STAFF OPINION: The decline of traditional strikers in soccer

Traditional goalscoring #9s have been sacrificed for the tactical benefits of the false-nine role.

By Aidan Hyde | December 11, 2024 3:00pm
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Photo courtesy of Aidan Hyde

What is the point of soccer? Is it to hold possession of the ball? Is it to not let the other team score? Is it to play fancy one-touch tiki-taka all the time? 

No, I believe it is to score goals. Goals come from everywhere on the pitch. Defenders can score goals, wingers can score goals and midfielders can score goals, but no one scores more goals than a traditional striker.

Over the past couple of decades, soccer has changed, and the role of a striker (#9) has changed with it. I believe that there has been a steady decline in the traditional #9 goalscoring role. 

A striker's job often depends on the system and style of soccer that the team plays. As more teams and managers employ a style that encourages wingers and midfielders to be more dynamic and fluid, strikers are increasingly sacrificed and taught to drop deeper to take up the false-nine position. 

The false-nine position is typically played by the striker in formations where there is an isolated central forward such as the 4-3-3 or the 4-2-3-1. This deeper role allows the wingers to exploit the space above the center forward and get in behind a team's defensive line. A false-nine is taught to join the midfield play and be involved in the buildup, leaving them unable to fulfill their classic goalscoring role.

This new preferred way of playing the striker position has contributed to the lessening of the more traditional poaching striker. Managers now look for strikers with increased technical and tactical knowledge of the midfield game instead of the natural striker goal-scoring instinct. 

While the false-nine role has its benefits and can be used effectively depending on the opponent's formation, I think that the traditional #9 should not be overlooked.

There has also been a decrease in the use of the 4-4-2 formation. The 4-4-2 allows traditional strikers to be the most effective and use their key attributes such as strength, clinical finishing, good movement and quickness. 

A traditional #9 is taught to roam between the two opposing teams’ center backs and to always be ready to pounce on a bad pass or a careless touch. They are taught to be selfish in the right moments and to put scoring goals above anything else. This goalscoring edge is one of the reasons that classic strikers such as Alan Shearer and Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Ruud Van Nistelrooij) were so successful.

In the modern game, Erling Haaland is a perfect example of a traditional #9. He typically stays central and looks to always be on the end of the play whether he’s receiving a through ball or getting on the end of a cross. His ability to get in the right positions, make quick runs and finish clinically in a variety of ways makes him one of the best strikers in the world.

Another attribute a traditional striker must have is good hold-up play. Playing with their back to goal and holding the ball up allows the team to get more numbers forward and give support to the striker. 

Traditional strikers are central target men who are always looking for an opportunity to receive the ball and hold it under pressure. This attribute is also found in the false-nine role but is less important as they already have numbers around them in the midfield.

I think if teams utilized the traditional striker more in today’s game then more goals would be scored by strikers across the game. Instead of sacrificing the striker's goal contributions for the wingers, tactical systems such as the 4-5-1, 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 can provide a balance between wide play and central play. I believe that these systems would help classic strikers implement their attributes and thus, teams would benefit from always having a traditional central forward. 

I first learned to play as a traditional #9, but over my career as a footballer, coaches have encouraged me to add different styles to my game. While I think it is important to be able to play in different ways, I wish that my skills as a traditional goalscorer were utilized more. 

As I move into coaching soccer, I want to challenge other coaches to focus less on technical ability when recruiting strikers and more on the clinical goalscoring instinct. I understand that players need to fit the system, but a good traditional striker will always learn to adapt to score the most goals possible.

Aidan Hyde is a sports reporter for the Beacon. He can be reached at hydea25@up.edu.

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