First of all, the outside midfielder should be one of the fittest members of the team. Throughout a match, this positional player may very well cover more distance than anyone else on the field. His area of responsibility is from box-to-box. In defense, he must mark the widest opponent on his flank. If he is presented with a situation where there is no man to mark, the wing player shall shift into the middle of the field to squeeze the space around the ball. In this way, he is preserving the defensive compactness at his team's core. On offense, the outside midfielder must find space on the wing to utilize the width of the field, especially in the initial stages of an attack. By providing width, he will force the opponent's defense to open up to account for his attacking presence. While charging into enemy territory, the outside midfielder should make supporting runs and show for the ball. Should the ball come to the wide player, he must be ready to either find space for a pass, turn and dribble further downfield, deliver a cross, or take a shot if within range of the goal.
In the modern game, many offensively minded teams have reduced the responsibilities of the outside midfielder to that of an attacking machine. In this setup, the player is best known as a winger, and his realm of play spans from just inside his own half to the opponent's goal. The quintessential winger is a pacey sprinter, full of tricks, and enjoys hugging the touchline to find space to deliver crosses. When given liberty, many wingers prefer to cut infield with the ball and pose a threat to the heart of the defense. Creative wingers can present inch-perfect throughballs to fellow attackers or unleash tricky shots from tight angles when play allows them space infield. Traditionally, right-footed players are enlisted on the right side and left-footed players are found on the left side to accommodate the player's stronger foot. However, coaches in increased numbers are requiring wingers to be proficient with both feet in to play on either flank. Whenever called upon, wingers may be signaled to switch flanks as a quick change of tactics in a match. The advantage being that a winger playing on his weak side can now comfortably cut into the middle on his dominate foot to take on a defender's weaker foot.
Best Outside Midfielders & Wingers to Watch
Iniesta is the strong silent type on the flank. He is greatly admired for his silky control and eye for the perfect pass. He humbly gives all his effort to fight in defense to win the ball back for his team. He excels at being an auxiliary forward on the counterattack.
Mesut Ozil (Werder Bremen, Germany)
When asked to play on the left flank instead of the center, Ozil is not one to shy away from producing spectacular plays. He is an exciting young talent to watch and may soon earn a big money move to a world class club.
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspurs, England)
Lennon shows immense composure on the with the ball on the right flank and has vastly improved his decision making and crossing.
Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich, The Netherlands)
Robben is fast, tricky, and lethal when he cuts inside for a shot. He is a big-time player who scores crucial goals for club and country.
David Silva (Manchester City, Spain)
Silva is a versatile player who can play either on the left or right of the pitch. He has great vision on the field and is a valuable support player to any center forward.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, Portugal)
Ronaldo is the prime example of a modern day winger. He possess all the attributes of a superstar that strike fear into the hearts of defenders. Though he may appear selfish at times, he does produce a flurry of goalscoring opportunities for his team and himself.
No comments:
Post a Comment