Chelsea have N’golo Kante, Liverpool have Fabinho and Manchester City have Rodri or Fernandinho. Even West Ham and Leicester possess Declan Rice and Wilfred Ndidi. The fact is, all top sides field a combative, defensive-minded midfielder.
Ever since Claudio Makelele reinvented the wheel at Chelsea almost twenty years ago, a holding midfielder has become an essential part of a Premier League club’s tool kit. The gritty role is essential in the modern game, allowing the more eye-catching players to play with freedom. An enforcer in the engine room protects a backline and can be the springboard for counterattacks.
Newcastle, however, have bucked the trend this season by playing without one. A season-ending injury to Isaac Hayden - the Magpies’ only defensive-minded midfielder - has forced Eddie Howe to change tack. Jonjo Shelvey has played deeper, operating in a quarterback role rather than as a traditional holding player.
