In my time following football, I’ve always lauded the attacking options I’ve seen represent Liverpool such as Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez. Important figures in my time as a Liverpool supporter, but becoming more wiser and knowledgeable, I am now beginning to see how important defensive midfielders are in the modern game.
All the top teams in the world want to play with pace and energy and overwhelm the opposition. Just look back at that season we challenged for the league. We were the perfect example of how the modern day top sides want to play. We pressed, moved the ball quickly and were ruthless in front of goal. We were simply too quick for most opposition sides in terms of everything we did.
With the modern game becoming quicker and quicker, the more defensive midfielders we will see coming through and the more important they will become.
I look back at Southampton last season. With Victor Wanyama and Morgan Schneiderlin sitting in front of the defence, it saw Southampton only concede 33 goals for the Premier League season. If you were one of the Southampton defenders, you would have felt very confident every time you stepped out onto the pitch knowing you had the classy duo of Wanyama and Schneiderlin to clean up after any of your mistakes.
I think the best way to prove how influential Wanyama and Schneiderlin are to Southampton’s side, just simply have a look at our own Dejan Lovren. A confident and reliable character at Southampton. Why? Because he played with the defensive midfield duo in front of him during his time at the St. Mary’s. When he arrived at Liverpool, he didn’t have that protection and we saw the real flaws in his game.
Chelsea are another fantastic example of a side who rely massively on their defensive midfielder. Nemanja Matic was instrumental to how Chelsea played last season. He gave them the protection and allowed them to play with freedom when required. Chelsea’s back four is a talented group, but with the help of Matic, Chelsea only conceded 32 goals for the whole of last season in the Premier League.
Let’s certainly not look past Arsenal and how much of a difference Francis Coquelin made when he became a regular in Arsene Wegner’s eleven. Arsenal were a side struggling for the first half of the season and were leaking silly and very preventible goals. The addition of Francis Coquelin saw the leakage of goals suddenly stop and with his attacking team mates having a confidence in him, they also became more dangerous in front of goal.
Even ourselves went through a patch when Lucas Leiva came into the side and had a real impact. We all know our defenders have been shaky and leaky for years. Lucas came in and stopped that and we kept some fantastic clean sheets. As soon as he became injured, we lost our defensive midfielder and lost our confidence as a defensive unit.
Some may be thinking, we have Lucas Leiva, why do we need to go out and find another defensive midfielder?
It remains important to remember that Lucas is very injury prone and I believe Liverpool can attract a higher quality holding midfielder. This is absolutely no disrespect to Lucas at all. He’s been fantastic for us, but there is no shame in aiming higher. Also the fact that there are numerous rumours he may be sold this summer.
With Manchester United targeting Morgan Schneiderlin, this is just a reminder of how important these particular players are coming. They add real stability down back and even add a bit going forward.
With the other top clubs in the Premier League targeting these players, we need to do so ourselves.
Attracting a top centre forward should still remain the primary target, but with whatever funds remain, let’s go out and buy a player who will help our defence from midfield.
Just a name off the top of my head, Alex Song. The man who was loaned out from Barcelona last season to West Ham United was brilliant in the Premier League. Had some off days but had days that suggested he could be quite a handy addition to our squad.
It doesn’t have to be Song. There are other options out there and we need to investigate thoroughly.
Our opening seven away fixtures are as challenging as it gets (Stoke City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Everton, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City) which is why it is crucial we are as solid as it gets.
With Brendan Rodgers wanting to play an attacking brand of football, a defensive midfielder is a must and can not be overlooked. You only have to look at other top sides in our league. They either have a top holding midfield player, or are now looking to bring one in.
