Quick Answer A Number 9 is the striker who plays closest to goal. He finishes chances, pins centre-backs, attacks crosses, and gives the team a target in the box. A Number 10 is the playmaker behind the striker. He receives between midfield and defence, creates the final pass, and links the attack together. Simple rule: the Number 9 finishes the move. The Number 10 makes the move happen. Role Number 9 Number 10 Main job Score goals Create chances Usual position Striker / centre-forward Attacking midfielder Main zone Penalty box Between the lines Best action Shot or box run Final pass or through ball Typical examples Haaland, Lewandowski, Kane De Bruyne, Zidane, Bruno Fernandes Figure 1. Basic positioning: the 9 is the finisher, the 10 is the creator. ...
The winless record against Norway continues. The record of losing to European teams in the knockout stage continues. The embarrassing title drought continues… If Ancelotti brought anything new to Brazil, it was a tactical idea different from traditional samba football. Unfortunately, his players failed to silence the doubters with a victory. Instead, they left this decorated coach with endless confusion and helplessness. Giving Up Possession, Inviting Danger Brazil and Norway had met five times before. The country of the fjords remained unbeaten with three wins and two draws, making Norway one of the few teams in world football to hold a psychological edge over the five-time world champions. Their previous competitive meeting came in the group stage of the 1998 World Cup, when Brazil, even with a rotated side, recorded 66% possession. This time, the Selecao’s possession dropped sharply to 34%, while Norway’s possession once reached 72% in the first half. The shift reflected changes in both teams’ relative strength, but it was also linked to Ancelotti’s deliberate tactical choice. With Paqueta ruled out through injury, Ancelotti did not choose Danilo Santos as a like-for-like replacement, which would have preserved the 4-3-3. Instead, he moved the ‘12th man’ Martinelli into the starting line-up and switched to a 4-4-2. By sacrificing one midfielder and adding one forward, he clearly signaled a plan to give up possession and play on the counterattack. Since Ancelotti took charge, Brazil’s win rate had long hovered around 50%. They had struggled badly against strong opponents, and their only victory over a world-class side - the friendly against Croatia - came through counterattacking football. In that sense, giving up possession did not seem unreasonable. Over the past thirty years of his coaching career, Ancelotti has always had a special affection for the 4-4-2. It was understandable that he reached for this trump card at a decisive moment. ...
“Argentina and Spain also failed to win their opening games when they went on to lift the trophy. We have not yet produced the quality we should.” – Roberto Martinez Portugal’s journey through the United States, Canada and Mexico seemed to have a dream start when they broke the deadlock after only six minutes. Yet over the remaining 80-plus minutes, this star-studded side, caught between attack and caution, squandered its chances. Roberto Martinez’s team selection sent out a negative signal, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s struggles in attack were hard to watch. ...
An expected spell of passivity, but no one expected it to be this passive. Brazil knew they did not have much of an advantage, but they did not expect some players to perform this poorly. In a contest whose intensity was “comparable to a semifinal,” Brazil struggled to draw with Morocco. The North African Lions exposed the scars in Brazil’s squad configuration and tactical setup, and Ancelotti has fallen into his most difficult moment in years. A series of problems now await the five-star general. ...
The 2026 World Cup is approaching, and England once again enter the tournament with huge expectations. Compared with the Gareth Southgate era, the biggest change is not one individual player, but the arrival of Thomas Tuchel as head coach. Looking at the squad, Tuchel’s approach is clear: he has not simply selected the biggest names, but has focused more on balance, role clarity, and tactical suitability. England still have Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Ollie Watkins, and Ivan Toney. But the key question is: how do these players fit into a stable tactical structure? From the perspective of footballposition.soccer, analysing England should not only be about “Can Kane score?” or “Where should Bellingham play?” The more important questions are: how does Kane shape England’s attacking structure, how do Bellingham and Rice balance the midfield, how does Saka maintain width on the right, and how do the full-backs influence England’s possession shape? ...
The 2026 World Cup is approaching, and Portugal remain one of the most talked-about teams in the tournament. On one hand, they have elite players such as Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Vitinha, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes, Ruben Dias, and Rafael Leao. On the other hand, 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo is still one of the central figures in the squad. From the perspective of footballposition.soccer, the key is not simply to ask whether Ronaldo can still score goals. The more important question is: how does Ronaldo affect Portugal’s shape, and how do players like Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Vitinha, and Rafael Leao operate around him? ...
The 2026 World Cup is approaching, and Spain remain one of the most tactically interesting teams in the tournament. Unlike the older image of Spain as a team built only around short passing and possession, this new Spain combines traditional positional play with more direct wide attacks. From the perspective of footballposition.soccer, the key question is not simply “Can Spain keep the ball?” The better question is: how do Spain’s player positions connect, and how does each role help the team create space? ...
The 2026 World Cup is approaching, and France remain one of the strongest title contenders. According to Reuters, Didier Deschamps has named his 26-man squad, with Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Aurelien Tchouameni, N’Golo Kante, William Saliba, Jules Kounde, Theo Hernandez, and Mike Maignan among the key players selected. France are in Group I alongside Senegal, Iraq, and Norway. Deschamps has also warned his players not to look too far ahead, stressing that France must first focus on their group-stage opponents. ...
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is approaching, and Brazil once again enter the tournament as one of the favorites. However, compared with previous editions, the biggest talking point is not only the attacking talent of Vinicius Jr, Raphinha, Neymar, or Endrick. The real question is how Carlo Ancelotti will fit these players into a balanced, structured, and tournament-ready tactical system. For a website like footballposition.soccer, the key is not simply “who are Brazil’s biggest stars?” The more important question is: What role does each player play within the formation, and how do these positions connect with each other? ...
The 2026 World Cup is about to begin, and Argentina will enter the tournament as defending champions. According to currently available information, Argentina have been drawn into Group J, with Algeria, Austria, and Jordan as their group-stage opponents. Lionel Scaloni has also named a 55-man preliminary squad, including Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, and Emiliano Martínez. But the most interesting part of Argentina is not simply “what formation they use on paper.” The real question is how Scaloni allows the team to shift between different tactical shapes: in possession, Argentina may look like a 4-3-3 or even a 3-2-5; out of possession, they often drop into a compact 4-4-2 defensive block. ...