What is the difference between a midfielder and a winger

Eleven of his 24 appearances saw him start in his preferred central midfield role, though, and he can expect to stay there for the foreseeable. Box-to-box midfielders are often built like middleweight boxers, fit enough to dominate the game in attacking and defensive phases, sometimes seconds apart, and McKennie fits the bill. Schalke are rebuilding after a disappointing season — Nabil Bentaleb and Hamza Mendyl are among those to have left — but McKennie has had his contract extended until For the Royal Blues, this box-to-box midfielder ticks all the boxes.

Bundesliga archetype: Filip Kostic. It barely seems fathomable that Kostic suffered two relegations just two years apart with first Stuttgart and then Hamburg. His delivery is akin to a left-footed David Beckham, but he has a top speed of If the opposition full-back marks him tight, Kostic simply races past his man and squares it.

His duels won last season were a league fifth-best mark, and came in at a rate of seven per game. Dictates play from behind the strikers Creates goalscoring chances for the attackers Technique and creativity crucial Ability to shoot from range an advantage Historically associated with the No.

Bundesliga archetype: Marco Reus. The classical No. Current Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane wore the number on his jersey in steering France to their maiden FIFA World Cup triumph in , and the most recent Bundesliga player in that mould was perhaps James Rodriguez , who returned to play under the Frenchman in Madrid in June following his two-year loan spell at Bayern.

But just as full-backs have become wing-backs and defensive midfielders have evolved into ball-players, so too has the role of the attacking midfielder changed. Dortmund captain Reus may occupy a similar starting position to Zidane the player, or James, but he is just as likely to send himself flying forward to join the attack as he is the ball.

The results speak for themselves. Reus still plays slick through-balls — his eight assists last season were no accident — but his 17 league goals, a best Bundesliga return for him in seven years, told the story of a No.

The widest attacking player Takes on opposition defenders Provides crosses into the box Meets crosses from the opposite wing Often the fastest player on the field. Bundesliga archetype: Jadon Sancho.

Sancho may only be 19, but he is already the ultimate modern-day winger. Recent years have seen the rise of overlapping full-backs expected to put crosses in from wide areas. Wingers naturally became inverted — right-footers on the left and vice versa — with that particular task of old taken off their hands.

He can outpace his opposition full-back and whip in a cross for a grateful centre-forward almost at will, but the fact he can also trick his way back inside leaves his defender guessing the whole time. Starts up front near the opposition goal Replaces the traditional striker in most formations Drops deep to pull opposition defenders out of position Often a converted midfielder Dribbles and creates chances.

Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, 13 July , 5. Maracana, Rio, 13 July , 6. The centre-backs knew who was marking Klose, a natural striker, and when, all game. Instead you must try to involve yourself in the game and to help your teammates in defense. This is a position that mean almost same thing as the mentioned right or left midfielder.

As a winger you are supposed to play wide, dribble the ball forward and serve crosses to your teammates. Lionel Messi Barcelona FC is seen by many as the best winger in soccer today. His stamina, speed, and control of the ball make him perfect for the winger position.

Try to watch Messi while he plays on TV and practice on the same moves that he does. If you are serious with your soccer career and want to become a better soccer player, make sure to take a closer look at this book.

Leave Left Midfielder to Soccer Positions. Arguably the best player to grace the English Premier League. Some may not agree with this, but this statement is hard to argue with when you remember that Giggs has the second most appearances in EPL history and has won 13 Premier League titles.

And to top it all, he holds the all-time EPL assist record, with assists. To put that last stat in perspective, second on the all-time assist list is Cesc Fabregas with assists. In his prime, Giggs would s eamlessly drift past players, score goals and provide assists. A testament to his outstanding technical ability is this iconic winner that he scored in extra time of the FA cup semi-final against Arsenal in At first glance the use of an inverted winger may seem counterintuitive; by having wide players drift infield, teams naturally lose their width.

However, the reasoning behind this is that by doing so, wingers drag opposition fullbacks out of their position and into the centre of the field. Attacking fullbacks will then have space to overlap and provide width in attack. These players can also be referred to as inside forwards or second strikers in certain scenarios due to their finishing ability. For a more in-depth description of inside forwards, check out this article.

As these players specialize in cutting inside, the role of an inverted winger is highly suited towards players whose strong foot is the opposite of the side of the pitch that they play on. An inverted winger will thus have very similar characteristics to that of a traditional winger, with a large focus on scoring goals. One of the best examples of an inverted winger in the modern game is Arjen Robben.

Robben possessed insane dribbling ability and composure in his prime. As he was naturally left footed, he typically played as a right winger. His signature skill move, which he used frequently, involved him cutting inside from the right side of the pitch and firing in a well-placed shot with his left foot.

It worked time and time again. The defenders always knew what he was going to do, but they just could not stop him. He was that good. It was glorious. Further examples of players that have successfully played as inside forwards are Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard. Despite being a more advanced WM, a traditional winger can still somewhat be considered as a midfielder.

In the modern game, Traditional wingers are often expected to drop into the midfield to make themselves available for passes when their team is in possession. Likewise, they are also expected to press the opposition in the midfield when their team is out of possession. Both characteristics of midfielders.

Although they are positioned slightly higher up the pitch, the main difference between a traditional winger and a traditional wide midfielder is that of mentality: traditional WMs are more all-round players, whereas wingers are slightly more attack orientated. Another way of looking at it is that a traditional winger shares similar responsibilities with centre attacking midfielders.

The main difference between the two is that wingers carry out their responsibilities on the flanks, as opposed to in the centre of the pitch. The distinction between wingers and midfielders is subtle, yet quite large when looking at what each position brings to the team.

For more detailed descriptions of player roles and positions, be sure to check out the articles below:. Positions and Roles Explained November 13, November 21, What is a wide midfielder? Traditional wide midfielder A traditional WM offers great balance in the midfield for their team. Defensive wide midfielders As the name suggests, the defensive WM is a conservative variant of the WM. Other examples Further examples of players that have played in the defensive wide midfielder role are Koke, Saul and Gabi.

What is a winger? Common formation The two most common winger variations that we see are traditional wingers and Inverted wingers.

Traditional winger A traditional winger is really just a more advanced wide midfielder. Inverted winger The inverted winger is a player that starts in the wing position, but drifts infield.

Other examples Further examples of players that have successfully played as inside forwards are Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard Is a winger a midfielder?