Who is the most press resistant midfielder of all time?

Wijnaldum. That was basically his peak competence.
 
I think Xavi defined the term. It wasn't something you heard much before him and he was brilliant at it, helped by Busquets and Iniesta also being impossible to dispossess.

Pirlo was somewhat overrated due to the style with which he played.
 
Calidad said:
Ever Banega was pretty impressive too. He gave the Barca midfield a run for its money on more than one occasion. Very underrated midfielder in general.
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Banega could have been top drawer, but he was a bit of a nutter.
 
T00lsh3d said:
No surprise that the most press resistant midfielders are also the best midfielders
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Yeah, this basically.
Takes alot of technical skill usually to be press resistant.
The best players in the world always seem to have more time on the ball.
 
Dembele
Xavi, Iniesta, Pirlo, Modric
 
Zidane - had a force field around him and just looked so graceful with the ball, moved through the air while others were moving through mud.
 
Xavi, Iniesta and particularly Modric are the three that stand out clearly. Good luck getting the ball off any of those three. I think in terms of pure press resistance, Modric is the pinnacle, but it’s a close run thing.

In United terms, our own Scholes and Cantona were both superb in that regard. I know it says midfielders but I think in modern systems Cantona would play the Bruno Fernandes role, so I’m counting him as an attacking midfielder for the sake of argument. Of course, he might also be the perfect false 9 too. So feel free to completely disregard.

I’m going to add in some other names that I haven’t seen mentioned. Not as the most press resistant, because the three at the top of the pile are clear, but as less fashionable players who were very good at it:

Valeron
Ortega
Valderama
Savecevic
Rui Costa
Figo
Albertini
Rai
Seedorf
 
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Riquelme was insane yes. Iniesta as well. The ball became as water almost when they handled the ball and they have this strange calm mentality when handling the ball.
 
Matt007a said:
Dembele was actually amazing at resisting the press. He was so strong and so good at using his body to shield the ball, he would just walk past people like they weren’t there. Was a brilliant dribbler as well, beautifully balanced and very 2 footed. Seems odd when everyone else we think of as press resistant is one of the great players of their era.

I’ve always thought that selling him was the beginning of the end for Poch’s Spurs.
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Crazy to think he started out as a forward also in the PL.
 
for the best of the best in this particular skill, I would say Iniesta and Modric. What really sets them apart is their ability to receive the ball under pressure, turn and then carry it forward even in very tight spaces.

They had that extra level of free expression with the ball while still evading the press that someone like Xavi did not.
 
I love the Dembele shouts. Can’t recall a midfielder being harder to take the ball off in the centre of midfield. Such a bizarre footballer.
 
Matt007a said:
Dembele was actually amazing at resisting the press. He was so strong and so good at using his body to shield the ball, he would just walk past people like they weren’t there. Was a brilliant dribbler as well, beautifully balanced and very 2 footed. Seems odd when everyone else we think of as press resistant is one of the great players of their era.

I’ve always thought that selling him was the beginning of the end for Poch’s Spurs.
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So was he mate
 
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I think it has to be Modric, mainly because he played in a more press heavy era and also for a team that did get pressed much more than Barcelona did. Xavi and especially Iniesta were just as skillful if not more, but they played in very dominant midfields whereas Modric's Real played on the backfoot so much more. All three are easily the best midfielders of their time.
 
Modric is known for his ability to break free from defenders, dribble in tight spaces and find precise passing solutions even when hemmed in by opponents. His agility, ball control and ability to anticipate moves make him a highly press-resistant midfielder
 
Frenkie De Jong of the younger generation and Kovacic are two that stood out for that ability.
 
