Death of the Number 9

Romelu Lukaku’s sit down interview with Sky Sport Italia (recorded several weeks ago) sent the football world into a frenzy last night.?

“I’m not happy with the situation at Chelsea. Tuchel has chosen to play with another system… I really hope from the bottom of my heart to return to Inter, not at the end of my career, but when I’m still at the top level to win more together”.

These telling comments from Lukaku may be specific to his situation at Chelsea, but it does raise a wider question: why are so many of the Premier League‘s star strikers struggling this season?

Lukaku has registered just 7 goals in 18 appearances in all competitions so far this term, an underwhelming return for a man who scored 24 league goals for Inter as he led I Nerazzurri to the Scudetto last season. In Milan, Antonio Conte’s 3-5-2 system was very much tailored to the Belgian’s strengths with mobile strike partner Lautaro Martinez proving the perfect foil for Romelu.

At Chelsea, it’s been a very different story for Lukaku, with Tuchel’s 3-4-3 formation proving to be far less accommodating for the ￡97.5 million man. Granted, injuries and a bout of covid have somewhat curtailed his season and his complaints about Tuchel’s system may be valid but the public pining for his previous employer is sure to have rubbed Chelsea faithful (and hierarchy) the wrong way.?

North of the Thames, Tottenham’s jewel in the crown hasn’t shone so brightly this season. The ‘Harry Kane to Man City’ transfer saga over the summer played out like a classic soap opera whodunit. Fingers were pointed and blame was distributed but, ultimately, the England skipper stayed at Spurs. Both parties paid the price for the drawn out drama as Kane and Tottenham’s form suffered during the early part of the season, with the star striker netting only once in his first 13 league games.

The slow start cost Nuno Espírito Santo his job, the former Wolves boss being replaced by the much-courted Antonio Conte. Spurs’ and Kane’s fortunes may have changed under the Italian but the shadow of Harry Kane’s seemingly imminent exit looms large over the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the January transfer window fast approaches.

Elsewhere in North London, Arsenal’s once talismanic striker and former captain looks to be on his way out of the Emirates. The battle lines have well and truly been drawn by Gunners’ boss Mikel Arteta, stripping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the captaincy and omitting him from his recent match day squads due to a ‘disciplinary breach’. In truth, Aubameyang’s form has been on the slide since he starred for Arsenal during their run to FA Cup glory in 2020, a run which included memorable braces against Man City and Chelsea in the semifinal and final respectively.

There was much clamour from Arsenal fans for the Gabon international to sign a new contract at the start of the 20/21 season… sign da ting anyone? The man who dons the legendary number 14 shirt for Arsenal has failed to find consistent goalscoring form since penning that new deal in September 2020 and, with the Gunners recent upturn in form since Aubameyang’s exile, most Arsenal fans will be happy to see the back of their former skipper.

In Manchester, despite an impressive goal scoring return in his first season back in England (14 goals in 21 games in all competitions), there are clear rumblings of discontent with Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United. We all recall the images of a sour-faced Ronaldo warming the bench at Old Trafford after being ‘rested’ by Ole Gunnar Solksjaer for their clash with Everton in October.

Although the gesticulating is nothing new - the sight of CR7 throwing his arms up in the air after a teammate misplaces a pass is something football fans have seen for the best part of two decades - recent incidents in which Ronaldo has displayed overt contempt for his teammates has prompted some sections of United fans to question whether he is the right man to lead the club into a new era under the stewardship of new interim head coach Ralf Rangnick.

Form is temporary, class is permanent. This may be one of football’s most tired cliches but it rings true. There is no doubt that these proven predators will find the net again on a consistent basis - it’s what they do. Goals are their currency and they are filthy rich. But if you cast your eye to the two teams that have been the standard bearers for football on these shores over the last few years, it’s clear that the lay of the land is changing for number nines.

The last two Premier League titles have been won by sides that employ a system with no recognised ‘out and out’ striker. Roberto Firmino is the archetypal false nine, dropping deep to link play and create opportunities for his attacking teammates, helping Liverpool win their first league title in 30 years in 2020. Man City’s revolving roster of players that can operate down the middle is well documented. Sterling, Silva, Jesus, Grealish, Foden and Torres have all played as City’s faux-frontman this season. Effectively, Guardiola’s system allows a number of players to lead the line for his team, a side that are flourishing in the post-Aguero era. They strolled to Premier League glory at a canter in 2021 and look like champions-in-waiting this year around.

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are changing the face of English football before our eyes; the systems are more fluid, the players are more adaptable and the standard is higher than ever. In a league defined by capitalism, these managers are employing tactical socialism - it’s goals by committee. The burden of putting the ball in the back of the net is not shouldered by one man but by the whole team. These tactical innovations are certainly pushing English football in a more progressive direction but could it spell the end for the classic number nine?

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