“I have never understood what he does on the pitch”, “All he does is pass it sideways” and “I didn’t even know he was playing”. What connects these three often-heard phrases? Simple. They are the criticisms hurled on a regular basis at a certain type of player, a type of player that many, if not all of the top clubs in European football have, or in certain cases aspire to possess and yet they all at certain points in their careers will have encountered slurs similar to those above.
At just past the halfway stage of the season, it seems an appropriate juncture to take stock and analyse one of the recurring themes of this season. The role of the “holding midfielder”, I put the term in quotation marks for the reason that the phrase forms somewhat of an umbrella term as on the surface there are not instant similarities between Lucas Leiva, Michael Carrick, Oriol Romeu, Sergio Busquets and other such individuals who will be covered in this article.
Unlike forwards, defenders or goalkeepers, there are not instant statistics available to support whether a midfielder is playing well. Whilst pundits will be quick to tell you that “he’s kept four clean sheets in the past six games, he’s in great form” or that “he’s scored one goal in his past 15 games, he’s struggling”, one must go a little bit further in the analysis of certain players and unfortunately in the mainstream media many pundits and more than a few journalists are not really prepared to go that extra yard.
Take the example of Lucas Leiva, for so long derided and heralded as the clearest demonstration of Rafael Benitez's inconsistent transfer record, whom in the past 18-24 months has emerged as a critical player in an expensively reassembled Liverpool squad. Yet there are still those who are yet to be fully convinced of his worth to Liverpool. Despite the clear shortcomings of Jay Spearing which were in evidence in the defeat at the Etihad arena earlier this month, especially when contrasted with the excellent display of Lucas in the game at Anfield against the same opposition.
After the initial response to Lucas’ injury little has been made of his long-term absence. The most telling example of the how the loss of Lucas was felt, is in the impacts that Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero had on the game at Eastlands. Aguero picking up the ball in between lines on the first goal and the break Toure made from midfield to win the penalty, not to mention the overall impact on the game they both had.
After the initial response to Lucas’ injury little has been made of his long-term absence. The most telling example of the how the loss of Lucas was felt, is in the impacts that Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero had on the game at Eastlands. Aguero picking up the ball in between lines on the first goal and the break Toure made from midfield to win the penalty, not to mention the overall impact on the game they both had.
Equally the gradual but undeniable progress being made by Andre Villas Boas’ Chelsea certainly owes a degree of its success to the deployment and subsequent success of Oriol Romeu at the base of Villas Boas’ midfield three. Romeu’s ability to transfer the ball quickly, to cover the pitch well and the ability to drop into the gap created by the centre backs spreading wide are all essential to the way in which Villas Boas wants to play. In contrast to Romeu’s relative ease in this position, in what one day may well be referred to as the Busquets role, the problems of John Obi Mikel was typified by his error in attempting to pick the ball up of Petr Cech in the defeat to Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.
A key theme between both of these players, who some would argue fall into the “revelation” of the season category is that they are both good examples of how it is more important for the modern day “holding player” or “number 6” as AVB refers to it, to be positionally aware than it is to be a good man marker and tackler. Again the example of Spearing struggling with the flexible movement of Manchester City particularly losing Aguero for the opening goal is a demonstration of the positional problems of Liverpool in the absence of Lucas.
The return to the starting line up of possibly the most maligned ‘holding midfielder’ of them all, Michael Carrick, again raises a number of issues as Carrick more than perhaps any other Manchester United player polarises opinion amongst fans. Carrick’s reputation has unquestionably been dented by the way in which Xavi and co ran rings around him in the Olympic Stadium in 2009 and Wembley last spring. However this should not distract from his excellent form, particularly in last seasons run in when him and Ryan Giggs both hit form at the same time. Perhaps Xabi Alonso, a player who bears certain similarities to Carrick puts it best when he says “Michael Carrick: he makes those around him better, regardless of the fact that he’s not the one who scores the most goals, or a great tackler”. Whilst people are not wrong when they argue that central midfield is the problem area for Manchester United, it is more the balance of the midfield rather than specific individuals.
The importance of real quality in defensive midfield is best exhibited in the premier league by the outstanding form of Tottenham Hotspur, it cannot be wholly coincidental that since Scott Parker's arrival spurs have emerged as genuine title contenders not to mention one of the most attractive footballing sides in Europe. One factor is that whilst Wilson Palacios, who was seen as the previous solution to Tottenham’s midfield problems, offered similar tackling ability his passing would consistently let him down, not to mention his tendency to pick up yellow cards and thus spend games walking a disciplinary tightrope.
Equally Tom Huddlestone, a fantastically gifted footballer and as good a striker of the ball in the country, unfortunately lacks the mobility and positional discipline of Parker. Ultimately Parker can be seen as somewhat of an amalgamation of the two previous occupants of Tottenham’s central midfield role combining Palacios drive, ability to cover the pitch and make crucial challenges with a better passing ability although still inferior to Huddlestone.
In summary what this piece has aimed at emphasising is that despite the increased awareness in Britain over the importance of the role of holding midfielders, the greater respect for the position has its origins in the arrival of Claude Makelele, there is still a degree of skepticism of the role. Even with the way in which players have consistently overcome intense criticism to become regarded as key players for their clubs and or countries, see Owen Hargreaves, Darren Fletcher, Alex Song, Gareth Barry and most recently our starting point of this article, Lucas.Comments? Views? Please add them below.
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