midfield

As a midfield player he is famous for his accuracy when taking penalty kicks, and for his brilliant passing of the ball.

I think he'll be very useful. He plays well in any midfield position and that's the sign of a professional, and he's good with the ball.

The manager wanted me to come on and inject a bit of energy into the midfield.

Vieira had always been the main man in midfield, but for how much longer?

There have been quite a few changes in the midfield recently. Has that made it a steeper learning curve for you?

Guana has no guarantee of a place in Stefano Colantuono's midfield and is attracting interest from Bologna and Lazio.

Raul Garcia 6 - In a scrappy midfield display by Atletico he rarely put his foot on the ball, although could have scored with a good drive.

Blackburn Rovers midfield ace David Bentley admits he took a huge gamble leaving Arsenal.

That won't happen as Chelsea will be only too glad to have his drive back in midfield but what a bonus it turned out to be for the club.

Chelsea began sluggishly, unable to pass the ball with any fluidity as they were stifled by United's five-man midfield.

Midfield is a minefield . I want to put Giggsy in there, but I think he might be a great substitute option.

He broke the deadlock with a fine goal from the edge of the box and provided order and control in the heart of the Juventus midfield.

And the Pep Guardiola arrives to a very different football, in which the midfield is often ignored. The ball was always high up in the air.

Tottenham tactical surprise They play with a diamond midfield with Lennon at the front behind the two forwards .

De Rossi can be a good option for defensive midfield and brings with him great offensive skills as well.

To decide how much Ball Control and Offensive Positioning combined that can be used at midfield we use 2. 5*Passing.

Midfield anchor Vieira has never been a prolific scorer but, when he scores, he tends to do so with a flourish.

He was outstanding against Wigan and outstanding against Arsenal. And against Tottenham and Manchester City, you want him in the midfield.

But we have lost the ball in midfield for their first and I felt myself that I should have done a bit better for their second one.

I was asked to come to midfield, and I was proud to do so to be able to make a new promise to all the Milan fans.

Mourinho explained why he made the decision to go with Drogba and Robben centrally ahead of a four-man midfield.

All his life until he met me in Porto and I made him a right-back, Paulo was a midfield player.

Juventus midfield outcast Tiago Mendes could be set for an immediate exit after he moved out of his house in Turin.

United's new midfield signing Michael Carrick is back in the squad sooner than expected after recovering from his injured foot.

We viewed him as a playmaker and a set-piece taker. He is someone you could hang your hat on - a general in midfield.

Alonso also said he was happier this year, despite giving up a title-contending car to drive in the midfield with Renault.

I didn't play with John when he was a left-winger, but I did have 45 minutes alongside him in the centre of midfield.

Sensibly Red Star did not attempt to replace Stoijkovic, rather to build a midfield around what talents they already had.

He starts here [between the centre-backs], moves here [midfield] but you can't be thinking too much about him.

Another good display from the Brazilian. He did miss Claudio Marchisio in midfield but did a good job helping out his teammates.

He plays in any position in midfield, he is finally living up to expectations and he is at the centre of Lazio's game.

Mikel, playing attacking midfield, takes the corner from which Kanu ultimately scores the only goal of the game at home to Uganda.

With me just in front of Javier Mascherano and Steven Gerrard just behind the front man, we now have even more solutions in midfield.

Speaking about the upcoming game, Fabregas acknowledged that teams are likely to try and close Spain down in midfield.

Chelsea had an extra man in midfield, but I don't think the team suffered tonight, at all.

The former hard-man of the Manchester United midfield became manager of Sunderland football club towards the end of August.

The composition of our midfield can change match after match. We have four midfielders available at the moment, all in good physical shape.

This means that most of you defenders will be rather useless at midfield and that many of your attackers will be as well.

This game, Gao Leilei still appear in the midfield position, but with teammates and the small number of his languishing a bit.

In midfield the quartet did not work hard enough to escape the clutches of Sir Alex's set-up.

