Aye, he doesn't neglect his denfensive duties but he shouldn't be relied on for the defence. If he is to be ever played in that position his number one priority should be ball retetion and distribution. Xavi while he isn't a great tackler, his intercepting and pressing is incredible and Pirlo doesn't do a thing when it comes to defence. Even though he may never reach his heights, De Bruyne could become a very similar player to Xavi. On another note people should not compare McEachran to Xavi, if I had to compare Josh to a Barça midfielder it would be Iniesta. They both drift around and look for space to occupy off the ball, and while on the ball use simple and short dribbles to creat space to pass the ball.