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The purple line refers to the channels with left and right always being what the team sees when they face the opposing team’s goal box, while the green lines refer to the division of the pitch into thirds. The yellow line is the halfway line and everything to the left in their home goal is the team’s half.
Plays refer to the team’s attack.
Deep refers to how close the team is to their own goal
I. FORMATION & PHILOSOPHY
All good football teams start with a formation to match their identity. In football, there’s generally two styles of playing: direct vs. indirect. Direct football emphasizes long kicks, straight-line movement, plays from the deep, and as little touches (when the ball moves from player to player) as possible. It’s been described as aggressive and fast-tempo because it relies on the defensive third moving the ball over to the final third as quickly as possible, which is why it’s not really associated with possession play but rather defensive play. The idea is that a strong defense will win balls in their defensive third (around their goal area) and pass directly and quickly to the final third (opposing team’s goal area), essentially creating a play out of the opposing team’s play. Defensive football relies on the players to sit deep (as close to the goal) within their own half with only their strikers all the way up front: in doing so, the opposing team practically has to bring their whole team with them up the pitch, or else the opposing striker doesn’t stand a chance against the defense. When the opposing team moves up to support the striker, it can create gaps in their defense and leave their goal more empty, which is where the defending team’s play begins: once they win the ball, they pass it to the strikers up front who are tasked to score in front of a relatively empty half.
Indirect football, on the other hand, emphasizes short kicks, passes, and lateral movement. Lots and lots of touches: this style of football is associated with possession play, meaning that the attacking team will always have the ball and their players in the final third with their defense parked in the middle third. Gradually building over time, it relies more on deception and slowly outwitting the opposing team rather than sheer physicality associated with direct football. They create the play, rather than responding. Defensive players usually stay more shallow (farther away from their goal) with their strikers operating too close for comfort in the opposing team’s half. The idea is to keep the ball and thus, more players in the opposing team’s half, forcing them to constantly defend. The opposing team will naturally look to provide a man for every man and make sure that no one is left unmarked, calling their attacking players back into their own half at which point they will be met by the defensive players on the midfield. By keeping the ball moving between a lot of players, it tires out the opposing defenders mentally and physically which is where the defensive gaps that arise are exploited.
If direct and indirect football sound similar-but-not-really, it’s because they are literally the same thing but viewed differently. Essentially, direct football says that more defenders will weaken the attack. Indirect football says more attackers will weaken the defense. In direct football, regaining possession in your half and keeping your players there is important. While in indirect football, regaining possession in the opposing team’s half and keeping your players there is important.
Both are valid! All good teams use both. But indirect football has a certain level of style and sophistication attached to it where direct football doesn’t because of how extremely dominant it is. Barcelona (Spain) and Bayern Munich (Germany) are some highly-regarded teams who are noted for their style of indirect football. Although keep in mind, it was only dominant because it was new, and old-school football teams didn’t know how to react. It still is dominant, but now balance has been restored, or something, and teams now know how to respond. Particularly, Tottenham Spurs in England have used direct football to varying levels of success. Atletico Madrid (Spain) won their league as a defensive-based team.
II. F.C. SEVENTEEN
All of that to say, Seventeen will probably not play possession football. At least, not entirely.
That’s not to diss on their skills, but rather, because of who they are as a unit. They are all so incredibly competitive and motivated in their own ways. It’s not enough to want to be better if you don’t have an external metric, a motivator to define what being better means. And Seventeen is good at this, because, yes, having thirteen people in a group will do that to you. We’ve seen Soonyoung meticulously choreograph and teach the other members, and we’ve seen Jihoon dictate their recording sessions. They can rile each other up: even Jun and Wonwoo, known stoics, can ignite when manipulated correctly. It’s this competition with each other that not only pushes them to be greater, but also pushes them closer together. Time and time again, we’ve read in interviews that they draw their strength and motivation from each other. I’ve always found this endearing, because logically this level of competition doesn’t usually do that to a team. Football teams are notorious for having internal strife for this very reason. But what Seventeen has is a bond beneath all of that, a deep and unconditional trust in each other — which is why they work.
