Never before has the defensive midfield role been so in vogue.
After winning back-to-back Premier League titles with two different clubs, Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante was named the PFA Player of the Year.
Eric Cantona famously derided France’s holding player Didier Deschamps as little more than a ‘water carrier’ in reference to his limited skill-set, but these days defensive midfielders are very much in demand.
Here are nine whose performances in 2016-17 might have gone slightly unnoticed.
Valentin Rongier
Age: 22
Club: FC Nantes
Standout stat: Only Idrissa Gueye (99) won more tackles than Rongier (97) in Europe’s top five leagues.
FC Nantes know a thing or two about producing top-class defensive midfielders. This is a club whose academy educated the likes of Didier Deschamps, Claude Makelele and Jeremy Toulalan, after all.
Valentin Rongier has some way to go in order to emulate that esteemed pair but he is certainly on the right path after enjoying an exceptional campaign for Les Canaris in Ligue 1.
The diminutive midfielder excels in 50/50 duels but is also an accomplished passer, highlighted by his 83% accuracy rate.
Lucas Torreira
Age: 21
Club: Sampdoria
Standout stat: Only two players won more tackles in Serie A than Torreira (72)
An exceptional midfield talent, Lucas Torreira enjoyed a brilliant campaign with Sampdoria after spending the season beforehand out on loan with Pescara, with whom he won promotion to Serie A.
Standing at just 5′51⁄2 in, the Uruguayan – who hails from the brilliantly named town of Fray Bentos – could be forgiven for shirking his defensive responsibilities but he does anything but as his 72 successful tackles in Serie A shows.
His defensive awareness is further reinforced by the fact that he made 86 interceptions, while he also completed the fifth-highest number of passes (1,991).
Ignacio Camacho
Age: 27
Club: Malaga
Standout stat: Camacho made the highest number of interceptions (115) in La Liga.
A European Championship winner with Spain at Under-17 and Under-21 level, Ignacio Camacho progressed through the youth ranks at Atletico Madrid prior to joining Malaga in 2011.
Over the past six years at the club, Camacho has established himself as one of the best central midfield players outside of the top three clubs, even earning a full Spain cap in 2014.
Last season he was excellent, making a staggering 115 interceptions as well as winning 83 tackles.
Omar Mascarell
Age: 24
Club: Frankfurt
Standout stat: Mascarell made 105 interceptions in the Bundesliga, the fifth-highest total in Europe’s top five leagues.
Omar Mascarell amassed just shy of 100 league appearances for Real Madrid’s B and C teams and even managed one fleeting appearance for the first-team before taking in loan spells at Derby County and Sporting Gijon.
It is since moving to Frankfurt last summer, though, that the combative 24-year-old midfielder’s career has really got going as he became a pivotal member of their side.
Mascarell, who is eligible to represent Equatorial Guinea at international level, ranked top for interceptions (105) and tackles won (50) in Frankfurt’s squad as well as completing the second-most passes (1,422).
Benjamin Andre
Age: 26
Club: Rennes
Standout stat: Andre won the third-most tackles (86) in Ligue 1 and completed the third-highest number of passes (2,443).
In modern football, central midfielders are often pigeon-holed as defensive destroyers or playmakers but Rennes midfielder Benjamin Andre has proven to be extremely adept at both skills.
Andre is something of a throwback in that he is a midfielder that is capable of contributing to all aspects of play as he ranked third for tackles won and passes made in Ligue 1.
Not only that, Andre is also a versatile player too, able to operate on either flank.
Assane Diousse
Age: 19
Club: Empoli
Standout stat: Diousse succeeded with 20/21 (95%) of his take on attempts.
Empoli’s teenage talisman is more of a deep-lying playmaker than a ball-winner and he caught the eye with his precise passing last season, completing 1,467 passes at an accuracy rate of 86%.
Despite playing in a defensive role in front of the defence, Diousse’s athleticism and dribbling ability allows him to burst forward with the ball and drive his team upfield.
The Senegalese youngster doesn’t shy away from his defensive responsibilities though, as he won 38 tackles and made 59 interceptions last term.
Dani Garcia
Age: 27
Club: Eibar
Standout stat: Garcia completed more long balls (235) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues.
Eibar continued to defy the odds last season as they finished 10th in La Liga despite operating with one of the smallest budgets in the league and crucial to their success was the form of Dani Garcia.
Garcia completed the highest number of passes (1,666) in their squad but his work off it was equally important as he won 81 tackles and made 76 interceptions.
Panagiotis Tachtsidis
Age: 26
Club: Torino – spent last season on loan at Cagliari
Standout stat: Tachtsidis won 70 tackles in Serie A last season
Is there an Italian club that Panagiotis Tachtsidis hasn’t played for? The Greek international can list Genoa, Cesena, Grosetto, Verona, Roma, Catania, Torino and Cagliari amongst his clubs at the grand old age of 26.
Last season, he was loaned out by Torino to Cagliari and he performed well winning 70 tackles and making 59 interceptions despite only playing 26 times in the league.
After moving from club to club, Tachtsidis needs to settle somewhere in order to maintain last seasons consistency.
Sergio Alvarez (Sporting Gijon)
Age: 25
Club: Sporting Gijon
Standout stat: Sergio Alvarez won the most tackles in La Liga (86).
Sporting Gijon may well find it difficult to hang on to their inspirational midfielder Sergio Alvarez following their relegation to the Segunda Division last season.
While the club’s fight to avoid relegation was ultimately fruitless, Alvarez’s endeavour in the middle impressed as he won more tackles than any other player in the league, while he also managed 71 interceptions too.
Having spent his entire career at Sporting, it will be a wrench for Alvarez to leave but he has done enough to warrant a move elsewhere.
Comments
Post a Comment