Midfield Role Quotes

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

I'm never going to be seen as an attacking midfielder who's going to dribble past anyone, create untold chances, and score lots of goals, but going forward is something I've always enjoyed doing.

I changed my position when I was 16 or 17. I started in midfield or further forward as a number 10, and then in one tournament, we lost two defenders to injury in the same game, and we didn't have any on the bench. So I played at the back, and the manager of the first team saw me, and he said, 'I want this guy in the first team,' and that was that!

Growing up I've been playing as an attacking midfielder, more central in the midfield. I wouldn't say if I'm most comfortable there but that's where I grew up playing.

Pogba is a midfielder who has all the qualities. When you are a midfielder you normally have some special qualities but he has everything.

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

I like it when I am in the middle; I am closer to the ball. The manager wants me to pass, to make assists, create chances, and I do more because I think the position is more central, and I don't ask all the time for the ball at my feet.

Being a midfielder, I need to get up and down, whether it's to get back and defend or get away from my opposite number. Extra effort in training makes all the difference.

I am a central midfielder, and that's where I like to be.

When I play in central midfield, that's my favourite position.

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've always liked the No.10 position. You can get on the ball a lot more and attempt to dictate the play a lot more.

I used to say I preferred midfield because I enjoy trying to make goals, and scoring is a buzz.

I want to play football, and I want to help the team. It doesn't matter if I play midfield, if I play in defence, if I play as a striker.

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 prefer advanced midfield, like a No. 10, but you know me: I'll play anywhere for Villa.

Over the long term, it is definitely my ambition to play in the midfield.

To be honest, from England Under-16s, through the 17s and 18s, really all the way through my youth career, I played at centre-half. For some reason, when I made my debut at Everton, I just played in central midfield, and it went from there.

Shinji Kagawa is one of the best players in the world, and he now plays 20 minutes at Manchester United - on the left wing! My heart breaks. Really, I have tears in my eyes. Central midfield is Shinji's best role.

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

I've grown up playing in central midfield more, and I think my natural game is about coming inside from wide.

I think that by playing centre midfield in the middle of the park, I'm doing something which comes naturally to me.

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.

I like to play wide, but as a youth, I played more in the middle as a 10.

You have to be physical - that's the way it is in a midfield in the modern game.