Although I would agree there are better finishers then him , his overall contribution takes a lot of beating , for a big unit he chases down a lot ,looked almost dead on his feet yesterday but still was chasing back in injury time , good target man , holds ball up well , good control , attacks the ball in the air and uses both feet well , am trying to think of a better Saints No 9 and only Shearer comes to mind and he developed after he left , I know it's his first season but I think we have a jem , Lambert is obviously another name but he only had short time at top level and was not as mobile , thoughts people ?
Difficult to talk about the whole league as strikers do different jobs depending on how their team is set up to play. When thinking about similar styled players to Pelle I think Giroud is a very similar player and although it's a very close I would say Giroud is a better overall player IMO.
The bloke in my avatar was, in my lifetime, the best out-and-out centre forward we have ever had. Sir Matt Busby described big Ron as the best centre forward in Europe after he scored all 4 in another famous victory at Old Trafford. In terms of the modern game, however, where your big man spends most of the game with his back to the goal, holding the ball and laying it off, as well as chasing back, then Pellè is definitely up there, although he'll have to do well to top Rickie's contribution, even in the two brief seasons he spent with us in the Prem.
I wish someone would point out to him that we dont get any bonus points for hitting the post! Lost count of how many times he's done it this season. I'm sure he ment to setup Tadic to score with an inch perfect pass off the inside of the goal post
Pelle can be an absolute monster. He occupied 3 CBs yesterday and didn't give them a moment's peace. He ran for practically the whole the 90 minutes. And that's just one particular side of his game. Although he may not spray the ball around like Rickie could [I say could because Rickie doesn't do anything currently] he can lay on an excellently weighted pass or through ball. As an outlet or target man, he comes equipped with those exquisite flicks and side foot lay-offs that can release his teammates, and he can hold the ball up for as long as people need him to do so because he's got great technical skill in shielding the ball or keeping it away from the opposition. He can shoot superbly with either foot [but occasionally doesn't] and is an intelligent footballer too. And he's not a bad header of the ball, but if I was going to suggest the weakest part of his game I would say it was in the accuracy of his heading. Whilst he's arguably not the best centre-forward in the Premier League in specific areas, I think there is a great case to be made to suggest he's the best current all-rounder. Incidentally, if hitting the post got a team points, then Pelle would have single handedly got us loads. Have you noticed how many times he's done it this season..? EDIT: Ah yes, Saintalona certainly has.
Any fool can hit the centre of the goal. Pelle is a goal maestro and only wants perfect goals...a perfectionist is bound to hit the post more
Arguably, Aguero, Costa, Sturridge, van Persie, Benteke, Dzeko, Bony, giroud, and Sanchez, are all better than pelle in my opinion. I also think that lukaku may get there in time, but has a lot of work to do. Don't get me wrong, he's a good player, but for me he's not really even close to being the best. His finishing is not top class. I really do appreciate his work rate and his link up play, but I think he fits in at our level, rather than someone like Morgan who is capable of playing a level better than us.
As a caveat, he has hit the post 5 times already.. So if all 5 had gone in I would be saying he is much higher up the list!
We play a style which means that our goals come from anywhere...would be a different matter if we relied on our main striker as the sole goal scorer. But Pelle, you can join in when you like He has lots of chances and keeps hitting the post...I'm sure he will have a run of goals soon.
I love Graziano, but to even begin to suggest he's at a level with Aguero/Costa/Sanchez and the like - well you've been at the Red (and White) Stripe too long.
Graziano isn't the best, not a chance. He doesn't take enough chances, but his strength and link-up play is great. I really like him but as said above, he knows where the woodwork is! I think I'm right in saying we've hit the woodwork more than any other team this season.
Not at all , as I said there are better finishers but do they put the work in as well and as good in the air as on ground , plus the players you quoted ,look at teams there in playing with supposedly the top players in the league , we are a new team to this level and I for one have total respect for what's happening , time will tell but don't forget his goal ratio over the past 3 seasons ,
Costa is. I think you're reaching for best "traditional centre forward" in terms of what you're describing. And in that sense, Pelle is very good, but Dzeko, Giroud, Bony are at least as good, and Costa is better.
According to the telegraph's halfway review 2014/15 (written December 30th 2014) we had hit the woodwork 9 times. Only City have hit it more (11) - How many times have we hit the woodwork since 30th December? And how many times have City?
Apart from the fact that he was pretty hopeless with the ball at his feet! Best header of the ball ever though, I'll give you that. I had that poster on my bedroom wall as a kid, by the way.
Pelle is a very good target man. In terms of aerial ability he is second to none, in which he's similar to Carroll, only Carroll is a slightly better header of the ball, while Pelle is way better in linking up with his teammates. The segment in which he let's himself down is his finishing really. Not that he seems to me a bad finisher, but he's a bit too desperate to score. He wants to hit the back of the net so badly that he makes rash decisions, like in that instance against Arsenal when Tadić intercepted the ball and it came to Pelle, who hit it instantly with outside of his boot when he had time and space to reflect on his options for a second and then find a better solution.
What? I don't remember him being hopeless at all. Just look at his 4th goal against Man U in 1969 if you don't believe me.
