Will Cedric Itten be the main striker next season?

KGR98 said:
Yeah my question was if Morelos leaves do we spent a few bob on a first choice replacement or do we maybe go down the back up route and let Itten be the main man up top
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Itten will be the main man. He may be anyway if Morelos doesn't leave.

What we do if he leaves is buy a project who can act as an impact sub and then become main striker when Itten leaves.

Buy low, sell high.
 
I think he can be, I do think Morelos will leave in the summer, I also think Defoe will retire. That will leave spaces up for grabs and were he needs to push to be the no1 striker.
 
Craigie said:
I think Itten still looks raw but there is no doubting he has ability. Fortunately our performances in the main have allowed him to time to settle in to the club and team without him being under pressure to dig us out of a hole too often.

He has a very good touch, powerful runner and decent in the air. Qualities that make him a handful for opposing defences. I think he will be a very very good player over the coming seasons. As his four goals against Motherwell alone show, he can score very different types of goals.
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I don't agree he looks raw. Agree with the rest.
 
It baffles me why he hasn't been given more of a chance. In the little gametime he's been given he's impressed me on multiple occasions. He has very good technical ability, is quite strong, good finisher and a hard worker. I get the feeling we were expecting Morelos to go in the summer and for Roofe to be our main striker, with Itten and Defoe rotating as number 2. Instead with Morelos staying it's shifted Itten and Defoe down the pecking order.

Gerrard has often said about players needing to take there chance and being rewarded for it. Against Motherwell at home Itten came on and changed the game, his reward for that was a combined 21 minutes of gametime until we played Motherwell again 5 games later, where he has again scored. It would be one thing if our front 3 was firing on all cylinders but outside of Roofe they really haven't. I hope he is given a chance against Ross County, he deserves it.
 
He's deserved far more playing time than he's received.

We had over 40 crosses yesterday from open play, we needed a target man in there.
 
Morelos has added more to his game this season, which saw him score less goals, but his link-up play and passing is quite good. Roofe is an intelligent striker/attacker, that can play on the left or right of an attacking-3. Itten is more a central striker, but can play on either side as well.

Given that our "wing-attackers" (Aribo, Kent) are far less potent than they could be - by their own standards, I`d try a Morelos - Itten - Roofe attack with Hagi/Aribo behind them. We have "wingers" in form of Tav and Barisic, while Davis and Kamara clean the midfield and provide clever passes.

All those three attackers are clever players, who can take up dangerous positions if others are dragged out of theirs. IMHO, for the first time, we really seem to have the players for a 3-man attack. And in case of need, Defoe and even Stewart can be chucked in should someone needs subbed.

Its not a cure for all games, but yesterday and against those 5-4-0 sides, it should help.
 
I think the amount of game time that Morelos is getting is more indicative of our desire to offload him than a reflection of our faith in Itten.
 
Mac72 said:
It baffles me why he hasn't been given more of a chance. In the little gametime he's been given he's impressed me on multiple occasions. He has very good technical ability, is quite strong, good finisher and a hard worker. I get the feeling we were expecting Morelos to go in the summer and for Roofe to be our main striker, with Itten and Defoe rotating as number 2. Instead with Morelos staying it's shifted Itten and Defoe down the pecking order.

Gerrard has often said about players needing to take there chance and being rewarded for it. Against Motherwell at home Itten came on and changed the game, his reward for that was a combined 21 minutes of gametime until we played Motherwell again 5 games later, where he has again scored. It would be one thing if our front 3 was firing on all cylinders but outside of Roofe they really haven't. I hope he is given a chance against Ross County, he deserves it.
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I agree. His conversion rate of chances to goals must be phenomenal!
 
I think Roofe will be the main man next season, if Alfredo goes?
I’d like to see them paired upfront with Hagi/Kent in a free role behind them.
 
Grigo Yossarian said:
Agree PMB, but the run makes the pass, and we weren’t making enough runs into the channels to give us that option mate.

Hagi, Kent, Aribo were all disappointing in that respect imo.
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Totally agree. The amount of times they got the ball in the last third in good positions around the edge of the box and just passed the buck to Barisic or Tavernier got on my wick. Several times Aribo could have cut inside and curled one but instead played a 5 yard sideways pass.
 
ross89harr said:
The way we played yesterday was screaming for Itten to have started.

I’d have played Morelos further to the right with Itten up top and then swapped Aribo for Hagi.
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Totally agree. I can see why people have talked about 352, because at times we only have one player in the middle and if it’s Morelos he’s no giant. Especially up against big centre halves.
 
TQ3 said:
I think Roofe will be the main man next season, if Alfredo goes?
I’d like to see them paired upfront with Hagi/Kent in a free role behind them.
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Agreed, Hagi is wasted on the left or right of the three attackers, needs to be in the hole, but we dont play that way.
 
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PMB1872 said:
Totally agree. The amount of times they got the ball in the last third in good positions around the edge of the box and just passed the buck to Barisic or Tavernier got on my wick. Several times Aribo could have cut inside and curled one but instead played a 5 yard sideways pass.
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Agree, really frustrating. And we know those guys have the ability too.
 
