Does it require more talent to be an attacking player than a defensive one?

And by extension, is the fact that individual awards go predominantly to attacking players justified?

define "talent"

I think playing defense is definitely more difficult than attacking...not sure it requires "more talent" though

BhritanniaBhlue wrote:define "talent"

I don't think there is a universal definition. Like beauty, the definition of talent depends on each person, at least here.

Short answer, yes.

Correct answer? No. Both require equal amounts of (diferent) talents, but due to various circunstances the most talented players are almost always the offensive ones.

I'd say you need the same amount of talent, but in slightly different fields. The drawback for the defenders is that scoring goals is much more celebrated than preventing goals.

Everyone seems to confuse "Talent" with Technique these days.

Anyway, my answer's no. Would you consider Muller or Chicharito "talented"?

It requires more skill to be a defender, more talent to be an attacker

Hmm i try to look at talent as the array of skills a single player possesses, and how much they excel at those, but also the football brain which goes unnoticed.

People say that talent creates magic, and often links it to technique but i think a wonderfully well timed tackle can be just as beautiful, or a ridiculously placed header from a difficult angle.

It's the combination that makes it worth it, because there are a lot of technically gifted players out there who have 0 football brain. They are not talented, just gifted in technique.

So to answer the OP, I think it does require more talent to be a quality attacking player. I think the process of creation requires brain power, creating a situation out of nothing. I have a lot of respect for defenders, but it's harder to construct than to break something apart.

As for awards, it's a bit unfair to have a single ballon d'or imo, maybe it would be fairer to reward the best GK, the best DF, the best MF and the best FW.

Mr Nick09 wrote:Hmm i try to look at talent as the array of skills a single player possesses, and how much they excel at those, but also the football which goes unnoticed.

People say that talent creates magic, and often links it to technique but i think a wonderfully well timed tackle can be just as beautiful, or a ridiculously placed header from a difficult angle.

It's the combination that makes it worth it, because there are a lot of technically gifted players out there who have 0 football brain. They are not talented, just gifted in technique.

So to answer the OP, I think it does require more talent to be a quality attacking player. I think the process of creation requires brain power, creating a situation out of nothing. I have a lot of respect for defenders, but it's harder to construct than to break something apart.

As for awards, it's a bit unfair to have a single ballon d'or imo, maybe it would be fairer to reward the best GK, the best DF, the best MF and the best FW.

Agree with this

No and no.

Defenders need talent in the departments of anticipation, decision-making and technique off the ball, attackers need talent in vision, passing, shooting and generally technique on the ball.

Both become more complete when they have a few of their opposite's attributes as well. But I actually think it's pretty even.

So in conclusion: no, in no way, shape, or form is it justified that defenders constantly get overlooked when the Ballon d'Or is being handed out.

IMO, both defensive players and offensive players require talents, but in different area.

It just that, goal scoring >>> goal preventing, and it's easier to show off attacking talent compared to defensive talent. Not to mention (more often than not) you win the game by scoring a goal, not by preventing a goal.

How often can you say an attacker carries the whole team? Compare that to how often you can say when a defender carries his whole team. It's probably easier to say that an attacker can carry his whole team as often a game can be decided on a single moment of brilliance from a player to score a goal, but it takes a massive effort from the whole team to perform a defensive masterclass.

People often underline the contributions of defenders. Summed nicely by a quote from Maldini himself

"defenders generally receive so much less attention from fans and the media than goalscorers. We are more in the engine room rather than taking the glory."

Midfielders >>>



I would contribute but everything I would say has been said.

attackers require more technical skill defenders require more tactical skill/decision making

Mr Nick09 wrote:As for awards, it's a bit unfair to have a single ballon d'or imo, maybe it would be fairer to reward the best GK, the best DF, the best MF and the best FW.

That's my saying for ages!

In childhood years whoever is better player plays in attack. pepe considered a good defender. what skills he has? tactics, offside traps, tackles you can learn in the university. when it comes to the field attackers>>>all

but ballon dor system sucks. uefa system is better, they need to give awards for best defender and the best gk

billionmillion wrote:In childhood years whoever is better player plays in attack. pepe considered a good defender. what skills he has? tactics, offside traps, tackles you can learn in the university. when it comes to the field attackers>>>all

That explains a lot about your NT though.

VivaStPauli wrote:

billionmillion wrote:In childhood years whoever is better player plays in attack. pepe considered a good defender. what skills he has? tactics, offside traps, tackles you can learn in the university. when it comes to the field attackers>>>all

That explains a lot about your NT though.

it explains that in south america theres no an untalented player to play in defence

billionmillion wrote:it explains that in south america theres no an untalented player to play in defence

I don't understand that sentence.

But here (and in Italy) defenders (and goal keepers) are taken seriously, hence there's good ones. And there's defenders who have very good technique.

Maybe attacking requires more "physical" or technical talent on the ball.

Whereas defending might require more "mental" talent, it's more about being clever enough to read the game, cover the right areas at the right time.

Art Morte wrote:Maybe attacking requires more "physical" or technical talent on the ball.

Whereas defending might require more "mental" talent, it's more about being clever enough to read the game, cover the right areas at the right time.

Pretty much this. Defending requires 90 minutes concentration while it's enough for offensive player to produce magic (tricks/dribbling/shooting/passing etc.) for 0-30 seconds.

Also, nowadays I would say that defending has become harder than attacking because of divers and stricter referees.

Error wrote:

Art Morte wrote:Maybe attacking requires more "physical" or technical talent on the ball.

Whereas defending might require more "mental" talent, it's more about being clever enough to read the game, cover the right areas at the right time.

Pretty much this. Defending requires 90 minutes concentration while it's enough for offensive player to produce magic (tricks/dribbling/shooting/passing etc.) for 0-30 seconds.

Also, nowadays I would say that defending has become harder than attacking because of divers and stricter referees.

Signed, too.

It is a pity that defenders (and goalkeepers) rarely get the attention they deserve. An attacker can be asleep for 89 minutes of a match. If he scores then, he is a hero. A defender/GK can defend perfectly for 89 minutes, if he has a blackout for 10 seconds, he is the loser.

So for me GKs and defenders are the real heroes of the game as they have to have far more courage to play in their positions than either midfielders or strikers, where one or the other mistake can be easily ignored. ^^

billionmillion wrote:In childhood years whoever is better player plays in attack. pepe considered a good defender. what skills he has? tactics, offside traps, tackles you can learn in the university. when it comes to the field attackers>>>all

but ballon dor system sucks. uefa system is better, they need to give awards for best defender and the best gk

This..

Attack > Defenders

Hm... If Attackers >> Defenders, then I wonder why there are tons of good attackers, but only a handful of really good defenders. So it can't be that easy after all. ^^

rwo power wrote:Hm... If Attackers >> Defenders, then I wonder why there are tons of good attackers, but only a handful of really good defenders. So it can't be that easy after all. ^^

I'm talking about talent.. Dribbling past multiple defenders and scoring for example requires more talent than a slide tackle

Swagg_Johnson wrote:I'm talking about talent.. Dribbling past multiple defenders and scoring for example requires more talent than a slide tackle

Nowadays defenders should better avoid stuff like slide tackles as that ends way too easily in a booking. So they should better work via immaculate positioning and trying to block the passways and the spaces where attackers can run into - and that needs a much higher game intelligence than just having the talent to dribble along. Moreover, attackers have numerous chances to do their work, while for a defender each and every challenge is crucial. So IMO defenders >> attackers