WolfLing
Just doesn't shut up
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- Jun 29, 2016
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If you look down the list of top scorers in the Premier League 10 years ago, you’d see the names van Persie, Rooney, Aguero, Dempsey, Adebayor, Yakubu, Ba, Holt(!), Dzeko and Balotelli in the top 10. Players like Cisse and our own Steven Fletcher just outside.
Look back even further and the names of Shearer, Henry, Owen, Defoe, Fowler, Cole and Ferdinand dominate. Frank Lampard is also in the top 5 all-time Premier League goal scorers.
Almost all of these players played down the middle. Either as out-and-out number 9’s, as one of a partnership, or as attacking number 10's.
But take a look at the top scorers from last few seasons and you’ll see the likes of Salah, Son, Mane, Sterling, Aubameyang and Rashford up there. All players that start a lot of their games as wider forward players.
So far this season and there’s more players in the top 10 goal scorers who start predominately as wide forwards than there are central players. Goal scorers are changing, football is changing.
Liverpool have not played with an out-and-out number 9 for some time now. Man City are one point off the top, playing without a recognised centre forward all season.
Ronaldo and Lukaku were both benched at the weekend for one of Man United’s and Chelsea’s biggest games of the season. Both teams have arguably looked more functional as a unit without their top goal scorers, Chelsea in particular during their 4-0 win against Juventus.
Half Spaces
There was an article a few seasons back by Adam Bate talking about ‘half-spaces’ and how managers were becoming obsessed with trying to find them. The article talked predominately about Conte’s 3-4-3 and how it was perfect for countering the often-used 4-2-3-1 formation by positioning the wide forwards in the spaces between full-back, centre-back and central midfielder. Hazard had one of his best seasons playing in that ‘half-space’.
(Link to the article here: Why Premier League coaches are obsessed with the 'half spaces').
Talking about Hazard, the article ends saying, “It's the half space that has helped him to flourish and Conte's formation change that has helped his star player to find them. Guardiola, Klopp and the rest are still working on solutions of their own.”
Well as we now know, those solutions have seen Pep or Klopp win all 4 of the titles up for grabs since.
Whether you like or loath some of the terminology, both sides have typically relied on sweeper-keepers, full-backs offering width and creativity, a solid defensive midfield pivot, a variation of ‘attacking 8’ central midfield players, a ‘false-9 style’ central forward player and goals galore from their wide-forward players, coupled with constant pressing high up the field. That’s the recipe, with the finishing touches tweaked slightly by both managers (and the occasional world-class defender thrown in as garnish).
Despite his goal scoring feats, Sergio Aguero struggled to get game time towards the end of his City career, especially in the bigger games, with Gabriel Jesus regularly preferred to start. Pep has gone on record recently to say that as far as ‘pressing forwards’ go, he thinks Jesus is one of the best in the world.
The number 10 role is one that has really died a death in the last few years, with players either adapting to be able to play in a wider role (Foden, Mount, Smith-Rowe or our own Gibbs-White at Sheffield United), or dropping deeper to be ‘attacking 8’s’ like Odegaard has at Arsenal. Players that have struggled to adapt to a wider or deeper role have seen their careers nose-dive (Dele Alli being one).
Teams are preferring players that can fill both 9 and 10 roles, with the goal scoring burden shared across the front 3.
Roberto Firmino is a good example of a central striker who does the job of both a number 9 and a number 10 in the Liverpool side, finding that ‘half-space’ between defence and midfield, allowing the wider forwards the ability to cut in and fill the central space. Jota was always going to work at Liverpool due to his work rate and adaptability to play anywhere across the front 3.
That gives those strikers the ability to find another 'half-space' between the defence and midfield, with the centre-back often in two minds about whether or not to follow him in there and create more space in behind.
Teams that have tried to continue to play with both a number 10 and a number 9 have struggled to find fluidity in some games. It will be interesting to see if Man United continue to try and get Ronaldo and Fernandes into the same team no Rangnick has been appointed. My guess is there will be a high profile casualty, especially for the bigger games where team functionality is key.
Central strikers have to adapt, or they will die
Harry Kane is one player that appears to have taken that on board. Take last-season as an example, top scorer and top assists in the league. Mainly because he has been dropping deeper more than ever before in his career and helping to link play. He often played as a number 10/false-9 hybrid! This season hasn’t been ideal for him, but probably for other reasons. The way he plays he would arguably be the perfect signing for City (probably why he threw his toys out so much as he probably would’ve been guaranteed a title!).
