Nico González

Gonzalez sits in front of the back line and treats regaining possession as his primary job rather than a byproduct of good positioning. He closes down passing lanes aggressively, times his tackles to win the ball cleanly rather than concede a foul, and recycles possession quickly rather than trying to unlock the defence himself. That discipline gives the players around him freedom to take more risks further forward.

What separates him from a purely defensive midfielder is his willingness to win the ball through contact rather than simply intercepting a loose pass, which invites more physical duels than a passing based holder usually takes on. Referees and opponents both notice the difference quickly. Watch how often he is the one making a last ditch recovery tackle rather than the one who never needed to make it.