There are several specialised roles in football. However, the role of the advanced playmaker is one that’s been given a large amount of attention over the years. Despite this, the dedicated advanced playmaker (otherwise known as the attacking midfielder), in its most traditional form, is slowly fading away in the modern game.
I thought it would be interesting to investigate the characteristics of the advanced playmaker and how the role has manifested in different regions of the world. More specifically, we will look at the Trequartista, the Enganche and the Classic Number 10.
In summary, the trequartista, enganche and number 10 are all terms used to describe advanced playmakers. The variations in names comes down to geographical context. However, there are slight differences in their overall playstyle. The trequartista is a free roaming playmaker with a large focus on scoring and assisting. The enganche has more or less the same responsibilities as the trequartista, with a higher emphasis on playmaking than scoring goals. The number 10, from an English perspective, can be described as a box to box midfielder with playmaking responsibilities.
Let’s take a deeper look into this.
Table of Contents
What is a trequartista?
Translating directly from Italian, trequartista means “three quarters”. This name was chosen because this player is known to play 3 quarters of the way up the field. Between the midfielders and the strikers. This position is also known as “the hole” in English speaking circles. The trequartista is most commonly seen in European teams.
A trequartista is an advanced playmaker (AP) whose main role is to be the focal point of the team from an offensive perspective. These players will receive the ball and immediately look to find players in space or drive towards goal to score themselves.
A key trait of a trequartista is that they must have the ability to lose their marker to receive the ball in space. Once they have the ball, they use their dribbling ability and vision to create goal scoring opportunities.
From a passing perspective, it is ideal for these players to have a wide passing range. However, the majority of their passes will be quick short distance interactions (5-10m). This is so they can play effective give and go passes with their teammates.
Another trait of the trequartista is that they are highly mobile and are given the freedom to roam in the opposition’s half. In that respect, they are not confined to play only within the hole.
Good example: Francesco Totti
Embed from Getty ImagesA good example of a trequartista in recent history is Francesco Totti. Often praised for the longevity of his career (he retired at 41), Totti was a very special player. He mastered the intricacies of not only playing in the AP position early on in his career for Roma, but also in the false 9 position in his later years.
Other examples
Zinedine Zidane is another great example of a trequartista. Regarded by some as the greatest player of all time, Zidane was able to effortlessly control the tempo of the game. He possessed sublime technical skills.
Ricardo Kaka also embodied the trequartista role magnificently. However, in the case of Kaka, things were a little bit different. At his peak, he played for an AC Milan team that was highly talented in several areas of the pitch.
The team he played for in the mid-2000s consisted on two notable playmakers. Kaka was deployed as the trequartista and Pirlo was deployed as the deep lying playmaker or “regista”. For a more detailed description of the regista role, take a look at this article.
Lionel Messi has also played the trequartista role. However, to label him as a trequartista would be a disservice to his versatility. He has successfully been deployed in just about every attacking position in the past.
What is an enganche?
Translating directly from Spanish, Enganche means “hook”. This variant of an AP came into prominence in Argentina. An enganche shares many of the same characteristics of a trequartista. They are both set up to be the creative hub of the team, where almost all attacks will flow through them.
However, unlike the trequartista, they are not as heavily focused on goal scoring. Instead they are more focused on bringing the more advanced forwards into the game by making key passes.
Good example: Juan Riquelme
Embed from Getty ImagesJuan Riquelme is probably the best example of a classic enganche in recent history. While not being the most mobile player out there, he was able to constantly find himself in space and control the field of play. He mostly played in hole and was one of the largest reasons behind the success of Boca Juniors between 1996 and 2002.
Other examples
Further examples include Mesut Ozil, Javier Saviola, Pable Aimar and Ariel Ortega.
Many would regard Maradona as a good example of an Enganche. However, I personally believe him to be more a trequartista. He had a free role in the Argentina sides that were so dominant in the 1980s.
Similarly, he played with a large amount of freedom during his time at Napoli. In addition to that, he was the main goal scoring threat in most teams that he played in.
What is a number 10?
The “number 10” role is frequently brought up as the English counterpart to the trequartista and the enganche. For that reason, I thought it applicable to speak on the use of APs historically in the English game.
In English football, dedicated playmakers have never gained much prominence. This is because the English game has always favoured physicality over technical ability.
English footballing philosophy has famously been known to promote hard working, industrious players. For that reason, dedicated playmakers, focused primarily on the technical side of football have been regarded as a luxury.
I’m sure you’ve heard people criticise foreign (non-English) players for their inability to adapt to the physicality of the English Premier League (EPL). It’s not hard to see why when you look at the playstyle of clubs like Burnley.
However, that is not to say that the English game has been without playmakers. In the past, it was commonplace that highly mobile midfield players were given creative responsibilities. This was to make up for any defensive weaknesses that could apply when using a designated playmaker.
This directly translated to box to box type players playing the playmaker role while also contributing defensively.
This made perfect sense, considering that the flat 442 formation was employed by most English teams when the EPL was formed in the 90s. In many cases, the midfield two would consist of the box to box player as well as a holding player that sat in the midfield and acted as a first line of defence.
In other words, in English football, the classic 10 was actually more of an “advanced 8”.
