The Athletic FC

Hello, you're listening to this week's episode of the Athletic FC Tactics podcast.

I'm your host, Michael Bailey. This one is all about

positional flexibility, discussing the Premier League players who have switched positions this season

and why. On the show, it's Liam Tharm, Michael Cox, and making a tactics debut, Kerriss Jones.

Let's get into it.

On this episode, we will run through some of the high-profile players to have switched

positions in the Premier League recently and those who play multiple roles in their team.

We'll dissect how effective those switches have been and what their best positions are. But first, Michael,

does it seem like we're seeing more players changing positions now? Yeah, maybe. As we've

discussed a few times on the podcast before, I think players can, positions have converged 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 defence 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 got nine on the bench.

They can use five subs.

I mean, back in the day when you had one or two subs, if you left back got injured, someone was going to have to fill in there. And I think now it actually allows for more specialisation if you want that on the bench. You can have a player on the bench who's just a pure right winger, which probably wasn't really doable when you had like a 12th and 13th man and they might have to cover any position. But I think, you know, the main thing that's changed really is there's more emphasis on systems. There's more emphasis upon being able to change system within a game. And I think there's not many players around who are just left backs. If you're left back, you've got to be able to play as a left side of centerback in a three, as a wingback, maybe moving inside into midfield. So yeah, I think there's different ways of looking at it, but I think players are more flexible now. Yeah, I feel like it's almost a side effect like Michael was saying of that of managers, many of them having such picky systems now. You know, we look at so many managers who arrive at a club with a set way

of how they want to play. And if you were a left back, you now need to be a wingback. You now need

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