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A report has claimed that AC Milan and Roma are both Scudetto candidates despite the fact both are lacking a striker who scores regularly.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport write, the commonly-accepted rule in football is that it’s almost impossible to win major honours without a good goalkeeper and a strong centre-forward. Pep Guardiola told the world that his center forward was space, but he had Lionel Messi, a Martian. So it doesn’t count.
When Pep was able to put a classic No.9 at the centre of his plans, he signed Erling Haaland without hesitation. Centre-forwards decide matches and make teams play well because they direct and support the play. If they’re good, of course.
Milan and Roma’s issues
In Serie A, the top strikers aren’t having a great season: none have scored more than four goals in 11 matches so far. Things will change, and the statistics will likely align with historical trends and those of foreign leagues, where traditional top scorers have already celebrated several times.
Meanwhile, however, two teams are sitting at the Scudetto table despite their strikers scoring very little or not playing at all. Roma are first without significant contributions from Dovbyk (2 goals) and Ferguson (0), both currently injured. Milan are third, with Santiago Gimenez stuck on zero league goals.
Gian Piero Gasperini and Massimiliano Allegri are doing an excellent job of ‘hiding the gap’, which at times – depending on results – turns into regret or a point of contention with management.
For example, the Giallorossi lost to Torino when they used Dybala as a false nine and they gained nothing from Ferguson’s second-half introduction. The Rossoneri dropped seven points against Cremonese, Pisa and Parma, games in which an in-form striker is the best insurance.
Finding solutions
The fixes chosen by Gasperini and Allegri are different and in line with their respective tactical ideas. Gasp initially built Roma on a platform of defensive impenetrability and making do with the occasional goal.
Now, the Giallorossi coach is asking his players to remain solid defensively but to try and counter-attack in greater numbers, with the aim of arriving in the final third with plenty of options. Celik’s goal against Udinese, following an exchange with Mancini inside the penalty area, is a prime example.
Allegri, on the other hand, is less formulaic and is focusing on the constant movement of the attacking players and rapid vertical movement of the ball (and his players) when a gap opens up.
In this way, the coach manages to enhance Luka Modric’s ability to freeze the ball and serve it at the right moment, and to exploit Christian Pulisic’s proven ability and Rafael Leao’s still somewhat intermittent ability to suddenly appear in the shooting zones.
If the centre-forwards don’t score, the teammates need to share the burden. Roma have seven scorers this season, while Milan are on nine. It’s rare for the striker of the Scudetto-winning team to be a supporting player, though.
This consideration may influence the winter transfer window for both clubs: the league table could tempt them into an investment. For now, however, this problem has cemented the group and pushed everyone to give something extra. Opportunities lie in difficulty, Einstein said.
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