Long gone are the days when we primarily considered the traditional ‘target man’ or ‘target forward’ someone who was mainly good for holding the ball up by utilising their physical advantage.
With the evolution of styles and more focus on technical ability, target men have become multi-faceted players who can be the cherry on top of some of the most dynamic and impressive tactical systems.
Despite some of the best teams in Europe having success without a recognised focal point for their attacking arsenal, we must look no further than La Liga across the past two seasons to truly understand just how effective target forwards have been.
The race for the Pichichi trophy (La Liga top goalscorer) was dominated by excellent target men last season, and teams across the league have subsequently reacted in the transfer market to inject such qualities into their squads.
In this tactical analysis, we will begin to highlight some of the most effective target men in La Liga and address the unique qualities that have allowed the position to stand the test of time as our beautiful game has evolved over the decades.
Our analysis should indicate just how influential these target forwards have already been in this campaign, especially when applying some of the tactics of Spain’s most exciting managers.
Alexander Sørloth At Atlético Madrid
Suppose the Pichichi trophy wasn’t already enough of a reason to believe in the effectiveness of Spanish football’s prolific number nines.
In that case, the summer transfer window has shown just how sought-after players of that ‘target man’ profile have been in La Liga.
After a fiercely contested scoring battle between Artem Dovbyk and Alexander Sørloth at the end of last season, Diego Simeone decided to add the Villarreal forward to his attacking arsenal alongside Julián Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann, offering the Argentine manager an impactful focal point for a new striking partnership.
Alexander Sørloth Radar Map At Villareal
In Sørloth’s opening games within Simeone’s system, we have begun to understand how his intelligent movement can manipulate the defensive positioning of the oppositions central defenders, a key characteristic of the new-age target men.
For Atlético’s first goal, we see Marcos Llorente progressing the ball along the right flank with Sørloth positioned between the two Villarreal central defenders, seemingly darting into the penalty area to meet a potential cross towards the near post.
