Jon Dahl Tomasson has not ruled out playing Adam Wharton and Sondre Tronstad together and opened up on the complexities of selecting a midfield combination.
The Blackburn Rovers head coach has used Wharton as the deepest of his three-man midfield this season. The teenager offers brilliant qualities on the ball as a deep-lying midfielder and is incredibly press-resistant when Rovers play out of defence.
However, his skillset is built around his offensive qualities despite playing in a more defensive area. Sondre Tronstad is more of a traditional holding midfielder and his introduction to the team has helped improve Rovers' defensive record in the last two games.
Fans have wondered whether the pair could play together, with Wharton potentially freed up to play further forward, ahead of Tronstad. Tomasson thinks that is possible and explained the thought process behind picking a midfield combination.
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"I think Adam can play in both roles, as a six or an eight," Tomasson said. "It depends on the combination of the midfield, the qualities of the opponent.
"What we are expecting as well. We know Adam is extremely good on the ball and he's been learning a lot off the ball.
"There is plenty to learn still and you can see with Joe in midfield, it's a new role at this level for him. He's a player that comes in the right positions, a player where the balls find Joe in the opponent's box.
"We are still working on the defensive part which me and Joe speak a lot about. It's all about combinations.
"It depends on the player and their quality. It's not easier to teach attack or defence, each player is different and they learn in different ways. That's why it's so difficult, you look at the football part with and without the ball."
Tyrhsy Dolan's form has improved in the last few weeks, scoring his first of the season at QPR and then creating the match-winning moment for Joe Rankin-Costello against Cardiff.
The forward had made a slow start to the season but has recaptured some form, to the benefit of Rovers. Tomasson has been impressed with his performance in training and is delighted to see him back on the score sheet.
The Rovers head coach insisted that in football, like life, there are ups and downs but he's pleased to see Dolan coming out of the right side of his recent slump.
"In my opinion, formations aren't important," Tomasson said. "In a modern, fluid way of football, attacking football, it should be very fluent.
"Space controls the positions you take up. Tyrhys is still a young boy but he's played a lot of games as a young player.
"He's been playing on a really high level in the last two games and I am really pleased. Football is like life, there are ups and downs.
"You have times where everything is working, it's the same where sometimes everything is going your way. It can be tough sometimes, it's been a tough period for him and he's been working hard.
"We're very happy with his performance in the last few games. He scored a great goal at QPR, working hard for the team with his intensity.
"It was an excellent pass to Joe, we spoke about it at half-time. We had to get the ball into the right areas, we played on the second, third touch in-behind. It was a brilliant pass, the timing, the speed and a great run and finish from Joe.
"He has been very positive in the last two games. Consistency is the most difficult thing in football, to keep stability, not just for one player but the whole team.
"If you do the right things in five minutes, he can give everyone confidence. Sometimes you make mistakes, that's football. It's ok to make mistakes on the ball if you win it back quickly!"
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