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(Redirected from Centre forward)
: ''This article is about football (soccer) players. For other uses, see striker (disambiguation).''

'Strikers', also known as 'forwards' and 'attackers', and formerly 'inside forwards', are the players on a team in football in the row nearest to the opposing team's goal, who are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals.
Modern team formations usually include one to three strikers; two is most common. Coaches typically field one striker who plays over the shoulder of the last defender (close to the opposing team's goal), and another attacking forward who plays somewhat deeper and assists in making goals as well as scoring.
The former is usually a large striker, typically known as a 'target man', who is used to win long balls or receive passes and "hold up" the ball as teammates advance, to help teammates score by providing a pass ('through ball' into the box), or to score himself; the latter variation usually requiring quicker pace. Less frequently, some strikers operate on the wings of the field and work their way goalward.
This very advanced position and its limited defensive responsibilities mean strikers normally score more goals than other players; accordingly, strikers are often among the best-known and most expensive players in their teams.

Contents

Centre forward

Second striker

Winger

See also

References

Centre forward

The centre forward, or an "out-and-out" striker, is normally the principal goal-scorer of a football team. Centre forwards act predominantly as "targets" or the focal point of an attack; it is the duty of the midfield to supply and to assist them to score.
Some centre forwards are goal poachers who work in and around the penalty box to snatch goals and who are sometimes referred proverbially to as a "fox in the box". These strikers are known for their positional sense and excellent reflexes. Other forwards may rely on their pace to latch on balls from outside the six-yard area. Other players rely on their excellent dribbling ability to pierce through opposition defences.
Other centre-forwards are known as "target men" and are usually of above-average height, with good heading ability. They hold the ball up and bring other players into the game, scoring from crosses, often with the head, and use their body strength to shield the ball while turning to score. Centre-forwards with exceptionally towering figures and accurate heading abilities also make great "target men".
Some notable 'target-man' centre forwards include Didier Drogba, Luca Toni, Pauleta, Fernando Morientes, Jan Koller, Miroslav Klose, Adriano, Hernán Crespo, and Ruud van Nistelrooy. Leading 'fox-in-the-box' players include David Trezeguet, Filippo Inzaghi, Andriy Shevchenko, Fernando Torres and David Villa,, where as strikers such as Alessandro Del Piero, Dimitar Berbatov and Zlatan Ibrahimovic usually rely on their own technical skills to score goals. Strikers like Ronaldo, Michael Owen, Thierry Henry and Obafemi Martins use their pace to latch on to through balls.

Second striker

Deep-lying forwards have a long history in the game, but the terminology to describe them has varied over the years. Originally such players were termed inside forwards, or deep-lying centre forwards. More recently, the preferred terms have been 'withdrawn striker', 'supporting striker', 'second striker', or playing '"in the hole"' (i.e., the space between the midfield and defence of the opposing team). In Italy this position is referred to as Trequartista.
The position was initially developed by the famous Hungary national football team of the late 1940s and mid 1950s-nicknamed the "Magnificent Magyars" or the Aranycsapat (Hung lit: Golden Team). Nandor Hidegkuti was the player who was used by the Magnificent Magyars in that position.
The position is a loosely-defined one somewhere between the out-and-out striker and the midfield. Such a player is either a skillful, attack-minded midfielder or a striker who can both score and create opportunities for a centre forward. Although the differences might be subtle in some cases, the Second Striker position should not be confused with the Playmaker role: players who base their game in ball control, deep offensive passing, and a great vision for tactically "reading" the game. Dutch legend Dennis Bergkamp excelled in that position and indeed posessed remarkable vision and passing range to be ths ideal shadow striker, while Englishman Matthew Le Tissier is also thought of as one of the best examples of this role, despite his lack of international appearances.
Leading 'second strikers' of the current era include Ronaldinho and Francesco Totti - although Totti has recently converted to an out-and-out striker at Roma at his own request. This is also the main position of many influential No.10s in history like Pele, Diego Maradona, Ferenc Puskas, Enzo Francescoli, Nandor Hidegkuti, Eduard Streltsov, Roberto Baggio and Zico.

Winger

Main articles: Midfielder#Winger

A 'winger' is an attacking player who is stationed in a wide position near the touchlines. They can be classified as forwards, although they're usually counted as part of the midfield.
It is a winger's duty to beat opposing fullbacks and to deliver cut-backs or crosses from wide positions. They are usually some of the quickest players in the team and usually have good dribbling skills as well.
In recent years there has been a trend of playing 'unorthodox' wingers - wide men stationed on the 'wrong' side of the pitch, in order to enable them to cut inside and shoot on their stronger foot. One example of this is the tactical use of Robin van Persie by Netherlands coach Marco van Basten at the 2006 World Cup; the Netherlands played with a front three of Arjen Robben wide left, target-man Ruud van Nistelrooy in the middle and the left-footed van Persie wide right. Such deployment usually leads to players being referred to as playing 'from the right' rather than 'on the right'. Similarly, Newcastle United manager Sam Allardyce, who favours a front three, started the 2007-08 season with right-footed James Milner playing from the left, Mark Viduka as a centre forward and left-footed Obafemi Martins from the right, whilst at Manchester United it is common for right-footed Cristiano Ronaldo and left-footed Ryan Giggs to switch sides continually throughout a match.
Notable orthodox right-wingers currently playing include Joaquín, Shaun Wright-Phillips, David Odonkor, Mauro Camoranesi and Luís Figo. Orthodox left-wingers include Florent Malouda, Arjen Robben, Stewart Downing, Damien Duff and Andrés Guardado.
'Unorthodox' right-wingers (left-footed) include Lionel Messi. Unorthodox left-wingers (right-footed) include Nani, Franck Ribéry (who plays on the left for Bayern Munich but usually on the right for France) and Joe Cole. Players who can play from either side include Simão Sabrosa, Ricardo Quaresma, Sidney Govou, Maxi Rodríguez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Arjen Robben, and Ronaldinho

See also

★ Football (soccer) positions

★ Formation (football)

★ Long ball

References