Defensive Midfielder Quotes

I know that I can play in the middle, on the right, or up front.

People say that Rooney could have been like Lionel Messi, a more prolific goalscorer who dribbles past opponents more. But they are different characters. You will never see Messi snapping around the heels of an opponent to win the ball back deep in his own half. Wayne does that all the time, and sometimes that enthusiasm will count against him.

I like playing deeper, but I'm not Casemiro.

Casemiro has to cover the gaps left by everyone. That's balance for me; to make sure the game doesn't go mad.

I have faced many, but the most annoying was James Milner. He follows you forward and follows you backwards. It's very difficult because he attacks you and defends you, and then attacks you and defends you again.

If I were a player, I would like to be like Busquets.

I can be the only defensive midfielder and try and break up play. Or I can play a little more forward.

On a tactical level the defensive midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation is just about the most demanding position there is.

My perfect formation would be 4-3-3 with one holding and then the two going forward. I would be one of the ones going forward.

You look at Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit at Arsenal or Roy Keane at Man United, and they are players that can do everything.

In the defensive midfield position, the player needs to give balance to the team and try to control the game. That's exactly what I try to do.

I started out at youth level as a holding midfielder.

Marcel Desailly was pretty hard when I played against him in a Milan derby.

Barcelona need somebody at the back who can defend and has that passion the fans love.

I like playing just outside of my own penalty box, the player who receives the ball and organises the game.

The AZ captain Teun Koopmeiners, a left-footed centre back who can sit in midfield, is probably the best player in Holland in defensive areas.

For me, Marouane Fellaini has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League over the last few seasons. If he continues to improve at United, we’ll have a really good player on our hands.

Busquets is a sitting midfield player who breaks up play, intercepts, passes it very quickly and is intelligent. That's what he is. He's not much more than that, but he gets a lot of praise for it. Whereas Eric Dier does a similar job, but sometimes gets loads of criticism for it.

Defensive midfielder is my position and I have to be focused on that role.

To be honest, it was only when I was first in the French Ligue 1 that my manager and other people started to say, 'Okay, N'Golo recovers a lot of balls.' Before that, I didn't consider it to be my job in the team.

I have been playing box-to-box more for Everton as a two, so I have felt comfortable in that position, but anywhere across the midfield I can play.

It's different to play midfielder and striker or No. 10, but I enjoy all the positions I can play.

I am a striker, and people expect strikers to score goals. But I don't see myself as a striker.

My favourite position is as midfielder, playing with Xabi and Khedira.

Everyone knows where I play, as a defensive midfielder, more or less the same, so in the last six or seven years I play in that position and there is nothing new for me.