I am very partial to this angle, i was once a hot striker myself and know first hand the effect it can have on a
team.
Average teams suddenly become above average, or even champions, just because
one forward gets on a roll, no other position can effect a teams play so dramatically and quickly.
I'll give you a few examples...
1998 World Cup - Average team Croatia
rides hot striker Suker to a 3rd place finish, and came so close to winning the World Cup, losing to France in the semi's
2-1, a game that they were winning 1-0 in the 2nd half, thanks to another goal by Suker. Watch the highlights of France vs Croatia in 1998 World Cup.
1990 World Cup - Average team Cameroon rides Milla to the quarter finals, losing
3-2 to England in extra time in one of the greatest games in World Cup history.
I
love those 2 examples, because neither Suker or Milla were ever considered amongst the world's best strikers, but for
that one brief period in history they looked better than everyone else and could do no wrong.
It's not enough to have just a quality striker or a notorious scoring threat on your team, you need to have
a striker who is in top scoring form and fit.
Pay special attention to strikers
that suddenly catch fire and play above their previous form and strikers who are playing with a new team and
scoring goals.
