Peter Crouch...world class?

I read somewhere that Crouch typically runs more during a game than anyone else on the field. Something like 14k instead of an average 12.5 for a midfielder. Worldclass or not, the guy hustles.

 

mmm...Peter Crouch... mmm...Yes Peter Crouch.

Ole!!

I believe that Crouch is World Class but have not yet proven himself. Sounds very contradictionry doesn't it?

What I really mean is that Crouch had not been given enough time againest quality oppositions and revelationX has stole some of my thunder in the previous post. However againest the quality opposition (the little time that he got) and againest poor opposition, there is no doubt he perform the role, he was told to do strategy wise. With the goals and the flashes of quality control touches that he delivered in the three different roles that he have to adapted very quickly during the World Cup finals, only a World Class quantity striker could do so. His strength is not that obvious but it is rather his remarakable adaptability and diversity that stands him apart from other World Class strikers.

The problem is that he does make the things that other have difficulties look simple because of the thin tall figure he has and he does what other strikers of normal height does in the same situation and for the same situation, a tall striker would normally do a different thing by using their tall frame more as shielding, lunging, jumping headers, shoving. Crouch can do all that but he done more than that already, simply because it looks like he is determine to have the ball at his feet, to really sprint hard and do more running, to dribble more, to challenge hard for 50/50 balls, to target set passes, not afraid to do something unusual occasionally, has a creative streak in him that occasionally comes up without compromising his overall assigned strategy role.

What I think is that most people are not sure is what specific roles that he actually has. Is he a quality striker or a quantity striker? Is he a target forward or a run-on forward? Is he a turn and shoot player or a pass and shoot player? Is he a front forward or a deep forward? Is he am intensive sprint player or a endurance player?

He just changes to the strategy, he does not particulary have great strengths in a couple of areas at an very high quality as most strikers like Henry or Owen have. But yet he is able to do virtually everything effectively as a striker can do. He is what could be better described as a genuine all-round quantity striker. What is so mysteriously great about this, is that the unpreditable and diverse nature of his abilities.

It is almost watching a stop start machine. eg run of the mill move, run of the mill shot, run of the mill pass, oh hold he suddenly out sprint the defender to the ball and then run of mill pass to teammate, run of the mill into the deep position to do a run of the mill pass to wing, back to run of the mill front position to pass ball back to midifled to shoot, then run of the mill back to the midfield to pass to forward, then run of the mill support other wing, oh he dribble past the outside defender along the line and then run of the mill lay back and then back to the front centre to do a run of the mill pass back to midfield for a shoot.......end of a midfield cross to his feet at the 80th minute, turns the first time in the match and scores ("What the Hell?" say everyone).

He is everywhere, he covers a larger space area so he does more team supporting, the defenders can't follow him or they will lost their zonal defence cover, he runs in angles covering two or three zonal areas in one run, he looks very plain running but the closer the defenders are to him the more they realise he is moving constantly faster (What the hell?) because he is using his long strides as well, they get close to his body but his foot with the ball is another 5 inches away (What the Hell?) and thats without him extending his arm. He doesn't lose the ball because he is either moving fast long strides with the ball or his feet is further away from his lowered body or he goes in touch pass and moves back the other way. He is constantly moving, does he ever stop? most defenders are thinking. they also think "But he is a forward (What the Hell?), he shouldn't be doing that, that's a midfielders job! What is he doing there? Can he not stand still? hold on he's out of my zonal range, he's yours. (What the hell?) What is he doing in my zon.. oh he gone out?

Not many players especially up front can do what he is doing. Drops deeper than most forwards. Clumsy tackler but he reaches further than anyone else to spoil the ball. His occasional touches may seem clumsy but then he is reaching and lunging for the ball that most players can't do at all. He is everywhere, constantly moving away from ball, going to ball, moving side along ball, not even a walk but a jog at the least, hard to keep tracking in different areas, most defenders rather wait for him to return to their zone rather than tracking, he keeps changing zones and defenders hate moving pass their energy/fitness than needed without losing their defence organistion. Crouch is a boring pain in a defender neck but he pulls off the most unlikely shots after a couple of ordinary shot before, it does not make sense but yets it happens.

He is very effectiveness in his diversity and hard to cover all the time. He does things that foward does not need to do but he does them and hardly loses the ball while doing it. His only preference is not to give him too many headers and pass to his feet more.

Most people expects him to behave like all other tall strikers do and that is a huge underestimation by players too even his own teammates and coach. He is an allrounder forward, he is a bigger quantity striker that I have seen. Usually tall striker like him are quality strikers but he acts like a quantity striker that has a greater number of shots per game because he creates the space with own hardwork and gives lots of assists because of the hardwork. Usually quality stikers are more individual one-on-one players in tigher space with a better goals to shots ratio plus the classy assist but heavily rely on good service. Crouch is a team player and is a world class quantity striker. There has been plenty of quantity strikers before but admittedly nothing like the tall striker in the form of Peter Crouch. He acts like a short quantity striker, yet by doing that it is hard for defenders to behave and react to him simply because he easily changes to use his tall figure to gain an extra last moment edge should a defender do well enough to get near providing another unexpected challenge of frustration.

Ole to Peter Crouch, the hardworking quantity striker who happens to use his height advantage more for quantity strikes and not for quality strikes. Unusual but prove effective and very diverse and plenty of team support he gives to. He is probaby the best quantity striker that England has seen. He's a different World Class. Normally most people don't place quantity strikers as World Class because they are not alway pretty shots and less individual, but that is rubbish and usually their goals per minute prove them.

Peter Crouch...World Class...Ole.



Hang loose guys