Messi, Fernandes and more: 5 football superstars who could thrive with a change in position (2022)
At the highest level, football teams require specialists at every position. Players need to have been acquainted with the nuances of their role from a very young age for them to obtain a well-rounded skillset which helps them excel.
But we also see plenty of football stars who are extremely versatile. They can play across a variety of positions thanks to their natural flair for the game. These players can be a huge blessing for managers as they can afford to tweak their systems and move things around without much hassle.
Some players are so good that they can perform at a high level in multiple positions. However, there will always be one position where a player is most comfortable playing in. If they are assigned that position, they will play their best game.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five football superstars who could thrive with a change in position.
#5 Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
There is a lot of talk around Arsenal needing to prioritize signing a centre-forward in the summer. After all, they let go of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang rather abruptly in January. Eddy Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette are set to become free agents in the summer.
But they really don't need to look much further than Gabriel Martinelli, whose preferred position is centre-forward. The 20 year old has largely played down the flanks under Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal legend Paul Merson, writing on Sportskeeda, urged Mikel Arteta to consider playing Martinelli up top.
"If I were Arteta, I’d start playing Martinelli up front. Arsenal could spend a lot of money on a striker, but the player they’re looking for might already be at the club. Martinelli is lively and quick – he has what it takes. He should get a run till the end of the season, and might save Arsenal £70 million."
🗣️ Paul Merson on Gabriel Martinelli!
Could Gabi be our star upfront? 🤔
#Arsenal #Martinelli #Merson https://t.co/pwRstvKxxC
#4 Christian Pulisic (Chelsea)
Christian Pulisic is playing at wing-back at Chelsea and if his latest comments are anything to go by, he doesn't seem too pleased about that. The US international thrived as a left winger at Borussia Dortmund.
Unfortunately, Thomas Tuchel's system is heavily reliant on wing-backs.
In late January, Pulisic said: (quotes via Sky Sports):
“It’s tough. I haven’t always been playing in the positions I want to play in. But I think it’s a good quality to be versatile and be able to play in all kinds of positions and have different strengths on the pitch.
“So, yeah, I’ve learned a lot and I think I’m ready to hopefully be in a spot in the next couple of games that I’m more comfortable in.
With both Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku performing poorly, it feels like it's time for Tuchel to perhaps use Pulisic in a much more advanced role. He could play as one of the wide attacking midfielders or even as a striker.
"It’s tough. I haven’t always been playing in the positions I want to play in."
football365.com/news/pulisic-i…