A good bond is the key to a cohesive unit that shines where they can and make up for where they don’t, and football teams know this. That’s why there’s a particular importance placed on the role of captain, even if the position in terms of tactics is largely ceremonial. For example: Tottenham Spurs were in the semi-finals of the UCL, the most prestigious club-based football competition in Europe, and were down 3-0 to the opposing team. Club leader Harry Kane came down to the dressing room at half time and apparently gave them the ass-kicking of their lifetime via inspirational speech, despite being injured and not even playing in the game, and it worked. Spurs won on technicalities, and advanced to their first ever UCL final that year.
Found Family-isms I believe translate well into a defensive, direct style of football. At the highest level in football, there’s a certain level of trust each player has to have in each other that they can cover each other’s weaknesses and blindspots. When defensive football works at its’ best, it means that players in the back are instinctively moving into positions to cover the gaps left behind as they begin to attack, and that they have full confidence in the strikers up front to deliver. Most importantly, they have full confidence in themselves to regain the ball this close to their goal, and that type of belief in the self can echo into the team. This can be the advantage over more offensive teams: thus, defensive, direct football it is. To summarize- the heart of the play truly starts with a strong defence.
The idol world and football also share so much in common, and it’s easy to think of how Seventeen could still cultivate this bond even as football players. Most clubs have youth academies, where they sign kids as young as eight years old and develop them over time and often for free. A successful youth academy means talented players for free who have built their skills and identity around the club. Case in point: Lionel Messi, the best forward in the world, was a product of F.C. Barcelona’s youth club and has only exclusively played for Barcelona’s senior team since then. The Barcelona team of 2009-2010 which won six major trophies featured many players like Messi: born and raised in the youth academy. At that point, they had been playing for years together since their youth league days, and thus their near-telepathic relationship on the field. Seventeen as a football club would probably have been a bunch of kids scouted together who stayed with the club even after a rough financial and competitive period, all landing on the first team with unprecedented success. The challenges they faced together and their desire to be better versions of themselves creating an unbreakable bond, both on the stage and theoretically, on the pitch.
III. THE LINEUP
With a heavy emphasis on defense, that means we’re probably looking at only three-ish front players and seven players in the back, plus the goalkeeper, which is a classic formation known as 4-4-2. I’m assigning positions based on the actual footballing content that exists and in absence, what I perceive to be their personality.
Terminology time! I do love my tables. All of the descriptions below operate on the philosophy of direct football.
Goalkeepers, anything that ends with -Back, all belong in the defense category and primarily stay in the defensive third.
GOALKEEPER (1)
LEFT/RIGHT BACK (2)
Responsible for guarding their respective channels in their own half, regaining possession, and for distributing the ball to the rest of the team. Usually passes long. They get chosen based on their dominant foot: i.e. left-footed players play left back. This is a tactical advantage as it means you get closer to any potential opposing wingers.
CENTRE-BACK (2)
Responsible for guarding the center channel, regaining possession, protecting the goalkeeper, and for also distributing the ball and making long passes. Again, attacks start with the defense. Must be strong and defensively-minded.
Wingers and midfielders operate in...the midfield.
LEFT/RIGHT WINGER (2)
Function as both defense and offense on their respective left/right channel depending on the possession. They usually play on the flank opposite of their dominant foot (i.e. left footed players play as right wingers) in order to be able to make crosses, which is when they send the ball completely across to the centre channel for midfielders rushing forward. Must be fast, creative, and have strong stamina because they’re running up and down their channel.
MIDFIELDER (2)
Midfielders can be broken down into even smaller subgroups. In 4-4-2, you usually have the central attacking midfielder (CAM), and the central defensive midfielder (CDM, otherwise known as the holding midfielder). The biggest difference is that when the opposing team has possession, the CDM will revert to being a 3rd centre back with the wingers in front dropping back to form a 2nd line of defense in front of the back five players. The CAM can either join the strikers at front, ready to help when the defense regains possession or drop back alongside the CDM if things are getting too hot in their half. But when the team has possession, they are both free to play as both attacking and defense. Must be smart, creative, and good at passing balls both long and short. Essentially, they help the team transition from attack to defense and vise versa, helping to build play.
