Inside number ten (AFCB edition)

The number ten position, often referred to as the “advanced playmaker”, is a position usually occupied by a player that possesses great technical ability, as well as the vision to spot and play incisive passes to the forwards and wide players. They are the team’s talisman, there to provide the link between the main striker(s) and the midfielders. Think Francesco Totti, or perhaps Wayne Rooney in his prime.

I read an article recently about how in modern football the number ten position is now dead. The most successful teams are adopting variations of 3–4–3 or 4–3–3. Look at Liverpool and Barcelona for two obvious examples. On the other hand, teams like Burnley have had a level of success making a rigid 4–4–2 work. This, in the main, is because it suits their no-nonsense long ball play as well as their squad of players assembled with this exact style and system in mind.

So why does Eddie Howe continue to gravitate towards a system that relies so heavily on the number ten position, and is it working?

2015/16

The date is Saturday 8th August 2015, AFC Bournemouth are lining up against Aston Villa in their first ever Premier League fixture and Joshua King, the new signing who has joined after impressing out wide and up front for Blackburn, is lining up behind Callum Wilson in a 4–4–1–1 formation. 53 minutes later and King is subbed as he struggles to come to terms with having to play with his back to goal in this new position in a higher league. In the next match at Liverpool, King’s struggles continue as he is subbed after 61 minutes, next match (West Ham A) he’s subbed after 51 minutes, two matches later (Norwich A) 57 minutes, there’s a trend forming.

Bournemouth struggled early on that season, indeed it was only when Howe switched to a five man midfield with no number ten and King as the lone striker that fortunes turned, with the side embarking on a six game unbeaten run, which included famous wins against Man United and Chelsea.

2016/17

Howe predominently reverts back to 4–4–1–1. Again King is playing in the ten behind Wilson. In reserve, Lys Mousset, a highly rated striker from Le Havre, is signed and for the most part is also used in the number ten role, something that continues for the majority of his Bournemouth career. Arguably our best period of the campaign came when we played Jack Wilshere at the heart of a five man midfield, something Howe moved away from in the New Year.

2017/18

Again it’s 4–4–1–1 from the start but this time with Defoe and King until Wilson returns from injury. It now appears that other teams have worked out how to nullify our attacking play. We only score 45 goals (our joint lowest Premier League total) and create our second fewest number of big chances over the last five seasons. The stand out results against Chelsea away (3-0 win) and Arsenal at home (2-1 win) come when Howe reverts to a front three spearheaded by Wilson.

2018/19

Although Howe again reverts back to a 4–4–1–1 formation, our new counter-attacking style of play heeds a lot of initial success. Now it’s all about allowing the opposition to have the ball, before transitioning rapidly from defense into attack. A key facet of this approach is a much improved King in the number ten role, who is able to drop deep to collect the ball, turn, and drive forward to start an attack. He’s not your traditional number ten described at the beginning, but it works. The nature of some of the goals at home to Leicester and away at Watford, in particular, are a joy to behold. We are unstoppable at times, and fans begin to wonder if this might be the beginning of a season to remember. Sadly though, this does not transpire as the opposing managers work out they can just allow us to have the ball, put a man on King, and nullify this new approach. From February onwards the side struggles to adapt and scores just 19 goals, 11 of which come in three games (Brighton, Southampton, Palace). The season that promised so much peters out.

2019/20

We find ourselves in the relegation zone for the first time. We are ranked low down for shots attempted and have scored the fewest goals from inside the area of any team in the division. We are also in the bottom half for both crosses and through balls, and haven’t scored a single goal from a counter attack all season. Looking at that it’s hard to say what our style of play is right now. One thing that is for certain, however, is that Howe once again prefers the 4–4–1–1 formation, even if our best results have come using different systems (Everton H and Southampton A, 4–3–3 with King and Solanke wide; Chelsea A, 4–5–1 with King up top).

Now when we setup 4–4–1–1, the opposition regularly dominates us in middle of the park, in part thanks to them deploying an extra man in that area (see Aaron Mooy, Brighton). This makes it difficult for the number ten to find space, and for our other players to get him the ball. When he does receive it, the full backs now rarely overlap, in part part down to our attempts to shore up at the back, so the space created by the inverted wingers drifting inside no longer provides a passing option out wide. This leaves the player isolated and the fact that King and Solanke are the team’s most dispossessed players this season is no coincidence.

Injuries to attacking players have played their part. David Brooks has been on the sidelines all year, King is now out, and other key players like Callum Wilson have found themselves woefully out of form. But that said, Howe does have five fit central midfielders to choose from, as well as three fit attacking wide men (four if you include Ibe) who can comfortably play as part of a midfield five or a front three. So it’s not all doom and gloom, if the manager is willing to be flexible.

As described, 4–4–1–1 has been a mainstay of our time in the Premier League, but in my opinion, it is time for a change. Howe now needs to take a step back, rediscover our identity and think about how he can get the most out of his players. For me, this starts with deciding on a system that fits the strengths of the players that he has recruited. Signing strikers such as King, Mousset and now Solanke over the years and insisting on playing them in an unfamiliar role just to fit a certain system, doesn’t make sense and is not allowing them or the team to reach their full potential.

I asked at the start if Howe’s continued gravitation towards a system that relies so heavily on the number ten position is working, and I would say that right now, no, it is not. It can work at times, the beginning of last season proved that, but I would argue that looking back over our Premier League tenure, most of our success has come when we have shifted to a different approach.

A criticism of Howe over the years has been his inability to change things up, particularly mid game, and this is one example. Football is evolving, and those within it need to evolve too if they are to achieve success. Now is time for Howe to evolve or else I fear our stay in the Premier League could be drawing to a close.