2010 WC: Which position is the most important in football?

Emile has said much of what I was going to say. Football is a team sport and every player has an important role to play in the match. If a play breaks down, it is often because a player doesn't play their part properly. In set moves especially, where you get a free kick, the attacking players can build up a very potent attack utilising their midfield and forwards in an organised set play which can be great to watch and not real hard to execute if everyone does their bit.

Having said that, everyone on the pitch can make a mistake except one - the goal keeper.

I agree that you can have a fantastic attack who keeps mounting up the goals, but if your defence is weak and your keeper cannot stop the shots, then you have little chance of winning.

The keeper has a pivotal role to play in an evenly-matched game of football. If there is such a classifying of roles in football, his role is the most important.

Mind you, I would also say that there are ten other players on the pitch ahead of the keeper whose job it is to make sure that the keeper never has to make a save!

Hope this helps.

Cheers.

I will limit my answer to the interior offense line. Look at the college game for the example of the programs that do not draw the best talent year and year out. A good betting strategy would be to bet on the the major college teams with five fifth year seniors in O-line. Don't just look at the W-L record. Look at the quality of losses if the team is an middle level team in a strong conference like Big Ten or SEC. I do not read those football magazines to form an opinion. Ask someone who has played major college football. Not a sport writer.

I don't think there is a particular position that is more important. It's more about the average quality of everyone.

Teams like England have a great players in attack and defense but no good goalkeeper.

Italy, France, Germany and Spain have a really balanced team. So you can't really point one position

Usually the most important position is seen as the position played by the best player on the team.

The most important position in my opinion is the goal keeper. He can keep your team in the game but he can also very easily lose the game for you. You offense can score as many goals as they wish if your keeper allows too many goals you will not win the game. But lets really not forget that soccer is a team sport and every position is very important and unless you have a cohesive unit you will not win.

very good question and i agree with you there... like essien and mascherano who are defensive mids and are some of the best in the world and with them i think artgentina are big faverouts and without essien i dont think ghana would be at the world cup

so yes i think Defensive Midfield is the most important position

every position is important, each one has major roles

Goalkeeper:keeps the goals out

defense:defend the team in order not a goal to be scored

midfielder: in charge of recovering the ball and distributing it to the strikers

strikers:in charge of making the goals

I think it's the Coach if this counts. I mean you need to form the team and then put players where they play and you need to work with players. Coach has a lot of work to do.

Goalkeeper. Just ask an Arsenal fan about their "wonderful goalkeepers"

that would have to be the keeper, without them the other team would score easily

The captain, he should have great leadership qualities