Top 7 hardest position in soccer that you should know
Football is one of the most popular and beloved sports in the world. In the vast pitch, each position has its own unique importance and plays a decisive role in the team’s tactics. Today with Premiumsoccertips learn about the top 7 hardest position in soccer through the article below!
Which is the hardest position in soccer?
1. Forward
No, scoring is not as easy as you might think. Modern play requires forwards to have speed, ball control, intelligent off-the-ball movement to exploit spaces, and particularly finishing.
Finishing distinguishes a poor forward from a good one, and a good forward from an exceptional one.
A good forward needs to have the awareness to anticipate a defender’s actions, and the ability to shoot from distance with both feet is an advantage. Strong aerial abilities for headers are also prioritized.
Furthermore, modern forwards often have to press the opposing team in their own half, so they need to have excellent fitness and stamina.
A specific type of forward, the target man, must have all these abilities plus good passing and ball-holding skills, waiting for midfielders to arrive as an option.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Robert Lewandowski are some of the best and most famous forwards in the world. These stars are tasked with scoring goals for their teams.
2. Sweeper
The “sweeper” is named because they “sweep” any potential loose balls that the center-backs can’t handle.
This position was very common in the catenaccio system of the 1960s: in a defense with five players, the “sweeper” or libero was responsible for patrolling the area, addressing any danger if one of the two center-backs lost their mark.
In modern football, sweepers are rarely used because most defensive lines consist of four players instead of five. However, it still exists today in some places.
The position is not easy because it requires excellent timing to intercept the opponent’s attacks and block dangerous passes. Any foul can lead to a penalty kick, so this type of defender must be very careful with their challenges.
Sweepers need to be masters of tackling and must have excellent passing skills to keep possession when starting a build-up play.
Franz Beckenbauer and Franco Baresi were top sweepers of their time. Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk often plays as a libero.
3. Central Midfielder
Perhaps the most physically demanding position in football, the central midfielder has a long list of requirements to truly master it: speed, passing, defensive ability, long-range shooting, tackling, and positional awareness.
The box-to-box midfielder has both defensive and offensive responsibilities, so they need to take on many tasks. These often stand out as top performers after matches because they need to support their team defensively, distribute the ball efficiently in midfield, initiate attacks, and often finish them.
Paul Pogba, Leon Goretzka, Ilkay Gundogan, Luka Modric, Frenkie de Jong, and Joshua Kimmich are some of the best central midfielders in the game today.
4. Full-back
Playing as a full-back is an extremely challenging position in today’s football. It requires not only speed and endurance to support both defensive and offensive sides on the flanks, but also the ability to accelerate, pace, and cross the ball to perform their duties successfully.
To become an elite full-back, a player needs to have excellent marking and tackling skills, combined with a willingness to make smart and timely runs up the flank whether or not they have the ball. Full-backs often serve as an outlet for midfielders to rely on when transitioning play.
Cafu and Roberto Carlos are widely regarded as some of the best full-backs in history. Today, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alphonso Davies, Reece James, and Theo Hernández are some of the top players in this position.
5. Attacking Midfielder
There are several types of attacking midfielders in the world of football. In the 1990s and 2000s, the “number 10” was famous due to the success of players like Carlos Valderrama, Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti, Zinedine Zidane, and others with similar skills.
They had exceptional passing and attacking range, often breaking down defenses with those traits. Some of them may not have been the fastest, but they had a “battlefield map” in their heads and were often a step or two ahead of their peers.
Today, those tasked with carrying their team’s attacking burden are faster, more agile, and more well-rounded: they may not have the passing skills of Riquelme or Valderrama, but they are quicker, more agile, and have stronger attacking power.
That’s why this position is challenging: these players need to act quickly and make precise decisions in crowded areas of the field with numerous players and defenders.
Lionel Messi, Kevin de Bruyne, and Eden Hazard are some of today’s playmakers: complete offensive machines capable of dealing damage in multiple ways. They create plays for themselves and their teammates.
6. Defensive Midfielder
Modern football is primarily about disrupting play, gaining position, and finding ways to successfully attack the gaps and vulnerable areas in the defensive line.
The defensive midfielder is perhaps the most demanding off-pitch position in this sport, as players in this role must stop the opposing team’s attack, act as strategists and coaches on the field, and start play with calmness and good first passes.
A defensive midfielder needs excellent fitness to keep up with the pace of the game for 90 minutes or more, while maintaining composure in challenging situations. Additionally, they must be intelligent enough to cover potential mistakes by teammates.
It’s not an easy position to play: imagine being tasked with stopping the attack of Messi, Neymar, and others from PSG.
It requires a unique combination of abilities, from “invisible” ones like sacrifice and team spirit to physical characteristics like endurance, speed, and strength.
N’Golo Kanté is by far the top defensive midfielder in the world, while Casemiro, Wilfred Ndidi, and Marcelo Brozovic are also excellent. Roy Keane, Claude Makelele, Patrick Vieira, Dunga, and Lothar Matthaus are among the best players in history.
7. Goalkeeper
It may not sound like it, but goalkeeping is actually the most difficult position to play in football. Sometimes, if a player isn’t good enough to perform in a specific on-pitch position, the situation might go unnoticed or not seriously impact the score.
Not only is it the most challenging position in football, but it’s also the most important one. When a goalkeeper doesn’t play well, it shows. This player bears immense pressure not to make any mistakes that could impact the team’s performance.
A good goalkeeper needs to have excellent physical fitness and agility, quick reflexes, and notable lower body strength. Having the proper equipment is also important in the goalkeeper’s role.
Conclude
Football is a sport that requires close coordination between players on the field, each of whom plays an important role in the team’s tactics. The goalkeeper is the most difficult and important position, playing the role of last defensive end and directing the defense. Other positions such as forward, midfielder and defender also contribute equally important in attacking deployment and defending the home team. All of these hardest position in soccer require players to have skill, high adaptability, and strong teamwork. The smooth combination of positions is a key factor to help the team achieve success on the pitch.
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