Make it a bigger list (maybe 40 in total) and include #10s (Ronaldinho), Second Strikers (Cantona) and Wide Forwards (Stoichkov) all in one comprehensive lists.
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Top 10 Support/Second-Strikers of All-Time
- Thread starter Physiocrat
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Cantona, Baggio, Bergkamp, Totti, Del Piero.
Messi was more of wing forward/playmaker/goalscorer rather than a second striker for me, Maradona is more of AM type, and I've never watched Pele played. Maybe Cruyff? but he is more of total football type of player in free attack role?
Messi was more of wing forward/playmaker/goalscorer rather than a second striker for me, Maradona is more of AM type, and I've never watched Pele played. Maybe Cruyff? but he is more of total football type of player in free attack role?
I always considered a second striker as someone who could play the 9 and 10 positions consistently at a 9/10 level. Basically, expert level finisher who can also dictate a game with creativity.
Cruyff was the one that made the false 9 famous.
No love for Rooney? Definitely fits the bill and truly up there with this work rate
Agree should be in the mix.
Good shout. But it's a list where Dalglish and Keegan haven't found a place yet
Puskas. Without any doubt in my mind. I don't count Pele as he is much more then 2nd striker.
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Aye. It's that tension between rigid, defence-first tactics and enabling creative attacking play. Most Italian managers were clearly on one end of that spectrum. There's no real reason why they could not have accommodated Rivera and Mazzola in the same team - even as central attacking players they were very different in style and could potentially have complemented each other quite well. Same with some of the superstar attackers who sat on the bench twiddling their thumbs in the 1990s.
Was wondering the same about Totti and Del Piero yesterday and if I could fit them together in the same team in the current draft.
Eventually decided not to as I couldn't be arsed to research how they did together in the early 2000's.
To elaborate further on these names, probably Vialli and Signori will fall in the same SS category?
Vialli used to play as a striker and second striker, whilst Signori was more of a wide forward/playing off a target man, yet they could play as a #9 ala Villa.
Yeah. Digressing a little because both were all-rounders in that regard, but both were criminally under-used at international level. Italy struggled to break teams down right through the 1990s, grinding out narrow wins in 1990, failing to qualify in 1992 because they draw half their games, relying on individual brilliance from Baggio in 1994, and missing countless chances to fall at the group stages in 1996. Vialli was dropped for most of 1990 and didn't play again after 1992, despite playing so well for Juventus in the mid-1990s. Signori only really featured in 1994 and was sorely missed at the other tournaments - especially at Euro '96 when he came off the back of 24 goals in 31 games in Serie A. Sacchi's rigidity didn't really help.
Definitely. In a diamond or 3412 with Totti in his 2000 Roma position at 10 with Del Piero as a second striker with probably Vieri as the 9. That would have been a great front three
This category is about as confusing as the CM one.
'Pure #10' has become completely bastardised over the last half-decade, too.
'Pure #10' has become completely bastardised over the last half-decade, too.
That's almost how they were set up at Euro 2000, and would have been if not for Vieri's injury and Del Piero's patchy fitness after his knee surgery.