He’s a difficult player to nail down, for me he’s an 8/10 hybrid, we’ve played him in various midfield combinations but his best form came when Kouyate was holding and James McArthur was sitting in there linking the play, in that three he really had the freedom to get forward but due to his sheer athleticsm he’d also pop up and contribute in defensive areas as well which is why he got so many accolades, he was literally popping up all over the pitch. One minute he’d be pressing the opposition’s goalkeeper and the next he’d be making a tackle on the edge of our box.
In more recent times we’ve shuffled the midfield a bit and since Eze came back in he hasn’t quite had the same freedom, and that’s coincided with a drop-off in his output. From what I’ve seen he really needs that freedom to roam in order for him to stand out…dare I say it in the last few games he’s looked more like the West Brom version of Conor Gallagher.
I am interested to see how Tuchel will handle him as he is not a direct fit for their centre-mid or forward roles, you lose his X factor if you ask him to sit and he’s not good enough technically to play in their forward line. Now he’s in the England squad he will also want to play with a World Cup in December…will be interesting.