"Holding" Midfielder

anplaya

eirebhoy wrote: »

Xavi had the holding role under Rijkaard but Guardiola has given him more freedom. Instead of taking the ball from defence he's now more of a central playmaker.
It shows you how many different roles a central midfielder could play.

so he can be classed as a holding midfielder ,he can revert to that position anytime then if needs be.

Kess73

Surprised to see that Xabi Alonso has not been mentioned. He is very efficient in his defensive duties, and had the passing range to compliment that side of his game.

anplaya

Kess73 wrote: »

Surprised to see that Xabi Alonso has not been mentioned. He is very efficient in his defensive duties, and had the passing range to compliment that side of his game.

true,thats why i mentioned xavi as well.

eZe^

Toure in my opinion is the most complete holding midfielder in the world. Mascherano may be better at tackling and being a nuisance to the opposition, but I think Toure is a better dribbler, passer, shooter, and intercepter. Essien is excellent as a DMF, but imo he is better in a more attack minded role. Here are some goals that highlight how intelligent and quick footed Toure can be, he has a nice shot on his (albeit not nearly as good as Essien's)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq_bnrBl7PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2jxbO00dPQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEG8rfM8dLU

SuprSi

Wilson Palaciois? Surprised he's not been mentioned. He's no Essien, who I believe is the best all-round midfielder in the EPL, but he's definitely the imposing, all-action midfielder type who can also score goals (ok I know he only scored his first in the EPL for Spurs against Hull a few weeks back but he's regularly in goal-scoring positions)

Exclamation Marc

Cambiasso and Thiago Motta are great holding midfielders.

JPA

FireballPitcher wrote: »

Cambiasso and Thiago Motta are great holding midfielders.

Motta is so very average.

I just remembered Gilberto Silva, still going strong.

gustavo

KarlNedCarew wrote: »

I think it has to do with the emergence of box to box defenders such as essiens team mates ashley cole and bosingwa

Yea I can't think of any team in the world that done that before Chelsea

eirebhoy

Yeh with a lot of teams now their formation when they have the ball can be as attacking as 2-4-4 or 2-5-3. At Celtic this season it's the full backs that are putting the crosses in with the wide players playing a more passing game and Hinkel has set up loads of goals from right back.

It always annoyed me when McGeady would beat a player and then put a cross in. He's after beating the player. He has the room to run by him and into the box but he puts a cross in because Strachan wants him to put crosses in. Thankfully this has changed with Mowbray. You don't need to beat players to put brilliant crosses in so it's a waste of such hard work imo.

taidghbaby

Out and out sitting in front of the back four: Mascherano

Box to Box Midfielder: Essien

Deep sitting midfielder who takes the ball from the defence and distributes it: Xabi Alonso / Xavi

(Xavi does tend to play a bit more advanced - however Barca keep the ball for so long he has much more of a chance of getting into those forward positions than Alonso had with Liverpool)

Carcharodon

Scot Parker is an exceptional player in my opinion and does not get enough praise.

To answer a previous comment on whether Keane could shoot or pass, answer is both yes and no, he knew his limitations and used his brain, he passed the ball intelligently and did not try and shoot on sight (aka doing a Lamps)

Johnny Utah

Vinnie Jones was a great holding midfielder. He could really get to grips with the opposition when he wanted to....

Lamper.sffc

I have to admit I love this position out of all the positions on the pitch. Dont get me wrong I love the beautiful side of the game also, but give me a tough holding midfielder breaking up the opposition any day. One of the most important positions Imo.

Paul Mc grath was my first introduction to this type of player. Although he was a defender for most of his career, he did play this role for Ireland on many occasions. Absolute legend and the one of the best players to play for ireland, if not the best.

Keane took over from McGrath and perfected the role at united and Ireland. The best in the business when it came to playing this role. I think this was the case because he knew his limitations and played to his strengths. Essien is the closest iv seen since.

God how I miss the battles between Keane and Viera. Nowadays we all talk about the attacking play of this player and that player(which is fine) but back then when Sky promoted a game against Man U and Arsenal they didnt talk about Henry or Cole, Bergkamp or Yorke. It was Keane against Viera and I loved it, and I was a leeds supporter.

Stephen Reid could have been and hopefully still could be a great holding but also box to box midfileder. Just needs to get over those injuries.

Fabien Delph will be the best of that type of player in 3 to 4 years. No doubt in my mind. Villa got a bargain when they bought him.

And finally my favourite player at the moment. A lot of you dont know him but its Robert Bayly. It was a slow start for this lad at Sporting Fingal but my god this guy is a box to box midfielder if ever there was one. Anybody who whitnessed this guy against Shamrock Rovers would know what im talking about. Tackles, passes, scores and grabs peoples balls:D What more could you ask for.

Did i mention I like this type of player:)

Samurai

Stiliyan Petrov

Antisocialiser

Wilson Palacios.

ANTIFA!

