Football Manager 2014).

The role of the False Nine became prominent in the modern game when players in the central attacking midfield position were becoming a team's main goal threat. The was mostly a deliberate development by managers such as Sacchi, Spalletti, del Bosque and Guardiola who wanted their star attacking Centre Forwards/Midfielders to be more versatile (i.e. the Guardiola trait of not using several specialists). Sometimes the development was accidental: Laudrup discovering the enormous talent of a previously unknown attacking midfielder (Michu), or by Allardyce when West Ham's Forwards were out injured in 2013 (several different players) or by Moyes when Everton’s Centre Forwards were Injured in 2009 (Tim Cahill).

The name of the "False Nine" comes from the fact that a typical Centre Forward has the number 9 shirt by convention, but the False Nine plays more like a number 10. "False 9" is actually disingenuous because the False 9 wants to score just like a regular number 9. The below image is courtesy of Wikipedia (this is a narrow 4-4-2 formation);
The Goalkeeper is not shown and has always been number 1.

The False Nine is a playmaker.

The False Nine is only available with support duty.

Dribbling and Teamwork should have been included as an important attributes.

• First Touch
  
• Long Shots
  
• Passing
  
• Creativity
  
• Off the ball [teamwork]
  
• Work rate
  
• Strength

Occasional Examples: Michu in some games for Swansea in 12/13, Cesc Fabregas playing for Spain (most games in Euro2012 until Torres or Negredo came on), Messi in Barcelona of 2011, Francesco Totti under Spalletti, Tim Cahill playing for Everton in 2009.

• teams defending very deep (“low block”)
  
• tight man-marking against your false nine
  
• must have a very high longshot attribute
  
• your team could suffer from a lack of incisiveness in front of goal (you won’t score much). See above.
  
• The False Nine can't have attack duty in Football Manager 2014 - which I think is just stupid. If you want your False Nine to be a serious goal threat, you are better off using a Deep Lying Forward with attack duty or something else.

• The False Nine is used in the 4-6-0 formation (or a variation thereof): false nine(Messi), inside forwards and midfield domination – see Barcelona of 2011.
  
• all of your Centre Forwards are injured and you have good attacking midfielders who can play in the Centre Forward position (Allardyce and Moyes)
  
• Occasional Examples: Michu in some games for Swansea in 12/13, Cesc Fabregas playing for Spain (most games in Euro2012 until Torres or Negredo came on), Messi in Barcelona of 2011, Francesco Totti under Spalletti.

Your “False Nine” is probably not good enough to be your main goal threat while playing in a deep position. If you want a reliable goal threat, just use an actual Centre Forward of some kind …. unless your False Nine is Lionel Messi or Francesco Totti, in that case, do as you please.

Wide defenders focused on the assigned defensive duty. It is a physically demanding role due to the amount of space a fullback is required to cover.

The Fullback will only occassionaly get forward into attacking positions.

Usually marks a designated wide attacking player. Speed and Concentration are important for stopping opposing wingers crossing the ball.

Strength is also an important attribute

• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Anticipation
  
• Concentration
  
• Positioning
  
• Teamwork
  
• Work Rate
  
• Acceleration
  
• Stamina

Defend - *
Support - Crossing
Attack - Crossing, Dribbling, Off the Ball

“Shot-stopping” Goalkeeper {standard}

The standard GoalKeeper has three main functions: to save incoming shots at goal, clear the ball away from goal mouth and to direct your defence.

As the furtherest player back, the goalkeeper can see the entire defensive line and how the defenders should be positioned. Directing the defense is particularly important during free kicks when the goalkeeper organises the wall.

Your Goalkeepers technical shot stopping ability goes together with their mental strength (key attribute for this in FM14 is determination). The Goalkeeper should be alert and ready for danger at all times (Compsure, Concentration and etc.) Making a mistake in goal hurts morale much more than an outfield player.

The goalkeeper role focuses on simple and risk-free use of the ball, with the keep simply look to play the ball away from goal to an open player. If a player is not open, the keep will player it long and safe

The Goalkeeper will distribute the ball differently between match strategies. For more cautious tactics, he will aim to clear the ball deep whereas for more aggressive ones he will feed the defence in order to start off passing moves

Kicking, Throwing and Punching are important depending on the goalkeeper's and your preferred distribution method.

You should consider Jumping, Aerial technical ability and your Goalkeeper's height when assessing your Goalkeeper's ability to deal with the ball in the air.

