tinker Posted September 15 VT Supporter Posted September 15 Has any team in the premier league got a stronger front 2? I don't think so, if I was looking at Arsenal or even man city having Duran and Ollie I would feel at a distinct disadvantage, we really have something rather special with these 2 up front. Like Saunders and Atkinson......maybe even better. 1
Pongo Waring Posted September 15 Posted September 15 1 hour ago, tinker said: Has any team in the premier league got a stronger front 2? I don't think so, if I was looking at Arsenal or even man city having Duran and Ollie I would feel at a distinct disadvantage, we really have something rather special with these 2 up front. Like Saunders and Atkinson......maybe even better. No I don't think so.
ferguson1 Posted September 15 Posted September 15 1 hour ago, tinker said: Has any team in the premier league got a stronger front 2? I don't think so, if I was looking at Arsenal or even man city having Duran and Ollie I would feel at a distinct disadvantage, we really have something rather special with these 2 up front. Like Saunders and Atkinson......maybe even better. As a two/pair, no I don’t think so. Closest being probably Isak and Wilson but Wilson appears to be on the decline a little, with injuries slowly getting the better of him. It’s a a fantastic conundrum for Emery to have at present. Only issue being is how can we keep both happy going into next season? Major decision to be made in the summer you feel.
villa4europe Posted September 15 Posted September 15 Said this many times in the transfer thread, most teams don't carry 2 strikers, they'll carry 1 striker and then plenty of goalscoring wide men You can argue utd have done it now with zirkee and hojlund but that was more because hojlund didn't set the world on fire last year, Newcastle also have isak and Wilson but Wilson is a crock We have 2 out and out strikers, both different in style too
tinker Posted September 15 Author VT Supporter Posted September 15 19 minutes ago, ferguson1 said: As a two/pair, no I don’t think so. Closest being probably Isak and Wilson but Wilson appears to be on the decline a little, with injuries slowly getting the better of him. It’s a a fantastic conundrum for Emery to have at present. Only issue being is how can we keep both happy going into next season? Major decision to be made in the summer you feel. I think ollie will stay but Duran, after this season, I'm not so sure about tbh, but by the time next summer comes his value couod easily be £100m+, as a striker his ability and how young he is......its unprecedented, at least as far as I can remember Our front line is something very very special, add Bailey to that and it's frightening prospect for any team we play. I wonder if Ollie and Duran will inspire each other to raise to higher levels, I think they will tbh, you can see that starting in the game against Everton. Today I love football. UTV
nepal_villan Posted September 15 Posted September 15 Still needs to be seen if Duran can do it for 90minutes without compromising our patterns of play and if there is a system where he and Watkins can play together. Otherwise I can definitely see us cashing in on him next summer. 1
nick76 Posted September 15 Posted September 15 (edited) No reason they can’t play together eventually. The one up front is a fairly new phenomenon in football terms and with both being very mobile and athletic, I mean we were all thinking we were probably getting Felix and surely it would’ve been Felix and Ollie upfront. I’m sure Emery can work wonders and figure how to use a two up front model. I’m not saying that’s what we will do but people talk as if two up front is so strange to a football game. Edited September 15 by nick76 2
CVByrne Posted September 15 Posted September 15 I think to play together Watkins will need to be the one adapting to a slightly deeper role of the two. He has better link up play and he is a former winger. He used to roam more under Deano so he has the ability to link more. He was top for assists last season too. It'll be interesting to see if Emery does play them together much. I don't think he will tbh but he might. 1
Marka Ragnos Posted September 15 VT Supporter Posted September 15 (edited) 14 hours ago, tinker said: Has any team in the premier league got a stronger front 2? I don't think so, if I was looking at Arsenal or even man city having Duran and Ollie I would feel at a distinct disadvantage, we really have something rather special with these 2 up front. Like Saunders and Atkinson......maybe even better. It's weird because before Mings was injured, it almost felt like the reverse -- a little toothless up front but rock solid defense. That said, I think I'm being simplistic, too. But yes, we have a "full portfolio" of offensive weapons, as the military puts it. Edited September 15 by Marka Ragnos
MNVillan Posted September 16 Posted September 16 I feel so vindicated. I told my (big 6 club following) friends this and was immediately shot down. They couldn’t name a better duo, but there’s no way it could be little Aston Villa with the best striker combo in the league, right? Wrong. No doubt in my mind they are the best 1-2 punch. 2
Kiwivillan Posted September 16 Posted September 16 13 hours ago, nick76 said: people talk as if two up front is so strange to a football game. Ok Boomer! 1
tinker Posted September 16 Author VT Supporter Posted September 16 Football seems to work in cycles, 2 up front was thr norm, now it's one. Tbh I can only see them playing together when we are chasing games. If we are winning then ollie off and Duran on to rest them seems to be the way Emery is going to use the squad. No wholesale changes to the starting line up, subs to rest certain players who are carrying injuries or need resting more than others, the stats gathered on the players during games and training will give them an idea of who those players are.
