Striker Needed ????

[Deleted Cyber]

I don't think we need a finisher any more now than when the OP was made. An Afobe wouldn't have fitted the side then and wouldn't now. Jimenez is an upgrade on Bonatini but my preference would be to improve on him not back him up. His link up play is decent, but doesn't do enough dirty work in the box for me. Last week and tomorrow he'll come up against Championship standard centre halves but doesn't pressurise them into making mistakes when we are out of possession. As I said earlier in the week, it's not his game, I get that, but I'd like someone that it does come more naturally too.

Prophetic

 

[Alan]

Prophetic

Ultimately though it's not Raul that's the problem as much as the quality of play from the wide forwards linking up with him.

 

[PuntsWolf]

And where are we finding a lethal premier league finisher for less than £70m???

They aren't going to appear on a tree in a couple of weeks.

If we’re talking purely PL players. Josh King, Wilson, any of Deeney, Gray and Success, Arnie, Ings, and maybe even Mitrovic would all improve us.

They are all probably achievable transfer targets and wouldn’t cost £70m

 

[Deleted Cyber]

If we’re talking purely PL players. Josh King, Wilson, any of Deeney, Gray and Success, Arnie, Ings, and maybe even Mitrovic would all improve us.

They are all probably achievable transfer targets and wouldn’t cost £70m

Tammy Abraham.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Are they twenty goal a season????

Any of them????

 

[Alan]

More importantly, do any of them link play from central areas and can act as de facto target men?

 

[Nando]

Tammy Abraham.

Get out.

 

[Johnny75]

If we’re talking purely PL players. Josh King, Wilson, any of Deeney, Gray and Success, Arnie, Ings, and maybe even Mitrovic would all improve us.

They are all probably achievable transfer targets and wouldn’t cost £70m

Mitro, Arnie, Wilson and King would suit us well. The rest aren't as good as Raul.

 

[Lord Knows]

Our current players are capable of becoming more effective if they use different skills as a priority. At the moment we just don't pass the ball well enough especially in the final third. The first option shouldn't be to run with the ball.

 

[Jinky]

I don’t think Raul is the problem.

The issue is neither Costa or Jota have a goal between them this season so far.

Raul is also not responsible for the lack of bodies in the box every time we get in a threatening position. He can only make sure he’s in there himself and 9 times out of 10, he is.

We could sign another striker in January but he’d still require the inside forwards to assist him more, and he’d still be woefully outnumbered every time the ball comes in to the box unless we change our current tactics/setup.

 

[Johnny75]

Our current players are capable of becoming more effective if they use different skills as a priority. At the moment we just don't pass the ball well enough especially in the final third. The first option shouldn't be to run with the ball.

Agree that we need to move the ball better inside but can't agree with your last sentence. If running with the ball commits defenders and opens up a shooting chance it should be taken. It's about decision making of the ball player, where they are on the pitch and the off the ball runners.

The last part is where I see we have problems as the support isn't central or in places we can disrupt defences, it's out wide where the opposition are comfortable with us having the ball. This needs to change.

 

[Lord Knows]

Agree that we need to move the ball better inside but can't agree with your last sentence. If running with the ball commits defenders and opens up a shooting chance it should be taken. It's about decision making of the ball player, where they are on the pitch and the off the ball runners.

The last part is where I see we have problems as the support isn't central or in places we can disrupt defences, it's out wide where the opposition are comfortable with us having the ball. This needs to change.

I don't think any one of Traore, Costa or Jota play into or off the central striker very well, we rarely commend these players for good passing combinations as you would with the better Premier league teams. Raul does have good movement along the width of the penalty area yet most times his hold up quality is not used.

 

[jobe834]

Getting a little worrying now, we need goals from somewhere,the wide players are lacking in confidence and teams seem to have 'worked us out',packing their midfield.
Shows how hard it is in this league to get points,we have one point in six games yet still maintain our position in eleventh place,I think we are probably now looking at multiple signings in January and I think the majority of those need to be forwards as the ones we have I fear are of championship level not premiership.

 

[YoungWolf]

We need the 'wide' players playing so much nearer to Raul. Jota has showed signs of getting back to this in recent games, and Cav does it better than Costa currently.

 

[Freddeno]

Getting a little worrying now, we need goals from somewhere,the wide players are lacking in confidence and teams seem to have 'worked us out',packing their midfield.
Shows how hard it is in this league to get points,we have one point in six games yet still maintain our position in eleventh place,I think we are probably now looking at multiple signings in January and I think the majority of those need to be forwards as the ones we have I fear are of championship level not premiership.

Agree,we need a goalscoring forward ala Defoe Higuain etc..and when we win games..confidence will come and other players grow..plus teams must handle the striker which lead to less attacking from their team..

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

You can repeat it as often as you like, it isn't going to make it any more true - a penalty box striker is not going to work for us.

Look at the state of us in the last game and a half when we've had a striker who can't hold the ball up at all and offers nothing in terms of link up play.

 

[Freddeno]

You can repeat it as often as you like, it isn't going to make it any more true - a penalty box striker is not going to work for us.

Look at the state of us in the last game and a half when we've had a striker who can't hold the ball up at all and offers nothing in terms of link up play.

Then we need to change formation..simple as that really

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

It isn't.

We aren't changing the formation. We aren't going to sign a penalty box striker, unless that striker can also do all the things Raul does. And that will cost a HUGE sum. We might spend it, we might not.

 

[StuardoWulf]

I think we'll spend its too much of a risk to carry on with what we've got. I agree that we won't change formation much. An "out and out striker" won't work.

A striking pair in front of MGW won't work cus we can't cross the ball and we'd end up too narrow. I'm glad I aint got to sort it out. Come on Nuno!!

 

[MARKakaJIM]

I think we'll spend its too much of a risk to carry on with what we've got. I agree that we won't change formation much. An "out and out striker" won't work.

A striking pair in front of MGW won't work cus we can't cross the ball and we'd end up too narrow. I'm glad I aint got to sort it out. Come on Nuno!!

Well in that case the balance of play just switches to the middle of the pitch, instead of always having to go wide because you're outnumbered in the middle you can actually build play through the centre of the pitch and you're not reliant on crossing it in to score goals.