The Raumdeuter role is a relatively new tactical concept.
Its origins can be traced to a 2011 interview with Thomas Muller, who invented the term
when asked by Suddeutsche Zeitung to explain his rather unique role within the Bayern Munich
system.
Since then, the role has become widely accepted thanks to its appearance in the popular Football
Manager series.
However, despite its increased prominence within football parlance, there remains confusion
over what it actually means.
A simple English translation of Raumdeuter is ‘Space Interpreter’.
And, in order to explain what the role of Space Interpreter actually involves, we must
first analyse its originator.
Muller established himself at Bayern Munich in the 2009/10 season under the auspices of
Louis van Gaal.
The Dutch coach was the first man to truly recognise Muller’s gifts, assigning the
player a key role within his system.
In eight of the nine seasons since, the forward has hit double figures for goals, though it
has never been obvious how he scores so consistently.
This quandary strikes to the heart of the problem that is identifying the Raumdeuter:
they are difficult to pin down for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, they don’t take up a specific position on the field; rather, they occupy different
areas depending on the situation, their role giving them freedom to roam.
Secondly, their efficacy relies more on mental and tactical strengths, which are less visible
to the human eye than extraordinary pace, physicality or technical qualities.
There are many things that Muller is not.
He isn’t an outstanding dribbler, he isn’t particularly fast or strong, and his finishes
rarely astonish.
The usual traits associated with productive attackers simply aren’t there.
What is there, however, is an incredibly astute mind.
This is what enables him, and the Raumdeuter role itself, to exist at the highest echelons
of football.
As the title of Space Interpreter suggests, Muller’s most valuable asset is his ability
to identify and exploit space in and around the final third.
He makes his living from being in the right place at the right time, which requires excellent
anticipation, intelligent movement and spatial awareness.
Like a top class chess player, he is always thinking a few moves ahead.
While he created the term and is the role’s finest exponent, Muller is not the only Raumdeuter.
Others to undertake similar roles for their clubs include Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli
and Napoli’s Jose Callejon.
While they may possess different attributes, they behave similarly to Muller on the pitch.
Both play a small role in build-up, focusing more on adding value in the final third; both
prefer to operate between the lines and attack the vertical channels between opposing defenders,
making them difficult to mark; and both are masters in the art of creating space through
deception.
There are several hints that Alli may best be described as a Raumdeuter.
Not only is his position tough to clarify, but he regularly contributes to Tottenham’s
attacking game with goals and assists despite lacking eye-catching finishing, passing, dribbling,
pace or strength.
Like Muller, he simply knows where to be.
Alli often uses double movements – pretending to move one way to trick his marker before
moving in the other direction – to create space for himself in and around the opposing
penalty box.
While not being particularly tall or physical, he often scores headers thanks to his capacity
for finding or making room in the most congested of areas.
Callejon is similarly effective at targeting space in and around the opposition penalty
box, utilising his expert timing to arrive in scoring positions.
Operating in a nominal right wing role for a Napoli side who, in recent seasons, have
been heavily reliant on their left-hand side for building attacks, his main strength has
been making runs behind or between distracted defenders.
One common attacking ploy used by Napoli under Maurizio Sarri saw Lorenzo Insigne cut inside
from the left wing while, simultaneously, Callejon began his run beyond the opposing
back line, ultimately entering the 18-yard box to receive a cross from Insigne and shoot.
Alternately, the Spaniard would target the far side of the box, moving on the blind side
of the opposing back line to receive a cross before cutting back for a teammate in a better
position.
Subtle opportunists who thrive in the gaps between defenders and go undetected for large
periods, the Raumdeuter’s part in the creative process is often ignored.
For every decisive movement made by Thomas Muller, Dele Alli or Jose Callejon, it is
the passer or dribbler who set them up – be it Arjen Robben, Christian Eriksen or Lorenzo
Insigne – who receives most of the acclaim.
That, perhaps, is fitting.
Raumdeuters are just as difficult for pundits to spot as they are for opposition defences
to pin down.
The qualities that make them such efficient attackers, such as concentration, composure
and tactical sensitivity, are, after all, invisible.
Some call it luck; Muller calls it the interpretation of space.