The goalkeepers and midfielders aren’t the only ones that are important in a game of soccer! The center back is essential for the team’s overall defense.
A center back courageously uses their own strength and spectacular understanding of the game to ensure that they are in the right spot every single time to help their team make its way to victory.
Back in ye olde days, center backs only needed to give a little bit of extra assistance to a goalkeeper, but now they play a vital part in the overall game.
They have to be spectacular with the ball and they need to help with the team’s overall gameplay, passing through the back and ensuring that the team maintains possession of the ball.
As such, a center back needs to always have their eye on the ball, and they need to anticipate every eventuality.
It can be a pretty daunting role to have on a soccer team since they are so pivotal to how the game plays out. Simultaneously, it’s also a very rewarding role to have.
If you are a center back in soccer, here are a couple of the traits that you should have in order to be successful.
The Key Traits Needed as a Center Back In Soccer
It’s a lot harder than it looks to protect your team’s lead and ensure that you have a clean sheet.
A soccer game can progress very quickly. For this reason, any center back needs to be alert and focused for the entire duration of the game.
Even the smallest lapse in focus can cause the opposition to get a leg up and score a goal. It can ruin the entire game for your team. This is why it’s important that a center back has a few key traits.
1. Courageous
It can be very physically demanding to be a center back. Therefore, you need to be very brave.
You need to be willing to put your body in harm’s way – sometimes you need to do the unthinkable in order to prevent the ball from making its way into the back of your team’s net.
To do this, you need to be very brave. Only a brace person can deliberately put themselves in a position where they may end up getting hurt.
You need to be okay with putting yourself in a position that could be painful for you in order for your team to end up victorious. You can’t be afraid of the ball!
2. A great Understanding of the Game and The Right Positioning
The biggest thing that influences the opposition’s chances of winning is the positioning of the center back on your team.
Likewise, a center back needs to be able to read the game well in order to prevent the opposition from scoring.
If you are aware of where you need to be at every moment during the game, you won’t be getting any sneak attacks from the opposing team because they won’t have the chance to get into a position where they could potentially make a goal.
You need to move alongside the fullbacks and counter the correct player on the opposing team, as this will limit the available space and stop any detrimental moves for your team.
In short, if you can read the game well then you can get to the ball before your opponent does.
3. Great Teamwork
If you want to leave your team to victory, you need to have the ability to communicate effectively with the other members of your team.
Sure, you could be in the best possible position, but if your teammate has been playing everyone onside then you are going to have some problems.
It is for this reason that any center back has to be constantly communicating with other members of the team, especially the goalkeeper, the fullbacks and the central midfielders.
As a center back, it is your duty to make sure that the defense is organized. You need to call the players back when it is needed for the sake of your game. It is your responsibility that the back of your team is a united front.
4. Fantastic Focus
When you’re out on the pitch, you don’t have the time for daydreaming. Just one split second of focus lost can result in a goal for the other team.
A center back needs to be alert at all times during the game in order to ensure that you have a clean sheet. It can be challenging, but it’s necessary.
If you stay in communication and work well with the remaining defense team, you will find it much easier to stay focused throughout the game.
Keep your eye on the goal – nothing else matters in that moment but the game.
5. Good Under Pressure – Can Make Split Second Decisions
It goes without saying that there will always be moments where the opposition manages to get into dangerous situations for your team.
In these circumstances, the center back needs to make the decision. Should you challenge the move, or do you need to wait for extra help from the rest of the team?
These can often be tough calls when you are in the middle of the game and all of the pressure is on you.
As a center back, you need to allow your gut feelings and expertise take the reins in order to ensure that you make a decision that’s right for the outcome of the game. When you have decided what to do, you can’t overthink it – it’s time to act.
If you stand there deliberating a move, there’s a good chance that your opposition will seize the opportunity and put themselves in an advantageous position. One moment of hesitation means that the opposite team has scored a goal.
6. Perfect Timing of Tackles and Headers
Timing is vital as a center back. You need to time any tackles and headers properly, since this will help to ensure that you don’t give away unnecessary fouls.
It will also help you to regain possession of the ball when the opposition starts to get in situations that would be bad for your team.
As such, a center back needs to be patient. You need to have the foresight to wait for the ideal opportunities to challenge a move.
If you fail to time things correctly then your opposition is going to take the lead, scoring a goal in the process.
7. A Spectacular Physical Fitness
When you’re a center back, you need more than just your head in order to be a good player. Sure, outthinking your opponent is vital, but you also need to be strong and agile.
The role is one that is challenging mentally and physically, so having a good physique is important.
You need to be capable of going up against all sorts of players on the day of the game. Can you challenge a player who’s exceptionally fast, or someone that’s strong?
If you are fit and level headed, your body is your greatest asset. It will allow you to leave your opponent in the dust and lead your team to victory.
What Are the Responsibilities of a Center Back In A Soccer Game?
For the most part, the center back’s role is to allow the team to have a clean sheet. With that being said, that is not the only role of the center back. They also need to do a number of other things to lead their team to success.
