Soccer Sense

            Just like we all have favorite positions in baseball, basketball and football, I have come to love certain positions in soccer.  Some players execute them better than others, and give new meanings to the defense, mid-field and forward positions.  Just like people now understand what a slot receiver is, or a long reliever in baseball, or the sixth man off the bench in basketball, I hope to make aware the meanings of new and all-encompassing positions in soccer.  These are my favorite five.

#1. The tactically industrious mid-fielder. (CM; CDM) This is the type of player that gives full out energy for 90 minutes and is able to bring it to both the defensive and attacking aspects of the game.  Any team that can get a world class player at this position should automatically challenge for more trophies and higher places in the table (standings).  They are efficient at breaking up the attacks of the opposing team, not only with their strength and physical skills, but also through their understanding of where to line up and when to drop deep and take away the passing lanes.  They win a lot of challenges, and are able to begin the attacks going the other way as well.  They won’t put in for very many goals during the course of a season, but can still contribute 3-8 goals a season that help make a good team great.

A.  Claude Makelele – The player whom the position is now named. (Makelele role). While at Real Madrid, he sat back behind the midfield, broke up play, and contributed to the success of Figo, Raul, etc.  After moving to Chelsea, I believe he was the catalyst that helped Chelsea win back-to-back titles during Mourinho’s first campaign at the club.  He hardly ever was out of position, and won enough tackles to make opponents fear coming through the middle of the park.

B. Roy Keane – My favorite player ever to play this position and one of my favorites of all-time.  You tube some of his highlights to get a true understanding of what this position means.  He was a dangerous player, not only because he was talented on the ball and could mark any attacking midfielder, but because he wasn’t afraid of any challenge, and had no fears in taking a player out.  My favorite part of his game though was the attacks forward and the energy he put into them.  There were a number of times when Keane’s 60 yard runs ended up with the ball in the back of the net. 

C. Paul Pogba – The evolved version of this role.  He’s a player that is just getting started, but plays the position as well as anyone in the world at the tender age of nineteen.  With that being said, there is nothing tender about his game.  He’ll put a foot in, run around all day, and even take a pop at the goal. Some of his goals have been simply incredible and he’s continuing to get better.  Might be #1 on this list by the end of his career.

#2. The tracking-back forward (CF, LW, RW) The type of player that is good for any team.  They work hard, always support the cause, but can score 15-25 goals a season as well.  They are just as committed to defending the opposing forward on a corner, as they are diving in for a header on the other end.  Fans love them, coaches need them.  If you can get them on your side, it almost feels like there is a 12^th player out on the field.  But, as I have been a fan for over 15 years now, they are very hard to come by.  No forward wants to sacrifice glory for grit.  Just about none, anyway.

A. Wayne Rooney – Even with all of his issues, he is still my favorite player of all-time.  When it comes to talking about being fully motivated and giving effort, no one in the world can match the focus and effort that Wayne Rooney brings to the pitch.  One of my great attributes to the world of sports is my ability to recognize greatness in the youth.  The first time I watched Rooney play, I knew he was headed for that level.  He made a tackle, went on a run, and scored one of the most fantastic game-winners I have ever seen on any level.  This before his 17^th birthday.  All the things a world class forward should do.

B. Dirk Kuyt – In his prime, he was one of the most frustrating players to deal with being a Manchester United fan.  Speaking of 12 players on the field, I felt like there were 2 Kuyt’s out there.  He never appeared tired, and gave the impression that he could play another match that day.  He didn’t score at the highest level, but was always a threat to finish.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a forward, or many other players for that matter, that put forth such high effort for 90 minutes.  The fact that he did it from the corners of the pitch made it even more impressive. 

C. Thomas Muller – I challenge you the reader to watch him play.  He currently plies his trade for Bayern Munich who at the time of this blog is arguably the best team in the world.  Now Muller is not pretty.  He is not creative.  He really isn’t high energy in the way I’ve described.  He isn’t clinical in his finishing.  But by the end of the match, you will have realized that he made his mark on the game and probably has a goal to his name as well.  I can’t explain how it was done, only in that he did it.  Perhaps he is the smartest player in the world, but I can say in full confidence that Munich wouldn’t be the world’s best without him. 

#3. The thundering full-back. (LB, LWB, RB, RWB)  These guys are fun to watch.  This player plays back in defense, but you can tell in their heart that they want to be out there either scoring goals, or helping the forwards finish them off.  The difference between a thundering full-back and just your average full-back is that they are literally up and down the sidelines for 90 minutes and are looking to get forward at every opportunity.  They also may not be afraid of taking corners and free kicks for the team, and some have been known to take a penalty kick as well.  A world class player at this position can’t be considered such unless they are able to dive in and make a tackle and I believe that all three examples are definitely in that category.

A. Roberto Carlos – Legend.  He is far and away the greatest attacking full-back in the history of world football.  He could do everything that was required of this role.  He took amazing free kicks, he could SCORE from corners, and he was almost impossible to mark for the full 90 minutes.  I mentioned before that any teams that have these types of world class players become instantly better, he made every single team he was on World Class. Brazil should’ve won more than just 2002, but if you are a great fan of the sport, you have to believe that Brazil and Real Madrid will win many titles soon if they just had another Roberto Carlos.

