If you’re just a casual fan of soccer, it’s super easy to get into the game. The point of the game is easy to follow—just kick the ball into the goal. That’s all there really is to it.
But the more you watch the game, the more you learn about the little things that make the game special. Given enough time, you’ll notice that each player on the field has their own specialties and goals, so to speak.
The most popular position is the striker, for obvious reasons. But other positions also played a key role in the development of this game, and that’s the role of a “sweeper.”
What Exactly is a Sweeper in Soccer?
If this is the first time you’ve heard of this position, maybe you’re young or relatively new to the sport. Back in my day, sweepers ruled the field and their introduction resulted in cups being won. That’s how powerful this position is.
Today, the position is basically gone. But to give you an idea of how strong this position was back in the day, let me give you a short introduction.
A sweeper or “libero,” is a defender that guards their defensive line. They act as some sort of an emergency stop for when the defenders fail to contain the offense.
They don’t really man-mark but “sweeps” in when things get ugly on defense, hence, the name “sweeper.”
They can also set up plays from behind the defensive line. This role is pretty versatile, and the actual tasks of the sweeper depend on the team’s needs. Some teams would have their sweeper be defense-oriented, while others are more about playmaking.
History of the Sweeper Position
Many credit Franz Beckenbauer for the invention of this position. He actually never invented the role. He only popularized the position.
There are many accounts of who actually introduced the position, but the majority believes that the position was created by Alexandru Apolzan, a little-known Romanian legend.
Others credit Karl Rappan for introducing the role.
The position was introduced as a counter to the then-popular 4-2-4 formation.
Once the sweeper position was introduced to the game, it resulted in Helenio Herrera’s Inter Milan team winning 2 successive European Cups in the ’60s.
This style of play was then picked up by the Italians in what is dubbed as the “catenaccio” style of play. This was the era where this position flourished.
Franz Beckenbauer then adopted this sweeper playstyle, which led to a Euro (1972) championship and a World Cup in 1974.
The Evolution of the Sweeper Position
Just like most strategies that came before this playstyle, teams found a way to break the “catenaccio” playstyle. This was when the sweeper position took on a big change as teams began using Zona Mista.
Zona Mista is a type of play where players have individual markings on the field. Whenever a player moves out of his designated spot, a player would relocate into it, and so on and so forth.
The sweeper position is essential to this play as they can easily slide in and out of position. This is the time when sweeper became a dominant position, at least up until the late ’90s.
Is a Sweeper Position Only For Defense?
A sweeper’s main priority is to hold the defense up. He needs to be able to break up plays and bring a defensive flow into the game.
Normally, you won’t ever see a sweeper join a forward attack. If you do, that would probably get him benched, especially if the defensive line gets exposed.
Top Qualities of a Great Soccer Sweeper
High-IQ Player
This is pretty self-explanatory. Sweepers need to have a high understanding of the game, as well as their role. More often than not, putting themselves in a good position is better than making a successful tackle.
The great sweepers can anticipate the play and make adjustments on the fly.
Controlled Aggression
It’s pretty easy to get lost in the act of challenging the ball all the time. As a sweeper, they must be able to control their aggression and make risk-averse plays. They need to know when to tackle and come out with the ball no matter what.
Remember that you are one of the last defensive lines. Your role is essential in keeping the other team from scoring.
Can Keep Up with Strikers
Sweepers need to be at least on par, or even better than strikers, athletically speaking. We all know that strikers are stupidly fast and they can also jump like gazelles. It’s important that sweepers at least be able to keep up with them to offer defensive resistance.
Strong Sense of Communication
Since a sweeper basically functions as an emergency stop for the center backs, he needs to be able to communicate well with his teammates. He should only step in when needed because a false calculation will result in the defensive line being exposed.
Sweeper Role in Modern Games
If you’re just new to the sport, you may not actually have seen the sweeper position in play. It’s a position that’s practically extinct because of the offside trap.
Teams today are heavily focused on attacks, which resulted in their defense being more of an afterthought.
One would argue that the position did not actually become extinct but is currently transitioning into something else, and I somewhat agree. The defensive midfielder can be considered as a direct evolution of the position. It carries the same responsibility as a sweeper but plays higher on the field, instead of deep into the backline.
Another position that the sweeper inspired directly is the sweeper-keeper. It’s basically a keeper that plays high off their line while maintaining the goalkeeper position.
What is a Sweeper Keeper?
Nowadays, part of the sweeper role is now being carried out by the goalkeeper. The position is referred to as sweeper-keeper, and it’s starting to grow, as teams have begun having success with it.
Manuel Neuer from Bayern Munich is the man responsible for bringing this position to the limelight. If you’ve seen his play, you know how incredibly rewarding this position is. That is if you play it correctly.
The basic definition of the sweeper-keeper role is when a goalkeeper comes out of his goal to sweep up behind his defense and attempt to clear the ball.
What Made the Sweeper Role Extinct?
The sweeper system was introduced as a counter to the dual-threat attack of two strikers. This gives the defensive line a bit of leeway as the sweeper can easily “sweep” in when things get rough.
It was the shift to an attack-focused system that made the sweeper system less than favorable. When teams began favoring the 4-4-2 formation, a system that overloads the sweeper defense, the sweeper system had a hard time keeping up.
But that really wasn’t enough to kill the position. The thing that killed it was the offside rule change in 1990. What happened was attacking players now are considered “onside” as long as they were even to the last defender (which includes the keeper) when the ball is active.
In turn, it no longer made sense to keep a deep defender (sweeper) because they kept everyone onside. It’s difficult to defend that position, especially when the other team is being super aggressive.