Forwards operate in the final third.
FORWARD (2)
Goal scoring threats who stay all the way up front: responsible for receiving long passes, and dribbling past defenders. Ideally, either one of them can score and cover each other, which is why they’re arranged in a duo. Traits emphasized are speed and creativity.
It’s called a 4-4-2, but only functionally when in full defensive mode. Otherwise, it most often is played as a 4-3-3 when the team is in possession, with the CAM moving up to join the striking line and leaving seven in the back to defend. But going back to Seventeen on an individual level, as highly competitive individuals they would definitely take more charge and initiative than the regular defensive-minded team. Ultimately, we’re probably looking at something like spending 65% of the time defending, and the other 35% of the time attacking, which is where the right/left backs come into play. When the team has possession, and based on what style their opponent is playing, they have more liberty to push up the channel and support the striking team which can give an extra offensive boost in the game.
IV. THE PLAYERS
Before we start, I’d like to draw your attention to the time Seventeen actually played football, and this line-up which is pretty close to my dream formation.
With that in mind, this is who I would field from Seventeen.
At this moment I have to take a moment to breathe in because yes, I am absolutely certain that this team could crush anything. Before I explain why these people are in these roles, I’d like to link to dw/twt user hwarium’s manifestos on each of the SVT which really helped.
GOALKEEPER: MINGHAO
Minghao is like, 5’11, a B-boy and extremely flexible and agile so you know he’s a true shot-stopper. Not only will his real life ability to contort his body and move quickly help in the goal, Minghao also seems like the most obvious choice for a role with such a huge burden. He’s not the captain — but again, he’s the last line of defense. If he misses a shot, it will be on him. He’s also the only one with a clear view of the entire game, and is responsible to a certain extent for organizing the back four. I think a lot of how Minghao carries the burden of being one-half of the China Line and a member of the hip hop unit (and we know how intense Soonyoung can get). I also think a lot about his time as an idol trainer on QCYN: in the manifesto linked above, there are so many examples of him going the extra mile to take care of people, his “unyielding ambition to do better”, his ability to absorb losses and learn from them, all with a bright mindset. There’s nothing worse than a goalkeeper who doesn’t believe in himself, and I don’t think that’ll ever happen with Minghao who knows how to carry the burden and accept the weight in stride. That’ll allow the defense to work with him, to share their burden with him. In turn, I don’t doubt for a second that his attention to detail will allow him to organize the back four efficiently.
Also, absolutely no one else (except for Vernon) can make neon look good. No one. Goalkeepers wear a lot of neon. Henceforth.
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I can’t find the source but Minghao was also the leader of his B-boy crew! Insane. What a funky little man he 100% could play as goalkeeper.
CENTRE-BACKS: SEUNGCHEOL (CAPTAIN), WONWOO
I think of Woncheol, heart of defense, and I start CRYING in the club. Seungcheol is an extremely empathetic (SVT FIRST WIN) person who, like Minghao, wants to carry the burden on his shoulders and does so with full mindfulness and responsibility. There are so many interviews where he discusses this exact complex, and we know that he stuck by the rest of the trainees and with Pledis even after the numerous line-ups and eventual disbandments until Seventeen debuted. Six years is a long time to train, and somehow Seungcheol seems to take it all in stride. I think this CC answer from dw user hwarium sums it up best: “The thing about Seungcheol is that he doesn't lead from the front…[He acts like the lynchpin, keeping SVT functioning and together]”. Hey That’s Crazy Doesn’t This Sound Like A Centre Back? Seungcheol is so effective at organizing the members (MAMA Bathroom Aegyo.mp4) that it makes sense he would be effective at organizing the defense from the back, and as we know, the heart of every play lies in the defense! Even if he’s one of the more competitive members, we know he can suppress parts of himself in order to be of better service to the team, and ultimately, that’s what it’s really about. Someone selfless enough to feed the balls through always, someone who remembers what his duties are and someone who can organize everything else around him. Seungcheol as the captain also makes so much sense because they will listen to him for this very reason: emotionally, he might not be the captain (That’s probably going to fall on Minghao’s shoulders by virtue of position, or Seungkwan by virtue of personality). But what he brings is a stable foundation to the team. We also know he’s the strongest idol and is crazy fast: footballing-wise, HE ALREADY PLAYS AT THE BACK. You can see how defensive-minded he is and how he’s ready to push back but also ready to distribute the ball and make runs after getting it from Seungkwan in goal.