Flair is a negative attribute in a standard shot-stopping goalkeeper (the less flair the better).

• Aerial Ability
  
• Command of Area
  
• Communication
  
• Handling
  
• One on Ones
  
• Reflexes
  
• Bravery
  
• Composure
  
• Concentration
  
• Decisions
  
• Positioning
  
• Agility

Petr Cech, Iker Casillas, Manuel Neuer

The Goalkeeper does not normally play with the ball at their feet (and could be described as being "uncomfortable" with the ball). If you find your goalkeeper is often making passes because of opposition pressure, then you should change your tactic or use a Sweeper Keeper instead. A Goalkeeper who is uncomfortable with the ball at their feet is likely to make very dangerous mistakes when pressured (i.e. from high pressing from opposition forwards) .

See also: Central Winger and False 10 and Inverted Winger

The Inside forward aims to cut inside from the flanks and run directly at the centre of the opposition’s defence. This tactic works best when the Inside Forward’s strongest foot is opposite to the flank he is playing on.

Inside Forwards tend to run into channels to panic the defence (the space between the opposition Centreback and Fullback). This works when the Inside Forward has the ball or not because it creates space for your Centre Forward.

The attacking movement of the Inside Forward can open up space for overlapping full backs as well as overloading a retreating defender. There is a danger that the Inside Forward will end up running into cul-de-sacs (no available options to pass or dribble into space).

The Inside Forward supports the Centre Forward with passes and by being a passing opportunity.

With attack duty, the inside forward will run directly at the defence with the options of shooting, passing or crossing ash he moves into the final third.

With support the Inside Forward will cut diagonally into the space behind the defence and play through balls or take longs shots if the opportunity arises

• Dribbling
  
• Passing
  
• Decisions
  
• Flair
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Teamwork
  
• Acceleration
  
• Pace

Support - Long Shots, Technique
Attack - Crossing, Finishing, Creativity


David Villa (when he is on the wing), David Silva, Samir Nasri, Oscar, Juan Manuel Mata, Santi Cazorla

• the defense has “screening”/"holding" defensive midfielders
  
• a covering Centreback / Sweeper.
  
• any congested centre field/goal-mouth: make sure you don’t have too many players in the centre of the pitch being marked. The Inside Forward needs space to run into.

See also: Midfield Sweeper

Libero literally means "free" in Italian.

The Libero is a Sweeper with permission to leave the defense and join the attack (very fluid positioning).

The Libero does not man mark so that he can be "free" to go forward and attack.

Like a Sweeper Keeper, the Libero aims to launch counter attacks.

• Dribbling
  
• Heading
  
• Marking
  
• Passing
  
• Tackling
  
• Anticipation
  
• Composure
  
• Concentration
  
• Creativity
  
• Decisions
  
• Positioning
  
• Teamwork
  
• Acceleration
  
• Balance
  
• Jumping

Attack - Long shots, pace, stamina, work rate

Franco Baresi, Franz Beckenbauer

• The Libero is used in the 3-5-2 formation
  
• Greece won Euro 2004 with the Catenaccio formation using a Libero

The main job of the limited defender is to stop the opposing attackers from playing and to clear the ball from danger when required

The aim is to win the ball without giving away a free kick and get it cleared safely up field in a no-nonsense manner.


With defend duty, the Limited Defender will stay in line with his defensive partner and look to break up attacks, mark opposing forwards and prevent the ball from getting into the box

With Stopper duty, the Limited Defender will push ahead of the defensive line and close down players before they get to the area

With Cover duty, the Limited Defender will drop a little deeper and sweep up through balls behind the defensive line.

• Heading
  
• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Determination
  
• Positioning
  
• Jumping
  
• Strength

Stopper - aggression, bravery
Cover - anticipation, acceleration, pace
Defend - teamwork

Nemanja Vidic & Carles Puyol

The poacher sits on the shoulder of the last defender looking to break the defensive line and run onto through balls from his teammates. Although the poacher is always ready to run at his marker and is happy to cross the ball when required, his main aim is trying to put the ball in the back of the net.

His focus is so extreme that he rarely offers much help in constructing attacking moves, preferring to remain central and sniff out opportunities in and around the box. This includes taking advantage of any defence mistakes such as loose balls and intercepting passes.

The Poacher is not as common as it used to be: now modern forwards are required to contribute more to the attacking build-up play of their team. It is strongly recommended that you have some kind of supporting forward to play with the poacher.


