These days transfer gazers seem to favour players that could play in several positions. They call it versatility and I ask, versa what? Calum Chambers has just been signed by Arsenal, and part of the reasons, if not the major reason, I understand, is that he could play at right back (RB), centre back (CB) and midfield(DM). Some even added right wing (RW).
Professionalism involves individuals specialising in where they can give out their best, and not necessarily where they should make others give out their best. A game of football should be respected as a sport where the actors were already created with natural endowments before the human element of coaching comes in.
Paolo Maldini may have retired as a CB but we all know there have been few, if any, left backs in world football that could measure to his level. So can be said of Eric Abidal, and a certain Lilian Thuram from the other wing.
In the EPL, Joseph Yobo, the Nigerian CB who once starred for Everton, started his career as RB but because Nigeria lacked quality CBs, he was converted to CB … and from that moment an excellent footballer was reduced to just good player.
Blackburn Rovers’ Phil Jones was snatched from the claws of Arsene Wenger by the ever fiery Sir Alex Ferguson, the same scenario repeated with Fulham’s Chris Smalling. Both CBs were bought as long-term replacements for Rio Ferdinard and Nemanja Vidic. Today, Ferdinand and Vidic are gone with Jones and Smalling very much around but no manager, least of all Louis Van Gaal, would hand starting shirts to the latter duo. Why? Jones, for three seasons, had played CB, RCB, LCB, DM, B-to-B for Man Utd. Even the lad would be confused at which he would ever prefer. Much as Smalling, who ‘versatiled’ in three positions – RB, LCB, RCB. Thus, great potentials were reduced to mere spares in multiple positions. Pretty much jack of all trades, yet master of none!
Coming home, Wenger, the master (or is it villain?) of conversions, hit pay dirt with Thierry Henry. Roberto Pires too… and Emmanuel Petit as well. Ever since, Le Prof hardly ever bought a player with the position he was playing for the club he left, in mind.
But a critical study would expose that for every Henry made, there were 20 Arshavins destroyed.
Time and space may be constraints here for details but brief mentions must be made of Arshavin, Alex Hleb, Tomas Rosicky, Carlos Vela, Denilson, Abou Diaby, Jack Wilshere, et al – all great attacking midfielders who were banished elsewhere just for Cesc Fabregas to blossom. For good measure, one would attest it to Wenger’s utter obsession than other interpretations had Fabregas been French.
A pertinent question may suffice at this stage – why did Fabregas become a hit in Arsenal and flopped at his home club, Barcelona? Simple – at Arsenal, Wenger kicked off the boy’s career in his natural position. Unlike his colleagues that played from both wings and sometimes even at wing backs … Fabregas took off at where he was best at and remained there. At Barca, there were Xavi and Andre Iniesta, and Fabregas once got tweaked around positions and like Arshavin, he dwindled.
Another question may go – why did Ramsey become the player he suddenly was last season? The Welshman was playing next to Fabregas at the middle when his leg got broken at Stoke. By the time he came back, Wilshere and Diaby had taken that position. Ramsey then got played all over the pitch, including RB. It took Diaby’s injury (as always) and Wilshere’s long layoff for Ramsey to play pre-season and half season from his favoured position …. and look at the player he is today!
And funny enough, by the time Wilshere returned, Ramsey had taken over the box-to-box role. Wilshere then had to go through same fate … unfortunately for Jack, he got injured too when Ramsey gave way. But start a fit Wilshere for 10 games in the box-to-box role we could see a player at par with, or even better than Ramsey.
We sympathised with Wenger when he had no funds to go for the players he wanted. He couldn’t get his desirables available so he made the available desirable. But today, having spent around 60 million pounds before the transfer window went half-way, one is assured that enough funds are available again. Why then stick to this habit of buying players to throw them all over the pitch?
The Premier League rule gives freedom for 25 senior players – it is safe to assume it is for two players in each position, then other three of your choice which usually includes a goalkeeper. Why shouldn’t an Arsenal team be made up of two good specialist players in every position instead of having 10 players that can play everywhere on the pitch? Why shouldn’t Santi Carzola be sharing the CAM role with Mesut Ozil instead of starting from the left, thereby denying a clinical finisher like Lukas Podolski his game chances?
And finally, why should Chambers be signed mainly because he is ‘versatile’ and then send a player like Carl Jenkinson out? Why wouldn’t Jenkinson be retained for just Debuchy’s understudy and a proper CB signed to make a better balanced squad? Why shouldn’t a real DM be signed instead of evidently attempting to hope on the ‘versatility’ of a 19-year old? Such conversions, when it ever worked, took time. Why can’t a player hit the ground running from his specialist position?
We’re all enjoying this transfer window for once in a very long while but somebody should tell Wenger that such old habits of putting wrong pegs in wrong holes should be banished to the austere years. There is a real danger of soon destroying a player like Carzola, who has been converted to play from the wings at 28
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