Sweeper, does it deserve to be the sole role of a player?
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 3:41 pm
Having followed soccer over a decade, it strikes me as odd that there should be a player in soccerproject whose sole role is to be a sweeper. I know that this is a common defensive position in lesser leagues, but in modern football the role coincides with that of the central defender when playing against a team with pacy attackers. For example, during the Champions League final last year, AC Milan had Jaap Stam play as a sweeper and Nesta playing in front of him. Stam, who is a CB & RB was responsible to cover the threat of Djibril Cisse who is one of the fastest strikers. For those of you who remember, Stam did a great job in that role and killed off all the attacks of Liverpool with great success - but he is a defender and NOT a sweeper. His functions during that game was the same as that of Nesta (playing as a CB) and hence he did not have any problems readjusting. This is only one example, but I think that it clarifies that the skills needed for the functions of a CB and SW are virtually the same.
In a 5-man defense, a sweepers role is to stay as the last man and clear the ball from the penalty area. This requires no more skill or experience than a normal CB would need to acquire, because this is also the function of a CB in a 4-man defensive line. We're not talking about Beckenbauer's style of play here, you never saw modern SWs attack in open play.
Hence with the limitation in the requirement of a sweeper and especially since in soccerproject he is limited to a position in a 5-man defense, it should be abolished. To have a player be trained as a sweeper and not be capable of playing as a defender, it makes no sense that they lose their ability to function at the same level. This game is not base on 5 year old kids who arguably wouldnt have the capacity to adapt to a difference in the location, but it is ridiculous to claim that a professional would be disoriented by this.
What I'm trying to say is that sweeper should not be a position but rather an 'individual order' of a central defender. This is not the same as for a central striker vs the forwards on the sides, since their roles and style of play differ. Usual role of CF is to be the finisher, player to hold up the ball, flick on or divert the defenders. The other 2 do not do any of that except for the latter 2. In teams like Manchester Utd and Dortmund it can be seen exceptionally well. Rooney & Ronaldo support Nistelrooy, but do not score quite as often as the latter since their main function is to bring the ball forward. This difference does not exist between a sweeper and a defender, they are basically the same thing.
All in all, abolishing sweepers will not affect soccerproject. It's popularity can be seen by their transfer price and usage. A completely unpopular position is still being supported by the game and I believe the time to get wrid of them should be now. The game has already acquired over 8000 users and is growing rapidly. The longer we wait, the more troublesome it would be to make changes such as this. If we do not act, the game will never change for the better of the game.
I'd love to hear some comments on this, so speak up
In a 5-man defense, a sweepers role is to stay as the last man and clear the ball from the penalty area. This requires no more skill or experience than a normal CB would need to acquire, because this is also the function of a CB in a 4-man defensive line. We're not talking about Beckenbauer's style of play here, you never saw modern SWs attack in open play.
Hence with the limitation in the requirement of a sweeper and especially since in soccerproject he is limited to a position in a 5-man defense, it should be abolished. To have a player be trained as a sweeper and not be capable of playing as a defender, it makes no sense that they lose their ability to function at the same level. This game is not base on 5 year old kids who arguably wouldnt have the capacity to adapt to a difference in the location, but it is ridiculous to claim that a professional would be disoriented by this.
What I'm trying to say is that sweeper should not be a position but rather an 'individual order' of a central defender. This is not the same as for a central striker vs the forwards on the sides, since their roles and style of play differ. Usual role of CF is to be the finisher, player to hold up the ball, flick on or divert the defenders. The other 2 do not do any of that except for the latter 2. In teams like Manchester Utd and Dortmund it can be seen exceptionally well. Rooney & Ronaldo support Nistelrooy, but do not score quite as often as the latter since their main function is to bring the ball forward. This difference does not exist between a sweeper and a defender, they are basically the same thing.
All in all, abolishing sweepers will not affect soccerproject. It's popularity can be seen by their transfer price and usage. A completely unpopular position is still being supported by the game and I believe the time to get wrid of them should be now. The game has already acquired over 8000 users and is growing rapidly. The longer we wait, the more troublesome it would be to make changes such as this. If we do not act, the game will never change for the better of the game.
I'd love to hear some comments on this, so speak up
