🎥 What Makes a Great CDM – Anticipation, Decision-Making & Defensive IQ

The best central defensive midfielders aren’t just destroyers — they’re readers of the game, connectors, and calm under pressure.

In this video, we break down the key qualities that make a CDM elite:

• Anticipation & positioning before the ball is played

• Winning 1v1 duels in open spaces

• Staying compact and covering passing lanes

• Finding the first pass after winning the ball to trigger a counter or reset possession

• Reading danger before it happens and organizing others around them