I was not surprised when Liverpool lost to Brentford. They were easy to play through and lightweight in midfield. Thiago Alcântara, playing deep, was expected to make tackles, interceptions and win the ball back — instead of being further up the field where he could play his natural creative game and combine to get the ball into Liverpool’s forwards.
People often overlook the “simple” defensive midfielder. Eric Cantona once called them “water-carriers” — players who do the important leg work for the team-mates around them. It’s not a pejorative phrase though — their work enables others to shine. They are catalysts.
You need not look far to find a good one and see their importance: Casemiro at Manchester United has been outstanding. He has facilitated the work of those around him, such as Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes who have been able to receive the ball in areas where they play their best football, so United can win matches. They know Casemiro covers the space behind them, and can be relied upon to give them the ball quickly.
The same is true at Arsenal with Thomas Partey. Now he has overcome last season’s injury problems, he has anchored a title charge. There is Rodri at Manchester City too — he is brilliant in the air. With a big, aerially dominant player, Pep Guardiola can fit in the smaller technicians around him, such as Bernardo Silva or Phil Foden.
The key to a great defensive midfielder is the ability to win the ball and immediately move it forward, and in the moments they cannot move it forward, to keep it safe, and retain possession. It’s about balance: pairing technical players with physical, dynamic ones.
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For teams that want to attack and play positively, a ball-winner, whose first instinct is forward, is perfect — Bukayo Saka’s goal against Brighton & Hove Albion last week was a great example of this. As Tariq Lamptey won the ball for Brighton and attempted to set off on a counterattack, Partey read the situation: he covered the pass behind him, jockeyed, then made a decisive tackle on Lamptey. From there, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Saka took over to open the scoring. This is the essence of what Klopp famously called “gegenpressing” or “counterpressing” which are just fancy variations on the theme of winning the ball back after losing it.
At Liverpool, Fabinho is meant to do this role, but his form has fallen away this year. It explains why the club were interested in Aurélien Tchouaméni, the excellent ball-winner who played at the World Cup for France and joined Real Madrid in the summer. Without this aggression to win the ball, Liverpool’s press has fallen apart and they are easy to play through. Technical players catch the eye, but a good defensive midfielder’s work goes under the radar: it is subtle, swift and efficient.
