While the forwards corner the glory, the midfield is the true engine room of a football team. An ideal midfield should have three positions – the defensive midfielder, the defensive midfielder and the attacking midfielder – of equal class and quality. There are teams like Brazil in this World Cup, who prefer to play with two starting midfielders and three full-fledged forwards along with a top striker.
But sometimes it creates an imbalance that can be cashed in, especially on the defensive front, by quality opponents. Of the four teams that have already reached the quarter-finals, Argentina are probably the weakest in midfield. Rodrigo de Paul it’s bringing its physicality to the fore, serving as a defensive shield, but it’s not exactly an elite class. Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister is a workhorse, but he too lacks class Enzo Fernández he’s promising but still learning the ropes. It’s Leo Messi’s brilliance that is filling the cracks, but the true Argentina fan would know that his World Cup starts now.
The Netherlands, Argentina’s quarter-final opponents, play a 5-man midfield with Denzel Dumfries of Inter and Ajax Daley Blind playing as the two wing/half full-backs. It allows for more creativity on the flanks, which was evident in their game against the United States, but there could be space behind them for Messi & Co to exploit.
The real work for Holland comes through Barcelona’s wily Frenkie de Jong. He works as a bridge between defense and attack and it is his intelligence and qualities that will be key to the Netherlands’ chances against Argentina. France, ranked third in the equation, is somewhat in the same boat as Argentina. Although Aurelien Tchouameni is regarded as an elite defensive midfielder, he lacks experience. Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot as a central midfielder has been good so far his heading abilities inside the box an added advantage, but the Frenchman isn’t exactly Paul Pogba class. Antoine Griezmann, in the attacking midfield role, did a great job against Poland but is reaching the highlight of the four-year term after two poor seasons at the club. There are limitations to his play which can be seriously exposed against better opposition.
The fourth team through on Sunday night, England, are probably the most balanced when it comes to midfield. While Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson and the genius Jude Bellingham played on Sundays, they have first class support for every position. The likes of Eric Dier, Jack Grealishwho enter as substitutes, are more than capable, while Harry Kaneplaying a bit as a liaison between midfield and attack, he’s really making England look powerful.
Another team that has incredible quality in midfield is Spain, who play the quarter-finals against Morocco on Tuesday. The Barca trio of Sergio Busquets, Gavi and Pedri complement each other in every way possible, but it remains to be seen how their attack matches up with solid opposition towards the business end.
