Solo Strikers - how many teams?

[bluemoondays]

I was just thinking this after reading some of the shit about Jo being crap and I was wondering how many PL teams play with a dedicated lone striker up front. I don't want to count those teams that have a "second" striker playing just behind the main one (that's 2 strikers in all but name) or those teams that play 4-1-4-1 because they have to play that way to avoid getting murdered because they have a crap defence.

That doesn't leave many teams (especially successful ones), I can only think of two, Chelski and the dippers, who both have a world class striker in Drogba and Torres.

Seems to me there is a reason most teams play with 2 strikers and that's because a lone striker, unless getting massively supported by a quick attacking midfield, is too often just simply outnumbered too easily by the CBs and unless he is "world class" then attacks just get stalled all the time. For most teams, for strikers to score goals, they need another striker in support to be able to pass and move.

We've been playing this way for a long time now and while it worked under Sven for a while our lack of a genuine world class striker means we are never going to see many goals from our lonely bod up the front on his own. There's a good reason for that, 2v1 is almost never a fair fight in any walk of life and we seem to expect our strikers to be scoring hatfuls when they are handicapped right from the time they line up on the pitch.

 

[bluealf]

Well you narrowed down the choice of it ?

Does it matter for whatever reason a team plays 1 up front ?

As for the 2nd striker is this not what we are meant to have played all last year under Sven ?

 

[kidash]

and torres and drogba are supported by 2 of the worlds best attacking mids lampard and gerrard.

but we'll more than likely post jan be playing a 4-3-3 ala chelsea under mourinho.

GK

ZAB
CB
CB
LB

MID
KOMPANY
IRELAND

SWP
STRIKER
ROBINHO

expect it to be like that.

 

[Bluemoon115]

That narrowing down is silly.

If we take away all the games we drew and lost, we have won 100% of our games.

 

[thepole]

I think its difficult to play 442 with Robinho. Say we signed RSC and Defoe, where would Robinho fit in?

 

[cazdh2]

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2008/dec/18/4231-442-tactics-jonathan-wilson" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog ... han-wilson</a>
Good article about current thinking on formations.
Basically most teams are playing variants on the 4-2-3-1 we're attempting to play at the moment. Chelsea and Liverpool play exactly this formation, even arsenal and the scum play with a central forward & someone off him and 2 very attacking wide players. Think we should be playing a bit more of an aggressive version of what we're playing now, squeezing robi and swp further forward (what to do when petrov is back is the question?!we are missing him massively) so we can apply more pressure on opposing defences when they have possession. I think its more of a case of supporting our lone front man earlier and with better runs and inter play.

 

[Mcfc90]

Hart
Zabaleta Dunne Richards Garrido
Kompany
S.W.P Ireland Petrov
Robinho
Benjani

Thats our strongest starting 11 with petrov IMO.
Ideally benjani would be replaced with a more clinical finisher and garrido replaced with a more sturdy defender to balance out Petrovs' defensive frailties.
These and another quality CB should be priority signings in Jan.

 

[simonk]

whatever the slight variations its a good point in that we have systematically tried all our strikers playing up front alone and all have failed - its not the players its the system. Ched, Danny Jo etc all need support, and a bit of service from out wide wouldnt go amiss.
Look at Jos gaols for CSKA and a huge majority were from crosses from the left. Where he got on the end of em. At city hes never seen a cross (exagerating to make a point, but not much).

For me weve got to get swp and for now robiniho out wide, play 2 stikers - danny being one of them as I think he has the most natural ability, quickest feet, and better football brain, and play 2 holding midfielders.
Which is where we come a bit unstuck. That would mean no place for our best player Ireland and we dont have two holding midfielders.
So potentially then we play Ireland in that second centre mid spot, which could leave us short.
So possibly Garrido play wide left with Ball behind him (to give some extra defensive cover, albeit unbalanced)and push Rob into the middle as centre forward

Its gota be better than some of the nonsense weve tried so far this season - which looking at our league position - hasnt worked!

 

[bluemoondays]

That's what I was trying to point out - most "successful" teams do not play with a single striker. if you define success as doing OK in the PL. The ones that do good are those with world class midfield holding players and a world class striker and, much as I love City, we aren't there yet.

4-2-3-1 does rely on the whole team working their balls off in midfield, particularly the 2 wide attacking players, but they only track back to the halfway line(ish) so they can support the lone striker very quickly. If they are continuously tracking back to help the defence then they aren't in the right place to support the attack 9 times out of 10. The ball needs to be won back in midfield or the defence starts getting overrun, which seems to be one of our problems.

In effect, some of those teams are playing something like a 4-1-2-3 because they are managing to dominate the midfield and they are almost playing like they have 3 strikers!

I think we may be better, until we get that world class striker capable of playing alone up front (and there aren't many around) playing something like this but narrow i.e. without wingers. This assumes Johnson shows the form from early last season OR we get someone else in there. Maybe Hamann could go in VK position and VK move forward to CM in place of Johnson with our current team?

...................Hart.....................
Zab......Dunne.....Richards......Gaz
.....................VK......................
......SWP.....Johnson.....Ireland.....
............Robinho........................
.....................Studge/Jo............

 

[Good OL' Vinnie]

Jo and BIG phil on boxing day!