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While football is filled with players who have clearly defined roles they've been asked to follow by their managers, there are often those who wander around the field unsure of what their exact responsibilities are often partaking in the closest footballing close to them. These are usually the clumsy ones – not the 'usually' – due to a lack of clear intent and motivation to really help their team. While managers like Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Luis Enrique demand clear fixed roles for their players to occupy, there are other managers who give many of their players a sense of freedom but what the player does with said freedom is what usually baffles the fans. Here are five such players who don't have a clearly defined role on the field.
#5 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
The 22-year-old was once considered one of the best prospects in English football and after joining Arsenal was widely expected to live up to those expectations but as does with most players who join the Gunners, injuries came at him thick and fast.
Having finally been rid of injuries for the past year, the Ox has yet to cement a first-team start but has made 32 apperances for the club this season with 16 of those coming off the bench. Chamberlain has a burst of pace, great dribbing skills but is often seen losing the ball in key areas of the pitch. The biggest one being when he lost the ball in the centre of the field to Andrelecht who then went on to score and get an unlikely win at the Emirates.
Usually deployed on the right wing, Chamberlain cycles through the whole range of midfield positions without making any particular contribution to the game. Many would say he's a confidence player and that may be true but what is the Ox's ideal position? Where does he perform the best at? One game in midfield against AC Milan a few years back showcased his passing and decision making abilities in the centre of the field yet he's never played there – even with a bunch of midfielders out injured.
But with age on his side, the Ox is the least unsure player on this list and given his natural ability and that he works under Arsene Wenger, he might be on this kind of a list for long.
#4 Yaya Toure
Yaya Toure is one of the best players Manchester City have ever had. He can attack, he can defend, he can score and he can make the juiciest of passes. If he's that good, that talented and that incredible on the field, why did Barcelona – under Pep Guardiola – not hesitate to sell him?
The simple truth of the fact is Yaya Toure is all over the place and for someone as fixated on position and its benefits, Pep Guardiola saw that Toure didn't have the mental and physical capabilities to actually stay in one place and sacrifice his eagerness for the betterment of the team.
His current manager, Manuel Pellegrini, is often seen shifting him from a creative attacking midfielder role down to a defensive midfielder multiple times on the field. Is he just reminding Toure of what his actual responsibilities are does the Ivorian often forget his primary instructions?
Given his goal-scoring prowess and assists make up for the lack of positional sense but then it's hard to argue as to why City have tried to recruit a solid midfielder in recent windows: Sergio Busquets, Alex Teixeira and more.
#3 Wayne Rooney
While Wayne Rooney might've started 2016 on an incredibly bright note scoring 8 goals for the club, his inclusion in this list comes from a braod recollection of his playing positions across the past two seasons. Under David Moyes, Rooney was a shadow of himself ghsoting around a plethora of positions not really stamping his authority on the game.
Under Louis van Gaal last season, it was the same. Rooney was often played in a deeper position but was rarely seen on the ball and especially in the middle of the field – where he was supposed to be. As a player who's constantly played just on the shoulder of the opposition defence, the change to midfield hit him harder than expected – so much so that he was linked with a move to rivals Arsenal and plenty of clubs abroad.
Rooney's a goal-scorer and the moment that was taken away from him, it confused Rooney leaving in a footballing-limbo unsure of where his finest position is and what his exact instructions are. With the introduction of Anthony Martial and a change in the tactics this season, Rooney has been sent back up front and has since performed better.
#2 James Milner
James Milner was hailed by current Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, as the 'most complete footballer' and even Kop fans didn't understand why the German said that. Milner has won titles with his former club, Manchester City, but is still confusing fans as to what exactly his contribution to the game is.
He's not the quickest player on the field, not the most technically adept and is certainly not the one with the most flair. His contribution to the game comes with an almost unlimited stamina level that helps him sprint – as fast as he can – from one end of the pitch to the other.
Milner has scored 5 goals for the Reds this season with 4 of those in the Premier League. He's got 6 assists to his name as well. Good enough for the 'most complete player'?
Milner is an industrial player – he'll run his socks off but when situations demand a player to stick to a plan, stick to a position and perform a certain role, the Englishman isn't the best option. Even Whoscored.com acknowledge his almost-clueless nature below.
#1 Marouane Fellaini
A collection groan will often occupy Manchester United fans when they read the name 'Marouane Fellaini' on their team sheets before a game. The Belgian – who was a splendid player for Everton – has had a terrible few years at Old Trafford ever since David Moyes brought him along.
He's big, hairy, strong but is often so clumsy on the ball, it's hard to understand what he's doing on the pitch. He's got an exquisite chest control which he often uses to belt down long balls but other than that, everyone's pretty unclear on his contribution to the game.
A lot of the Belgian's woes could also be aimed at his manager, Louis van Gaal, who himself doesn't see a fixed position for the Belgian. Having played Fellaini across the middle of the pitch all the way from a defensive midfield role to the centre-forward, its clear why his intentions in the game seem so clouded.
At Everton, Fellaini occupied the central midfield role and bossed the game given his natural build but at United, the game seems to pass him entirely. With Bastian Schweinsteiger, Michael Carrick, Morgan Schneiderlin and Ander Herrera who can occupy slightly more defensive positions, Fellaini looks like he won't be spending too much more time at Old Trafford and a move away could benefit him in clearing his actual role and getting his career back on track.
