Stuck In The Middle With You

The Huddle Breakdown midfield lament has been long and insistent. Stuff getting considerably worse was not, however, expected.

As Celtic continue to meander through the byways and side streets of transfer business, the only confirmed “new signing” has been the extension for a year accepted by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The Englishman, no doubt fresh from staying up until past 4am to watch his country defeat Mexico in a World Cup classic, was a fine player but it was over two World Cups ago he won the last of his 35 England caps – in 2019.

In other words, it is unlikely the 33-year-old will be the difference maker over 60 matches in Celtic’s midfield. It is six years since he was involved in 30 league matches for any club.

Yet central midfield continues to be the area of most concern given the likely departure of English Premier League target Arne Engels, and the further aging of Callum McGregor. We wait to see how Martin O’Neill’s remodelled (no sniggering at the back) side shape up in midfield, but last season saw two pivots and a number 10, Benjamin Nygren.

Concerns relate to a general lack of athleticism, creativity and goal threat from the centre.

So, today, I thought I’d lay out the recent history of midfield threes and how they have performed over some key metrics.

To keep it simple, I’m going to sum up the per 90-minute averages across all competitions for the three most prevalent midfielders in each of the following seasons: