The midfield profile rapidly growing in popularity

Today’s newsletter is a guest piece from Catalina Bush.

Catalina is a Data Analytics Intern with the Syracuse men’s soccer team and studies Sport Analytics at Syracuse’s Falk College. Previously, her work has been published in Sounder at Heart and American Soccer Analysis, and she regularly shares MLS, NWSL and USL data visualizations on Bluesky. She is from the Pacific Northwest and passionately supports the US and Colombian national teams in equal measure.

Previously, Catalina wrote here about some young Premier League attacking midfielders on the rise, and Brighton’s Yasin Ayari.

It’s a well-known piece of Scott McTominay lore that the man was once a striker — it’s the type of information that sticks in your brain because, well, McTominay isn’t a very good midfielder. You’ve seen him score, though, so of course, it makes total sense that the Scotsman was playing up top before he broke into the Manchester United first team.

During the 2023/24 season, the story of McTominay’s positional origins made the rounds, yet again. At a time when dry spells were common for United, the pressure to play him up top was so great that Erik ten Hag had to address the situation on more than one occasion. While McTominay never got a good run of games up top for the Reds, during the latter half of the season, ten Hag used him frequently as an advanced pressing forward alongside Bruno Fernandes. In the end, pushing McTominay farther up the field was far less fruitful than some might’ve hoped.

The origin story of Scott McTominay’s goal-scoring ability is, however, just that — a story. The now-Napoli midfielder described what occurred in his early days completely differently:

It’s not hard to find the truth about McTominay’s youth career, yet the story continues, no matter how false it may be. Why? Because football fans like little boxes, and it’s far more sensational to say that someone has been ‘misused’ for their entire career than admit that maybe they just aren’t very good.

McTominay never was and never will be a striker, but he’s not what you think of when you’re told to picture a classic No. 8. He’s tall, lanky, shit at passing, and somehow kind of good at scoring goals. But when he says he’s a midfielder — a number eight — don’t doubt him. Because it’s this exact profile that helped Napoli win a Scudetto, and at the end of the day, it’s McTominay who won Serie A MVP, not Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Tijjani Reijnders, or Matteo Guendouzi.

With new tactics come new positions, roles, and responsibilities. More players are being asked to do more things, so it’s perhaps surprising to see a player at the top of today’s game who’s only good at one or two aspects of the sport. Would a young Scott McTominay be allowed the same opportunities today? Some might be inclined to say no, but there’s a good argument to be had that his type of profile is more valuable now than it has been for quite some time. The “Box-crashing 8” is no dying breed; players like McTominay can be found all across some of the highest levels of European football. Here are just a few:

Mikel Merino — Arsenal

Merino’s transfer to Arsenal for a little north of £30 million all-in was a bit of a headscratcher. At 28, having spent most of his career with the same La Liga side, was he really going to have the impact Arsenal wanted? Besides, he’d played in the Premier League before with little success; was this going to be any different? I don’t think anyone could have predicted he’d be one of the team’s top scorers and be starting a Champions League semi-final at striker.

Arteta saw a talent in Merino and used it to his full advantage. At 1.88 meters (6’2”), the Spaniard’s build lends him an advantage in the air; Merino sits in the 96th percentile for aerial wins and scored four goals from headers last season, more than any other Arsenal player and tied for the second most in the league. He doesn’t have the creativity or passing acumen of Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard, but he doesn’t have to. He’s a box-crashing eight, and he’s good at it:

Malik Tillman — PSV Eindhoven

You might be saying, “Hey, isn’t he more of an attacking midfielder?” Um, have you looked at the guy's stats? Note: PSV dropped 103 goals this season (no, that’s not a typo), so basically all of their players have elevated numbers. That being said, Tillman scored 12 league goals, won nearly 70% of his aerial duels, and, just like Merino, ranked in the 99th percentile for possession-adjusted pressures. When it comes to the passing, though, Tillman displayed exactly what you’d expect of a prototypical box-crashing eight: nothing special.

While you’d expect some of those stats to drop when playing against tougher opposition, Tillman has clearly shown this season that he can thrive in a role designed to let him score. The American is the same height as Merino, and despite being given time at the No. 10 position, it’s clear that he’s not going to be a nail-down starter there for most teams. It seems, then, that the No. 8 role with freedom to move forward could be a perfect use of Tillman’s skills.

This is true on the international stage, as well. Tillman has failed to impress consistently for the U.S. Men’s National Team; perhaps a tactical shift from Mauricio Pochettino could help him integrate better into a squad that already has an established 10. Tillman has a good pass in him, but he doesn’t command the ball like other No. 8s in the pool. Both for club and country, Tillman has the makings of a specialist who can contribute without stepping on the toes of those around him.

Jens Stage — Werder Bremen

A box-crasher on the cheaper side of the spectrum is Jens Stage, a 28-year-old midfielder at Werder Bremen. Stage’s profile is almost identical to that of Merino and would likely cost £20 million less; while he’s in his prime and will likely soon see a fall in production, Stage could be a budget option for a team in need of goal-scoring from midfield. While his danger often came on set-pieces, Stage scored six open-play goals and landed in the 98th percentile for xG. His aerial game is strong, and at 1.88 meters, his build is a perfect fit for the profile.

Stage’s movement off the ball to get into the right place at the right time is one of his best qualities. It’s as intelligent as it is subtle. Just look at this run against Union Berlin to score a late goal:

As soon as he sees Bremen’s Mitchell Weiser readying a cross into the box, Stage begins his run into the penalty area.

By the time the ball has come centrally, Stage is already in the mix, and stays there even as the attack seems to fizzle out.

A fortunate deflection leaves the ball in a dangerous area, and Stage is available for an easy lay-up with no one marking him.

Time and time again, Stage performs these types of runs, ghosting in and out of dangerous areas with ease. He’s rarely marked and can put away chances from the air and the ground. It’s no surprise that Stage led Werder Bremen in goals this season.

Here are some other players that might fit this profile in the near future, though they’ve played in more advanced No. 10 roles recently.

Charalampos Kostoulas — Olympiacos

While the 18-year-old played more of an attacking midfielder role at Olympiacos, after a blockbuster £29.6 million move to Brighton, it’s anyone’s guess as to where the youngster will be lining up in a year’s time. At 1.85 meters tall (and seemingly still growing), the Greek attacker has the aerial strength to win balls in midfield, and given his relative lack of creative output, a box-crashing eight role could be perfect for Kostoulas.

It’s hard to doubt his scoring ability:

Daan Heymans — Sporting Charleroi

Heymans was one of Sporting Charleroi’s best players in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League last season, with 7 non-penalty goals from 103 total shots. While he’s also more of an attacking midfielder, Heymans fits the mold of “good at scoring, good in the air, not great at playmaking.” In a different system, Heymans could easily fill the No. 8 role, and given his relatively low profile, he’d likely command a much smaller fee than others.

Oihan Sancet — Athletic Bilbao

After helping Athletic Bilbao to a fourth-place finish in La Liga, Sancet will likely be on the radar of some of the biggest clubs in Europe. At 25, Sancet is approaching his prime as well as the 200 professional appearances mark. He scored 12 non-penalty goals last season, registered just one assist, and already wears the No. 8 jersey. There’s no reason why Sancet can’t follow in Merino’s footsteps.

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