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Even though the Premier League is known for its entertaining end-to-end action, not all teams share the same philosophy or style of play. The Premier League has no dearth of world-class coaches and most teams have an established identity of their own.
The Premier League is home to some of the best playmakers in the game
The high-tempo nature of the Premier League forces footballers to think swiftly and be quick on their feet. Midfield battles are as intense as ever and having technically astute players in the center of the pitch is half the game won.
The role of holding midfielders is usually to break up play and turn over possession. But in certain systems, these primarily defensive-minded midfielders will also be tasked with creating chances from deep.
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They are called deep-lying playmakers and in addition to their game reading abilities and defensive acumen, they are excellent distributors of the ball. Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the best deep-lying playmakers in the Premier League this season.
#5 Declan Rice (West Ham United)
Declan Rice is one of the best young midfielders in the Premier League. The 22-year-old has played a critical role in West Ham United's early season rise. The Hammers have been able to beat the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Leicester City in the first half of the season.
Crucial to their exploits and devastating counter attacks is Declan Rice. Although he is a holding midfielder, David Moyes seems to have given him the freedom to advance up the pitch and dictate play.
Rice is incredibly accurate with his passing and that goes a long way towards helping the Hammers keep things under control in midfield. The Englishman boasts a pass success rate of 90.4% after 17 Premier League games. He has scored a goal and provided three assists already this term.
#4 Jordan Henderson (Liverpool)
Jordan Henderson has, for far too long, been viewed as a utility player. He is a tenacious presence in the center of the park and can be a thorn in the neck of the opposition due to his relentless pressing.
But Henderson has shown over the course of the last few seasons that there is way more to his game than just being disruptive. The 31-year-old has always been an intelligent footballer whose game-reading abilities make him particularly good at making interceptions and recoveries.
He has also put his playmaking skills on show this term and has done a great job in midfield for Liverpool. Henderson has showcased his entire passing range, replete with trivelas and well-weighted through balls for his forwards, picking up three assists in the process.
He has surely taken his game up a notch this season and has already played more key passes this term (21) than he has in any of the previous six.
#3 Youri Tielemans (Leicester City)
Youri Tielemans was heavily linked with an exit this summer. The Belgian international has been discussing the possibility of signing a new contract for a while now. But one thing is for certain and it is that Tielemans is definitely enjoying life in the Premier League.
He presses hard in midfield and once he regains possession, Tielemans always looks to pass through the lines. The 24-year-old does all the 'basic stuff' with ease. He is good at reading the game and winning the ball back. He has an eye for a pass and can pick out his teammates' runs with precision.
He is also always focused on progressing the ball higher up the pitch and works as a great link between Leicester City's attack and defence. Tielemans also loves arriving late in and around the box and that's why he has five goals to his name in 12 Premier League appearances. He also has two assists.
#2 Jorginho (Chelsea)
Jorginho has had one heck of a 2021. After winning the Champions League with Chelsea and Euro 2020 with Italy in the summer, Jorginho has kicked on in the same vein. The deep-lying playmaker's early season form contributed greatly to Chelsea staying at the top of the Premier League table for a considerable amount of time this season.
Like most elite holding midfielders, Jorginho is excellent at intercepting passes. But he is at his best when he is afforded time on the ball at the heart of midfield. The Italian international is a wonderful passer and loves orchestrating play from deep.
His presence and technical abilities are very important to Chelsea with respect to using their wing-backs. Jorginho is one of the best in Europe when it comes to connecting his forward line and defence. He has scored four goals and provided an assist in 15 Premier League appearances so far this season.
#1 Rodri (Manchester City)
Manchester City have been at their dominant best this season. Pep Guardiola has a squad that's chock full of technically proficient footballers and Rodri epitomizes it. The Spaniard is a calming presence in midfield for the Cityzens and it's difficult to find players who do the job better than he can.
Rodri is an extremely intelligent and tactically astute footballer. His expertise in midfield enables Manchester City to play with just one holding midfielder. That is also the reason why the Cityzens are so devastating in attack.
Rodri is great at winning the ball back and tackling is one of his strengths. But his greatest attribute is definitely his passing. The 25-year-old loves releasing his forwards into space and does so with extreme precision. He has a pass success rate of 92.4% in the Premier League so far this term.
Rodri is undoubtedly the best in the Premier League when it comes to dictating play from deep. He has turned in several performances that are masterclasses in what a deep-lying midfielder ought to do. He has also scored two goals and provided an assist in the league this season.
