5 current Premier League players who have shifted positions successfully

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

Part of being a professional footballer is to be so darn good that even adversity shows up at your doorstep expecting to get knocked into the middle of next week. You have to understand that we are talking about elite athletes who have been groomed from impressionable ages. The vision of their coaches are looked at through rose-tinted glasses and it's the same far-sightedness that is relied on when they are designated positions across the pitch.

And they get it spot on more often than not. Even with mishaps, they don't fall too far off the mark. But every once in a while, an anomaly will pop up. The central defender with an eye for picking out the perfect pass or the fullback who just can't stop taking opposition defenders for a spin. When the signs are wicked good, they'll get a sit down with the bossman who will tell them something along the lines of Alright lad, we have a fresh new plan for ya.

Here are 5 players who have shifted from their original positions and flourished like palm trees.

#5 James Milner

James Milner gives it his all for his team every single time

The constant failings of Alberto Moreno at left-back posed quite a problem for Jurgen Klopp. But those woes were dumped in the bin, thanks to the hardened professional that is James Milner.

Originally a central midfielder, Milner went ahead and made the left back position his own. He made 40 appearances for the Scousers and only 2 of those were as a midfielder. An unrelenting workhorse, the former Manchester City veteran was unfazed by the perennial shuttling that he was expected to do. Mind you, he's 31 years old.

Milner has been a versatile bulwark his entire career. He has, on his best days, also been deployed as a winger, and he uses that experience to good effect. It's a demanding job and it's admirable how Milner went on to become one of the first names on Klopp's team sheet in the 2016/17 campaign.

Though Alberto Moreno seems to be coming back to his strengths and Andrew Robertson has been brought in from Hull for lack of a specialist alternative, Milner could yet be running up and down the left flank unless his age catches up with him.

#4 Victor Moses

Victor Moses was nearly written off at Chelsea

We all know the Victor Moses of old. He was the quintessential winger/winger forward who knew more than just a couple of snazzy manoeuvres but often ended up running straight into traffic. To sum it up, Moses was nothing beyond the squad player who never looked like he was destined for greatness.

The Nigerian joined Chelsea in 2013 and couldn't prove himself to be worthy of a starting position. He had 2 largely unsuccessful loan spells at West Ham and Stoke where he operated as an attacking outlet.

The tunnel seemed unending and Moses looked set to settle for mediocrity away from Chelsea. But then Conte happened. In fact, it was Arsenal's dominant 3-0 victory in the opening months of the 2016/17 campaign sent Conte straight back to the drawing board. And off the drawing board, a fresh script was written for the 26-year-old.

Antonio Conte made the switch to a 3-4-2-1 formation. The shape-shifting routine of the Chelsea setup meant that when the team went on the offensive, the formation changes to 2-3-4-1. Cesar Azpilicueta would join the midfield ranks and Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso would take up the role of wingers who exploit the width of the pitch.

Having spent his career up until then playing as a winger or winger forward, Moses used his experience going forward and the presence of Willian ahead of him to great advantage.

Willian would normally cut in from the wings as Moses stayed wide on the pitch. This stretched the Premier League defences and inevitably tore them apart on several occasions. In fact, the tactical overhaul was at the centre of Chelsea's Premier League success.

Moses says, "When I play against a winger because I’m a winger myself, I understand what they are going to do before they try and go past me, so it makes it a lot easier for me."

Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses, Chelsea's two wing-backs were at the heart of their dominant Premier League campaign. Moses's adaptation and how he flourished in his new role was nothing short of a surprising revelation.

#3 Roberto Firmino

Roberto Firmino is constantly a live wire in the Liverpool attack

It is difficult to figure out what exactly to call Roberto Firmino's role in the Liverpool's front 3. One thing we all know for certain is that he is indispensable to the Gegenpressing tactics of Jurgen Klopp.

Firmino joined Liverpool as an attacking midfielder but Klopp soon realised that the Brazilian's hunger for the game can be made the most out of when he's unleashed to dog down defences. A player who makes his presence known both with the ball at his feet and without it, the tenacious Firmino never bails out of a chase.

He constantly cuts passing channels and presses relentlessly in top gear thereby sending opposition defences into a perpetual state of confusion and scramble. The 25-year-old makes life easier for those around by providing extra space with his incisive runs.

Firmino is a lot of things but a conventional striker is not one of them. His finishing abilities seem to be getting better by the day and his auxiliary attributes are also on the rise. His becoming the pintle in a false-nine position has seen Salah and Mane blossom around him and it is this exact ability that makes him the most important cog in Klopp's system.

#2 Antonio Valencia

Antonio Valencia is tireless going forward and uncompromising in defence

Valencia joined Manchester United from Wigan Athletic to do the impossible task of replacing Cristiano Ronaldo. He had a couple of productive seasons as a right winger before he slipped into mediocrity.

A self-aware team player, Valencia gave up the no.7 jersey as he did not deem himself worthy of it. And then, in came Louis van Gaal. He transformed Valencia into one of the best right-backs in the world.

The Ecuadorian is, almost always, the cog that sets United's counter-attacking transition in motion. A tireless toiler, Valencia sprints up and down his channel relentlessly. He is one of the most hardworking fullbacks in the Premier League.

For a player who looked like he was in the autumn of his stint at United 4 years back, Valencia's successful transition into an out and out fullback has reaped rewards for both himself and United.

He is pretty popular among his teammates and is adored for his impeccable work ethic. Ander Herrera, United's player of the year from the 2016-17 season, hailed Valencia as the best right-back in the world.

And the icing on the cake? Following the departure of Wayne Rooney, Antonio Valencia has been handed the captain's armband by Jose Mourinho who promises nothing short of glory to the Old Trafford faithful.

#1 Christian Eriksen

The Dane is elite material

One quality that Mauricio Pochettino greatly values in his players is tactical versatility. This obviously entails the ability to slot in seamlessly into different positions.

Christian Eriksen has all the makings of an elite creative playmaker. But in England, where defences are set up narrowly, there is very little breathing space on offer for no. 10s. Thus, when Pochettino handed the no.10 duties to Dele Alli in a bid to free up Eriksen by moving him to the flanks, there was only going to be one outcome. Success.

That is not to say that Eriksen has been converted into an out and out winger. He just starts out wide and is thus able to be in a position where when Spurs are on the offensive, their creative outlets do not have their back against the goal and are instead, facing it.

He needed to up his defensive output to win his place back in Pochettino's plans and the unrelenting hard-worker he is, Eriksen improved on that aspect of his game.

Eriksen roams about the final third vigilantly looking for spaces and weaknesses to exploit. His expertise in striking the dead ball has earned him the nickname of Golazo (meaning 'screamer') among his teammates.

The Dane has been crucial to Tottenham's great run of form in the recent past and he has proved that a change in position cannot strip him of his great footballing riches. His ice-cool demeanour and lily-white technique are of a class of their own. He is the archetypal catalyst and the fact that he created the most number of chances in the Premier League last season is a testament to his abilities.