Is every squad number iconic? Well some certainly are more than others…
The No.4? Not really. No.11? It just doesn’t have the magic touch. And unless you’re Declan Rice, the No.41 doesn’t have any real significance.
But the No.8 shirt? That is a thing of beauty. The holder always felt an important part of any team, even when they aren't.
But in a tactical sense what is the No.8 position and how does it influence matches? Let’s take a look.
What is the No.8?
The No.8 is a forward thinking midfielder, who starts from a deep lying position. Although the traditional 1-11 shirt numbers are undoubtedly a factor, the best way to describe the eight is in a literal sense: halfway between a six and a ten.
Players in this position don’t occupy advanced roles deep in the opponents half. Instead they prefer to break forward into that space by running onto passes.
They will normally operate in central areas, helping connect teams that build possession from the back with their forwards. Generally, the No.8 will play in front of one or two pivots, who provide the midfield's defensive structure.
In turn, this gives the eight license to drive forward and help attack the opponent's penalty area. But they do still have defensive responsibilities, such as tracking runs, closing down space and counter pressing if required.
This is why to be a No.8 amongst the elites of professional football in 2024, you need to be a super athletic as well a formidable ball carrier.
Who are the great No.8s
Go through any of the great teams from the last 30 years, you won’t find many that didn’t have a top class No.8 in their ranks. For example, you can’t underestimate the impact of Andres Iniesta on Spain and Barcelona’s dominance between 2008-2012. Fittingly he even wore the eight shirt, but it goes deeper.
Supporting a high press, Iniesta was quietly efficient off the ball, zonally covering midfield spaces and ensuring opponents struggled to maintain possession. While when Barcelona won the ball high up the pitch, he was nothing short of a magician when it came to working through tight spaces.
Considering both Barca were not hugely physically imposing, it was crucial Iniesta was a master at winning 50-50 duels, another key component when building the perfect of a No.8.
Luka Modric is another master of the role, able to control some of the biggest matches in the game almost singlehandedly with his fluent dribbling and intelligent passing. Although he does sometimes receive the ball in advanced positions, Kevin De Bruyne is also a prime example of a No.8 who can dictate the flow of a match.
Is the No. ‘8.5’ about to take over?
The evolution of this role has taken a new step in recent months. Top clubs in the Premier League including Arsenal and Liverpool have fielded traditional forward players, sitting deeper while tucked into a midfield trio.
Kai Havertz has performed this role for the Gunners to great effect. Havertz hasn’t played with a huge amount of defensive responsibility, but given more forward space to attack seems to have brought out the best in him.
For Liverpool, Cody Gakpo has been selected in a similar role, semi-regularly during the 2023-24 season. With more players from defence, stepping into midfield – yes we’re looking at you Trent Alexander Arnold – there is more emphasis on attack minded midfielders, who enjoy charging into more advanced positions.
Havertz and Gakpo mix characteristics of traditional No.9s and No.10s, but are doing so from this much deeper position. So perhaps the ‘8.5’ is about to become the next in-vogue tactical trend.
But this is all well and good if you coach a team that dominate possession in the majority of matches played. There are downsides. One of the major issues of playing with advanced No.8s is that naturally they will leave pockets of space behind them.
The better opponents will be able to exploit this on the transition. Like most things in football, and in life, balance is everything… if you play with an 8.5, make sure you field two athletic, defensively responsible midfielders alongside him or her.
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