Football playing styles

players are different in their own way. All players have a particular 'style' in which they play in that is an asset to their team in some way. Some playing styles can only be used in some positions. eg: a target man can only be a forward because a player who plays with that style is not effective anywhere else. Here are the main styles.

Dribblers who use the art of dribbling to evade players in order to score a goal or open up space for a teammate. Dribblers are usually midfielders or forwards. Some well known dribblers are:

*Lionel Messi of Barcelona
*Robinho of Real Madrid
*Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich

Box to Box midfielders are players who have good stamina and can work all match long from 'Box to Box'. These players usually have good all-round ability in both attack and defence. Some well known Box to Box midfielders are:

*Frank Lampard of Chelsea
*Steven Gerrard of Liverpool
*Tim Cahill of Everton

A Goal Poacher is a forward that is well known for his scoring ability and movement inside the penalty box. He takes advantage of any space he is given or any mistake the defender makes. Some well known Goal poachers are:

*Hernán Crespo of Inter
*David Trézéguet of Juventus

Wing Backs are left or right sided defenders that push forward down the flanks to create an extra attacking option.

*Roberto Carlos of Fenerbahçe
*Ashley Cole of Chelsea
*Daniel Alves of Sevilla

A Target Man is a forward that is usually strong and able to hold up the ball. This allows him to shield the ball from a defender, and lay it off to a teammate in a better position for a shot, or shoot himself. Some well known Target Men are:

*Peter Crouch of Liverpool
*Mark Viduka of Newcastle United

A Playmaker is usually a midfielder who is the brains of the team. In some teams there is more than one. Playmakers are very creative as they must always think of a way to create a goal scoring opportunity, whether it be through passing to a teammate or shooting themself. Some well known playmakers are:

*Deco of Barcelona
*Andrea Pirlo of Milan
*Mikel Arteta of Everton

A Stopper is a defender that, as the name suggests, stops whoever they are marking. Stoppers need to possess strength, be hard in a tackle and mark their opponent tightly. Some well known stoppers are:

*John Terry of Chelsea
*Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United

A Sweeper is a central defender that acts as a safeguard to a defence. Sitting just behind the other central defender, the sweeper generally does not mark anyone and is there to stop any attacker who passes his marker. Sweepers should be comfortable on the ball and adept at all other defensive skills. Some well known sweepers are:

*Rafael Marquez of Barcelona
*Vincent Kompany of Hamburg

Counter Attackers are forwards that 'counter attack' when their team is on the back foot. Counter attackers can quickly turn a game through their pace, ball control and finishing. Some well known counter attackers are:

*Andriy Shevchenko of Chelsea
*Samuel Eto'o of Barcelona

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