A talented forward is often considered the heartbeat of a teams attacking prowess.
When we think of star strikers, we envisage an individual whose skills and goalscoring instincts can sway the outcome of a match in the blink of an eye.
Of course, we must remember that a forwards role extends far beyond simply scoring goals; it largely depends on the teams tactical style.
A skilful forward encompasses a blend of technical finesse, tactical intelligence, physical prowess, and mental resilience.
Erling Haaland and Harry Kane are probably the two most prolific strikers of recent times.
The former is proving to be unstoppable in the Premier League with his powerful physical presence and lethal turn of pace.
Not to mention his innate goalscoring ability, which has seen him make a mockery of many defences.
Furthermore, the latters excellent passing range has seen him act as a playmaker as well as a goalscorer which proved invaluable during his time at Tottenham and earned him a move to German giants Bayern Munich.
We cannot forget the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Victor Osimhen, Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski, who have put on some scintillating displays for their respective clubs over the years.
In this tactical analysis and scout report, we will do something of an end-of-year round-up as we are going to look at some of the most impressive forwards at youth level throughout Europe who stood out during 2023.
For this piece, we will focus on players playing at U16 and U17 levels.
Using EYEBALL, we will look at the statistics and in-game footage to analyse each players skills and what they bring to their teams tactics.
Sixten Gustafsson Scouting Report At AIK
The first player we are going to highlight in this analysis piece is 16-year-old Swedish striker Sixten Gustafsson.
The young forward has put in some highly impressive performances in both the U16 and U17 Allsvenskan.
He has a remarkable goalscoring record this season, which has seen him average 1.5 goals per game, suggesting he is ready for another step up in age group.
Gustafsson possesses an excellent aerial ability, which means he is often the target of set pieces and crosses into the box.
He has a fantastic burst of acceleration, which sees him able to sprint in front of his opponent, as demonstrated here.
He generates a good height on his jump
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