As football has become more universal, there are fewer differences between defenders and attackers, and so players have become more versatile.
This means redeploying players in a new position is more viable. Here is, put simply, an XI of Premier League players who have been fielded in an unexpected role during this season.
Goalkeeper: Alphonse Areola, West Ham
Clearly, no one has actually been moved from another position to become a goalkeeper. But the goalkeeper who has experienced the biggest change has been Areola, with Julen Lopetegui wanting a more patient build-up style and a higher line than David Moyes.
Therefore, Areola’s launch percentage (the proportion of times he kicks the ball 40 yards or more) has dropped from 44 per cent to 31 per cent, and he’s recorded six defensive actions outside the box already this season, compared to seven from 30 matches last season.
Left-back and right-back: Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal
Initially regarded as a left-back in Italy, Calafiori was redeployed at centre-back by Thiago Motta at Bologna, and seemed most suited to playing on the left of a three-man defence. He only played 7 per cent of minutes last season as a full-back, and was considered the next great Italian central defender, albeit a more technical version of some past greats.
But now that Mikel Arteta (and Pep Guardiola, for that matter) seems determined to cram as many central defenders into the same XI as possible, players like Calafiori are being signed primarily as full-backs rather than centre-backs. The Italian is comfortable out wide, and his delicious strike in the 2-2 draw against Manchester City showed his technical quality.
More surprising was Calafiori popping up on the right of the back four for the second half of Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, after Jurrien Timber was substituted, and with Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu unavailable. Inevitably a little uncomfortable receiving possession on the right as a left-footer, Calafiori wasn’t obviously troubled in a defensive sense.
Central midfielder dropping into defence: Joelinton, Newcastle United
The Brazilian is something of a poster boy for changing positions — after arriving as Newcastle as a No 9 and struggling to convince, then being fielded out wide, he’s surprisingly found his home as a left-sided No 8, offering energy, tenacity and defensive qualities in the engine room. This season, though, his role has become even more defensive-minded.
In the 2-1 victory over Tottenham, Eddie Howe wanted Newcastle to shift into a back five without possession, from their starting shape of 4-3-3. Therefore Joelinton was handed an unusual role, dropping from central midfield into either a left-wing-back position, or a left-sided centre-back role to allow Lloyd Kelly to push wide. He played that role reasonably well.
He was tasked with something similar in the 1-1 draw with Manchester City, sometimes battling with Erling Haaland for aerial balls. It’s not exactly what he envisioned when signing for Newcastle for a club-record deal in 2019. “He’s got all the attributes a top striker needs,” said then manager Steve Bruce. Instead, Joelinton has emerged as a reliable, defensively useful utility man.
Temporary centre-back: Edson Alvarez, West Ham
Alvarez is no stranger to playing in defence, having previously operated there for both Ajax and Mexico. But since joining West Ham last summer he had exclusively been fielded as a ball-winning midfielder — until West Ham’s 3-0 defeat by Chelsea, when he was surprisingly used as a third centre-back by Julen Lopetegui, and tasked with man-marking Nicolas Jackson.
West Ham looked completely uncomfortable in their back five, with Alvarez dragged around and leaving gaps in the middle of defence. Chelsea exploited it time and time again, with Jackson making clever movements to open up space for through balls, and twice losing Alvarez with clever movement for his two goals. For the second, in particular, Alvarez simply wasn’t capable of keeping up.
Whether that was Alvarez’s fault or Lopetegui’s is questionable. But it seems unlikely the Mexican will used in that role again this season.
Left-back: Kristoffer Ajer, Brentford
A physical defender signed to cover both right-back and centre-back positions, this season Ajer has found himself on the left of defence. This didn’t happen at all last season — after a serious knee injury ended Rico Henry’s campaign early, Thomas Frank used Vitaly Janelt, Keane Lewis-Potter, Saman Ghoddos, Aaron Hickey, Mads Roerslev or loanee Sergio Reguilon on that flank, either as full-back or wing-back. Ajer was never tried there.
But this season he’s started four of Brentford’s matches on that side, and while hardly Roberto Carlos in possession, Ajer has played the position well. At times he’s moved inside to hold a narrow position, and at times he’s attacking well, albeit with power and determination rather than great finesse.
In the international break he played for Norway against Slovenia as a right-back, and against Austria as a centre-back. They remain his preferred positions, and Henry’s eventual return from injury will allow Ajer to return to the opposite flank.
Holding midfielder: Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool
A good advert for not making new signings.
Liverpool were desperate to bring in a holding midfielder in the summer, but it seems the solution was right under their nose. Having been used as a No 8 by Jurgen Klopp and performed reasonably well last season, Gravenberch has been rejuvenated this season, being used in the deep midfield role by Arne Slot.
Gravenberch looks like a No 8 playing as a No 6 — in a positive way. At times he’s held his position and kept his distribution simple, but it’s been noticeable how often he’s pushed up to win possession aggressively, and particularly in how determined he is to drive forward with the ball. That was particularly noticeable in the 3-0 victory at Manchester United — see the way he received this Virgil van Dijk pass on the halfway line, instantly turned past Kobbie Mainoo and dribbled to the edge of the opposition area to create a good chance for Luis Diaz.
“There are a few ways to overload or outplay (opponents) and one of them is definitely a player who can drive with the ball, dribble and outplay someone, because you immediately have an overload,” Slot said after the 2-0 win over Bologna. “Ryan was outstanding again with his dribbling ability, and that was important against this team. But if we only focus on the dribbles he had, then we forget maybe how important he is without the ball, where he does a lot of work and wins a lot of second balls as well.”
