I’ve solved our striker puzzle. Bench Zirkee and Hojlund.

This can't work in the PL. Maybe in EL. The physicality of the PL is on another level and Garnacho will be eaten alive.
He doesn't have the physicality to hold the ball, link up play and challenge for the long ball.

Garnacho is much better playing from the wing because he needs spaces to run at the opponent to create chances/to finish. He is not the player playing with his back at the goal.
 
DJ_21 said:
Get what you’re saying but he just isn’t clinical enough. Missed a great chance today. And misses easy chances every game. He will pose a bigger threat though but for that position you need more than just someone who runs in behind because what happens when we play a team that sit deep?
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Same issue with our actual strikers.
 
I think this is worth a try at least. Garnacho’s movement is better than both our strikers, and even if he isn’t very clinical he will get chances due to his movement
 
elmo said:
Same issue with our actual strikers.
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Nah, our actual strikers just have horrible movement and aren't good enough to actually get in chances. When they do their finishing isn't too bad, but that's such a small part, they don't do the main part well. Garna does the main part well but has not had luck with finishing at all this season. But also.... Yeah don't see him as a striker at all, he's too small. Runs off the left are very different than leading the line.
 
You know what? I'm inclined to agree. Bench both and play the three kids upfront.
 
Garnacho will end up as a striker, like Ronaldo did. He needs a few years to develop his striker skills and physique.
 
Different kettle of fish entirely playing as a CF though isn't it...only have to look at Rashford to see how a player can go from "frustrating but threatening" to "absolutely uselessly horrendous" when moving from wide forward to centre forward.
 
Lentwood said:
Different kettle of fish entirely playing as a CF though isn't it...only have to look at Rashford to see how a player can go from "frustrating but threatening" to "absolutely uselessly horrendous" when moving from wide forward to centre forward.
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Agreed, especially when your main attributes are running at defenders with the ball at your feet and looking to make runs in-behind to get into good positions. Starting slightly deeper and having more space to operate into can make a world of difference.
 
Against a team like last night who are very deep, should start Zirkzee. If we play a team who want to press high we should play Hojlund. Both are struggling but they seem to be working hard and offer interesting different tactical choices. Garnacho should stay in the role he played yesterday, he basically plays as a second striker anyway and will offer a bit more threat in behind + with the ability to take people on.
 
I do think Garna will end up playing centrally long term but is probably a couple more years away from being ready to play there every week

Given the paucity of our options there at the moment though I'd certainly be happy to see him in the rotation with Hojlund/Zirkzee for the remainder of the season.It literally can't be any worse
 
macko12345 said:
Both Hojlund and Zirkzee are not getting service. Our game is not set up for creating chances for the strikers. Its just strange. I think there is a good player in Hojlund, but nothing gets to him. He's usually alone v two defenders.
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Yeah, i agree, he is constantly getting in situations where he has to wrestle at least one defender while trying to trap the ball and he is not getting an easy ride.
 
Garnacho plays best diagonally and with space. He's also still developing his tactical awareness and teamwork. Basically I'd be shocked if he plays PL level opposition as a striker better than even Zirkzee. Zirkzee's problem is usually having zero impact but he isn't sooo bad of a liability as to be a nuisance.
 
The hate on Hojlund is mad. He's not a target man, he's not a back to goal kinda player. Yet that's how we play him. Amorin clearly wants his CF to hold up play and bring other's into play that way.

Neither Hojlund or Zirkzee are pretty good at that. I think Hojlund could be really good if we played him in the channels more. He's really quick.

Don't think our service to Hojlund in particular is serving him well. We are a bit long ball crazy and it's not working.

So changing the central man to, say a Garnacho or Fernandes would be equally as disastrous as it is now. We don't have a target man in our ranks
 
Craig Ward said:
The hate on Hojlund is mad. He's not a target man, he's not a back to goal kinda player. Yet that's how we play him. Amorin clearly wants his CF to hold up play and bring other's into play that way.

Neither Hojlund or Zirkzee are pretty good at that. I think Hojlund could be really good if we played him in the channels more. He's really quick.

Don't think our service to Hojlund in particular is serving him well. We are a bit long ball crazy and it's not working.

So changing the central man to, say a Garnacho or Fernandes would be equally as disastrous as it is now. We don't have a target man in our ranks
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To be a top CF these days, you can't just be good at one thing, run the channels.

You have to have different facets to your game, especially if you are in teams that want to build up play from the back and play possession football.