B. Cafu – Which makes the whole Brazil thing ridiculous.  For a number of years, they had two of the greatest full-backs in the same side at the same time.  They were both more known for their attacking skills, but the national team kept a surprising number of clean sheets considering how often they liked to attack.  Cafu wasn’t as great at set pieces as Roberto Carlos, but his tactical awareness was almost flawless.  He was part of the great Milan team during the mid 2000’s, and a team which many consider to have one of the greatest back four’s in the history of the game (Maldini, Costacurta, Nesta). 

C. David Alaba – Another star for today’s Bayern Munich.  The position has evolved over the last ten years, but he almost plays it flawlessly for Munich.  He can run down the sideline, cut inside, defend in open play, defend set pieces and score the odd goal after long runs.  He’s on the young side of his 20’s, and should be a threat for many years to come.

#4. The creative mid-fielder. (CAM).  Most every fan’s favorite position.  They can do all of the pleasing aspects of the game.  They can score great goals, set up great passes, dribble, avoid contact, and generally just make the right play at the right time.  This is the position that tends to go for the most money on the transfer market (Zidane, Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo in a way).  A world class one of these can change history; clubs tend to becoming bigger the minute they get one (Napoli, Villarreal).

A. Zinedine Zidane – For me, the greatest player that ever played.  A smile comes to my face every time I hear his name.  Most people will remember him for the head butt; I have come to terms with that.  But if they could see his elegance, his tactical shrewdness, his dribbling determination, and his gentle arrogance, then they would know what type of player he was.  He did things on the field, that I could never dream of.  He did things on the field that no professional would ever think of.  I’m sure Diego Maradona and Pele were fantastic players, but Zidane deserves every mention of that breath as well.

B. Michael Laudrup – By the time I was getting interested in the game, Laudrup was well past his prime.  He and his brother were both nearing the end of great careers, and I didn’t quite understand the impact that they had on the sport.  But I mean this as a great compliment when I say that I have yet to see another rendition of their skill levels.  Like Thomas Muller, it is hard to define in just words.  I would say that Laudrup saw the field very well, and could think 2 or 3 passes ahead of the game.  But the effects that he had on the opponents, and the fact that he was always involved in the big moments of the game, made me realize that a gem like this doesn’t come around very often.  He never had a red card in his career either. 

C. Kevin de Bruyne – Many of you knowledgeable soccer fans may laugh at this inclusion, but my own confidence in youth had me keep him in here.  There are a number of young players in the world right now that could fill this particular spot (Özil, Isco, Bale, Schweinsteiger, Hazard, etc). Yet, we are literally only seeing the tip of the iceberg with this player.  I was absolutely shocked and appalled when I heard that Chelsea was spending £14 million pounds on an unknown kid.  I take pride in certain things; certainly following young stars is one of them.  I had never heard of de Bruyne, and when I heard that they loaned him out immediately after, I knew it was going to be a waste of cash.  Now... I think he could be one of the great players of our generation, and he should be Chelsea’s best player in the next few seasons.  He sees the pitch like a chess master, and has no fear.  Similar to that of Wayne Rooney.  He finishes like a forward, runs like a mid-fielder and marks like a defender.  Sounds world class to me. 

#5. The first attacker (ST). These are the guys that lead the lines, and are expected to score many goals.  The reason that I prefer them to a drifting striker, a shadow striker or a false nine, is that they are required to only score goals and to do so often.  As a fan of this sport for 15 years, I have seen a great many “first attacker’s” lose confidence and start missing the back of the net.  It can literally, ruin careers.  Andriy Shevchenko will never be remembered fondly at Chelsea.  Zlatan at Barcelona. Karim Benzema at Real Madrid.  But the greats?  The truly greats?  They can go on to legend status. 

A. Andy Cole – Some may think of this as a bizarre inclusion, but let me share this – United could get goals from just about anywhere.  This team was so talented, that they did not require a striker on the front lines.  Robin van Persie may have been mediocre during those great teams of the late 90’s.  (Personally, I think he would’ve done well). They got multiple goals from Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Teddy Sheringham, Dwight Yorke and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.  That’s a lot of players to share the ball with.  Denny Welbeck had 1 premier league goal last season.  So in Andy’s case, for a guy that was required to score many goals, but wasn’t really given that many opportunities in which to do so, the fact that he was able to score 93 goals in 195 appearances with Manchester United makes him seem like a pretty great attacker to me. 

B. Gabriel Batistuta – The guy that just banged them in.  There have been many great attacking forwards since I have been alive, but not so many that were able to hit them hard and accurately like Batigol ever did.  He didn’t play with the greatest teams during his career, but he was still able to score goals like they were being distributed at every moment.  He scored for Argentina 56 times in just under 80 caps, and it seemed like every goal was blasted from the spot.  His style hasn’t really been duplicated since, and for his uniqueness plus his knack for scoring so often gets him into this category.

C. Mario Balotelli – A polarizing character to say the least.  As a player on the pitch, he is probably one of my least favorite players that I have ever watched.  He is lazy, selfish, detached and reacts bizarrely to certain situations.  But he is a genius.  He has a 100% penalty scoring rate, which is absurd considering the amount of penalties that he has taken over his career so far.  (24 for 24 at time of writing) He has great physical size and skills and isn’t afraid of taking a shot from anywhere on the pitch.  I would never want him to play for my favorite club because I believe the bad outweighs the good, but damn if the good isn’t spectacular.