Tactical Roles

A player’s tactical role is the set of tactical instructions that he is assigned. A tactical role includes an attacking role, which is the tactical role in the attacking phases, and a defensive role, which is the tactical role in the defensive phases.

A player’s tactical role can therefore be broadly described by the extent to which he should use each playing method, relative to the team’s other players.

There are essentially an unlimited number of different tactical roles that a team can assign to its players. However, they can be analysed in terms of a limited number of distinct and simplified component role types that can be composited to form more complex composite role types.

Some composite role types can be used as auxiliary playing position role types, which instruct movement into a different positional area.

When assigning tactical roles a team should consider the player suitability of its players. This can be assessed partly from player suitability for the playing methods that tactical roles instruct to be carried out to a relatively greater extent and partly from role understanding.

A player’s role understanding of a tactical role is his understanding of the positional responsibilities that he should perform when playing in the tactical role. The better his role understanding of a tactical role is, the better his decision making is when playing in the tactical role. A player can develop his role understanding by playing in a tactical role over a period of time, preferably from a young age.

Component Role Types

A component role type is a part of a tactical role comprised of a single tactical instruction that relates to the use of a single playing method. For example, a particular playing position is essentially a component role type, as is a tactical instruction to make forward runs to a greater extent relative to other players.

Component role types can be categorised into positional role types, attacking role types and defensive role types.

Positional Role Types

A positional role type is a component role type that relates to the use of a tactical shape playing method.

Each playing position is therefore a positional role type, while the other main positional role types are detailed below.

As explained in the Tactical Organisation guide, a player’s attacking instructions and defensive instructions regarding tactical shape are usually similar. Therefore, positional role types can generally be considered to apply to both the attacking phases and the defensive phases.

Wide Central Player / Line-Hugging Wide Player

This positional role type can be referred to as the wide central player when composited with a central playing position and the line-hugging wide player when composited with a wide playing position.

Instructs:

Narrow Player

Instructs:

  • Attacking width and defensive width – using narrow positioning to a greater extent.

Attacking Role Types

An attacking role type is a component role type that relates to the use of an attacking method. It is therefore part of an attacking role.

The main attacking role types are detailed below. For some an alternative name is shown in square brackets.

Offensive Player

Instructs:

Supporting Player

Instructs:

  • Off the ball directness – making forward runs to an average extent.

Sitting Player

Instructs:

  • Off the ball directness – sitting back to a greater extent.

Between-the-Lines Player

Instructs:

  • Off the ball directness – sitting between the lines to a greater extent.

Deep-Dropping Player

Instructs:

  • Off the ball directness – dropping deep to a greater extent.

This attacking role type is typically not composited with a defender playing position, since a deep-dropping defender would make it difficult for a team to restrict onside space effectively.

Drifting Player

Instructs:

Drifting player can include inside-drifting player and wide-drifting player.

Inside-Drifting Player

Instructs:

  • Off the ball drifting – making lateral runs (runs inside specifically) to a greater extent.
Wide-Drifting Player

Instructs:

  • Off the ball drifting – making lateral runs (runs wide specifically) to a greater extent.

Channel-Running Player

Instructs:

  • Off the ball drifting – making runs into channels to a greater extent.

This attacking role type is typically only composited with a central attacker playing position or auxiliary playing position (positional or attacking phase – explained below).

Disciplined-Running Player

Instructs:

  • Off the ball drifting – making disciplined movement to a greater extent.

Roaming Player

Instructs:

Darting Player

Instructs:

  • Off the ball freedom – making darting movement to a greater extent.

Ball-Collecting Player

Instructs:

  • Off the ball freedom – collecting the ball to a greater extent.

Holding Player

Instructs:

  • Off the ball freedom – holding position to a greater extent.

Holding player is also analysed below as a composite role type.

Dribbling Player

Instructs:

Restricted-Dribbling Player

Instructs:

  • Dribbling directness – refraining from dribbles to a greater extent.

Lateral-Dribbling Player

Instructs:

Lateral-dribbling player can include wide-dribbling player and inside-dribbling player.

Wide-Dribbling Player

This positional role type can be referred to as the flank-dribbling wide player when composited with a wide playing position.

