Strikers

A striker's first job is to score goals. Beyond that, they stretch the opposition defence with their movement, hold the ball up to bring teammates into play, and pressure the opposition centre backs to stop them building from the back. Even a striker who does not touch the ball in a passage of play is doing crucial work simply by occupying defenders.

The number of strikers in the team depends on the formation. A 4-4-2 has two strikers playing together. A 4-3-3 has a centre forward with a wide forward on each side. A 4-2-3-1 has a single striker supported by an attacking midfielder and two wingers behind them. The strikers have to suit whichever shape the team plays.

Striker and centre forward are often used as if they mean the same thing. Strictly, striker is the broader attacking position, while centre forward is the central striker who leads the line.

The centre forward leads the line. They take a central position closest to the opposition goal, occupy the centre backs, get on the end of crosses, and finish chances inside the penalty area. Many centre forwards are strong in the air and have a good first touch, but modern centre forwards can also be mobile link players who drop away from defenders.

Some centre forwards are target men, who use their physical strength to hold the ball up and bring teammates into play. Others are mobile finishers, who run in behind the defence to chase passes played into space. Many top centre forwards combine both styles, doing whatever the system needs from the position.

A second striker drops a few yards deeper than the main forward to receive passes between the opposition's defence and midfield. They are usually quicker and more technical than the centre forward they play with, with the ability to turn with the ball and play forward passes or run at defenders themselves.

The second striker is the bridge between the team's creative players and its main goalscorer. The role is most common in two-striker formations such as 4-4-2 and 3-5-2, where the partnership between the two forwards is the team's main attacking idea. The classic "big and small" partnership pairs a physical centre forward with a quicker second striker — the centre forward holds the ball up, the second striker plays off them.

To say a team needs a number 9 almost always means they need a main centre forward. The position is so closely tied to the number that it has become part of the language of football. Even in the squad-number era, most main strikers try to take the 9 shirt for themselves.

The false nine — a centre forward who does the opposite of what a traditional number 9 does — gets its name from the same convention. Where a traditional 9 holds the line and attacks the box, a false nine drops into midfield to combine and create.

When the opposition has the ball at the back, the striker leads the press. They cut off passing lanes between the centre backs, force the goalkeeper to play long, and chase after the ball if the team behind them is also pressing high.

This work does not show up in goals or assists, but it is one of the main reasons modern teams choose specific strikers. A striker who refuses to press makes the team's defensive structure unworkable, since the rest of the team's pressing depends on the front line setting it up.

The classic centre forward who only scored has been joined by a much wider range of profiles. The target man uses physical strength to hold the ball up; the poacher specialises in finishing inside the box; the false nine drops into midfield to create; the complete forward combines elements of all of these. Pressing has produced its own version — the pressing forward who leads the press from the front. Possession football has produced the deep-lying forward who creates rather than scores.

Two-striker formations have become less common at the top level than they once were, and with them the second striker has become a less default choice. Most top teams now play with a single forward, where the role does not naturally fit. But where teams still play 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 by choice, the second striker is one of the most important players — the link between midfield and the main forward.

A possession team often wants a centre forward who can drop deep, link play and finish chances under pressure. A counter-attacking team usually wants a fast forward who can run in behind a high line. A team built around crosses needs a target man who can win headers and hold the ball up. A pressing team needs a forward who will lead the press from the front, regardless of style.

These choices shape what kind of player a team buys, and how the rest of the attack is organised around them. The full guide to the different striker roles — centre forward, second striker, target man, poacher, false nine, complete forward, pressing forward and the rest — and which one fits which system, sits in the tactics section.