duke313 Posted September 16 Posted September 16 Two up top is quite uncommon nowadays, but if anybody can get it to work it's Emery. One thing he's done well in his career is getting the best out of centre forwards, at Arsenal he had Aubamayang and Lacazette up front, both getting in double digits goals in the league. It would be great to see if he can replicate this with Watkins and Duran.
WooJung Posted September 16 Posted September 16 Shout-out to Brentford, while not as good Mbuemo and Wissa are working wonders for them 1
nick76 Posted September 16 Posted September 16 2 hours ago, WooJung said: Shout-out to Brentford, while not as good Mbuemo and Wissa are working wonders for them Shame Wissa is injured now for a couple of months because I agree with you.
Zatman Posted September 16 Posted September 16 I could see us experimenting soon with a two man attack maybe vs Wycombe. Unai is a magician that he might come with a 3-4-1-2 or the classic Milan system 4-3-1-2 see how it goes
Powehi Posted September 16 Posted September 16 I'm a little surprised that people seem so keen to get both Watkins and Duran into the same team. For me, I'm really happy that we have two options as a 1 up front for the 50+ games we have this season. I want us to get to the knockout stages of the CL, top 5 in the league, and win a domestic cup. We'll need non-burned out strikers for that. 1
turvontour Posted September 17 Posted September 17 (edited) On 15/09/2024 at 09:25, tinker said: Has any team in the premier league got a stronger front 2? I don't think so, if I was looking at Arsenal or even man city having Duran and Ollie I would feel at a distinct disadvantage, we really have something rather special with these 2 up front. Like Saunders and Atkinson......maybe even better. I'm not sure we can say this just yet as Duran hasnt featured enough. But if Duran has a good season this season then I think that this is a fair claim. What's great is having two genuine striker options, vying with eachother. Desperate to be the top scorer. I can't remember the last time we had that sort of competition up front at a top level. Edited September 17 by turvontour
cheltenham_villa Posted September 17 Posted September 17 On 15/09/2024 at 11:38, tinker said: I think ollie will stay but Duran, after this season, I'm not so sure about tbh, but by the time next summer comes his value couod easily be £100m+, as a striker his ability and how young he is......its unprecedented, at least as far as I can remember Our front line is something very very special, add Bailey to that and it's frightening prospect for any team we play. I wonder if Ollie and Duran will inspire each other to raise to higher levels, I think they will tbh, you can see that starting in the game against Everton. Today I love football. UTV this is getting a bit carried away i think. Duran only reaches those levels if hes playing every week. We also need to see his impact over 90 minutes, not just from the bench. We also need to see a bit more consistency in his attitude to know that those days are really behind him. For me expecting 100m is crazy, especially if we dont know how he is accomodated from the start in games. Comparisons could be made with Hojlund from an age, position and impact perspective.
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