Striker

[ClaphamFox]

1 minute ago, sphericalfox said:

It'd be madness to get a striker or GK in January. We're ok upfront, what we need is better distribution to the strikers we've got. Solve that issue and we don't need to look even in the summer.

We're not ok up front, but I agree about shopping for a permanent striker or GK in January. It makes far more sense to find the right kind of players in the summer. We don't have the luxury of being able to wait until the summer for a new centre half, though.

[UHDrive]

1 minute ago, sphericalfox said:

It'd be madness to get a striker or GK in January. We're ok upfront, what we need is better distribution to the strikers we've got. Solve that issue and we don't need to look even in the summer.

I think it would be a gamble to not sign or loan a striker. Whether Daka gets into good positions or not, he just isn't scoring and it's the same with nacho albeit he scores in cup games but not PL ones. Inheacho even when he does receive the ball has a huge weakness with his inability to work the ball onto his right foot and more than likely when he doesn't he takes 2 touches to shoot which by then it's too late. Both of them are awful without their back to goal as well as long range shooting.

 

Vardy is injured for the next two games and can't be relied on especially if he gets ruled out for the season should situations transpire against him.

[SouthStandUpperTier]

Just 5 of our 28 league goals have come from our strikers. Must be the lowest % in the league. It's unrealistic to expect Maddison, Barnes, and Tielemans to carry the burden of doing the bulk of the goalscoring, especially as 2 of them will most likely not be here next season. We either need another striker (now or in the summer) or Brendan needs to change the system.

[Royston.]

1 hour ago, urban.spaceman said:

Disagree personally. We have Vardy, Nacho and Daka already who we know are all capable of going on long scoring runs. Our problem is really service or rather, giving them what they need to thrive. Hopefully Tete and Kristensen's arrival can allow the team to shift formation and tactics to allow that to happen.

Over reliance on Vardy was a potential problem 5 years ago and here we are.

[Scotch]

14 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

I think this is up there in the top 5 most frustrating myths that keeps getting perpetuated by foxestalk. I'm confident people say it without even knowing what it means. 

 

We're at a point where 442 hasn't been taken seriously as the default football formation for the entirety of the careers of all our players. None of Daka, Iheanacho and probably not even Vardy will have come up through academy systems being coached 442 as standard. "Strike partners" haven't really been a thing since Shearer, Sutton, Cole and Yorke hung up their boots. 

 

Even Shinji Okazaki was hideously misunderstood, we didn't play 442 at all. Vardy played as a lone striker through our whole title winning season almost (except for a few cameos alongside Ulloa.) Okazaki played near entirely as an attacking midfielder. 

 

Why did Vardy never seem like a "lone striker?" Because he was never alone. Mahrez got near him. Okazaki got near him. Albrighton got near him. 

 

We got bodies in and around Vardy in support (or we hit people so quickly on the break that their defences weren't set and that's a whole other story.)

 

So often these days we get absolutely nobody around our strikers. They're struggling "alone" because they're literally alone. A solo striker isn't MEANT to be left 1 vs 3 or 4 against the opposition centre backs and defensive mids. There are supposed to be wide attackers cutting in to channels, overlapping full backs going round them to stretch opposition defenders, runs from midfield pulling DMs with them or at least forcing decisions. 

 

We barely do any of this. At best, we have Madders cutting in off the RW and Barnes tying up a right back but that still leaves far too many defenders th freedom to completely shut down our striker and cut off all lanes to them. 

 

There's a reason our top scorer is a midfielder and we've scored a club record goals from outside the box over the last 12 months. There's a reason we create absolutely fvck all. 

 

It's not because of our strikers and its not because they CaNt PlAy AlOnE. It only looks like they can't play alone because the only time they ever get any support or help is when the manager throws on another striker. That's not a short coming of Daka or Iheanacho it's a short coming of the manager tactically and the Director of Football who's taken a hundred years to sign a Right Winger after losing his last one. 

 

 

I fully agree that Vardy was essentially a loan striker in the 15/16 season. I understand the role that Okazaki played in that team and I would die on the hill that Nacho is closer to that than he is to what Vardy done for us. 

