The world of football can be as cruel as it is beautiful. Oftentimes, it’s the forwards who find themselves on the front page of the daily newspaper, because they might’ve scored four goals in a 4-0 victory for their team. However, it’s almost criminal the way that zero in the scoreline is overlooked. 

The importance of a clean sheet is no less than that of a goal or an assist. Besides scoring lots of goals, it’s always solid defences that build champion sides. But even if the defenders are recognized for their performances, there is always one person on the pitch who goes unnoticed: the Central Defensive Midfielder. Usually the unfussy one, the one who gets the work done; a traditional “number six” holds the team together and anchors them during a game. 

In this article, I’ll attempt to take you through the role and responsibilities of a defensive midfielder by comparing two of the best holding midfielders in the WSL - Manchester City’s Keira Walsh and Arsenal’s Lia Wälti. Both the 23-year-old and the 27-year-old are critical to the way their teams play and have been consistently excellent over the past few seasons. While Walsh is still young and blossoming, Wälti has been a long-standing veteran. Towards the end, we’ll be able to see how similar yet different both players are from each other.

Analysing the Role of a Defensive Midfielder