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Defensive Midfield: Casemiro
Despite winning 4 Champions Leagues in 5 years with Real Madrid, Casemiro's contribution to the side is often overlooked. The Brazilian enforcer is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world and this season, it is safe to say that he is the undisputed best in his position given his superb performances.
Casemiro averages nearly 4 tackles a game in La Liga and has provided a rock-solid base in midfield for Real's creative personnel to impose themselves on the pitch. His partnership with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric that powered 3 UCL wins in 3 years will go down as one of the best midfields ever to be fielded.
Playing with such illustrious midfielders, Casemiro's eye for a goal and passing range has grown significantly, making him more complete with each passing season. No wonder Zinedine Zidane called him a 'monster' after their victory in the Supercopa de Espana final.
Defensive Midfield: Fabinho
Fabinho's impact on Liverpool since moving from the French top-flight is hard to put into words. After finding it a bit difficult initally to feature regularly for the Reds, once he did have a consistent run of games in the side, there was looking back for either the club or the player.
The Brazilian has put in some warrior-like displays in the heart of Liverpool's midfield and is a major contributor to their defensive stability. Deployed just ahead of Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip, Fabinho is a relentless tackler who wins the ball back with ease and spraying the ball across the pitch with ease. His aerial presence is massive as well, helping Jurgen Klopp's defence effectively deal with long balls.
Despite his injury this season, Fabinho's 12 games for Liverpool in the league have helped them in what could potentially be a historic season in the making. His thunderbolt of a strike against champions Manchester City is the icing on the cake to the Brazilian's fantastic season.