It is fair to say, though, that making one tackle in a whole match is not good enough for a midfield player.

Vieira's departure means I will have a man less in midfield, but I don't have the right to ask for anything.

And against Tottenham and Manchester City, you want him in the midfield.

Their circulation of the ball is spectacular and the final pass from midfield is like a penalty for anyone else.

He showed great composure, great passing, great support, and great ability in the air and a real rock in midfield.

The team seems to be strong in all departments: defence, midfield and attack.

But Benitez has declared his midfield playmaker is not for sale and that he remains an important part of his plans for next season.

However, your midfield are more likely to be a bunch of muppets, so have them long ball it for all they're worth.

Maybe Mancini could have flooded midfield to gain more possession, but it was a day when his side's body language was laboured.

Ji-sung Park has vowed not to be the forgotten man of United' s midfield, despite being sidelined until early 2008.

Arsenal pass the ball, sometimes they hold it in midfield as well.

Aside from his combative midfield duties, the Brazilian also took on the captaincy and the penalty-taking in a challenging campaign.

Attackers and defenders cannot cross their "restraining line" until one player from the midfield takes possession of the ball.

Focusing on taking a midfield player out of business like this will give the opponent one (1) extra potential opportunity.

With a plethora of world class midfield stars at Stamford Bridge it was never going to be easy.

If you have watched a Man United match recently, you will have noticed Rooney dropping deep around the midfield in search of the ball.

After Higuain's second goal, he practically skipped to midfield before jumping into the arms of one of his assistants.

However Reina felt that Mascherano's influence in midfield and around the training ground would be greatly missed and difficult to replace.

The midfield is full of guile and passing ability, the only weakness being a possible lack of a ball-winner.

"I preferred not to start with a four-man defence because we would have given them an extra man in midfield, " said Alberto Zaccheroni.

From open play he was able to find spaces in a congested midfield and launch attacks for the wingers Ariel Ortega and Roberto Pereyra.

Lee Martin admits he is loving life back at United, and in the central midfield berth in which he began his career.

If you play for United week in, week out you don't want to leave but I got to the stage where I wasn't even second choice in midfield.

Juventus midfield veteran Pavel Nedved has hinted that he will announce his retirement within the next few days.

After years of being out of fashion in western Europe, the midfield diamond is back.

Frank is fit to take his place in midfield against Manchester City in Chelsea's opening League game today.

It was hard obviously because to be on your own you need support from midfield and the wings, but I think I did well and just didn't score.

Of our midfield players, only Makelele was not arriving into a scoring position.

With Gerrard back in the midfield there would be another creative player to supplement Suarez up front.

So, you've had a go in midfield, which outfield player do you think could take your place between the sticks if necessary?

And Benitez is now assessing his midfield line-up for Villa, with Lucas playing on Boxing Day despite a slight knock.

The energy and pace with which United have played this term, particularly in midfield, is unquestionable.

The goal was fitting in that it started with a long, mazy run from Navas, and was assisted by Fabregas from an advanced midfield position.

But playing behind a main striker as one of two in front of a holding midfield player, it worked, especially early in the season.

I prefer him down the wings, but he'll have to play in midfield for the time being because we have no one else.

I thought Stoke did really well, they kept their midfield close to the back four - very difficult to break down.

Adam made a direct run through midfield and was only stopped by a foul from Rio Ferdinand on the edge of the area.

In the singles, unless Spike, do not put the ball in the midfield in each other as much as possible to play two horns.

However, it has only taken a few months for Europe's biggest clubs to get excited about Catalunya's latest midfield sensation.

Liverpool used Steven Gerrard from the outset, both sides replicating each other with a five-man midfield and a lone striker.

Marek Hamsik The Slovakia midfield player was tracked by Liverpool a year ago.

The Americans had a distinct size advantage and towered over most of the Japanese, easily dominating them in tight spots at midfield.

