Manchester United targets, a former Liverpool player and a Chelsea attacker all feature.
There were some world class midfield performances at the World Cup in Brazil as Germany’s stars get all of the headlines today after a narrow win against Argentina in the final.
Some top performers have already been on the move in the transfer market, as pre-season now kicks in and attention switches to the start of the Premier League and other domestic European seasons.
We’ve taken a look at several key statistical areas and assessed the best midfielders in Brazil.
Goals
| Team | Pos | Goals | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Rodríguez | Colombia | MF | 6 | 5 | 400 |
| Arjen Robben | Netherlands | MF | 3 | 7 | 690 |
| André Schürrle | Germany | MF | 3 | 6 | 244 |
| Xherdan Shaqiri | Switzerland | MF | 3 | 4 | 387 |
| André Ayew | Ghana | MF | 2 | 3 | 261 |
Colombian star James Rodriguez is way out ahead of everyone else in terms of goals from midfield and he may well have scored more had his nation stayed in the tournament for longer. It’s no wonder why Real Madrid are reportedly scrapping hard for his signature.
Assists
| Team | Pos | Goal Assist | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juan Guillermo Cuadrado | Colombia | MF | 4 | 5 | 386 |
| Toni Kroos | Germany | MF | 3 | 7 | 689 |
| Abel Aguilar | Colombia | MF | 2 | 3 | 238 |
| Christian Bolaños | Costa Rica | MF | 2 | 5 | 413 |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Belgium | MF | 2 | 4 | 390 |
Two Manchester United transfer targets appear at the top of this list with Juan Cuadrado the more realistic. Real Madrid are being tipped to complete a move for Toni Kroos although Bayern Munich may now be more convinced than ever to try and keep him.
Tackles Won
| Team | Pos | Won Tackle | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Javier Mascherano | Argentina | MF | 23 | 7 | 720 |
| Oscar | Brazil | MF | 20 | 7 | 639 |
| Toni Kroos | Germany | MF | 15 | 7 | 689 |
| Valon Behrami | Switzerland | MF | 13 | 4 | 345 |
| Luiz Gustavo | Brazil | MF | 13 | 6 | 525 |
No midfielder was more effective than former Liverpool star Javier Mascherano when it came to winning tackles and breaking up the play. Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho will also be pleased to see Oscar near the top of this list considering he’s predominantly a forward thinking and attacking midfielder.
Interceptions Won
| Team | Pos | Interception Won | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luiz Gustavo | Brazil | MF | 23 | 6 | 525 |
| Javier Mascherano | Argentina | MF | 16 | 7 | 720 |
| Kwadwo Asamoah | Ghana | MF | 11 | 3 | 270 |
| Stéphane Mbia | Cameroon | MF | 11 | 3 | 270 |
| Ogenyi Onazi | Nigeria | MF | 10 | 4 | 329 |
Mascherano appears near the top of another section, but he’s trumped by Luiz Gustavo. Gustavo has been linked with several sides this summer including Chelsea and Manchester United who could do a lot worse than throwing some cash at him in attempts to pull off a deal.
Accurate Passes
| Team | Pos | Accurate Pass | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toni Kroos | Germany | MF | 544 | 7 | 689 |
| Philipp Lahm | Germany | MF | 529 | 7 | 690 |
| Javier Mascherano | Argentina | MF | 515 | 7 | 720 |
| Bastian Schweinsteiger | Germany | MF | 384 | 6 | 505 |
| Fernando Gago | Argentina | MF | 328 | 6 | 373 |
It shouldn’t be a major surprise to see so many German players featuring in this section with Kroos once again right at the top of the tree. A large part of Germany’s success will be put down to the way they dominated and controlled the passing aspect of the game.
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