 

For me, a loan striker is someone who will chase the ball and close down players out of possession amd play on the shoulder of the last defender when we have the ball. That's what made Vardy so good in that role. How many times did me see him spring the offside trap as a ball came from deep, leaving him to finish 1 on 1? Nacho will never do that, he naturally runs the other way, I don't think Daka has that natural ability to finish in that situation and we've not saw that from Vardy in quite some time.

 

Admittedly, we don't see that because under Rodgers, we don't get that ball from deep anymore so that leaves the loan striker so drift into positions, anticipating were he will get the ball and again, that's not what Nacho does, I don't see that natural instinct in Daka and the confidence if knowing he will Bury it when it comes seems to have abandoned Vardy. 

 

That's why I'm saying that now, playing that lone striker, we should be having Nacho come deeper, holding it up and bringing those 3 into the game with them getting beyond him. Essentially a target man role. 

[nnfox]

A striker is not on our list of problems at this time, in my opinion.

[Twitcher]

I think we need a striker now, even if it's someone on loan, and a centre-back. I think with the Tete signing, the board will think the fans are sufficiently appeased.

Both areas will be a real worry in terms of our survival, if we stay as we are from now to the end of the season.

[ClaphamFox]

3 minutes ago, Twitcher said:

I think we need a striker now, even if it's someone on loan, and a centre-back. I think with the Tete signing, the board will think the fans are sufficiently appeased.

Both areas will be a real worry in terms of our survival, if we stay as we are from now to the end of the season.

If Maddison stays fit and Tete is half decent, we'll score enough goals. Our survival will then come down to how many we concede, which is why a new centre back this window is a necessity, not a luxury.

Edited 30 January 2023 by ClaphamFox

[VintageFox73]

We could do with a nasty bastard up front in the roll of a target man, one puts himself about a bit

 

 

[Finnegan]

9 minutes ago, Scotch said:

I fully agree that Vardy was essentially a loan striker in the 15/16 season. I understand the role that Okazaki played in that team and I would die on the hill that Nacho is closer to that than he is to what Vardy done for us. 

 

For me, a loan striker is someone who will chase the ball and close down players out of possession amd play on the shoulder of the last defender when we have the ball. That's what made Vardy so good in that role. How many times did me see him spring the offside trap as a ball came from deep, leaving him to finish 1 on 1? Nacho will never do that, he naturally runs the other way, I don't think Daka has that natural ability to finish in that situation and we've not saw that from Vardy in quite some time.

 

Admittedly, we don't see that because under Rodgers, we don't get that ball from deep anymore so that leaves the loan striker so drift into positions, anticipating were he will get the ball and again, that's not what Nacho does, I don't see that natural instinct in Daka and the confidence if knowing he will Bury it when it comes seems to have abandoned Vardy. 

 

That's why I'm saying that now, playing that lone striker, we should be having Nacho come deeper, holding it up and bringing those 3 into the game with them getting beyond him. Essentially a target man role. 

 

I'm sorry but this is a bit nuts. For a start, any striker can play on the shoulder. That's nothing to do with being "lone" or not. Lone just means you play one central striker, whether that player plays with his back to goal like Weghorst, drops deep like Kane or runs behind like Haaland, they're all lone strikers. 

 

I'd actually say that THE major, iconic, dual striker set up in the classic British 442 is a taller target man and a smaller striker getting in behind on the last shoulder. 

 

It doesn't matter the skillset of Daka Iheanacho or Vardy (please don't make me link the YouTube video of Patson Daka scoring four successive one on one's against Spartak again, btw, as glorious as it is we've all seen it plenty) it matters what the system is around them. 

 

Our season won't be defined by getting a striker to run in behind CBs. It's not essential to scoring goals. When Rodgers first arrived, he revitalised Vardy's career not by getting us to lob it long in to the channel for him to chase like he was still 25 but my realising his greatest strength wasn't his pace it was his instinct around the box. 

 

So we started creating chances in the 18 yard box like crazy. We had two very advanced full backs giving width and getting behind. We had Perez and Maddison taking up advanced positions as sort of left and right number 10s with Maddison coming forward from his left side 8 role and Perez cutting in from his right side wing role leaving Ricardo coming around. 

