At MBP Coaches’ School we consider three profiles of centre backs: Stopper, Ball-Winning and Ball-Playing. The latter stands out for their technical ability and capacity to build the play. 

While it is true that the main characteristic that a good centre back must have relates to defensive behaviours, the ball-playing centre back must also be able to play a leading role during the team’s attacking phase. To do this, they must master three fundamentals on the ball. 

Fundamental 1: Making safe diagonal passes to teammates on the first line  

This fundamental is used during the build-up to look for teammates who are in clear intervals of play (with a spatial advantage to be able to receive the ball in progression and with sufficient time and space), thus reducing the risk of inside passes.  

The pass should be forward, in a diagonal trajectory and facilitating the next action of the teammate, thus ensuring a correct continuity in the team’s attacking play.   

However, sometimes this pass will serve to attract opponents to the centre of play and thereby open up space in the second line. If this is the case, playing through the third man will often be enabled. 

Image 1. Graphical representation of the fundamental of making safe diagonal passes to teammates on the first line. Source: MBP 

Fundamental 2: Fixing the opponent to create numerical superiority 

This occurs during the build-up or construction of the play, as long as the on-ball centre back is not under heavy pressure. On the contrary, the receivers will be under pressure, as there will be no clear possibilities of executing progression passes (previous fundamental). 

The main objective will be to fix or divide the opposition defenders in order to be able to generate passing lanes by passing the ball, and this can be done in two ways: 

• Drive in the direction of the one-on-one to attract the opponent who is marking the teammate, freeing them and allowing them to be a clear passing option in progression.  

• Drive towards a space between the opposition midfield line when there are opponents defending in intermediate positions, attracting them towards an area of one space, thus freeing up another, towards which we will play. 

Image 2. Graphical representation of the fundamental of fixing the opponent to create numerical superiority. Source: MBP 

Fundamental 3: Offering clear support to the on-ball player 

It is a fundamental that appears during the construction of the play, where constant support is needed to circulate the ball safely. In this case, the centre back must show clear support, so that they can receive the ball without putting the possession at risk. 

To do this, they must keep their body oriented in such a way that they can see as much space as possible. The support must be diagonal and must allow for continuity of play, avoiding being either too far away or too close to the possessor. Finally, it is preferable that the control is with the foot furthest away from where the pass came from in order to avoid facing the pressure from the opposition player. 

Image 3. Graphical representation of the fundamental of offering clear support to the on-ball player. Source: MBP 

It is clear, then, that there is currently more than one profile of centre back, and that the ball-playing one is very common in teams that aim to dominate the play through possession of the ball. This means that this type of player must master three attacking fundamentals that will allow them and the team to develop this playing idea. These fundamentals are: making safe diagonal passes to teammates on the first line, fixing the opponent to create numerical superiority and offering clear support to the on-ball player. Therefore, the higher the percentage of success of the centre back in these behaviours, the greater their contribution to the team’s attacking phase. 

Do you want to learn more about the 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 player position. All these fundamentals are the result of an in-depth 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 play have been identified, we study which are the optimal responses that give the player the best chance of success.