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Centre-back Profiles

Stopper, Cover, BPD: every back four is a triangulation between aggression, recovery, and progression. Pairings here decide how high your line can hold and whether you keep clean sheets against pace.

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Filter by position

Showing 31–60 of 77

O. Diomande

DC • Central Defender • Defend

High Tackling and Marking make him effective in defensive duels.

Strong Positioning and Concentration ensure solid defensive awareness.

Cảm Bóng Ra Khỏi Vị Trí Phòng Thủ

ChelseaIvory Coast

Fofana

DC • Central Defender • Defend

High tackling and marking attributes make him effective in defensive situations.

Strong physical attributes such as strength and jumping reach enhance aerial ability.

Di Bóng Xuyên Vào Trung Lộ

Matthias Wetschka

DC • Central Defender • Defend

Strong Marking and Tackling attributes make him effective in defensive situations.

High Jumping Reach and Strength are ideal for aerial duels.

Graeme Gebbie

DC • No-Nonsense Centre-Back • Defend

High Aggression and Bravery make him effective in defensive duels.

Strong Heading and Marking skills are ideal for a central defender.

Dives Into Tackles

WrexhamScotland

Siyabonga Ngezana

DC • Wide Center-Back • Defend

Strong heading and marking abilities.

Good anticipation and positioning.

Marks Opponent Tightly

Paulo Marques

DC • Central Defender • Defend

Strong in Heading, Marking, and Tackling.

Good Positioning and Teamwork for defensive organization.

Hajduk 1932Portugal

Rúben Dias

DC • Central Defender • Cover

Strong tackling and positioning make him ideal for defensive roles.

High bravery and teamwork enhance his effectiveness in central defense.

Man UFCPortuguese

Alan Ledwedge

DC • Central Defender • Defend

Strong tackling and marking abilities.

Good heading and physical attributes for defensive duties.

Plays Short Simple PassesMarks Opponent Tightly

WoodfordEnglish

Magnus Lundmark

DC • Central Defender • Defend

Strong tackling and marking abilities.

Good anticipation and positioning.

IF BrommapojkarnaSvensk

Unknown Player

DC • Central Defender • Cover

Strong tackling ability (16) makes him effective in defensive duels.

Good positioning (14) helps in maintaining defensive shape.

Ümit Akdağ

DC • Central Defender • Defend

Strong tackling and marking abilities.

Good positioning and anticipation.

Joe Haley

DC • No-Nonsense Centre-Back • Defend

Strong tackling and marking abilities.

Good physical attributes like pace and stamina.

KetteringEnglish

Deon Woodman

DC • Central Defender • Defend

Strong tackling ability (16) makes him effective in defensive duels.

Good positioning (14) helps in maintaining defensive shape.

KetteringEnglish

Giorgio Scalvini

DC • Wide Center-Back • Defend

Strong tackling and marking abilities

Excellent physical attributes for a defender

Does Not Dive Into TacklesRefrains From Taking Long Shots

Paris SGItalian

Ousmane Diomande

DC • Ball Playing Defender • Defend

High Tackling and Marking make him reliable in defense.

Strong Passing and Technique support playing out from the back.

Likes To Switch Ball To Wide AreasBrings Ball Out Of Defense

Paris SGIvorian

Jorrel Hato

DC • Wide Center-Back • Defend

Strong defensive attributes such as Marking and Tackling.

Good physical attributes like Pace and Strength.

Stays Back At All Times

Anselmo García McNulty

DC • Ball Playing Defender • Defend

Strong defensive attributes such as Tackling and Marking.

Good Passing and Technique for distributing the ball.

Brings Ball Out Of Defence

Aaron White

DC • Central Defender • Defend

Strong tackling and marking attributes make him effective in defensive situations.

Good heading ability aids in aerial duels.

WoodfordEnglish

Jorrel Hato

DC • Ball Playing Defender • Defend

Strong tackling and marking abilities make him ideal for defensive roles.

Good passing and vision support playing out from the back.

Castello Lukeba

DC • Ball Playing Defender • Cover

Strong defensive attributes such as Marking and Positioning.

Good Passing and Technique for a defender, suitable for a Ball Playing role.

Brings Ball Out of Defense

Castello Lukeba

DC • Ball Playing Defender • Cover

Strong defensive attributes such as Marking and Positioning.

Good Passing and Technique for playing out from the back.

Brings Ball Out of Defense

Giorgio Scalvini

DC • Ball Playing Defender • Defend

Strong tackling and marking abilities make him reliable in defense.

Good passing and vision support playing out from the back.

Dictates TempoDoes Not Dive Into TacklesBrings Ball Out of Defense

Paris SGItalian

Amadou Barry

DC • No-Nonsense Centre-Back • Defend

High Tackling attribute suitable for defensive duties.

Strong Work Rate and Teamwork enhance defensive solidity.

