Just because there's a dearth in the current climate with regards to productive, multi-functional midfielders, it doesn't make it an accepted standard rather than something that should pass with the historical norms being re-established once the next batch of generational midfielders make themselves known. Iniesta and Xavi are outliers who are both part of one unique, Tiki-Taka system, the likes of which stands independent of historical scrutiny - they aren't the standard-measure for what is expected of a productive midfield and it's only because their ball-retention and recycling was so high that they did not face the criticisms that their low scoring rates would have otherwise generated.
Modric and Kroos, also, are in a team whose sole function is to supply Ronaldo. It lets them off the hook and provides yet another outlier as such extreme goal-scoring freaks don't come along often enough to facillitate such a low return from central midfield.
Frankly, you remove the two freakish Spanish sides with their glitched matrix players (Messi with Saurez and Neymar supporting, or Ronaldo with his band of merry men), and nothing has really changed per goal-scoring requirement/expectation through midfield in the world game. The other superpower, Bayern, have goals through their midfield core
Zidane did not get a free ride of it in regard to goal-scoring, either, as he was expected to do more in that sense than he did. It's not supposed to be a case of one or the other as the great midfielders of the past have made it clear you can be both a maestro and comparatively prolific scorer from midfield.
Even Michael Laudrup, a maestro's maestro, if there ever was one, was scrutinised for his scoring rate. Why? Because he was being compared to Platini, Zico, Maradona, Gullit who could do what he did and be more prolific as goalscorers on top of that.
I don't see where you're coming from with regard to England being the only place that looks to midfielders for goals, or that wants that in addition to a high standard of midfield play? The German's are renowned for their productivity through midfield and when they produce the next in line who can succeed someone like Ballack, he'll be raved about, I'm sure.
Vidal's star shot through the roof all over the world the moment he became that goal-scoring monster he was until he did his knee in. Kaka' was raved about and won WPOTY because of his exploits from midfield, same goes for Ronaldinho.... the current reality is that successors for these players haven't been found, so that lull and acceptance you've suggested is a consensus has no choice but to be status quo, for now. The standards for true excellence don't leave the collective consciousness, but it serves little point to bemoan the lack of greatness intertwined with goal-scoring ability we are seeing from midfield at the moment
Is this a narrative on the caf? Because it's the third time I've seen this written in the space of four days. I don't know where it's come from (if there's a link to the larger discussion, could you post it?) but as individuals, not beholden to a system of play or complementary team-mates the distinctions and hierachy are clear.
How is it a 'fact'? Goalscorers from midfield have been revered throughout the history of the game in all countries, not just England. If that's not something you're disputing then apologies for missing the point.
That depends on what position they are playing in midfield, because for any kind of attacking, or play-making midfielder, goal-involvement has been a pre-requisite of the job since forever. Deeper players don't have the same expectation, which is why an Iniesta is going to be more heavily scrutinised than a Xavi for not scoring or assisting on a game-by-game basis.
After Iniesta, there's Rui Costa that comes to mind for not being impressive in terms of goal output but revered for his passing and also Valderrama. How many more, at this kind of level, who played so far forward, are out there with that kind of poor goal-scoring output? That's bearing in mind that Iniesta has 2 shy of half the tally of Rui Costa at club level to date. He seems to be a very special case because even those I was going to pair him with who off the top of my head weren't particularly prolific scorers (Zidane, Rivera, Valderrama, Schuster, Luis Suarez (Spanish) etc) have double, triple or quadruple his 37 league goals over their own league club careers.
Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes, Ronaldinho, Ballack, Kaka', Deco (before he catered to Ronaldinho and modified his own game), Fabregas, Yaya, Gary Speed, Le Tissier, Hamsik, Sneijder, Cocu (when played as an AM), Mendieta, Vidal, Van der Vaart. If you're talking about Lampard's time, then most of these players apply, so how is it rare? I know there's loads more that could be added to that, too, as I've just put down what came to mind. It's been an expected standard for the position that has only slumped of late because the talent hasn't been there to keep the status quo. Someone like Pogba should be comfortably hitting 10+ in the league over a full campaign once he's fully settled
It's really not true. Most maestro's are the opposite. You'll struggle to find players as regarded as Iniesta, playing as far forward as Iniesta, who have such a low goal-scoring output as Iniesta. His numbers are extremely low for an attacking midfielder - the lowest I can think of for all-time regarded AM, actually.