 

Then while Chilwell is terrifying one right sided player with HIS pace Barnes is storming directly diagonally in with HIS and capping it all off was a late Tielemans run through the middle in to the box from deep. All while Wilf stood in the centre circle making sure nobody broke. 

 

Movement absolutely everywhere, defenders tied up chasing runners all over and Vardy capitalising on the chaos. 

 

Fast forward three and a half years and our attacking shape has none of that. 

 

The full backs are barely allowed over the halfway line, Tielemans is mostly expected to be in a deeper holding role next to another DM, Barnes is now doubled up on down his flank, Madders drifts in a la Perez but because Youri isn't getting forward and nobody is doing his old 8 role to the same extent the opposition DM isn't tied up so he can cover Madders. It leaves the LB free to help out the CBs who aren't fussed at all because nobody is running from deep so they can just share the striker between what's now three of them. 

 

What hope do we have? We create like the lowest xg in the league because we simply don't commit anywhere near the bodies forward to trouble defences. "Lone" striker is a myth. There's no such thing. Nobody is supposed to be alone on a football pitch and, quite frankly, a single 9 in a 4231/433/451 (delete as per personal semantics) should IN THEORY have more support than one with a "strike partner." Strike partnerships were noteworthy because in the tactical dark ages of British football the two poor bastards had the ball lumped at them from afar and were meant to basically make goals alone. This isn't the way now. 

 

A modern 9 should have space created for him by an entire team. Again, that we don't is a tactical failing of the whole club, it's not a fault of Nacho, Daka or a 36 year old Vardy. Any and all of them can play as a "lone" striker, they've all done it before and all will again. The system and personnel around them just needs to be well coached. Therein lies the problem. 

 

We do not need to sign a striker. If we do without fixing the above, we just waste more money on someone else who will be perceived to flop because we don't create enough for them.

[lcfcsnow]

We need a striker who is technically able to play a part in build up play and not just made for running onto through balls since we rarely ever get opportunity to play those nowadays. Iheanacho is the only one who can connect moves together and even that's 50/50, he could easily be worse than Daka and Vardy at that depending on how he wakes up.

[Xen]

In the summer, yes. 

 

Vardy is injured and not the level he used to be, but Daka and Iheanacho are both going to benefit massively from Tete coming in, more proactive fullbacks (Kristiansen and Ricardo) and Maddison's return to the side. Plus a potential addition like Harrison. We've gone from having very limited options that other teams can double up on to a much more varied attack which will give everyone more space. I think we'll see an up tick in attacking output across the board.

 

 

Come the summer I wouldn't be too surprised if only 1 of our 3 strikers remained at the club though, so imagine we'll prioritise there alongside CM for our 'big' summer transfers.

[Nolucklcfc]

I do think it’s something that we need to look at in the summer. Only iheanacho is a striker we currently have that you feel could score regularly now. Vards isn’t that striker anymore and Daka is way off it. 

[messerschmitt]

21 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

I'm sorry but this is a bit nuts. For a start, any striker can play on the shoulder. That's nothing to do with being "lone" or not. Lone just means you play one central striker, whether that player plays with his back to goal like Weghorst, drops deep like Kane or runs behind like Haaland, they're all lone strikers. 

 

I'd actually say that THE major, iconic, dual striker set up in the classic British 442 is a taller target man and a smaller striker getting in behind on the last shoulder. 

 

It doesn't matter the skillset of Daka Iheanacho or Vardy (please don't make me link the YouTube video of Patson Daka scoring four successive one on one's against Spartak again, btw, as glorious as it is we've all seen it plenty) it matters what the system is around them. 

 

Our season won't be defined by getting a striker to run in behind CBs. It's not essential to scoring goals. When Rodgers first arrived, he revitalised Vardy's career not by getting us to lob it long in to the channel for him to chase like he was still 25 but my realising his greatest strength wasn't his pace it was his instinct around the box. 

 

So we started creating chances in the 18 yard box like crazy. We had two very advanced full backs giving width and getting behind. We had Perez and Maddison taking up advanced positions as sort of left and right number 10s with Maddison coming forward from his left side 8 role and Perez cutting in from his right side wing role leaving Ricardo coming around. 

