You should choose role combinations in central midfield that enable you to balance your playing system. The player roles and duties that you use should also be suitable for your desired tactical style and your players’ abilities.
You can generate an automatic tactical analysis of the central midfield role combinations in your tactic by using the Role Combinations System Analyser. You can also analyse roles/duties individually by using the Player Roles & Duties Role Analyser.
Introduction & System Analyser
Central Defence Combinations | Central Midfield Combinations
Flank Combinations | Central Attack Combinations
Forward Movement Partnerships
Each role/duty’s possible partnership and partner types can be worked out based on its playing position and its tactical instructions related to forward movement (mainly Get Further Forward and Hold Position), as explained in the Player Roles & Duties guide.
Due to the importance of providing attacking cover in central midfield it is advisable to try to use at least one forward movement partnership that focuses on retaining solidity.
In particular, to focus to a large extent on retaining solidity it can be useful to use:
- A low risk direct partnership.
Alternatively, you may want to use a more risky option that still focuses on retaining solidity but to a lesser extent, such as:
- A medium risk overlapping partnership.
- Useful if you are using attacking football in particular – to help to create space in congested advanced areas.
- Useful if you are using short plays in particular – to help to create space when cycling possession.
- A medium risk direct partnership with level playing positions.
- Useful if you are using defensive football – to help to penetrate space quickly from deeper areas.
- Useful if you are using direct plays – to help to penetrate space directly.
- Useful if you are using attacking football or short plays – to create an overlapping partnership in central attack.
- A balanced interchanging partnership – so that players can alternate their forward movement as appropriate. This implements a very fluid aspect to your playing system, with the partnership itself being very fluid, even if your system fluidity elsewhere is more structured.
You may then want to add one or more forward movement partnerships that focus on penetrating space, such as:
- High risk overlapping partnerships – useful for attacking football and short plays in particular (similar to medium risk overlapping partnerships).
- High risk direct partnerships – similarly useful for all playing styles (similar to medium risk direct partnerships).
- Overloading interchanging partnerships – very fluid (similar to balanced interchanging partnerships).
Positional Responsibilities
Balanced role/duty combinations in central midfield include roles/duties that provide cover, apply defensive pressure, stretch play, play safe and create chances.
Providing Cover
‘Providing cover’ refers to the combination of both providing attacking cover (providing cover when your team is in possession) and providing defensive cover (providing cover when your team is out of possession).
Providing cover in central midfield is considered to be of high importance. It is therefore advised to use at least one players who performs the responsibility or two players who contribute fluidly. This includes at least one player who performs (or two who contribute fluidly) providing attacking cover (high importance) and at least one who performs providing defensive cover (medium importance).
Symmetry
If you are using one or more wide and off-centre central midfielders then it can be useful to assign the responsibilities of providing attacking cover and providing defensive cover symmetrically to help to retain spatial compactness effectively. This is done by assigning each responsibility to either a central DMC or MC, or to a pair of wide and off-centre central midfielders on opposite sides.
Counterbalancing
If you use a player who performs providing attacking cover to a particularly significant extent, such as a Half Back (DMC Defend), then it is advisable to make sure that you have enough players carrying out the counterbalancing responsibility of stretching play to a sufficient extent.
Similarly, if you use a player who performs providing defensive cover to a particularly significant extent, such as an Anchor Man (DMC Defend), then it is advisable to make sure that you have enough players carrying out the counterbalancing responsibility of applying defensive pressure to a sufficient extent.
Usually, two players who carry out the counterbalancing responsibility to any extent, such as two Central Midfielder (MC Support)s, or one who does so with one or more direct instructions, such as a Box-To-Box Midfielder in the case of stretching play or a Ball-Winning Midfielder in the case of applying defensive pressure, should be sufficient.
