I spoke about this on a post I made a while ago, but I play low-stakes 7v7 intramural soccer as a centerback. But a few weeks ago, I had a horror show of a game. It had been raining recently, so whenever I would try to defend against a player who was relatively techy, I would find myself slipping all over the pitch, embarrassing myself badly. Since then, I've lost the respect of my teammates.
In the last game, when I was about to start as a defender, my teammate went to the captain and begged them to not have me start alongside them, calling me a "dead defender". So, I found myself getting subbed on as both a striker (I unfortunately have no technical ability, started playing late) and as a goalkeeper for a little bit during the second half. We also conceded 5 goals.
Since then, I've purchased cleats (Adidas Golettos) as a means of hopefully preventing any future defensive mistakes. I'm planning to try to convince my team's captain to have me play in my natural position, even if I'm being subbed on, as I think I can provide some height, physicality, and aggression to the defensive line. How can I convince my team to trust me and play me where I can make a difference?