In just these two years of watching soccer and listening to comments (by "professionals" and fans alike), I've seen what is to me an unbalanced Love Affair with strikers. OK. Ronaldo. Messi. I get that. But it seems to me (pretty clearly) that you cannot be an excellent team without:
A). Muscle and power in the midfield and the Air;
B). MANY people who have top-level skill working in tight places --- actually completing passes to their own team in an attack mode; and then, yes:
C). one at least clever striker.
Liverpool doesn't have "A", and without Lallana sometimes flubs "B" up. "C" comes from the wings.
The USMNT doesn't have "B" almost horribly so, other than Pulisic and when Bradley goes forward. Other than the grand old man (Dempsey) and the Wonder Boy, we seem to lack any striker with a clue.
The USWNT has all the components, but the coach has taken forever to locate them, and still doesn't quite have it right.(Paradoxically with a player-of-the-year who doesn't fit.)
ManU has "A" in spades, which releases Mkhitaran to help them far more with "B". Zlatan coming back is pretty scary.
CITY seems to have everything... especially a guy named DeBruyne --- damm he's good --- the perfect warrior who doesn't care who scores --- sort of a civilized Vidal.
I have watched so many teams put players out there who constantly give up the ball to the opponent (yet are allegedly playing because they occasionally score a goal) that it drives me nuts. (Altidore in most games; Zardes, despite his earnest play --- the USMNT has a splendid overabundance of blunderfoots when it comes to the final third.) Most of the time I'm wishing for a few members of Germany's third team (or, heresy, Mexico's second.)
