Two strikers upfront is better than one

Playing with just one central striker has become the trending philosophy for football managers around the globe. A couple of new examples have come up with Chelsea signing Demba Ba and Liverpool buying English striker Daniel Sturridge. We saw Sturridge’s first EPL appearance for the Reds in that intense game against Manchester United. He did not start, but came on as an half-time sub. But the impact he made alongside the Uruguayan Luis Suarez was notable. The duo combined together brilliantly, even when they were playing in the Premier League together for the first time. You can’t blame Brendan Rodgers for his selection (note that not even RVP started immediately after arriving), but most managers do tend to play with one striker alone.

We saw that with Chelsea’s Rafael Benitez. In all the games Chelsea have played after signing Demba Ba, the Senegalese has never started with Torres upfront. They have played together in the league for more than 15 minutes only once, and did influence play. Whatever happened at Brentford on Sunday, January 27th, was clearly suggestive that the two strikers can play well together. The immediate link-up and the eventual goal from Torres, who looked ordinary throughout the game, indicates that combining strikers can help them play better. Even though it may hinder competition, in the presence of just two strikers, it also increases the opportunity for an out-of-form player to learn from his companion. It’s clear that Torres hasn’t yet met his expectations of the £50 million price tag, and a partnership with the in form Ba can only help him.

Another strong example in favor of the theory is Tottenham’s. Andre-Vilas Boas intended to start with Defoe alone upfront. Even though Adebayor has been plagued with controversies, and hasn’t yet matched his potential to the performances, the duo somehow managed to play well together. They began winning matches together. Winning reminds me of Manchester City. The English Champions, in most of their games start with Aguero and Tevez upfront. Dzeko is, as proven, a great substitute, and Balotelli unreliable, they have only two first choices. So instead of rotating, why not pile them together? So far, this policy has been successful. Outside of the Premier League, we see top teams performing ardently without two leading strikers. Barcelona and Spain (they don’t even need a striker) may be opposed to pairing strikers, but when we look at Barcelona’s ‘Messi Factor’, and Spain’s unbelievable midfield combination, the picture becomes clearer.

The need of the hour is to power up your forwards, and don’t just stock them, get them on the field together. For a final example, we take Bayern Munich. The German giants have immense firepower, viz. Mandzukic, Gomez and Muller. They have been joined by Claudio Pizarro. Mostly, Mandzukic and Muller play together, but Gomez’s return from injury has generated competition. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola has now taken over, and it will be interesting to track Munich.