The position of the centre back is one of the most important when it comes to building our team, and that’s why it will be key to choose the most suitable profiles according to our game model. What profiles can we find? In this blog we will present them to you, as well as their main characteristics.
At MBP Coaches’ School, we identify three profiles of centre backs: imperative, skilled and sweeper. All of them fit different game models, so choosing the best profile for a team will depend on what type of football its coach is looking to play. Below, we define the characteristics of each.
1. Sweeper Centre Back
These are defenders who stand out for their physical conditioning, imposing themselves on attackers in running, aerial duels and with good handling of one-on-one situations.
Figure 1. Structures that highlight the profile of the sweeper centre back. Source: MBP Coaches’ School
Here are the five main fundamentals that the sweeper centre back dominates:
Figure 2. Individual fundamentals to be mastered by the profile of a sweeper centre back. Source: MBP Coaches’ School
They are defenders who possess outstanding skill in the percentages of aerial duels won, successful tackles, turnovers and successful defensive duels. They excel in defensive tasks, performing above 80% of defenders in the big five leagues, above 70% in fouls, with 0.55 per 90 minutes. Some examples of sweeper centre backs are Virgil van Dijk, Ruben Dias, William Saliba or Levi Colwill.
Figure 3. Radar of Van Dijk’s actions during the 23/24 Premier League season with Liverpool.Source: Driblab
2. Skilled Centre Back
Players who stand out for their attacking ability to generate advantageous situations for the team, possessing good passing and handing the ball in situations under pressure.
Figure 4. Structures that stand out from the skilled centre back. Source: MBP Coaches’ School
Taking into account the most frequent game situations in this profile, it will be very important for them to be able to master certain individual fundamentals linked to both the attacking and defensive phases of the team:
Figure 5. Individual fundamentals to be mastered by the skilled centre back. Source: MBP Coaches’ School
They are a type of player who excel in their attacking ability to generate advantageous situations for the team, with good passing and handling of situations under pressure. They stand out for their high participation in the build-up of the play, having a clear influence in organising the team’s attack. In addition, they have a high percentage of success in short passes and a low percentage of turnovers in the attacking phase within 40m of the goal. Examples of such centre backs are John Stones, Pau Cubarsí, Pau Torres and Dean Huijsen.
Figure 6. Radar of John Stones’ actions during the 23/24 Premier League season with Manchester City. Source: Driblab
3. Imperative Centre Back
A defender who is known for their great intensity in their actions, imposing their physical conditioning to win duels against attackers.
Figure 7. Structures that highlight the imperative centre back profile. Source: MBP Coaches’ School
Logically, these players will experience different in-game situations than the previous profiles. Therefore, it will be very important that they are able to master the following individual fundamentals:
Figure 8. Individual fundamentals to be mastered by the imperative centre back. Source: MBP Coaches’ School
This type of centre back has a tendency to be effective in tackles to win the ball back due to their drive to put pressure on the on-ball opponent. They also perform very well in the actions where the player wins the ball back by tackling, compared to the times when they are beaten. Players such as Ronald Araújo, Íñigo Martínez, Antonio Rüdiger and Alessandro Bastoni are some examples of this centre back profile.
Figure 9. Radar on Ronald Araújo’s actions during the 23/24 La Liga season with FC Barcelona. Source: Driblab
With what you have analysed so far, which centre back profile fits best in your game model? What behaviours would you ask of them during the play? Do you have centre backs with the same profile or are they of different profiles? You will have to evaluate several aspects since, as you can see, they will help the team with different behaviours according to their characteristics.
Do you want to learn more about individual fundamentals by position?
The ‘Specialist in Individual Fundamentals by Position‘ course will allow you to study in depth the more than 90 individual fundamentals by position of the player. All these fundamentals are the result of an extensive study of each and every one of the most common and relevant situations in which each player finds themselves in during a match depending on their position on the pitch. Once these situations in the game have been identified, we study which are the optimal responses that give the player the best chance of success.