Our own Raul Jimenez, despite playing with number 9 on his back, is anything but a traditional number 9.
Talking about his involvement in the goals against Newcastle, Bruno Lage said "Raul is a hard worker. In the first day when I saw him, he ran all over the pitch. He went from one flank to another, and I said 'look, you cannot play like that, we are going to play in a different way, and you are going to play more in-between the lines'. It was his best game, and he didn't score goals, but it was the best.”
Raul drops off the front, he is involved in the build-up play and is constantly linking with other players. We are very fortunate to have him. I’d go as far to say he is second only to Kane (ignoring current form) in the league as far as ‘complete’ centre-forwards go. He is so key to how we play, because of how he plays.
Jamie Vardy is one that is different to Kane and Raul and isn’t really an all-round striker, but what he lacks in helping with his team’s build-up play, he more than makes up for in work-rate. As far as pressing goes, he’s a machine.
I think the next few years will see these changes continuing and will slowly lead to the death of the old-school number 9.
Where does that leave us?
We will continue to benefit from having Raul, hopefully for the next 2 or 3 seasons.
Fabio Silva already has question marks over him. But it may not be his development as a player that hinders him the most, it could be that by the time he gets to the level we need him, that his style of striker is almost defunct! He will need to adapt his all-round game to become a success, which might be why Bruno said this about him at the start of the season, “Little things he can understand better. The position. He knows how to work as a main striker. Maybe he can start to learn how to play as a second striker. Different little details – when to time his runs.”
This isn’t just a problem exclusive to Fabio. Players like Danny Ings, goal scorers who would probably always play best in a 2, are in danger of becoming luxury players, pigeon-holed into super-sub roles.
The biggest thing we have been missing since Jota left is goals from our wider forwards. Hwang seems to be one that can solve that issue and Neto will be a big bonus when he comes back into the side.
Neto is going to be the biggest beneficiary of these changes in my opinion. He can play anywhere across the front 3 already and he has an eye for goal. It wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up playing centrally in the future (hopefully for us!).
Hwang, Raul and Neto as a front 3 is a modern manager’s dream. All hard-working, high-pressing, intelligent footballers and well-balanced too with Hwang and Neto both cutting inside onto their stronger feet. That's the sort of front 3 that could get 30+ goals between them in a functioning attacking side.
A long one (sorry), but just some thoughts I’ve been having for quite some time and the Ronaldo/Lukaku situation at the weekend made me think of putting it all into a thread.
Look back even further and the names of Shearer, Henry, Owen, Defoe, Fowler, Cole and Ferdinand dominate. Frank Lampard is also in the top 5 all-time Premier League goal scorers.
Almost all of these players played down the middle. Either as out-and-out number 9’s, as one of a partnership, or as attacking number 10's.
But take a look at the top scorers from last few seasons and you’ll see the likes of Salah, Son, Mane, Sterling, Aubameyang and Rashford up there. All players that start a lot of their games as wider forward players.
So far this season and there’s more players in the top 10 goal scorers who start predominately as wide forwards than there are central players. Goal scorers are changing, football is changing.
Liverpool have not played with an out-and-out number 9 for some time now. Man City are one point off the top, playing without a recognised centre forward all season.
Ronaldo and Lukaku were both benched at the weekend for one of Man United’s and Chelsea’s biggest games of the season. Both teams have arguably looked more functional as a unit without their top goal scorers, Chelsea in particular during their 4-0 win against Juventus.
Half Spaces
There was an article a few seasons back by Adam Bate talking about ‘half-spaces’ and how managers were becoming obsessed with trying to find them. The article talked predominately about Conte’s 3-4-3 and how it was perfect for countering the often-used 4-2-3-1 formation by positioning the wide forwards in the spaces between full-back, centre-back and central midfielder. Hazard had one of his best seasons playing in that ‘half-space’.
(Link to the article here: Why Premier League coaches are obsessed with the 'half spaces').
Talking about Hazard, the article ends saying, “It's the half space that has helped him to flourish and Conte's formation change that has helped his star player to find them. Guardiola, Klopp and the rest are still working on solutions of their own.”
Well as we now know, those solutions have seen Pep or Klopp win all 4 of the titles up for grabs since.
Whether you like or loath some of the terminology, both sides have typically relied on sweeper-keepers, full-backs offering width and creativity, a solid defensive midfield pivot, a variation of ‘attacking 8’ central midfield players, a ‘false-9 style’ central forward player and goals galore from their wide-forward players, coupled with constant pressing high up the field. That’s the recipe, with the finishing touches tweaked slightly by both managers (and the occasional world-class defender thrown in as garnish).