No 8: Dejan Kulusevski, Tottenham Hotspur
Kulusevski has always been open in interviews, particularly in his native Sweden, about his desire to play in a central position rather than in the right-sided role that he’s become accustomed to at Tottenham. In general, this has been taken to mean a No 10 position.
But Ange Postecoglou’s side rarely features a No 10. Therefore, Kulusevski started the final game of last season in a No 9 position, was again fielded there pre-season, and then this season has been moved deeper to play as a central midfielder, often alongside James Maddison as something approaching the ‘free 8’ roles popularised — and named — by Kevin De Bruyne.
In general, it has worked well. Maddison has dropped deep to get on the ball, and both players are tenacious enough to ensure Spurs aren’t completely overrun.
Kulusevski was particularly impressive in the 3-0 victory at Manchester United, but maybe the best example of Spurs’ new approach came for a Brennan Johnson chance in the 3-1 victory over Brentford. Maddison’s ability to come short and receive the ball, and Kulusevski’s understanding of when to make runs to find space behind the opposition midfield, allowed Spurs to play straight through the centre of the opposition.
No 10: Dwight McNeil, Everton
It comes as no major surprise that McNeil is playing a prominent role for Sean Dyche’s Everton, considering their history together at Burnley. But McNeil’s positional development has been interesting. Because Dyche’s Burnley played an old-school style of football, McNeil was initially cast as an old-school left winger, staying wide and putting in crosses. Later he was moved to the right flank — in keeping with modern wingers — to add a goalscoring threat with mixed results.
This season, he’s generally been fielded in a No 10 position, and his attacking numbers have been excellent. He was particularly impressive when scoring both goals in the 2-1 comeback victory over Crystal Palace, including this stunning long-range drive.
But there have been downsides to this approach, perhaps not obvious from the highlights. As The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland has explained, McNeil’s naivety without the ball has caused problems. “McNeil’s move to a central role has coincided with an upturn in his fortunes, but he is still learning the defensive intricacies of the position, creating an imbalance further back,” Boyland wrote after the goalless draw with Newcastle. “Does McNeil’s offensive output outweigh some of the negatives that come with playing him in that central position?”
(Another) No 10: Wilfried Ndidi, Leicester
Ndidi arrived at Leicester in 2017 as a defensive midfielder — essentially a belated replacement for N’Golo Kante. He had all the qualities required for a defensive midfielder: calm in possession, smart in terms of ball-winning and capable of covering lots of ground. At times, his defensive ability meant he was asked to deputise at centre-back, which wasn’t his specialism, but he generally looked comfortable there.
At times given a more advanced role in Leicester’s Championship-winning campaign under Enzo Maresca, new manager Steve Cooper asked Ndidi to play as a No 10 for the start of this season. Now the No 10 role is increasingly about pressing as much as it is creating, Ndidi was pushed forward into a position ahead of the former Spurs duo of Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp. He’s looked a natural in that position, and his assist for Jamie Vardy at Crystal Palace, where he won possession and then played a delightful chip in behind, showed the value of using him there.
But Leicester’s overdue first win of the campaign came last time out with a 1-0 win over Bournemouth. Ndidi returned to his old deeper role alongside Skipp, with Jordan Ayew playing as the No 10. Therefore, it would be a surprise if Cooper didn’t persist with that system this weekend, despite Ndidi’s impressive form further forward.
Inside-right: Eddie Nketiah, Crystal Palace
At some point, Nketiah needed to make the move away from Arsenal to get regular playing time. The surprise wasn’t that he ended up at Crystal Palace — a club who have often lacked a regular goalscoring striker — but that he did so the summer after Jean-Philippe Mateta hit 16 goals, the best return for a Palace player in their current 11-year Premier League stint.
That explains why Nketiah has been used in an inside-right position rather than as a No 9. For a player usually considered as a pure finisher, that’s meant a major adjustment, but thus far he’s performed well, and was arguably Palace’s best player in the draws against Manchester United and Leicester, impressing with his touch in tight spaces and his work without possession. “I’m getting a few more touches front-facing,” he said in a recent interview with The Independent. “That is a strength of mine, when I can dribble and run at opponents rather than always playing with my back to goal.”
What hasn’t come yet, though, are any goals, aside from one against QPR in the League Cup, struck through the goalkeeper’s legs from a tight angle on the right. It remains to be seen how prolific Nketiah can be in this new role, considering he’s a player famed for scoring scruffy efforts from inside the six-yard box. From four starts, he’s only accumulated 0.6xG in this new, deeper role.
Centre-forward: Anthony Gordon, Newcastle United
Mainly regarded as a speedy winger who has increasingly offered a goal threat, injuries to both Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson means Gordon has been fielded through the middle on multiple occasions so far this season. In both the 2-1 victory over Wolves and the 3-1 defeat by Fulham, Gordon started out wide but moved up front in the second half to good effect, as Eddie Howe’s half-time changes prompted an improvement.
Against Manchester City, he was used up front from the outset and caused serious problems with his speed. Newcastle’s goal came when he sprung the offside trap to get on Bruno Guimaraes’ through ball, before anticipating Ederson’s challenge and playing for a penalty.
He converted the spot kick impressively, although he then missed a penalty the following weekend in a goalless draw at former club Everton.
Gordon isn’t a natural centre-forward when the ball is wide, and his movement in those situations is often poor. But when Newcastle are attacking at speed, his acceleration and the timing of his runs cause serious problems. With Isak and Wilson both somewhat injury-prone, he may well receive more opportunities in this role as the season progresses.
(Header photos: Getty Images)
