The best strikers in English football have been red hot this season, with the squads of all the teams vying for the European places containing forwards with serious scoring prowess. Any of these Premier League marksmen could be the deciding factor in who wins the league this season.
Harry Kane
Kane has been top scorer in the Premier League for the last two seasons and has picked up where he left off this campaign, scoring six league goals in September. He is developing in to an elite level striker, and so far netted 36 goals in only 31 matches this calendar year. His ability to score all types of goals is what makes him such a feared striker throughout Europe.
The Englishman can score with his left foot and in the air, as well as with his favourite right foot. While not the quickest of the Premier League’s top forwards, he is definitely the most assured in front of goal. He has a fantastic chance of winning a third golden boot in a row.
Kane isn’t just a goalscorer; he’s also becoming increasingly good at holding the ball and linking up play. These attributes are vital in the modern centre-forward. Playing as a lone front man is very much the trend in modern football. Managers are looking beyond just how many goals can be provided. Team play is vital and Kane provides this in spades.
Romelu Lukaku
The Manchester United has consistently scored goals in the Premier League with Everton and West Brom before that. Lukaku’s brute force is a handful for defences up and down the country. On several occasions, teams have resorted to having two or three players marking him, but still he consistently bounces defenders off his huge frame.
His physical strength isn’t his only attribute, however. He is extremely quick, which means that not only can he play with his back to goal, he can also run in behind and stretch the opposition defence. This makes it almost impossible to plan for him because he can play in a number of different ways.
His hold up play, however, needs to improve. In United’s last league outing vs Liverpool, many of their attacks broke down because of Lukaku’s failure to hold the ball up. The ball was bouncing off his chest, akin to a bouncy ball hitting a concrete wall. This failure meant the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Anthony Martial were unable to get into the game in an attacking sense. Frustration began to set in for him and he proceeded to give away a number of needless fouls during the match.
Roberto Firmino
The Liverpool forward is without question the most unnatural of the front men in the top six. His goal return isn’t spectacular, having only netted 11 league goals in 35 appearances last season. Manager Jürgen Klopp has stood by his man, however, and it’s easy to see why.
Liverpool are known for their brilliant attacking play. Their pressing game is a feature of their brilliant attacking play and Firmino is at the heart of that. His energy and unlimited work rate sets the tone for the way Liverpool want to play under Klopp. He’s non-stop for 90 minutes and it causes defences all sorts of problems.
His movement off the ball allows space and freedom for the players behind him like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané to hurt teams and when they get it right, they’re ruthless. Many teams have simply been blown away by Liverpool and Firmino’s effort and movement are the catalyst for a lot of it.
Sergio Agüero
Agüero was the top striker in the Premier League for a number of years. He oozes class and quality, and is deadly in front of goal. The Argentine has netted 20 or more in four of his six seasons in English football and is already on the verge of becoming Manchester City’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Agüero scores all types of goals, which is what makes him so feared throughout the Premier League. Adept with both feet, he is also capable of scoring from 25 yards out and further. He has already netted six goals in this campaign and although he is currently out with injury, he will no doubt be at near the top for the scoring charts again when he’s fit.
Alvaro Morata
Morata has been the surprise package at this early stage. The Spanish striker had a very good goalscoring record at Real Madrid, despite being mostly used off the bench. He scored 20 goals last season in 43 appearances. The big question mark over him was if he could score goals being a starting striker. He hasn’t disappointed. He has scored six league goals so far, including a stunning hat-trick away to Stoke.
Morata has shown a lot of skill with the ball at his feet. He has a very good first touch and is neat and tidy on the ball. This is in contrast to Diego Costa, who was seen as more of a powerhouse. While Costa liked to bully defenders, Morata beats them with skill and guile.
Alexandre Lacazette
Arsenal’s record signing has the most pressure on his shoulders of any of the top six’s strikers. At £52 million, Lacazette was bought in to help his side improve on a dreadful showing in the league last season.
He was formidable in Ligue 1, scoring 100 goals in 203 appearances for Lyon. In each of the last three seasons, he bagged 20 goals or more. Last season was his best return, scoring 28 in just 30 league appearances.
He was expected to be a vastly different alternative to Oliver Giroud, as he can run in behind and stretch the play, but two of Lacazette’s four league goals this season have been headers. At 5″9 this adds an impressive string to his bow. In front of goal, he seems to have everything needed in order to be a success at Arsenal. Whether or not his team-mates can adapt to his game and give him the service required will be key.
Despite the positives, the Frenchman still has areas he can improve upon. His first touch has looked suspect at times and he’s still adapting to the physical demands of the Premier League. If he can adapt he looks set to score a lot of goals for Arsenal in the years to come.
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