Defenders. Midfielders. Forwards. Simpler times eh? These days it’s not simply enough to master a position on the field and gone are the days when a player can simply be referred to as a bog-standard Centre-Half or Centre-Midfielder. The modern game has evolved so much in recent times that it has become commonplace, nay, essential for clubs to recruit and retain players who not only can play a specific position on the pitch but also bring a certain uniqueness to said position by creating or fulfilling a specific role in that area, and nowadays we associate players with specialised tactical roles as part of their game rather than just simply labelling them a defender, midfielder or attacker for their side. Heck, Goalkeepers aren’t even just shot stoppers any more and are now expected to be equally adept in terms of getting more involved in possession play and ball distribution, as well as acting as a Sweeper Keeper when needed.
Full-Backs have become wing-backs that tend to either overlap wide on the flanks or operate in an inverted role adding an extra man in midfield when on the attack. Centre-Backs have evolved from standard hard-men or aerial dominators to Ball-Playing Defenders or Attacking Wide Centre-Halves allowing wing backs to push on even further when on the front foot. Centre-Midfielders are no longer just that - what used to be defensive and attacking midfielders (akin to Keane and Scholes in the glory days) are now Defensive Playmakers, Mezzalas, Carrileros and Free 8’s while wingers are becoming a thing of the past in favour of Inside or Wide Forwards offering far more of a goal threat rather than just acting as providers for more advanced forwards. Even the Striker role has changed where we have observed the likes of Thierry Henry and Harry Kane drifting way out of position to have more of an influence on the game, or the likes of Roberto Firmino epitomising the False 9 role which allows the aforementioned Inside Forward role to thrive through the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané.
Football Manager has advanced further than ever in this regard, adding more and more layers of realism and complexity when assigning individual positions and roles in your team. In FM22 there are now 44 individual player roles to choose from across all areas of the pitch ranging from Sweeper Keeper all the way up to Target Man, and as such it is imperative that you garner a thorough understanding of each role to ensure that (a) it fits your system and (b) you recruit and deploy the right players accordingly. Today we will look at 5 specialist roles in Football Manager 2022 which are slightly out of the box in terms of their requirements and functionality - analysing how the role operates, when best to deploy it, the key attributes needed and subsequently some real-life recommendations of elite-tier and more affordable player options who are natural or partially natural in these roles and serve as an ideal benchmark or guideline against which you can deploy and utilise players in these roles to far greater effect.
1. Libero
🗣️ Drops behind the defensive line, aiming to sweep up through balls, pick up extra attackers and make goal saving tackles, blocks and interceptions. On Support they will step into the midfield when possession is secured and look to paly balls through to attacking teammates. On Attack they venture much higher up the pitch to provide a goal scoring threat from distance alongside looking to play in teammates.
We like a Libero around here. Usually planted deeper in the middle of a back three, the Libero is the closest thing to what was known as a Sweeper back in the early days, however brings an additional attacking element to their team through their ability to initiate attacks, play long cross-field balls and push forward to get goalscoring chances whenever the opportunity permits itself. The key thing about a Libero is finding the right player to play in the position as not just any centre-half can slot in and fulfil the role by default - it’s essential that whomever you train or select to play this role has all the attributes and traits needed for it’s effective deployment. Square pegs in round holes and all that.
Key Attributes: First Touch, Marking, Passing, Tackling, Anticipation, Composure, Concentration, Decisions, Positioning, Teamwork, Vision, Pace.
Player Traits: Gets Forward Whenever Possible, Attempts Long Range Passes, Tries to Switch Possession to Other Side of the Pitch.
Elite Tier: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) £116m-£140m
More Affordable: Marcos Senesi (Feyenoord) £10m-£12.5m
Cut Price Alternative: Connor Goldson (Rangers) £5.8m -£7m
2. Carrilero
🗣️ The “shuttler” - a supporting role more often than not utilised as part of a midfield three, or as two central midfielders in a diamond midfield. It is the job of these shuttlers to cover lateral areas of the pitch and link the defensive midfield area with the attacking midfield area.
Carry by name, carry by nature. The Carrilero is everywhere, hence the reliance on Stamina and Positioning. In possession they help advance play and convert defence into attack, while out of possession they are expected to close down space and act as a blocker in key areas particularly when the opposition is on the counter and/or other players such as wing-backs or advanced midfielders are caught out of position and require instant cover. While the Carrilero is unlikely to feature in the goal contributions charts, they can be a highly effective in bridging the gap between your back line and final third as well as making up vital ground either with or without the ball when needed.
Key Attributes: First Touch, Passing, Tackling, Decisions, Positioning, Teamwork, Stamina.
Player Traits: Runs with Ball Through Centre, Dictates Tempo, Comes Deep to get the Ball.