Wonwoo would also make such a great centre-back but I can imagine that his journey would probably be more painful on account of just having… a longer learning curve playing in this position because I don’t think that at first sight he would make a good centre back especially when he talks about having a weak presence. But dig a little deeper, and there is so much to him that made me go “WONWOO HEART OF DEFENSE, HEART OF THE TEAM.” Physically, not only is he tall which would make him good at aerial duels and receiving long balls, but he also used to run track back in middle school if I’m not mistaken and looked fast enough during ISAC that he could probably comfortably intercept running strikers. I think of Wonwoo as someone who truly learns, and once he picks up something he picks it up all the way- like the guitar, and like rapping even if he wanted to be a singer. He’s able to do this because he works so hard, even to the point of exhaustion because much like Seungcheol, he carries that burden in his heart too. He loves his members so much, and that type of dedication is what allows him to go from being a quiet person to someone who’s ready to do their job and do it well, whether it’s rapping or defending. Between the other members, Wonwoo also stands out as more calm and stoic with the (learned) necessary composure for a centre-back. (Not that I thought about writing fic, BUT, Wonwoo to me would’ve started as the striker before coaches put him in the back due to his height and the overwhelming pressure of being in front (hello lyrics about self-expectation in svt mixtapes) which is where the longer learning-curve comes from)
LEFT BACK: JIHOON / RIGHT BACK: SOONYOUNG
I was thinking about how Soonyoung would also fit perfectly into the role of right winger but as Thanos says, all things in balance and the reason why he would make a good right back is precisely because Chan can slot into the right wing role easier than he can slot into right back. Which is to say: SOONYOUNG DEFENSE!!! As an all-rounder on stage, I’d like to think some of that comes out on the pitch. Soonyoung has great footwork, great control of his body and stamina, which is important when you’re dealing with the area around the sidelines as it can be easy to lose the ball here, resulting in opposition taking the ball. I routinely forget he’s 5’10 and not 3’6 but all the more, he’ll also be physically good in the right back position. Given Soonyoung’s quirks I have no doubt that he’ll probably be pushing up higher than he should be but we know that Soonyoung can and will put his team over himself. In Seventeen, that meant taking on the burden of choreographing and leading the team performance-wise, and on the pitch it’ll mean contributing to defense but also acting as another conduit in which the ball can move up the field through. Essentially, Soonyoung is good at being versatile but also good at doing what’s expected of him, which is why he’ll be good on defense even if it means the inner horanghae in him doesn’t shine as easily. I wouldn’t be surprised though if Soonyoung was in charge of morale and another source of leadership during the game: as part of the leader trio, and because of his own skills, he has what it takes. If Seungcheol goes off, he’d probably pass the captain’s armband to Soonyoung or Minghao.
Jihoon similarly has great footwork and great stamina too. Let us take a moment to appreciate the fact that Jihoon was supposed to be in the performance unit, and he is one of Seventeen’s best dancers (arguably) outside of the main four. Much like Soonyoung, Jihoon has a high work rate and dedication to his team, and when combined with his naturally withdrawn personality and calm temperament it means that he contributes to the stability of the midfield. What sets him aside is his confidence in himself and in the rest of the team that sees him calm and collected even in the face of an attacking opposition. I could talk more about how Jihoon throws himself into everything that he does with passion, but you’d only have to look at the credits for every single Seventeen song to know. He can also be a source of leadership and provide support to Seungcheol when necessary, and I can imagine him forming a good defensive partnership with Seungkwan. Like Wonwoo, he isn’t likely to push as high up as Seungcheol or Soonyoung, providing consistency in the back.
