The Rondo - World Class 9's

I missed the 4-4-2, played off a big man, because you know I'm 5-8, bro

So I missed the big man, just put it in there. That was my role. That's how I came up. You notice how Raheem always makes it about himself

He calls it back to me. BWP, you're an established goal scorer in football history

We have to talk about the lack of number nines in world football right now. What's going on? What do you think it is

Do you think it's development of players? A lot of players now are more inside forwards than number nines

Why do you think it's so difficult to find a top class number nine nowadays? I like this conversation, by the way

I think it's just systems, right? The way we're playing is the systems have changed

When I was growing up, it was a 4-2-2. So you're going to have two nines on the pitch. I think nowadays, it's the inside fours, the left and right

the most salas of the world, the Messi's, Neymar's. They get the ball more. I think the nines more to occupy centre-backs

Don't really get too much service into the box. When's the last time you see teams really crossing the ball in the box

When's the last time you see a player, apart from Harland, he's a bit different. You don't see them going through on one-on-ones

When I was growing up, I see Michael Owen, Andy Cole. Running through on goal. Oh, they're gone, fam

My dad, you're running through on goal. Emil Heskey pinged down. Michael Owen gone, fam

You remember those, fam? I missed the 4-4-2, fam. Played off a big man

Because, you know, I'm 5'8", bro. So, I missed the big man. Just putting it down. That's how I came up

You notice how Raheem always makes it out. I'm shout-out. Back to me. Back in my day, bro

I got to let people know, you know what I'm saying? Back in the day when I was working with him. But, no, I agree

And I think also in football, I feel like we reached this phase where it's just like teams aren't even really, you don't even need to have a nine

Like we're looking at Mikel Marino, who's a number eight, playing the number nine role superb for Arsenal right now

His holdup plays great. Arguably, he brought out Rudiger out the center back position to build up space for Martinelli to run in behind

It's adorable, by the way, how Arsenal fans have just discovered a false nine. Good job, guys

But think about it. He's not really playing as a false nine because he's holding it up

Like, you know, he's actually playing like a nine. But they're not nines. I get it. But they're not nines

It's the same with Havertz. It's the same with Havertz, the way he plays. He's not a nine. He's not really..

I don't want to say he calls in the centre-backs and defence too much trouble, especially in behind. I'm not going to lie

This kind of football annoys me, frustrates me. Really? Yeah. I miss it because I was even..

You know what's quite funny, though, is that, like, and you talk about Arsenal, it's like, yeah, you can have those players that occupy defenders

and cover spaces and what have you, but there is also still room in the game

for someone who can be absolutely lethal inside the box. Like that's what takes, duh, that's what takes Haaland to like the next level, right

Of course. And that's like, that's your Ossimans, that's your Yoki Erez's, maybe like Benjamin Sesko

as well. Like that's why everyone's so after these guys. Do you remember the first

Because they can do both Exactly but do you remember the first two plays in the Champions League quarter Arsenal Real Madrid at the Emirates Saka goes down to the right crosses up two balls in the box six yards Nobody there Nobody there And that frustrates me because

But that's funny though as well because Real Madrid just ended up trying to do the same thing

except they've got Mbappe through the middle. I know, but that's what we're talking about

These number nines are inside forwards, you know what I'm saying? Like the Mo Salah rule where you're coming off the left, they're coming off the right

So you're not really a typical number nine. Like I was even this past weekend, just for my birthday, I was watching like Brazil, 1999 highlights, Ronaldinho's first match

I swear to God. For your birthday. Not for my birthday. That was my present. It's a great birthday

So I'm watching R-NOT because, you know, what I like to do is like I like to go back and watch the game from the 90s

And I like to compare it to the number nines and how much it's changed now. What I've noticed is that R-NOT was occupying spaces

He was coming out the left, coming out the right, coming in the middle, getting the ball, dribbling, laying it off

Like even nowadays You see strikers Literally struggle To kind of get

Like Haaland cannot In my opinion You can't pass Haaland the ball And expect him

To turn dribble And play it out Or even hold it up For his size Or even hold it up

For that great For his size He's not a great Holding up the ball And like I just Remember back in the day You'd have guys like

Jermaine Defoe Peter Crouch Like even these nines Back then You know how much

They'd be worth On today's market Like a prime Daniel Sturridge Right now You're telling me

He's not doing bits He was unbelievable Even Jermaine Defoe Like you said He was smaller But he's hold up play

he's finishing he's a way better nine and them players we're seeing nowadays absolutely also in

a sense and just play like devil's advocate a little bit having a load of inside forwards a

load of techie guys who may be a bit smaller does that not make football a little bit more fun to

watch so is the versatility a good thing is that what you're asking well i'm saying is is the fact

that you have not in fact probably the opposite versatility right like a load of lads who can cut

in and like make things happen find a killer pass like is that not maybe a bit more exciting as a

Does that make sense? I don't think so. I preferred watching football and the guys on the outside forwards

they're never really taking guys on. They come, they cut inside. They link up with the 10 or the 8

and then they get it back. It's kind of boring. It's just always swinging it around. And to be honest

I'm even watching that game that I'm talking about. I'm watching Ronaldinho play right wing and there's not much that he doesn't do

that's different than what wingers do now. Okay, you are referencing the greats, by the way

No, no, no. But I'm just saying, back in that day, you would think the tactics are different. They didn't want people to take people

they wanted people to take people on all the time. We live in a day now and age where wingers aren't typically taking people on 1v1

But I'm seeing back then, they had the freedom to do so. Because nowadays, it's about keeping the ball

