As recommendations go, they don’t come much more prestigious than Dietmar Hamann.
Not when we’re talking about defensive midfielders anyway.
The German knows a thing or two about winning. Over a 19-year senior club career, he clinched two Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich, he won two UEFA Cup titles and a little Champions League for himself too along with nine other trophies.
And, yes, he knows a thing or 900 about playing as a defensive midfielder.
You wouldn’t get too far down a list of the best anchors in world football without Hamann’s name propping up somewhere. He’s one of the masters of breaking up play, holding the fort and actually playing some deadly football there too.
For all intents and purposes, he’s one of the genuinely good defensive midfielders in a position that tends to overrate its inhabitants.
Comment: Calling yourself a defensive midfielder gives you a licence to be an ineffective footballer https://t.co/FCXliqhb9L
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) April 6, 2016
But the Liverpool legend is a fan of none other than Glenn Whelan. The Irish veteran, boasting 69 caps for his country, still splits the camp at home but Hamann sees his uses. And he likes them. To a degree anyway.
“I think it depends. Certainly against stronger opposition, I think it makes sense to play two holding midfielders,” he told SportsJOE.ie. “Ireland play against three very good teams and it would certainly make sense for me if you played with Whelan and McCarthy – certainly against Italy and Belgium, maybe not against Sweden. Maybe you can be a bit more adventurous against Sweden.
“Glenn Whelan certainly adds huge value to the team because he’s a team player, he’s very reliable, he’s a ball-winner and very good at retaining the ball.
“I’m in the pro Whelan camp.
“I certainly think there should be a place for him, depending on the opposition. Because I think McCarthy should be the first one in there and you need to see when you play against lesser opposition – the likes of Sweden maybe – you’ve got to find a place for Wes Hoolahan.”
We've spoken to a BBC Radio Stoke journalist about what we're missing with Glenn Whelan https://t.co/msbU6W9F3H pic.twitter.com/pnbBrLAjAW
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) November 12, 2015
It’s time for his first choice midfielder, James McCarthy, to start dominating now though.
Hamann was the leader and heartbeat of many a team throughout his glittered career and he wants the Everton midfielder to step up to the plate for Ireland in France.
“The player I’ve got – I don’t want to say high expectations of – but I do expect a lot of this tournament, is James McCarthy,” he said.
“He’s been dictating play in the middle of the park. I think he’s a very talented player who’s probably not done it all the time – but I think his form for Ireland has improved. I think McCarthy is the player.
“In the middle of the park, you need somebody who dictates games. Somebody who can dictate the pace of the game and obviously lead. Somebody who talks to other players and organises in that position and I think he’s at a stage in his career now where he should be capable of doing that.”
Of course, you’d have to travel a long way to find someone who isn’t a Wes Hoolahan fan and Dietmar Hamann is no different.
“The player I like to watch – I saw him a few weeks ago in a game against Slovakia where he was excellent – is Wes Hoolahan. He’s a player who’s always available and, in tournament football, it’s very important to keep the ball. If you’re not able to keep the ball then you have a problem. I certainly think the flow of the game and the ball retention is a lot better with Hoolahan in the team than without him.
“The hardest thing in football is to score goals,” he continued. “The player I would like to see in the team is Shane Long. Even if he doesn’t score, he’s got a tremendous value for the team with his work rate, creating space for other players and making it hard for the opposition – putting them under pressure.”
Dietmar Hamann will be one of the panel members on RTÉ 2fm’s Game On live shows at three venues in Cork (May 30), Galway (June 2) and Dublin (June 8). For more information, visit Three.ie.
