Analyzing Defender Value by Role (Part 2)

[rrf_1]

———

Ekon Ayo is a fullback defender in the SSL academy S25 class.  New to the league, Ekon wants to grow into a defensive specialist for his club, but he doesn’t yet have a good sense for how he should prioritize his development to get there.  Over this series of articles, he learns the defensive behaviors that he should replicate to maximize value at his position.

Part 1 outlines the defensive stats
Part 2 analyzes the defender roles on the pitch
Part 3 considers broader team success
Part 4 dives deeper into center backs
Part 5 identifies role model fullbacks for Ekon
Part 6 focuses on wing backs
Part 7 appreciates defensive midfielders
Part 8 looks at differences in the minor league

———

PART 2
PERFORMING FOR A ROLE

A defender’s actions carry value only if they fit the role that they are tasked with providing for their club.  Defenders that play higher in the defensive formation can afford to be more aggressive and try to win possession early in an attack, but the last line must be more conservative and ready to respond to goal threats.  Playing outside of assignment leads to poor teamwork and defensive breakdowns.

When creating in the SSL, players can designate their primary and secondary positions, but what matters more for defensive responsibility is how that player actually lines up in the formation.  In general, outfield defenders take on one of 4 roles:

• A center back (CB) anchors the defense as the last line of protection where their goal is most at risk.
  
• A fullback (FB) plays in the outside areas of systems with two center backs, marking and defending wide winger attacks as well as maintaining defensive shape.
  
• A wing back (WB) also challenges wingers along the sideline but operates in a wider system with three center backs and can jump out of the back line to engage the ball more freely.
  
• A defensive midfielder (DM) sits in front of the center backs as a shield to break up attacks early and provide extra coverage.
  

According to the last matchday of S23, most major league teams run a 2 center back system with 2 outside fullbacks and 2 or 3 supporting defensive midfielders. Hollywood, Tokyo, and União are the only clubs to run a 3 center back system with outside wing backs.

Part 1 of this series outlined the defensive plays that a defender can make and explained the importance of averaging defensive production per 90 minutes of play.  What do each of the four defensive roles contribute in terms of defensive plays per 90?  The radar plot below shows the average plays per 90 minutes in 8 defensive stats, each normalized to the max value across all major league outfielders that lined up in a defensive position last season (27 CBs, 18 FBs, 6 WBs, 25 DMs).  Attempted presses and attempted tackles have been grouped as an “aggression” index as these correlate with a more aggressive play style.  Successful presses, successful tackles, and interceptions have been combined under “dispossession” because these plays lead to change of possession.  Blocks, blocked shots, and clearances round out the plot as a “disruption” score since these plays stop play or disrupt offensive sets.



Looking at the plot, it’s immediately clear that different roles emphasize different defensive contributions, and one type of defender is especially unique from the rest.  The center back is the least aggressive of the roles, with few attempted tackles and even fewer presses, on average.  They match other defenders in the interception category.  But their main value is in the disruption stats: clubs rely on their center backs as a last resort to fight goal threats, and disrupting play with blocks and clearances is the best way to do so.  Engaging defenders in isolation does not fit their role, unless they have no other option.

Defensive midfielders by nature of being less specialized as defenders average the lowest or second lowest plays in each stat category.  They don’t contribute the goal area disruption of center backs, and they aren’t as active as wing backs and fullbacks in engaging attackers.  Defensive midfielders are important supporting players.

Wing backs and fullbacks create the most individual defensive plays and have very similar tendencies to each other.  At least based on the S23 data, wing backs have a slightly stronger lean than fullbacks to pressing attackers instead of attempting tackles, but aggression and dispossession are similar for both roles.  Fullbacks have more disruptive plays, probably because they need to be more active in the goal area alongside only two center backs.

Across all major league outfielders, defensive contributions are strongly linked to defensive role in the formation.

Continue to Part 3: Team Success Matters