3 destroyers who could solve Chelsea’s holding midfield crisis

José Mourinho’s second stint at Chelsea has started, uncharacteristically, in a fairly understated manner. Other teams have been taking the headlines, and other managers have been getting the attention. But going into tonight’s game against Arsenal, they have the opportunity to go level on points with Liverpool at the top of the league. Additionally, they boast the third best defensive record in the division, and also secured top spot in their Champions League group.

The Chelsea manager says he’s now ready for some stability and whilst this may have shown in his demeanor when dealing with the media, at times on the pitch his side have looked far from stable. This may be down to a desire to evolve the squad he inherited, rather than overhaul it, but if he’s looking for a starting place in the quest for stability, defensive midfield could be the ideal area to look at.

It might seem unfair to suggest that the side with the third best defensive record in the league need to strengthen a defensive area, but the defensive midfield position can be as much about organisation in attack as it is about protecting the defence.

The current Chelsea squad contains several quality central midfielders, but perhaps only John Obi Mikel could be considered a true defensive player. And, ironically, Mikel seems to perform at a higher level when he’s playing in a more attacking role for Nigeria. Whilst Mikel can do a job in that area of the pitch, he’s not the answer to Chelsea’s defensive midfield problem.

Mikel’s defensive contribution appears almost non-existent when you compare it with other players throughout the league playing in a similar position. This might be due to his lack of overall minutes on the pitch, but his 8 interceptions in 10 appearances isn’t much, even when compared to a less defensive minded deep lying midfielder such as Mikel Arteta.

Mikel has served Chelsea for a number of seasons but never seems to have fit into the role once occupied by the imperious Claude Makelele, though it would be unfair to have expected him to replicate the Frenchman. Even though Mikel plays in the deeper midfield position, he appears to be neither a playmaker, nor a defensive hustler. To give him some praise you’d say that he recycles the ball well, and indeed he boasts 91% pass accuracy this season.

Ramires would perhaps be another of the more defensive minded players amongst the Chelsea midfield ranks, but the Brazilian likes to cover the whole of the centre of the park rather than remaining in the defensive midfield berth. According to the Squawka Performance Score, Ramires’ best game this season was in Chelsea’s 3-1 win at Norwich, and you can see from his action areas that he spent the majority of the game in the central/attacking areas rather than the deeper third of midfield.

If we compare this with John Obi Mikel’s heatmap from his 90 minutes in the 2-0 win at home to Fulham, we can see the difference in the two players. Mikel spent less time in the attacking third, and instead stationed himself in the central/defensive areas of the midfield. He even regularly dropped back to become an auxiliary centre back, which is something we see regularly from teams who work the ball out from the back.

What Chelsea needs is a cross between Ramires and Mikel. A player who can perform the passing duties of the Nigerian, as well as the industrial defensive work of the Brazilian.

On top of this, a defensive midfielder needs to be able to anticipate the movement of the players around him, both in the opposition and in his own team. A player who fails to keep an eye on opposition movement when his own team has the ball, is likely to give away free-kicks in dangerous areas when attempting to recover the situation.

All of this makes defensive midfield sound like an impossible position to play, as you need to have the technique of a creative player, as well as the defensive nous of a seasoned centre-back. However, there are players out there who fulfil this role with aplomb, and promising defensive midfielders are emerging all the time.

If you were looking to find one of these players using the statistics, you might use interceptions and passing accuracy as your main guide, and take duels won and key passes as a bonus. Several players in Europe fit this profile, with Fernando of Porto faring well with 89% passing accuracy and 15 interceptions in his 6 Champions League matches.

Elsewhere, beyond the obvious names such as Sergio Busquets and Nigel de Jong, Lille’s Rio Mavuba emerges from this statistical analysis with flying colours. A pass accuracy of 87% and 45 interceptions in 18 league appearances, with Squawka awards for best possession, and best defence to boot. Both Mavuba and Fernando have made no defensive errors in the games they’ve played.

Over in Brazil, São Paulo’s defensive midfielder Rodrigo Caio spent much of the season playing at centre back, such is his versatility, but his statistics show he could be worth a gamble for a side looking for value in the market.

Whilst Chelsea are used to shopping at the top end of the market, in the defensive midfield position there is value to be had lower down. However, in a position which could be as important to Mourinho’s Chelsea this time around, as the full backs were during his first tenure, it’s vital that they find the right player, but even more vital that they address the issue in the first place.