Description

HOW TO PLAY EVERY POSITION

Understand Your Position. Improve Your Game.

The complete practical guide to understanding how to play every position on the football pitch.

What does a centre-back need to do when the team has the ball?

When should a full-back overlap?

What makes an effective defensive midfielder?

How should a number 8 influence the game?

What does a number 10 need to do between the lines?

How should a winger create and exploit space?

What makes a striker effective without the ball?

What should a goalkeeper do in possession?

And how does every position contribute across the different phases of the game?

Written by a professional football coach and coach developer, this book takes you through every position on the pitch, explaining the responsibilities, behaviours, decisions and skills required to play each role effectively.

Whether you’re a player, coach, analyst, football fan or football aficionado, this book will help you understand what it really means to play each position.

MORE THAN JUST A POSITION

Knowing where you play is only the beginning.

Playing a position is about understanding what to do, when to do it and why.

A player needs to understand their responsibilities when the team has possession.

What should they do when the ball is on the other side of the pitch?

Where should they position themselves?

When should they move?

When should they pass, carry or penetrate?

And what changes when the team loses possession?

This book explores the complete role of every position, helping players understand how their individual actions contribute to the team.

EVERY POSITION. EVERY PHASE.

The book takes you through the key positions on the pitch and explores what is required in each phase of play.

GOALKEEPER

Understand the modern goalkeeper’s role in:

Shot stopping
Starting attacks
Building from the back
Supporting the back line
Playing under pressure
Managing space behind the defence
Defensive organisation
Transitions

CENTRE-BACK

Understand how to:

Defend space
Defend 1v1
Cover teammates
Win duels
Manage the defensive line
Build play
Break lines
Progress the ball
Step into midfield
Defend transitions

FULL-BACK

Learn how to:

Defend wide areas
Support the winger
Provide width
Overlap
Underlap
Create passing options
Move inside
Progress the ball
Defend transitions
Manage 1v1 situations

WING-BACK

Understand the unique demands of playing as a wing-back.

When should you provide width?

When should you attack?

When should you hold your position?

How do you defend the wide area?

How do you contribute to attacking combinations?

CENTRAL MIDFIELDER

Explore the demands of controlling the middle of the pitch.

Learn about:

Receiving
Scanning
Supporting
Progressing
Creating passing options
Switching play
Managing space
Arriving in advanced areas
Defensive transitions

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER

Understand how to:

Protect the defence
Screen opponents
Receive under pressure
Control possession
Connect the team
Cover teammates
Manage space
Break lines
Support defensive transitions

NUMBER 8

Learn how to influence the game in both directions.

Understand:

Movement
Supporting the ball
Arriving in the box
Playing between the lines
Combining with teammates
Pressing
Covering space
Making forward runs
Transitioning between attack and defence

NUMBER 10

Explore the role of the player operating in advanced central areas.

Understand how to:

Find space between the lines
Receive on the half-turn
Connect midfield and attack
Create chances
Combine with forwards
Manipulate defenders
Make penetrating movements
Press effectively

WINGER

Learn how to make the most of wide attacking areas.

Understand:

Holding width
Attacking 1v1
Creating separation
Receiving to feet
Running in behind
Moving inside
Combining with teammates
Creating chances
Attacking the box
Defending and pressing

STRIKER

Understand what makes an effective modern striker.

Explore:

Movement
Runs in behind
Linking play
Holding up the ball
Creating space
Occupying defenders
Finishing
Pressing
Counter-pressing
Attacking the box

THE PHASES OF PLAY

Every position has different demands depending on what is happening in the game.

The book explores each position across the key phases:

BUILD-UP

What should you do when your team starts an attack?

Where should you position yourself?

How can you create passing options?

How can you help the team progress?

MOVING THROUGH THE PITCH

How do you support progression?

When should you move?

Where can you receive?

How can you help create numerical or positional advantages?

CREATING & EXPLOITING SPACE

How do you create space for yourself?

How do you create space for teammates?

When should you run?

When should you stay?

How can your movement manipulate opponents?

CHANCE CREATION

What should your position contribute in the final third?

How can you create opportunities?

How should you attack the box?

How can you combine with teammates?

DEFENSIVE ORGANISATION

What is your responsibility when the team is defending?

Where should you position yourself?

Who do you protect?

Who do you press?

What space do you control?

PRESSING

When should you press?