Special Case – Splitting the Responsibility
Providing defensive cover is usually performed by one or more players who also carry out providing attacking cover to avoid problems with providing defensive cover in the defensive transition phase. However, it is possible to separate these responsibilities by using …
- … A player who performs providing attacking cover but not defensive cover, such as a Ball-Winning Midfielder (DMC/MC Defend), and …
- … Another player who performs providing defensive cover but not attacking cover, such as a Defensive Midfielder (DMC Support) or Central Midfielder (MC Support), …
… As long as both players have a higher or versatile focus for providing attacking cover and defensive cover (that is, Defend or Support duties).
Roles that can Carry Out the Responsibility
Providing cover in central midfield can be carried out by any of the following:
- One individual performer – specialises in providing cover.
- Two fluid contributors – work together and interchange to provide cover.
- One special case performer when combined with an appropriate partner – specialises in providing cover when your team is in possession but relies on a partner to help to provide cover when your team is out of possession.
Applying Defensive Pressure
Applying defensive pressure in central midfield is considered to be of medium importance. It is therefore advised to use at least one player who performs the responsibility.
Symmetry
If you are using one or more wide and off-centre central midfielders then it can be useful to assign the responsibility of applying defensive pressure symmetrically to help to retain spatial compactness effectively. This is done by assigning the responsibility to either a central DMC or MC, or to a pair of wide and off-centre central midfielders on opposite sides.
Counterbalancing
If you use a player who performs applying defensive pressure to a particularly significant extent, such as a Ball-Winning Midfielder then it is advisable to make sure that you have enough players carrying out the counterbalancing responsibility of providing defensive cover to a sufficient extent.
Usually, two players who carry out the counterbalancing responsibility to any extent, such as two Central Midfielder (MC Support)s, or one who does so with one or more direct instructions, such as an Anchor Man (DMC Defend), should be sufficient.
Roles that can Carry Out the Responsibility
Applying defensive pressure in central midfield can be carried out by one individual performer.
Stretching Play
Stretching play in central midfield is considered to be of medium importance. It is therefore advised to use at least one player who performs the responsibility.
Symmetry
If you are using one or more wide and off-centre central midfielders then it can be useful to assign the responsibility of stretching play symmetrically to help to retain spatial compactness effectively. This is done by assigning the responsibility to either a central DMC or MC, or to a pair of wide and off-centre central midfielders on opposite sides.
Counterbalancing
If you use a player who performs stretching play to a particularly significant extent, such as a Central Midfielder (MC Attack), then it is advisable to make sure that you have enough players carrying out the counterbalancing responsibility of providing attacking cover to a sufficient extent.
Usually, two players who carry out the counterbalancing responsibility to any extent, such as two Central Midfielder (MC Support)s, or one who does so with one or more direct instructions, such as a Central Midfielder (MC Defend), should be sufficient.
Roles that can Carry Out the Responsibility
Stretching play in central midfield can be carried out by one individual performer.
Playing Safe
Playing safe in central midfield is considered to be of medium importance. It is therefore advised to use at least one player who performs the responsibility.
Roles that can Carry Out the Responsibility
Playing safe in central midfield can be carried out by one individual performer.
Creating Chances
Creating chances in central midfield is considered to be of medium importance. It is therefore advised to use at least one player who performs the responsibility.
Focal Roles
Some roles/duties that can be used for performing creating chances in central midfield are playmaker focal roles. This means that teammates are instructed to pass to them more often, which enables your team to focus on using that player to create chances.
Roles that can Carry Out the Responsibility
Creating chances in central midfield can be carried out by one individual performer.
Related Guides
Other Role Combinations guides
- Introduction & System Analyser
- Central Defence Combinations
- Flank Combinations
- Central Attack Combinations
Related Tactics Guides
- Player Roles & Duties – to analyse individual player roles and duties for use in your playing system.
- Adding Team & Player Instructions – to adjust your tactical style as appropriate, taking into account any less suitable roles/duties.
- Playing System Balance – tactical theory guide.
- Positional Responsibilities – tactical theory guide.
- Attacking Structures – tactical theory guide including forward movement partnerships and forward movement scores.
- Responsibility Distribution – tactical theory guide on assigning positional responsibilities.