Gary Deegan.

nullzero

The game has definitely changed at the top level in recent times, the box to box type midfielder is a thing of the past now. It seems that the like of Roy Keane etc who could perform a variety of roles in the centre are now being replaced by two midfielders who each have set roles. Stating the obvious I know, but I'm sure it won't be long before someone gets the idea to have a box to box type player in the centre once again. The box to box midfielder can be such an effective tool to have in your arsenal that it seems impossible that it would be forgotten forever. I can understand that finding a Roy Keane or Patrick Viera is not something that's easy to do and a lot of lads just cant pull off the role and end up being sloppy yellow card magnets. I have to say I miss the blood and thunder of midfield tough men, they added a certain something to the game and as a result- in my opinion anyway- their efforts allowed a more free flowing game to emerge. Maybe it's just misty eyed retrospective daftness but a few tough men would enrich the game immensly right now.

flahavaj

gimmick wrote: »

Yaya Toure for me is the best holding midfielder in the world. Also the most under rated in that position. Mascherano is excellent as well in that role.

Lassana Diarra? Please? His name is not worthy of being near a list that includes the likes of Essien, Toure etc etc etc

Toure will be regarded as the best defensive midfielder in teh world by the end of the season. Hes unreal.

Its an insult to Essien to put him in this bracket though, hes such an outstanding all rounder, its a crime to pigeon hole him IMO.

ntlbell

Alan Smith:pac:

Quint

taidghbaby wrote: »

Out and out sitting in front of the back four: Essien

Box to Box Midfielder: Essien

Deep sitting midfielder who takes the ball from the defence and distributes it: Xabi Alonso / Xavi

FYP!

Imho, Essien is the best holding midfielder. He has the versatility to change his game and attack if needed to suit the game, he doesn't do the same thing over and over again. I think any fan in the world would be delighted if they signed him, and he'd improve any team. Not to mention he can play almost any defensive or midfield position. Has a decent return of goals from that deep position too

Eirebear

Obviously not up to the standards of Gatusso and company, but at Rangers we have Kevin Thomson if he can sort his disciplinary problems out who does this job magnificantly.

And waiting to take his spot is Maurice Edu, who came in and played a real part in winning the league last season.

ANTIFA!

toulalan?

Lamper.sffc

flahavaj wrote: »

Toure will be regarded as the best defensive midfielder in teh world by the end of the season. Hes unreal.

Its an insult to Essien to put him in this bracket though, hes such an outstanding all rounder, its a crime to pigeon hole him IMO.

Which is what makes a great defensive midfielder. Why do we look down on these abilities. The game of football involves more than just great skill. It invloves passion, hunger, determination to name but a few. This guy epitomises what it takes to be this type of midfielder. IMO of course

CHD

Essien is the son of God.

Pro. F

I'm a huge fan of the midfield hardmen. Like Lamper said above, the Keane Viera battles back in the day were fantastic.

The player has to have the complete package to be considered as true quality imo - the mixture of skill, aggression and workrate and effectiveness at both ends of the pitch. I think everybody agrees, Essien is the man these days. I think Yaya has all the attributes and i think he's a great player but unfortunately i get the impression that he's a bit restricted at Barce. I'd love to see him in a team that would naturally rely on his attacking abilities more. De Rossi is a good player of this type imo, i rate him a lot. Las Diarra is good too imo, although he may now be bit restricted like Yaya.

I rate Song and Diaby as prospects.

Palacios is a big, tough, hard working and skillfull player but he's just a bit lacking as a goal threat.

I wouldn't call Cambiasso a hardman. Although i rate him as a quality CM, i don't think he really intimidates opponents physically.

JPA wrote: »

Would it be fair to say the concept of a holding midfielder is a new thing in the last say 10 years?
For example Makelele is the obvious example, barely crossed the half way line, yet was a highly lauded midfielder.

Tackling and physical strength were always just a part of being a central midfielder rather than being a specific role.
I know the OP is talking about box to box players rather than just defensive midfielders but there is a distinction.
Mascherano and Makelele are similar players form me, both play very little part in attack, compared to say Essien, who will attack as part of the team.

I think it is true that holding midfielders (both defensive and creative) are more common nowadays.

I read an article on the Guardian site a while back that put forward a theory on this: Since the offside law was altered defenders have been sitting deeper. This has meant there is a bigger gap between defence and attack. That extra distance has allowed, or required, more specialised midfielders to develope. And so now we see the holding midfielder.

I'm not so sure that the new offside law has had such a big effect but it's an interesting theory. I think a more likely explanation is that it's just a fashion in tactical thinking. Or maybe there just aren't that many well rounded central midfielders at the moment.

eoin2nc

lorik cana

m@cc@

KarlNedCarew wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isma%C3%AFl_Aissati

I've herad good things about him

Not sure he's the best at the "holding" part

But his passing and shoooting are apparently top notch

Aissati is not a 'holding' midfielder and I wouldn't say he is established enough to be thought of as 'world class'.

1mcampo1

Ever Banega is one for the future for Valencia. He's an all round class midfielder

Frisbee

Pro. F wrote: »

I rate Song and Diaby as prospects.

