'It allows me to play facing forward': How playing as a no. 10 has pushed Jonathan David to a new level for the CanMNT

 

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There might not be many players out there globally off to a better start to the 2024-2025 season than Jonathan David, who continues to rack up goal contributions for club and country.

Already up to 13 goals and two assists in 19 appearances across all competitions for Lille in 24-25, including four goals in four UEFA Champions League group stage games and seven Ligue 1 tallies in 11 matches, there’s no doubt that he’s been one of the best players in the world so far this club season. 

After back-to-back excellent seasons, as he scored 26 goals and added four assists in 40 appearances in 2022-2023, and 26 goals and nine assists in 47 appearances in 2023-2024, he looks on pace for his best campaign yet at the club level.  

And the good news for the CanMNT? He’s also translating that high level of play to the international level with Canada, too, where he’s become the most important part of head coach Jesse Marsch’s attack. 

He continued that this week, scoring one and assisting another across two games vs. Suriname, giving him four goals and two assists in his last six matches for Canada. Now, of the 12 goals Canada have scored under Marsch, he’s been directly involved in eight of them, and still had his fingerprints all over those where he didn’t have a goal or an assist. 

Of course, that’s not surprising to see - David has been one of the most consistent producers of offence since the day he put on the Canadian shirt for the first time, sitting with 31 goals, which currently tops the program’s all-time list. 

JONATHAN DAVID. CANADIAN MENS NATIONAL TEAM ALL-TIME TOP SCORER (31) 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

WHAT. A. PLAYER.#CanMNT pic.twitter.com/vrBinsF3jh

— CanMNTBible (@CanMNTBible) November 20, 2024

What’s most fascinating about this recent run, however? Unlike at Lille, where he leads the line as a lone striker, or in his early days of playing for Canada, where he was often deployed up front in a strike partnership, David has found a new role under Marsch. 

There, Marsch has asked David to play as a #10, where he’s been tasked with playing between the lines, orchestrating attacks, and bringing his teammates into the play, all while crashing the box to finish attacks. 

And, to his credit, it’s a role David’s taken to perfectly. Some might have worried that he’d end up getting lost in his new position, making it seem like a waste to drop a striker with his talent deeper down the pitch, but instead, it’s seemed to push him to another level. 

Yet, that’s why Marsch has given David these new responsibilities. Having noted that David is the “smartest player” he’s ever coached, Marsch felt he’s the perfect player to slot into that #10 role and has been rewarded with David’s performances, which have served as a perfect showcase of his ability. 

“We use Jonathan differently than how Lille uses him, for example, right?” Marsch offered this week. “But I've said this a lot about Jonathan, both publicly and internally with us - he's the smartest player I've ever coached. His understanding of what's happening in the game, and how he needs to move around to find the game in the right way to help the team, is at a really high level, and the team knows that getting him in the match is important for us.”

So what’s worked for David in this new role? Here’s a look at what’s made David tick as a #10 for Canada. 

It’s not actually that different from his Lille role:

To begin, it’s important to ask the question - what changes for David when looking at his role for Lille and Canada?

And there, the answer might surprise onlookers - not a whole lot, actually. 

At Lille, he leads the line as a solo striker, but he’s not your typical poacher who just hangs out on the last line of the defence looking for chances - he’s known to drop deep and influence play. 

A glance at his numbers on FBRef shows that, because when comparing him to other strikers in the top 5 leagues, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League over the last calendar year, he’s in the 80th percentile in passes completed, 98th percentile in pass percentage, 89th percentile in passes to the final third, 77th percentile in progressive passes, 71st percentile in touches in the middle third and 81st percentile in carries. 

For a striker who is also in the 99th percentile in goals, 93rd percentile in goals+assists, 96th percentile in non-penalty goals, 95th percentile in Expected Goals (xG), 84th percentile in non-penalty xG and 74th percentile in npxG+xA - AKA someone who does his job as a goalscorer at a high level - that’s not bad at all.

What that shows is that not only is he producing goals and assists at an elite rate, but he’s also playing a big role in Lille’s build-up play, too, as the numbers certainly back up what those who watch him regularly see from him. 

Yet, that’s not surprising to see - David’s always had an aptitude for playing deeper on the field. When he was at Belgian club Gent, he sometimes played as a #10 and even as a box-to-box #8, and when he first came to Lille, he played more as a second striker underneath a forward to begin his career at the club. 

What that shows is that while his new role for Canada is a departure from what he’s done over the last few years, where he’s evolved into one of the best out-and-out strikers in the world, it’s not anything that he isn’t used to doing, as he’s already played all over the pitch in his young career. 

That’s something that has been and will forever be part of his game, as he’s always been a positionally versatile player who is smart enough to play anywhere a coach asks him to (Marsch even joked this week that David could easily play centre back if he wanted to). Even as he adds new skills to his locker, his best attribute as an attacker has never been blistering speed, a powerful shot or overwhelming power, but instead, his ability to read the game and his elite positioning, something which can translate over to multiple positions. 