Instructs:

  • Dribbling location – making lateral dribbles (dribbles wide specifically) to a greater extent.

A wide-dribbling central player makes lateral dribbles away from his central positional area towards and within wide positional areas (the right flank or the left flank).

A flank-dribbling wide player makes lateral dribbles within his wide positional area (the right flank or the left flank) until he reaches the touchline on that flank, at which point he effectively makes disciplined dribbles to keep the ball in play. A flank-dribbling wide player therefore makes both lateral dribbles and disciplined dribbles. His lateral dribbles help him to fulfil higher risk positional responsibilities, although in most cases he spends more time making disciplined dribbles (due to his proximity to the touchline) and so these tend to be more significant from an overall playing style perspective.

Inside-Dribbling Player

This positional role type can be referred to as the inverted wide player when composited with a wide playing position.

Instructs:

  • Dribbling location – making lateral dribbles (dribbles inside specifically) to a greater extent.

Disciplined-Dribbling Player

Instructs:

  • Dribbling location – making disciplined dribbles to a greater extent (not including those made by a flank-dribbling wide player).

Hold-Up Player

Instructs:

  • On the ball movement – using hold-up play to a greater extent.

This attacking role type is typically only composited with a centre forward playing position or, less commonly, a wing forward playing position.

Passing Player [Passer]

Instructs:

Restricted-Passing Player

Instructs:

  • Passing range – making short passes to a greater extent.

Ball-Playing Player

Instructs:

Safe-Passing Player

Instructs:

  • Passing expansiveness – making passes to player to a greater extent.

Crossing Player [Crosser]

Instructs:

  • Crossing – making crosses to a greater extent.

This attacking role type is typically only composited with a wide playing position.

Restricted-Crossing Player

Instructs:

  • Crossing – refraining from crosses to a greater extent.

This attacking role type is typically only composited with a wide playing position.

Deep-Crossing Player

Instructs:

This attacking role type is typically only composited with a wide playing position.

Byline-Crossing Player

Instructs:

  • Crossing location – making crosses from byline to a greater extent.

This attacking role type is typically only composited with a wide playing position.

Shot-Taking Player

Instructs:

  • Shooting – taking speculative shots to a greater extent.

Restricted-Shooting Player

Instructs:

  • Shooting – refraining from shots to a greater extent.

Creative Player

Instructs:

  • Creativity – using creative freedom to a greater extent.

Disciplined Player

Instructs:

  • Creativity – using tactical discipline to a greater extent.

Defensive Role Types

A defensive role type is a component role type that relates to the use of a defensive method. It is therefore part of a defensive role.

The main defensive role types are detailed below. For some an alternative name is shown in square brackets.

Aggressive Player [Aggressor]

Instructs:

Cautious Player

Instructs:

  • Pressing intensity – sitting off to a greater extent.

Man-Marking Player

Instructs:

Zonal-Marking Player

Instructs:

  • Marking coverage – using zonal marking to a greater extent.

Tight-Marking Player

Instructs:

Loose-Marking Player

Instructs:

  • Marking tightness – using loose marking to a greater extent.

Hard-Tackling Player

Instructs:

  • Challenging – tackling to a greater extent.

Easy-Tackling Player

Instructs:

  • Challenging – holding off to a greater extent.

Composite Role Types

A composite role type is a particular composite of two or more component role types.

A tactical role is therefore itself a composite role type as it is comprised of multiple component role types, as well as multiple ‘sub’ composite role types. As such, composite role types enable a more specific analysis of tactical roles.

A composite role type can be referred to by the names of the component role types that it includes. If a playing position (or playing position category) is included then this can replace the term player. For example, a composite of the supporting player, the passing player, the ball-playing player and the centre midfielder playing position can be referred to as the supporting, passing and ball-playing centre midfielder.

Where a component role type has an alternative name (as shown in square brackets), the alternative name can be detailed after the playing position and the name of the playing position may be shortened so the name of the composite role type reads more fluidly. For example, the supporting, passing and ball-playing centre midfielder can alternatively be referred to as the supporting and ball-playing centre midfield passer.

