Box-to-box midfielders by the numbers

Which 8s does the new and improved ADAM formula back so far this season?

There is allegedly international football going on right now, but you could’ve fooled me. These breaks are better spent updating formulas and rankings for me, and that of course means I’m back with another list of players, again in the middle of the park.

Last time out, we took a look at the deepest of the deep midfielders, the number sixes. Today, we pivot (get it??) to the guys meant to go box-to-box, who become attackers when their sides have the ball, and defenders when their sides don’t. You may call them all-action midfielders, 8s, or just good old-fashioned “central midfielders.”

To be strong in this ranking, you really can’t be a one-trick pony. You’ve got to contribute in all phases, from defense to buildup and chance creation or even goal scoring. To give you an idea, some names that have popped up high on the ADAM rankings here over the years include David Silva, Paul Pogba, Dele Alli, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Rodrigo De Paul, Frenkie de Jong, Toni Kroos, İlkay Gündoğan, Nicolò Barella, Pedri and Jude Bellingham.

These are not all midfielders who play precisely the same role, and to be clear, certain players on this list could easily move into a single pivot or playmaking number 10 role. But I wrote this piece, and I consider them 8s, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Before we dive into full rankings, some things I always like to cover off:

• This list is created relying fully on statistics from this season and last. Players are rated using a whole bunch of data points of varying weights.

• Minimum for inclusion was 2.0 90s, or 180 minutes of domestic league play so far this campaign. Players with more starts and minutes were weighted favorably.

• I don’t follow a hard-and-fast age limit, but I do prioritize players on the younger side of the “peak age” spectrum.

• All scores are subject to an adjustment according to league strength, so you shouldn’t have to mentally raise or lower rankings to make it more “fair.”

• Last but not least: I always encourage a healthy dose of the eye test before forming a final opinion on any player, so please consume this list responsibly. This list does not necessarily reflect my personal rankings, as I have been known to disagree with my own formulas from time to time.

Now, let’s get into the data!