“Yeah, I think this is part of my game,” David said of his intelligence. “And I try to work with it because I'm not the biggest or fastest guy in the world, there are players who are faster than me and stronger than me, so I have to use my intelligence in ways to get into open positions.”

And that’s why Marsch hasn’t hesitated to use David’s flexibility to his advantage, knowing that his intelligence will allow him to shine no matter what position he’s used in - in this case, as his #10. 

Ultimately, as the saying goes, the best way to get the most out of one’s best players is to put them in positions where they are comfortable, and ones where they can influence the play. 

So while this #10 role might not be one David’s used to, he’s certainly comfortable with it, and that’s helped him become quite influential in the attack for Marsch. 

“I saw that somebody had put something out about how Jonathan has been involved in almost every goal that we've had, and I'm not surprised,” Marsch said. “We try to give him a little bit more flexibility to be part of more than just finishing plays for us because I think he's really valuable to our team in more ways than just scoring. I’ve had discussions with him where I’m like “Are you good with how we're using you in this role? What do you think?”, and he just doesn't ever complain, he just goes “Yeah, I like it.”

“And I think it does maximize the effect that he can have in the game, which is being part of the build-up, part of our pressing, part of our counter-pressing, part of the game more than just standing up front to score goals.”

"He's the smartest player I've ever coached"#CanMNT head coach Jesse Marsch praises Jonathan David's footballing IQ and vision as he compares how he uses him in his system vs. how David plays at Lille OSC 🧠 pic.twitter.com/kFRiJIu6ZB

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) November 18, 2024

David’s on-ball skills are an asset: “It allows me to play more facing forward”

But while David is certainly familiar with this new #10 role based on his experience, one bigger question remains when comparing what he does for Canada and Lille - what’s the biggest difference between both roles? 

Given that he ends up occupying the same positions on the field regardless, is there a true difference between him playing as a #9 who drops deep or a #10, other than positional nomenclature?

At first glance, other than the runs he’d make off the ball, it’s hard to think of much, but that’s where it was interesting to hear from David himself. Because of that, I had a simple question for him when given the chance to speak to him at a press conference this week - what does he feel is the biggest difference between the two roles?

There, he provided some fascinating insight, doing so clearly and concisely, much like his finishing style. 

“As a #10, you always know that there are people higher than you, so it allows me to play more facing forward,” David answered. “And that’s a difference compared to when I'm playing at Lille as the lone #9, the play is always in front of me as a #10 (with Canada), whereas everything, or at least most things, are played backwards or sideways as a #9 (with Lille)."

And that’s quite interesting to note. Typically, with strikers, they’re often taught to play with their backs to the opposing goal in possession, allowing them to face their teammates knowing that they’re the highest player on the pitch. 

That’s something David knows quite well - one of his biggest improvements with Lille has been his ability to play with his back to goal, doing well to combine with his teammates in possession while having defenders all over his back. 

But as David notes, possession play changes when deployed much deeper. There’s a reason why midfielders are typically asked to play the ball forward in the modern game, as those who have an aptitude for doing so are typically in high demand - ball progression is so key to a lot of high-level tactical systems now. 

So with that in mind, however, it made it interesting to look back at the tape of David playing as the #10 from this past window to see him put his own words into practice. 

There, you can immediately see what he speaks of when he says he plays more "facing forward". Knowing that he’s not the highest player on the pitch, David has made a habit of receiving the ball and immediately looking to push play forward with progressive intentions - this clip from leg two gives an idea of what that looks like in its simplest form. 

No matter where he receives the ball, his instinct as a #10 is to take the ball and push it forward, as he rarely takes a negative touch.

Instead, he looks to receive the ball and immediately points his hips toward the opposing goal, as he looks to attack the space between the lines while playing front-facing, as he did here in leg one. 

Even if he has a defender all over him, he looks to use that to his advantage, helping get Canada into dangerous areas of the pitch with that desire to push play forward. 

And to his credit, he did that quite well in leg one against Suriname - there, he completed seven forward passes, his highest total he’s had this year since… he completed seven forward passes in Canada’s 2-1 win over the US in a September friendly. Then, in leg two, he completed six forward passes, as he didn’t slow down in that regard, putting in another strong performance in possession. 

More context on that ‘forward passes’ stat, by the way - with Lille, he’s yet to complete more than four forward passes in a game this year, something he’s now done eight times (!) under Marsch in 2024, with sequences like the one below becoming a common occurrence for David in his new role. 

But that shows the biggest value of this positional switch. A talented passer of the ball, he’s got the skill to push the ball forward into dangerous areas on the field, and this role is allowing him to do that more than ever. 

Smart enough to find that space between the lines, his ability to operate in that area of the pitch is looking to be his best attribute as a #10, as he does an excellent job of knowing how to take advantage of the space when he finds it, with this clip from leg one being a great example of what he can do when receiving the ball in between the lines, as he set up what *should've* been a dangerous shot from Ismaël Koné. 