Despite his goal scoring feats, Sergio Aguero struggled to get game time towards the end of his City career, especially in the bigger games, with Gabriel Jesus regularly preferred to start. Pep has gone on record recently to say that as far as ‘pressing forwards’ go, he thinks Jesus is one of the best in the world.
The number 10 role is one that has really died a death in the last few years, with players either adapting to be able to play in a wider role (Foden, Mount, Smith-Rowe or our own Gibbs-White at Sheffield United), or dropping deeper to be ‘attacking 8’s’ like Odegaard has at Arsenal. Players that have struggled to adapt to a wider or deeper role have seen their careers nose-dive (Dele Alli being one).
Teams are preferring players that can fill both 9 and 10 roles, with the goal scoring burden shared across the front 3.
Roberto Firmino is a good example of a central striker who does the job of both a number 9 and a number 10 in the Liverpool side, finding that ‘half-space’ between defence and midfield, allowing the wider forwards the ability to cut in and fill the central space. Jota was always going to work at Liverpool due to his work rate and adaptability to play anywhere across the front 3.
That gives those strikers the ability to find another 'half-space' between the defence and midfield, with the centre-back often in two minds about whether or not to follow him in there and create more space in behind.
Teams that have tried to continue to play with both a number 10 and a number 9 have struggled to find fluidity in some games. It will be interesting to see if Man United continue to try and get Ronaldo and Fernandes into the same team no Rangnick has been appointed. My guess is there will be a high profile casualty, especially for the bigger games where team functionality is key.
Central strikers have to adapt, or they will die
Harry Kane is one player that appears to have taken that on board. Take last-season as an example, top scorer and top assists in the league. Mainly because he has been dropping deeper more than ever before in his career and helping to link play. He often played as a number 10/false-9 hybrid! This season hasn’t been ideal for him, but probably for other reasons. The way he plays he would arguably be the perfect signing for City (probably why he threw his toys out so much as he probably would’ve been guaranteed a title!).
Our own Raul Jimenez, despite playing with number 9 on his back, is anything but a traditional number 9.
Talking about his involvement in the goals against Newcastle, Bruno Lage said "Raul is a hard worker. In the first day when I saw him, he ran all over the pitch. He went from one flank to another, and I said 'look, you cannot play like that, we are going to play in a different way, and you are going to play more in-between the lines'. It was his best game, and he didn't score goals, but it was the best.”
Raul drops off the front, he is involved in the build-up play and is constantly linking with other players. We are very fortunate to have him. I’d go as far to say he is second only to Kane (ignoring current form) in the league as far as ‘complete’ centre-forwards go. He is so key to how we play, because of how he plays.
Jamie Vardy is one that is different to Kane and Raul and isn’t really an all-round striker, but what he lacks in helping with his team’s build-up play, he more than makes up for in work-rate. As far as pressing goes, he’s a machine.
I think the next few years will see these changes continuing and will slowly lead to the death of the old-school number 9.
Where does that leave us?
We will continue to benefit from having Raul, hopefully for the next 2 or 3 seasons.
Fabio Silva already has question marks over him. But it may not be his development as a player that hinders him the most, it could be that by the time he gets to the level we need him, that his style of striker is almost defunct! He will need to adapt his all-round game to become a success, which might be why Bruno said this about him at the start of the season, “Little things he can understand better. The position. He knows how to work as a main striker. Maybe he can start to learn how to play as a second striker. Different little details – when to time his runs.”
This isn’t just a problem exclusive to Fabio. Players like Danny Ings, goal scorers who would probably always play best in a 2, are in danger of becoming luxury players, pigeon-holed into super-sub roles.
The biggest thing we have been missing since Jota left is goals from our wider forwards. Hwang seems to be one that can solve that issue and Neto will be a big bonus when he comes back into the side.
Neto is going to be the biggest beneficiary of these changes in my opinion. He can play anywhere across the front 3 already and he has an eye for goal. It wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up playing centrally in the future (hopefully for us!).
Hwang, Raul and Neto as a front 3 is a modern manager’s dream. All hard-working, high-pressing, intelligent footballers and well-balanced too with Hwang and Neto both cutting inside onto their stronger feet. That's the sort of front 3 that could get 30+ goals between them in a functioning attacking side.
A long one (sorry), but just some thoughts I’ve been having for quite some time and the Ronaldo/Lukaku situation at the weekend made me think of putting it all into a thread.
