Renaissance in positional play - Wilshere, Rooney, Schurrle and more

Phil Jones:

Another red devil to feature in the list is the young defender Phil Jones. Jones made his way to Manchester after a stellar season with the Blackburn rovers. His defensive abilities, strength, interceptions and tackling were the key attributes that forced a 17 million pound move to the theatre of dreams. United’s defensive woes have forced Moyes to play Jones as a defensive midfielder and even a right back. Jones looks out of place as a RB and has been guilty of surging forward and not tracking back on occasions. His strength and ball control do make him a good candidate for a defensive midfielder, however Ferdinand’s lackluster display may provide a counter argument. United need defensive solidity and Jones is a perfect piece to fit in the Jigsaw.

David Luiz:

David Luiz

Chelsea’s 40 million rated Brazilian defender did win a lot of accolades for his defensive display against Spain in the final of the Confederations cup, however he has been guilty of showboating on multiple occasions. If there is one thing Mourinho hates, it has got to be defensive lapses. Luiz was assigned bench duty due to some sloppy defensive displays during preseason and on his premier league adventures. Luiz may have turned over a new leaf in the recent past with a string of above average defensive displays but Chelsea haven’t managed to get back the defensive solidity. The Terry – Cahill partnership seems to have a more coordination as compared to a Terry – Luiz or a Cahill – Luiz partnership.

Such a situation presents a case for trying Luiz out as defensive midfielder in Mourinho’s 4-2-3-1 formation. The injury to Van Ginkel, a defensively clumsy Mikel and an aging Lampard tend to accentuate the appeal. Luiz did feature in a ‘XABI’ adjacent role under the Rafa regime and showed a great knack for the role. Chelsea can gamble with this strategy in a Carling or FA cup tie and implement it on a grander scale as and when it is necessary.

Andre Schurrle:

Goals and Chelsea strikers haven’t been synonyms ever since Didier Drogba decided to part ways with Chelsea. Torres has shown glimpses of his glorious past; however he has flattered to deceive on most occasions. Mourinho did seem quite impressed with Torres’s work rate against spurs. The subsequent red card and injury may have hindered the momentum. Fact at hand is that Torres is out for a month and Ba/ Eto’o will have to step up. Eto’o hasn’t yet got accustomed to the premier league and the goal tally tends to support that hypothesis. The Cameroon striker is yet to net after his move from Russia. Demba Ba might be Chelsea’s option to the crisis. But is there a plan B?

Andre Schurrle might pop and say yes! Schurrle is no stranger to the number 9 role and his Leverkusen experience might come in handy. Schurrle has been used in a wide position. He has often shown erratic and inconsistent form. These might be further hints, suggesting he enjoys the number 9 role more. Mourinho might benefit from trying Andre as an out and out striker in the absence of El Nino.

When players are deemed ‘too attacking’ for their regular position and moved up the pitch accordingly, it’s often a disappointment. On paper, Daniel Alves would appear perfect for a right-sided midfield position, but when used there by Guardiola, or former Brazil coach Dunga, he fared very poorly. Such experiments often end in a disaster. That however shouldn’t stop managers from trying out players in different positions. Thus Luiz as a defensive midfielder may be an answer to Mourinho’s search of defensive solidity and Rooney can be Moyes’s Knight in shining armor up front.