Centre forward. It is the most glamourous position in the
world's most popular sport. Everyday all over the globe-from
Copacabana beach, Brazil to the void decks of Singapore-youngsters
in their kickabouts dream of emulating the likes of Thierry Henry
and Andrei Shevchenko. Few want to be the next Alessandro Nesta or
John Terry. For them it is all about the glory of scoring goals.
Insofar as the game today has necessitated that strikers shoulder
some defensive responsibilities, the raison d'etre of the modern
centre forward is to put the ball into the opposition
goalmouth.
The art of scoring goals is not an esoteric discipline. Rate highly
in the following footballing qualities-off the ball movement,
goalscoring instinct, physical prowess, technique- and one has
gained a tiny foothold on the journey to become a world-class
striker. And yes, a little help from Lady Luck along the way would
be most welcome.
Movement Off the Ball
During the course of a football match, the eyes of a novice
observer are usually glued to the ball and the player who has it.
On the other hand, a more seasoned watcher would also study closely
other players moving into space to receive a potential pass. A top
notch striker who rates highly in the attribute of off the ball
movement is able to anticipate through balls from his colleagues
and change position accordingly. In other words, the Ideal Striker
is a superb reader of the game-this is what the legendary Johan
Cruyff coined as game intelligence. And no team better exemplifies
this highly desirable footballing trait than Hungary's Golden Team,
the Aranycsapat.
On a historic November afternoon in 1953, Planet Football was
treated to a spectacle of play never seen before. The scoreline of
the England-Hungary match, 3-6 is well known. One of the chief
reason for England's humiliation is the adroit moving into
goalscoring positions of Hungary's forward line. The England
rearguard committed the cardinal sin-of only ball watching and not
keeping an eye of the movement of the Maygars not in possession.
Hungary's attacking quintet of Budai, Kocsis, Hidegkuti, Puskas and
Czibor, with their constant movement off the ball, showed the world
how to exploit space to get into optimal positions. This, allied
with one of the game's forgotten weapon, the wall pass flummoxed
the English completely and brought about their downfall. Fifty
years on, top coaches still show their charges the video of the
epic England-Hungary encounter during the theoretical lesson of
"Off the Ball Movement 101".
The Goalscoring Instinct
Having intelligent movement off the ball and possessing the
goalscoring instinct are two sides of the same coin. For many
aficionados of the offensive arts, instinct-an abstract concept- is
critical. It is part of a forward's game that cannot be taught.
According to Mateja Kezman who used to top the goalscoring charts
in Holland:"I believe I was born a striker. Defenders and
midfielders can be trained, the knack of scoring goals is something
you have or you don't." Part of that knack is being in the right
place in the right time-sixth sense possessed by players like Gerd
Muller that saw him, often as not, in the perfect spot as the ball
ran free. Think Hernan Crespo and his poacher's goal against
Manchester United in the Champions League recently.
Der Bomber's goalscoring instinct was legendary. He was often in
the ideal shooting position. He could also score with any part of
his body except for the hands. There was once when he scored with
his backside. Muller explained: "I already had an instinct for
scoring goals when I was younger. It's something you just can't
learn. I simply tended to react more quickly than my opponents and
I would always follow up shots in the hope of a rebound." Der
Bomber's pedigree speaks for itself: 365 goals in 427 league games,
66 in 74 European matches and 68 in 62 for the
Nationalmannschaft.
Physical Prowess
Pace and power are the two physical traits a world-class forward
possesses. The Ideal Striker is a sprinter. All the great attackers
of the past and present with the glaring exception of Ferenc Puskas
are usually speed merchants. Thierry Henry, Ronaldo, Adriano,
Andrei Shevchenko-the list of fast attackers in contemporary
football reads like a Who's Who. In the modern game where ponderous
defenders are far and few and where space is at a premium, a sudden
change of pace can go a long way towards nullifying the ubiquitous
tight marking defence and create space when previously there is
none.
Strength on the ball is another attribute any top striker
possesses. His powerful physique enables him to hold up the ball
and shrug off challenges from defenders. Alan Shearer personifies
the classic centre forward who is physically exceptional and holds
the ball up well. As a teammate describes of him:"His powerful
lower body makes it virtually impossible to get the ball of him."In
the same vein, we have such powerful frontmen as Didier Drogba,
Fernando Morientes and Roy Makaay, among others.
