Since the game was first played, Football has come a long way. From the Dutch ideology of 'Total Football' to Johan Cruyff's theory of 'tiki-taka' the game has evolved a lot through the years. The requirements for playing a position, number of defenders and the role of the Keeper in build up have all changed. Some tactical roles have stood the test of time while others have vanished.

In this post I will talk about the Tactical roles that made football the game it is today.

Sweeper Keeper.

The term 'Sweeper Keeper' has been pretty famous for a while now. A sweeper Keeper is basically a goalkeeper who supports a high defence line by stepping out to make saves and cover the space left behind the defenders. Nowadays, many teams like to play an attacking brand of football and this requires the entire team to play high up the pitch. This leaves a lot of space behind the defence for opposition to exploit. That is where the role of a sweeper keeper comes into action. The sweeper keeper leaves his line to act almost as an eleventh outfield player to recycle possession or clear the ball. A sweeper keeper needs to be comfortable while on the ball and have a decent distribution.

Some examples of a sweeper keeper are Manuel Neuer, Victor Valdes, Lev Yashin, Ederson and Alisson Becker.

Libero.

A 'Libero' is an Italian term for a defensive player who often makes runs into the midfield or pings the ball to switch the play. A Libero can also be called a 'sweeper'. A Libero is often a role played in a team that plays a three-man, man marking defence. the Libero is the center most Central defender who also acts as a play maker. A Libero needs to be good with the ball at his feet, needs to be a commanding defender, and should be capable of making dangerous runs into the midfield.

Players who've played in this role include Mats Hummels, David Luiz, Danielle De Rossi and Leonardo Bonnuci. The duties of a Libero have also changed a lot along the years.

Regista.

Another famous tactical role originating from Italy is 'Regista'. In Brazil this role is called the meia-armador which translates to 'Half Guard' in English. This role is widely adopted in tactical systems all over Europe. Basically, a Regista is a deep lying playmaker.Duties of a Regista include recycling the ball, resisting the press, slot passes between the lines and dictate the tempo of the game. The role of a Regista is often adopted by teams who like to dominate possession. The Regista can also be responsible for acting as a protection to the central defenders.

Andrea Pirlo, Sergio Busquets, Jorginho and Fernandinho are a few examples of this role.

Mezzala.

'Mezzala' is role deployed in a three-man midfield. The literal translation of the term is 'half there'. A Mezzala plays between the lines and tries to stay higher up the pitch as compared to other midfielders. He is a box to box midfielder but with special offensive duties like creating, assisting, scoring and may drift into the half or wide spaces to do so.

Examples of a Mezzala are Angel Di Maria, Naby Keita, Andres Iniesta, Mason Mount and Paul Pogba.

Raumdeuter.

The Raumdeuter is the newest tactical role on this list. It was first named in an interview with Thomas Muller in 2011. Unlike other roles, a Raumdeuter isn't defined to a particular position. The word 'Raumdeuter' means Space Interpreter in German. The Raumdeuter is responsible to Find space, Make space and Exploit space. A Raumdeuter relies solely on his footballing intelligence to make runs and score or create in the tightest of defences.

Thomas Muller is the only player who plays this role right now. In 2016, EA had to increase Muller's Fifa 17 rating because he was an exception to their formula to determine player ratings. Muller isn't the strongest, fastest or the flashiest player. Nor is he an excellent finisher. But, where he lacks technically, he makes up for with his outstanding footballing mind. His sheer ability to find space and make well-timed runs into it is what makes him so good. Just being in the right place at the right time.

False 9.

The False 9 role was popularized by Lionel Messi under Pep Guardiola. The number 9 is worn by strikers. False 9 literally means a pseudo-striker. A False 9 drops into the midfield to give his team a numerical edgeover their opponent. He holds up the ball before playing it wide. The False 9 is a very wide concept and duties are defined as per the requirements of the team. A False 9 can be used to draw out an opposition defender out of position too. A false 9 should have excellent control on the ball, should be a decent passer and most importantly should have great positional awareness.

Lionel Messi, Francesco Totti and Roberto Firmino are all great examples of a false 9.

Target Man.

A target man is a striker who dominates opposition defenders with his physicality. Target Men score plenty of goals but they're happy to help their teammates get into goal-scoring positions while holding up the play. Target Men are usually great in the air. A target man also feeds fellow attackers with lay-off passes. Target Men are usually strikers with a strong physical build. Their style of play makes them attractive to teams playing counter-attacking football.

Oliver Giroud, Patrick Kluivert, Diego Costa, Zlatan Ibrahimovic are all fine examples of this role. However the duties of a target man may differ from team to team.