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Soccer IQ for Defensive midfielders

The defensive midfielder, the six, connects the back line to the rest of the team and protects the space in front of the defence.

The six receives under pressure, switches play, and is the first line of rest defence when his team attacks. Most of his reads are about position before the ball arrives.

Worked plays

7 plays from Footy Eye's training pool, with the best read and why.

  1. Play 1

    The situation
    You’re the pivot against a compact mid-block. Your striker drops short; a midfielder breaks beyond.
    Best read
    Striker’s feet, runner takes the layoff
    Why
    The third man opens a mid-block: the striker’s drop drags a marker, and his layoff releases the runner through the gap it left. The sideways ball keeps possession but never breaks a line. A pass into feet isn’t the end of the move; it’s the trigger.
    The other options
    • Take them on through the middle Three midfielders close you down and win it in the middle.
    • Clip it long over the top The clip runs too long for your runner, and their defence collects it.
    • Recycle sideways and keep circulating You keep the ball, but the block stays intact in front of you.

  2. Play 2

    The situation
    Your team builds from the back. The keeper has it. You’re the pivot, screened from both centre-backs by their two strikers.
    Best read
    Slide into the near striker’s blind side
    Why
    Two strikers can screen one pivot only while both can see you: step into the near one’s blind side and the lane opens without anyone else moving. Dropping in builds a back three you don’t need; the keeper is already the spare man, and you hand them a free presser where you were unmarked.
    The other options
    • Drop between the centre-backs, make a three You make a back three, and a striker is left free to press.
    • Hold your spot, keep showing between them Both strikers keep you screened, and the ball can’t reach you.
    • Push up onto their midfield line You leave the middle empty, and their strikers press the centre-backs.

  3. Play 3

    The situation
    First-half stoppage time, 1–0 up, corner to your team. You’re the holding midfielder; everyone else is going in the box.
    Best read
    Hold the edge — cover clearance and counter
    Why
    The worst goal to concede comes right before the break, and it almost always comes from a cleared set piece against nine men in the box. Sit at the top of the area and you cover the second ball and the counter at once. Adding yourself to the crowd changes nothing at 1–0.
    The other options
    • Go in with them — one more body The clearance lands at the edge, and they break with no one screening.
    • Call for it short and keep the ball You take it short, and the edge is empty when they win it.
    • Drop back and defend with the centre-backs You cover the counter, but their clearance lands free at the edge.

  4. Play 4

    The situation
    You’re the six and the ball won’t come, however hard you ask. Their striker is arcing in to press your centre-back.
    Best read
    Take two steps sideways, out of his shadow
    Why
    You are not being ignored — you are invisible. Their striker’s body sits on the line between you and the ball, so that pass does not exist. Two steps sideways take you out of his cover shadow and the lane opens. Dropping deeper leaves you in the same shadow, further from goal.
    The other options
    • Show harder and demand it to feet You shout louder, but he’s still in the lane and it never comes.
    • Drop deeper, level with your centre-backs You drop into the same shadow, and your centre-back gets pressed.
    • Spin and run in behind their midfield Your centre-back has no short pass left, and their striker is on him.

  5. Play 5

    The situation
    Their striker drops into the pocket and your centre-back steps out with him. You’re the holding midfielder.
    Best read
    Drop into the space your centre-back left
    Why
    A centre-back jumping out is only a press if somebody fills the line behind him. Drop in and the flick round the corner has nowhere to land; your other centre-back has already slid onto the runner, so tracking him too leaves the middle empty. Doubling the striker means nobody holds the line.
    The other options
    • Follow the striker and double up He flicks it round you both into the hole in your line.
    • Track the runner going in behind Two of you follow one runner; the flick lands in an empty middle.
    • Press the ball as it arrives He flicks it first time past you into the gap behind.

  6. Play 6

    The situation
    The team breaks — your runners are past their last midfielder. You’re the holding midfielder; their striker has stayed behind you.
    Best read
    Hold your position and let them go
    Why
    Rest defence is part of the attack. The break has the numbers, so a fourth runner adds nothing in front and hands their striker a clean run at your centre-back if it breaks down. Dropping into the line doubles up on a marked man. Hold the screen and their counter never starts.
    The other options
    • Sprint past the ball and add a runner It breaks down, and their striker runs at your lone centre-back.
    • Overlap wide and give the carrier width You add width nobody needs, and the middle behind you is empty.
    • Drop into the back line beside your centre-back Two of you mark one striker, and the space in front is empty.

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