From striker to defender: how has Youssef En-Nesyri's style changed with Al-Ittihad?

One of the most notable changes in En-Nesyri's style is the defensive work he now does well beyond his job as a striker. Sometimes he drifts out to cover space on the flanks. At other times he drops deep to help close off the opponent's passing lanes.

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During certain spells, En-Nesyri effectively becomes part of Al-Ittihad's defensive line, especially when the team needs a compound defence to mark one of the opponent's attacking threats. His presence far from the penalty area is a plan, not a stray wander off his position.

Vissing's philosophy shows clearly here. The coach doesn't treat En-Nesyri as a striker who must wait for the ball. He wants a player who can follow instructions across more than one area, which explains why he keeps turning up in positions that might look odd for an out-and-out striker.

En-Nesyri himself confirmed that his role at Al-Ittihad has changed, saying he performs every role to help the team give its best. That message shows just how ready he is to adapt to the technical staff's demands rather than cling to the image of the traditional striker.

The numbers alone may be harsh on En-Nesyri, especially set against what he used to deliver as a goalscoring striker. Three contributions in seven matches is not the tally any side wants when it signs a top-class forward.

Those numbers hide the rest of his game. They say nothing about what En-Nesyri does off the ball, the spaces he covers, the times he drops back to support team-mates or the graft he puts into the press to force opponents into mistakes.

Within Al-Ittihad's system, the Moroccan has become a moving link. He begins the attack as a striker, drops back to help the build-up, then turns into a pressing element the moment the ball is lost. He may finish in a completely different area of the pitch, closing down space.

So the dip in his scoring rate cannot on its own prove a decline. En-Nesyri's current value is tied to other parts of the game, plenty of which never show up in the goals and assists column.

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En-Nesyri's job used to be simple to define: drift between the defenders, attack crosses, break behind the back line, then arrive inside the box to finish the move.

His role has grown far more complex. He no longer just hunts for the space that gives him a chance to score. Sometimes he moves to open space for teammates, to drag a defender out of position, to cover a defensive zone, or to carry out tactical instructions tied to the opponent's movements.

That is where the real change in En-Nesyri lies at Al-Ittihad. Once judged almost entirely on his goal tally, the striker is now measured too by his commitment to the system and his ability to deliver the tasks asked of him at different stages of a match.

Calling all this a mere "scoring decline" would miss the point. The Moroccan has not abandoned his attacking role. He has taken on other roles alongside it, tying him more closely to Al-Ittihad's collective system.

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Vesing wants En-Nesyri to be more than just a goalscorer. He wants a player capable of influencing the match even when he does not score, something that suits football built on collective pressing, quick transitions and tactical commitment.

The Moroccan already has the qualities to carry out this role. His physical strength and his ability to cover large distances give the coaching staff the chance to use him in more than one function within a single match.

Judging En-Nesyri's spell with Al-Ittihad through his goal tally alone may therefore be a mistake, because what he currently offers moves into another dimension of football. The striker sometimes becomes the first defender, sometimes a space creator, sometimes a pressing point, before returning at the right moment to the place everyone knows well: the penalty area.

He has not turned from a goalscorer into a defender in the literal sense. He has become a striker who performs a defender's role when the plan requires it. That is the paradox behind this different version of the Moroccan at Al-Ittihad: a version that may be less dazzling in the numbers, but more present within the system.