Let's do this. Nominate any Defensive Midfielder you feel is worth a spot in the team. I'll take the 8 most nominated DMs and we'll see who comes out as the winner! First round will be posted once the second Centre Back is determined!
For me there are plenty worthy of a mention but there are only two that should be in this team, so i'm only nominating those two. I'll do an honorable mentions at the end. Frank Rijkaard - Probably the most technically gifted all round DM ever to grace the game. I personally rate him slightly above the other guy i'm nominating. Could play at CB and DM and because of his impressive all round game, he was great at recycling possession quickly by either bringing it forward himself or using one of his best attributes, his passing. Perfect for the deep lying play-maker role. Lothar Matthaus - The best box to box midfielder of all time. Could tackle, drive forward, Shoot and had a great engine. Enough said. These two should be the two in a 4231.
Rijkaard Redondo Gilberto Silva Emmanuel Petit Alonso Khedira These are more box to box than DM but Vieira Keane Davids
One thing is the position and another is the role. The position is defensive midfielder and the role is box-to-box. As central midfielders also can be role box-to-box.
Yeah but Vieira, for example, needed a defensive midfielder next to him (petit/gilberto). He wouldn't have worked next to fabregas (another type of CM).
My personal ranking about defensive midfielders 1. Frank Rijkaard 2. José Leandro Andrade 3. Luis Monti 4. Obdulio Varela 5. Fernando Redondo 6. Marco Tardelli 7. Jean Tigana 8. Patrick Vieira 9. Edgar Davids 10. Roy Keane 11. Duncan Edwards 12. Danilo Alvim 13. Nestor Rossi 14. Graeme Souness 15. Dave Mackay 16. Toninho Cerezo 17. Zito 18. Uli Stielike 19. Pirri 20. Didier Deschamps 21. Horst Szymaniak 22. Claude Makéléle 23. Xabi Alonso 24. Valery Voronin 25. Clodoaldo 26. Antonio Rattin 27. Zlatko Cajkovski 28. Mauro Silva 29. Svatopluk Pluskal 30. Dunga
I agree but if the formation is 4-2-3-1, so Vieira is ok ... in that formation playing with 2 box-to-box players is fine. If we want a 4-3-3, so we need a DM who can play alone in midfield (no Vieira), so the options are few.
From my time following football: Busquets Cambiaso Deschamps Gattuso Keane Makelele Redondo Van Bommell Also, I'm not really sure what to do with players like Pirlo and Xavi? They don't fit the bill as a defensive or box-to-box mid, but surely deserve to be in the discussion?
