At the youth level is it normal for a club to have offensive and defensive middies? This is for 2026? This is the coaches approach for my sons team and it’s seems too specialized when they are 12.
Seems a little young. Sometimes its an easy way for coaches to allocate playing time, but I think that it can also hold back development. In the past, my son was positioned as more of a defensive midfielder, but when a different coach with a different philosophy started coaching him, his offensive talent really developed, and now he is primarily an offensive player. There are definitely kids that excel defensively, so it's a delicate balance. A lot of it seems to be a kids perspective on the game, some kids prefer defense because they process the game better when it is coming at them.
