With Chelsea's Champions League sores still to heal, it's not the best time to appraise the Premier League's finest tacklers. But as much as purists rave about flair, skill and technique, these are the pairs of legs that plough away on the pitch, unnoticed. So this week, let's pay tribute to those who make no bones about their business. Here's a quick glance at the 10 best ball winners who have created an impressive body of work this season.
10. Lorik Cana & Lee Cattermole (Sunderland)
Now, if only Steve Bruce could find some creativity to dovetail along with these defensive engines, Sunderland would've been jostling for Europe instead of warding off relegation. When on song, Cattermole and Cana can be quite a handful.
9. Fabrice Muamba (Bolton Wanderers)
As long as he’s partnering someone competent enough to come and collect the ball off him and engineer an attacking move, Muamba will win the ball back for you all day long. And he seems to relish doing just that against top quality opposition.
8. Mohamed Diame (Wigan Athletic)
While team-mate Hendry Thomas may tick all the toe-crunching boxes, Diame is quite the finished product. When he wants to, he can slip into the shoes of Wilson Palacios with consummate ease. Consistency however, is a different kettle of fish.
7. Nigel De Jong (Manchester City)
Holland's first-choice defensive midfielder can be proud of his exploits this season. He wins the ball and keeps possession with metronomic reliability. In the face of an indifferent season for the club, De Jong has stepped up to the plate, often unnoticed.
6. Alex Song (Arsenal)
For someone who began the season a little rough around the edges, this Cameroonian has it all neatly polished now. While he's busy greasing the wheels in midfield, it allows Fabregas to foray into the attacking third and carve out defences at will.
5. Michael Essien (Chelsea)
In Essien’s continued absence through injury, John Obi Mikel has done a fairly decent job without really uprooting any trees. But Essien has a bit more mettle in his locker. Had he stayed fit, Chelsea might have had the title in the bag by now.
4. Scott Parker (West Ham United)
It may yet be a dire season for West Ham. But the man who was once destined for great things at Chelsea has raised his stock considerably. In my opinion, Parker is the finest English box-to-box midfielder, beating Michael Carrick by a country mile.
3. Marouane Fellaini (Everton)
Over the season, you could bet your last dime on this hirsute Belgian retrieving the ball in hopeless situations. Relentlessly sticking in a long leg and swivelling back, much like Patrick Vieira did in his prime. If only he could keep himself as fit.
2. Wilson Palacios (Tottenham Hotspur)
Wonder if there's anyone who hasn't felt the force of Palacios' tackle this season. The Honduran’s all-action style and lust for combat has been key to Spurs’ charge for a Champions League place. Possibly the best signing Spurs have made in recent seasons.
1. Javier Mascherano (Liverpool)
It’s alarming to think what Rafael Benitez would do without the hard-nosed resilience of his Argentine pit-bull. While hard tackling could be up anyone's alley, Mascherano's got it down to a fine art. Easily, the world's best defensive midfielder since Claude Makelele.
Ok, so I've picked some of the more low hanging fruit. Yes, I could've spared a thought for Manchester United's Darren Fletcher, Aston Villa's Stylian Petrov, Fulham's Dickson Etuhu and Wolves' Karl Henry. But Fletcher is more of an enforcer, Petrov has still to convince, Etuhu wins more ankle than ball and Henry doesn’t get any of the ball at all. Yet still, these could make the cut at some point.
Can't say the same about Paul Scholes. He's... well, somewhat a Picassian version of a ball-winning midfielder. And that's putting it ever so kindly.
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