The Defensive Midfielder...

[moron]

Hi All

Since 1994 the role of a holding/defensive midfielder has been prominent in many teams both Europe and South America. I say 1994 because I cannot remember much before then as midfielders were always referred to as midfielders and most of them could play with the ball and offer other things to the team.

Forgive me if it sounds a very simplistic, but their role is to primarily do the following:

1) Tackle to get the ball of the opposition player
2) Break up play
3) do a few short passes to keep the ball for your team

So why is it so difficult for a clubs young academy to develop such players given the simple objectives of this player ? I say this knowing that we are about to let Spearing go, but it seems that clubs are willing to splash a lot of money or find it hard to capture really good players who can do that role. I don't personally think the role requires that much skill, but we know what happened to Real Madrid when they let Claude Makelele go to Chelsea. Also why is it do you think that a normal midfilder who may have a lot more skill is unable to do that role in an emergency ?

 

[Modo]

1) Tackle to get the ball of the opposition player
2) Break up play
3) do a few short passes to keep the ball for your team

There's so much more to it than that.

 

[Markeh]

Tackling is a skill, the desire to consistently do so is also needed along with discipline, a high work rate, excellent positional sense, an awareness of danger and athleticism. A good few of those things are difficult to instill or teach.

Then they need to be a pretty decent footballer on top of that. Take Mascherano, as awesome as he was there were still times when we all probably cursed his passing.

 

[Modo]

Mascherano, as awesome as he was there were still times when we all probably cursed his passing.

And today he plays for arguably the best passing team in the world.

 

[LarryHagman]

And today he plays for arguably the best passing team in the world.

In midfield?

 

[Markeh]

In midfield?

haha you deserved that

 

[Modo]

In midfield?

Sometimes?

 

[Mamma Mia]

The tricky bit is finding someone in the academy with the right body type.

 

[hmmmmm1]

Do dislike the media obsession with the term ***Claude mackele role****, like he was the first and only sucessful player in that role!

 

[Fallon]

He was the first, arguably, to show how invaluable it could be to a premiership team.

 

[FoxForceFive]

Watch some of our old games & see what the kaiser did.

It is more than just tackling & short passes.

 

[Modo]

Watch some of our old games & see what the kaiser did.

It is more than just tackling & short passes.

Exactly