“An unbelievable talent” is how Mauricio Pochettino once described Malik Tillman. In fact, the Argentine tactician even compared the USMNT superstar’s physiognomy to that of his former Tottenham Hotspur protégé, Dele Alli. But despite Pochettino’s surprising insights into the PSV Eindhoven forward, why does Charlie Davies feel that Tillman’s place in the national team is in a serious ‘predicament’?

No fear. The Stars and Stripes have among the most talented squads, but the sad reality is that there are only 11 who always end up getting the chance to play, including a few substitutes. An attacking midfielder himself, Tillman shall make his case to be in the starting XI but not just the competition remains stiff; lack of time to adjust is another factor.

Throwing light on this issue was none other than Charlie Davies in the recent episode of CBS Sports Golazo’s Call it What You Want segment. “The problem with the US Men’s National Team is you’re not gonna have time like you do in the club scene. He’s [Tillman] gonna be competing with Yunas Musah and Gio Reyna, who are both back to playing and they’re healthy,” began the iconic forward.

Instead, Davies seemingly advised Pochettino to use Tillman in a different position. “There’s one position that I see him playing in within this national team given how Pochettino likes to play, and that’s in that right-wing inverted wing spot, who comes inside more like an acting midfielder; a free roll or one of those two eights,” asserted the pundit.

Davies cited the example of the recent CONCACAF Nations League’s semifinal leg 1 vs Jamaica, where Mauricio had used him in a rather holding position as Johnny Cardoso had to be replaced within 21 minutes after sustaining an injury. That wasn’t a position that suited the 22-year-old. “I think there’s a predicament in terms of the national team but obviously, at the club level, he’s excelling.”

Now that Davies mentioned it, Tillman is actually soaring high on the domestic front, compared to how his time has been for the national team.

Time for Mauricio Pochettino to change Malik Tillman’s position?

In over 19 matches, Malik Tillman has made the starting XI 17 times, where he has managed to notch over 8 goals, 3 assists, and create over 43 chances for PSV Eindhoven. Additionally, he has consistently delivered impressive performances for his domestic team, even earning the Man of the Match award for his standout display against Girona in a recent UCL match.

On the contrary, in over 7 matches for the US Men’s National Team, he managed to get just 2 starts under Mauricio Pochettino, yet to open an account, although he managed to create just a single chance. This is enough to explain how things aren’t suiting him in the national setup so far. Though one may agree that domestic and international games have their respective differences, it underlines the fact that Tillman needs a change of tactics when representing his country.

To remind you, AC Milan boss Paul Fonseca spilled the beans on how Christian Pulisic has been keeping up with his scintillating form, stating how Pochettino is utilizing the 26-year-old in the wrong manner. “Honestly, Pulisic doesn’t have the same impact as a winger that he does when he plays centrally, and when we changed the formation, the team was different,” said Fonseca.

Just for the sake of it, while Pulisic has his place fixed in the USMNT, Charlie Davies’ advice is something that Mauricio Pochettino has to consider in the case of Malik Tillman. Regardless, sound off your thoughts in the comments.