5 best midfield trios in Europe right now (2021)
The midfield is the spine of any football team. You can have great players in defence and the best marksmen patrolling the final third and it will all amount to nothing if the midfield isn't strong enough.
Having some great playmakers in the side is a big bonus. However, sometimes a team has to rest one of theirt creative minds for the sake of establishing order in midfield. That's why a team's midfield needs to be balanced.
Teams have to win midfield battles and that means they have to come first in duels, make interceptions and also be able to recycle possession efficiently. So a well-balanced midfield will have ball-winners and playmakers.
Most football teams choose to work with three players in their midfield. It lends the right amount of stability to the team in the center of the park.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the best midfield trios in Europe right now.
#5 Chelsea
Chelsea have some extremely talented midfielders on their payroll. They have an assortment of world-class midfielders from across Europe. The Blues arguably have the most depth in defensive midfield among all the European giants. They currently have Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante and Saul Niguez.
They also have plenty of central midfielders in their squad. Thomas Tuchel usually deploys a 3-4-2-1 formation. Jorginho is a mainstay in Chelsea's midfield while the others alternate. Jorginho and Kante make for an excellent double pivot in midfield.
While Jorginho won the UEFA Footballer of the Year Award, N'Golo Kante was named the Midfielder of the Year.
Kovacic has also been in exceptional form this term and he brings something different as opposed to Kante. The Croatia international is excellent with the ball at his feet and makes driving runs from midfield. His slick passing, vision and work ethic make him one of the most dynamic midfielders in Europe.
The final member of Chelsea's midfield trio is usually Mason Mount, who plays as one of the two attacking midfielders.
Mount has a very high work rate and helps out during defensive transitions as well. Jorginho keeps things ticking in midfield and is able to turn over possession thanks to his wonderful game-reading ability.
The Blues have cruised to the knockout stages of the Champions League and are currently third in the Premier League table. They have their midfield to thank for that.
I miss seeing Jorginho and Kovacic running games in midfield. https://t.co/cN8iISrQ9t
#4 Liverpool
Liverpool midfielders are primarily tasked with adopting aggressive measures to win the ball back in the center of the pitch or in the attacking half. Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara make for a wonderful midfield trio.
Henderson is one of the most industrious central midfielders in the Premier League. The Englishman is excellent at closing down opponents and at cutting passing lanes. Henderson has also shown that he is capable of pulling off some lovely through balls and also chipping in with some spectacular goals.
Fabinho is a no-nonsense defensive midfielder who makes tackles and wins aerial duels quite efficiently. He is also a very good forward passer of the ball and the Brazilian is important to kickstarting attacking transitions.
Thiago has looked much more like the player Liverpool believed they were signing in the summer of 2020. The Spaniard has looked sharp in recent weeks and on his day, it is hard to find a midfielder who's more technically gifted than him.
Whatever you think of Jordan Henderson...
It's pretty amazing to see the player and leader he has become when he was once on the verge of being swapped for Clint Dempsey at Fulham.
What a captain's performance it was against Everton 🔥
📹 @LFC https://t.co/7EPtj9o3uU