3 years, 2 league titles and a Champions League title. At some clubs this would guarantee hero status, at Real Madrid it led to an acrimonious departure. You would be forgiven for a suming this was the fate of an out of favour manager fallen foul of thehierarchy (Madrid, a club containing more politics than a Question Time omnibus) however the departing party was no disgruntled coach, but rather the anchor of Real Madrids midfield, Claude Makelele.I use this example to illustrate one of footballs most overlooked positions, the defensive midfielder. When Makelele, the man many credit with, if not inventing certainly perfecting the holding role in midfield, left Real Madrid it was not to well wishes but rather to vitriolicpotshots from President FlorintinoPerez, He wasnt a header of the ball and he rarely pa sed the ball more than three meters, Perez said. Younger players will arrive who will cause Makelele to be forgotten (they didnt). It was simple economics, Makelelewas not Beckham,Zidane or Figo,but while he may not have been the top seller in the club shop, his presence in a Madrid shirt was a welcome sight for his team mates. It was Makelelesmastery of the subtle that fostered the sublime of the Glacticos,as Zidane put Brett Anderson Jersey it, Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?In five years at Chelsea, Makelele helped win two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups.2 of the most underrated players of our generation?Football as a whole however has still failed to take suchplayers totheir heart. Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United, despite a noticeabledeficiencyin the area, all started this premier league season without addre sing the centre of their midfield, (although we saw arrivals to Arsenal and United in the form of Flamini and Fellanirespectively). The holding midfield role, perhaps more than any other is most susceptible to a sort of tactical shoehorning, Man Uniteds midfield at any time can cycle between, Phil Jones, a natural CB, Tom Cleverly who Kevin Pillar Jersey does not appear at all as Scholes heir, Fellainiwho seems to operate in some sort of nihilist fantasy, a man without a position, while even Wayne Rooney has been drafted in to try and add some squarene s to that which is rather round. Chelsea for their part appear to have settled on a midfield of Ramires and Lampard, a duo whodoubtle s havetheir talents, are not natural holdingmidfielders. While Arsenal seemed to be content to stick with a midfield, while technically gorgeousat times, perhaps lax in their defensive responsibilities. Indeed the return of free transfer MathieuFlaminito the Emirates wastreated with derision and even resentment by some quarters,ignoring the important role the Frenchman played in the Arsenal midfield before his departure.So what constitutes a good defensivemidfielder? Indeed, pundits and fans alike seem perplexed by the position, leading to the phenomenonof, well they dont do very much. On the surface level the defensivemidfielderis thereto, well defend the midfield. This is certainly an important aspect of the role. The destroyer of the midfield however is becoming something of anantiquityin the modern game. There is a common misconception that to excel in this area, one must channel the likes of Chopper Harris,VinneJones or Roy Keane, alas though acting as the hardman of the midfield is not enough these days. The true defensive midfielderoperates like the blurb of a karma sutra, position is everything. Le s emphasis is placed on succe sfultackles and instead statistical analysis relies heavier on aspects such as interceptions. Indeed the role of the destroyer is now more akin to a screener, le s the bomb disposalexpert than the package scanner at the post office, identifying danger before it Troy Tulowitzki Jersey becomes a threat. Players such as Mikel, Lucas Leiva,Khediraand Busquetsexcel in this aspect.This is not to say such players act as a pa senger when it comes to attack. Atrulygreat holding midfielder will aim to involve himself more effectivelywith the offensive aspect of the game. This is where misconceptions about thesemidfielderseffectivene s usually arrive. Unlike strikers or attacking midfielders,the statistical evidence can be something of a red herring. If we look at a player such as Barcelonas Sergio Busquets,we can see a perfect example of this. Looking at his personal stats for 2012/13, a return of 2 a sists and 1 goal seems a disappointing return from the midfield of such a stellarteam. If you indulge me another metaphor, in Hollywood terms (hold any quipsabout his abilities as an actor),Busquetsis not the director of the game like his compatriots Xavi or Iniesta,but rather takes the le s celebrated role of the producer, someone who keeps the show running and indeed gets the ball rolling. The same season Busquets finished the season with a 92% pa s completion rate, giving the ball away a miserly 23 times throughout the campaign. It is exactly this economy with the ball that serves as a hallmark of the best holding midfielders.That is not to say that such players are consigned to the shadows of the football pitch, which leads us to the deep-lying playmaker. In 2011, A.C. Milan committed an act of football blasphemy when they allowed Andrea Pirloto run Devon Travis Jersey out his contract and join rivals Juventus for the grand total of zilch. 2 years, 2 titles for Juventus (notice a trend) and 1 terrific beard later and Berlusconi was surely crying in his Bond villain underground lair. Anyone who has witne sed Pirlosstellar displays in the last few seasons cant help but be impre sed with his performances, spearheading Italys run to the Euro 2012 final and consequently helping to persuade the casual observer of the beauty present in the position. The deep-lying playmakerorregista,as typified by the likes of Xabi Alonso, IlkayGundoganand Bastian Schweinsteigeract as the quarterbackof the team, able to identify the right ball to play at the right time.The important developmentof the holdingmidfielderis that teams no longer just play one type or the other. With the growing trend of the 4-2-3-1 dominating the formations of the top clubs, the role of the double pivot is Toronto Blue Jays Jersey crucial. Usually a defensivemidfielderwill be paired with theseregistasor even a more traditional box to box midfielder(i.e. Vidal, YayaToure). This allows the team to both effectivelypre s and win the ball, while at the same time making sure that there is the ability tocapitaliseon their po se sion.While a casual viewing of Alan Shearer on a Saturday night may overlook the role of Fernandinhosclever use of po se sion in Manchester Citys win, the impact of the positioncan notbe overlooked. Since Makelelewas dumped out of Real Madrid they ha