We’re finally done with defenders (well, sort of) so it’s time to take a step higher up the pitch and look at 2023’s deep-lying midfielders. StatsBomb categorizes them all as ‘defensive midfielders’, but some teams played a single pivot, some played a double pivot, some prioritized defense, some playmaking, some both, and some just kinda vibed out and fielded these players in several other positions.

So we’re gonna broaden it off top because there’s a ton of variety in the list. And like we’ve seen with other positional OBV rankings, variety is fun to dissect, and the data can hint at whether a tradeoff between certain skills was worth it or not.

Now, reader, I regret to inform you that we are about to dive into our first true controversy. This damn minutes limit gets tricky, particularly in a World Cup year. StatsBomb allows for minutes limits to be set in increments of 300, ending with 1800. This means I’m forced to toggle between 1200, 1500 or 1800 for outfield players, and it gets tricky. The middle number has seemed the best compromise – until now.

In previous editions I’ve used my discretion to weigh how many minutes from 1500 they were, and whether the rest of a position’s top 5 had a significant variance. With a player with 1488 minutes played and another with 1499, this is the closest it’s been, so I allowed it. Please forgive me and do not call the police.

Pass .01 | Dribble & Carry .10 | Defensive Action .05 | Shot -.02

Marisa is the player with 1488 minutes played, but look at those numbers, I just had to include her. I’m gonna spoil the rest of the list right now and tell you that her .10 Dribble & Carry OBV/90 is the highest on the list, and I was super interested to find out why.

Viggiano posted .91 successful dribbles per 90, which was second among all deep-lying midfielders with a minimum of 1200 minutes played, and was second in average carry length, 5.16.

The visual above represents 498 successful carries, and just 39 that ended in a loss of possession, which was a very impressive 92.7% success rate.

While Viggiano’s Defensive Action OBV is decent, her value was clearly finding ways by defenders while on the ball and carrying it forward. It’s kind of a dope skillset, even if passes or shots at the end of these carries weren’t good enough to capitalize on this skill.

However, this could’ve been due to coaching. Houston were dreadful last season, and Viggiano moved to Rahsing Louisville this offseason, so it’ll be fun to see what Bev Yanez chooses do with this skillset.

Pass .07 | Dribble & Carry .09 | Defensive Action .02 | Shot -.03

Bianchi is the player with 1499 minutes played, which is the number that really made me relent. Math, amirite. Anyway, Bianchi’s Dribble & Carry OBV is just a notch below Viggiano’s, but the Brazilian’s passing was much higher (though her Defensive Action OBV is the lowest we’ll see on this list).

Like Viggiano, Bianchi had a 93% success rate with her carries, but at a much lower average length (3.89). This would suggest that while Bianchi was tidy on the ball, she also didn’t take much risk with the ball at her feet.

However, this doesn’t mean she wasn’t effective, she just relied on another skill. Bianchi’s Pass OBV is tied for second overall on this list, and it took some digging to find out why.

She didn’t have high marks in xGBuildup, crossing percentage or even passes into the box, but Bianchi was a terrific long distance passer, ranking fourth overall in average length of successful passes.

The length and direction of each shard in the graphic above relates to the aim and average length of passes from each cell. Bianchi was third overall in average pass length, 23 yards, and had the highest proportion of sideways passes (74%). The length and direction suggests Bianchi was quite good at switching play or playing the ball wide into space to help start attacks.

Yep.

Of course the 2023 Red Stars were quite bad so it probably wasn’t as effective as it could have been, particularly without Mallory Swanson. But as we’ve seen with Casey Krueger, the Red Stars still had some solid performers, and it looks like Bianchi is one that may have gone under the radar.

Pass .05 | Dribble & Carry .08 | Defensive Action .04 | Shot .02

LaBonta is one of my favorite players in the NWSL and I was thrilled to see her make the list, and be this high.

The Dribble & Carry OBV is the highest number, which makes sense given that for LaBonta to be on this list at all she was used as a deep-lying playmaker. The data bears this out, with LaBonta being fourth overall in passes, dribbles or carries into the final third, with 4.48 per 90.