Thiago Alcântara's close ball control, technical proficiency, and quick decision-making make him an outstanding press-resistant midfielder. He displays excellent composure and vision, allowing him to find passing solutions even when faced with intense pressure from opponents. His ability to retain possession and dictate the tempo of the game under challenging circumstances is truly impressive
 
I think the majority are mixing two concepts that are part of the same package but are not the same, press resistant in terms of when being pressed like we've seen many times this season Licha being pressed and he gets away with class and great composure, or like lots of other superior players here mentioned, when they solve that situation with skills, manage of space/time and wit... DO NOT always includes extraordinary "ball retention", those who have both, like Redondo, Zidane, Riquelme are more accurate to be told as beyond great in press resistant, or anyone in such mold.

Lots of awesome players here mentioned like Iniesta, Laudrup, Ardiles, Modric, from the "normal" ones, not genius level, are amazing, can also do some ball retention, but depend themselves to advance quickly once the advantage is generated, they depend more in their mates as decoys, so if your life depends on a player holding the ball with more than one player surrounding for a minute with no space, you'll dead if you choose Modric in comparison with what Zidane could do or Riquelme could do in that particular matter and is the aspect that divides the greats, from the very best Press Resistant players as a whole concept or package.
 
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I think there's different types of press resistant midfield play. You've got the more defensive sort, where a player is great at scanning around him; he makes a great turn as needed and shields the ball very well, then passes it on quickly. Xavi epitomised this efficient, deceptively difficult style at Pep's Barca, alongside Busquets. The latter was actually individually more gifted at using a wider variety of close control to keep the ball imo, though not as good an overall midfielder. Players like Arthur (if he was actually ever playing) and especially Lobotka generally fit into current examples of this, and i think it's the most important, fundamental side of being press resistant for a Centre Midfielder.

Then you have the more proactive, riskier side of it, where players with better physical tools and/or more versatile dribbling ability will actively take on whoever is pressing them, and open up space to drive forward. Yaya Toure could do that brilliantly when playing deeper, but not nearly as reliable at the Xavi/Busquets stuff, and Modric/Iniesta are a mix of both. The attacking midfielders/10's have plenty that are at least as strong a mix of both as any centre-mid in terms of their individual technical capabilities and awareness, but being further up the pitch with more direct risk taking responsibility/inclination, they almost all obviously lose the ball more often. Some already mentioned like Zidane, Laudrup, Savicevic, Riquelme and many others fit in here.

Without a sophisticated passing and moving system, it's harder for the slower, not that talented at dribbling, but can keep the ball and build up play very well types to fully shine. they need that movement and multiple passing lanes being kept open or they are more vulnerable to being forced into making too many overly consevative passes . This is why i think in previous decades that often had other styles be more prevalent than the possession heavy solidification of elite football in last 10-15 years, those sort of players could be divisive and struggle to be as individually lauded by fans (even if well supported by managers).
 
Dembele has to be worth a mention if you are talking press resistant and absolutely nothing else. The problem for Dembele and why he never really drew the attention of the mega clubs was zero end product. His passing was not particularly good, certainly no where near the levels of others mentioned like Xavi, Iniesta, Modric who can dictate the game with their passing and unlock even the best defence. Nor was his striking particularly good, why he never really made it as a striker. He could keep the ball, yes, dribble by players like they were not there, then play a 3m pass, bit of a flawed genius.
 
Deco at his peak was amazing at this: not only he could keep possession but he also make sure to make a decisive pass.
 
Scroto Baggins said:
Dembele has to be worth a mention if you are talking press resistant and absolutely nothing else. The problem for Dembele and why he never really drew the attention of the mega clubs was zero end product. His passing was not particularly good, certainly no where near the levels of others mentioned like Xavi, Iniesta, Modric who can dictate the game with their passing and unlock even the best defence. Nor was his striking particularly good, why he never really made it as a striker. He could keep the ball, yes, dribble by players like they were not there, then play a 3m pass, bit of a flawed genius.
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A master class at how to use your giant frame. Players used to bounce off of him. If he had the passing ability to go with it he would have wound up at Bayern, Barcelona or someone of that starture.
 
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