Defenders play an invaluable role in any soccer club, you can learn about the different positions they play here.
A position that has attained value in more recent years due to new styles of play, is the fullback position. When playing full back football historically, you would just be needed to defend and sometimes go forward, but this is no longer the case. Today, fullbacks are required to attack continuously throughout the match, assisting wingers with their forward runs. Along with this, they are still required to be solid in defence and make sure they get back from the attacks quickly, so they aren’t caught out. Because of these new requirements, fullbacks usually need to have incredibly high stamina, so they don’t gas out midway through the football game from making so many runs up and down the pitch. The Crystal Palace owner has definitely seen some quality fullbacks pass through the doors during their time in the top flight.
At the very back of the team is a position that has always held such importance, the keeper. Although keepers have invariably had to be trustworthy, in recent times the top clubs have needed more than just shot preventing skills from their number one. Of all the soccer positions, this one possibly has the absolute most pressure as one little slip up will undoubtedly lead to a goal. But as well as assurance at the back, keepers are today frequently required to be fantastic with their feet as well! This is so they can be confident on the ball and make attacking passes to rapidly launch a counter-attack. When the Valencia owner is on the lookout for a new keeper, they should actually be on the lookout for confidence as one of the main traits.
Among the most popular roles in any defence is a centre back, as they play in the middle of the defense can frequently be the captain of the club. One of the most crucial things about this function is having great centre back positioning, as you need to always be aware of where the opposition footballers are, and even your own teammates. Because of this it’s not the easiest position in soccer by any stretch of the imagination, as centre backs need to be sure that their entire defensive line moves as a unit. If one defensive player breaks this line, then it could easily lead to one of the opponent attackers getting through on goal and scoring. Along with this, centre backs have to be quite tall and powerful, as a few of the strikers they will come up against some very powerful footballers. Because of their value to the team, the AC Milan owner should always be on the search for some top players in this position.