LaBonta also had a very fun 94% carry success rate – 536 successful out of 570 attempted – indicative of her clever and technical on-ball ability. She also led all deep-lying midfielders, playmakers or otherwise, with .95 successful passes into the box from outside the box.

All of this is why LaBonta is one of my favorite players in the league. For a deeper operating player, she is relentlessly optimistic and forward thinking. This, combined with her technical skill and vision, makes LaBonta an unpredictable on-ball creator – the profile of players who inject the most joy into games.

One thing I love about these visuals is that while looking at 651 passes on one chart can make things nearly indistinguishable, sometimes patterns are revealed. LaBonta is clearly a far more dangerous and accurate passer from the left flank, and it’s kinda wild to see it so stark. There could be several reasons for this, and if this was a KC Current breakdown I would seek to verify my hunch. Instead I’m gonna blame it on Kansas City’s inability to clone Debinha.

Pass .07 | Dribble & Carry .06 | Defensive Action .07 | Shot -.00

Narumi balled out, but for our purposes I must acknowledge that her Pass + Dribble & Carry may be a tad inflated due to 6.2 90s as a central attacking midfielder. Still, she played 14.9 90s as a deep-lying midfielder, and her Defensive Action OBV is the highest among the group so far, so there’s plenty to dive into.

Defensively, Narumi was immense.

She accomplished this high rating without being an aggressive 1v1 defender, in fact her Tack/DP% (percentage of time a player makes a tackle in a duel vs getting dribbled past) was a very average 69%. Instead, Narumi was third among deep-lying midfielders in possession adjusted (PAdj) tackles & interceptions at 4.99 per 90, with the only players above her being midfield murder machine Jaelin Howell (5.29) and teammate Denise O’Sullivan (5.71).

In the visual below we can see how frequently she won possession through tackles, interceptions or pressures, with pressures not only being her highest total but also outpacing Howell (116) and O’Sullivan (159). Though don’t sleep on her tackling, 65 is identical to O’Sullivan’s total.

Narumi’s Passing OBV also stands out. Filtering to look at solely her open play passes, she had a ridiculous 86.3% pass success rate. If you have ever wondered what 906 successful passes and just 152 unsuccessful passes looks like in a chart then wow omg what a coincidence for you to be here in this moment.

The closer to the box the more unsuccessful, but those are always the riskiest passes for any player. Still, in between the boxes Narumi was remarkably effective and efficient at moving the ball around the pitch, and was a key reason why Sean Nahas’ possession system worked so well so soon.

Pass .12 | Dribble & Carry .06 | Defensive Action .08 | Shot -.02

The wildest part thing about Sam Coffey that we must mention at the top is that she is still adjusting to defensive midfield after having spent her entire college career higher up the pitch. While that certainly comes in handy regarding her impressive passing range and ability, it’s how she’s been able to adapt to the defensive and nuanced demands of a single pivot that is the most remarkable.

When I say I am a card carrying member, as well as board president and founding member of the SAM COFFEY HIVE™, this is why.

The ultra creative playmaker Lo LaBonta led all deep-lying midfielders in successful passes into the box from outside the box with .95 per 90, and Sam Coffey was second with .86. We haven’t needed to break out the key passes chart so far, not even for LaBonta, who, despite her creativity, only registered ten open play passes that led to shots (1 goal; .08xG per shot).

Sam Coffey had 27 such passes, creating five goals and tallying an average of .09xG per shot.

Coffey’s Defensive Action OBV is also the highest of the group. She has the highest Tack/DP%, 77%(!), and was top 5 in PAdj Tackles & Interceptions with 4.53 per 90 and PAdj Pressures, with 19.85.

Above are all the times and locations that Coffey won possession through tackles, interceptions, or pressures. Below, a glorious heat map. This is true DM shit. Get rekt shit. This part of the pitch is mine and rent is high shit. I love it.

All this is why I have been calling for Coffey to get genuine and frequent chances for the national team. She’s still growing into the position, but many players play their whole careers in this position without having the impact Coffey has managed. That’s no knock to anyone, it’s only to acknowledge how great Coffey has been.

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