Ambrosini- 7: Recovered plenty of balls in midfield and got the ball forward quickly, getting the assist on the Seedorf's tally.

The midfield pair have not travelled with the rest of the squad to Italy for Tuesday's Group E tie due to illness and injury respectively.

Most of the time I stand in front of the defenders, doing the hard job, holding the midfield and stopping them playing out of defence.

Bruce wants to strengthen his midfield and Zenden, who lifted the Carling Cup with Boro, is an option if he impressed.

Randall won the ball in the midfield and slipped it through to the Dutchman but the 19-year-old fired his shot inches wide of the far post.

I think this midfield will be around for a while and we can continue to get better and better to be able to dominate games.

Yes. Norbert is the point man in the midfield and the striker .

But the Italian manager is now set to hand the skipper's armband on to midfield tough guy Nigel De Jong or back to Kolo Toure.

Yes. Norbert is the point man in the midfield and the striker .

But the Italian manager is now set to hand the skipper's armband on to midfield tough guy Nigel De Jong or back to Kolo Toure.

And Ballack is a midfield player that would be able to play for any team in Europe.

''To concede three goals at home, the defence and midfield have to be better than that in terms of concentration.

Seedorf was great today, he made the sacrifice of playing in midfield, to play further backwards for the team.

Although he was in principle a striker, he mostly played in an advanced midfield position, behind the team's main striker, Luis Suarez.

Totti was substituted during the Final, as he couldn't break through the solid French midfield to exert his influence.

The Chelsea midfield star is vowing to explode more long-range stunners like the one which rocked Arsenal at Stamford Bridge last December.

If you give it to your central midfield players they will come out of natural positions to cross which isn't always a good thing.

Wrong to reorganize a midfield to accommodate Michael Ballack, the German whose arrogance far outweighs his influence.

Wrong to reorganize a midfield to accommodate Michael Ballack, the German whose arrogance far outweighs his influence.

I was already playing in midfield back then, although from time to time I would be moved to the back if they were short of defenders.

He has been the heartbeat of the midfield and forged a fine partnership with Cesc Fabregas.

In Porto I sometimes play with four in a diamond in midfield, sometimes with three and with three in attack.

Fletcher endured an up and down season with injuries and the burden of carrying a midfield missing its former talisman Roy Keane .

Cesc Fabregas believes the experienced Milan midfield can "kill you in a minute" if you are not careful.

Ledesma - 6. 5: A solid reference point in midfield, he frequently managed to make crucial interceptions and distributed the ball well.

Ivory Coast has a strong spine, held together by the excellent Yaya Toure in central midfield.

Gattuso- 5: Hurried in midfield, but missed an absolute sitter on 13 minutes from Pato's cutback when he was all alone in front on the net.

Senderos will be one of the experienced heads in Arsenal's line-up this evening, along with French veteran Mikael Silvestre in midfield.

Senderos will be one of the experienced heads in Arsenal's line-up this evening, along with French veteran Mikael Silvestre in midfield.

Train your players to build a strong defence, a dynamic midfield and an attacking strike force.

Chelsea were struggling to make any real impact in the final third with Bolton's midfield and defence swarming all over them.

Another Vieira trademark is the surging run from midfield, usually after winning a tackle or breaking out of defence.

Those goals from midfield have dried up a little in recent years, so we have to address that.

In a way, managers, when setting their team-up against Arsenal face a trade-off between space in midfield or space behind your defence.

New Coach Ciro Ferrara brings different ideas to the team and has confirmed he is testing out a diamond midfield.

He's not just a holding player. He can attack, score goals and play on either side of a midfield diamond.

What do you think about the fact that the Italy midfield is composed of Milan players?

Reports in England have suggested that Juventus' top midfield transfer target is now Liverpool's Momo Sissoko.

Reports in England have suggested that Juventus' top midfield transfer target is now Liverpool's Momo Sissoko.

Neither is Essien a creator, though he is a wonderful destroyer, so in midfield, it all is up to Frank Lampard.

