Premier League Prioritizes Positional Versatility for Tactical Adaptability - Episode Hero Image

Premier League Prioritizes Positional Versatility for Tactical Adaptability

The Athletic FC Podcast · · Listen to Original Episode →
Original Title:

TL;DR

  • Managers deploy versatile players in unconventional positions to solve tactical problems, often prioritizing leadership or specific skill sets over traditional role suitability.
  • Positional flexibility allows teams to adapt systems mid-game or compensate for injuries, enabling coaches to find solutions and maintain tactical principles.
  • Players like Dominik Szoboszlai demonstrate high value through versatility, enabling tactical adjustments and team cohesion even when not in their primary role.
  • Converting center-backs to fullbacks, like at Arsenal, adds unconventional attacking threats and creativity, complicating opposition defenses facing deep blocks.
  • Experienced players like Alex Iwobi leverage intelligence and tactical understanding to excel in deeper midfield roles, compensating for waning physical attributes.
  • Tactical experimentation with player positions, such as Mikel Merino as a false nine, provides teams with valuable backup options and tactical adaptability.
  • Wingers transitioning to wing-back roles, like Amad Diallo, often struggle defensively due to a lack of physical profile, despite possessing offensive talent.

Deep Dive

The Premier League is increasingly prioritizing positional flexibility, driven by complex managerial systems and the need for adaptable players who can fulfill multiple roles. This trend allows managers to deploy trusted players in various positions to solve tactical problems, enhance leadership on the pitch, or adapt to in-game situations, leading to more fluid team structures that can exploit opponents in unconventional ways.

The strategic deployment of versatile players offers significant benefits but also introduces critical trade-offs. For instance, Dominik Szoboszlai's multifaceted contributions at Liverpool, shifting from midfield to right-back and even deputizing for Mohamed Salah, highlight his value in solving tactical puzzles and compensating for absences. However, this adaptability means his optimal position is often secondary to the team's immediate needs, raising questions about maximizing individual talent versus team cohesion. Similarly, Arsenal's conversion of center-backs to fullbacks, like Calafiori, injects creativity and unpredictability into their attack, particularly against deep defensive blocks. This approach leverages technical skill and physical presence from unconventional areas, but it relies on the surrounding players to maintain defensive solidity. The inverse, moving from defense to midfield, as seen with Reece James, can aid player fitness and provide crucial leadership, yet it raises questions about squad depth and international selection when numerous midfield options exist. Conversely, wingers converted to wing-backs, such as Amad Diallo, often struggle defensively, showcasing a tension between offensive prowess and the required defensive discipline for the role. This suggests that while positional flexibility can unlock tactical advantages, it demands careful consideration of player attributes and the specific demands of each role to avoid diminishing individual effectiveness or creating systemic weaknesses.

Ultimately, the Premier League's embrace of positional versatility indicates a strategic evolution where players are viewed less as specialists and more as adaptable assets within complex tactical frameworks. This approach allows managers to navigate injuries, tactical challenges, and opponent strategies with greater agility. However, the effectiveness of such flexibility hinges on a delicate balance: maximizing player adaptability without sacrificing individual strengths or creating exploitable vulnerabilities, particularly in defensive transitions and coverage.

Action Items

  • Audit player positional flexibility: Identify 3-5 players whose current roles deviate significantly from their primary position to assess potential performance impacts.
  • Develop positional versatility framework: Define criteria for evaluating player adaptability across 2-3 distinct roles to inform future squad planning.
  • Analyze system impact on player roles: For 3-5 teams, assess how tactical systems influence player positional changes and their effectiveness.
  • Track player transition success: For 5-10 players who have recently switched positions, measure key performance indicators (KPIs) pre- and post-transition over a 3-month period.

Related Episodes

Key Quotes

"I think players can uh positions have converted a little bit more I think there's just an emphasis upon the same concepts really regardless of what position you play and particularly just passing quality and I think it's easier maybe for a midfielder to go back into defense or for a wide player to move up front the other way though to consider it is that managers have so many options now they have a 20 man squad they've got nine on the bench they can use five subs"

Michael Bailey suggests that the increase in players changing positions is influenced by a greater emphasis on fundamental concepts like passing quality, making transitions between certain roles easier. He also notes that the expanded squad sizes and substitution rules provide managers with more tactical flexibility.

"I think my my honest view on this is just that coaches more than anything are people that are put in charge to find solutions to problems fundamentally and I think we as Michael kind of touched on and Kerris mentioned it as well of coaches now with kind of set ideas of wanting to play certain ways kind of end up manufacturing their own problems because they're trying to kind of reach playing a certain style or a certain philosophy whatever word you want to use"

Liam Tharme posits that coaches, tasked with solving problems, can sometimes create their own by rigidly adhering to specific playing styles or philosophies, rather than adapting to available players and game situations. He implies that better coaches are more flexible in their approach.

