The 17 Qualities You Find in Every Great Defensive Midfielder

If you want to improve your game and be the best defensive midfielder you can be, then this is the post for you. Or if you are just interested to know what it takes to be a great defensive midfielder, keep reading, and you’ll soon know.

Firstly, let’s cover a few basics.

What is the role of a defensive midfielder? A defensive midfielder is a midfielder who carries the responsibility of breaking up the flow of play when the opposition has possession of the ball. Their role involves supporting the defense, protecting their goal, and being a link between the defense and attack when needed.

Why is a defensive midfielder important? A defensive midfielder is important in a game of soccer because they can dictate the flow of the game. From this position, a top defensive midfielder can completely control the game and is the link between defense and attack.

Now we’ve established what a defensive midfielder does and why their role is so important to a team, let’s look at those qualities, characteristics, and attributes that every defensive midfielder needs.

Qualities of a Defensive Midfielder

The best defensive midfielders in soccer demonstrate multiple skills.

They possess an acute awareness of what is happening around them while maintaining strict discipline in their position on the field. They are capable of intercepting passes and thwarting attacks, as well as clearly communicating with those around them and taking a leadership role in the team.

To be a good defensive midfielder, a player must show endurance and strength in their position alongside a high level of technical skill.

Let’s look at each of these characteristics now.

1. Defensive Skills

It almost goes without saying, and it is written in the job description that a defensive midfielder should have great defensive skills.

This is probably the most important factor to play in this role. If you can do everything else on this list well, but you can’t defend, then you’re unlikely to even get a look in for this role on the team.

A defensive midfielder plays at the base of midfield and carries the responsibility of being the link between the defenders and midfielders. Their job is to protect the defenders by preventing the ball and opposition players from passing them.

Being good in defense means a few things. One is knowing how to tackle well consistently. You need to be able to stick your foot in to stop the ball at just the right moment so that you don’t foul the other player.

And you need to be able to get your head on the ball before the opposition when the ball is coming in the air.

If you want to know how to head the ball well without it hurting, then click here to read the article I wrote all about it recently.

You also need to be able to shield the ball when you have it to stop any other players from getting it off you. Losing the ball near your own goal is the last thing you want to happen.

2. Awareness

Having a 360-degree awareness of everything that is going on in the field is a vital part of the role of a defensive midfielder.

In fact, I listed it as one of my 4 reasons why soccer is harder than football.

Now, this may seem impossible, and sure, no one is ever going to know exactly where everyone is and what is going on everywhere around them. But when you observe a great defensive midfielder, it almost seems as though they do have this ability.

Have a look at this video of holding midfielder Rodri giving a masterclass on the role of a holding midfielder to get a better understanding of the importance of this.

RODRI MASTERCLASS! | Learn the art of the holding midfielder role

A huge part of their role is to be able to open up the play as soon as possible whenever they have the ball. The quicker they can work out where they should play the ball, the faster they can turn a defensive position into an attacking one for their team.

A defensive midfielder always needs to be observing what is going on around him or her.

If you’re looking to improve your game in this area, then spend the next few games you play intentionally observing everything that’s going on around you. Make it your mission to see as much as you can on the field.

The more you do this, the more natural it will become.

3. Conditioning/Strength/Stamina

Playing the role of defensive midfielder requires an exceptionally high level of fitness and stamina.

It has been worked out that some of the highest-performing midfielders can run over 7 miles(11km) in one 90-minute period. And research has shown that this includes “up to 1,300 changes in exercise intensity during a 90-minute game”.

This is no small feat!

They need to be able to cover the width of the field at all times and always be ready to be where the ball is and stop any attacking players.

To maintain this level of performance throughout a whole season, the player needs to follow a strict conditioning regime.

This will include –

1. Regular exercise to maintain and increase a high level of stamina.
2. Rest to properly recover from the punishing routine they consistently put their body through.
3. Proper daily nutrition to give their body the fuel they need to operate at its peak
4. & Hydration to replace all the lost fluid. All these things will contribute to achieving their peak physical fitness that allows them to be the best they can be.

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4. Discipline and Positioning

When it comes to playing this role for a soccer team, having discipline is key. The team will be relying on you.

This applies to the whole team, not just a defensive midfielder, but for a defensive midfielder, this is especially important. Some teams are set up around this midfielder.

All their plays are designed to go through this player. And as with anything in life, if the key part is missing, then the whole machine can fall apart.

If these players do not have a high level of discipline when it comes to keeping their position, then they won’t be in the right place when they are needed. They need to be able to resist the temptation of running out of position when it’s not necessary.