 

Then while Chilwell is terrifying one right sided player with HIS pace Barnes is storming directly diagonally in with HIS and capping it all off was a late Tielemans run through the middle in to the box from deep. All while Wilf stood in the centre circle making sure nobody broke. 

 

Movement absolutely everywhere, defenders tied up chasing runners all over and Vardy capitalising on the chaos. 

 

Fast forward three and a half years and our attacking shape has none of that. 

 

The full backs are barely allowed over the halfway line, Tielemans is mostly expected to be in a deeper holding role next to another DM, Barnes is now doubled up on down his flank, Madders drifts in a la Perez but because Youri isn't getting forward and nobody is doing his old 8 role to the same extent the opposition DM isn't tied up so he can cover Madders. It leaves the LB free to help out the CBs who aren't fussed at all because nobody is running from deep so they can just share the striker between what's now three of them. 

 

What hope do we have? We create like the lowest xg in the league because we simply don't commit anywhere near the bodies forward to trouble defences. "Lone" striker is a myth. There's no such thing. Nobody is supposed to be alone on a football pitch and, quite frankly, a single 9 in a 4231/433/451 (delete as per personal semantics) should IN THEORY have more support than one with a "strike partner." Strike partnerships were noteworthy because in the tactical dark ages of British football the two poor bastards had the ball lumped at them from afar and were meant to basically make goals alone. This isn't the way now. 

 

A modern 9 should have space created for him by an entire team. Again, that we don't is a tactical failing of the whole club, it's not a fault of Nacho, Daka or a 36 year old Vardy. Any and all of them can play as a "lone" striker, they've all done it before and all will again. The system and personnel around them just needs to be well coached. Therein lies the problem. 

 

We do not need to sign a striker. If we do without fixing the above, we just waste more money on someone else who will be perceived to flop because we don't create enough for them.

Absolutely spot on, Iheanacho's stats are unbelievable, he'd get 20 to 30 goals if played regularly and properly. Daka may prove he too can score in the future. Haaland would struggle to score in out present set up.

[yorkie1999]

Although we probably do need another striker, i can't actually see the corelation between getting a stiker in and signing a centre back.

[damolcfc]

George Thomas 

Patiently waiting his chance at the big time ......🙈🙈🙈

[SheppyFox]

2 hours ago, nnfox said:

A striker is not on our list of problems at this time, in my opinion.

 

[Buzzell]

It would be even more harsh on Iheanacho if we signed another striker in the window. Why not give him a run of games ffs? We know what happened last time when Vardy was out and he got some games.

[hejammy]

I actually feel that Vardy will hang up his boots in the summer and that is when we will be on the search for a new striker. Right now there is no need. GK and CB are the priorities.

[SouthStandUpperTier]

Just now, hejammy said:

I actually feel that Vardy will hang up his boots in the summer and that is when we will be on the search for a new striker. Right now there is no need. GK and CB are the priorities.

Absolutely no way Vardy gives up on another year at £140k per week. Not unless Cedric The Sloth turns out to be a best-seller.

[hejammy]

2 minutes ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

Absolutely no way Vardy gives up on another year at £140k per week. Not unless Cedric The Sloth turns out to be a best-seller.

I think he would rather call it a day and hang his boots than sit on the bench doing nothing, his wife on the other hand.........

Edited 30 January 2023 by hejammy

[DJ Barry Hammond]

I’m amazed we’ve not even been linked with some names - because we could do with someone that would get us close to 10 goals from now until the end of the season.

 

Ings might have been worth a punt - true, his fitness issues are obvious, but if we’re to stay up we’ll need to score / convert our chances.

[HoustonFox]

8 hours ago, ClaphamFox said:

We need this guy...

Was waiting for that! 

[ts_1010]

I'd rather get a CAM as back up for Maddison. Madders is brittle frankly, always has been but every team knows if he's off the pitch we have no spark.

 

He gets booted around and is regularly out for periods of time. An understudy or competitor like Aouar or Scott would make us much less vulnerable when Madders is out and mean we can rest him from time to time.

 

We have 3 strikers for 1 striker birth. We have only 1 CAM.

[ithuriel]

8 hours ago, ClaphamFox said:

We need this guy...

But he has a drink problem