Football Player Profile: Identifying / Scouting a perfect Attacking Midfielder in football
With advancement in technology and coaching and the desire for players to stick more to a coach’s tactics rather than primarily on their gifted skills, it is not surprising that one can actually create a super/perfect attacking midfielder.
However as long as football is concerned with human beings, it does not just take training to create the perfect attacking midfielder.
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Here I quote “Skills FIRST before anything else”
It is why scouting or identifying football talents [attacking midfielder] will always be the primary means of creating a perfect attacking midfielder. It is just like saying without a good idea, one cannot gather the rightful resources to produce the right and perfect output.
Modern football tactics has blinded many scouts and coaches today in identifying mostly electrifying and ground breaking talents with speed and power as that of Kyllian Mbappe or the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Adama Troare and Co.
It is why scouting and creating the perfect attacking midfielder, a generational football player nowadays is so rare compared to 15 years ago.
Look at the likes of, Inieta, Zinedine Zinedane, Lionel Messi, Jay-Jay Okocha, Kanu, Luka Modric, Kevin De Bruyne, Patrick Viera, Finidi George etc, they were mostly talents with just enough speed and not the ground breaking type, yet they outclassed everyone in attacking midfielder role.
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The question that is left is, so how then do we scout or identify the perfect player before taking them into training?
This brings us to the idea of Player Profiles of an attacking midfielder.
We all know a player’s profile must include their technical, physical, Psychological and tactical mentalities or qualities.
Lets get down to business.
Player Profile: Attacking Midfielder.
TECHNICAL ASPECTS
- Seeks moments to penetrate and break lines • Ability to receive on half turn and drive forward.
- Creates and finds space between opposition defensive and midfield units.
- Uses individual improvisation to create goal-scoring opportunities.
- Shields and protects the ball under pressure.
- Capable of going past opponents 1v1.
- Attempts to combine with teammates.
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PHYSICAL ASPECTS
- Sharp when changing direction.
- Acceleration.
- Ability to recover in transition.
- Individual mobility.
- Resilient to tackles/challenges.
- Balance.
- Stamina.
- Nutrition and lifestyle.
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TACTICAL ASPECTS
- Recognizes when to support the attack Timing of forward runs, particularly into the opposition penalty area.
- Recognition and awareness of space.
- Desire to create overloads in attacking areas.
- Effective decision making – Risk v Reward . Understands role within the midfield unit.
- Patient in the absence of opportunity to penetrate.
- Assists defensively as the modern game demands.
PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS
- Risk taker.
- Positive in possession.
- Comfortable under pressure.
- High level of game intelligence through scanning and awareness.
- Confidence to demand the ball at all times.
- Delivers goals and assists when it matters.
- Creative/Solution focused.
- Puts the needs of the team first.
Conclusion
As a scout, just try following all the aforementioned qualities of an attacking midfielder and you are very sure to give birth to the next Luka Modric or the likes of Zinedine Zinedane, Isco or Philippe Coutinho, Kevin De Bruyne.
As a footbaall talent willing to improve yourself as an attacking midfielder to catch the eyes of scouts, follow our aforementioned qualities and the rest will be history.
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