They need to be there for their team when needed.

To understand more about positions in soccer, have a look at this guide I wrote explaining everything you need to know about soccer positions.

5. Superior passing ability and vision

The defensive midfielder is often playing the role of a playmaker for the team as well.

They are responsible for controlling the flow of the game. Moving the ball from side to side or from front to back as needed.

To move the ball around effectively and efficiently, they need to have the ability to pass the ball exactly where they want to pass it. Just kicking the ball in one direction and hoping for the best is not enough!

To know where the ball needs to go, they have to have expert vision as well. They have to be able to see where the ball needs to go.

If a defensive midfielder can look up, see where one of their attacking players is going to be before they get there, and then pass the ball to that exact spot, they can be the difference between their team winning or losing a soccer game.

6. Ability to read the game

The ability to read the game means the player has an incredible ability to see and understand what is happening in the game, sometimes even before it even happens.

They seem to be able to predict where a player will pass the ball before they even pass it or be able to see where an opposition player will be on the field before they get there.

The better a defensive midfielder is at reading the game, the better they will be at playing their role in the game, and the better their team will be because of it.

7. Tackle well

We mentioned this in passing above, but this is worth highlighting on its own as well. The ability to tackle well can be the difference between the opposition getting through to the goal or not.

When tackling another player, timing is everything. Go in too soon, and the other player will see you coming and potentially change the direction they’re going and run straight past you. Go in too late, and you could end up taking out the other player and giving away a free-kick in a dangerous position.

Being able to tackle well takes time and practice. Learning how to time a tackle well and actually doing it can be what sets apart the good from the great defensive midfielders.

The type of tackle that looks most impressive but also needs to be timed to perfection is the slide tackle. If a player can successfully complete a slide tackle, they can get their team out of trouble and also look good doing it!

If you are going to tackle confidently, you need to know you can trust your shin guards to protect you effectively.

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8. Communicate well

Effective communication on the field of play during a game will allow each player to play much better as part of the team.

Any good team needs to know how to communicate well among themselves. I even listed this as one of my top 21 tips for every soccer player.

They need to understand what they are all thinking, where they are heading, and what they are planning to do. Without this, each player could be in their own little world trying to do something that no other player on the field realizes they are trying to do.

And this can only lead to confusion which is never going to end in good teamwork, only a mess and an ineffective team.

The defensive midfielder has the advantage in the area of communication in that they are playing right at the center of the team. They are within shouting distance of any other player on the field.

If anyone is going to be able to communicate with the rest of the team, it is them. Because of this position and role, any good defensive midfielder will spend time outside of games learning how to communicate most effectively with the rest of their team.

9. Stay calm

When the ball is coming your way, and you have to make a split-second decision on what to do, a defensive midfielder needs to be able to stay calm.

Panicking at this moment or struggling to think straight is going to cause you to make all sorts of mistakes. The player needs to be able to observe the situation objectively and sometimes instinctively decide what he or she is going to do.

Now, remember, being calm isn’t the same as being relaxed.

If the midfielder is just relaxed, then they won’t be ready to act when needed. They may not be aware of what’s going on, and the game and the opposition players could fly by them before they’ve even realized it.

But the skill of being able to stay calm in any highly pressured environment is going to allow the player to operate at their best without being negatively influenced by everything that is going on around them.

10. Maintain a high level of concentration

Having the mental strength and stamina to stay concentrated on the game you are playing for 90 minutes, or sometimes more, can be a struggle unless you have prepared well for it.

In a game of soccer, the game can change suddenly, and the players need to be ready to respond straight away.

If a player allows their mind to wander at those times when they are not directly involved in the play, then they will be unprepared for the ball suddenly coming their way, and they will be behind the rest of the players in working out what they are going to do.

Because of the role the defensive midfielder plays, they need to always be concentrating on what is going on in the game around them. Even if the ball is in a different part of the field, they need to be observing and taking in what is happening.

Concentrating at all times will greatly increase the player’s speed of decision making when they are needed to step in.

11. Ability to break up play

The ability to effectively break up the play during a game is another basic but so important part of the role of a defensive midfielder.

When the other team is running towards your goal and looking like they could be about to start an attack on your goal, the ability to be able to step in and intercept the ball or somehow disrupt the flow of the other team can be a game-changing moment.

A great defensive midfielder will be able to do this time and time again.

It can frustrate the opposition if they constantly feel that every time they get forward with the ball, their attack breaks down because of a high-quality defensive midfielder. And this can lead to the other team making even more mistakes.

