![]() John Stones was bought for £46 million by Man City boss Pep Guardiola this summer because of his ability to bring the ball out from the back, distribute the ball and create shifts in gear and new angles from deep - a job Rio Ferdinand did for years to bring success to Man United. It is possible to win without that commanding centre-back - for one thing, you might just have a prolific attack that can absorb any concessions - but if that is the case then your defence is probably contributing something different. Like the goalkeeper, this position's meaning has shifted with time. A lack of command from central defence puts a team at risk of splintering - and if things are malfunctioning further forwards, it is the centre-backs who are charged with standing firm. It is the team's pivot for communication: close enough to both the goalkeeper and the midfield to take a large degree of responsibility for the team's structure and shape. If the art of the traditional centre-back is dying, does that make the presence of a top-class one more important than ever? It is revealing that, for all the talent and technical ability in Manchester United's squad, the man most recently linked with a move to Old Trafford is Atletico Madrid's Diego Godin - the epitome of a hardened defensive enforcer, decisive on the ball and capable of pulling everyone else into line off it.Ī dominant force at centre-back repels opposition attacks and sets the platform for those ahead to perform more creative tasks.Ĭentre-back is still the most common position for a team captain to hold. A goalkeeper has to be a masochist, Juventus legend Gianluigi Buffon once said, and the position has never been more crucial to the all-round workings of a side. In the 2000s, a vogue for a goalkeeper able to prevent danger 40 yards up the pitch set in now he is expected to begin passing moves from his own penalty area, setting an entire team in motion by making the right decisions and executing them correctly. ![]() As has been the rise of Bayern and Germany's "sweeper-keeper" Manuel Neuer to become the generally accepted choice as best in the world. Pep Guardiola's jettisoning of Joe Hart, generally a fine performer in both categories, for the ball-playing Claudio Bravo was telling. It is the only "specialist" position on the football pitch the only one - at the majority of clubs - to have its own dedicated coach.Ī goalkeeper's importance in the modern game goes far beyond shot-stopping and the quality that is often used to separate a top-class keeper from his peers comes from the command of the box. ![]() ![]() In recent years the goalkeeper's importance seems to have heightened. If a goalkeeper really can influence a team on his own with big save, or even a canny piece of positioning, to the tune of four or five wins, it means that only a centre-forward is likely to be comparable for tangible impact. "He will save them 12 to 15 points a season," Terry said, and it was an indication of the stock in which a top-class goalkeeper is set. When Petr Cech was on the verge of moving from Chelsea to Arsenal the stand-out quote came from Blues skipper John Terry. ![]() What is the most important position? Keeper, defender, midfielder, striker?įootball is a team game, but there are four key positions and one of those must be more important than the others, right? Here's an argument for each. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser ![]()
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