Evans, 20, can play in either defence or midfield and turned out for United in Thursday night's Reserves game against Bolton Wanderers.

Goalkeeper, defender, lumbar, midfield, Qian Yao, winger, center, shadow striker, referee, coach, assistant coach, goalkeeper coach.

Thomas, charging through the midfield. . . it's up for grabs now. . . Thomas, right at the end!

A striker was substituted for a midfield player in the last half - hour of play.

The step inside to a more central-defensive-midfield role is thus not particularly radical.

This summer, with Alonso and Ewing has been such a creative midfield together.

Matteo Paro scored Juve's first ever Serie B goal and was again decisive today with his assists from midfield.

Lampard is a central midfielder known for his powerful long-range shots and prolific goal scoring abilities from midfield.

The diamond midfield system utilised in the last two wins calls on the full-backs to provide width in the opposition half.

Though Robinson replaced Ryan Babel on the left of midfield at Hull, his natural position is at full-back.

But even moves originating from midfield positions can be, in effect, counter-attacks.

The Czech Republic international offers further options along the left flank as the 28 year old can play either at full-back or in midfield.

The French midfield ace was celebrating winning the Premiership with the rest of the players.

"Steven has fired 23 goals this season, from his attacking midfield role, " said Redknapp.

Arsenal's three-man midfield was set up for Fabregas to flourish and he did.

With so many top quality players vying for a centre midfield spot within Sir Alex's first XI, Gibson has at times found his chances limited.

And going a bit further I'd be inclined to suggest we need another defensive midfield player.

"For a midfield player to score 130 goals for this club is quite amazing, " Ferguson said.

My favorite two football players are Lothar Matthaus and Stefan Effenberg. They are the best midfield leaders of Bayern.

Denilson's return from a back problem offers an immediate solution in midfield meanwhile Armand Traore should be back for Aston Villa.

Meanwhile Argentinian midfield starlet Fernando Gago, of Boca Juniors , has been linked with a move to Chelsea.

Chelsea substitution Boulahrouz for Diarra. Boulahrouz goes to the right of the back three and Essien into midfield.

Marquez is a valuable figure as he has international experience and can play in midfield if needs be.

The hard working Brocchi is a no-nonsense midfield general, but his departure from Milan was a difficult one.

Fabregas has become a key component in the Arsenal midfield this season, and established himself as the Gunners primary playmaker.

Jones featured in midfield for the Reds in the recent draw at Liverpool and played there a number of times for former club Blackburn.

I went for a midfield that had never lost a game but I really should have played Mick Phelan in that match.

Kevin Nolan is a key figure in the Newcastle midfield and led the Magpies back to the Barclays Premier League as captain last season.

Wenger has recently suggested that Traore's power, pace and crossing ability may see him get his first-team chance in left-midfield.

Matteo Paro, metronome of the Bianconeri midfield, relayed to the press the fantastic mood in the Juventus dressing room.

We have classy players in midfield now but Patrick was special. He was a tall player with good technique.

The blossoming of Brazilian Robinho and the good form of Guti in midfield have limited his opportunities.

For now it's important for me to find my role in the midfield and understand the situation of the team.

And if we had what you call a 'midfield car', then Ferrari had no car at all in Melbourne!

The attacking unit did well this evening, just as did the midfield and the defence, since we didn't concede a goal.

He is a strong and aggressive midfield player. We are looking forward to having him here with us next season.

When I signed Momo it was because we needed more energy in midfield and he gives us that and plays better every game.

His passion, enthusiasm and versatility soon ensured regular starts, whether at right-back, left-back, centre-half or defensive midfield.

The Reds are hoping his recent return will come as a boost for the player and United's midfield department.

But, to lose three goals at home, the defence and midfield need to be better than that in terms of concentration.

Reports also emerged yesterday that midfield hardman, Gennaro Gattuso is open to a move to Chelsea.