LEFT WINGER: SEUNGKWAN
We know that Seungkwan played goalkeeper for his church’s youth team, and he often is in the goal whenever Seventeen plays football, but he probably wouldn’t be cut out for a high-level football team. Where his height at 5’8 would be a set back in the defensive positions as well, it can be a strength when he’s utilized as a speedy left-winger, combining the best of his defensive positioning and his ability to predict the opposition’s plays. Seungkwan has the possibility of being downright dangerous in this role, as long as he has the stamina and the composure to be running constantly and providing attacking support into the opposition half. We’ve also seen him make good passes and spot team members from across the pitch during Inside Seventeen futsal edition. Seungkwan is also more temperamental, but that’s why he’s in front of Jihoon, who can cover for him in case he gets too excited and forgets to drop back down to his spot. All of this looks like quick, fast runs weaving in between defenders and defeating them in 1v1s to send a sharp, cutting pass across the field that’ll find his fellow midfielders or forward and create goal scoring opportunities. In this role, Seungkwan gets to utilize the best of his defensive abilities with his natural instinct to take opportunities for himself or for his teammates. What Seungkwan has, really, is the creativity that the team needs in attacking, which is because he’s good at distributing the ball and making quick decisions like in this video at 3:30. You can literally see him do a classic winger-up-the-flank run at 4:04 of the save video. This entire video convinced me that Seungkwan would do well as a winger rather than in the goal. Who else would get them onto variety shows and in front of the opposition goal?
RIGHT WINGER: CHAN
Seungkwan and Chan are playing identical roles for the exact same reasons: short but quick and with a high work-rate. From what we’ve seen in the videos, Chan to some extent is behind the rest of the football players of Seventeen but manages to keep his own and even score a few goals. That’s why I think with the proper training and confidence he should be utilized as a winger rather than a forward even if he primarily plays as that with Seventeen. We know that Chan has good dribbling skills. But while he may not be able to hold his own well against stronger defenders (in Inside Seventeen, he loses the ball often to Mingyu), if it isn’t a problem then he can be an essential part of the build up, tasked with getting the ball to the final third as quick as possible and passing to teammates who are in a better position. But really, Chan deserves more credit than what I’m writing right now: he has a good foot and could probably pull off insane side-shots. Designated free kick taker, I’m calling it right now. It can also be argued that he has a calmer temperament than Seungkwan and provides more stability, which is why he’s in front of Soonyoung. [Thanos voice] Balance.
MIDFIELD: SEOKMIN (CAM), MINGYU (CDM)
As a Seokhao enthusiast I am bursting at the seams as we speak. Where do I even begin. I didn’t realize how insanely good Seokmin and Mingyu are at football, and I’m sad we don’t talk about this more often. Seokmin as the CAM makes sense to me because I don’t think he has as much of a defensive streak as Mingyu does, but that’s okay because he is genuinely so well suited towards offense that he could probably be played as a forward as well. You can see this, I think, at 5:30 where he doesn’t rush forward. It might be because he’s tired, but that’s honestly the behavior you want from the central midfield when the opposition has the ball: ready to shift into defense. But the moment he realizes that the opposition’s possession is shaky at best, he swoops in for the goal. In the same video at 4:43, you can see him make a deceiving lateral pass when confronted by Mingyu, and I have no idea what the context is but if that had been him passing to his teammate then that would’ve been a very effective play. Immediately right after, he runs the whole length of the field really quickly even after a full game to hang on to the ball. This highlights Seokmin’s natural inclination to attack. What he may lack in footwork he can make up for with his height. At 5’11, that’s enough to win aerial duels and pick up long balls from the defense, and with his footwork he can definitely pass to the forwards and weave through players if necessary. Mostly, Seokmin also appears to have some idea of positioning, and that can make him dangerous.
