• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 04:11
CEST 10:11
KST 17:11
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
Serral wins Maestros of the Game 236ByuL, and the Limitations of Standard Play3Team Liquid Map Contest #22: Results and Winners7Code S Season 2 (2026): RO4 and Finals Preview12TL.net Map Contest #22 - Voting & Ladder Map Selection7
Community News
BSL Season 22 Full Overview & Conclusion3BSL Season 22 Full Overview & Conclusion3Weekly Cups (June 29-July 5): Solar Doubles0MC vs IdrA, Boxer vs Nal_rA to be Legacy Matches @ BlizzCon445.0.16 Hotfix (June 30) - Balance + Bug Fixes40
StarCraft 2
General
Most successful SC2 players of Q2 2026 AquaTrail-(I've Tested) My 90 Day Honest Experienc https://www.facebook.com/Power.Pro.Genius.USD/ Serral wins Maestros of the Game 2 MC vs IdrA, Boxer vs Nal_rA to be Legacy Matches @ BlizzCon
Tourneys
GSL CK #5 Race War RSL Revival: Season 6 - Qualifiers and Main Event HomeStory Cup 29 Vespene Cup #1 — $300+ USD, July 10 Sea Duckling Open (Global, Bronze-Diamond)
Strategy
[G] Having the right mentality to improve
Custom Maps
New Map Maker - Looking for Advice - Love or Hate Work In Progress Melee Maps [D]RTS in all its shapes and glory <3
External Content
Mutation # 533 Die Together The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 532 Nuclear Family Mutation # 531 Experimental Artillery
Brood War
General
BSL Season 22 Full Overview & Conclusion BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ BW General Discussion ASL 22 Proposed Map Pool Starcraft vs Retro Category on Twitch
Tourneys
Escore Tournament StarCraft Season 2 Small VOD Thread 2.0 IPSL Spring 2026 Top 4! CSLAN 4 is Coming!
Strategy
Fighting Spirit mining rates Simple Questions, Simple Answers Creating a full chart of Zerg builds Relatively freeroll strategies
Other Games
General Games
Summer Games Done Quick 2026! Nintendo Switch Thread Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Dawn of War IV ZeroSpace at Steam NextFest - Last free demo
Dota 2
Looking for a Dota Mentor Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug
TL Mafia
NeO.D_StephenKing vs This Guy From 1 Million Dance TL Mafia Community Thread TL Mafia Power Rank Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread UK Politics Mega-thread YouTube Thread Canadian Politics Mega-thread
Fan Clubs
The IdrA Fan Club The HerO Fan Club!
Media & Entertainment
Anime Discussion Thread Movie Discussion! Series you have seen recently... [Req][Books] Good Fantasy/SciFi books [TV/BOOK] *SPOILERS* Game of Thrones Discussion
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread McBoner: A hockey love story Tennis[sport] Formula 1 Discussion TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
FPS when play League Of Legend on laptop How to clean a TTe Thermaltake keyboard? Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Major Shifts in the Gaming I…
TrAiDoS
An Exploration of th…
waywardstrategy
Gauntlet SC2: A Retrospectiv…
Ctone23
ramps on octagon
StaticNine
Funny Nicknames
LUCKY_NOOB
Evil Gacha Games and the…
ffswowsucks
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 4738 users

2022 - 2023 Football Thread - Page 136

Forum Index > Sports
Post a Reply
Prev 1 134 135 136 137 138 151 Next
New Thread! Sneirac has delivered!
KobraKay
Profile Joined March 2010
Portugal4356 Posts
June 18 2023 14:43 GMT
#2701
On June 18 2023 23:07 Pandemona wrote:
From what i have seen i see Nkunku as a hazard like player and Kai needed to play off a striker, he got that chance with Lukaku and still rarely scored that season as well.

Kai is a good player without a position, he could potentially play as a 10 and maybe the Arsenal system will help him with the high 8 role he will play but im not sure. He also is struggling to find a position in the Germany set up as well.

Next season we are going with strikers and then Nkunku as 10. Kai isn't a striker so he would be competing for that spot with Nkunku so that why he might see himself not playing as much. He didn't play there before because we didn't have any striker and our silly coaches kept putting him there lol.


Yeah I see what you mean. But its just that to me Nkunku is not on par....but hey i've been wrong a lot before so what do I know.
CJ Fighting! (--.--)
sharkie
Profile Blog Joined April 2012
Austria18697 Posts
June 18 2023 15:41 GMT
#2702
Havertz is definitely better than nkunku yeah but frenchies are the latest craze atm hehe

Havertz is a generational talent for Germany imo and they should build a team around him if not gundogan
Pandemona *
Profile Blog Joined March 2011
Charlie Sheens House51493 Posts
June 18 2023 17:18 GMT
#2703
Well for the last 2 years the team under Flick was with Kai and they haven't done much have they. But yeah we shall see.
ModeratorTeam Liquid Football Thread Guru! - Chelsea FC ♥
WombaT
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Northern Ireland27200 Posts
June 18 2023 17:19 GMT
#2704
On June 19 2023 00:41 sharkie wrote:
Havertz is definitely better than nkunku yeah but frenchies are the latest craze atm hehe

Havertz is a generational talent for Germany imo and they should build a team around him if not gundogan

He’s a generational talent few seem to know what to do with.

His ceiling may be higher, equally I can see Nkunku being more effective and hit the ground running given you don’t really need to build a whole team around him.

I hope somebody does crack the puzzle as he’s clearly a very classy operator with a pretty unique toolkit
'You'll always be the cuddly marsupial of my heart, despite the inherent flaws of your ancestry' - Squat
sharkie
Profile Blog Joined April 2012
Austria18697 Posts
June 18 2023 17:27 GMT
#2705
On June 19 2023 02:18 Pandemona wrote:
Well for the last 2 years the team under Flick was with Kai and they haven't done much have they. But yeah we shall see.


Yeah but thats because Flick didnt build the team around him.
Flick keeps trying to build the team around Kimmich
Mafe
Profile Joined February 2011
Germany5966 Posts
June 18 2023 19:54 GMT
#2706
On June 18 2023 05:49 Hildegard wrote:
Germany hasn't had a real striker since Klose. Ever since he retired, Germany has had huge problems against teams that park the bus. Against teams like Spain, that go for possession, too, Germany is much stronger.

Fwiw, Klose was in some way past his prime in 2014 and might not have played all that much had Gomez not missed out on the tournament due to injuries. Iirc before the tournament Gomez missing out was seen as a major dent to the hopes of the team.

But that doesnt change anything about the current situation. And while obviously an out-and-out striker would be a major asset, I dont think that is (or at least has been in qatar) the only issue. Against japan in particular, but really in all 3 games at the world cup, if the whole team had converted their chances into goals at just a slightly below regular rate, this striker problem would be just a minor inconvenience instead of a footballing existential crisis.
{CC}StealthBlue
Profile Blog Joined January 2003
United States41117 Posts
June 19 2023 00:33 GMT
#2707
"Smokey, this is not 'Nam, this is bowling. There are rules."
RKC
Profile Joined June 2012
2848 Posts
Last Edited: 2023-06-19 11:18:20
June 19 2023 11:05 GMT
#2708
Whilst the meta has evolved in recent years, a traditional no 9 is definitely a key to success at the highest level. The main difference is that the no 9 has to be more dynamic. Able to be patient and efficient enough to score goals with half chances and minimal touches. But also flexible enough to drop deep, hold up play, and make runs to open up space. In modern football, every role requires technical ability (including keepers and defenders). Being a goal poacher is not enough. Gone are the days of Inzaghis and Shearers.

Today, the ideal no 9 needs to be a complete forward. Elite players like CR7, Benzema, Haaland, Zlatan, Lewandowski, and maybe even Mbappe (the 'maybe' is not to diminish his quality but because his qualities are more rounded, like Messi). And a notch below, players like Kane, Salah and Chiesa. For some reason, not many players seem to want to develop into this role. Maybe it's just too small of a pool and high of risk? Statistically, a player has a better chance of earning a spot in a team by playing wide roles or central midfield. It's just a theory, but maybe pragmatism even at the grassroots is the main cause of shortage of world class strikers/forwards.
gg no re thx
evilfatsh1t
Profile Joined October 2010
Australia8900 Posts
Last Edited: 2023-06-19 16:43:12
June 19 2023 16:39 GMT
#2709
haaland to me isnt the modern day "perfect" no. 9.
hes actually way more old fashioned in the way he plays but his finishing is just so lethal that he makes up for his shortages. if his finishing was on par with say, lukaku, he would be literally no different to lukaku. haaland isnt good at dropping deep nor is he as good as benzema/lewandowski/zlatan/kane at involving himself in build up. hes a pure finisher

its probably one of the reasons why i wouldnt put my vote on haaland for ballon dor or why i would actually rate mbappe above him. there are a number of players who are far better rounded than haaland.
RvB
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
Netherlands6290 Posts
Last Edited: 2023-06-20 06:19:47
June 20 2023 06:19 GMT
#2710
The shortage of world class strikers is because it is the hardest position in the field. Almost every kid dreams to be a forward but hardly anyone makes it. You also do not really need a world class striker on a national team to win. Klose was good but never world-class on a club level.
sharkie
Profile Blog Joined April 2012
Austria18697 Posts
June 20 2023 06:21 GMT
#2711
On June 20 2023 15:19 RvB wrote:
The shortage of world class strikers is because it is the hardest position in the field. Almost every kid dreams to be a forward but hardly anyone makes it. You also do not really need a world class striker on a national team to win. Klose was good but never world-class on a club level.


Klose definitely was world class in the national team though. He held up play, was a very good link-up and scored lots of goals. If Gomez had been Germany's striker in 2014 they wouldnt have won the world cup
RKC
Profile Joined June 2012
2848 Posts
Last Edited: 2023-06-20 09:28:28
June 20 2023 09:23 GMT
#2712
David Villa was also pivotal to Spain's success in the WC and Euros.

Lautaro Martinez is phenomenal for Inter past few seasons plus this season. His dip in form at the WC was rather unfortunate and anomalous. Surprising not many clubs are courting him. Way better than Lukaku. A great forward ala Suarez.

Of course, Haaland isn't at the level of CR7 or Mbappe. But he definitely has the talent in terms of technical attribute. It's just that coaches prefer to take advantage of his built and physicality by playing up him far upfront behind enemy lines. He's a level above Inzaghi and Shearer for sure. He's very much like Zlatan.
gg no re thx
RvB
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
Netherlands6290 Posts
June 20 2023 09:32 GMT
#2713
On June 20 2023 15:21 sharkie wrote:
Show nested quote +
On June 20 2023 15:19 RvB wrote:
The shortage of world class strikers is because it is the hardest position in the field. Almost every kid dreams to be a forward but hardly anyone makes it. You also do not really need a world class striker on a national team to win. Klose was good but never world-class on a club level.


Klose definitely was world class in the national team though. He held up play, was a very good link-up and scored lots of goals. If Gomez had been Germany's striker in 2014 they wouldnt have won the world cup

yeah Klose always overperformed for the national team. Same with Podolski. Somehow they were always able to show their best for Germany.
Liquid`Drone
Profile Joined September 2002
Norway28854 Posts
June 20 2023 11:59 GMT
#2714
I think zlatan with speed and a tad less score impossible goals is a great description of haaland. His goal against dortmund this season could have been scored by exactly one other player, zlatan, and nobody else.
Moderator
RKC
Profile Joined June 2012
2848 Posts
Last Edited: 2023-06-20 13:21:22
June 20 2023 13:18 GMT
#2715
Exactly, Haaland scores impossible goals out of half chances and nothing. That's the hallmark of a modern no 9.

Ironically, Pep couldn't get along with Zlatan but can somehow get Haaland to click into his tiki-taka setup. Maybe Haaland is still young and hasn't develop the ruthless selfishness that comes almost naturally from all elite no 9 like Zlatan and CR7. Or maybe Haaland has this special Zen-like patience and resilience (eg doesn't mind not touching the ball for long stretches and doesn't scream at teammates for a pass). Although he may not have scored or contributed directly much in the FA Cup and CL final, his sheer presence and threat in the final third opens up space for other players to score instead. He's the missing piece of the puzzle that Man City has been lacking all these past seasons since Aguero aged and left (but don't get me wrong, the other stars like Gundagon, Rodri, de Bruyne, Stones, Ederson, etc equally played a major role in the treble).
gg no re thx
WombaT
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Northern Ireland27200 Posts
June 20 2023 13:53 GMT
#2716
Bit harsh on Shearer lad! Otherwise yeah agreed
'You'll always be the cuddly marsupial of my heart, despite the inherent flaws of your ancestry' - Squat
Hildegard
Profile Blog Joined November 2012
Germany348 Posts
June 20 2023 14:47 GMT
#2717
On June 19 2023 04:54 Mafe wrote:
Show nested quote +
On June 18 2023 05:49 Hildegard wrote:
Germany hasn't had a real striker since Klose. Ever since he retired, Germany has had huge problems against teams that park the bus. Against teams like Spain, that go for possession, too, Germany is much stronger.

Fwiw, Klose was in some way past his prime in 2014 and might not have played all that much had Gomez not missed out on the tournament due to injuries. Iirc before the tournament Gomez missing out was seen as a major dent to the hopes of the team.

But that doesnt change anything about the current situation. And while obviously an out-and-out striker would be a major asset, I dont think that is (or at least has been in qatar) the only issue. Against japan in particular, but really in all 3 games at the world cup, if the whole team had converted their chances into goals at just a slightly below regular rate, this striker problem would be just a minor inconvenience instead of a footballing existential crisis.


While I agree that Klose was nowhere near the level of Messi, Ronaldo, Haaland or Mbappé, he scored 16 world cup goals in 24 matches (13 in 26 for Messi), which is the very definition of world class. National teams aren't on the same level as clubs for obvious reasons, but the world cup is the biggest stage, maybe in all of sports and culture combined.

My hope for Germany is that Moukoko will become our future number 9, but he needs more playtime.
tl.net humour: https://www.kurtvonmeier.com/blog-1/2018/1/14/on-audio-alan-watts-and-g-spencer-brown-discuss-laws-of-form
Liquid`Drone
Profile Joined September 2002
Norway28854 Posts
June 20 2023 14:56 GMT
#2718
Klose is one of very, very few strikers who has more goals per game for NT than club teams over a large sample size. I'm sure they exist but I literally can't think of anybody else.
Moderator
sharkie
Profile Blog Joined April 2012
Austria18697 Posts
June 20 2023 16:09 GMT
#2719
On June 20 2023 23:56 Liquid`Drone wrote:
Klose is one of very, very few strikers who has more goals per game for NT than club teams over a large sample size. I'm sure they exist but I literally can't think of anybody else.


Podolski?
Liquid`Drone
Profile Joined September 2002
Norway28854 Posts
Last Edited: 2023-06-20 16:50:08
June 20 2023 16:49 GMT
#2720
Podolski is close, his average with koln beats nt handily but he was worse at bayern. However for bayern his average play time pee game was only about 50 minutes, so I think per minute he scored more there. If you look at the four clubs he played the most for then he had a better ratio for clubs than national team overall, but yeah, it's pretty close, so good suggestion.
Moderator
Prev 1 134 135 136 137 138 151 Next
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 49m
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
PiGStarcraft646
WinterStarcraft547
Nina 115
StarCraft: Brood War
actioN 442
firebathero 337
Soma 204
Larva 166
Dewaltoss 65
sorry 33
Noble 10
ajuk12(nOOB) 8
Dota 2
XaKoH 376
League of Legends
Doublelift1014
JimRising 758
Other Games
Happy324
RuFF_SC232
Mew2King27
BEARDiaguz5
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick24490
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
[ Show 13 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• StrangeGG 69
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
Dota 2
• lizZardDota2148
League of Legends
• Jankos1922
Upcoming Events
RSL Revival
49m
Serral vs Bunny
ByuN vs GgMaChine
CranKy Ducklings
1h 49m
Afreeca Starleague
1h 49m
Snow vs Jaedong
YSC vs hero
SC Evo League
3h 49m
ByuN vs Classic
Cure vs Solar
IPSL
7h 49m
Dragon vs Ret
Patches Events
7h 49m
RSL Revival
1d
Solar vs Rogue
Maru vs NightMare
Sparkling Tuna Cup
1d 1h
IPSL
1d 7h
Bonyth vs Hawk
GSL
2 days
[ Show More ]
Replay Cast
2 days
WardiTV Weekly
3 days
The PondCast
4 days
Replay Cast
5 days
CrankTV Team League
5 days
Replay Cast
6 days
CrankTV Team League
6 days
Replay Cast
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Escore Tournament S3: W2
HSC XXIX
Eternal Conflict S2 E1

Ongoing

IPSL Spring 2026
Acropolis #4
YSL S3
CSL 2026 Summer (S21)
ASL Season 22: Wild Card Qualifier
RSL Revival: Season 6
CranK Gathers Season 4: BW vs SC2 Team League
SCTL 2026 Spring
XSE Pro League 2026
IEM Cologne Major 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 2
CS Asia Championships 2026
Asian Champions League 2026
IEM Atlanta 2026
PGL Astana 2026
BLAST Rivals Spring 2026

Upcoming

CSLAN 4
Blizzard Classic Cup 2026
SC4ALL II: StarCraft II
Kung Fu Cup 2026 Grand Finals
Light Tournament 2026
Eternal Conflict S2 Finale
Eternal Conflict S2 E3
Eternal Conflict S2 E2
Logitech G Connect 2026
StarSeries Fall 2026
FISSURE Playground #5
BLAST Open Fall 2026
Esports World Cup 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer Qual
Stake Ranked Episode 3
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.