UNITED SPECIAL
FRONT twos are decidedly unfashionable in the modern game, with the majority of elite managers generally opting for a lone frontman supported by two wingers.
Take a look at Jose Mourinho’s United, for example, with No.9 Romelu Lukaku often supplemented in attack by Alexis Sanchez and Jesse Lingard. Or Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, with Mo Salah and Sadio Mane flanking Roberto Firmino.
There are examples of this all around Europe, from Barcelona to Juventus, from Real Madrid to Bayern Munich. The system is tried and tested, but Gareth Southgate’s approach with England has been different over the last year.
Against Spain on Saturday, Marcus Rashford partnered Harry Kane up top and delivered one of his best recent performances.
On another night the 20-year-old United striker could have had a hattrick and was only denied that by the brilliance of his club team-mate, David de Gea. Reds fans will have been delighted to see two of their own link up for England’s opener, with Luke Shaw providing a pinpoint cross for Rashford to slot the ball home from eight yards out.
Another United player, Lingard, was almost the provider for Rashford’s second but De Gea sprung to his right to palm the forward’s close-range header over the crossbar.
Critics will say he should have scored, but there wasn’t much pace on Lingard’s cross into him and he generated sufficient power to seriously test De Gea.
After the interval, Rashford had another golden chance to find the net after being played in by strike partner Kane but, on this occasion, his finishing let him down.
Again, Rashford will be criticised for not being clinical enough, but his all-round performance was something to take great encouragement from – and it’s no coincidence he played so well in a front two. On the rare occasion Rashford is deployed as a striker by Mourinho, it is as a lone one and, more often than not, he looks isolated in that role. The FA Cup final defeat by Chelsea in May, when Lukaku was only deemed fit enough for a spot on the bench, is a prime example of Rashford struggling to lead the line on his own. On Saturday night with England at Wembley, though, he looked far more comfortable and threatening in a role alongside Kane in a front two. The youngster benefited from having players in and around him in central positions, with Lingard and, to a lesser extent, Dele Alli also contributing to his threat. Mourinho has never started with Rashford and Lukaku in a front two since the Belgian signed for the Reds but, having been in attendance for his new No.10’s stand-out display at Wembley, it might be something he considers in the near future. Liam Corless