I've been thinking.. there are different kinds of playmakers in the game.
You have your Ozil types, that have the perfect vision for the pass.
You have your Coutinho types, that have all the verve and close control of the Brazilian football tradition.
And then you have guys like Milner.
He's at least a solid 6 out of 10 in all departments, but his real asset is having great stamina and intelligence in movement.
He'll very seldomly pull off an eye-popping throughball, dribble past 5 players or score a wicked volley from outside the area. But having these two combined qualities means he gets into good positions to receive the second to last pass, so that he can provide an easy assist for someone else in a good position. I've been thinking about the assists for our team this season, and I think we've seen a proliferation of 'tap-in' assists, where a simple final ball provides the shooting opportunity. A part of that is down to having less passing range in central midfield, without Stevie. But I think a part of that is also down to players like Milner using their qualities to provide the final link in the play.