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Playmaker
In association football, a playmaker is a player who controls the flow of the team's offensive play, and is often involved in passing moves which lead to goals.[1] In English football, the term overlaps somewhat with attacking midfielder, but the two types of midfielders are not necessarily the same. Several playmakers operate in a more central midfield role, alternating between attacking and playing in the midfield. In Italian football, there are usually two main types of playmakers: the trequartista (playmaker in the central attacking midfield position) and the regista (deep-lying playmaker). The trequartista, usually wearing the jersey number 10, will sit in a free role between midfield and the forwards, either in the centre of the pitch or on the wings. They will often make incisive passes to the wingers or forwards, seeing them through on goal or to deliver killer crosses, as well as scoring goals themselves. They are also usually highly technical players with good vision, shooting, passing, crossing and dribbling ability, known for scoring goals as well as providing assists and initiating attacking plays. Diego Maradona[2] was an elite trequartista. The registas or deep-lying playmakers, usually jersey numbers 8, 6 or 5 (in South American football), operate from a deep position, in or even behind the main midfield line in a seemingly defensive midfield role, where they can use space and time on the ball to orchestrate the moves of the whole team, not just attacks on goal. Deep-lying playmakers are often known for their vision, technique and passing. Many are known for their ability to provide long passes that pick out players making attacking runs. Although several deep-lying playmakers are not known for their tackling and defensive ability, it has become more common for a box-to-box midfielder with good passing, technique, vision and tackling ability to play in this role, since it is in a similar position to that of a defensive midfielder. An example of a deep-lying playmaker is Andrea Pirlo. In Argentine and Uruguayan football, a playmaker is known as an enganche, literally meaning "hook." In Brazilian football, the deep-lying playmaker is called meia-armador, while the attacking midfield playmaker is called meia-atacante. The most complete playmakers are known as advanced playmakers, or free role playmakers (fantasisti in Italian), as they can operate both in central, attacking midfield and wide positions on the wings. Others still seemingly operate as a free second striker, or rifinitore in Italian, playing on the wing or down the centre of the pitch, and then falling back to link between the midfield and the attack. Attacking midfielder/playmaker Michel Platini would describe this more advanced and attacking trequartista role (exemplified by Roberto Baggio), allowing players to make dribbling runs, and score many goals as well as assisting them, as a nine and a half, since it was half way between a the role of a forward and a trequartista or rifinitore. The Deep lying forward, more commonly known as a "false-9" also shares some similarities with the trequartista role, although the false-9 player appears to be playing as a centre-forward (shirt number 9) rather than as an attacking midfielder (shirt number 10). The false-9 will then drop deep into the midfield drawing defenders with them, creating space for other team-mates to make attacking runs, allowing the false-9 to dribble with the ball or provide these players with assists. Examples of deep lying forwards are Lionel Messi under Josep Guardiola and Francesco Totti under Luciano Spalletti. The false-10 also shares similar attributes to a false-9. A false-10 however, is usually a player who is apparently playing in deeper role than a false-9, more like a trequartista or a winger, but who will then make dribbling runs forward, leading to goals and assists once other forwards draw defenders away from them, creating space in the middle of the pitch. This position is more common in a 4-6-0 formation. Playmakers are not necessarily constrained to a single position; many attacking playmakers in modern football play a combination of these different attacking roles. Creativity, skill, vision, technique, tactical awareness and good passing ability are the true requirements of a good playmaker. Other playmakers operate on the wings, in more of a wide position, either as a half-winger/outside fowrard, or as a wide midfielder, using their vision to find team-mates
Playmaker making runs, to whom they can then deliver long passes and crosses. Half wingers are sometimes played as inverted wingers, allowing them to cut inside and shoot with their stronger foot and to provide in-swinging lobbed passes. Playmakers are not known for their defensive capabilities, which is why they are usually supported by a defensive midfielder. Because many midfielders and forwards have these attributes, they tend to be the playmakers of a team. The attacking playmakers are sometimes called the "number 10" of the team, as they often wear the number 10 jersey.
Playmaker
Footnotes
[1] playmaker - Definitions from Dictionary.com (http:/ / dictionary. reference. com/ browse/ playmaker) [2] The Number 10 from FIFA.com (http:/ / www. fifa. com/ newscentre/ news/ newsid=76134. html) [3] FM-Tactics - Brought to you by Football Manager Britain (http:/ / www. fm-tactics. co. uk/ index. php?page=articles& view=article& news_id=95)
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