'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
We’ve all been there. Your team is cruising in a five-a-side match and suddenly it’s your turn to go in goals. Truth be told, it’s not everyone’s favourite position, but you pop yourself between the posts to do your duty – it rarely goes swimmingly.Yes, being adaptable in the world of football is a key skill to have. In fact, it’s arguably as important as being able to dribble well, shoot from distance or produce an acrobatic finish in a crowded penalty area.Players who learn how to evolve, apply their strengths well to different positions as well as continuing to learn about different roles are exactly the type of performers managers love to have at their disposal. They can give the team a lift at precisely the right time, and when done properly they can evolve gradually over time to help their team get the most out of them on a consistent basis.So, let’s take a look at six recent examples of stars who have changed in some way to fit into their team’s system.
#6 Christian Eriksen
There has been a great deal of moaning and berating whenever Christian Eriksen’s name has come up in conversation in recent weeks. Some have stated that he needs to give more to Tottenham Hotspur football club, while others see his slump in form as a reason to let him go in the coming months.
Tom Collomosse of the Evening Standard penned a piece arguing that Spurs need him at his best again if they are to climb up the Premier League table, stating that he would work well just behind Harry Kane. However, that fails to take into consideration that the Denmark international is part of a new system being implemented by Mauricio Pochettino which has seen the influential midfielder becoming more withdrawn for the benefit of his team-mates.
As pointed out by Lee Scott on These Football Times, Eriksen has altered his approach substantially so as to work as part of a system that sees him as the perfect decoy for others, and a player who has begun to use space more effectively than anyone else on the team, something which has given Delle Alli licence to roam forward with great effect. It’s also allowed Eriksen the opportunity to create more assists – he already has six in the league.
It certainly explains Eriksen’s lack of goals and should go some way to easing any fears certain Lilywhites fans have about the player experiencing a slump – it’s merely the sign of a player changing his style to suit the needs of his team.
It’s working, too, because after 17 games last season they were 7th with 27 points, whereas this time around they are fourth with 29 points. It might only be a marginal difference reflected in the table, but it’s hard to argue that Eriksen hasn’t altered his style significantly for a bigger purpose.
#5 Romelu Lukaku
Every team needs to score goals to win matches, an obvious statement that Michael Owen would be proud of. However, although it might not seem plain at first, Romelu Lukaku is one of the finest examples of how possessing an adaptable goal-scorer can clearly benefit the needs of a team in more ways than one.
The tactical nuances of his game are a little less obvious than the rest of the players in our list, but when one digs a little deeper, it becomes clear just how integral he really is to Everton’s form.
Not only is he netting the necessary goals, but he’s becoming a reliable target who has vastly improved the technical side of his game so that he can dribble more efficiently and nimbly nip past defenders. He’s giving his team shape, form and confidence to make incisive runs, play intricate passes and impose themselves on games.
The team were crying out for him to hit full stride in the 2014/15 campaign, but he could only muster 10 league strikes. Yet now he has come spectacularly of age to fit into the needs of his team. As a result of his prowess, his team-mates have been allowed to join in on the offensive with John Stones, Seamus Coleman and Ross Barkley all being afforded the confidence to flood forward in possession.
Most revealing has been the relationship between Lukaku and Gerard Deulofeu. The Spaniard has assisted the Belgian six times, which is the most strikes assisted for a single player in the league this season, per Squawka.
What’s more, According to StatsBomb, Lukaku was well below the team average for shots taken outside the 18-yard box last season and yet he was also off-key from further in. However, by growing into a more well-rounded striker who looks more confident accepting passes in congested areas he has become the right type of spearhead for the team and it’s been a remarkable transformation.
It’s perhaps best evidenced by his return so far which has seen him net 50 percent of his record-breaking eight goals from seven matches inside the six-yard box. Simply put, he’s making sure he's getting into the right areas where he wasn’t before.
#4 Jamie Vardy
Last season, Jamie Vardy wasn’t used to great effect under the eccentric and outspoken former Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson. The now 28-year-old was a million miles from the magisterial, history-setting striker who is currently leading the Premier League goal-scoring charts, but his dramatic evolution hasn’t only been of great benefit to him, but to the entire Foxes team.