What's your view on your long-term position? Do you see yourself as the holding midfield player or slightly more advanced?

Wenger might like to rest Hleb but his midfield options have been restricted by Tomas Rosicky's continued absence.

I put Momo Sissoko on in the second half because we needed him to get us more control in the centre of midfield.

I can see Scola Chelsea, the only difference is, Deco , who in the past and he is a different type of midfield.

English fans suddenly saw a void in midfield at the World Cup. But how did Argentines feel after such an unfortunate situation like that?

Here, Nigel Reo-Coker was shunted back from midfield to try to contain Rooney, Ronaldo and Giggs.

Ask yourself if you can honestly see a centre midfield of Poulsen and Sissoko leading the club to Serie A or Champions League glory.

Ask yourself if you can honestly see a centre midfield of Poulsen and Sissoko leading the club to Serie A or Champions League glory.

After moving to Porto from Boavista in 2004, he was initially deployed at left-back before commanding a more familiar central midfield role.

'Maybe the player you can compare him most to in that midfield is Garcia, because he's not really a flair player, and he keeps it simple.

Player: Spain - Iniesta Villa has to support the strikers if Harvey control of midfield, then a link between the two is Iniesta.

If they weren't playing with wingers , he was going to have three defenders against their two forwards and flood midfield.

However since Liverpool signed Javier Mascherano the Spaniard has found his opportunities in midfield limited.

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown believes the Gunners need an experienced player in midfield if they are to be competitive next season.

He won every challenge in midfield, recovered a high percentage of balls and was crucial on the first and third goals.

In closing, a comment on Carlo Ancelotti's new system for new season: 'With a three-man defence there will be more space in midfield.

Genoa's midfield general Alberto Zapater has thrown down the gauntlet to Juventus, telling the Italian Press he wants to beat them.

Fired by 19 goals from midfield by Scott Sinclair, the Swans enjoyed a strong campaign.

Wright-Phillips replaced Joe Cole giving a midfield of Wright-Phillips, Gudjohnsen, Maniche, Lampard and Robben.

Pacheco has been utilised in a new role this season for the reserves playing on the left and right side of midfield.

If you only play with two in midfield and he left that area, Arsenal would be more exposed.

As usual Frimpong was a driving force from the centre of midfield, particularly in the second half at Eastlands.

He is a powerful young international and is a versatile footballer who can operate both in midfield and as a striker.

Mainly that Wright-Phillips is best with chalk on his boots and let's have Essien in midfield from now on please.

On Saturday they all played in midfield. Tonight Ozil played closer to the wing. A quality player like him adapts to anything.

Passing is a key indicator of a good midfield performance.

What a midfield it would have made if at their prime, Vieira and Gattuso played together.

I have to decide because he's so young, he would stay alone in midfield and that can be dangerous.

Paul Scholes has revealed his admiration for Ryan Tunnicliffe as the debate as to who could fill his shoes in midfield continues.

The midfield ace has surprised everyone with his fast recovery from the knee ligament injury he picked up last month.

He has a way of dominating a midfield, almost unnoticed at times, but his work rate and ability to instigate a counter attack is invaluable.

Jose Mourinho has plenty of options in midfield and Cole concedes he will have to battle to regain his place.

Flamini has formed an impressive midfield partnership with Spaniard Cesc Fabregas this season.

In the first half our tactics were not perfect, we had some difficulties in midfield, but after that we took control of the match.

Our priority right now is to sign a forceful midfielder who can keep the midfield department together.

Edge, 15, passed a medical at the Emirates Stadium after the two clubs agreed a compensation fee for the defender or midfield player.

"I feel I have some good years left playing in midfield but later in my career you never know, " he said.

Yet the reality is that while both sides maintained their dual-man insurance policy in midfield, the game was bound to stutter.

In blue, the half-and-half wingers under Carlo Ancelotti - defending wide, but coming inside to link midfield and attack.

Effective and lethal, these two are the perfect combination in midfield.

