Tomás Soucek

Souček brings raw, relentless energy to central midfield, covering ground box to box rather than settling into one zone the way many modern midfielders do. His real weapon is heading, timing a run into the box at corners and free kicks so well that he regularly beats taller defenders to the ball. That goal threat from midfield is genuinely rare, turning him into an outlet that opposing coaches have to plan for at set pieces.

The tension is balancing that attacking instinct with defensive duty, because a midfielder who keeps pushing into the box cannot always shield his own back four at the same time. He has managed that trade off well through sheer stamina rather than any tactical trick. Whether his legs keep carrying that same workload as the fixtures pile up will decide how big a factor he remains.