Two current Chelsea stars and a high profile Manchester United target feature.
The midfielders are arguably the most important players in any side for their versatility in defence and attack.
Midfielders dictate the pace and tempo of a team’s play, commonly covering more ground over the course of a match meaning they have to put in a high work rate in every game.
The World Cup group stage saw some outstanding midfield performances and we’ve decided to take a look at the best performers in key areas.
Goals
| Country | Pos | Goals | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arjen Robben | Netherlands | MF | 3 | 3 | 270 |
| James Rodríguez | Colombia | MF | 3 | 3 | 225 |
| Xherdan Shaqiri | Switzerland | MF | 3 | 3 | 267 |
| André Ayew | Ghana | MF | 2 | 3 | 261 |
| Ivan Perisic | Croatia | MF | 2 | 3 | 258 |
Manchester United transfer target Arjen Robben is among the players who lead the way in terms of goals. Liverpool will be interested to see Xherdan Shaqiri on this list in light of the fact they’ll have Luis Suarez unavailable for a significant chunk of next season.
Assists
| Country | Pos | Goal Assist | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juan Guillermo Cuadrado | Colombia | MF | 3 | 3 | 225 |
| Eden Hazard | Belgium | MF | 2 | 3 | 182 |
| Oscar | Brazil | MF | 2 | 3 | 264 |
| James Rodríguez | Colombia | MF | 2 | 3 | 225 |
| Graham Zusi | USA | MF | 2 | 3 | 186 |
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho will have a big grin on his face as two of his players appear in this section. Accumulatively, Eden Hazard and Oscar produced more assists than Colombia’s Cuadrado at the top and they should be looking to carry that momentum into next season.
Tackles Won
| Country | Pos | Won Tackle | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar | Brazil | MF | 15 | 3 | 264 |
| Javier Mascherano | Argentina | MF | 13 | 3 | 270 |
| Christian Noboa | Ecuador | MF | 13 | 3 | 269 |
| Andranik Teymourian | Iran | MF | 11 | 3 | 270 |
| Giannis Maniatis | Greece | MF | 10 | 3 | 270 |
Chelsea boss Mourinho will also be pleased to see Oscar at the top of the tackles won list for the group games. He urged his midfielders to work hard defensively last season, something which ultimately lead to the sale of Juan Mata to Manchester United, and the tackling side of Oscar’s game seems to be developing well.
Successful Dribbles
| Country | Pos | Won Contest | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ángel Di María | Argentina | MF | 14 | 3 | 269 |
| Eden Hazard | Belgium | MF | 13 | 3 | 182 |
| Miralem Pjanic | Bosnia and Herzegovina | MF | 13 | 3 | 270 |
| Yaya Touré | Côte d’Ivoire | MF | 12 | 3 | 270 |
| Arjen Robben | Netherlands | MF | 10 | 3 | 270 |
Arsenal target Angel Di Maria tops this list, but Eden Hazard appears once again. There’s little to separate the best performers in this group and it will also be pleasing for Manchester City fans to see Yaya Toure in this section, if he’s still their player by the start of next season.
Accurate Passes
| Country | Pos | Accurate Pass | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toni Kroos | Germany | MF | 270 | 3 | 270 |
| Javier Mascherano | Argentina | MF | 262 | 3 | 270 |
| Philipp Lahm | Germany | MF | 259 | 3 | 270 |
| Andrea Pirlo | Italy | MF | 250 | 3 | 270 |
| Fernando Gago | Argentina | MF | 228 | 3 | 225 |
It would be remarkable if Pep Guardiola didn’t put up a huge fight to stop Toni Kroos leaving Bayern Munich. The Manchester United linked midfielder was precise with his passing throughout the group stage, which is a tribute to how well he protects possession.
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