Bryan Robson
Roy Keane
Paul Ince
Paul pogba
And Roy keane
Roy Keane
Paul Ince
Paul pogba
And Roy keane
Who are the top 5 box-to-box midfielders of all-time?
- Thread starter Fortitude
- Start date
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
Toure was only good going forward
He wasn't really box to box when he was playing his best football, Mancini would take off a striker and move Toure in to an advanced role so in my opinion he doesn't qualify as a box to box
According to Rooney: Cryuff, Maradona, Messi and Eusebio.
I'd disagree. He did solid defensive jobs on many occasions, but had a lazy tag following him around. Sometimes merited, but he was definitely box to box.
How is Pogba getting into people's list. Ridiculous
He never was a box-to-box, really. A great defensive midfielder for Barcelona and a fantastic attacking midfielder for City — but those two stages of his career never intersected. His best games were when Mancini fielded another midfielder and released Toure from midfield duties, a bit like Lampard (with even less defensive responsibility).
edit: almost word for word @Vialli_92
Great minds...I can't believe nobody has mentioned Carlton Palmer yet 
But seriously...
In blighty
Robson
Souness
Vieira(still have to double check how to spell his name)
Yaya
Keane
Some monster midfielders over the decades Worldwide, but not what you'd call box2box, more either 4s, 6s or 8s
If I had to pick one i'd say Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard
But seriously...
In blighty
Robson
Souness
Vieira(still have to double check how to spell his name)
Yaya
Keane
Some monster midfielders over the decades Worldwide, but not what you'd call box2box, more either 4s, 6s or 8s
If I had to pick one i'd say Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard
5 players I think deserve a mention
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Shocked Vidal hasn’t gotten more love. Right up there with the best of all time for me.
Biased obviously but I’d have Keane as #1. Vieira, Ballack, Davids and Schweinsteiger are all obviously right up there.Essien in his prime was a force too but couldn’t sustain it with injuries.
Biased obviously but I’d have Keane as #1. Vieira, Ballack, Davids and Schweinsteiger are all obviously right up there.Essien in his prime was a force too but couldn’t sustain it with injuries.
De Rossi was more defensive in my book but he could contribute to the attack. I don’t have him down as a maurauding box to box.
Mendieta’s Focus was on going forward and Alonso was more of a DLP.
Matthaus, Rijkaard, Neeskens, Didi and Falcao are my top 5
Didi looks a bit out of place here, was pretty much full-time attacking midfielder with Zito sweeping in behind in the games I've seen with him. Can't argue with the rest
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Keane is polls apart from Davids in the offensive third. After Ajax, Davids was basically a non-entity as an attacker scoring a paltry c. 17 goals in over 300 club games. Keane matches that with his 2 best goalscoring seasons for United alone.
Even in missing chances or supplying for others, Keane is considerably better than Davids over the course of their careers.
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re. Robson being better than Keane. Yes, as a footballer, he was a better player, but Keane's feats, despite being the lesser player put him above Robson in an exercise like this and the NT stuff really is the epitome of the difference. Robson was always injured at the times where he could have taken his status to another level, which is a shame. There's no question that he had the ability - playing Maradona's Barcelona off the park is testament to that - but the cold, hard facts are that Keane is not a case of 'what if' as he did carry his NT to heights they had no business being at and Robson didn't, or at least not on the same scale.
Rijkaard is a #6! very blurred lines putting him in as a CM when the majority of his career wasn't really about that even if he had the ability to do it with the best of them.
He's in the same category as Beckenbauer for this, IMO, where both of them would completely shake up the box2box category if that was where they spent the majority of their careers.
He's in the same category as Beckenbauer for this, IMO, where both of them would completely shake up the box2box category if that was where they spent the majority of their careers.
"The definition of B2B is being competent in defense, neutral or attack." Just going off that in the OP. De Rossi for me is one of the most skilled all around midfielders we've seen in the last 15 years. Criminally underrated player
Mendieta was ability to affect the game at both ends of the pitch was probably his best quality.
Alonso definitely became a dlp when he moved to Real but at liverpool he was almost always alongside Gerrard, with Hamman or sissoko or Mascherano in the holding role.
Didi played in the central 2 of a 4-2-4 formation, yet successfully covered the pitch with aplomb. Its why Ill always place him in that bracket. Yet indeed he was more of an AM than all the others.
His goalscoring record declined sharply after he left Ajax, but he was too skilful and expansive on the ball to lump him into the 'destroyer' category. Those surging dribbles upfield in particular (see 1:32 in the video below) are a hallmark of a proper box to box player.
