Since the Premier League boom years of the 1990s, the game has changed.
Tactics have changed and systems have gone in and out of style, while players and ideas from all over the world have filtered into the English game and made it the most diverse league in the world. These days, it’s one of the most competitive, too.
There’s been another shift even more recently, too: that of playing out from the back at all costs. High costs, for some teams. Even a wonderful performance in a 4-0 victory over a top six rival didn’t see Liverpool stay completely mistake free, goalkeeper Loris Karius still managed more hearts-in-mouths moments than you’d have hoped.
That’s a recurring theme. Defenders are no longer simply defenders. Full-backs are now picked because primarily of their athletic and even attacking abilities, whilst centre-backs are supposed to be able to recycle possession and pick out a teammate with a pass, even under severe pressure from the opposition attack. Goalkeepers are under the same orders at many of the top teams. The reward outweighs the risk, though. Keeping possession leads to domination of the game, and if you can do that, not only do you keep the opposition from creating chances, but you’re likely to make more yourself.
But sometimes that’s not quite as prudent as it sounds. Yes, possession football can seem negative in some ways – if the primary objective is to keep the ball so the other team can’t have it and hurt you with it – but it can also lead to situations where defenders who can’t defend are prioritised over those who are simply too hot-headed.
Liverpool are a case in point again and one example shows the paradox: in some ways, James Milner is the perfect example of the throwback to a steady player, but in other ways, he’s an archetypal contemporary footballer.
The reasons for thinking Milner is a throwback are fairly obvious. He’s reliable, he’s good on the ball and he’s humble enough to accept that sometimes the good of the team trumps his own desires to play in a certain position.
That’s an angle which has angered Manchester City fans, who feel as though the former England man left the Etihad on a free to join Liverpool in search of a central midfield role, only to settle for the same squad player, utility role.
But in the modern game, that’s a precious commodity. Milner certainly did leave in search of a midfield role, but when called upon to take on for his new team, he duly accepted.
And yet, that’s only part of why Milner’s appeal is so broad these days. Despite being seen as boring or uninspiring, he’s the kind of player every team needs in their squad, despite looking a little bit old fashioned. That’s because of his versatility: his ability to play in attacking and defensive roles. You don’t need to look any further than the role of the full-back to see why that all-round trait is so vital. The perfect player for the position is now an all-rounder as full-backs now have two jobs – an attacking one and a defending one.
That doesn’t mean that Milner is a wonderful left-back (or would be a better right-back). Nor does it mean that Jurgen Klopp was wrong to bring in a recognised left-back to replace Milner this season. But it does mean that he’s a player who should be more heralded because of his fairly unique skillset.
But perhaps that all-rounder attitude will see Milner actually get his wish in the centre of midfield this season, mostly thanks to a new change in footballing fashion, the switch to a back three.
Liverpool have played mostly with a back four under Klopp, but the ability to be flexible is vitally important with so many games against such varied opposition this season. And if they do play with that formation, the extra defender tends to take some of the defensive pressure off the men in the middle. They need to be positionally disciplined – otherwise they leave the team open to counter-attacks which sear right through the heart of the team – but they are also helped out by the fact that there’s an extra man behind them.
And so rather than play with a defensive midfield anchorman, teams can now look to have two box-to-box midfielders in the midfield again. And so Milner might look perfect for that role over the next few years: perhaps not as first choice, but with the Premier League, two cup competitions and European football all to be played, that means he’ll get his chances.
If Milner is seen of a jack of all trades, perhaps it’s his legacy of a man for all seasons which will be the longest lasting. After all, his ability to do a job anywhere on the pitch seems to mean that he’ll be able to adapt to anything that the changing tactics of footballing fashion can throw at him.