The role of a holding midfielder in modern day football has evolved and adapted from simply acting as a barricade to the defense, to being a multi-faceted player required to create quick counter attacks, switch the ball across flanks to spread play and stretch the opposition, whilst guarding the defense from attacks down the channel and between the lines.
Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, various players across a number of clubs have tackled the role of being the ‘team’s player’, a term created for the holding player, since his role involves all aspects of football intelligence like picking up the occasional card to help the team’s cause and more often than not, the club having the most consistent performing player in the role goes on to help his club raise the coveted EPL trophy.
Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira and Micheal Essien to name a few in the recent past, have all dominated the heart of the midfield for their respective clubs and have gone on to win major honours.
Also read: 10 best midfielders in Europe this season
Just last season, N’Golo Kante forged a rock solid combination with England international Danny Drinkwater in a flat 4-4-2 system in the middle of the park and led the Foxes to their maiden Premier League crown. Having now made a switch to West London super-giants Chelsea, the French international will have to adapt to Antonio Conte’s three in the centre of midfield.
Here, we take a look at the top five holding midfielders currently plying their trade in the English Premier League.
#5 Gareth Barry
The veteran English international, also the latest addition to the Guinness Book of World Records for the most starts in the Premier League era, 580, is and has been one of the finest holding midfielders in the last two decades for England.
A former league title winner with Manchester City, Barry, found his feet again under new manager Ronald Koeman at Everton, who has assured the veteran of a starting place in his side, views him as a vital cog in the system he is trying to develop at the Merseyside football club.
Koeman insists and instills a quick high-tempo passing game that is very suited to Barry’s style where the Englishman gets to dictate the game at a pace he sets with his distribution skills. At 35, some can argue he has lost his pace and intensity but Barry has adapted to his role with better positioning and the one thing age won’t take away from the Englishman is his intensity, which remains the same as when he made his debut 18 years ago for Aston Villa.
An already highly successful career with hope for more honours in the coming years under the Koeman regime at Everton, Gareth Barry will go down in history as one of the best England have ever produced and is number five on the list.
#4 Francis Coquelin
Over the past two seasons, the most important player in the Gunners starting eleven, with the most interceptions and tackles made, the Frenchman Francis Coquelin has been one of the most consistent performers in the entire league.
After a string of loan moves away from the club and a turbulent 23 months of not having made a start at his parent club, Coquelin in 2014 was recalled from his loan spell at Charlton Athletic to act as cover for the number of injuries Arsenal had at the time and quickly cemented his place in the starting eleven, going on to win praise from his manager claiming he could be a long-term option at the heart of the midfield for years to come.
Since his return the to the club, and his incredible change in form, skill and temperament, Coquelin went on to lift the FA Cup with Arsenal in 2015. Despite a couple of niggling injuries and minor setbacks the Frenchman is a key component to the Arsenal team and has been declared fit to play in the upcoming gameday post the international break.
With new additions such as Granit Xhaka and Elneny, an important rotational role should keep all players healthy and fit, bringing about a good competitive spirit in the Arsenal camp. The side are gunning for the elusive Premier League trophy and that will be by far the greatest achievement in the career of Francis Coquelin.
#3 Fernandinho
Hailed by Shakhtar Donetsk fans as the greatest Brazilian to have ever played in the Ukraine Premier League, and the winner of 6 Ukraine Premier League titles , 4 Ukraine Cups, a Premier League medal and a League Cup medal, Fernandinho is currently one of the most dynamic footballers in the world.
A holding midfielder who likes to trot upfield, the Brazilian is a box to box player with bags of energy, able to elegantly glide past players with the ball at feet and scramble to win it back when under attack.
Also read: 10 best midfielders in the Premier League era
Fast, smart and a terrific passer with amazing awareness on the field, Fernandinho has been a feature under the new Pep regime at Manchester City. Having been employed as a centre-half at times under the new management, the 31-year-old has switched and evolved into the role with significant ease.
With Kompany fit once again, the Brazilian will be thrown back into a holding role, his preferred position, where he will pull the strings for this new look City side looking to claim trophies on all fronts under a manager eager to impress.
#2 N’Golo Kante
The Premier League signing of last season, masterminded by Ranieri from Caen to Leicester for a fee of £8 million, N’Golo Kante shocked the footballing world week in week out with stellar performances helping the Foxes win their first ever Premier League trophy.
Kante also went on to feature in the French national team that lost the Euro 2016 final to Portugal later that year.
After a string of superb performances throughout the last campaign, a number of big clubs were looking to secure the services of the Frenchman and the midfielder chose Chelsea as his next destination with another Italian at the helm in Antonio Conte.
Having started the season well under Conte, the Chelsea side have racked up a few defeats at the hand of rivals and title challengers, Liverpool and Arsenal, and Kante will need to bring back performances of old to strengthen his chances of getting another winners medal.
If Chelsea ultimately do go on to claim the title, Kante will become only the second player after Eric Cantona to win back to back titles with two different clubs.
#1 Victor Wanyama
The most underrated footballer in England today, Victor Wanyama the first Kenyan who joined the Premier League after he swapped Celtic for Southampton in 2013 under then Saints manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Wanyama went on to make an instant impact in the league during his time at Saint Mary’s, developing the Hampshire side into a top half club.
He matured into a strong, all-round holding player in Ronald Koeman short reign’s as Saints boss, and guided the club to their best ever Premier League finish. Before the start of the new campaign he traded Saints for Spurs. At Spurs, Wanyama will once again get the chance to compete with Europe’s best in the Champions League.
A strong figure in the middle of the park with great passing accuracy and a fantastic header of the ball, in Wanyama, Spurs have signed a player to lead their title charge from the centre of the field and instill a sense of balance to an already star-studded lineup.