Deployed out wide far too often under Pearson throughout the 2014/15 season, Vardy struggled to have much of an impact on many games, but under the tinkering tactician that is manager Claudio Ranieri, he has persisted with some incredible displays. Now, he’s a man transformed and has found his place among the starting XI.
Now used through the middle as their main point of attack, it hasn’t simply been a case of switching positions for the England ace, because he’s had to put in some hard work on the training ground, particularly under the tutelage of one-time EPL Golden Boot winner Kevin Phillips who has had a major impact on Vardy’s improvement.
Tuned into the art of how to pull defenders this way and that with some bending runs, he’s also learned how to be clinical against some of the most illustrious clubs around. As relayed by Sky Sports’ Adam Bates: “Vardy was named among the substitutes in eight Premier League games last season but has started every one under Ranieri. He is central to his plans in more ways than one.”
His increased involvement, as well as his desire, to become their primary striker has allowed Ranieri to bring others into the fold in better positions. In particular, Riyad Mahrez soon had licence to come in as an inverted winger, and Leicester, as a unit, have not looked back since.
#3 Lionel Messi
It’s sort of difficult to ignore this guy no matter what area of football is being discussed.
Seen as one of the most reliable team players around as well as the favourite to win the upcoming Ballon d’Or award, Messi is as close to perfect as any athlete. Widely lauded as a truly unselfish star due to his terrific team ethic and assists record, he commands a lot of respect.
Most recently, the Barcelona wizard has helpfully gone along with Luis Enrique’s plans to shift him out wide to the right in an effort to get himself, Luis Suarez and Neymar all singing from the same hymn sheet, a plan that came into effect back in 2014 during a Champions League match against Eredivisie giants Ajax when the diminutive dribbler let Suarez take up his central role.
So far, it has worked famously for the Blaugrana as the trio have formed a fearsome attacking trident. Messi’s move out wide has allowed them all to work well in tandem with each other when they’ve all been fit.
It has been a remarkable transformation and one that has allowed him to, arguably, become an even better player than before. Despite the fact the Argentina international was injured for several weeks, he already has four league assists to his name, just two shy of Gareth Bale who leads the charts, proof as to just how effective he continues to be in a supporting role.
#2 Philipp Lahm
A master of versatility and a player who has conquered the very highest peaks of the game, yes Philipp Lahm is a modern-day wonder in the world of football.
It’s normally been pretty widely known that the Bayern Munich man is one of the most malleable players around, but it’s undoubtedly his ability to do so at the drop of a hat that is his most impressive strength. The World Cup winner has been no stranger to rotating his position in the years gone by, but 2015 has perhaps seen the most consistent period.
Several times already in the current season, Lahm has been selected to play in a midfield role, often slightly to the right, alongside Xabi Alonso and he has continued to perform exceptionally, maintaining the sort of form which saw him complete 134 successful passes against Hertha Berlin last season, achieving a 100 percent completion rate.
His switch to this position has given Die Roten more assurance moving forward as he adds tremendous defensive balance to the team, allowing the attackers to get busy doing what they do best.
#1 Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil has always been a sublimely talented footballer, but a shadow of doubt had remained over his abilities for so long. Exceedingly good at times and oozing class on more than one occasion, there was also a whisper of worry that the Germany international was not hitting the highs often enough.
So far this season, however, the World Cup winner has been in impressive form for Arsenal and most recently during their 2-1 win over Manchester City he played a key role in eviscerating the Citizens’ back line with two great assists to set up Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott.
Now, he has 15 Premier League assists to his name and is so close to bettering Thierry Henry’s record of 20 in one season. With over half the season still to come, the chances are good that he will achieve it.
Indeed, before the Gunners’ win over their rivals, Ozil had the Frenchman purring on Sky Sports about the improvements that have come about in his gameplay:
“He has started to understand who he is playing with a bit better, this year. And I think, for me, nothing has changed – he changed. And the question that people were asking about him: ‘He wasn’t actually good’ and this year he is good. He changed and he adapted to the players that he is playing with. He understands the runs of Giroud, he understands the runs of Sanchez, Campbell or whoever he is playing with at the time.”
Essentially, he has become the type of playmaker Arsene Wenger’s men have always needed and because of his ability to change his own style, has helped Arsenal blossom into serious title contenders once again.
