The evolution of the modern striker

Messi was such a good goalscorer that he put actual 9s on the wings.

I would watch 8 hours straight just watching tactical analysis of Bobby Firmino. His peak at Liverpool was absurd. People seem to forget he led the champions league is goals and assists on their way to the final as a FALSE 9!! Unreal player, just a genius.

A return to the Drogba mould of striker... who was doing all those great things, link play, back to goal work, channel running, occupying defenders from the mid 2000s for about 10 years

The way he summarised Leicester City’s triumphant premier league win in a couple sentences is so amazing.

It's insane how Messi was creating and setting the standard for a whole new style of football, while being both the greatest goalscorer and the greatest playmaker statistically in the history of football. Messi in his prime really should be impossible. Who sets the record for the most assists in a calendar year ever, then next season, breaks the all time goalscoring records for both a season and calendar year, while still having the most assists in the world that season and year? Before Messi, this would have been thought of as impossible, nobody has come within miles of breaking those kind of records simultaneously.

I was really confused as to who Kuba was... never heard him called that before. Jakub Błaszczykowski BTW for those wondering as well.

5:09 At his peak, Coentrão was a good player, it just not lasted long, but he was a very good player at that time.

What about Harry Kane, he is like a 9 and a 10 in one player, can link the midfield and attack like Firmino but can also get in the box and score goals. Also Greizmann for France plays in more of a deep role now, dropping into the midfield like a 10 but still able to get on the end of chances

Loved Sam’s presentation style. Succinct, excited, and informative.

I can’t even begin to express how useful this video is. I’m coming back to soccer as a fan after a childhood as a player, and I’m trying to better understand different tactical strategies. This video to me is the history and evolution of tactics over the past decade or so. Really great stuff, and very helpful for new fans to appreciate where we are and how we got here. Keep it up!

Loving Sam on Tifo IRL recently, please keep his videos coming!

Is Harry Kane not like a perfect analogue for all of these positions except false 9?

I feel like its a bit unfair you didn't mention Mourinho. His chelsea team might not have been free scoring, but Drogba sacrificed his own play all the time, to occupy defenders, run channels, link up play and bring in the wingers and midfielders (frank lampards goal stats really were monstrous and Gundogan gets far more praise for having achieved far less) . He was way ahead of his time in that regard.

How has Harry Kane not gotten a mention in this one? In the lead up at 9:00 I was genuinely shocked you said Haaland and not Kane there.

TIFO.. at 2:52, this Messi False 9 role.. "we haven't really seen it before (hence to Messi false 9 role)". Even in your own earlier videoes you referer to the example of Totti playing the False 9 from 05-07 (and later again), and Guardiola was as well a part of a team that used the exact same weapon. Barcelona 'Dream Team' in the 90s, where Michael Laudrup played the same role just in the 3-4-3 diamond, where Laudrup went deep and played through passes to Txiki Begiristain over and over again (a little the way David Villa was used in the wing) - and the rest of the team. And it can even be seen used back to the Austrian national team in the 30s and the Hungarian national team in the 50s. I'm aware that you have a 15 years timeline on the video (which is fair) but come on that statement.. I usually feel that your level of understanding and explaining football is the top top top. That statement puts it down a lot, especially because it also makes you seem unaware of your own earlier content. The football tactics (and especially strikers) are a circular evolution where it changes to where there is most space to attack. We even saw that in the Barcelona 'Dream Team' in the 90s, when they changed Laudrups false 9 to Romarios Fox in the box striker, to run behind the defense. The biggest difference between then and now is that most teams are moving in the same direction because of the possibility to see and analyze the other teams - which has become much more available.

Nice analysis but there is a bit of contradiction. the Klopp, Pep pressing system that made teams to start copying with the backline playing almost in the midfield line actually happened AFTER Leicester's title triumph not before.

As a Liverpool fan, I feel Gako and Nunez will give us the best of both worlds. We have one who can play a false 9 when teams sit deep and a more traditional St against the high press.

loved the video. Explained really well. Good job Sam

Amazing vid. This vid is also a great crash course of the progression from early to late 2010s football

The complete striker description sounds like peak Drogba if you ask me. Except in his day, he had to do so much because Chelsea didn't want anyone else not defending.