If there are unspoken rules hidden in the universal laws of the beautiful game, one of them would probably be something like this: If you want your club to compete at the highest level, you have to have a defensive midfielder of the highest caliber. Whether by protecting the back four, or by shifting the ball from defense to offense, the CDM role is definitely one of extraordinary magnitude.
When you think of figures that influenced their teams like no other, the likes of Claude Makélélé and Patrick Vieira come to mind as two of the most dominant defensive midfielders to ever grace a football field, reinforcing their significance with the ultimate measure of success: lots of silverware.
In our modern era of football, FC Barcelona have mastered the art of pressure and positioning in their pursuit of retrieving the ball as soon as they lose it. The man who sits behind this success is none other than Sergio Busquets. His tactical awareness and ability to read the game on and off the ball is incredible. The balance he provides and the commitment he brings to his role show why so many cite him as the best holding midfielder in the world.
To dig deeper, we can reflect on a couple of exciting projects we witnessed in recent years such as Jürgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund and Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid. Dortmund managed to lift two Bundesliga titles, after Jürgen effectively applied his famous Gegenpressing philosophy. No surprise when you have a tireless German machine like Sven Bender on the field. Simeone continues to showcase a style of a similar aggressive approach when it comes to team pressing and recovering the ball. The Gabi-Tiago partnership was indispensable in Atletico's successful 2013/2014 La Liga challenge.
Today, it is no coincidence Leicester City sit high at the top of the Premier League table. The brilliant Kanté-Drinkwater partnership has been rock solid. Just last month, Kanté was the first to reach 100 interceptions in the premier league this season. It is worth mentioning, that Esteban Cambiasso, the 2010 Treble winner with Inter Milan, turned down a new deal offered by the Foxes last summer.
Real Madrid also showed weakness in midfield which came to light particularly in the big games this season. Playing Toni Kroos as a defensive midfielder alongside Luka Modrić has proven to be ineffective in transition which cost the Blancos on the receiving end. The upcoming Clásico should be a good test as the Whites are hoping to solve this dilemma by introducing Casemiro as a regular starter.
A final, recent example that helps analyze this role is the catastrophic season for Chelsea FC. Nemanja Matić, a monster in midfield who was pivotal to the consistency Chelsea delivered throughout the last season, appeared in poor and declining form this season.
Of the many exciting aspects of football, the role of the holding midfielder is certainly one that exhibits a side beyond goal scoring. The equilibrium, the system, the engine.
