What Are Target Men?

[MrGee]

What are target men and how should i use them?

 

[Luis Aragones Legacy]

big guys that keep the ball upfront so other guys that know what to do with a ball can play. In my opinion useless.

 

[JDY]

target men are players who bring other players into play and generally involved in all attacking play. they are usually big and strong and capable of holding off oppenents but it can work for other types of players in the right system. e.g drogba at chelsea

if you have a big strong striker who's good in the air and has strength then you would look for him to 'hold up the ball' (under player instructions)

Or if you have a player like walcott or agbonlahor who is very pacey then set their instructions to 'run onto ball'

other players such as wayne rooney or carlos tevez prefer to have the ball at their feet running at defenders. so set their instructions to 'into feet'.

 

[Preston85]

I'd say the traditional big/strong targetman is more for the lower leagues where there's less technical skill so rely more on hoofing it upfield to the big guy.

Not tried the run onto ball, I think it probably helps if you see in the scouting reports that the pitch is long so balls behind the backline can work well.