False nine or false starting XI Why Alonso and Carrick’s False Nine Experiments Failed

So why do managers use a false nine? And how can it go wrong?

What is a False Nine?

Chelsea suffered only their second Premier League defeat at home to bitter rivals

Tottenham on Saturday.

The Blues started the game with creative midfielder Morgan Rogers playing in a

“false nine” position, in the absence of striker Joao Pedro.

Similarly, Manchester United have regularly used a false nine during a difficult start

to the season, which sees them sit just one point above the relegation zone.

The term “false nine” generally refers to a player who is listed as their side’s most

advanced attacker, the same way a traditional striker or “number nine” would be.

Unlike most strikers however, a false nine will often drop into deeper positions to

receive the ball in central midfield.

The logic behind this is that the false nine will often drag an opposition centre-back

out of position, when the opponent is using a player-marking defensive system.

This in turn creates space for the attacking team’s wingers and creative midfielders

higher up the pitch and can disrupt the communication between the defensive team’s

back line.

What does a Successful False Nine Look Like?

The false nine role was reportedly first used by Brazilian side Corinthians in the

1890s.

It was popularised by legendary Dutch manager Johan Cruyff during his time

managing Barcelona.

Pep Guardiola, who played under Cruyff at the Camp Nou before managing the side

himself, has said that “When Barcelona played better it was with Laudrup at false

nine and then Messi.”

Messi was often used as a false nine during Guardiola’s four years at Barcelona,

along with central midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

A more recent example of an effective false nine is Brazilian centre-forward Roberto

Firmino, during his time at Liverpool.

For much of his eight-year stint at Anfield, Firmino played in the middle of a front

three, along Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Firmino’s ability to drop create space within the opposition’s defensive lines helped

Salah and Mane produce some of the best form of their careers, as Liverpool won

the Champions League and Premier League under Jurgen Klopp.

When discussing Firmino’s contribution to a 5-0 win over Manchester United in 2021,

Klopp said that “I don’t say he invented it (the false nine role) or we invented it, but with

the way he plays from time to time it looks like it.”

What Went Wrong for Xabi Alonso?

Chelsea started Saturday’s defeat to Tottenham with creative midfielder Morgan

Rogers playing as a false nine.

This prevented Chelsea’s leading assister in all competitions this season from

playing in his favoured role, and made him the primary focus of Tottenham centre-

backs Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven.

This led to Rogers seeing little of the ball, even when dropping deep, as Chelsea

favoured long passes to the wide areas, instead of building attacks through the

centre.

The absence of Joao Pedro’s hold-up play, which has benefitted both Rogers and

fellow attacking midfielder Cole Palmer this season, also prevented Chelsea’s

creative players from fashioning clear cut chances.

When asked about the impact of Pedro’s absence, Manager Xabi Alonso said that

“We had to take many decisions in a short time. What we had been working on in the

week, you need to be flexible and adapt.”

United’s Out of Position Forwards

Manchester United’s two recognised strikers, Benjamin Sesko and Joshua Zirkzee,

have only played a combined 145 minutes of Premier League football so far this

season.

Red Devils manager Michael Carrick has instead preferred using either attacking

midfielder Matheus Cunha, or right-winger Bryan Mbeumo, to lead the line as a false

nine.

While Cunha was sometimes deployed in this role during his time at Wolves, it was

often either as part of an attacking duo, with alongside either Pedro Neto or Hwang

Hee Chan.

Alternatively, when Cunha was played as a lone striker, Wolves opted not to play

with an advanced creative midfielder, allowing Cunha space to drop deep and

receive the ball.

During Cunha’s appearances as a false nine this season, United have played with

either Bruno Fernandes of Youri Tielemans directly behind the Brazilian international,

somewhat restricting his movement.

Mbeumo meanwhile played as a right-winger for the majority of his time at Brentford,

exploiting the space created by strikers such as Ivan Toney and Yoanne Wissa,

rather than leading the line himself.

The Future of the False Nine

False Nines offer managers a valuable opportunity to utilise as many creative

players as possible and minimise the effectiveness of physically imposing opposition

centre-backs.

Chelsea and Manchester United’s issues have however proven that the role can only

be performed effectively by certain players, and exposed the risks of playing players

out of position.