Paris Saint-Germain Under 19sGuinean

Frank de Boer

DC • Ball Playing Defender • Cover

Strong defensive attributes such as Tackling and Marking.

Good Passing and Vision for initiating plays from the back.

Does Not Dive Into TacklesTries Long Range PassesLikes To Switch Ball To Wide Areas

Paris Saint-GermainDutch

Trevor Parkins

DC • Central Defender • Defend

Strong defensive attributes such as Marking and Tackling.

High Jumping Reach and Strength make him effective in aerial duels.

Alan Ledwedge

DC • Central Defender • Defend

Strong tackling and marking attributes make him effective in defensive situations.

Good positioning and anticipation help in reading the game and intercepting passes.

Marks Opponent TightlyStays Back At All Times

WoodfordEnglish

Alan Ledwedge

DC • Central Defender • Defend

Strong defensive attributes

Good tactical awareness

Marks Opponent TightlyStays Back At All Times

WoodfordEnglish

Nicolás Romero

DC • Wide Centre-Back • Defend

Strong tackling and marking abilities.

Good physical attributes like strength and jumping reach.

Dives Into TacklesRefrains From Taking Long ShotsDiscuss New Trait

Augusto Spina

DC • Ball Playing Defender • Defend

Strong heading and marking abilities

Good anticipation and positioning

Stays Back At All TimesRuns With Ball RarelyRefrains From Taking Long Shots

Jeremiah Parrett

DC • Ball Playing Defender • Defend

Excellent marking and positioning make him a defensive asset.

Strong heading and jumping reach enhance aerial ability.

Refrains From Taking Long ShotsDiscusses New Contract

Bayern MünchenEngland

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Pick a position, read the role theory first

The cards above are uploaded player profiles. If you're trying to figure out which role a player should be playing (or which type of player your tactic actually needs), start with the articles below. Each bucket links to the guides that explain the role distribution, the pairings that work, and the antipatterns that don't. Recent community uploads in each position are listed underneath.

Centre-backs

Stopper, Cover, BPD: every back four is a triangulation between aggression, recovery, and progression. Pairings here decide how high your line can hold and whether you keep clean sheets against pace.

Player pairings

Centre-Back Pairings

Stopper-Cover, BPD-CD, two BPDs. How centre-back duties shape your defensive shape.

12 min readRead

Defensive Line and Line of Engagement

The pairing rule for Defensive Line and Line of Engagement, all 9 combinations, and the gap that costs goals.

12 min readRead

Reading FM Attributes for Tactical Fit

The 13/15/17 working tiers in FM, hidden attributes that scouting won't show, and the per-role priorities that actually matter.

12 min readRead

Recruitment by Tactical Fit

Scout for system fit, not stat stars. The shortlist filters in FM that map to your tactic, and the role-attribute matrix to use.

12 min readRead

Recent centre-backs from the community

Semir Salahovic — Sassuolo
Matteo Rosati — Galatasaray
Sergio Ramos — Slavia
Martin Harrison — Millwall

Browse all (77) centre-backs

Full-backs and wing-backs

The position whose duty changes the entire shape of the team. Attacking full-backs turn 4-4-2 into 2-4-4 in possession; defensive full-backs let your front three stay aggressive without leaving the centre-backs alone.

Player pairings

Full-Back and Winger Pairings

Overlap, underlap, IF + attacking WB. The same-channel rule for full-back and winger pairings, and the cases where it doesn't apply.

12 min readRead

Wing Play vs Central Play

Build through the wide areas or through the middle? A working framework for picking the right one for your squad.

10 min readRead

Defensive midfielders

Anchor, Half-Back, DLP, Regista, BWM. Each one solves a different problem and creates a different gap. Pick the wrong one and your back four has nobody screening them.

Player pairings

Midfield Pairs in 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2

Double pivots and flat pairs in 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2: when each pairing works, when it collapses, and the AMC unicorn that rescues both.

12 min readRead

Player pairings

Midfield Trios

Holder, runner, creator: the role distribution rule for three-man midfields, the AMC variants, and the antipatterns that break them.

12 min readRead

Central midfielders

The role that does the most invisible work. Box-to-Box, Mezzala, Carrilero, Roaming Playmaker: the right pick depends on what the players around them are doing as much as the player's own attributes.

Player pairings

Midfield Trios

Holder, runner, creator: the role distribution rule for three-man midfields, the AMC variants, and the antipatterns that break them.

12 min readRead

Player pairings

Midfield Pairs in 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2

Double pivots and flat pairs in 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2: when each pairing works, when it collapses, and the AMC unicorn that rescues both.

12 min readRead

Attacking midfielders

The number ten lives in the half-space behind the striker. Trequartista, Enganche, Shadow Striker, AP: each variant trades creativity for off-ball discipline differently, and your midfield pivot has to pick up the slack accordingly.

