There is something almost 'anti-football' about a true number 9. Whereas the other outfield players must have minds which continually process the events around them, the positioning of 21 other players as well as the movement of the ball, a striker plays with a singularity of thought which functions almost irrespective of events beyond his immediate realm of influence. He need be neither technically superb, nor physically impressive to perform his duties; the above-pictured Gerd Müller was affectionately known as 'kleines, dickes Müller' (short, fat Müller) in his native Germany. He must, however, be different. I would argue that the best pure strikers on earth are so devastating because of their ability to detach themselves from the rhythm of the play, what commentators refer to as "drifting out of a match", while those around them are embroiled in tactical battle. This displacement-of-thought lasts until circumstance, combined with incisiveness of movement and intelligence, provides that crucial moment where instinct and muscle memory dictates that the out-and-out striker ends up with the ball in a position where contemplation becomes obsolete, and he guides the ball into the net...
Müller was a typical "right place, right time" striker whose game must have proved utterly maddening for opposition defenders; neither fast, nor tall, nor especially gifted with the ball on the ground, he scored with devastating regularity (granted, in part due to exceptional shooting accuracy). The modern era of football perhaps already had it's response to a player like Müller; Pippo Inzaghi was a poacher's poacher, and like Müller had an ability to end up the target of the 'final ball' with stunning regularity. He was not, however, nearly as prolific as Müller, and as such was eventually displaced by players of a more fine-tuned ilk (for example, Alessandro del Piero) who contributed more to build-up play. Indeed, the out-and-out striker is a rare commodity, seemingly fading into extinction as both domestic and national sides begin more and more to experiment with the 'false-9', a position that combines both the vision of the classic #10 (think: Totti) with the devastation of a goal-scoring, along-the-back-line central foward (think: Brazilian Ronaldo). While those who effectively function as the 'false-9' are usually tremendous players (think: Messi), I find myself hypnotically drawn to those rare players who seem to have been born with a sole purpose; to put the ball in the goal.
Radamel Falcao, previously featured in this blog for his brilliance in last year's Copa America, is perhaps the least-flawed number 9 in world football. While his greatest attribute is inescapably the goals he provides for both Atlético Madrid and Columbia (since August he has scored 13 goals with Atleti and 4 with Columbia in 15 matches total), that he is technically astute with both feet (as well as strangely unselfish) means that he will always be involved with build-up play more than most out-and-out forwards. In essence, he transcends the gap between out-and-out striker, and false 9, functioning as one or the other when necessary.
His value on the transfer market, though, is indeed related to his goal return. According to his agent, Falcao is worth around 60 million pounds, and if he moves from the Spanish capital during the Winter transfer window one would have to imagine such a number wouldn't be far from accurate (particularly seeing as both Manchester City and Chelsea are capable of scraping together such funds). He is the gold standard for strikers in this day and age, capable of scoring as well as bringing others into play. But, again, his style is more 'hybrid' than 'prototype' for number 9's.
Strangely, if we now begin to search for a true, born-to-score forward, we ought to begin scouring the benches of Europe's elite clubs. Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez has exploded into form over the past month, rescuing Manchester United time and again during their strangely mediocre early season play. Lauded for his devastating movement and knack for scoring in improbable situations, he is what I would consider a purely and organically out-and-out striker; he rarely ventures far from an opponents back line, he constantly looks to get behind defenses, and his ability to judge the trajectory of crosses is second-to-none. His work-rate is immense as well, and while chasing and harrying of opponents might go against the kind of "detached" manner of play I referred to in this post's opening, I believe work-rate is something of an optional trait for forwards; it neither obscures nor affirms one's ability to play the role (see: Dimitar Berbatov). Rather, it colors and individualizes their style. So, Chicharito is a tireless, shoulder-of-the-last-defender, goal-scoring #9. He is also, quite often, a substitute for United.
Another man currently (and begrudgingly) pigeon-holed into the role of super-sub also plies his trade in Manchester, he being Edin Dzeko. And while Chicharito might be placed on the 'hyper-active poodle' end of the out-and-out striker spectrum, Dzeko would fall in the more conservative, cerebral, footballingly-articulate end. Last season, some pundits made the (false) claim that Dzeko was not really a footballer, an opinion which cited how often he seemed distant from proceedings on the pitch. Yet anyone who has watched Dzeko since his days at Wolfsburg would certainly argue against such simple-minded criticism; he may look a bit lanky and strange, but he possesses the mind of a great player. He constantly works himself into spaces wherein if the ball falls to him, he has a chance for a goal. One need only look as far as this past weekend's game against Tottenham to see why Dzeko is such a good out-and-out forward:
The space he works himself into, his reading of Silva's intentions, and the off-footed volley all serve to demonstrate that mentally, as well as technically, he is as proficient as any top-quality striker in Europe's elite leagues.
But again, like his Mexican counterpart, Dzeko has found his appearances for Manchester City as having come almost exclusively from the substitute's bench. Both Hernandez and the Bosnian boast extremely impressive goals-per-minute ratios (both around one goal per 120 minutes of action), yet their managers have seen them mainly as problem solvers for when 'Plan A' fails, rather than foundation builders for what 'Plan A' is. Earlier this season, Alex Ferguson seemed hell-bent on including Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, and Shinji Kagawa in his starting XI, and in theory such an attack seems overwhelming. Yet as none of these men are out-and-out forwards (even van Persie has a tendency to drift into midfield), United found space hard to come by in the attacking third. Hernandez solves this problem succinctly, as his functioning as a pure forward stretches play vertically, thus allowing more skilled 'hybrid' forwards like Rooney and RvP space to work their magic just in front of the defense. Similarly, when City has found their attack sputtering, Dzeko's presence allows Sergio Agüero and David Silva more time and space when on the ball further away from the opponents back line, which is now pegged back by Dzeko's presence alone.
Unfortunately for both men, it seems that precisely the fact that they are out-and-our forwards means that they are destined for roles as 'super-subs'; while each player's respective sides toil for 60-odd-minutes without them, their introductions create a circumstance which opponent defences cannot react to properly, having previously been lulled into a false sense of security.
Whether or not the 'true number 9' is destined for an exclusively substitute-based role in the modern game is yet to be seen, but recent trends would suggest such an occurrence. Off the top of my head, none of the best 'forwards' on Earth (Ronaldo, Messi, Rooney, Zlatan, Falcao, Agüero, Reus, Neymar...) are anything like Gerd Müller, and indeed they are more complete players. Yet the proven value of Chicharito and Dzeko suggest that, although they may be of a dying breed, out-and-out strikers are still massively valuable in the modern era.
And perhaps they deserve more starts.
(credit to The Football Ramble, The Guardian Football Weekly Podcast, and ESPN FC podcast for information and opinions informing this post)
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