The Essential Role of the ‘Defensive Midfielder'

Chelsea's success this season has highlighted how important a world class defensive midfielder is in order to succeed in the modern game

A decade ago Jose Mourinho was winning his first Premier League title with Chelsea. His side bossed the league with a great defence, one which conceded only 15 goals, a remarkable achievement. This season Chelsea have won the league once again under Mourinho, showing the kind of defensive might and tactical organisation which won the title 10 years ago. It has been a dominant, consistent and at times enthralling campaign for Chelsea, playing some majestic attacking football and defending with excellence. It has been perfectly balanced, typical of a Mourinho side. And while Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa have received the deserved plaudits, while John Terry has seemingly defied age and expectations and being an absolute rock throughout the season, perhaps Chelsea’s most important player has been their midfield general Nemanja Matić. In the same way to Claude Makélélé’s influence and role a decade ago, Mourinho has shown that while the game has evolved, the importance of the holding midfielder remains a key facet of the modern game.

Makélélé was so good that the role was named after him. Of course there were many midfield ‘stoppers’ before him, his compatriot Didier Deschamps being a prime example. Dunga for the 1994 Brasil World Cup winning team, Alberini for Milan, Rijkaard for Milan and Ajax, Redondo for Real Madrid were all excellent in the role we call today 'the defensive midfielder'.

Eric Cantana referred to Deschamps as a ‘water carrier’ for France, meaning his role was to simply supply the ball for the 'talented' players on the pitch. This narrow minded viewpoint of this player mis-understood the importance of the player for the team to function effectively both in and out of possession. He was a key defensive asset for the team, a player who could offer support to the defensive line, close the spaces between defence and midfield, break up play of the opposition, and look to start attacks. 

Makélélé was fantastic at this role for Real Madrid, Chelsea and France, with little surprise that his influence on all three teams brought great success in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. It was evident that to neglect a player in this role was a huge mistake for the tactical set-up of a team. Del Bosque knew this, Mourinho knew this, his Porto side won the UEFA Cup and Champions League with Costinha a key part of the sides midfield balance. Mourinho said that Makélélé was Chelsea’s player of the season in 2004/05. 

Rafa Benitez knew this also, at Valencia with Albeda and Baraja offering the defensive cover in his 4-2-3-1 formation. And at Liverpool, initially embracing Dietmar Hamann and then later Javier Mascherano. The importance of Gilberto Silva at Arsenal often goes unsaid, with focus on talents like Berkgamp, Henry and Vieira getting the nostalgic accolades, yet Gilberto was an essential cog in the Arsenal period of success. 

Man United became Europe’s best side when Michael Carrick arrived in 2006 giving the team a midfield conductor, rather than the robust and energetic (and temperamental Roy Keane). Carrick evolved to become a key part of United’s team and style, his discipline, ball retention and tempo setting ability gave United great control of the game, and defensively his positional discipline gave United control and balance. His reading of the game meant a high number of interceptions, often not ‘seen’ but hugely important. Carrick wasn’t the combative defensive midfielder which this role had become known, he was an intelligent, disciplined and very effective and important part of United’s rise to being the best in Europe. His worth was not seen or valued however, in a similar way to Makélélé, the fans and media didn’t see what he offered, but their respective coaches did. 

In recent years the role of the holding midfielder has become more about being a ‘spoiler’ or ‘stopper’ and requiring an all round, complete type player. While Spain succeeded with Marcos Senna at the 2008 Euro’s it was the emergence of Sergio Busquets - the 21^st century’s Pep Guardiola (it’s no surprise that Guardiola saw in Busquets himself, and all that he believed in for a pivot in his system – he nurtured and embraced Busquets quality and was a key and important part of Barca B’s success and of course Barcelona) who became a key player for both Barca and Spain during the club’s and nations period of dominance on the game. 

Busquets became the world’s best holding midfielder, his intelligence, decision making, positioning and discipline all key aspects to make sure his team system and strategy clicked both in and out of possession. He was another player whose influence was initially not seen or valued highly enough, he was not a ‘star’, he did not attract the fame from wonder goals or dribbles, but what he did was so essential to what his team required to succeed. He broke up play and recycled possession with elegance, ease and intelligence. Watching him, like Carrick or Pirlo, is a thing of beauty, his movement, positioning and decisions are just marvellous to watch. But you have to really ‘see’ it, you need to watch these players, because it is easy to miss what they do. 