Any top CF needs to be able to receive the ball, hold it and pass it off so he can make the run. We are not expecting him to hold up play like Drogba, just to take control of a football and not give it back to the opponent straight away.
 
DJ_21 said:
Get what you’re saying but he just isn’t clinical enough. Missed a great chance today. And misses easy chances every game. He will pose a bigger threat though but for that position you need more than just someone who runs in behind because what happens when we play a team that sit deep?
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Like Andy Cole didn't miss sitters ! I think my nephew had a CD of them - and he still won the golden boot.
 
Right now I would even try Casemiro as striker. He has a nose for goals and I suspect he could hold up the ball better than Hojlund.

No for Garnacho. He would be pushed around too much.
 
romufc said:
To be a top CF these days, you can't just be good at one thing, run the channels.

You have to have different facets to your game, especially if you are in teams that want to build up play from the back and play possession football.

Any top CF needs to be able to receive the ball, hold it and pass it off so he can make the run. We are not expecting him to hold up play like Drogba, just to take control of a football and not give it back to the opponent straight away.
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Neither Hojlund or Zirkzee are "Top CF's" though.

Hojlund was purchased for his potential and Zirkzee as a 2nd string striker. Neither suit the way we play - but we are hammering them for stuff that they're not ever going to be elite at. My point is, we as a collective team are making whoever plays CF for us look a lot worse than they actually are.

Understand your point around having different facets to your game, and I agree. Yet we as a team only ever lump the ball up to Hojlund, and it's just not going to stick. He's isolated and up against 2 CB's - he's fighting a losing battle and that's before we get into the quality of service we provide him. We are going to destroy the boys confidence if we don't start using him a different way, the scrutiny is immense at this club and we are going to break him before he's shown us what he is capable of.

I don't know what the answer is, but we have no one at all who could play CF and hold the ball up the way we play currently. It's a disaster of a position for us right now and long balls ain't the answer
 
Craig Ward said:
Neither Hojlund or Zirkzee are "Top CF's" though.

Hojlund was purchased for his potential and Zirkzee as a 2nd string striker. Neither suit the way we play - but we are hammering them for stuff that they're not ever going to be elite at. My point is, we as a collective team are making whoever plays CF for us look a lot worse than they actually are.

Understand your point around having different facets to your game, and I agree. Yet we as a team only ever lump the ball up to Hojlund, and it's just not going to stick. He's isolated and up against 2 CB's - he's fighting a losing battle and that's before we get into the quality of service we provide him. We are going to destroy the boys confidence if we don't start using him a different way, the scrutiny is immense at this club and we are going to break him before he's shown us what he is capable of.

I don't know what the answer is, but we have no one at all who could play CF and hold the ball up the way we play currently. It's a disaster of a position for us right now and long balls ain't the answer
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I see what you are saying but if you watch how Sporting played under Amorim... Gyokeres was fed into the channels alot of times.

We have one of the best through ball machines as well in Bruno, so forgive me if I dont agree with Hojlund being good at channel runs.

Whenever Rashford used to run in behind, Bruno found him, how come Hojlund is barely found running channels?

Whenever the ball is played into the box, he is always .5 seconds late to the ball, why is that? its because he lacks decent movement up top.
 
Frankly we're so bad in attack we'd probably be better off with Casemiro or Maguire up top for their heading ability
 
On current stats anyone could play up front and score more than Hojlund and Zirkzee combined. We should really be trying to get anyone we can in on loan to cover this.
 
romufc said:
I see what you are saying but if you watch how Sporting played under Amorim... Gyokeres was fed into the channels alot of times.

We have one of the best through ball machines as well in Bruno, so forgive me if I dont agree with Hojlund being good at channel runs.

Whenever Rashford used to run in behind, Bruno found him, how come Hojlund is barely found running channels?

Whenever the ball is played into the box, he is always .5 seconds late to the ball, why is that? its because he lacks decent movement up top.
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I don't think Zirkzee can even run channels. God forbid he finds himself through on goal. He has way bigger problems than how he's used. Mainoo took up the spaces he likes to occupy and could have had a brace. There's no excuse for both.
 
Garnacho is maybe the most wasteful of the three in front of goal. So many times has he had a chance and not scored. Takes him 5 chances to score 1.

It’s worth trying out however. Maybe it gets our play flowing more.
 
ROFLUTION said:
Garnacho is maybe the most wasteful of the three in front of goal. So many times has he had a chance and not scored. Takes him 5 chances to score 1.

It’s worth trying out however. Maybe it gets our play flowing more.
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The problem is that it takes Hojlund about 6 games to accumulate 5 chances.
 
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