Elite Tier: Rodri (Man City) £59m -£80m
More Affordable: Remo Freuler (Atalanta) £12.5m -£18.5m
Cut Price Alternative: Giulio Maggiore (Spezia) £700k -£8.4m
3. Raumdeuter
🗣️ Literally translated from German means “space investigator”. His main role is to find pockets of space in which to operate. Essentially a wide poacher, the Raumdeuter takes up seemingly harmless positions out wide, waiting for the opportune moment to burst through the defensive line for that telling shot or cross.
At this stage we all know the same truth. If you want to know what a Raumdeuter is, simply look at the career of Thomas Muller over the past 10-12 years. Unorthodox, unstructured, sometimes undefined or unclear - this is exactly what a player like Muller wants you to think, while the complete opposite is true. The Raumdeuter requires and is built on intelligence, awareness, coy and - a player that fashions chances from seemingly nowhere, capitalises on gaps and space left by defenders and always seems to be in the right place at the right time to punish imperfections in the opposition back line or defensive third. Muller has epitomised this role for Bayern and Germany consistently for over a decade, so much so that a Google search for the word itself will literally bring his name up with multiple results and detailed breakdowns of his positional play. Get this right in Football Manager and you have a weapon in your arsenal like no other - what you may sacrifice in speed and mobility you will more than make up for in goal contributions and clear-cut chances.
Key Attributes: Finishing, Anticipation, Composure, Concentration, Decisions, Off the Ball, Balance.
Player Traits: Cuts Inside from Both Wings, Moves Into Channels, Gets Into Opposition Area Whenever Possible, Arrives Late in Box.
Elite Tier: Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad) £51m -£64m
More Affordable: Jonathan Bamba (Lille) £17m -£20m
Cut Price Alternative: Mohamed Bayo (Clermont Foot) £180k-£1.8m
4. Trequartista
🗣️ Can operate in the attacking midfield or centre forward positions. While similar to the Advanced Playmaker in that he aims to drop into the holes between the opposition’s midfield and defence, the Trequartista does far less defensively and simply drifts around looking for space when the team is not in possession.
@FMTreq likes this. Trequartistas are difficult to mark, impossible to predict and a pain in the a*se to defend against with Centre Halves and Defensive Midfielders frequently faced with the decision of who is responsible for marking or closing them down and therefore often caught out either double marking or neglecting to pick them up at all amongst the confusion and vivid movement of the role. Trequartistas take players out of the game while also providing a highly creative outlet on the ball - however choosing the right player is again essential for this role to capitalise on it’s assets, clearly relying on high vision, flair and off the ball skills to implement it successfully.
Key Attributes: Dribbling, First Touch, Passing, Technique, Composure, Decisions, Flair, Off the Ball, Vision, Acceleration.
Player Traits: Cuts in from Both Channels, Wants Ball to Feet More Often, Plays One-Twos, Tries Tricks.
Elite Tier: Neymar £169m -£203m
More Affordable: Jonas Wind (FC Kobenhavn) £9.8m-£12m
Cut Price Alternative: Hatem Ben Arfa (Free Agent)
5. Wide Centre Back
🗣️ Main job is to stop the opposing attackers from playing and to clear the ball from danger when required. However, unlike standard central defenders, the Wide Centre-Back is encouraged to stay wide in possession and support the midfield more like a fullback.
This is the big one for FM22. A new role for all of us to experiment with, and already we have seen some of the more enterprising FM enthusiasts ranging from deploying multiple WCB’s in a tactic to completely scrapping it altogether based on the risks and gaps it can leave when not deployed correctly. As football has evolved we have seen the role of Centre Backs become much more impactful and influential on the ball versus the more old-fashioned No-Nonsense Centre Half of yesteryear, however if you can set up a solidified defence which allows more freedom for a Wide Centre Back to advance on the ball and make overlaps when the opportunity presents itself, you suddenly have an additional attacking outlet to help overload when attacking which has proven to cause havoc for the opposition as they struggle to account for marauding wing-backs and the latest line of highly skilled defensive players who are equally adept at cutting inside and pushing higher up the field on the attack. It’s early days but this one has all of us mouthwatering at the concept of a brand new role and it’s implications in the match engine.
Key Attributes: Crossing, Dribbling, Heading, Marking, Tackling, Off the Ball, Jumping Reach, Pace, Stamina, Strength
Player Traits: Brings Ball out of Defence, Tries to Get Forward Whenever Possible, Wants Ball to Feet More Often.
Elite Tier: Ruben Dias (Man City) £137-£161m
More Affordable: Jack O’Connell (Sheff Utd) £16m -£20m
Cut Price Alternative: Riccardo Gagliolo (Salernitana) £2.7m -£3.7m
That’s your lot for now - a brief overview on some of the more interesting tactical roles in FM22, how they are best utilised and some real-life examples upon which you can set a benchmark or better yet maybe even submit a sneaky bid if funds and circumstances permit! We will be back again for Part II where we will further analyse some of the specialist player roles available, if there are any specific roles you’d like covered be sure to let us know over on Twitter (@5StarPod) or in the comments below.
Thanks for reading,
