Sam Allardyce Quotes

As a holding midfield player, you want movement and to play between the lines.

Oriol Romeu is very strong and doesn't lose possession much. He's a very complete player and makes good cover.

I've always said it, and the whole football world knows that Cavani is a centre-forward and that he has proven his worth in that position. Having said that, Cavani has shown other characteristics that can help the team, like winning the ball back, helping out defensively.

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.

We try and play football in a positive way. Any team has to be defensively organised, but you have to look at the attributes of the players and play to their strengths.

I was always a little bit compared to Jurgen because my core of working is working against the ball.

I prefer defensive midfielder because I know my job when I play there. More things are in front of you.

Pochettino likes to play from the back, with the buildup, have the ball.

In my country, they used to call players who play in my position a defensive midfielder, but it is not defensive.

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

You cannot play the position Kroos plays in defensive midfield besides Luka Modric better than he does.

When you're a kid you just think about where you are going to be to put yourself in a position for the next scoring chance. But as you develop, you start to do things that may not catch the eye of the normal football watcher, the dropping back, the closing down.

I am not a player who goes on mazy runs - I like to defend. I like to do a job for the team.

I know when I step into midfield I have to sharpen my feet up and be more aware of what's around me, at centre back it's more about timing, positioning and communication.

Sometimes in midfield, it's nice because you do get a little bit more of the ball, and maybe out wide you rely on people to get you the ball.

Personally, I always try to focus on the little things in my game. As a defender and attacking outside back, I continuously work on completing passes, not being too predictable going forward into the attack, good services into the box, good positioning and footwork.

I started in a 4-3-3 formation at Ajax, playing in left midfield. There, you need to be just as involved defensively as you are going forward. You attack and you defend, and that allows you to be a complete player.

I liked mostly to play football on the ground and have a little bit of playing tactics rather than just up and down, long balls and second balls. That's not really my game.

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

I like the Klopp mentality but at the same time, I like the Pep culture about football because always we need intensity with and without the ball.

Defensive midfield can be the one position that's easier to play as you get older.

In the midfield, I'm not the most comfortable playing with my back to the goal, and in the midfield you find that ball a lot.

We have to cut out some of our mistakes, but the main thing in English football is controlling the second ball. Without that, you cannot survive.

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

Every footballer enjoys having the ball at their feet. There are times in training you find yourself without the ball. I enjoy that side of it as well. If we can spend more time working with the ball then everyone will enjoy it.