The usual names have already been mentioned, but Clarence Seedorf is worth a shout in regards to recent times, as I can't really comment on anything prior to the early 90s.
He was great to watch, as was the Gattuso, Pirlo and Seedorf midfield 3 at Milan. He was quite similar to Pogba, the way he made things look easy whilst opposing players just bounced off him, but he had a lot more defensive awareness to his game. 4 Champions League medals too.
He was great to watch, as was the Gattuso, Pirlo and Seedorf midfield 3 at Milan. He was quite similar to Pogba, the way he made things look easy whilst opposing players just bounced off him, but he had a lot more defensive awareness to his game. 4 Champions League medals too.
I really like Davids; not slighting him with what I'm saying, however, there were clearly limitations when he got into the final third. In relative terms, his shooting was poor in this company and he would flap when in on and goal, too. He could run hard and maraud, but he wasn't effective in the way that true box-to-box midfielders are when he broke the lines.
Davids also worked more to the left and wide(ish) than he did dead-centre and through the middle. He was very much a hybrid of a player, but the majority of his work was running and ushering like a mad-man.
I have never considered Bastian a B2B. He was a winger made into a Deep-lying playmaker.
And Matthäus was my idol growing up. He was a Libero like Beckenbauer.
And Matthäus was my idol growing up. He was a Libero like Beckenbauer.
Can't agree at all, Rijkaard peak was playing in a midfield two in 4-4-2 paired with Ancelotti/Albertini, he is the epitome of defensive box-to-box (same as Keane, Davids, Tardelli etc.). There are attacking box-to-box players, like Matthäus, Falcão, Breitner, Robson, and there are defensive box-to-box, but they are b2b nonetheless.
Beckenbauer played most of his career as a libero, it's not the case with Rijkaard.
I would say - Matthaus.
Wouldn’t say Lampard was a box to box honestly.
I know people will disagree because of the system he came up in - a DM can also break rank and drive forward, especially so if accompanied by another one.
Perhaps Rijkaard's studiousness behind the ball hurts him here, for me, his primary role was to protect, not automatically drive at the opposition unless opportunistically. That's different to everyone else listed, who would go as soon as they could.
A question would be whether Rijkaard ever played the CM role as recognised by the rest - even Beckenbauer in his brief stint in the position. I'm not sure that he did - He was a DM who could attack brilliantly, imo.
How is it ridiculous? I'd bet my house if I scrolled through your past posts after a game where he's ran the show I'd find one that'd suggest you hold a similar opinion in regards to his ability.
Xavi also worked much harder defensively than most people remember.
If we are talking about traditional box-to-box midfielders, Schweinsteiger and Vidal are some of the best I’ve seen in recent times.
Yeah I rate the guy and I've been defending him a lot recently but a) I don't even think he's a box to box midfielder and b) he's not even amongst the best of those in the past decade or so let alone all time. It is ludicrous to put him in all time discussions at this moment in time.
Bryan Robson and Lothar Matthaus for me taking into account contributions in both defense and attack as well as having actually watched a lot of them, as opposed to just some Youtube comps like with several of the other players listed in here.
Matthaus and Neeskens are the best in an all time pool and probably by some margin. From what I know, Masopust would fall into the category just below.
As far as who I’ve seen, both Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane were as good as it gets in the premier league era, and Michael Ballack at his peak was a great B2B player.
As far as who I’ve seen, both Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane were as good as it gets in the premier league era, and Michael Ballack at his peak was a great B2B player.
Matthäus for me, the man had it all. Favorite is Robson though.
I hope you don’t think I said that? Lol. I questioned that wee bit of insanity.
I'd hope not!
Interesting --- we all have our own understanding of wth is "Box-to-Box midfielder".
Some posts are on-point though imo.
Funny, this thread pop-up after...
Some posts are on-point though imo.
Funny, this thread pop-up after...
Hahaha definitely not! He still has a very long way to go to be mentioned in this conversation
With the exception of Beckenbauer, Lothar Matthaus was the greatest CM in history.
Neeskens, Falcao, Tardelli and Rijkaard complete the top 5
Neeskens, Falcao, Tardelli and Rijkaard complete the top 5
1. Drinkwater
2. Dier
3. Livermore
4. Jack Cork
5. Henderson
2. Dier
3. Livermore
4. Jack Cork
5. Henderson
Prime Schweinsteiger was a beast
There's no i in Keane. But there are two of them in Vieira.
Yeah, I thought it didn't look right. Cheers