People really don't get how good Eddie Nketiah is.
You have to understand it. Physically, he is one of the best in the game.
On the same list as your Osimhens, Inaki Williams, Aubas and Vardys. That alone gives him an UNBELIEVABLE platform as a striker.
(An All-timer thread)
It means he will get goals that no one else normally gets. On the counter, in his movements, in the press, he will be first to get to the ball. And he will sustain that threat for 90 minutes.
Look at how well and powerful he runs here. The striding...
This is him duelling with Thiago Silva, N'golo Kanté and Malang Sarr. He is AT HOME against such physical opponents. It's nothing for him.
Now that we have established his physical level and how it can give him a platform to win duels, get on the end of loose balls, chase lost causes and turn them into goals, dominate the channels... It is time to look at the most important skill for a striker: movement.
Movement refers to a player's ability to find space to receive and execute on the pitch. It is the number 1 requirement for a striker to have, both in transition and settled play.
Listen to Pep tell you all about it. It's what makes strikers strikers.
Here is an illustration from brilliant mind @CoachMunkvold of what this movement is.
That was Suarez. Now here is Aguero.
All about getting the chance to receive the ball.
Movement is not just about making sure the ball comes to you, it is also about occupying the best spot in relation to where the rest of your team is, even if the ball doesn't come to you.
This is what Antonio Rudiger exemplifies here. It's about giving yourself the best probability in terms of what's happening around you.
If a striker is especially good at movement and can get to the balls due to his physical capacities, it changes the way you play as a team.
One major reason why a striker has to be physically good is that it affects their ability to get to balls and create finishing instances.
The box is crowded and there's no time. You have to be physically incredible in a way to be able to take advantage of the balls that come in.
Most strikers, for instance, can be in the same position that Halaand is in but are unable to take advantage of a ball that comes in.
Most strikers wouldn't score this goal. Halaand's incredible physical capacities make it possible.
This goal required both incredible speed and strength.
Some strikers are pacy, some are strong, some are very tall... These physical attributes allow them to create shooting situations in different instances.
Halaand is all of them. His Dortmund goal can be replicated by Cavani and Lewandowski but only Lukaku replicates Brighton's.
These physical attributes also allow you to win fouls in and around the box. But, importantly, they reduce the margin of error your teammates have when passing the ball to you.
If you have enough pace, you can reach overhit passes. If you have enough height...
Eddie Nketiah is not just an incredible runner, he has incredible strength against contact and an amazing ability to accurately time his jump for aerial balls.
He is no Halaand but his physical attributes give him elite capacities.
On his debut as an 18-year-old in a game Arsenal were losing 2-1 when he came in, this is what he did:
Look at his movement in the box for the first goal and how crowded he was in the second goal.
His movement is absolutely exceptional. That is how he always appears to score out of nothing.
“One of the most important things for a good cross is don’t try to put it on somebody’s head. Put it in the space, because the striker has sometimes more time than you think.”
— Thomas Muller.
It's all about space and the exploitation of it for strikers
One extra thing about Nketiah as a striker is that he is instinctive. He knows how to finish in the box. It doesn't matter what kind of situation you give him, he will find a shooting solution.
Just get him the ball.
He is going to squeeze it in. It doesn't matter. He doesn't care for ugly goals.
This is simply what he has done all his career. He is that guy.
And for those who think he's a pure poacher...
Last season, he was genuinely one of the best forwards in the league every single time he stepped out on the pitch for Arsenal.
This is the STYLE & OUTPUT of a world-class forward.
Eddie Nketiah is a product of Cobham and Hale End. That is as elite as it gets. These are two of the best academies in the world and Eddie was considered talented enough to be in both of them.
This is the equivalent of playing for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in youth football.
Eddie has never played a lot of senior minutes in his career before now. He's always had to work and wait, work and wait for his chance to come.
He has not had the luxury of developing by playing. Everything he can do now comes from the training ground.
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