Revolution No.9: the Bundesliga's centre-forward renaissance
Whether it's Robert Lewandowski threatening to become the first man since the great Gerd Müller to hit 40 goals in a season, supersub Erling Haaland netting five goals in the time it takes to fly from Salzburg to Dortmund, or Florian Niederlechner trying singlehandedly to keep Augsburg in the top flight, it's turning into a sensational campaign for the Bundesliga's No.9s.
On Matchday 19, they were all at it. Lewandowski tucked away his 21st league goal of the season as Bayern Munich romped to a 5-0 win against Schalke, while Haaland came off the bench and ensured himself a mention in sports papers worldwide for the second successive week by following up his astonishing 23-minute debut hat-trick with a second-half brace for Borussia Dortmund.
Watch: All FIVE of Erling Haaland's Bundesliga goals so far
Across the Bundesliga, the good old-fashioned centre-forward is enjoying a new lease of life, with over half of the division's 18 teams making one man the focal point of their attack. A pure No.9 requires a special combination of talents: the ability to act as a target man, to match opposition centre-backs physically, to hold up and pass on the ball, and of course to get into shooting positions, and convert even the slenderest of chances into goals.
"You will never have a successful team without a centre-forward," Cologne legend Dieter Müller recently told Germany's leading sports specialist magazine, Kicker, and he's a man who should know. As well as netting 177 Bundesliga goals in the 1970s and 1980s, the two-time winner of the Torjägerkanone hit six in a single game against Werder Bremen in August 1977, a record that still stands to this day. Though football has changed immeasurably since his playing days, the 65-year-old believes the qualities of a centre-forward "are even more in demand than they used to be."
"Top international clubs always have a man up front," agreed Jupp Heynckes, who notched 220 Bundesliga goals of his own before guiding Bayern to unprecedented success as a coach, famously winning the continental treble in 2012/13. "That will never die out," added Miroslav Klose, Germany's all-time leading scorer with 71 goals, and the man with the most goals (16) at FIFA World Cups. "You need a marksman at the front."
The message appears to have filtered through to the majority of Bundesliga coaches, who are choosing to mould their attack around a central striker. It appears to be part of a wider trend taking hold across the European game, and it certainly wouldn't be the first time that the German top flight has spearheaded a tactical revolution.
Consider the effectiveness of the 4-2-3-1 formation developed by Heynckes during his Bayern heyday. In 2012/13, the record Bundesliga champions tore everyone to shreds, whether it was putting nine past Hamburg in the Bundesliga or seven past Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. The formula was successfully exported out to Brazil by the Germany national team, who thrashed the hosts 7-1 on their way to lifting the 2014 World Cup. All of a sudden, everyone was abandoning their 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 for the 4-2-3-1. Similarly, Jürgen Klopp's famous 'Gegenpressing' tactics, which helped Dortmund lift back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, have become an integral part of the modern game.
Let's take a closer look, then, at the No.9s who are currently firing on all cylinders in the Bundesliga. Not every goal-getter in the Bundesliga has made the list. Timo Werner, for example, is more of a hybrid winger/forward for RB Leipzig, rather than an out-and-out striker like his teammate Patrik Schick. As for Borussia Mönchengladbach, they channel their attacks through three energetic frontmen – Alassane Plea, Marcus Thuram and Breel Embolo – rather than a solitary centre-forward.
So far, eight men wearing the No.9 shirt have won the Bundesliga top scorer's cannon: Gerd Müller, Dieter Müller, Horst Hrubesch, Roland Wohlfarth, Fritz Walter, Giovane Elber, Luca Toni and Lewandowski. They don't all sport the iconic digit, but could a future winner of the Torjägerkanone be among the names below?
Bundesliga strikers on Cloud #9
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
The prolific Pole remains the archetypal centre-forward, surely the best in the world in his position. The 31-year-old can do it all, combining silky technique with steely strength and a killer eye for goal. He has had the most shots (91) and scored the most goals (21) in the Bundesliga this term, and leads the European scoring charts with 32 in all competitions. He remains the favourite to win the top scorer's cannon for a fifth time, and could well fire Bayern, now a point off top spot, to an eighth consecutive Meisterschale.
Watch: A tactical analysis of Robert Lewandowski
Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
The missing piece of the puzzle? Haaland has only made two substitute appearances for Die Schwarzgelben, yet his talent and technique is there for all to see. In the injury-enforced absence of Paco Alcacer, Dortmund experimented with various players up front in a False 9 role (Mario Götze, Marco Reus, Julian Brandt), with mixed results. But now that they have the real deal – a genuine and remarkably talented No.9, with players queuing up to put him through on goal – they could be set for a memorable second half of the campaign. "Haaland fits the Dortmund game between the lines," Klose observed.