But the concerns linger about whether the centre of their midfield is good enough.

He immediately formed a good partnership with M-Top, and they ran the show from midfield for the rest of the game.

Wayne Rooney has found his scoring touch again after a quiet few games in midfield following a sensational start to the season.

The Arsenal midfield will be on alert for his sudden appearances in their territory.

Pires netted 14 Premiership goals last season, a highly impressive rate for a midfield player.

The three central defenders provide extra resoluteness, while the three in midfield are all located around the centre circle.

In fantasy land, I'd have three men in midfield - Gerrard, Souness and Whelan - with Dalglish, Torres and Fowler up front!

New formation In response to the red card, Essien goes back into defence and Wright - Phillips into midfield.

At his best, he's the bundle of youthful energy, skill and aggression United's midfield so obviously needs.

It does not matter really because the Brazilian was the midfield maestro.

Benitez also reserved words of praise for Lucas, who put in another commanding performance in the centre of midfield.

Then, there is Seedorf in midfield, Kaka in the more advanced role and Sheva as one of the strikers.

We took a risk going three at the back, three in midfield and stuck four up front.

Brocchi has been promoted by Berlusconi and is doing very well, I personally really like a midfield of Gattuso-Pirlo-Brocchi-Seedorf.

Back in midfield, Fulham manager Chris Coleman rates Papa Bouba Diop's chances of taken part on Saturday as 30-70.

Barry worked hard to try to contain the Belarus midfield.

Again, he leaves with most of the knowledgeable fans' gratitude and warm memories of some outstanding midfield play.

According to the Spanish press, Fernando Alonso is growing weary of life in the formula one midfield.

Tight marking or even man marking in midfield can have massive effects on the defensive performance.

The Milan midfield star is convinced getting the best Scots coaches in the highest positions has transformed our football fortunes.

They currently ply their trade in the Brazilian Second Division and are struggling to keep hold of midfield ace Nilton.

The sporting directors thought that several positions in the midfield needed to be filled by new players, which is why we brought some in.

I choose Makelele simply because he is quite simply the best holding midfield player in the world.

We only know that he's a great attacking player but he wasn't a winger or a midfielder or strong enough to defend in midfield.

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson was pleased with his new-look midfield in victory over West Ham United.

The team used the width well and broke quickly through midfield, counter-attacking with quick passes.

Steven Gerrard swapped centre midfield for centre stage last night at Liverpool's Empire Theatre.

Mourinho again goes with a midfield diamond.

Barcelona midfield ace Xavi admits he'd welcome Chelsea star Frank Lampard to the Nou Camp next season.

They were very powerful in midfield and in the second-half had complete control of the game by passing.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are going head-to-head for Chelsea midfield ace Frank Lampard.

Will he go with a midfield diamond because he doesn't want to be outnumbered again?

They were good in defence and midfield, but they lacked something up front.

Moreover, they have also secured [Vikash] Dhorasoo, a well-experienced player, an excellent alternative for the midfield.

They also came up with their own diamond shaped midfield using Osman at the top just to counter Chelsea.

Yoann Gourcuff The France and Bordeaux midfield player is adept at unlocking defences.

They gave such masterly displays in midfield that we ran the game and got an excellent result.

We worked well and played some good football, especially in the midfield where we kept possession.

Even though I started out at right-back, I actually enjoy the contrast of playing both at full-back and in midfield.

Before this, Ferguson had also reorganised his midfield with Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes swapping positions.

Maniche replaced him, going into holding midfield with Essien switching to left-back.

This would mean that centre midfield positions become even more competitive.

Claudio Marchisio was great in the midfield. I had no doubts that he is a good player, he has quality and personality.

The midfield pressed and compressed space brilliantly.

Cole highlights the midfield area as where Man United have most raised their game this season.

Chelsea's midfield options are suddenly looking formidable.

He played on the right side of midfield, unusual for him, and Germany's play looked lop-sided.