Having a player that is highly skilled at breaking up the play can give his or her team an ever-increasing level of optimism as well. And this will give the team not only a greater level of confidence in their abilities as a team but a greater chance of winning the game.

12. Tactical awareness

A defensive midfielder needs to be tactically aware throughout the game of soccer.

Because they have the ball regularly and are often involved in moving the ball around the field and starting attacks, they need to know what the expectations are of the team when it comes to the tactics.

Being aware of the formation your team is playing and the positions of the other players on your team is paramount.

Before a game, the coach will often spend time with the defensive midfielder explaining in detail what they want to see the team do in this game. The defensive midfielder will then make sure that the decisions they are making during the game reflect the wishes of the coach and coaching staff.

They also need to be aware of what is happening during the game so that they can adapt well to the ever-changing flow of the game. The defensive midfielder will often dictate how well the tactics for the gameplay out.

13. Effectively shield the defenders

Part of the role of the defensive midfielder that we haven’t yet talked about is their role in being a shield for the defense.

The defensive midfielder will often stand a little bit further back than the rest of their team, so they are closer to the defense. They become the first line of defense. The role is to get to the ball and stop it from even getting as far as the defenders on your team.

You will see defensive midfielders doing this by roaming the width of the field, making sure they are where they are needed as the ball comes down the field toward them. They will do everything they can to get to the ball first before it reaches any of the defenders behind them.

The defenders still have an essential role to play in any game, and if you are interested, you can check out the 21 qualities of a great defender.

14. Confidence in abilities

A defensive midfielder also needs to be confident in their abilities.

They need to put in all the hours they can give to practicing and training and preparing themselves to be the best they can be when they go out to play the game. This preparation beforehand is what will give them the confidence to know they are performing the best they can at that moment.

The reason that being confident is so important to the role of a defensive midfielder is that it gives them the belief that they can do what they need to do.

If you’ve ever spent time around someone who is struggling to be confident, you will have probably observed that they are not very good at making their presence known. A great defensive midfielder needs to let everyone around them know they are there.

They need to dominate the field of play and assert themselves throughout the entire game.

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15. Speed

Being a fast player is a significant advantage.

• You will be able to get around the field quicker.
• You’ll be able to run with the ball faster.
• And you’ll be able to recover from any mistakes quicker.

When training for a game of soccer, it is worth spending as much time as you can working on improving your speed.

For a defensive midfielder, this is no different from any other position. The faster a defensive midfielder is, the greater their ability to be more effective in their role.

It does have to be said, however, that some of the best defensive midfielders were not actually that fast. They performed their role so well due to their uncanny ability to read the game well and be in the right place at the right time.

But I’m sure all of them would agree that if they could have combined their abilities with even greater speed, they would have been able to be even more effective for the team.

This Speed & Agility Training Set on Amazon could be exactly what you need to increase your speed and effectiveness in a soccer game.

And for a list of great tips for defending at speed, check out my article – How To Defend Fast Players in Soccer.

16. Effective leadership

Being a great leader during a soccer game can inspire your team to achieve great things.

This is also one of the reasons I choose defensive midfielder as the best position in soccer.

Because of the role a defensive midfielder plays in orchestrating so much of the way the team plays, the other players naturally look to the defensive midfielder to lead them.

If the midfielder is not ready to bear the weight of this kind of responsibility or doesn’t perform this role well, it can affect the whole team.

When we talk about leadership, we’re not just talking about telling the other players what they should be doing (although this can be an important part of leading). We are also talking about leading by example.

As we just mentioned, the other players will naturally look to the defensive midfielder for leadership.

If they can see that player giving their all to the game, putting in the hard yards, and keeping going at their absolute best even when things are looking hopeless, then that will inspire the other players to do the same.

17. Willing to sacrifice

Being prepared to sacrifice what may make you look better for the sake of what makes the team work better is an important part of this role.

No one wants to see a selfish player. It looks bad and just frustrates everyone. The role of a defensive midfielder often doesn’t get the attention or glory that some of the other positions in soccer receive.

If a defensive midfielder decides he or she no longer likes this and goes looking for more attention and glory, they will probably find they are out of position at the very moment their team needs them to be in their position.

This can lead to poor team unity and potentially the player getting kicked out of the team because they were not willing to do what was required of them.

Although it can seem hard to make the sacrifice at times, the defensive midfielder needs to remember that they are playing as part of a team, and if the whole team does well, then they will also do well.

If you’re looking to improve your performance and skills, check out my Top 10 Soccer Drills article.

*Check out the next blog post – Everything you need to know about a Corner Kick in Soccer*

Or find out everything there is to know about the number 6 in a soccer team here.