What are the strongest positions in the modern game?

[Bobski]

I ask because watching this WC it appears a weak period for traditionally strong positions, ie, CB, CM, and CF. Not saying there are not good players in those areas but the depth is not great, plenty of good wide forwards and attacking mids but not so much in those spine positions.

Is this just a generational thing, a reaction to footballing trends or am I just wrong (always a likely choice)?

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

Goalkeepers are more important than ever

Full backs are possibly more important - for more teams - than ever.

Centre backs now have the biggest point of division between ‘Defender’ and ‘Ball player’ than ever. Rio-Vidic or Terry-Carvalho would be a £250m pairing right now.

midfielders and forwards are waaaay more dependent on system.

The back 5/6 are the most important players right now, and they’re ALL being asked to be better.

Wingers are worse. Numbers 10’s have died. 9’s are dead. Front lines are weird at the mo. Lots of different approaches.

Back lines are the most important imho.

 

[hodgey123]

I think there are a lot of top class full backs now which shows how the game has slightly evolved - they are default wingers in most systems going forwards and that coincides with/explains why traditional wingers are now dying out. Also may explain why the #10 role has also died out a bit given a lot more creativity flows through full backs.

 

[Bobski]

Goalkeepers are more important than ever

Full backs are possibly more important - for more teams - than ever.

Centre backs now have the biggest point of division between ‘Defender’ and ‘Ball player’ than ever. Rio-Vidic or Terry-Carvalho would be a £250m pairing right now.

midfielders and forwards are waaaay more dependent on system.

The back 5/6 are the most important players right now, and they’re ALL being asked to be better.

Wingers are worse. Numbers 10’s have died. 9’s are dead. Front lines are weird at the mo. Lots of different approaches.

Back lines are the most important imho.

Agree mostly, defenders are generally better footballers than ever before, tasked with far more responsibility in build up play, but purely defensively it is not a great selection.