And that’s huge for Canada. Over the past few years, one of their biggest struggles has been breaking down low blocks with their final third passing, as they’ve struggled to get in between opponents' lines and put their defenders under pressure.

When David is at the #10, however, he does a good job of playing in those spaces, doing well to create opportunities for his teammates (as he does in this first clip below), while also not being afraid to turn and shoot himself (as he does in this second clip below). 

And his offensive output speaks for himself, especially when looking back at this window - in leg one, on top of his assist (which you can find in the GIF below), he had four chances created, completed two passes into the final third and one into the box.

Then, to build off that in leg two, he scored (as seen below) and had two chances created, seven passes into the final third and one into the box, capping off a strong camp in style.

I mean, just look at this ball David played to Cyle Larin at the end of leg two - this is the exact sort of pass an elite #10 would make from between the lines, and David is more than capable of making it.

And then how about this ball from David to Tajon Buchanan, one that was just out of reach? It's almost as if Buchanan himself was unsure of David's ability to pick out that ball, but it's a good reminder of his vision in the final third.

For a player to work as a #10 in the modern game, their passing needs to be of a certain standard, and it's safe to say that David is at the level required to do that, making it exciting to see him play more while facing forward in this new role. 

The importance of opening up space for others:

But for David’s on-ball excellence as a #10, it’s important to note that his influence extends far beyond that, however. 

In particular, one of David’s best skills in his new position has been his ability to open up space for others off the ball. 

Even if he’s not receiving a lot of the ball, David has a knack for dragging players out of position, which is a huge asset for his teammates. Just look at some of his off-ball movement in this clip from leg one, which helped Canada create a dangerous chance. 

Knowing how good he can be on the ball in between lines, defenders make sure to pay special attention to him, and for good reason - he tends to make teams pay if left alone even for a half-second. 

When they do follow him, however, David also knows how to punish them for paying too much attention to him - giving flexibility to his teammates, who can use that to their advantage. 

For example, one thing they can do is just constantly funnel him the ball, knowing that he won’t turn it over often (he completed 89% of his passes in leg one, and then completed 88% of his passes in leg two), either doing well to turn into space and pass forward, or even playing the ball backwards if the forward option isn’t on, like he does here.  

There, that can allow Canada to hurt teams with third-man runs, as David dragging in a defender can open up space for his teammate to run off the ball, as Tani Oluwaseyi does expertly in the next two clips. 

Then, when tied all together, it can lead to sequences like the one below, where David's passing and off-ball movement helped create a dangerous chance for Oluwaseyi inside of the box. 

Otherwise, David can also do damage when not even touching the ball, too. Knowing his aptitude in possession, he’ll take defenders who mark him too tightly and drag them right out of position, putting them in spots they don’t really want to be in. Yet, knowing how dangerous he is, they’re often forced to follow him, and that can lead to trouble down the road.

Just take a look at this next clip from leg two, where David receives the ball in his own half, dragging three (!!) Suriname defenders with him - giving an idea of how worried they were about his influence between the lines. 

All of these things are what allow David to truly thrive as a #10. A lot of good #10s are dangerous on the ball between the lines, but they can struggle to get into the game if they don’t have the ball a lot. 

What David’s mastered over the years is that he can still influence a game massively even if he doesn’t see the ball much, as his excellent off-ball movement can open up space for his teammates, even if it drags him deeper on the pitch than usual. 

“I think in this role the way we use him, although it does take him further away from the goal at times, it means that he's able to have a big impact on matches for us,” Marsch explained. 

From there, that in turn helps David, as he knows that even if he doesn’t receive the ball for a certain stretch, that constant movement will eventually create a pocket for him to pop into when the moment arises. 

Plus, it's not as if playing as a #10 stops him from making runs like a striker - in fact, there are several instances a game where he runs in behind to give the defenders yet another thing to think about, as he did here. 

And that’s the beauty of David’s new role, and it’s one he’s done well to embrace, as seen with some of his recent performances in big matches. 

Speaking of those matches, however, all of his talk about his intelligence, one can forget his cool demeanour has been a big reason why he’s been able to make a habit of thriving in big games for club and country, earning him that ‘Iceman’ moniker. 

No matter the scenario, David is happy to step up and help his team, doing well to keep his cool in the biggest moments, with four of his five Canadian goals under Marsch being match-winning tallies. 

And ultimately, that’s helping him massively in his new role, as his recent form has shown. 

For most, juggling different positions between club and country can be tough, especially when both demand one to be the centrepiece of their team, but that hasn’t bothered David, who has eased between both roles seamlessly. 

So as Canada gets set to chase their first trophy since 2000 at the Nations League semi-finals in March, look for him to continue to find ways to influence the game in his new role, be it through his goals, assists and overall intelligence, building off what he showed in this camp. 

If Canada are to go all the way in this competition, they'll need David to be at his best, and he's happy to deliver - no matter the role Marsch asks him to play. 

“For me, there’s no pressure,” David said “I just try to play my game, and if I can score, make an assist or create something for the team, that's my job, ultimately. But there’s no pressure at all.”