Top 10 Box-To-Box Midfielders

A box-to-box midfielder is a midfielder who has a lot of energy and is effective at both sides of the game and the Premier League has seen many of them over the years.

It was around about 10 years ago where they were beginning to be phased out of the game as the majority of teams were moving away from playing a 4-4-2 to playing a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 with the latter using two defensive midfielders in front of the back four and an attacking midfielder behind the striker.

But I do think they're beginning to make a comeback as a lot of managers are now asking their midfielders to work hard off the ball as well as on it.

Declan Rice is the player who I think has brought the role back into existence as he's grown into that kind of player at Arsenal by being effective both in defence and in attack.

This top 10 might as well be called the top 10 no.8's as the majority of box-to-box midfielders do play in the no.8 position because of their ability to do both sides of the game.

Some of the best midfielders to play in the Premier League are on the list and before I reveal it, I want to warn you all that one of the most-talked about debates is likely to come up.

Now here is the list:

Yaya Toure

Paul Scholes

Frank Lampard

Patrick Vieira

Steven Gerrard

Roy Keane

Declan Rice

Jordan Henderson

Ilkay Gundogan

James Milner

10. Declan Rice

I wrote about Rice when I did defensive midfielders as that was the position he started out in at West Ham.

But now I see him more as a box-to-box midfielder because he's become that player since he's been at Arsenal because of his energy which enables him to be effective both defensively and offensively.

He's become arguably the best all-round midfielder in the Premier League since he's been at Arsenal as the attacking side of his game has improved a lot by making runs into the box to score goals, and he's one of the best at winning the ball back.

He's made a massive difference to Arsenal since he's been there as he's toughened them up in midfield with his tackling abilities and he's also brought more leadership to the team as well.

He'll probably be higher up this list in a few years time if he continues growing as a player.

9. Jordan Henderson

Henderson might not have been the most technically gifted midfielder player in the world in his prime, but what he did have was bags of energy, tenacity and the ability to pick out any kind of pass.

His work-rate off the ball was what made him a key player at Liverpool as well as his leadership on the pitch because he was always willing to win the ball back and press opponents high due to the engine he had.

His energy, work-rate and leadership on the pitch were all key to the success he achieved at Liverpool and especially during their title winning season in 2020 where he won the Football Writers Player of the Season award.

He returned to the Premier League with Brentford in the summer where he's been used in a more defensive role due to his age and he's shown that he's still got a lot to offer.

8. James Milner

Milner has been one of the most versatile players the Premier League has ever seen as he's filled in both full back positions, out wide and even at centre forward as well as in central midfield.

But central midfield is where he's been at his best because of his energy, work rate, tenacity and ability to pick out passes from anywhere on the pitch.

He played there mostly for Liverpool which for me was the club where he played his best football because he benefitted a lot from being played in his best position and was a more valuable player than he was at his previous clubs.

He was a valuable player for Liverpool both on and off the pitch as he gave it his all in every game and helped the younger players coming through with both his leadership and experience.

He's incredibly still playing at the age of 39 at Brighton and only needs to play nine more games to overtake Gareth Barry at the top of the all-time Premier League appearances charts.

7. Ilkay Gundogan

Gundogan was used both as a holding midfielder and as a no.8 and being able to play in both positions made him an effective box-to-box midfielder.

The no.8 role was of course his best position as it gave him the freedom and licence to make runs into the box and score goals.

He scored a lot of important goals during his first spell at Man City and the majority of them played a key role in the success he achieved there.

He wasn't always a guaranteed starter for City because of the players he was fighting out with for a place in the team like Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Bernardo Silva and even Phil Foden.

But he always stepped up when called upon and him doing that made him an important player for City.

He won everything on offer at City including five Premier League title and he also captained them to the treble in 2023.

6. Roy Keane

Keane was known more for the defensive side of the game because of his tenacity and tackling abilities, but he did also help his team out at the other end in scoring the odd crucial goal.

He was an all-action midfielder in that he was always determined to win the ball back for his team, had a lot energy which enabled him to get around the pitch and do both sides of the game.

He was a player with a winning mentality as he was desperate for his team to win games and be successful because of his leadership and the standards he set on the pitch.

He wasn't the most technically gifted player, but he made up for it in his energy, work rate and determination to win challenges.

5. Patrick Vieira

Vieira was also known for the defensive side of his game because of his physicality, strength and tenacity.

But he was also an exceptionally gifted player on the ball as he was skilful, agile and a brilliant carrier of the ball up the pitch.

Arsenal had a strong backbone to their side during their early years under Arsene Wenger because of the toughness and physicality he brought to the midfield which made the Gunners a tough team to play against.

His ability to be effective at both sides of the game made him one of the finest midfielders of his generation and a key factor behind the titles he won at Arsenal.

4. Yaya Toure

Toure was probably the last box-to-box midfielder before the role was phased out as there weren't many around at the time due to the game evolving.

He was a midfield powerhouse at Man City as he would get back to help his team out defensively before making a bursting run forward to score or assist a goal.

He was known for making those busting runs into the box from deep positions during his time at City because of his energy and desire to get up the other end to score goals.

He scored a lot of important goals for City and a lot of them came from those deep runs into the box he kept making time and time again.

The 2013/14 season was without a doubt his best season in a City shirt as he scored 20 goals to help City win the title that season.

He was a player who stepped up whenever his team needed someone to and he did that many times during that season as well as in the other seasons he spent at the club.

3. Frank Lampard

You all probably guessed who would be in the top three when you saw the list.

Now it's time to settle the debate of all debates in who is the best box-to-box midfielder in the Premier League.

Lampard comes in a three because he was just a goal scorer.

He had a knack of getting into the box to score goals throughout his career because of his desire and determination to score goals and make a difference for his team.

He's the highest scoring midfielder in the Premier League with 177 goals and is also Chelsea's record goal scorer with 211 goals which is some achievement for a midfield player.

He was a good passer of the ball as well due to his vision which enabled him to pick out his teammates.

But his main attribute was scoring goals.

2. Paul Scholes

Scholes was one of the finest passers of the ball you'll ever see because of his vision and ability to pick one out from almost anywhere on the pitch.

He could also run a game from midfield because of his passing abilities which enabled him to dictate play in midfield.

He could play almost anywhere in midfield including as a no.10 and in a deeper role and it was in the deeper role where he reinvented himself as a deep lying playmaker later in his career.

He also loved to get stuck in and make tackles even though they weren't always well timed as he did get the odd booking every now and then.

But he'll still go down as one of the greatest midfielders to play the game because of how good he was on the ball.

1. Steven Gerrard

Now the debate is finally settled.

All three are brilliant players, but Gerrard for me is the best of them because he had more to his game as he had bags of energy, was a brilliant passer of the ball, could score goals and could win games on his own.

He won a lot of games on his own for Liverpool including the 2005 and 2006 Champions League and FA Cup finals respectively where he single-handedly carried Liverpool over the finish line on both occasions.

It was so unfortunate that he never got his hands on a Premier League title because he really deserved one because of the player he was and the career he had.

Going back to the first point, how England couldn't fit all the top three in the same team is incredible given the quality of players they all were.

I think we could've had them all in the same team with Scholes playing deeper and acting as the deep-lying playmaker with Gerrard and Lampard being given the freedom to express themselves.

MY TOP 10:

1. Steven Gerrard

2. Paul Scholes

3. Frank Lampard

4. Yaya Toure

5. Patrick Vieira

6. Roy Keane

7. Ilkay Gundogan

8. James Milner

9. Jordan Henderson

10. Declan Rice