Hughes hails fab formation
BRIGHTON striker Glenn Murray reckons old-fashioned No.9 forwards are coming back – just in time for his 35th birthday.
Murray hit 14 goals in the Premier League last season as Brighton stayed up and he has three more this campaign as he prepares to face Southampton tomorrow night.
Not bad for a player who doesn’t fit the short, quick and technical tag in fashion during the Barcelona tiki-taka era.
No wonder Saints boss Mark Hughes described him a “one of very few of his ilk” in the modern game. But Murray reckons the big men are fighting back.
Aleksandar Mitrovic has been banging in goals at Fulham this season and Troy Deeney is hugely influential at Watford.
Then there’s Romelu Lukaku at Manchester United and Harry Kane at Spurs.
“Even though there aren’t many of us, I think we are coming back into the fold,” said Murray.
“I think we went through a period where small and quick was really in – playing with false No.9s and false No.10s.
“But now I think that more teams are going back to a bigger guy up front that they can build play through, and get the smaller ones space and time.”
Murray, who turns 35 on September 25, takes his physical style to St Mary’s tomorrow with Brighton aiming for their first away win of the season.
They have captain Bruno, midfielder Pascal Gross and winger Jose Izquierdo all back in contention. SOUTHAMPTON are playing their part in 4-4-2’s revival.
And boss Mark Hughes reckons the formation is one way to counteract the trend of teams pressing from the front.
Hughes was part of the Manchester United side that enjoyed huge success under Sir Alex Ferguson with two banks of four behind a strike duo.
Watford are flying high with it and Hughes, whose side host Bournemouth tomorrow, said: “When I was playing everyone used to play 4-4-2 and it was a little bit more rigid.
“But there is a little bit more thought and process behind what you do within a 4-4-2 now. It gives you a focal point of two strikers. You can let one come short and hit balls into space to turn people around.”