Barcelona and Real Madrid men also included…
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The role of the anchorman, or the midfield battler is totally vital in modern football. The all-action box-to-box midfielder has been replaced in many sides with a far more disciplined deep-lying midfielder, whose job it is to break up opposition play with interceptions and tackles, before starting attacks from the base of midfield.
In this list, we’ve been more careful not to include deep-lying playmakers, such as Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard or Andrea Pirlo, who play in a similar position, but are charged with more creative and less destructive duties…
For us, here are the ten best defensive midfielders in football right now…
10) Fernandinho – Manchester City
The Brazilian cost an enormous £35m last summer, and played a key role in winning Manchester City the Premier League title in 2013/14. His work in midfield enables Yaya Toure to bomb forward and create and score goals. With Fernando, City now have an almost equally capable deputy.
9) Javi Martinez – Bayern Munich
Sadly, Martinez is currently injured, and will be out of the game for a long time. His ability is unquestionable though, and he’s still Bayern’s most expensive ever player – having played a key role in the treble triumph of 2012/13.
8) Daniele de Rossi – AS Roma
The highest paid player in Serie A, de Rossi has been dominating Italian midfield battles for over a decade. He’s strong, sensible in possession, and hard in the tackle. The only surprise is that he has never moved to a truly elite club.
7) Luiz Gustavo – Wolfsburg
The Brazilian was let go from Bayern Munich, but this is only because they have the likes of Javi Martinez, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philipp Lahm to play the position! Gustavo goes unnoticed on the pitch, but his work is priceless. Although he doesn’t look physically impressive, he’s a ferocious battler, and provides his teams with a superb platform from which they can perform.
6) Sami Khedira – Real Madrid
Khedira is available on a free next summer, and both Arsenal and Chelsea are being linked with his services. In 2014, he’s won a World Cup with Germany and a Champions League with Real Madrid, underlying his superb pedigree. Los Blancos would be mad to let him leave for nothing, especially without a natural midfield destroyer at the club.
5) Javier Mascherano – Barcelona
Mascherano plays as a centre-back for Barcelona, but when he represents Argentina, he’s one of the very best defensive midfielders in the world. At the World Cup, along with Lionel Messi, he carried his country through to the final, where they narrowly lost to Germany.
4) Bastian Schweinsteiger – Bayern Munich
Schweinsteiger’s performance in the World Cup final was as courageous as it was brilliant. While he’s composed in possession and can create chances with clever passes, his primary asset is his strength and battling qualities at the base of midfield. A legend of the modern game.
3) Philipp Lahm – Bayern Munich
The fact that Lahm is naturally a fullback, yet we rate him as the world’s third best holding midfielder right now is testament to his jaw-dropping ability. He recycles possession so effortlessly, and tackles so well that Pep Guardiola deploys him at the base of midfield now for his club. Obviously, he does it superbly.
2) Nemanja Matic – Chelsea
Matic provides almost unparalleled midfield power and energy combined with technical ability that befits a more creative midfielder. This enables him to press the opposition, use his strength and body to retain possession, and play zipped passes to Chelsea’s attackers. Matic will be one of the key men this year if the Blues win the Premier League.
1) Sergio Busquets – Barcelona
It’s hard to stand out and earn praise in a side that includes Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Neymar, but Busquets does just that. He provides the backbone to the most exhilarating attacking force in world football, and his role is equally as vital as the men in front of him. Busquets virtually never gives the ball away, enjoys a physical battle, and knows how to trick a referee, too! At the moment, there are no better defensive midfielders around.