What is certain is that this ‘type’ of player has now become known and appreciated as a key figure in a successful side. It is almost impossible to see a team who succeeds not possessing this type of holding/defensive midfielder. 

Just look at Bayern and their evolution to Europe’s best side; Luis Gustavo offered the defensive spoiler attributes, yet the team really enhanced with Javi Martinez’s excellence both with and without the ball. Guardiola has not had the fortune of having Martinez due to consistent injury issues yet his use of Phillip Lahm in the holding role has brought out more from the German and enhanced Bayern’s tactics under Guardiola. This pivot role is so important to what Guardiola wishes to do. The same with Mourinho. Both seek to control games, one with and one without the ball, yet in both cases their midfield pivot is essential for the teams balance and positional/spatial dominance. 

Man City became a serious challenger and winner of the Premier League with the work of Nigel De Jong and then Fernandinho in the holding roles. Mancini built his success on a strong defensive foundation where De Jong gave the team the balance and support which made City so strong. Fernandinho gave the platform for City’s stars to excel, Yaya Toure in particular thrived with the cover the Brasilian offered him. 

Fernando’s arrival was seen as a way to give City more defensive cover, however his influence on the side has been minimal and perhaps even detrimental. Fernando is too much like a ‘classic’ spoiler and doesn’t have enough skill or poise to be a top modern holding player. 

As for Man United, the importance of their midfield conductor Michael Carrick continues to show, particularly in his absence. A three game losing streak without scoring has coincided with Carrick’s absence, when previously the team was on the best run of form all season, with Carrick in the middle pulling the strings and controlling the game. United’s dependence on an ageing Carrick is worrying yet his importance and quality shines (as I’ve argued many times before – how England’s managers never saw the need or importance for a controller in midfield like Carrick is one of the greatest failings in the national teams history).

We only to have look at what Southampton have achieved these past two years to see how important a quality holding midfielder is for a team. In Morgan Schneiderlin Southampton have become an excellent Premier League side. With their astute coaches Pochettino and now Koeman we have seen intelligent coaching focusing on structured tactics. And the key has been Schneiderlin and what he offers the side. His discipline positionally gives Southampton's defence a strong defensive basis and cover along with his quality in possession. He has been at Southampton since 2008, moving for just £1.2m from Strasbourg. He is now worth upwards of £20m and will be a player on the list of all the top sides in England, as well as perhaps Europe this summer. His influence has been a major part of Southampton's impressive period in the Premier League and at 25 years old, he may be the ideal signing for those needed extra quality in their central midfield.  

And before we get to Matić and Chelsea, special praise goes to Juventus, who have just won their fourth Serie A in a row. It is no surprise that this success has coincided with the arrival of Andrea Pirlo. Milan deemed him surplus, preferring a more ‘combative’ type midfielder, however Pirlo has shown how a great deep lying playmaker can be for a teams success. Pirlo has brought a quality, elegance and success to Juve. 

And now we discuss Nemanja Matić. Last season Mourinho sought a midfielder to enhance his team, playing Frank Lampard deeper wasn’t going to be good enough, Mikel or Ramires weren’t good enough either. He sought a dominant midfielder who could ‘play’, a player who could control games while breaking up the opposition’s play. 

Matić arrived at Chelsea for £1.5 million from Slovak side MFK Kosice. He went on loan to their feeder club Vitesse Arnhem and in January 2011 moved to Benfica as part of the deal for David Luiz. It seemed as though Chelsea’s ‘strategy’ to buy talented young players from across Europe, put them in their feeder system and see what happens had lost another. However this move proved hugely beneficial for Matić’s development. He excelled at Benfica, he won the Portuguese league and lost to Chelsea in the Europa League final in 2013. He was gaining plaudits for his performances and becoming one of Europe's dominant midfielders. He was a Mourinho type in the making. 

Initially a number 10 playmaker Matić evolved into a central midfielder and Mourinho saw in him the perfect player to suit his system and give his midfield what it required. He arrived back to Chelsea for £21m in January 2014 and made an immediate impression. This was the player Chelsea had needed! He looked dominant, athletic and clearly possessed the skills and composure to not only defend but control games with the ball. 

