Joël Veltman

Veltman brings more experience than almost anyone else in the dressing room, having captained his previous clubs and played at the top of European football for years. He is equally at home at centre back or right back, shifting between the two without the drop off in quality that usually comes with playing out of position. His game rests on positioning and talking rather than pace, organising those around him and rarely getting caught by a situation he has not already read.

The tension with a defender this late in his career is always the same, whether his legs can still meet the demands of a long season even when his reading of the game stays sharp. He has answered that question before, simply by outthinking the game around him. Watch how much of a calming influence he becomes on a defence with younger, less experienced faces.