A defensive midfielder or a holding midfielder is a central midfielder who is stationed in front of the back four for defensive reasons. This specialist midfielder's responsibilities are to defend against or tackle the opposing team, to recover the ball for their own team, and to safely distribute it to more attacking-minded players. The defensive midfielder position is also referred to in Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese as "volante." (Spanish & Portuguese for 'Rudder' or something that gives direction). Most Brazilian tea ...
An attacking midfielder is a central midfielder who is stationed in an advance midfield position, usually behind the strikers. He is typically the offensive pivot of the team, sometimes known in football as 'playing in the hole', although this term can also be used to describe a deep-lying centre forward. This specialist midfielder's main role is to create goal-scoring opportunities for his own team via his superior vision and skill. The attacking midfielder is a influential position and requires the player to possess superior technic ...