A grassroots football coaching publication

9v9 · Issue 03 · Chapter 3 · Position five of six

Interior midfielders

Make angles, not crowds

11 · 8 · Interior midfielders9v9 · 2-2-3-1
Starting positions for interior midfielders in a 2-2-3-1. Positions are starting points, not fixed instructions.Nine-player 2-2-3-1 starting formation, highlighting 11 and 8 as interior midfielders, with our team attacking upwards.GK453211689ROLE 11ROLE 8

Starting positions for interior midfielders in a 2-2-3-1. Positions are starting points, not fixed instructions.

How We Play illustration based on reviewed guidance. Starting positions are not fixed.
Key
  • Us
  • Key space

Ask yourself

Am I helping the player on the ball or making it crowded?
✓ Coaching reviewed · 20 October 2026

Written by Niall Walsh, grassroots football coach and founder of How We Play. Coaching reviewed by David Wilson on 20 October 2026.

Your jobs

  1. Offer different supporting angles to keep possession moving.
  2. Notice where support is needed when the wing-backs advance.
  3. Help the team react when possession is lost.

Principles this position uses

  1. Principle 3Someone protects the middleWho is stopping the pass through?
  2. Principle 4Lose it? Find homePress, protect or recover: which is my job?