Defensive Midfielders Now Score Goals, Not Just Defend

Resources

Resources & Recommendations

Books

• "The Italian Job" by Gabriele Marcotti and Gianluca Vialli - This book compares Italian and English football and is a frequent source of tactical quotes for the podcast hosts.

Articles & Papers

• "Les Ferdinand interview to the Tottenham and Wood Green Journal" (Tottenham and Wood Green Journal) - This 2014 interview featured Les Ferdinand expressing his views against pure holding midfielders, arguing that the "Makelele role" had led to players not wanting to cross the halfway line.
• "Michael Cox's 2019 piece on the midfield pivots for the big six clubs" (The Athletic FC) - This article discussed the defensive midfielders of top English clubs at the time, including Scott McTominay, Granit Xhaka, Jorginho, and Harry Winks.

People Mentioned

• Claude Makelele - A former defensive midfielder whose playing style led to the coining of the "Makelele role" in football, emphasizing positional discipline and protecting the defense.
• José Mourinho - Mentioned for his quote about the advantage of a three-man midfield with a player like Makelele.
• Gabriele Marcotti - Co-author of "The Italian Job."
• Gianluca Vialli - Co-author of "The Italian Job."
• Tim Sherwood - Former Tottenham Hotspur manager who was against the concept of pure holding midfielders.
• Les Ferdinand - Former assistant to Tim Sherwood, known for his strong opinions on midfielders not wanting to go over the halfway line.
• Andrea Pirlo - Italian deep-lying playmaker, contrasted with Makelele as a more creative player who dropped deeper.
• Javier Mascherano - Former defensive midfielder, known for his defensive work rate rather than goal-scoring.
• Sergio Busquets - Spanish defensive midfielder, known for his press resistance and controlling the midfield.
• John Obi Mikel - Former Chelsea defensive midfielder, whose early career as an attacking playmaker was transformed into a more functional holding role.
• Lucas Leiva - Former Liverpool defensive midfielder, similar to John Obi Mikel in being converted from a more attacking role.
• Scott McTominay - Mentioned as a defensive midfielder from a 2019 article, who later thrived in more attacking roles, particularly for Napoli.
• Granit Xhaka - Mentioned as a defensive midfielder from a 2019 article, who became more attacking at Arsenal and then excelled at Bayer Leverkusen.
• Jorginho - Mentioned as a defensive midfielder from a 2019 article, noted for his best form at Napoli.
• Harry Winks - Mentioned as a defensive midfielder from a 2019 article, now playing in the Championship.
• Enzo Fernández - Chelsea midfielder, discussed for his high transfer fee post-World Cup and his attacking contributions.
• Declan Rice - Arsenal midfielder, discussed for his high transfer fee and his box-to-box qualities.
• Moises Caicedo - Chelsea midfielder, discussed for his high transfer fee, pressing ability, and attacking contributions.
• Roméo Lavia - Chelsea midfielder, mentioned for his high transfer fee despite limited experience.
• Ryan Gravenberch - Liverpool midfielder, discussed for his goal-scoring from a holding midfield role and his versatility.
• Alexis Mac Allister - Liverpool midfielder, who sometimes drops into the holding midfield role.
• Dominik Szoboszlai - Liverpool midfielder, who sometimes plays a deeper role despite being more attacking.
• Casemiro - Manchester United midfielder, discussed for his evolution from a "new Makelele" type to a more attacking player, and his goal-scoring.
• Zinedine Zidane - Former Real Madrid manager, under whom Casemiro took on a more attacking role.
• Bruno Guimarães - Newcastle United midfielder, praised for his attacking ability and partnership with Tonali.
• Sandro Tonali - Newcastle United midfielder, discussed for his relationship with Bruno Guimarães in midfield.
• Pierre-Emile Højbjerg - Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, mentioned in contrast to more mobile midfielders.
• Rodrigo Bentancur - Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, mentioned in contrast to more mobile midfielders.
• João Palhinha - Fulham midfielder, mentioned in contrast to more mobile midfielders.
• Saša Lukić - Fulham midfielder, mentioned as part of a "flat" midfield.
• Sander Berge - Fulham midfielder, mentioned as part of a "flat" midfield.
• Martín Zubimendi - Arsenal midfielder, discussed for his goal-scoring, passing quality, press resistance, and how he enables Declan Rice.
• Rodri - Manchester City midfielder, highlighted as a prime example of a modern, press-resistant defensive midfielder with significant attacking threat.
• Patri Guijarro - Spain women's national team midfielder, mentioned as an example of a modern defensive midfielder who gets forward.
• Vitinha - PSG midfielder, mentioned for his rotational role in midfield.
• Fabián Ruiz - PSG midfielder, mentioned for his rotational role in midfield.
• João Neves - PSG midfielder, mentioned for his rotational role in midfield.
• Arda Güler - Real Madrid midfielder (loaned to Real Sociedad at the time of recording), evolving from attacking to defensive midfield under Xabi Alonso.
• Xabi Alonso - Manager, mentioned in relation to Arda Güler's development.
• Bernardo Silva - Manchester City midfielder, highlighted for his versatility in dropping deep and resisting pressure.
• Jeremy Doku - Manchester City winger, discussed for his performance in a central role against Bournemouth and Liverpool, and his unique pace and dribbling.
• Pep Guardiola - Manchester City manager, mentioned for his potentially freer approach to player positioning.
• Eden Hazard - Former Chelsea player, used as a benchmark for Doku's all-around performance statistics.
• Cristiano Ronaldo - Mentioned for his early career at Manchester United as a comparison for Doku's exciting arrival in the Premier League.

Organizations & Institutions

• Skill Corner - A data analysis firm mentioned for providing numbers on press-resistant midfielders in Europe.