The Deep Lying Playmaker : A Statistical And Tactical Guide

No team should leave home without one. They are the players who control proceedings. Operating deep in the midfield, they spray accurate balls all over the park. Left, right, and centre. Rarely blessed with pace, they rely on their outstanding technical ability to fashion chances for their team mates.

The Deep Lying Playmaker. Since the emergence of Xavi, every team has one. For Arsenal, read Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard who operates in the ' Pirlo Role ' in front of the defence, dominating games with sweeping passes and precise short passes. For the Tottenham of old, read Luka Modric. Undoubtedly one of the best midfielders in the world at the moment, while Gareth Bale and Scott Parker grabbed the headlines, it was the Croatian who was really orchestrating Spurs' surprising success.

Here is a comparison of 6 deep lying playmakers throughout Europe's top sides last season,

Mikel Arteta

In his 29 appearances in the Premier League last season,

Average Passes Per Game: 76.9

Pass Accuracy : 90.8%

Number Of Passes ( Successful / Total ) : 2023 / 2229

Chances Created : 60

Assists : 2

Accurate Long Balls Per Game : 5.2

Long Balls ( Successful / Total ) : 152 / 172

Tackles : 72

Interceptions : 55

Luka Modric

In his 36 appearances in the Premier League last season,

Average Passes Per Game: 70.4

Pass Accuracy : 87.4%

Number Of Passes ( Successful / Total ) : 2215 / 2534

Chances Created : 96

Assists : 4

Accurate Long Balls Per Game : 7.6

Long Balls ( Successful / Total ) : 275 / 329

Tackles : 56

Interceptions : 81

Andrea Pirlo

In his 37 appearances in Serie A last season,

Average Passes Per Game: 86.4

Pass Accuracy : 86.9%

Number Of Passes ( Successful / Total ) : 2778 / 3197

Chances Created : 125

Assists : 13

Accurate Long Balls Per Game : 11.2

Long Balls ( Successful / Total ) : 414 / 488

Tackles : 79

Interceptions : 64

Xabi Alonso

In his 36 appearances in La Liga last season,

Average Passes Per Game: 78

Pass Accuracy : 88.1%

Number Of Passes ( Successful / Total ) : 2476 / 2809

Chances Created : 65

Assists : 9

Accurate Long Balls Per Game : 9.3

Long Balls ( Successful / Total ) : 336 / 426

Tackles : 109

Interceptions : 81

Xavi

In his 31 appearances in La Liga last season,

Average Passes Per Game: 93.8

Pass Accuracy : 92.4%

Number Of Passes ( Successful / Total ) : 2688 / 2909

Chances Created : 65

Assists : 7

Accurate Long Balls Per Game : 7.1

Long Balls ( Successful / Total ) : 220 / 238

Tackles : 29

Interceptions : 33

Yaya Toure

In his 32 appearances in the Premier League last season,

Average Passes Per Game: 75.6

Pass Accuracy : 90.5%

Number Of Passes ( Successful / Total ) : 2189 / 2419

Chances Created : 54

Assists : 6

Accurate Long Balls Per Game : 5.5

Long Balls ( Successful / Total ) : 176 / 216

Tackles : 55

Interceptions : 39

There are two scenarios of a team playing with a defensive midfielder :

The Pirlo Role

The playmaker in question will sit in front of the back four and look to hit the channels with sweeping long balls. The role is aptly named after in the grand daddy of the position : Andrea Pirlo. He wasn't blessed with pace, but rather immense technical ability. Juventus have played Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal in advanced positions to defend from the front, leaving Pirlo with a lot of time and space on the ball. His work has inspired Arsene Wenger to place Mikel Arteta in this position. And he has excelled. Young Marco Verrati has been touted as Pirlo's successor in the Gli Azzuri, his recent move to French superpower PSG could prove to be his greatest decision, or his biggest mistake.

Partnering A Destroyer

While Xabi Alonso was plying his trade at Liverpool, he had the freedom to express himself while Javier Mascherano took care of the defensive duties. Luka Modric also did the same while Scott Parker swept up in midfield. Gennaro Gattuso destroyed while Andrea Pirlo did what he does best back in their AC Milan days. Even Xavi has Sergio Busquets covering.