A composite role type can also be given its own unique name. Examples of composite role types are detailed below. Their names can be used in the same way as detailed above for component role types.

Holding Player

The holding player composite role type includes the following component role types:

  • Sitting player
  • Disciplined-running player

The sitting player and disciplined-running player component role types are usually assigned together as the holding player composite role type, in order to enable sufficient variation in movement from players who make forward runs to an average or greater extent and to avoid too much variation in movement from players who sit back to a greater extent.

Equivalently, the holding player composite role type instructs:

  • Off the ball freedom – holding position to a greater extent.

Flying Wide Player

The flying wide player composite role type includes the following component role types:

  • Dribbling player
  • Flank-dribbling player
  • Any wide playing position

A flying wide player makes direct dribbles down the flank, usually close to the touchline in order to stretch play, rather than attempting to take advantage of any opportunities to move with the ball into more threatening areas inside the flank.

Since such movement tends to isolate the player from his teammates, the flank-dribbling wide player is typically composited with the crossing player so that the player can still penetrate space effectively from wide areas. Furthermore, the use of direct dribbles to take the player closer to the byline means that it is usually also composited with the byline-crossing player.

Auxiliary Playing Position Role Types

An auxiliary playing position role type for a particular playing position is a composite role type that includes a different playing position (the assigned playing position) but instructs movement into or near to the playing position concerned (the auxiliary playing position). It therefore indirectly instructs a player to play in or near the auxiliary playing position.

An auxiliary player in a particular auxiliary playing position (where the word ‘player’ can be substituted for the auxiliary playing position) is a player who is assigned an auxiliary playing position role type for that auxiliary playing position.

An auxiliary player acts, to some extent, like he would if he was assigned a similar composite role type that directly instructed him to play in the auxiliary playing position.

Auxiliary playing position role types can be categorised as positional, attacking phase, on the ball and defensive phase.

Positional Auxiliary Playing Position Role Types

A positional auxiliary playing position role type instructs movement near to the auxiliary playing position, usually in all phases of play, as a result of its inclusion of a positional role type.

Positional auxiliary playing position role types include:

  • Wide player – the player has a tactical position near to the nearest wider playing position.
  • Narrow player – the player has a tactical position near to the nearest more central playing position.

Attacking Phase Auxiliary Playing Position Role Types

An attacking phase auxiliary playing position role type instructs movement into or near to the auxiliary playing position in the attacking phases, specifically when the player is off the ball (although on the ball movement in or near the auxiliary playing position is likely to follow when the player receives the ball), as a result of its inclusion of an attacking role type related to off the ball movement.

Attacking phase auxiliary playing position role types include:

  • Offensive player – the player tends to move off the ball in vertical space into available space in more advanced auxiliary playing positions. A supporting player acts similarly but to a lesser extent.
  • Deep-dropping player – the player tends to move off the ball in vertical space into available space in deeper auxiliary playing positions.
  • Wide-drifting central player – the player tends to move off the ball in horizontal space into available space in wider auxiliary playing positions.
  • Inside-drifting wide player – the player tends to move off the ball in horizontal space into available space in more central auxiliary playing positions. A channel-running player acts similarly but to a lesser extent.
  • Roaming player – the player tends to move off the ball into available space in nearby auxiliary playing positions.

On the Ball Auxiliary Playing Position Role Types

An on the ball auxiliary playing position role type instructs movement into or near to the auxiliary playing position in the attacking phases, specifically when the player is on the ball, as a result of its inclusion of an attacking role type related to on the ball movement.

On the ball auxiliary playing position role types include:

  • Dribbling player – the player tends to move on the ball in vertical space into more advanced auxiliary playing positions.
  • Wide-dribbling central player – the player tends to move on the ball in horizontal space into wider auxiliary playing positions.
  • Inverted wide player – the player tends to move on the ball in horizontal space into more central auxiliary playing positions.

Defensive Phase Auxiliary Playing Position Role Types

A defensive phase auxiliary playing position role type instructs movement into or near to the auxiliary playing position in the defensive phases as a result of its inclusion of a defensive role type.

Defensive phase auxiliary playing position role types include:

  • Aggressive player – the player tends to move into nearby auxiliary playing positions where the ball is located.