It’s time to consider a cost-effective switch for Fikayo Tomori—to defensive midfielder—as a back-up to N’Golo Kante in Chelsea’s midfield.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is faced with a dilemma and one that every coach in world football probably wishes he had: an embarrassment of riches of top footballers. The problem is those very good footballers want to play, and trying to keep them all happy is a first-class chore for any manager, even the best. Lampard is clearly on his way to that top level, if he isn’t there already.
One player who has been impacted negatively by the situation at Chelsea—and has been the subject of speculation in past months—is Fikayo Tomori, the young central defender. However, could there be a solution for the young player? By moving him into a defensive midfield role, he would undoubtedly get more minutes—and that makes the idea worth considering.
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Tomori finds himself as the odd man out of the lineup in a central defense that has Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen ahead in the pecking order. Tomori can’t break into the starting XI at all, which is interesting considering he was the Player of the Year in Lampard’s debut managerial season at Derby. Lampard knows the young man’s game as well as anyone; yet, the Englishman still can’t get any time on the pitch. The logical extension of such a situation, especially for young Chelsea players, is the prospect of going out on loan.
Yet, there is talk all over that the club needs to go out and find a central defensive midfielder to provide cover for N’Golo Kante. Kante requires rest to help him avoid the injuries that plagued him for much of last season. This is not just a good, prudent idea, it’s an absolute necessity as Kante nears 30 years old. Overplay the terrific Frenchman and you run the risk of seeing him on the sidelines for weeks or months. There may be some good reasons to at least consider Tomori as a short-term—or who knows, maybe even long-term—option at the CDM position. Let’s explore this.
First, Tomori is young and due to his fresh legs, he can presumably run all day. That last aspect fits in well for someone deputizing for the inimitable and irrepressible Kante, who is able to run and run and run. Tomori may just have that ability, as well. He has blistering pace for a central defender and that attribute can clearly be applied in midfield, as well. Tomori’s blazing speed could be a great asset in sweeping up on counter-attacks—with tackles and interceptions—and in transition when driving the ball forward and quickly feeding the ball off to the No. 8s. In addition, Tomori is a defender by nature. As a defensive midfielder, he would just apply those skills further up the pitch than he has previously.
One of the knocks on Tomori’s play has been his tendency to make mistakes as a central defender. Mistakes there, of course, can be costly and directly result in goals. At DM, Tomori will have more cover for mistakes with the solid back line behind him. It will allow him to take risks that can result in great scoring opportunities further up the pitch without immediately jeopardizing the Blues’ own goal in the process. He’ll just have to recognize when and where to take those risks effectively.
In addition, Tomori’s versatility will be an asset. He’ll still be able to step in, in central defense, so that remains a plus. Tomori at 6-foot-1 is a bit on the shorter side for a central defender, but he’d be on the taller side for a midfielder and that could be an additional asset in the air. These are a few reasons why it could make sense to at least consider giving Tomori a shot at playing defensive midfielder to enhance his ability to contribute to the squad, which has had little opportunity to do as of late.
Admittedly, I like to think outside the box. It’s unlikely to happen as a loan is almost certainly in his future, maybe even in January, but maybe it’s at least worth some consideration. In the end, nothing ventured, nothing gained.