JUST BECAUSE HE LOOKS LIKE VIEIRA AND COMMENTATORS COMPARE HIM TO VIEIRA ALL THE TIME DOESN'T MEAN HE'S THE SAME PLAYER. DIABY IS AN ATTACKING MIDFIELDER, NOTHING LIKE VIEIRA.

Pro. F

Frisbee wrote: »

JUST BECAUSE HE LOOKS LIKE VIEIRA AND COMMENTATORS COMPARE HIM TO VIEIRA ALL THE TIME DOESN'T MEAN HE'S THE SAME PLAYER. DIABY IS AN ATTACKING MIDFIELDER, NOTHING LIKE VIEIRA.

Chillax dude, I know he plays as an attacking midfielder i just think he has very good physical scope and from what i've seen he's brave enough when trying to win or keep possession. I know he doesn't really do much defensively at the moment, and he certainly isn't used that way, but i think his strength and bravery mean he would have the potential to develope that side of his game very well.

I was going to add more detail to my comment on Song and Diaby in my original post but i didn't because it was getting quite long. If i had added more detail i would have said - I rate Song and Diaby as prospects, each in their own way. Song has better defensive attributes and Diaby has mad skillz. But they both seem to be well rounded to me.

Tom10

Frisbee wrote: »

JUST BECAUSE HE LOOKS LIKE VIEIRA AND COMMENTATORS COMPARE HIM TO VIEIRA ALL THE TIME DOESN'T MEAN HE'S THE SAME PLAYER. DIABY IS AN ATTACKING MIDFIELDER, NOTHING LIKE VIEIRA.

Viera wasn't always an out and out defense midfielder and in his earlier days at Arsenal and with France was more of an attacking midfielder with Petite the holding player at Arsenal (and France) and Deschamps also the defensive midfielder with France. So in that way Diaby comparisons could be made.

He has the same body type as Viera, tall and gangly but with good strength and very good close control. I don't see Diaby as ever being as good as Viera but if he wants it enough he could get close to that level.

Oh and Ever Banega is never ever going to be a defensive midfielder - not happening!

CR 7

Jack Rodwell could be a great defensive midfielder, I've only seen him play a few times, but he seems remarkably composed for his age, always does the simple passes well, and is good at long passing and shooting from distance.

joe123

Havent read much of the thread but IMO theres a difference between a holding player and then the "hard man" type player. True some can be both but you could look at Alonso as a holding player. He collects the ball from the backline and makes things tick never ventures to far forward.

Then you have your Mascherano whos more of a hardman who tackles hard and then in turn passes the ball off to an Alonso for example.

Miguel Veloso and Montilivo would be two that would go under the radar as being "holding" players but imo are quality.

Then you have your Diarras (one of the best around imo. Can do both regards tackling and passing).

Headshot

the_pm_of_17 wrote: »

Jack Rodwell could be a great defensive midfielder, I've only seen him play a few times, but he seems remarkably composed for his age, always does the simple passes well, and is good at long passing and shooting from distance.

he looks a smashing player already

that's Everton academy for ya,they just keep bringing through quality players

Glico Man

Boggles wrote: »

These type players for me are not real footballers.
.

Dunga?

Brazil wouldn't have been half the team they were without that little fella breaking up attacks and passing it to the more "gifted" attacking players

Mr Maroon

Felipe Melo anyone?

Mr. Presentable

Mr Maroon wrote: »

Felipe Melo anyone?

Post 37, but he doesn't play in England, so he doesn't count

Davaeo09

Yaya Toure has proved himself one of the best hardmen mid-fielders.

He can score goals ( Spanish cup final, and the one where he had a Messi like run through the defence against, erm Atleti was it?

He also is a tireless worker, and a much better passer than Macherano.

For me, him and Essien are the best holding mid fielders in the game at the moment.

Smegball

Mikel will be top class in a few years.

Toure and Melo are probably the best all rounded " Holding Midfielders" , then you have the likes of Mascherano, Diarra and Hargreaves in the next tier.

I wouldn't include the likes of Essien,Alonso,Anderson because they offer so much more going forward. Although Toure is pretty tasty going forward aswell.

Mr Alan

didn't Barca want Mascherano to replace Toure this summer??

Frisbee

Mr Alan wrote: »

didn't Barca want Mascherano to replace Toure this summer??

There was rumours. I couldn't understand why though.

Toure >>>> Mascherano

Mitch Connor

Mr Alan wrote: »

didn't Barca want Mascherano to replace Toure this summer??

They swapped Eto'o and 45million for Ibrahimovic this summer.

dfx-

Would Baraja in his Valencia prime be included in box-to-box midfielders getting about? Although I don't remember him as being a hardman...

Mr Alan

Frisbee wrote: »

There was rumours. I couldn't understand why though.

Toure >>>> Mascherano

More than rumours. Pep, Txiki Begiristain (sporting director) & Messi spent a lot of time talking about him this summer, Real Madrid style.