Tpol_rfc said:
I think you have a ridiculously low and unfounded opinion of Gerrard.
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Eh? Morelos is a great striker who has done brilliant for us. I'm happy to have him and I'm glad he stayed this season but he is a resource. Our financial model is to buy low and sell high and Morelos is exactly this. I'm 100% sure that Roofe and Itten were bought on the expectation that Morelos was to be sold in the summer. He didn't go and that has benefited us but he will go.
 
rayrangers said:
So you are saying we are only playing Morelos to offload him??

What he brings to the team not one other player at Ibrox has
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No, No, No.

Morelos is quality and I love him.

He is not our long term striker, Itten is and this shaped our recruitment last summer. The expectation was that Morelos would go.

I'm very happy to have Morelos and I like what he brings to the team but I don't think it was the plan to have him at our club this season. He will be sold for big profit (as is our financial model) so to maintain his value he needs game time. This is not to say that he is only being played so we can sell him but rather that there is an extra reason to play him ahead of Itten.
 
fmp said:
Eh? Morelos is a great striker who has done brilliant for us. I'm happy to have him and I'm glad he stayed this season but he is a resource. Our financial model is to buy low and sell high and Morelos is exactly this. I'm 100% sure that Roofe and Itten were bought on the expectation that Morelos was to be sold in the summer. He didn't go and that has benefited us but he will go.
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So what matches has he been picked for with Gerrard's criteria being "the amount of game time that Morelos is getting is more indicative of our desire to offload him than a reflection of our faith in Itten"

Do you really think there has been matches where that manager does not put what he believes to be the best team out?
 
Has all the attributes to take over from Alfredo if sold.

this season has already been a good bedding in year for him after having no break finishing the Swiss season
 
KensingtonBlue said:
No. Very good player, but we need two or three top strikers. And ideally, the number 1 striker is better than him.
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Theres no doubt if Alfie goes we need to replace him.

For me, I’d be concentrating on skill sets, rather than better or not.

None of our strikers have that searing pace that we can slide or drop one through a defence to.

Also, given that Alfie is the best at taking the ball into feet & turning defences or laying off, I’d like a Morelos replacement to combine these two skill sets.

It just gives us options dependant upon the opponent/match circumstances.
 
I've no idea where people think Morelos is going or who is going to be bidding big bucks for him.
 
Tpol_rfc said:
So what matches has he been picked for with Gerrard's criteria being "the amount of game time that Morelos is getting is more indicative of our desire to offload him than a reflection of our faith in Itten"

Do you really think there has been matches where that manager does not put what he believes to be the best team out?
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If Morelos was sold then Itten would have been our starting #9. I don't think this is really debatable? Defoe may have had a few more starts.

Morelos is a good player and so the fact that he is still here means he will play and be effective. He will leave though so it's important to maintain his value. This means there is an extra reason to play him alongside suitability for opposition, requirements of tactical plan, fitness, form, morale, etc.

It's really naïve to think that the sale value of assets is irrelevant
 
I think so yes, his goals to game is decent, better than his competition for the role, but his goal to minutes is exceptional.
 
likes of yesterday when we can’t get any joy we should go a 4312. Hagi in behind 2 strikers
 
Be good to see him get a chance through the middle at home to certain teams. Don't think he offers much when playing from the right. He looks more like a number 9 to me.

However games away to Aberdeen, Hibs, celtc... it has to be Morelos as the main striker.
 
I can’t see him being our main striker. He gives us a different option from the strikers we already have and I think that will continue to be the case, I.e. not first choice but used when needed.
 
I dont think he’ll be the main striker next year if Morelos goes but would certainly expect him to move 1 up the pecking order and get more minutes and starts
 
fmp said:
If Morelos was sold then Itten would have been our starting #9. I don't think this is really debatable? Defoe may have had a few more starts.

Morelos is a good player and so the fact that he is still here means he will play and be effective. He will leave though so it's important to maintain his value. This means there is an extra reason to play him alongside suitability for opposition, requirements of tactical plan, fitness, form, morale, etc.

It's really naïve to think that the sale value of assets is irrelevant
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So I'm summation you can't identify the games Gerrard has knowingly picked a team not the best suited at the time for the job?
 
rayrangers said:
Agreed, Hagi is wasted on the left or right of the three attackers, needs to be in the hole, but we dont play that way.
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Sadly true, but I think Stevie G is capable of adjusting the team in preseason to prepare a different style with the different personnel available.
 
On the basis that Itten has yet to let us down when given the chance I'd be OK with this.

If you want a definitive answer you should ask Gerrard. :)
 
Gee said:
He isn't t good enough we need better
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Good good good close personal freund of yours Alex Ferguson told you that didnt he?

Like a moth to a flame these threads are for you to spout your nonsense. Probably raging when he scored as well
 
love to see him get a solid run of games

our biggest threat is from wide and quality of ball is a strength of ours - his stature and presence means he would score more and get on the same be of more crosses. He’s also no slouch either!
 
I’d love to see him get a run of games as a number 9 and see how he gets on. Not seen how he would react to missing a glaring chance, not scoring in 2/3 games, his hold up play against different teams home and away etc etc. What we have seen though is that he can score different kinds of goals
 
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