Top 5 defensive midfielders in 2017

Defensive midfielders are often underrated in football, and are usually forgotten when it comes to individual awards such as the Ballon d'Or or the FIFA player of the year. However, that does not necessarily mean that they are less important than the rest of their teammates.

As a matter of fact, a holding midfielder is often the backbone of successful teams, as he is the one who provides a balance in between defence and offence. When Real Madrid sold France international Claude Makélélé to Chelsea back in 2003, Zinedine Zidane publicly criticized the transfer and stated that the club will regret losing him.

Zizou's words turned out to be extremely wise, as history has proven.

Having talked about the importance of this position, here are the top 5 defensive midfielders, who we believe, had the best performances in 2017:

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#5 Jorginho (Napoli)

Jorginho is the brain of Napoli

Napoli have been playing eye-catching football in 2017. Prior to the clash between both sides in the UEFA Champions League, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who has always been a fan of beautiful football, surprised many when he claimed that Maurizio Sarri's men have played the best football in 2017.

Jorginho is the engineer of the system that is famous in Italy as the SarriBall. Napoli's ability to build from the back with short passing combinations, as well as to retain the ball even when the opponent applies high pressure, possibly makes them the most attractive team in Europe right now.

In addition to that, they are the leaders of the Serie A with 38 points after 14 matches. One of the essential reasons for their success, is undoubtedly Jorginho. The Italian international remarkably averages 103.7 successful passes per league game, which is by far the highest.

His ability to break down defensive lines in the blink of an eye is arguably second to none. Without Jorginho, Napoli would not be able to control the tempo of the game the way they do.

#4 Fernandinho (Manchester City)

Fernandinho has been spectacular under Pep Guardiola

Manchester City have been dominating the English league in terms of results and performances this season, having collected a total of 40 points out of a possible 42, with a rate of over 95%. In the Champions League, the situation has been even better with a success rate of 100%, having won all five group-stage encounters so far.

Fernandinho has arguably been among City's top three performers this season, and quite possibly the most consistent one. The veteran is always at the team's disposal to prevent the danger, as he averages 2.2 successful tackles and 1.7 interceptions per league game this season.

In terms of build-up play, which is fundamental in any Guardiola-side, the Brazilian manages 88.7 accurate passes per match, which is comfortably the highest in the English Premier League.

It is worth mentioning that the former Shakhtar Donetsk star has also already scored two goals and provided two assists in this campaign.

The 33-year old's impressive performances have not gone unnoticed by his manager, as Pep Guardiola confirmed a few weeks ago that Fernandinho is certainly among the top three players in the world, at his position.

If these words by Pep Guardiola aren't enough to grant you a spot in our top five, then I don't know what is!

#3 Sergio Busquets (Barcelona)

Sergio Busquets is a key figure for Spain and Barcelona

FC Barcelona and Spain's national team have tasted several moments of glory in recent years, with Sergio Busquets always an integral part of their title-winning sides.

2016/2017 has not been Busquets' most successful season ever, as Barça barely managed to win the Spanish cup after beating Alavés 3-1 in the final, whereas arch-rivals Real Madrid were crowned champions of Spain as well the European continent.

However, Barcelona have had a superb start this season and are already four points clear on top of La Liga. It is fair to say that Busquets has retrieved his best level and is again showing his composure and brilliant technique to retain possession, whenever he is under pressure.

It is important in Barcelona's system, that the holding midfielder has enough technical quality to avoid giving the ball away in dangerous areas.

Sergio Busquets' league stats have been brilliant, to say the least, as he averages 2.5 successful tackles, 2 interceptions and a pass success of over 90%.

If the 29-year old continues with his recent performances, he could well inspire Barcelona to win major trophies by the end of the campaign.

#2 N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea)

Kanté is one of the most underrated players in the world

There is always a debate as to whether N'Golo Kanté is technically a defensive midfielder or a box to box midfielder, however, there is no arguing that he is a world-class player. We decided to include him on this list, anyway.

The influence of Kanté is so big, that stats do not do him justice. When he was at Leicester City two seasons ago, he was their most important player and helped them pull-out a miracle by winning the English Premier League.

The next season, he switched to Chelsea, who had been struggling against relegation with José Mourinho, and he helped lift them to become the champions of England. Meanwhile after his departure, it was his former team Leicester City, that had become the side fighting for survival.

During his short absence from Chelsea, following an injury in the international break, the club's form dropped yet again. There is no doubt that the formidable French international manages to improve all the teams that he is a part of.

With 3.5 successful tackles, 2.3 interceptions 1.3 key passes and a pass success of 86.5% percent, Kanté has managed to retain his status this season as one of the finest and most complete central midfielders in Europe.

#1 Casemiro (Real Madrid)

Casemiro shows up for Real Madrid in the most important games

Carlos Henrique Casimiro, aka Casemiro, might not just be the most underrated defensive midfielder in the world, but quite possibly the most underrated player altogether. Most holding midfielders are underrated by rival fans, but are usually valued-enough by their own club's fan-base.

However, it seems that no matter what Casemiro does, some voices in the Spanish press are always asking to give a chance to home-grown players such as Marcos Llorente. But just like every season, the 25-year old has again silenced the doubters and cemented his place in Zinedine Zidane's tactical scheme.

2017 has been Casemiro's year by all means. Besides showing phenomenal defensive skills to offer balance, he has been just as impressive with his offensive support. As a matter of fact, the Brazilian has scored ten goals and mustered three assists this year.

And quite notably, his 13-goal involvements have mostly come in the biggest games. His most important goals were against Napoli and Juventus in the Champions League, FC Barcelona in league action and Manchester United in the UEFA Cup final, whereas his assists were up against FC Bayern and Atlético Madrid in Europe, and Sevilla in La Liga.

Real Madrid were crowned the champions of Spain and Europe in 2017, in other words, the most successful team in the world based on merit and on cups won. And Casemiro, is, of course, a vital and irreplaceable element in this glorious side. No other defensive midfielder has had a more impressive year than Real Madrid's Brazilian tank.