The launch of Football Manager 2018 is less than a month away and as ever there are some new features to look forward to.
Amongst them are four new player roles to consider when refining your tactics, and here we analyse just what each will offer, along with some examples of players that would suit each function.
The first new entry is the ‘Segundo Volante’, which is a central midfield role that combines some of the traits of those existing in the game. Operating from a deep starting position, they are best partnered with a anchor man but have a different responsibility to a deep-lying playmaker.
It’s more of an all round job in the middle of the park, more similar to that of a box-to-box midfielder, but more likely to run with the ball to push the team forward whilst still providing defensive support when out of possession.
It’s a role that Tiemoue Bakayoko excelled in last season alongside Fabinho in a two man midfield and one that the Frenchman will be expected to replicate alongside compatriot Kante. The latter has the greater responsibility when the opposition has the ball, but the former helps alleviate pressure by carrying it forwards himself, requiring plenty of stamina to get back into position when play changes hands.
Sticking on the topic of N’Golo Kante’s responsibilities at Chelsea, the reigning PFA Player of the Year is well suited to the new role of the ‘Carrilero’, or “Shuttler”. It’s a support role in midfield, not merely restricted to defensive work but involving plenty of running and covering of vacated spaces.
They move laterally across midfield lines to link defence and attack rather than playing from box-to-box but must use the ball well to retain possession and recognise danger when wide players move into more advanced positions.
The final midfield role is that of a ‘Mezzala’, which is the more attacking of the three. While not dissimilar to a box-to-box midfielder, there is less onus on defensive responsibility and more on finding the spaces that an inside forward would look to operate within. It’s a function that Corentin Tolisso was handed last season at Lyon and one that ultimately earned the Frenchman a big money move to Bayern in the summer.
The fourth addition is that of an ‘Inverted Winger’, which is an adaptation of the inside forward but with a greater expectation to offer a support role to the midfield than an all out attacking mindset akin to that of Arjen Robben, for example. In a similar manner to the Dutchman, the role is best suited to a player who is naturally left footed playing from the right or vice-versa.
The inverted winger will cut diagonally across the defence to play the ball through the middle while overloading defenders and defensive midfielders ahead of the penalty area. A prime example would be Giacomo Bonaventura at AC Milan, with plenty of creative responsibility but less freedom operate solely in the final third.
