ISW

Following are a collection of big clubs and their midfield corps. Obviously, each group are among the best in the world but which has the edge? Some have more flair and others more defensive capabilities. Which offers the best balance? Are there other teams not mentioned with an under rated midfield? Zenit? Atletico Madrid? Villareal? Fiorentina? Porto? Lyon? Bordeaux? Lisbon?

Chelsea: Florent Malouda, Frank Lampard, Michael Essien, Deco, Michael Ballack, Joe Cole, Mikel John Obi.

Lampard and Ballack are solid, creative mainstays with leadership qualities. Cole is a wonderful player coming off a fantastic season. Essien is a defensive, versatile player capable of deep-lying assignments. Deco only adds to the creativity.

Manchester United: Owen Hargreaves, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, Park Ji-Sung, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes, Nani.

With Ronaldo, United is assured to be an offensive threat but the workhorse play of Hargreaves, suave style of Giggs and Nani (who plays the wings) as well as the combative skill of Scholes, attacking abilities off the wing of Park and sharp passing from Michael Carrick, this unit is certainly balanced and has to be considered the best in the EPL.

Arsenal: Abou Diaby, Cesc Fabregas, Emmanuel Eboue, Tomas Rosicky, Samir Nasri, Denilson, Alexandre Song, Aaron Ramsey.

Fabregas has become a defining force. Nasri possesses all-round skills and vision. Normally a central midfielder, Diaby is powerful and quick. Rosicky is a composed and excellent midfielder with superb passing. Good balance with a mix of youth and experience as a whole.

Liverpool: Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Yassi Benayoun, Jermaine Pennant, Ryan Babel, Damien Plessis, Javier Mascherano.

Gerrard, like Lampard, is the face of Liverpool football club. Alonso is a creative-defensive player acting as a deep-lying playmaker. Benayoun and Babel are extraordinary attacking midfielders. Mascherano is a highly effective and quality defensive midfielder. Many options here.

Real Madrid: Mahamadou Diarra, Fernando Gago, Marcelo, Guti, Royston Drenthe, Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder.

Outstanding midfield with a strong artistic Dutch flavor led by van der Vaart and the wicked Sneijder. Guti gives Real depth and a short-passing game threat while Diarra offers world class defensive abilities. As a whole, could be considered the best in Spain.

Barcelona: Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Aliaksandr Hleb, Seydou Keita, Yaya Toure.

Xavi is a central defensive midfielder of excellent pedigree and Iniesta has developed into a world class, consistent player. Keita is a type of player every midfield should have: hard tackler. While Hleb is sure to excite, this is a transition year for Barca.

AS Roma: Francesco Totti, Alberto Aquilani, David Pizarro, Rodrigo Taddei, Daniele De Rossi, Simone Perrotta.

Roma’s midfield took a hit this off season losing Alessandro Mancini but Aquilani continues to evolve into a formidable player, Perrotta offers solid defensive qualities with scoring touch and Taddei provides incredible pace and workmanship. Though he can easily be a striker, Totti is a player that plays between the mid and striker position and can be included here. A quintessential Italian-style player, De Rossi is often referred to the “most complete” midfielder in the world.

Inter Milan: Luis Figo, Patrick Vieira, Olivier Dacourt, Dejan Stankovic, Luis Jimenez, Sulley Ali Muntari, Esteban Cambiasso, Alessandro Mancini.

Vieira plays with an edge and is still capable of leading the middle. Cambiasso is defensive midfielder at the height of his powers while Muntari is possibly exactly what Inter needs: a combination of sweet skills with a combative streak. Mancini gives Inter a strong penetrating presence complete with skills. Is this midfield good enough to win beyond Serie A?

Juventus: Pavel Nedved, Mauro Camoranesi, Christian Poulsen, Claudio Marchisio, Cristiano Zanetti, Sebastian Giovonco, Mohamed Sissoko, Hasan Salihamidžić.

Traditionally, the Juve midfield is unit oriented predicated on tough, hard tackling styles. Poulsen and Marchisio fit this mold well and both are tactically aware in a league that considers this to be crucial to success. Camoranesi and Nedved are the backbone of the Juve midfield and can still thrive.

AC Milan: Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Mathieu Flamini, Massimo Ambrosini, Gennaro Gattuso.

A midfield that offers a complete package similar to Barca, Real and Man Utd with the possible advantage of possessing more depth. Pirlo offers sublime vision and deep-lying accurate passes. Seedorf can do just about anything. Flamini is an effective ball winner and sweeper, Ambrosini a hard player with a nose for the net and Gattuso a ruthless and tireless pit bull. Above all, it’s a midfield that contains the sensational skills of Kaka and Ronaldinho. The best in Serie A and arguably among the best in the world.

Bayern Munich: Franck Ribery, Ze Roberto, Mark van Bommel, Andreas Ottl, Hamit Altintop, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Jose Ernesto Sosa.

Ribery is well-known for his speedy penetrations, ability to find open players and all-round creative play while Ze Roberto brings further dribbling skills to the Munich midfield. Altintop and Ottl bring versatility as they can take on defensive or offensive assignments and play anywhere in the midfield. Possibly under rated outside the Bundesliga, Schweinsteiger is essentially a prototypical German midfielder with sound technical skills, an accurate hard kick and very good off set pieces.

Note: Ricardo Quaresma has joined Inter’s midfield.