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A center midfielder is an important position in soccer. The player should be able to play as a deep-lying playmaker or to make runs into the penalty area and score goals. A center midfielder is often the team captain.
The center mid position is an important position on the soccer field that requires a lot of stamina, technique, and skill. The center mid-player often sets up plays and is an important team member. Learning how to play center mid in soccer will impact your team’s performance and help you become a great leader for your team.
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How to Play Center Mid in Soccer
When you’re in the middle of most situations, your teammates are often relying on the center mid to be able to fulfill certain responsibilities on the field effectively. Especially if you are new to the position, here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Never Stop Moving
Since you are playing in such a crowded area, it’s important that you don’t make yourself an easy target to mark for the opposite midfielders.
If you are constantly moving around and finding the open space, you’ll wrench yourself from the congested areas and give your team an optimal opportunity to find you on the field.
2. Handle the Pressure
You’ll have to get used to playing one or two-touch passes. The other midfielder on the other team will be on your back quickly and aggressively.
Since you are in such a closed-off space, you will more often than not only have the opportunity to get a couple of touches on the ball before you have to dish it off again. This also means that you should be aware of what—or who—is around you at all times.
3. Always Look for the Shot
Your opponent won’t expect it—and sometimes, neither will you. If you find yourself in an optimal position in front of the goal (even if it is a few yards out), chances are the goalkeeper is expecting you to play the ball on and won’t even be ready for the shot.
You should always take a look at where the goal is and, more importantly, where the goalie is when you get the ball near the goal.
4. Work on Your Vision
Whether that means keeping your head on a swivel, always being aware of your surroundings, or seeing runs that other players don’t, it’s important that you pride yourself on the vision of the game.
When you’re watching other soccer games, try to imagine yourself in the place of the center midfielders who are playing. Try and read the game in that particular situation they’re in. Take note of their decisions and which pass they believe is the best.
5. Take Control of the Game
As a natural playmaker, you have the influence, the opportunity, and the talent to be able to really control how your team plays. Your hectic or calm nature can dictate how the rest of your team will also react. You can switch the ball to the other side of the field much easier than other positions and thus control which side of the field has the ball.
An effective center mid will always look for the opportunity to control the game—whether it’s through their actions or their communication and leadership role.
What Does a Center Mid Do?
The player should be able to pass, dribble and shoot well while having the ball. They should also have good positioning skills to get into space when their team possesses the ball.
They must be comfortable with pressure so they can make passes under pressure and also get out of tight spaces when under pressure from opponents.
- Field General: The center halfback keeps the entire team working as one unit. During a game, this position must adapt to how the game is being played out. This sometimes means dropping back to provide defensive support or double-teaming an opposing player. It can mean returning to receive the ball and moving it forward to attacking players. It can mean providing an outlet on the attack and even joining the attack as a goal-scoring threat, and through it all, the center halfback must see the entire field and know how to adapt to every situation.
- Main Passer: More often than not, the center midfielder makes the most passes during a game. This is because so much of a team’s play works through its center. Even the best defenders will look to the halfbacks to play the ball forward, and strikers will routinely play the ball back to midfielders to reset. While the ball is often brought up on the wings, it typically makes its way back through the center of the field. As such, the center mid position ends up making a lot of passes during the game.
- High Possession: Defenders and strikers don’t tend to have nearly as much possession of the ball as a midfielder. Out of all the midfield positions, the center mid has the most possession. The game is often won and lost in the center of the field, and holding high possession percentages separates an average midfielder from a good one.
- Transition the Ball: A center midfielder must have a good pace to transition play from defense to offense. While sometimes defenders will rely on long balls to Strikers, more often than not, they will play the ball up through the midfield. A center mid that can take the ball with their optimal soccer cleats for midfielders and quickly transition is a vital asset to a team.
- Vision and Movement: To bring all of these components together, a center midfielder must be aware of the surroundings and have a fantastic vision to see (and know) where to play the ball. A good vision will help the center mid to play the ball to the best teammates and into the best space to give the team the best chance of scoring possible.
- Flexibility in Position: The center mid-possession has to be a jack of all trades. In certain games, they will be playing more defense than offense. In other games, it will be the opposite. A center mid must be good with their head, be able to retain ball possession,
Center Midfield Requirements and Characteristics
| Quality | Importance |
|---|---|
| Accuracy | Essential |
| Ball Control | High |
| Shooting | Medium |
| Passing | High |
| Tackling | Medium |
| Man-to-man marking | Essential |
A center midfielder has to complete awareness at all times on the field. Not only should they be personally aware of where they are, yet they should also know where all of their teammates are (at least those in the best playing position), where their opponent is, and where the goal is.
They have to be physically fit to be able to participate both offensively and defensively. They can make a difference in games on both ends of the spectrum. Not only can they help their teammates score and defend goals, yet they can also score them themselves.
When looking to become a good central midfielder, you should work on these 5 skills:
Being Able to Pass Accurately
Dishing out an accurate pass means playing the ball with the right amount of power, pace, and direction—even when your teammate is only 5 yards away. You have to be able to play an effective long pass, an efficient through the pass, an in-the-air pass, and even a give-and-go.
Should Have Incredible Ball Control
Some are born with natural abilities. However, ball control is definitely something that you can always work on. Especially since a center midfielder is situated in the spotlight of it all, they have to be able to work early through the chaos and crowded area without losing the ball from bad touch.
Everyone knows that good ball control is essential. On your own, you can practice with some drills to improve.
Take Players On Effectively
Even though a center midfielder is no a striker, that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be able to take an opponent one on one. In the middle of the field, they’ll have plenty of opportunities to get past players.
Ability to Shoot Well
Just because a center midfielder is normally known for their unselfishness, that doesn’t mean that they can’t take shots. In the middle of the field, especially as an attacking center mid, you will probably find yourself in great positions to score or at least take a shot on goal.
You have to really be able to do it all—especially under pressure. If your shot goes wrong, you are not the last line of defense—but you’re not the first either. There is risk in everything you do, so a center midfielder has to be an all-around kind of player.
Being Able to Shield the Ball
Since it is essential that you keep the ball away from the other team, and as a center mid, you are constantly under pressure, it is extremely important that you also know how to shield the ball away from the other team.
Related Questions
Are Center Mid Players the Most Important in Soccer?
Although all players are essential to a soccer team, midfielders are often regarded as the players who do the ”dirty job”. This means that they distribute the ball, maintain possession, and assist the strikers.
Therefore, many people consider center mid players to be the most important position.
Is Center Mid the Most Tiring Position in Soccer?
Yes, midfielders must sprint, pass, defend, attack, dribble, tackle, and shoot from practically every field position. All of these actions can be demanding, which is why they require a lot of stamina.
How Do You Develop a Vision as a Center Mid in Soccer?
It’s no secret that midfielders must have a good vision to create great chances. To develop an attacking vision, begin by focusing on the players and their actions rather than the ball.
If you are focused on the ball, you may miss the mistakes that your opponents make. If you pay attention to them, you might notice a nice space to send a through ball.
Think You Have What it Takes?
Being a center mid requires much more than a desire. You have to have a vision, quality ball control, and the ability to play both defensively and offensively efficiently.