What triggers your movement?

How do you support teammates?

Where are you trying to force the opponent?

TRANSITIONS

What should you do immediately after the ball is won?

What should you do immediately after it is lost?

Understand the importance of reaction, recovery, counter-pressing and counter-attacking.

THE INDIVIDUAL & THE TEAM

Football is a team game, but every player has individual responsibilities.

The book helps you understand the relationship between:

Your position.

Your role.

Your teammates.

The space around you.

The ball.

The opposition.

The phase of play.

Your actions don’t happen in isolation.

A full-back’s movement can create space for a winger.

A striker’s movement can create space for a midfielder.

A midfielder’s positioning can allow a centre-back to progress the ball.

A winger’s defensive action can trigger the team’s press.

Understand how your decisions affect everyone around you.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

One of the biggest challenges for players is knowing what to do in different situations.

This book focuses on the decisions that players face throughout a game.

Where should I be?

When should I move?

What should I see?

What information should I take?

Should I pass, carry or dribble?

Should I support or penetrate?

Should I press or recover?

Should I stay or rotate?

Should I attack the ball or space?

Develop a better understanding of what to do, when to do it and why.

UNDERSTANDING PLAYER PROFILES

Playing a position isn’t about having one specific type of player.

Different players can perform the same position in completely different ways.

The book explores the qualities, characteristics and behaviours that can help players succeed in each position.

Understand the importance of:

Technical ability
Tactical understanding
Decision-making
Awareness
Movement
Physical qualities
Communication
Positioning
Mentality
Adaptability

Discover what makes a player effective — and how individual strengths can influence the way a position is played.

ATTACKING YOUR POSITION

Learn how to contribute when your team has the ball.

Understand:

Positioning
Movement
Support
Penetration
Creating space
Exploiting space
Receiving
Passing
Carrying
Combining
Creating chances
Attacking the box

See how every position can contribute to attacking success.

DEFENDING YOUR POSITION

Every player has defensive responsibilities.

Understand:

Positioning
Cover
Balance
Compactness
Marking
Tracking
Pressing
Delaying
Protecting space
Winning the ball
Recovering
Defending transitions

Learn how to become more effective without the ball, regardless of your position.

WATCH FOOTBALL DIFFERENTLY

Once you understand the demands of each position, watching football becomes a different experience.

You start noticing:

Why the full-back has moved inside.

Why the winger has stayed wide.

Why the midfielder has dropped.

Why the striker has moved away from the ball.

Why the centre-back has stepped forward.

Why the goalkeeper has positioned themselves outside the penalty area.

Why a player presses — or doesn’t.

The book gives you a framework for understanding the decisions players make throughout a match.

FOR PLAYERS WHO WANT TO IMPROVE

You don’t have to be playing professionally to benefit from understanding your position.

Whether you’re developing as a young player, playing grassroots football, working your way through the academy system or simply wanting to become a better player, this book can help you understand the game from your position.

And if you can understand your position better, you can begin to understand the game around you better.

FOR COACHES TOO

The book isn’t only for players.

For coaches, it provides a practical framework for explaining positional responsibilities and helping players understand what good looks like.

TRUSTED BY PROFESSIONALS

The author’s eBooks are already being used and endorsed by professionals from the game.

Including:

Danny Röhl — Football Manager
Gaël Clichy — Former Manchester City & Arsenal player, Coach
Yohan Cabaye — Former Newcastle United & PSG player, Coach
Martin Devaney — Assistant Manager, Barnsley FC
Marlon Pack — Portsmouth Captain
Kenwyne Jones — Former Premier League player, Coach

Their use and support of the author’s work reflects the practical focus behind the books:

Football ideas that can be understood, applied and developed.

WRITTEN FROM THE PROFESSIONAL GAME

The author is a professional football coach and coach developer, bringing together practical coaching experience with a passion for helping players understand the game.

The result is a practical resource that connects position-specific responsibilities with the realities of the modern game.

Useful for players.

Valuable for coaches.

Helpful for analysts.

Accessible to fans.

And ideal for anyone who wants to understand what it really takes to play each position.

KNOW YOUR POSITION. IMPROVE YOUR GAME.

Understand your responsibilities.

Understand your movement.

Understand your decisions.

Understand your teammates.

Understand your defensive role.

Understand your attacking role.

Understand your transitions.

Understand your position.

Understand the game.