Player pairings

Midfield Trios

Holder, runner, creator: the role distribution rule for three-man midfields, the AMC variants, and the antipatterns that break them.

12 min readRead

Player pairings

Midfield Pairs in 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2

Double pivots and flat pairs in 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2: when each pairing works, when it collapses, and the AMC unicorn that rescues both.

12 min readRead

Wingers and wide midfielders

Inside Forward, Inverted Winger, traditional Winger, Wide Playmaker. The choice is whether the wide player attacks the half-space or hugs the touchline, and whether your full-back is the one providing width or not.

Player pairings

Full-Back and Winger Pairings

Overlap, underlap, IF + attacking WB. The same-channel rule for full-back and winger pairings, and the cases where it doesn't apply.

12 min readRead

Wing Play vs Central Play

Build through the wide areas or through the middle? A working framework for picking the right one for your squad.

10 min readRead

Strikers

Poacher, Complete Forward, False 9, Pressing Forward, Target Man. The striker role is the load-bearing piece for everything else: a False 9 changes what your wide forwards have to do, a Pressing Forward changes what your defensive line is allowed to be.

Player pairings

Striker Partnerships in FM

Target Man and Poacher, False 9 and Inside Forward: the striker partnerships that solve isolation, plus the pairings that contradict.

12 min readRead

Gegenpressing: A Full Guide

Klopp-style gegenpressing in FM, including squad profile, line-and-press pairing, sustainable workload, and the antipatterns to avoid.

12 min readRead

Foundations

Mentality, Duty & Roles

How Mentality, Duty, and Role interact in FM, why duty trumps mentality every time, and the role-on-top-of-duty composition rules.

12 min readRead

Recruitment by Tactical Fit

Scout for system fit, not stat stars. The shortlist filters in FM that map to your tactic, and the role-attribute matrix to use.

12 min readRead

Recent full-backs and wing-backs from the community

Clinton Bassong — ADO Den Haag
Lee Jung-Hyung — Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
David Kalem — Osijek
Francisco Ortega — Olympiacos

Browse all (62) full-backs and wing-backs

Foundations

Mentality, Duty & Roles

How Mentality, Duty, and Role interact in FM, why duty trumps mentality every time, and the role-on-top-of-duty composition rules.

12 min readRead

Pressing Triggers and Intensity

Counter-Press, Regroup, Stand Off, Trigger Press: what each pressing instruction does in FM and how to pair them without contradicting.

12 min readRead

Recent defensive midfielders from the community

Samuel Gustafson — Galatasaray SK
Đorđe Stojković — Empoli
Michael Macrory — Millwall Reserves
Benjamin de Boer — Vaduz

Browse all (72) defensive midfielders

Foundations

Mentality, Duty & Roles

How Mentality, Duty, and Role interact in FM, why duty trumps mentality every time, and the role-on-top-of-duty composition rules.

12 min readRead

Recruitment by Tactical Fit

Scout for system fit, not stat stars. The shortlist filters in FM that map to your tactic, and the role-attribute matrix to use.

12 min readRead

Recent central midfielders from the community

Iban Arroyo — Athletic Club
Fabien Girard — AFC Metz
Hugo Sorbetky — SK Slavia Prague
Andrés Iniesta — Barcelona

Browse all (94) central midfielders

Playing styles

Tiki-Taka vs Positional Play

Why circulation density and zonal occupation aren't the same thing in FM, and the half-space occupation rule that decides build-up.

12 min readRead

Reading FM Attributes for Tactical Fit

The 13/15/17 working tiers in FM, hidden attributes that scouting won't show, and the per-role priorities that actually matter.

12 min readRead

Recent attacking midfielders from the community

Francisco Costa
Unknown Player — Chelsea
Rodrigo Amaral — Univ. de Chile
Shohei Kawada — Fukushima

Browse all (50) attacking midfielders

Playing styles

Gegenpressing: A Full Guide

Klopp-style gegenpressing in FM, including squad profile, line-and-press pairing, sustainable workload, and the antipatterns to avoid.

12 min readRead

Recruitment by Tactical Fit

Scout for system fit, not stat stars. The shortlist filters in FM that map to your tactic, and the role-attribute matrix to use.

12 min readRead

Recent wingers and wide midfielders from the community

Thiago Messi — Inter Miami
Craig Tudor — Burton
Szymon Garbacz — AS Roma
Daniel Rotllan — AS Roma

Browse all (127) wingers and wide midfielders

Playing styles

Counter-Attacking Excellence

Sit deep, win the ball, and break in three passes. The roles, instructions, and squad profile that make it work.

11 min readRead

Recruitment by Tactical Fit

Scout for system fit, not stat stars. The shortlist filters in FM that map to your tactic, and the role-attribute matrix to use.

12 min readRead

Recent strikers from the community

Jeffrey de Haan — Barcelona B
Unknown Player — Barcelona
Harvey Hall
Vitor Roque — ATP

Browse all (108) strikers