1. Maintaining Possession of the Ball
You will usually find that a center back is responsible for switching the ball from one side to another.
They’ll take the ball from another player on their side, and then they will exchange the ball with the fullbacks, and they’ll carry it further up the field.
This can be rather challenging to do, so the center back has to have very good ball skills. They need to pass efficiently and with a great deal of accuracy, which is hard to do when under pressure.
In some circumstances, a center back may sometimes need to carry the ball upfield in order to get through the strikers on the opposition’s team, though this also depends on their experience.
With that in mind though, try not to overthink it – making a mistake can end up in complete catastrophe for your team.
2. Maintaining a Clean Sheet for the Team
If your opposition wants to get to the goal, they will first need to get through the center back. As such, it’s important for the center back to make sure that their team gets a clean sheet.
To do this, the center back needs to collaborate with the rest of the team, especially the central midfielders, the goal keeper and the fullbacks.
For instance, the ball may be in the air at a particular moment. The right thing to do here would usually be to challenge the striker, usually by trying to get a header.
The other center back would then fall back and get the ball to safety it ends up in their area.
If the ball is behind the defense then the center back has to beat the striker to the ball before they shoot for the goal.
3. Ensuring Everyone Knows What they Are Doings
In order to ensure that a team maintains a clean sheet, a center back has to organize himself and his teammates. Communication is thus a key component of what makes a good center back.
This is important since it allows the midfielders and fullbacks that are playing out front to know the things that are going to happen. It allows them to know where they should be on the field.
If the center back talks to the keeper, they can easily prevent easy mistakes from happening since they will know what they are planning on doing.
A center back should also be very organised, especially when they need to get the opposition off the side of the pitch.
4. Being Victorious In Head to Head Battles
A center back needs to have a lot of different attributes, but they tend to share one particular characteristic. They are usually a big physical threat, which allows them to counter attacks from strikers. You need to be strong if you’re a center back.
This is essential since it will allow you to effectively make good tackles, and it will allow you to do headers when you need to do so.
5. The Ability To Stay Alert
Yes, we mentioned this previously, but it does need to be illustrated. It’s so important that a center back is focused.
Soccer is an unpredictable game – so many different things could happen in any one game, so you need to ensure that you remain focused for every second. Just one moment of daydreaming could spell out disaster for your team.
For this reason, you need to make sure that you are always alert. Make sure that you know where the striker is, and know where the ball is. You also need to look out for any players sprinting near the goals.
This is ideal since it will help you to know where the ball is, and it will help you to figure out whether you should challenge your opponent at that moment, or continue to mark the same player.
6. Distracting the Opponent
If you understand the game, then you’ll know how to distract your opponent and catch them off guard. This is important as it will help you to win any head to head battles, since your opponent won’t know what hit them.
If you put the effort into a few particularly nasty tackles when you first start the game, your striker is going to be on their guard since you put up a strike.
Staying close to the striker also puts them off, meaning that they focus is on you rather than the ball.
On occasion, you may even need to make strategy fouls to allow your team to get their mojo back in sticky situations.
7. Being an Aerial Threat in Corners
A center back doesn’t have many attacking responsibilities. They do need to push up in the opponent’s box at times, however.
The center back is supposed to be imposing and physically threatening, and this can be very useful when there are corners in the box. You can then return to the defense.
Top Tips for a Center Back
Staying disciplined and alert during a soccer game is hard when you’re in such a fast paced game, but practice makes perfect. How can you be a better center back in soccer? Here’s what you need to know.
1. Be In Tandem with Your Team
It’s important to have a good individual game, sure, but don’t underestimate the power of teamwork. If you have no abilities to work with the rest of your team, you may as well just quit before you even start.
You should take some time to practice working with your team as this can help you to function as a unit. Eventually it will become much easier.
2. Know How To Read the Game
If you know how the game operates, you know how to make it work in your favor. Having knowledge and experience makes you a much better player.
When you’re training, it can help to try and predict the next location of the ball. You can also learn by watching the pros and watching their positioning. This can help you to improve your own strategic game.
3. Do You Know Your Enemy?
Knowing your enemy is important if you want to exploit their weaknesses. It can be helpful if you’ve played against them before, since you will already be familiar with their tactics.
If you’ve never worked with them before, take some time to figure out what they do so you can use it to your advantage.
4. Work On Defending and Tackling Directly
You need to be capable of pulling off a great tackle when you’re a center back. As such, practicing your tackling to ensure that you’re almost always getting the ball is vital.
Work on your timing too – patience is a virtue, after all. Only strike at the right moment. Work on defending directly with different strikers. Eventually you will get much better at doing this with practice.
5. Work On Your Physical Fitness
You need to be a great physical player as a center back, so working on your fitness is essential. For instance, work on developing your leaping capabilities and improving the amount of muscle mass on your body.
Make sure you’re eating right and improve your cardiovascular fitness. These things can have a huge impact on your performance as a player.
Conclusion
Being a center back is a demanding role, both physically and mentally, but it is rewarding. Knowing what you need to do can help you to be successful. Study the tips mentioned above, and you are sure to be a great center back in no time.