Mingyu might genuinely be the 2nd best football player in Seventeen, even better than Seungcheol. As the tallest in Seventeen, no one else is going to beat him in aerial duels and in the Inside Football video at 3:10, we can see him head the goal in. That’s a level of control and positioning that I didn’t know Mingyu, for all of his arms-flailing-legs-breaking glory, possessed. The thing that really convinced me that Mingyu might be one of the best players in Seventeen is him in the 1v1 against Chan, where he capitalizes on Chan’s mistake and gains possession of the ball even briefly. Even with Chan stomping around everywhere, they only got the ball back because it doesn’t look like there was anyone Mingyu could pass to. HIs height and ultimately his ability to gain possession makes him more suited to the defensive role, but I’m willing to bet that if the game is going well, Mingyu could probably shift to a more forward role and play a 4-man attack. We know he runs extremely fast, and with the proper positioning vision, he could be a beast to dribble around if he’s able to cover a lot of ground against the opposition. Even though Mingyu gets a notorious reputation in team-based games, all the more why the role in midfield suits him. He has a wider license to operate in and the freedom to switch between attack and defense based on what he perceives, rather than being directly positioned by Seungcheol. Though the fact that he is also extremely good at following orders and listening to people makes me think that either way, he just brings a sense of stability to the forwards and can function as the pivot, the lighthouse that lets the rest of the team know that they should be focused on attacking.
FORWARDS: JOSHUA, JEONGHAN
I don’t have too much to say about Joshuji (I love him but there really aren’t any videos of him playing) but I’ve read somewhere that he used to play football in America!! Regardless, we know that Joshua is strong and short, which can bring a different element to the role of forward compared to Jeonghan. If Joshua is any fast, then he’ll be harder to bring down. What I’m thinking is that Joshua being one of the more independent members of Seventeen translates well into being able to hold his own so far away from the goal and from other members. When you’re operating at the front, you need to be constantly aware and be a good enough goal scoring threat on your own. What I’m also after is his relationship with Jeonghan which can make the both of them better when emphasized. Since it’s just the two of them, there has to be that level of trust to operate so deep in the opposition’s half, and we know that they have a really good friendship and are close. I can’t quite think of what else to write for Joshua (hongranghae), but if I do, I will update this.
Jeonghan, on the other hand, is just extremely self-explanatory. Do I even have to write anything more. He’s the best football player and in literally all of the videos he’s either the one scoring the goal or completing the necessary passes for others to make the goal. We also know that he’s one of the more empathetic people in the group and is a source of leadership and strength (source: trust me and all of the interviews where the members talk about Jeonghan constantly checking up on them bro) which means that he can hold not only his own but others as well all the way up in the final third. And if that’s where a majority of the opposition’s defense is, then it requires balls of steel. Which Jeonghan has a lot of, and which translates to leadership in front. I think the other members who push forward will have that innate trust to pass to him and to receive his passes even if they can’t see the play. He’s just so cool and calm no matter where he is and is genuinely such an all-rounder who could theoretically go anywhere but especially in Mingyu’s role, but he gets to be the forward because of his strong kick and his creativity. In 4:28 of the Inside Seventeen video, you can see him employ deception to pass the ball to his teammate and immediately run in front of where his teammate can pass it to him. If it had been successful, it would’ve been one hell of a play. That’s the creativity and the leadership that they need up in the front to be a true goal scoring threat.
V. THE PLAY
Essentially, the way I can imagine Seventeen scoring a ball is the back four, particularly Seungcheol and Wonwoo, applying enough pressure to the opposing strikers to win the ball back. They immediately pass to Minghao, who can pass back either to them and send a long ball up the field to the final third, or to the wingers who can progress the ball through the midfield by dribbling. At this point, Seokmin and Mingyu can pull off their positioning-wizardry and cover for each other as one of them (or both) rush up the midfield in support of the strikers already far up front, with the wingers pushing up to provide additional offence or defence just in case. The ball could pass through Mingyu and then onto Seokmin, who can pass to one of the waiting strikers. Goal.
VI. COACH'S NOTES
That’s all I really have to say. This team is so balanced I feel like my three brain cells have connected. Maybe I will write a footballteen fic after all. Also I have a 4,000 count research paper that’s worth a big chunk of my diploma due and I haven’t done it, but guess what is more than 4,000 words! This analysis. Yeah. If you read all of this congratulations, also why.