This season Matić has been the stand-out midfielder in the league. It was little surprise to many that Chelsea’s first loss of the season against Newcastle came with Matić suspended. His importance showing more in his absence. Matić is the perfect form of the modern holding midfielder. His is athletic, strong and dominant physically, he defends superbly with a great reading of the game, superb positioning and excellent discipline. In possession he moves the ball 1 and 2 touch excellently, switching play to exploit space and move the opposition. He has also shown excellent dribbling skills and the ability to break lines, making him hard to play against when Chelsea overload midfield areas. He is the ideal player not just for a Mourinho side, but for any side. 

The only problem which Chelsea may look to address in the summer is a player to partner him who can offer him the support and cover he requires. Cesc Fabregas has provided a lot of assists and being the ‘playmaker’ for much of the season, but he leaves Chelsea open in the central areas and gives Matić too much to when playing ‘alongside’ him. Cesc lacks the defensive positional discipline and in games versus Spurs (5-3 loss) and the League Cup ties against Liverpool (with Rodgers playing two AM’s in Matić’s space) the Serb was overran and struggled to control the spaces on his own. 

A similar issue was seen for City, who appeared to think Fernando was the ideal player to give Fernandino the same kind of support, particularly in Europe, but it hasn’t worked out. Mourinho is astute and knows the type of player he requires, Schneiderlin may be perfect for the team, yet Sami Khedira may be the ideal player to improve Chelsea’s midfield. With a knowledge of Mourinho’s tactics and strategy he would fit in well, offering experience and the kind of dominance Mourinho wishes in his midfield. His performances for Germany in the World Cup showed how important he can be when fit (injuries being the only concern). 

For the past 18 months Nemanja Matić has shown why having this type of player is essential for a sides success. It is the common argument aimed against Arsene Wenger who continues to neglect bringing in this type of player. Yes Francis Coquelin has done very well in this role, yet is he of the level for Arsenal to truly challenge for top honours? Will it be another case of having a player improve to a level only to be sold on? While Coquelin has impressed, Wenger would be silly not to seek a ‘Matić-type’ midfielder, with the physical height and dominance, which will enhance the plethoera of attacking talent Arsenal possess. It is no doubt for me that Wenger’s neglect of bringing in a top class holding midfielder has prevented Arsenal from being challengers in the Premier League and Europe. 

Liverpool have looked poorer since Lucas was injured, with him in the side they looked stronger defensively and seemed to have more control in games. His injury issues may point for the club to search for a replacement, as without Lucas Liverpool look weak and vulnerable in these deeper midfield areas. In a similar way to Wenger, Rodgers has sought to enhance the attacking options, yet has neglected this key area, which has shown the team’s vulnerabilities in the league and Europe. 

If we look at the final four in the Champions League we see a theme of midfield quality; Barca have Busquets and Mascherano, Bayern (when fit) have Lahm, Alonso, Martinez and Schweinsteiger, Juventus have Pirlo, Marchisio, Vidal and Pogba and Madrid have Kroos and Khedira. Take a look at the influence of Guardiola and Mourinho through three of these sides and you see how much the best coaches in the game value this holding midfield player. Those who neglect it face the price of failure. 

This summer expect to see a larger number of midfielders coming to the Premier League, already there are rumours of Gündoğan moving to United. Do not be surprised to see ‘inflated’ prices for this type of player, remember Bayern were willing to pay €40m for Javi Martinez and were rewarded for the investment. 

While every position on the pitch is of major importance, there is simply no room for ‘hiding’ players in todays game, every position is important. Above all it is essential to have a strong spine, and the central piece in this spine is the central midfielder. Call him holding, defensive, a deep-lying playmaker, he has become all of the above. This player conducts the tempo, retains possession and dominates defensively with great interceptions and tackling. This ‘pivot’ is the most important player for the key word in the modern coaching vocabulary, “balance”. Without him, you can wish success goodbye. 

A decade ago the defensive midfielder wasn’t regarded as important, 10 years later its now seen as essential. This past season Nemanja Matić has been Europe’s finest and Chelsea have thrived because of it. Other coaches should take note and make sure their scouts find a similar type of player this summer.

The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address