Rouwen Hennings (Fortuna Düsseldorf)
Fortuna fans worried where the goals might come from this season having offloaded Dodi Lukebakio and Benito Raman - scorers of 10 apiece last term - have had those fears allayed with the stunning form of Hennings. At 32, Hennings is ageing like wine having already tallied his career-best top-flight haul of 11 goals. Only Lewandowski and Werner have scored more, despite Die Flingeraner wrestling against relegation. Nominally left-footed, Hennings can also score off his right, his early shots and ability to play off the shoulder of a defender making him a menace to mark.
Bas Dost (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Frankfurt sporting director Fredi Bobic isn't a fan of the term 'False 9', saying it "brings him out in a rash". With Luka Jovic departing for Real Madrid last summer, the Eagles brought in a replacement centre-forward, Dost, who netted 16 goals for Wolfsburg in 2014/15 before a prolific stint in Portugal with Sporting Lisbon. "This is where the season starts for me," the experienced Dutchman said ahead of Matchday 18, following an injury-hit Hinrunde. "I don't have any more excuses, I'm fit and I want to deliver." So far, so good – he netted his fifth of the campaign against Hoffenheim, then helped Frankfurt down leaders Leipzig for their first back-to-back wins of the season.
Florian Niederlechner (Augsburg)
Augsburg's very own Duracell Bunny, Niederlechner has covered more ground than any other striker in the Bundesliga this season – 130 miles in total, or 6.8 per game. Constantly on the move, the 29-year-old puts opposition defences under pressure and plays a key role in building his side's attacks. He is both a finisher and a provider, having racked up 10 goals and six assists this term. In fact, since the start of November, he has had a direct hand in 13 of his team's 18 goals! He's notched five of his goals from inside the six-yard box, and helped Augsburg stay clear of the drop zone in the absence of the injured Alfred Finnbogason.
Nicknamed 'The Machine' by his coach Markus Gisdol, Cordoba is one of the Bundesliga's best when it comes to latching onto long balls over the top. "I've never seen anything like it," said Mark Uth, who joined the Billy Goats on loan from Schalke in January. "You can play every long ball to Jhon, and he gets on the end of it." The Colombian is also pretty handy in the penalty area – on Matchday 18, he netted his first Bundesliga brace against Wolfsburg, courtesy of a header and a low strike into the corner. He was on target for the fifth straight home game as Cologne picked up a fourth straight win.
Watch: Jhon Cordoba's maiden Bundesliga double helped Cologne tame Wolfsburg on Matchday 18
Sebastian Andersson (Union Berlin)
Andersson has been variously described as "the absolute focal point of our attack", a "key player" and a "major asset" by his Union teammates Christian Gentner, Michael Parensen and Christopher Trimmel. There is no doubt that his eight goals have made Union's maiden Bundesliga campaign more comfortable than they might have expected. A hard-working team player, the Swede is both technically skilled and physically robust. He has won by far the most challenges of any player in the division (322), be it on the ground or in the air. And his goals have come against some illustrious opponents; he was on target in the home wins over Dortmund and Gladbach.
Schick arrived at Leipzig on loan from Roma in the final hours of the summer transfer window, with sporting director Markus Krösche heralding the Czech Republic striker as "a great addition to our attacking department, who will give us greater variety." An agile forward who moves the ball well, Schick certainly hit the ground running, scoring three minutes into his first start in Paderborn. After teeing up another early goal for Werner against Hoffenheim, he struck in three consecutive games before the winter break. The 24-year-old appears to have moved ahead of Yussuf Poulsen in the pecking order, and Leipzig have an option to make his move permanent this summer.
An out-and-out centre-forward, Petersen has impressed ever since he joined Freiburg in January 2015, although his nine goals in 12 outings weren't enough to save the club from relegation. He struck 21 in Bundesliga 2 to bring them straight back up, and has hit double figures in every top-flight season since, even becoming the club's all-time leading scorer (84) ahead of current Germany boss Joachim Löw. Also the top-scoring substitute in Bundesliga history (22 goals), Petersen is a fox in the box with great aerial prowess, and often gets back to help defend set pieces. Freiburg are unbeaten in all seven of their games this season in which he has found the back of the net.
Watch: The moment Nils Petersen becomes Freiburg's record goalscorer in all its glory
Weghorst is currently enduring his longest dry spell in the Bundesliga since he joined the Wolves from AZ Alkmaar in summer 2018. The 27-year-old hasn't netted in six games, and it is perhaps no coincidence that his side have lost four games in that period, slipping out of European contention. Such is the importance of the Dutch striker in Oliver Glasner's setup. After all, he put away 17 goals last term, and still managed seven in the first 13 outings of 2019/20. If Weghorst can find his shooting boots again, don't be surprised to see the Wolves – who've also reached the UEFA Europa League last 32 – making a leap up the table.
Mainz were dealt a bitter blow indeed when their star striker Mateta suffered a serious knee injury in pre-season training, which kept him out of action until December 2019. The 22-year-old Frenchman has been making up for lost time since his comeback, netting in the 5-0 win over Bremen and the narrow loss to Freiburg. Mainz's leading scorer with 14 goals last term, Mateta will now be looking to combine with current top marksman Robin Quaison and help the 15th-placed 05ers to move away from the relegation zone.
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