Sportskeeda Football Awards 2014: Midfielders of the Year

Germany's World Cup win proved that 2014 has been the year of the midfielder. For much of the World Cup, the Germans played without a recognised striker and showed that if you have a solid midfield that can not only create, but also score goals, then you don’t need a striker. Often unsung heroes while the forwards take all the credit, 2014 has seen the rise of some truly gifted midfielders and arrival of some midfielders who will go on to dominate in the coming years. For the purpose of this list, only players who have played in central midfield, either defensively or offensively have been taken into account as wingers are also considered as forwards. So let us take a look at who makes it into the list of the top 10 midfielders in the calendar year 2014.Honourable mentions: Yaya Toure, Arturo Vidal, David Silva and Bastian Schweinsteiger don’t make the cut as they weren’t consistent throughout the calendar year. All stats are from ESPNFC (until Dec 13)VOTE at the end of the slideshow for the best midfielder in 2014.

#10 Nemanja Matic - Benfica/Chelsea

3 goals and 7 assists from 41 appearances

Ever since signing for Chelsea in January 2014, Nemanja Matic has become an indispensable part of the Chelsea line up. The reigning Serbian Player of the Year has quickly established himself as one of the finest defensive midfielders in the world.

One of the main reasons why Matic creeps into the top ten has been his consistent performances for the Blues this season and his ability to combine brain and brawn to shield the defence with complete control.

The man mountain has been rock solid sitting just in front of the back four and mopping up, but at the same time has shown that he can rampage forward with real purpose and is a big threat during set pieces. He has also forged a successful partnership with Cesc Fabregas.

How much do Chelsea rely on him? The Blues lost their first game this season when he was not in the squad against Newcastle at St James’ Park.