"I think Szoboszlai is so versatile that you can work around them and do a job pretty much wherever he plays but he's a good example I mean I think actually at right back there was a couple of games the game against Arsenal I think when he he was excellent there and they've got obviously lots of options they can use it right back but he looks really the most natural in that position to me I think he's a really good athlete and I think Szoboszlai is honestly best for Liverpool wherever he can run"

Cerys Jones highlights Dominik Szoboszlai's versatility and athleticism, suggesting that his adaptability allows Liverpool to build their team around him regardless of his specific position on the field. Jones believes he performed exceptionally well at right back in certain games, appearing most natural there.

"I think generally Arteta seems to really like these unconventional players you look at someone like Declan Rice who came through as a center back and now playing a defensive midfielder they've moved into kind of a box crashing number eight with Zuber Mendy behind him in in midfield now same with Bukayo Saka who played off the left a lot and wasn't a number nine also you know in his academy days the Andre Trast has played in various positions across the front line Jurrien Timber a center back who's then moved to right back and looks like a center back in jewels now that they're quite a weird team in a good way I think Arsenal for just not being very traditional they've got players that are quite quirky"

Liam Tharme observes that Mikel Arteta appears to favor unconventional players, citing examples like Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, who have transitioned between various roles. Tharme suggests that Arsenal's less traditional approach, with these "quirky" players, makes them a unique and potentially harder team to defend against.

"I think my my honest view on this is just that coaches more than anything are people that are put in charge to find solutions to problems fundamentally and I think we as Michael kind of touched on and Kerris mentioned it as well of coaches now with kind of set ideas of wanting to play certain ways kind of end up manufacturing their own problems because they're trying to kind of reach playing a certain style or a certain philosophy whatever word you want to use"

Liam Tharme posits that coaches, tasked with solving problems, can sometimes create their own by rigidly adhering to specific playing styles or philosophies, rather than adapting to available players and game situations. He implies that better coaches are more flexible in their approach.

"I think generally Arteta seems to really like these unconventional players you look at someone like Declan Rice who came through as a center back and now playing a defensive midfielder they've moved into kind of a box crashing number eight with Zuber Mendy behind him in in midfield now same with Bukayo Saka who played off the left a lot and wasn't a number nine also you know in his academy days the Andre Trast has played in various positions across the front line Jurrien Timber a center back who's then moved to right back and looks like a center back in jewels now that they're quite a weird team in a good way I think Arsenal for just not being very traditional they've got players that are quite quirky"

Liam Tharme observes that Mikel Arteta appears to favor unconventional players, citing examples like Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, who have transitioned between various roles. Tharme suggests that Arsenal's less traditional approach, with these "quirky" players, makes them a unique and potentially harder team to defend against.

Resources

External Resources

Articles & Papers

  • "Who are the Premier League's most versatile players?" (The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast) - Discussed as the topic of the episode, exploring players who switch positions.

People

  • Michael Bailey - Host of The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast.
  • Liam Tharme - Guest on The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast.
  • Michael Cox - Guest on The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast.
  • Cerys Jones - Guest on The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast.
  • Mike Stavrou - Producer of The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast.
  • Dominik Szoboszlai - Liverpool midfielder discussed for playing multiple positions.
  • Mohamed Salah - Liverpool player mentioned in relation to Szoboszlai's positional changes.
  • Jurgen Klopp - Liverpool manager referenced in discussions about player roles.
  • Trent Alexander-Arnold - Liverpool player mentioned as a benchmark for right-back performance.
  • Curtis Jones - Liverpool player mentioned in relation to right-back roles.
  • Fabinho - Liverpool player mentioned in relation to right-back roles.
  • Joe Gomez - Liverpool player mentioned in relation to right-back roles.
  • Christopher Nkunku - Player mentioned in relation to Liverpool's right-back performance.
  • Luis Diaz - Liverpool player mentioned in combination with Szoboszlai.
  • Darwin Nunez - Liverpool player discussed as a potential team centerpiece.
  • Jurrien Timber - Arsenal player discussed for playing center-back and fullback.
  • Ben White - Arsenal player discussed for playing center-back and fullback.
  • Riccardo Calafiori - Arsenal player discussed for playing center-back and fullback with a free role.
  • Pierre Højbjerg - Player mentioned in relation to Arsenal's defense.
  • Bukayo Saka - Arsenal player discussed in relation to positional flexibility and output.
  • Gabriel Martinelli - Arsenal player discussed in relation to positional flexibility.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense.
  • William Saliba - Arsenal player mentioned in relation to defense

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