best Box to Box midfielders today?

The box-to-box midfield can both win the ball and carry the attack forward. Able to tackle and pass effectively, they can run all day and stamina is their most important asset. As their name suggests this allows them to shuttle back and forward, covering a lot of ground and acting almost as two players in one. They are the closest thing to the 'complete midfielder'. This player can act as a driving force for all of the team and the box-to-box midefielder is invloved in the heart of the action. Their most telling contribution is often their running off the ball arriving late in the box at the end of a well timed run to strike the ball and hit the back of the net. Their versatility means that this player can also be deployed as either a defensive midfilder or an attacking midfielder and they often excel in these positions too (for example Gerrard for Liverpool in 2008/09 (AM) or Ballack for Chelsea in 2009/10 (DM)).

he origin of this player is probably the attacking centre-half in the 2-3-5 formation. Since then the popularity of this player has varied according to prevailing tactics of the time. The W-M system divided the midfield into defensive and attacking players, which didn't really suit this flexible role. The modern version of the box-box midfielder came of age with the advent of the 4-4-2 system developed by Alf Ramsey in which midfielders became all purpose players that had to both defend and attack (think Peters and Ball). Since then the box-to-box midfielder remains an important tradition English game (maybe too important when it comes to international football). The total football of Holland and the system of Sacchi's Milan also valued the multi-purpose midfidler (i.e. Ancelotti and Neeskens). Today, with the advent of 4-2-3-1 maybe the box-to-box midfielder is starting to be phased out again. Although it is still well used in Chelsea's 4-3-3 with two box-to-box midfielders either side of a holding player (for an interesting article on this subject see here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/apr/22/where-have-box-to-box-midfielders-gone.

Mr Nick09 wrote:Javi is currently playing CB so i wouldnt put him in there although he ca be a brilliant player in that role.

Mr Nick09 wrote:Wasted? i dont know, he is allowing Bilbao to play the way they do right now, and he has been pretty good. I do know that he wants to return as CM tho, but Bielsa wont have it

Le Samourai wrote:Corentrao :study: