After last night’s Under-21s win over Andorra at Pride Park, Lee Carsley laughed when I asked him whether Thomas Tuchel had called to see if he’s got any centre-forwards. After Ollie Watkins withdrew injured, Tuchel has only one out-and-out striker with him in Latvia. Harry Kane is, of course, a world-class asset but other options? Tuchel’s left-wing options, Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford, provide cover for the centre, as does the ever willing right-sided Jarrod Bowen, but all three are most effective wide.
So where are all the English centre-forwards? Gone are the days when Terry Venables could omit the prolific Ian Wright for Euro 96 but then he did already have Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham, Les Ferdinand and Robbie Fowler in his squad.
Where is the succession planning? Are there any No 9s in the supply-lines? Carsley has Tyrique George and Divin Mubama as his central options currently, and Chelsea’s George was clinical in taking his goal last night, controlling the ball with his right, finishing with his left. Liam Delap, no longer eligible for the 21s, has trained with the seniors.
It’s why the scarcity of No 9s is one of the main topics of conversations amongst FA coaches. “We talk about players within our team and the rest of the pathway that we need more centre-forwards,” Carsley said. “We need more orthodox No 9s, that are capable of scoring goals. We really value that position.
“It’s very in-fashion almost to play your centre-forward out wide or to play them withdrawn. It’s definitely something that we need to be aware of. The poacher, the goalscorer, playing on the shoulder and being a focal point upfront is definitely something that I value. Especially the way that we play it’s important we have a 9.
“We’ve either had an Anthony Gordon (up top in winning the 2023 Euros) and we’ve had to adjust the way that he plays in that position. In the last tournament (this summer), we didn’t have a centre-forward. We’ve had to be creative with that.” Delap, who looks the part, had disappeared to the Club World Cup with Chelsea. So Carsley juggled his resources. He used James McAtee off Jonathan Rowe, who’s often a winger, or increasingly Jay Stansfield who rarely convinced. England lack a traditional No 9.
⚽ ⚽
For seniors and the Young Lions, England are blessed with talent out wide and at No 10. Chelsea’s Jamie Gittens can be added to the number of good options on the left, and created George’s goal. The versatile 18-year-old Josh King impressed on his first start for the Under-21s as a 10 (and played a range of roles in Fulham’s youth set-up).
It partly reflects the general trend for youngsters wanting to have more expressive roles than being simple finishers. A decade ago, the FA and Premier League academies spoke about the need to develop more No 10s. They’ve certainly delivered.
For a generation that increasingly grew up in cages, the emphasis is more on speed of movement and skills than playing the poacher. The trend of playing only one centre-forward in a 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-2-1, has restricted the pathway from academies. “The academies are definitely seeing it,” Carsley said of the No 9 debate. “It’s just important that these players are given opportunity then to transfer that from playing in an academy into a first team whether that be a loan or the teams they are at.”
⚽ ⚽
It’s an issue not only for England. The transfer window saw a scramble for the limited No 9 options, and those came mainly from overseas in Slovenia’s Benjamin Sesko and the Swedes Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak (from Newcastle to Liverpool). Delap, who moved from Ipswich to Chelsea for £30m, was a rarity. That, then, squeezes opportunities for English players.