Starting with deep-lying midfielders, whose numbers are popping the most this season?
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I’ve spent so much timelooking back on the past, I almost forgot how much I enjoyed looking at the present state of affairs.
Since my ADAM series ended about a month ago, I’ve been pretty much non-step revising formulas, applying the lessons I learned with my re-writing history experiment in the hopes that what I’d emerge with was something even better. And I think early returns are looking good!
As we did with that series, I want to start our look at 2025-2026 performance in midfield, namely with the metronomes, the single-pivots, the deep-lying playmakers. Maybe you call them holding midfielders, or defensive midfielders, or 6s. But these are the guys who are meant to hold things down in the center of the park, shield the back line and keep the ball moving toward their attack.
Before we dive into full rankings, some things I always like to cover off:
This list is created relying fully on statistics from this season and last. Players are rated using a whole bunch of data points of varying weights.
Minimum for inclusion was 2.0 90s, or 180 minutes of domestic league play so far this campaign. Players with more starts and minutes were weighted favorably.
I don’t follow a hard-and-fast age limit, but I do prioritize players on the younger side of the “peak age” spectrum.
All scores are subject to an adjustment according to league strength, so you shouldn’t have to mentally raise or lower rankings to make it more “fair.”
Last but not least: I always encourage a healthy dose of the eye test before forming a final opinion on any player, so please consume this list responsibly. This list does not necessarily reflect my personal rankings, as I have been known to disagree with my own formulas from time to time.
Now, let’s get into the data!