The Poacher is only available with an Attack duty. Aggression and Bravery are also useful attributes.

• Dribbling
  
• Finishing
  
• First Touch
  
• Anticipation
  
• Composure
  
• Off The Ball [intelligence/Positioning]
  
• Acceleration
  
• Agility
  
• Balance
  
• Pace

Thierry Henry, Klaan-Jas Huntelaar, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Gabriel Batistuta, Inzaghi, Romario (all retired historical legends) and in the current game we have Radamel Falcao

• good Man marking against your poacher
  
• you have one less player in the attacking build up
  
• you may be wasting the talent of a player who can create goal opportunities for teammates

Regista literally means director in Italian.

The Regista is a more aggressive version of the deep-lying playmaker suitable for possession-orientated systems that press high up the pitch.

Given complete freedom to dictate play from deep positions, the Regista offers a dynamic and unpredictable creative outlet from behind the attack who seeks to maintain intense pressure by constantly looking for new chances as his more advanced teammates get into goalscoring positions.


The Regista is only available with support duty.

Creativity and Determination are also important attributes.

• First Touch
  
• Passing
  
• Tackling
  
• Technique
  
• Composure
  
• Decisions
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Teamwork

Andrea Pirlo

• It is suggested that you have a defensively minded midfielder working with your regista: Pirlo's partner while at Milan was the excellant ball winning Gattuso (now Pirlo has the exceptional combatitive Vidal). Basically you should have some kind of holding midfielder working with your Regista.

• Unlike the Regista, the Volante's priority is protecting the defence by maintaining their deep position. The Regista wants to move forward and influence the attacking play.

A Centre Forward operating in the Central Attacking Midfielder position.

The Shadow Striker is only available with Attack duty.

• Finishing
  
• First Touch
  
• Passing
  
• Tackling
  
• Technique
  
• Anticipation
  
• Composure
  
• Flair
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Work Rate
  
• Agility
  
• Stamina

The Sweeper does not man mark and has fluid positioning around the goalmouth so that he can "sweep up" any balls that gets past the defensive line.

Rarely used in the modern game because it tends to lead to inflexible defences and defensive midfielders are preferred.

The Sweeper is only available with defend duty.

Aggression is also a useful/important attribute.

• Heading
  
• Marking
  
• Passing
  
• Tackling
  
• Anticipation
  
• Composure
  
• Concentration
  
• Decisions
  
• Positioning
  
• Acceleration
  
• Balance
  
• Jumping

Franco Baresi, Ronald Koeman

Used in the cantenaccio formation.

See also: "Playmaking Shot Stopper"

The Sweeper Keepers performs two roles; those of the standard goalkeeper and the outfield sweeper.

Alongside standard goalkeeper duties the Sweeper Keeper will sweep up balls in front of and wide of the penalty area. The Sweeper Keeper may also initiate counterattacking moves with direct through balls.

The Sweeper Keeper should be comfortable playing the ball at his feet.

With defend duty the Sweeper Keeper will be a more cautious but will still play counter-attacking balls when they are available

With support duty the Sweeper Keeper will stray just outside the penalty box and look for to play counter attacking passes.

With attack duty the Sweeper Keeper will travel some distance outside the Penaltybox and be happy to move out with the ball at his feet.

Passing ability is important and is needed to deliver accurate passes.

The following attributes are needed in addition to those of the standard shot-stopping goalkeeper.

• First touch
  
• Rushing Out
  
• Anticipation
  
• Creativity
  
• Acceleration
  
• Pace

Manuel Neuer, Brad Guzan

A Target man can transform an average team into a good one by using his sheer physicality to disrupt the opposition’s defence and open space for his striker parter and supporting midfielders.

Positioned deeper than a poacher, the Target man stays forward looking to recieve passes from his teammates (usually long balls - direct passing). The Targetman should then be able to shield the ball from opposition pressure so that he can play his teammates into attack. This is the primary tool of the Target man so that he distracts the opposition (pulls opposition players to the Target man away from teammates thus creating space for attacking).

The Target man uses his strength and aerial presence to bring teammates into play rather than relying on technical ability. How the Target man plays teammates into the attack depends on the duty assigned.

The Target man is a potent aerial threat especially on set piece corners.

With support duty the target man will look to win flick-ons and play simple possession passes to his teammates to bring them into play

With an attack duty the Target man will lead the line and open space for teammates to move into.