In October 1995, AC Milan'ss George Weah showed the football cosmos
how his granite build and blistering pace managed to cut a defence
into ribbons. The Rossoneri was playing Hallas Verona. Weah picked
up a loose ball in his own half and set off on a mazy run. His
sudden acceleration enabled him to evade the first two Verona
defenders he encountered. Next he used his imposing physique to
shrug off tackles from oncoming Verona players. At times, he seemed
to be on the verge of falling as a result of strong challenges from
his adversaries but his phenomenal upper body strength and his
impeccable balance enabled him to continue his run and score one of
the most magnificent goals in the history of The Beautiful Game.
More recently, Adriano scored a similar beauty for Internazionale
against Udinese. The big Brazilian showed how pace and power are so
crucial weapons in the armoury of a striker.
Technique
Technique is an umbrella term that can encompass a number of
footballing attributes such as passing, heading, shooting, but it
is usually synonymous with ball control. Mastery of the ball is
critical to the making of a great striker. He has to have a good
first touch which enables him to receive a pass either when on the
run or when in a static position. A poor first touch invariably
gives the ball away and the offensive move breaks down. When in
possession, an attacker who chooses to run with the ball must have
excellent close ball control in order for him to carry on with his
foray upfield. A player who is not comfortable with the ball at his
feet is easily dispossessed and concomitantly the attacking move is
halted.
The annals of football are replete with examples of goals,
brilliant ones at that, being scored owing to the forwards'
superlative technique. In Mexico '86, Diego Maradona showed how his
wonderful close control allowed him to negate the England defence
comfortably. In the 1988 European Championships Final, we have
Marco van Basten taking a volley on the run from an acute angle. In
the 2002 Champions League Final, Zinedine Zidane-arguably the
greatest technician of modern times-demonstrated surreal technique
in volleying in the winning goal with his weaker left foot. And in
the Champions League quarter final between Arsenal and Bayern
Munich, Thierry Henry's magical touches resulted in a brilliant
winner for Arsenal but it was a Pyrrhic victory for the Gunners.
This is but a few examples of goals scored by strikers with
exceptional ball skills.
A forward can have perfect scores in all of the abovementioned
attributes, but if his finishing is substandard, he is unlikely to
make it to the pantheon of Great Strikers. The ability to finish is
contingent on a number of factors. Of course it helps if the
forward constantly works on his finishing during training, but
during the course of a high octane game, his composure in front of
goal is paramount. This is another abstract quality which is hard
to inculcate in an individual. Amongst all the world class
attackers today, Ruud van Nistelrooy arguably stands head and
shoulders above the rest when it comes to finishing.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the deadliest of them
all?
So who is the best centre forward in the game today? There are five
contenders to that accolade. They are Thierry Henry, Ruud van
Nistelrooy, Ronaldo, Adriano and Andrei Shevchenko, indeed, all
five players rate highly in the qualities discussed in this
article.
Many pundits assert that Henry is the best striker around, but this
argument overlooks the fact that the Frenchman is weak in the air
and lacks the big match temperament. Witness his anonymity in last
year's European Championships and in most high profile Champions
League matches. Besides that Henry's finishing is found wanting at
times. Manchester United diehards would claim their chief attacker
Van Nistelrooy is the best of his kind in the world. Again there
are flaws in this observation. Van the Man is too one dimensional
in his exposition of play. Most of his goals have the trademark of
raw strength and power. More subtlety in his overall game would
strengthen his claim to being the best forward. Former FIFA World
Player of the Year Ronaldo has a strong claim to this honour. That
is if we do not take into consideration his appalling work rate and
his weakness in the air. Thus Ronaldo is not the complete forward
either. 22 year old Adriano seems to have it all, as a matter of
fact, many commentators believe as he matures, he has the potential
to be a world beater. True, the barrel chested Brazilian is a class
act, but he needs to realize that his right leg can be utilized for
other means besides standing on.
The pretenders to the crown have hence been eliminated by virtue of
their weaknesses, Therefore, the 2004 European Footballer of the
Year Andrei Shevchenko is crowned the Best Striker in the World by
the writer. The Ukrainian seems to have no shortcomings in his
offensive game. He is two footed, strong in the air and on the
ground and can score ugly or beautiful goals. His finishing and
ball skills are top notch. In essence, he embodies the solution to
the football equivalent of the riddle of the Sphinx: how to
reconcile the supreme technique and skills of the Continentals with
the pace and power of the British game. Sheva has consistently
delivered for AC Milan. He has scored well over a hundred goals in
the league where the defensive arts are refined to the nth
degree-the Serie A-in his five seasons with the Rossoneri. As Sheva
recovers from a facial injury, teams facing Milan in the coming
weeks in Italy and in Europe would do well to nullify the Ukrainian
in his personal quest to make the Rosssoneri hegemon at home and on
the Continent again.
