Ah yes, the false nine.
Of all the niche technical terms that only the very disciplined and detail-driven of Football Manager players are familiar with (trequartista, fantasista, regista) the false nine is perhaps the easiest one to get to grips with.
Simply put, it’s a role which allows the player to play as a deep-lying striker, adopting a more seemingly withdrawn position a little further in the field than most forwards traditionally do.
Trending
Also read: Tactical systems explained: 4-3-3
Francesco Totti and Lionel Messi brought it to widespread attention in the last 10-20 years, and managed to capitalise on its elusiveness to revolutionary degrees, but it’s arguable that the Premier League hasn’t seen a similar incarnation crop up yet.
Which begs the question: does it have a place in the English top flight?
Roberto Firmino proving false nine’s worth
Some have highlighted the notion that the false nine has become a recent trend, but it is most certainly not a new development. That hasn’t stopped Liverpool looking to breathe new life into it in the 2016/17 campaign, however, and Jurgen Klopp has looked to Brazilian sensation Roberto Firmino to take up the challenge.
In truth, Firmino has excelled and already has eight goals and three assists to his name in the league, continuing to develop on the groundwork he laid with the role in the second-half of last season after Klopp identified his most suitable position.
Powering against much of the negativity that has consumed the five-time European Cup winners, as well as attempting to swat aside the fact he was recently banned from driving and fined £20,000, after being found guilty of being under the influence behind the wheel, it has been a turbulent time for him.
The Reds might well have already blown their chances of winning the league title following a string of disastrous results, but in the former TSG Hoffenheim star they have a sure-fire exceptional figure, who can score goals from long range, stealthily steal in to steer home crosses at the last possible minute or thread through a fellow team-mate to have a pop.
Opposition defenders haven’t quite figured out how to stop him yet so it will be interesting to see how he keeps ahead of the curve.
Essentially, he is the shining flame in a fading Anfield unit and if they are to claw back some respectable form and ensure they lay claim to UEFA Champions League football next season, it’s his spark which will be key.
Should Eden Hazard adopt this role more?
Having reached, and perhaps even exceeded, 2015 levels of Hazard excellence, it’s quite possible that the diminutive Belgian has his sights set on challenging for next year’s Ballon d’Or.
After all, if he can keep on scoring goals like the incredible solo one he netted against Arsenal in early February, absolutely anything is possible.
Although that was a marvellous moment of individual ingenuity, it’s something that we could see replicated a lot more if he was given an increasingly central role as a false nine. True, Diego Costa was on the pitch that day and Hazard still managed to pull it out of the bag, but one can just imagine the rollercoaster rush of it happening regularly at Stamford Bridge instead of just the odd time, every few months.
With greater freedom to go for goal directly and with extra space to infiltrate with open road in front of him, he could really open up and blossom into the consistently world-class performer we all know he is capable of becoming.
Less than a handful of occasions this season has Antonio Conte bestowed this role on arguably his best attacking option (notably against Bournemouth and Leicester City). Against the Cherries, he set up a Pedro goal and won a spot-kick as they ran out 3-0 winners – slaloming in and out of attacks all the while. When faced with the reigning champions he again performed well.
Overall, he seems to have quickly nurtured the seeds that were sown back in 2015 when he briefly impressed as a false nine in a draw with Tottenham Hotspur. Some might think Conte would be ill-advised in swapping Costa for Hazard too often, but at least the Italian has the option should more injuries crop up or if the Spanish international signals an exit.
Gabriel Jesus could be the standout version
He has only been in the Premier League a few weeks and already the hype has started to build around Gabriel Jesus in an almost cacophonous rendition.
Thanks, in part to his messianic surname, the Brazilian attacker has been touted in many sections of the media as the potential saving grace of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City machine, one that has chugged and sputtered in recent times.
It might be too early for any definitive verdicts on the youngster, but the early signs have been promising – more than that, they have been indicative of his innate brilliance, and that is something the former Bayern Munich manager will want to work on coaxing as much as possible in the coming weeks and months.
Also read: 5 things you didn't know about Gabriel Jesus
He has already netted a few goals in the league and has adapted well early on, but it has been his natural affinity for something closely resembling the false nine function which tells us that Jesus could develop into a mature player in that position.
Lurking 25-30 yards from opposition 18-yard boxes, he has shown a patience in his approach play, not normally witnessed in guys his age. Prowling, waiting for the right cross or for the attack to pick up the desired rhythm before bounding in at speed to attack, he looks well suited to the false nine’s intricate stylings.
With Palmeiras, this was his preferred method and when one considers that he is well used to it, there can be little surprise how well he has transitioned.
