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#3 Italy
The Italian midfield sizzled during in their triumphant European Championship campaign this summer. There was a certain swagger and arrogance about Italy's effortless control in the middle of the park. Jorginho and Marco Verratti pinged the ball around at ease, finding space and time that only centre-backs usually enjoy.
With Serie A stars Nicollo Barella and Manuel Locatelli both willing runners, Italy's midfield doesn't lack grit and industry, despite the obvious elegance on display. They also offer a welcome goal threat. The Azzurri's primary striker Ciro Immobile and his back-up Andrea Belotti combined for just two goals at Euro 2020, none of which came in the knockout rounds.
Their blunt attack is why Italy must navigate through the perilous playoffs to reach the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. They finished second in their group despite boasting the joint-best defence in World Cup qualifiers in Europe. They averaged a whopping 67% possession and 88% pass completion rate across eight games.
Although they remained unbeaten, Italy could score only 13 goals, and were beaten to the top spot in Group C by Switzerland.
Options in midfield: Marco Verratti, Jorginho, Manuel Locatelli, Nicolo Barella, Matteo Pessina, Sandro Tonali, Federico Bernardeschi, Bryan Cristante, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Nicolo Zaniolo, Giacomo Bonaventura.
#2 France
Despite winning football's most prestigious trophy - the FIFA World Cup - France manager Didier Deschamps is still occasionally criticised for his tactics. Although previous results suggest otherwise, perhaps the national team's critics are not entirely without reason.
France have an embarrassment of midfield riches, yet often Les Bleus do not seem to grab games by the scruff of the neck. Indeed, the team seems more than happy to play on the break, especially against quality opposition.
Nonetheless, France have bounced back after a horrific showing at Euro 2020. They were knocked out by Switzerland in the Round of 16 after drawing three of their four games at the tournament.
Les Bleus then clinched the UEFA Nations League, finishing atop an admittedly easy 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying group. Deschamps' men averaged 60% possession, and completed 90% of their passes in an unbeaten qualifying campaign.
Options in midfield: Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Thomas Lemar, Adrien Rabiot, Houssem Aouar, Tanguy Ndombele, Corentin Tolisso, Jordan Veretout, Moussa Sissoko, Matteo Guendouzi.
#1 Spain
Any midfield list would be incomplete without Spain, who continue to find technically impeccable players to replace their golden generation. The likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and David Silva are gone. But La Furia Roja's midfield remains a puzzle many opponent teams are simply unable to figure out.
There's a veteran presence with Thiago Alcantara and captain Sergio Busquets still part of the fray. Joining them are experienced players in their prime such as Koke and Rodri, while Barcelona youngsters Pedri and Gavi represent a group of exciting youngsters.
After controversially failing to pick a single Real Madrid player in his Euro 2020 squad, Luis Enrique led Spain to an exciting run to the semi-finals. Despite a slow start, Spain improved with every game before losing to eventual winners Italy on penalties.
With 67% and 76% of ball possession at Euro 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, respectively, Spain's midfield remains nearly impossible to dispossess. Question marks remain, though, about the team's ability to score.
They scored 15 goals in eight FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the joint-lowest among teams that finished on top of their group in Europe. Spain failed to win four of their six Euro 2020 games after 90 minutes, with ten of their 13 goals coming in only two games.
Options in midfield: Sergio Busquets, Thiago Alcantara, Marcos Llorente, Rodri, Koke, Pedri, Gavi, Mikel Oyarzabal, Brahim Diaz, Pablo Fornals, Dani Olmo, Dani Ceballos, Fabian Ruiz.