Keeping the ball. Iron Robin used to get the ball all the time and cut in. But when he cuts in, he's got product

Of course. He's going to bang it top corner. Or he's going to play a nice pass. He's going to do something

There was end product to it. Nowadays, it's just don't lose the ball. I look at someone like Sancho So much ability He looks like he can walk past a player at any time if he wants But how often do you see him going by a player I think what kills Jadon Sancho though is that his lack of

He doesn't have that much pace. So he's getting by you, but you can catch up. But do you know what

I remember watching... He played for Dortmund, wasn't it, last year? Was it in the Champions League semi-final

Against Nuno Mendes? Yeah, and there was some ridiculous stat that he had the most dribbles completed

I'm saying I don't know about football anymore. No, it's like most dribbles completed in any Champions League game

And he was just cooking against PSG. And he's still got that in him with Sancho

But maybe it's just partially a confidence thing as well. And that's what's funny to me

It's like in England, you complain about Jack Grealish a lot, right? That's what we like to do in England

It's just a thing. You complain about Jack Grealish. Or Rashford or Sterling. Well, no, Grealish in particular

Because Pep's kind of turned him into this like ball recycling. Just left winger, just there

But then when you watch him play for England, he then lacks the confidence to go and do all of the fun stuff that he did at the Euros or even at the World Cup a little bit

Yeah, but it's difficult, right? If you're playing that way most of the year, then you go to the national team and it's hard to change those habits

Do you guys think nines being versatile could be a good thing as well? Because now you're seeing guys who are able to kind of play on the left or play on the right

Like you see a Nicholas Jackson, he's not really a typical number nine. Or a Joshua Xerxes who could drop back into midfield and support his team

Do you guys like that number nines are more versatile now than previous generations

Well, I think you can't be a one-dimensional footballer anymore at all, can you? You just have to be able to do a bit of everything

Because otherwise teams will figure you out, right? Like that you have to be able to bring different elements to your game

Otherwise, you are inherently stoppable. It's kind of crazy to me that there's number nines now that their job is not necessarily..

They're expected to score goals. This is where I was going to go. Yeah. In my day growing up, when you played nine, you had to have one and two

You have to bag a game. You have to have a goal in every two games to be considered a good striker. And nowadays, yeah, your job can be occupying and taking players out of their spaces and creating space for others

No, that's not it for me. Do you like that, though? So, like, one thing I think about a lot, Liverpool fan, is Darwin Nunez, right

Because it's just that agent of chaos stretches the defense. And then I saw something. It's like he's only scored, like, 20 Premier League goals for Liverpool in three years

That's crazy. It's like, it's really not that many. He's only scored 20. Yeah, maybe 25 at Shrek

But it's weird with him because he could literally be Harlan. He could literally be Harlan

That's the annoying thing about him bro. If he could just slow down in front of God, just calm down

You know what I mean? Because he's a problem. And I like him because he's an old school nine

He's running in behind. He doesn't care about coming to feet and all the fancy stuff. I just think he needs work or he needs to..

I'm not sure what it is. I don't want to be talking about Prem players. You know what I mean? For me, I like him as a nine

I like what he does. I know defenders don like playing against him For himself though he just has to be way more clinical So where do these current day strikers compare to strikers of 10 years ago you gonna rank them as world can be world or not class nicholas jackson potential to be great potential

is there for me i see it he's not gonna be world-class but potential he could be a great

striker i think i think he could be well i mean does that mean i've got to say not class no i

I think he could be pretty good, but he just seems a bit too erratic

Yeah, he is. It goes back to the question when you're saying, can players change? Alexander Ishak

Oh, he's world class. He's world class. You're saying he's world class now? He's not world class now

He's the striker of 10 years ago. He's getting to the point of world class. He could be

He's getting to the point. He's one of those players that have everything, bro. He has everything

So that's what I was going to say. It's like because I remember his first season, he has that assist against Everton, where he's

basically dribbling everyone on the left wing he can play in the middle he's good in the air um

his link up plays really good you can find a pass you see the pass to tonali from the volley

in lower corner that's mod that's it the scoop over the the over the what's that man against

man you yeah that's it that's for number nine yeah to get that over it hit that first time

yeah world-class potential lataro martinez i'm gonna be rude with you i haven't watched enough

of lataro martinez i've seen clips i've seen clips but i think the potential is there from

what i've seen i think do you know what it is you were talking about how as a striker you've got to

score one in every two yeah he's ratio is good lataro does that no but he has the real hot and

cold runs okay do you know what i mean victor goikaris because he's linked with arsenal

he seems to be he seems like he could be a great forward i think i think he could be good what

confuses me about goikaris is that he's taken a while hasn't he you were talking about guys

who was it that pointed that out? You know, needed time to develop because he was Coventry

He was sort of just like knocking about in the lower leagues and then obviously now he's smashing it

He seems to be on the pathway. Yeah. He seems to be on the pathway. Last but not least, Victor Oshina

Freaking combinations. I saw a side. I remember his name was ringing bells and I saw a side to him

where he was missing a lot of chances. I wouldn't need to see him in the print. But you know playing in the gravels of AFCON

is different in Europe. It can't be easy. Yeah, it's not easy for a lot of guys

What you hear in a boozela in your ear, fam? I don't mind when players miss. Because obviously I'm not in these guys category and I've missed some chances myself, a lot of chances

But it's the way you miss and I wasn't liking it. I would have to, I need the juries out for me on that

It's funny because watching him for Napoli a couple of years ago, the team with Barrett Scalio

like when that was, he was clinical. He was unbelievable. So if you can get that version of the player back, then yeah, for sure