How To Tell if A Striker Is in Good or Bad Scoring Form

Football is about goals, it's what fans pay to see, and it's the only way to decide who is the better team. While any player from any position can score a goal, yes, even the goalkeeper, all teams rely on a special position to get most of their goals or create them, and that job goes to a striker or centre forward.

A team's strikers are perhaps some of the essential players in a football team, tied with attacking midfielders and wingers. Based on the team formation, the coach can play anywhere between 1 to 3 strikers. You can tell how valuable strikers are in the modern game by the amount of money teams are willing to pay for a proven goal scorer, with forward players sold for 60 to 100 million British pounds regularly.

If you follow football regularly and you're an avid Fantasy football player or place wagers on football games, you will likely find that strikers make all the difference. Putting up points to move up your fantasy league table or returning a positive wager will likely depend on if your preferred striker is in form or not.

But how do you tell if a striker is in hot form or if they're entering a dry spell? Speaking on the telltale signs of a striker form, we approached someone who takes note of strikers for a living. To shed some light on the matter, we've invited the famous betting expert from BetZillion, Mr Jimmy Daytona.

Nichemarket Interviews Jimmy Daytona: What's the Legal Situation of Betting in South Africa?

Before we go into the matter, we believe it's fair to ensure that we're not guiding our readers in the wrong direction, at least from the legal perspective.

Jimmy Daytona does represent a sports betting company.

Is online betting legal in South Africa?

Jimmy Daytona clarified that all mainstream forms of online gambling are legal in South Africa. The National Gaming Board oversees the paradigm according to the Approved Published National Gambling Policy 2016.

Jimmy Daytona Goes into the Matter: Traits of a Good Striker

After we got confirmation about the legality of online betting in the country, we asked the question. How do we tell whether a striker is in good scoring form?

In reply, Jimmy Daytona gave us the most important traits a striker should have. And based on this information, you can deduct what kind of form the said striker has.

Speed

It should come as no surprise to any of you. The striker is one of the most aggressive positions in the field. Once they get possession of the ball, it's critical that they can run toward the opponent's post and pass it to a forward or a midfielder.

Some excellent strikers may not run fast, but it's not normal. It's only possible when the strikers have speed. But how fast can they run without compromising the ability to control the ball?

And it's not only the top speed that matters but also how quickly they can reach the speed. It is commonly known as explosive speeds. Jimmy Daytona suggests looking at speed data on the striker as the first approach to finding the best one for betting.

Pass/Shot Accuracy

Let's say a striker can run like the Flash from end to end on the field. But what if they don't have shot accuracy? What's the point of running then, right? That is why shot accuracy is the next important trait that makes a good striker.

In essence, it's a combination of technique and decision-making on whom to pass the ball to. Or, if the situation demands, going into the D-box by themselves to take a shot at the target. Thankfully, you can find data on pretty much any striker on the internet about their shot accuracy.

A Signature Move

Pele. Christiano Ronaldo. Lionel Messi. What do you think sets them apart from the rest of their team members, regardless of what club they play at? It's their distinct playing styles.

According to Jimmy Daytona, a striker must have a different type. A signature move, perhaps.

If you find a striker known for successfully executing his signature move, you're more likely to succeed by betting on him. This trait may not be directly related to the scoring form of the player, but it's a great way to get an overview of the player's portfolio.

Evaluating the form of Robert Lewandowski

Positioning

Although the coach has a lot to do before a match starts, it's up to the players where they want to position themselves on the field. A striker in good striking form will find themselves in the proper position at the right time.

You can also monitor them play on your screen. Every time the ball is near the sidelines, you should see the striker hovering around it like an eagle, trying to snatch it from the opposition.

Touch

According to Jimmy, many football experts would keep this trait higher on the list. But his opinion is that touch matters, but not as much as the other traits. By "touch," he's referring to a player's ability to control the ball. In other words, how they touch the ball.

Zinedine Zidane has been considered one of the greatest players of all time, and his touch is legendary. Although no bold attributes distinguish his touch, you can observe it from how he plays.

It takes a lot of time, practice, and patience for a striker to develop his touch. From this, we can deduce that experienced players communicate better than newcomers.

So, How to Tell if a Striker Is in Bad Scoring Form?

Now that you know what Jimmy wants you to look at, start there. While most of these aspects are evergreen, you can tell if something feels wrong.

For example, let's take Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably one of the best footballers in history. How can you know if he's not in good form?

• He may not find himself in the correct position on the field
• He's having trouble passing the ball to the right player
• His accuracy of shots has taken a hit
• He hasn't played his signature move in a long time.

These are some telltale signs that he's not in his best element. It happens to the best players, who have the right to take breaks from their epic performance. However, it's unfair for you as a bettor if you count on them to play well.

One last thing to consider would be their life outside of the game. If there is stress in the player's personal life or issues in the team management, it can very well impact their performance. To track such events, the best option is to read sports news regularly.

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Tags: Soccer, Football, Data Analytics, Guest Post