Abilities vs positions

by Andrew
(Sydney)

QUESTION
I came across your web site as I was looking for information about what position suits what abilities. The "Positions" page is useful but it does not really answer this question. For example, I have heard that the fastest players (ie, fastest at short sprints) should be wingers or fullbacks. Also the left-winger should always be left-footed.

Which reminds me that the "Positions" page does not mentions wingers. I have also occasionally heard of "wing-backs" which I think is like an outside full-back that can go forward on the wing.

(I have also been told that my abilities are best suited for "left right out" but I am not sure what is required of that position. :)

Thanks for the site. It is by far the best of anything I have found.


ANSWER
Well, not necessary. A winger or fullback doesn’t need to be a speed bullet. One good example on this is Portugal’s soccer star, Luis Figo. He often plays at the wing, but he is pretty slow if you compare him with C.Ronaldo or Quaresma . Another example on a slow winger is David Beckham. He is not either a fast running player, but still able to dominate on this position.

It is an advantage if you are left footed while playing as left winger. The reason is that you will be able to perform quality crosses faster than if you were right footed. However, if you want to become good at soccer you will need to play well with both feet. Playing as winger is pretty similar to the traditional left/right midfielder.

The only difference is that a winger is more offensive. One of the greatest wingers in soccer today is Lionel Messi. I recommend you to study his moves and position on the field. You can read more about wingers on at the bottom of this page

One good example on a wing-back is the Brazilian shooting master Roberto Carlos. He was playing as left fullback and used to follow up pretty often during his team’s offensive attacks. However, his team suffered often from his offensive attacks because he was leaving out too much space on his flank.

What I am trying to say is that a wing-back is more offensive than a traditional left/right fullback. However, in order to perform well on that positions you will need to have great stamina and power. The reason is that you will need to perform many 70-80 yards sprints during the game.

I have been playing as winger few times and it is pretty fun when my team had possession of the ball. However, when we lost the ball to our opponents I was suddenly forced to run from my opponent’s 18 yard box to my own 18 yard box with full speed. So, if you thought that playing as wing-back is fun then you are wrong :-) he he

If your coach told you that your abilities are best suited for playing left right out then he is probably right. In order to perform well on that position you need to have good condition and ball skills. However, if I was you, I would not focus on too much on one single position. During your soccer career you will need to play on many positions and I know personally many forwards that are playing as fullback now days :-).

I would instead recommend you to work on your ball skills and practice as often as possible. I hope that your questions have been answered. And Remember; only hard work will take you to the top. Good Luck.