I often felt as a player in a 4-4-2, you end up being outnumbered in midfield and chasing the ball, so as a manager I liked wingbacks to push forward; it gives the midfield player on the ball three or four options.
If you win the midfield, you probably win the game. But that doesn't mean the players in the midfield are the ones alone who determine that, because now we have strikers who drop into midfield and defenders who move up into the midfield. It is the area you must dominate.
I prefer to play in midfield, whether that is attacking midfield or defensive midfield.
Outnumbered Overtime' began as an online extension to the then-brand new hit, 'Outnumbered.' My goal was to turn an interactive, chat room type show into a source for news and compelling interviews.
I've played all over, to be honest. Centre-half, defensive midfield, attacking midfield.
In the midfield, I'm not the most comfortable playing with my back to the goal, and in the midfield you find that ball a lot.
I'm a very versatile player, I have covered many midfield roles but my favourite one is the centre-midfield.
John Bond has brought in a young left-sided midfield player, who I guess will play on the left side of midfield.
But I loved playing in midfield. In midfield you always have a sight of goal, you're always participating in all the plays.
My favorite position is in the center of the midfield, maybe the defensive midfield. I think I can play this position the best. I played there in my youth all the time, and I like to be in the center of the game because you're never standing still.
I find it interesting as every year people say the midfield is as tight as ever but it is always tight, it is always competitive. I've pretty much spent my entire career in the midfield so I know about it!
It doesn't matter who you play against in midfield, you need to try to come out on top and more often than not when a team wins a midfield battle they normally have a good chance of winning the game because that's where a lot of the play goes through.
As England manager I always felt we needed an extra man in midfield to retain the ball, but that was more as an attacking ploy to help create opportunities. It came from my experience playing international football in a 4-4-2 and spending half my time chasing the ball.
To be honest, from England Under-16s, through the 17s and 18s, really all the way through my youth career, I played at centre-half. For some reason, when I made my debut at Everton, I just played in central midfield, and it went from there.
My favourite position is in the midfield. I think I can play to my strengths there. I can communicate with every player. I'm more in the game, because as a right-back you have to stay on one side and you're not always in the game for 90 minutes. So I prefer the centre midfield position.