You must also consider the height of the Target man.

• First Touch
  
• Heading
  
• Aggression
  
• Bravery
  
• Determination
  
• Teamwork
  
• Work Rate
  
• Jumping
  
• Strength

Support - Long shots
Attack - Finishing, Anticipation, Composure, Creativity

Jan Koller, Drogba

Trequartista literally means "three-quarters" in Italian.

The Trequartista is a Playmaker and needs to have very strong mental attributes.

While the Trequartista is similar to the Advanced Playmaker in that he aims to drop space between the opposition’s midfield and defence (“into the hole”), the Trequartista does far less defensively and simply roams around looking for space when the team is not in possession. This space is usually found three quarters of the way up the field which gives the name of the role.

The rest of the team will need to carry the Trequartista when defending (ie. a team trend to be more defensive minded). When the team win the ball back the Trequartista will be the main creative attacking outlet. This does not necessarily mean that the Trequartista is the main goal threat. It is far more likely that the Trequartista will instead be a kind of support striker for an Advanced Forward or Poacher type of player.

Basically the Trequartista is just an attacking midifielder who has the creative licence to work the field looking for attacking opportunities: whether for himself or for teammates via passing.

Typically the Trequartista is a player of exceptional ability (and could be said to be a "fantasista": a star player who is a playmaker).

See Advanced Playmaker for more information on the role of the playmaker.

The Trequartista is only available with attack duty and can operate in the centre attacking midfield or centre forward positions.

Work rate and stamina are also very useful attributes. I don't understand why teamwork wasn't included as an important attribute... because it is.

• Finishing
  
• First Touch
  
• Passing
  
• Technique
  
• Anticipation
  
• Composure
  
• Creativity
  
• Flair
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Agility

Francesco Totti, del Pierro, Antonio Cassano, Diego Forlán

• needs space (read: time)
  
• very tight man marking of your Trequartista
  
• doesn't have defensive duties

As the Central Attacking Midfielder, the Trequartista could be used in the 4-4-1-1 (See Diego Forlán when he played for Uruguay in the 2010 World Cup).

The Wide Target Man will be the main outlet for clearances and long balls from the back. Ideally positioned against a smaller and weaker full-back, he will be asked to get hold of the ball and keep it before recycling it to a team-mate.

See Target man for more information.

The Wide Target man is available with support and attack duty.

• Crossing
  
• Dribbling
  
• Heading
  
• Technique
  
• Decisions
  
• Flair
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Acceleration
  
• Agility
  
• Balance
  
• Jumping
  
• Pace
  
• Strength

• A regular Target man with instructions to "roam from position"

A more adventurous fullback running the full length length of the touchline.

Aggression is also an important attributes

• Marking
  
• Tackling
  
• Decisions
  
• Positioning
  
• Teamwork
  
• Work Rate
  
• Acceleration
  
• Stamina

Defend - *
Support - Crossing
Attack - Crossing, Dribbling, Off the ball

The Winger has three main duties: to be a wide presence, to beat (get past with the ball) the opposing fullback and deliver the ball to the ball to teammates in the opposition's goalmouth.

The winger hugs the touchline when the team is going forward, ready to surge into space and attack the byline

To beat his man on the outside, the winger needs to be quick and technically proficient.

The Winger should understand when there are good crossing opportunities going wide, or when there are scoring opportunities by cutting inside. The Winger must be good at crossing to deliver the ball accurately.

The Winger is usually considered to be a forward, whereas the wide-midfielder (a similar position) would be considered as a midfielder.

With support the winger’s job is to try to quickly get past his man and get in an early cross for the centre forwards

With an attack duty the winger will try to run at the defence in the final third, aiming to cause panic and indecision prior to shooting or attempting to make a through ball/cross to a team mate.

• Crossing
  
• Dribbling
  
• Technique
  
• Decisions
  
• Flair
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Acceleration
  
• Agility
  
• Balance
  
• Pace

Gareth Bale, Angel Di Maria

• Good marking from opposing fullback
  
• your team can't win the aerial duels in the goal box (crosses are usually delivered in the air)
  
• not a role for posession focused teams

• similar to a Wide-Midfielder except the Winger is focused on attack
  
• “Interiores” – wingers who move into central positions when their side has the ball. The wide positions of the Interiores would then be covered by attacking fullbacks/wingbacks.