Good example: Paul Gascoigne
Embed from Getty ImagesA player that fit the role of the classic number 10, and that probably had the technical ability to play as a dedicated playmaker, was Paul Gascoigne. “Gazzas” ability to glide through defenses during a time period where brute force reigned supreme was spectacular.
Unlike many of the AP architypes around the globe, he had a fierce physical side to his game. This was undoubtedly out of necessity in the EPL more than an added feature to his game.
Other examples
Additional players that fit the role of industrious, creative players in the EPL include Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. All these players had a high defensive and offensive work rate. In addition, they contributed tremendously to their teams with their playmaking ability.
Why are there so few dedicated advanced playmakers these days?
At the turn of the millennium, the 2000 UEFA Euro tournament featured several different dedicated APs in famous sides. These players included Zinedine Zidane, Francesco Totti, Rui Costa and Dennis Bergkamp for France, Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands respectively. In fact, all four of those players featured in the semi-finals for their respective nations.
That is stark contrast to the tactical approach taken by European teams in todays climate. Almost no prominent European team plays with a dedicated playmaker in this day and age. However, there are clear and obvious reasons behind this.
The three main reasons why we don’t see very many dedicated APs in European football are as follows:
Teams have found out how to defend against them
The rise in popularity of the deep lying midfielder has essentially nullified the effectiveness of a pure AP. This player sits in front of the defence and before the midfield line (the same position that a traditional AP would operate in). By placing this player here, the AP can be man-marked out of the game.
Teams can become too reliant on them.
Having a designated playmaker essentially means that a team needs to be built around a player. This is not ideal. By becoming too reliant on the creative output of a single player, teams are left exposed if that player has a bad game or cannot play.
They are not strong defensively
Dedicated advanced playmakers, are usually employed in systems that are designed to get the best out of their offensive qualities. This often meant that they were mostly relieved of any defensive input.
With the knowledge and resources available in the modern game, players are fitter and more athletic than ever before. The pace of the game has rapidly increased over the past couple of decades. Players and player roles have had to adapt as well.
This translates to there being a greater reliance on team pressing and the idea of defending as a unit. Unfortunately, the traditional dedicated AP does not fit this requirement.
Having even one player on a team that does not contribute defensively means that the other players need to do double the work.
Advanced Playmakers in the modern game
Some teams still play with dedicated APs in modern football. Players such as Lionel Messi and Paulo Dybala still operate as trequartistas in the traditional sense; offering little defensive support.
However, these are exceptionally talented players. Because they rarely lose the ball, teams do not have to worry as much about being caught on counterattacks. Unless a player is exceptional, a team cannot afford to have anyone that does not contribute defensively.
English teams still refrain from using a dedicated AP. Most still use box to box players as creative outlets. Take Manchester City under Pep Guardiola, for example.
Embed from Getty ImagesThey typically line up with a 433. But instead of only one player being the playmaker, the two wide central midfielders share playmaking responsibilities. They do this while still contributing to the team press. Players such as Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva often occupy this role.
These types of wide central, attack minded players are also known as mezzalas. To read more about the mezzala role, check out this article.
Despite this, the role of a number 10 that starts in the hole has grown in prominence in recent years in the EPL. This has also coincided with the rise in the use of the 4231 formation.
However, this player can be described as more of an advanced mezzala than an out and out 10. An example of this “modern 10” is Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United.
What is the difference between an advanced playmaker and a deep lying forward?
It’s worth noting that advanced playmakers and deep lying forwards (DLF) are confused with one another frequently. This is because they operate in roughly the same area of the pitch and are both used to describe attack minded players.
The difference between the two comes down to mindset. A simplistic way of putting it is that an APs main goal is to feed attackers the ball and be the catalyst for attacks.
Whereas the DLFs main goal is to draw defenders towards them, freeing up space for wide players to attack. On a regular team sheet, a DLF starts the game in the striker position, whereas an AP starts in the hole. As such, it is not advised that a team deploys both a DLF and an AP in their tactics.
A team that employs an advanced playmaker does so in order to get the best out of one really good player. A team that employs a deep lying forward does so, not only to get the best out a good player, but also to free up space in the opponent’s half by dragging defenders out of position.
Summary
Advanced playmakers all apply their trade in similar positions on the pitch. And for all intents and purposes are used to aid their teams from an offensive perspective. However, there are a few differences in their playstyles.
Trequartista
The trequartista is a free roaming AP and is probably the more goal and assist orientated player out of the three. These are players that may even be comfortable playing in the striker position.
Enganche
The enganche does not cover as much ground as the trequartista. Their main goal is to dictate the game by finding their teammates in space.
They mainly operate in the hole and do not venture out of it as frequently as the trequartista. However, they are expected to have good finishing ability when put into a goal scoring situation.
Number 10
The classic number 10 in English football can be described as more of a box to box midfielder with playmaking responsibilities. They are expected to have a wide passing range, good shooting ability and good defensive capabilities
In conclusion, the role of an Advanced playmaker is highly technical. The Advanced playmaker position is usually reserved for the best player on the team. Systems using dedicated APs are typically built around these players. It will be interesting to see how the game progresses in the future.
For more detailed descriptions of player roles and positions, be sure to check out the articles below: