The historic central half-back position gradually retreated from the midfield line to provide increased protection to the back–line against centre-forwards – that dedicated defensive role in the centre is still commonly referred to as a "centre-half" as a legacy of its origins.[36] In Italian football jargon, this position was known as the centromediano metodista or metodista, although this term was later also applied to describe players who operated in a central holding-midfielder role, but who also had creative responsibilities in addition to defensive duties.[2]