Top 10 Defensive Midfielders

jonjoward1998
Aug 4, 2025
7 min read

The role of a defensive midfielder is simple. They just sit deep, protect the defence and dictate play and them doing that gives the players further up the pitch the licence to get forward.

Defensive midfielders have been around in the Premier League probably since the foreign managers first came over as that was when formations started to evolve.

The majority of teams in England played 4-4-2 during the early years of the Premier League which required just two general midfielders but since the foreign managers came over, a lot teams have been playing with either a 4-3-3, which requires one defensive midfielder, or a 4-2-3-1, which requires two sitting midfielders with one staying put and the other maybe given the licence to roam up the pitch.

A lot of players in this position have often been seen as underrated as they've quietly gone under the radar by getting on with their jobs whilst the players further up the pitch have been getting most of the plaudits.

But they have been getting a lot recognition in recent years as their importance to a team is valued a lot of more than it was maybe 12-15 years ago.

When I look back at my list, the one player that probably should've been on it was Gareth Barry because of his longevity and the fact that he's the record Premier League appearance maker.

Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira maybe could've been on it as well, but I see those two more as box-to-box midfielders.

Now without further ordo, here is the list:

Emmanuel Petit

N'Golo Kante

Fernandinho

Claude Makelele

Rodri

Fabinho

Declan Rice

Michael Carrick

Nemanja Matic

Nigel De Jong

Nigel De Jong

De Jong was one Man City's first signings under their Abu Dhabi ownership and was an important part of their success during the early years of the takeover.

He wasn't always a guaranteed starter for City during the season they won their first Premier League title in 2012 due to Gareth Barry being preferred most of the time, but he was a valuable squad player that season by stepping up when called upon.

He was strong, physical and tough off the ball, but on the ball he was a brilliant passer as he could play the ball both short to keep things tidy in midfield, and long if a player was ready to make a run.

But he could at times he a little over-aggressive with one example of this being in the 2010 World Cup final for Holland against Spain when he stuck his studs into Xabi Alonso's chest, but somehow wasn't sent off.

Declan Rice

Rice probably shouldn't be on this list as he's seen more as a box-to-box midfielder due to his energy and ability to get forward.

But he did start out as a defensive midfielder when he was at West Ham and joined Arsenal as one before he was moved further up the pitch.

He can still play in that position as he's tenacious, tough, a top tackler, has bags of energy and is a brilliant passer of the ball as well as a brilliant carrier of it.

He's made such a difference to Arsenal since he's been there as he's toughened them up in midfield, and has brought both energy and leadership to the team.

He's set to play another major role for Arsenal this coming season as they look to go one better and win the Premier League.

Nemanja Matic

Matic was right up there among the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League and in Europe on his day and especially when he was at Chelsea.

He was a key part of both title winning teams he was part of at Chelsea in 2015 and 2017 with 2015 being the season where he got the most recognition.

His solid performances in midfield were crucial to Chelsea winning the title that season where he was one of their standout performers alongside the likes of Hazard, Costa and Fabregas.

He didn't get the same recognition in 2017 as his midfield partner N'Golo Kante was getting all the plaudits, but he still played an important role that season by putting in solid performances week in week out whilst going under the radar.

He went to Man United off the back of that season and had a good first season there. But he wasn't the same player in the following seasons as he no longer had the legs to be effective in midfield.

Fabinho

Fabinho was an integral part of that Liverpool side that won everything under Jurgen Klopp by just sitting deep and clearing up everything in front of him.

Him doing all that gave the two midfielders ahead of him the licence to push up the pitch and help the attacking players out, knowing that they had someone behind them doing all the dirty work.

It took him time to settle into the Premier League as it does for a lot of new players coming into a new league. But once his adaptation period was over, he went on to be a guaranteed starter and play a major role for the reds during their title winning season in 2020.

Alongside putting in a number of solid performances at the base of the midfield, he could also strike the ball from distance and he did that when he scored those two incredible strikes against Man City and Crystal Palace in the season Liverpool won the title.

Claude Makelele

Makelele should probably be higher as the position of defensive midfielder was named after him and later referred to as the 'Makelele role'.

He effectively changed the role of a defensive midfielder during his time at Chelsea by sitting in front of the defence on his own, breaking up play and making lots of crucial interventions.

His performances at the base of Chelsea's midfield made him one of their most important players under Jose Mourinho when they one those back-to-back titles under him in 2005 and 2006.

He was one of the players that took Chelsea onto another level when he arrived by doing what he did in terms of tackling and disrupting the opposition.

Michael Carrick

Carrick has to be one of the most underrated players in Premier League history as he didn't always get the credit he deserved.

He was one of the finest passers of the ball of his generation due to his incredible vision and ability to both pick out any kind of pass and dictate play in midfield.

He won five Premier League titles during his time at Man United and he played a major role in every single one despite not getting the recognition he deserved.

He was arguably United's best outfield player after Fergie left as United were always a better team when he was available due to his ability to control the flow of a game from midfield.

He is one of a number of players who United haven't really replaced since he retired.

Fernandinho

Fernandinho was the master of the tactical foul as he would do anything to stop the game and disrupt the opposition's forward play.

He was underrated for quite some time when he was at Man City and it wasn't until Pep arrived when he began getting the plaudits he deserved.

His game went onto another level when Pep arrived at City as he went on to become one of the best defensive midfielders in the world due to his ability to dictate play in midfield, and ability to sniff out danger.

He was an integral part of City's first two title wins under Pep in 2018 and 2019 respectively and both of them came as he was approaching the twilight years of his career. He showed that age of very much a number on in both campaigns and especially in the second one where he turned 34.

Emmanuel Petit

Arsenal had a solid backbone to their team during the early years of the Premier League, and in the early years of Arsene Wenger's reign and Petit was a key reason why.

He made Arsenal a tough and physical team to play against during his time there as he was physical, strong and tenacious as well as a good reader of the game.

He also had an eye for a pass and an eye for a goal as he could pick out any kind of pass due to his incredible vision, and could striker the ball from almost any distance.

He had a strong partnership with Patrick Vieira throughout his time at Arsenal and their partnership was key to them winning the title in 1998.

N'Golo Kante

Kante is probably the fittest player I have ever seen due to his incredible energy and the amount of ground he could cover.

He made countless crucial interventions due to his incredible energy and work rate which played a big role in both title winning sides he was part of with Leicester and Chelsea, and it was what made him one of if not the best defensive midfielder in the world.

There was once a saying that said: "71% of the world is covered by water, the rest is covered by N'Golo Kante.

He was like two players because of the amount of ground he cover on a football pitch.

Rodri

Rodri hasn't been around for a very long time, but he had to be my no.1 simply because he's a Ballon D'or winner.

It did take him him time to settle into the Premier League as he struggled with the physicality of the league for much of his first season.

But he soon toughened up and went on to play a major role in Man City four straight Premier League titles both through his tenacity and his ability to control the flow of a game in midfield.

He was a massive loss for City last season as they were very easy to play against for the majority of the season and now he's back from that ACL injury, City will be looking to return to the heights they were used to reaching.

MY TOP 10: