Football

High Press Episode 30: Is the Number 9 a Dying Art?

1 year ago

High Press Episode 30:

The role and stature of the central striker has changed over the last two decades, and this is the focus of Episode 30 of the High Press podcast.
Host Alison Bender is joined by Matt Barlow, Leon Mann and Art de Roché to discuss the change in what is required from the number 9, and whether we could witness a resurgence in years to come.

Barlow starts the episode off by remembering some comments from Joe Jordan about the state of the pitches forcing teams to go long to the archetypal big number nine. He also mentions the impact of players and managers from other countries and the use of data.

The 90s/00s strikers – the classic number 9

Mann rolls through a list of different strikers from Gary Lineker’s unique warm ups to Teddy Sheringham, Robbie Fowler, and Michael Owen. He then mentions Didier Drogba, and hands over to Bender.

“Drogba fascinates me personally. I’ve read his autobiography and one of the things I just loved from that is that he worked on peripheral vision. He said if he can see better than anyone else, it gives him an extra 1%.”

Barlow and Bender reflect on the 4-4-2 era, and what has changed since then. While accepting it has altered the role of the centre forward, Barlow highlights that strike partnerships are still possible, and uses Harry Kane and Heung-min Son at Tottenham as an example.

Thierry Henry started the revolution

de Roché then moves on to Thierry Henry, who was one of the first strikers in England to frequently drift out wide. de Roché lists a number of players which were influenced by the Frenchman, including Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.
Mann looks at how teams have changed the balance of their midfields.

“It’s interesting, I think, in the evolution of the midfielder. Whereas maybe, we would’ve called many of those midfielders ‘strikers’ in the past, and actually it’s kind of wide forwards who move around, etcetera.”

Arteta hasn’t copied Pep

Bender wonders whether Pep Guardiola’s success without a striker has changed how other teams set up.
Barlow responds, “Everyone deals with what they’ve got and finds a way. If you look at the top scorers this season, a lot of them are not what you’d classify as centre forwards. You’ve got Foden, and Saka, and Cole Palmer.”

Bender asks the panel about potential ‘old school’ number nines around the league. Barlow names Jean-Philippe Mateta, while de Roché picks out Evan Ferguson.
de Roché points out how Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard have effectively played like an old-fashioned strike partnership even when one of them is listed as a midfielder.
The quartet are in agreement about the importance of tactical variety in the Premier League, particularly with so many teams trying to replicate the football of Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.

Haaland is a one-off in modern football

Barlow talks about the owners’ desire to be marketable all over the world as a driving force for attacking variety. Mann describes Erling Haaland as a ‘Usain Bolt moment’.
Bender wraps up the episode by asking the panel to name a number nine to elevate their team. de Roché opts for Alexander Isak, Barlow takes Ollie Watkins, Bender picks for Harry Kane, and Mann also goes for Watkins.