‘Morocco, African, and Asian teams need a true number nine – a centre forward’: Klinsmann

Morocco’s heartwarming world cup campaign has stunned the footballing world and the former German striker Jurgen Klinsmann believes they can progress even more if they fill one hole: A centre-forward.
“Today [against France] we saw Morocco played really well through midfield and Hakim Ziyech was very influential but as soon as they got really close to the box they were lacking the finishing and the vision to get things done. I think African and Asian teams in general need to find a solution – Senegal would have been a different proposition had Sadio Mane been fit. If you look at the big African nations, if they had a true number nine they could damage any nation from Europe or South America,” Klinsmann wrote in his BBC newsletter.
Klinsmann noted how that the “quality is there in Africa and other continents” and brought up the example of South Korea making the last four way back in 2002. “When you have the quality to get out the group stage it is then a matter of confidence, team bonding and support, but also which teams have the guys who guarantee goals consently.”
A reliable centre forward has been the key issue, he writes. “I think this is the biggest issue, even for Croatia. The biggest issue ultimately was that there was no number nine style player who could make a difference and the same was true for Morocco.”Subscriber Only StoriesPremiumPremiumPremiumPremium
He also touched upon the role of fans in a world cup. “The fans can have a big say in a World Cup and now fans in Africa and Asia can have the confidence that their countries are not behind at all. This World Cup gives Morocco and other countries great confidence. They had wonderful support, Moroccan fans made it feel like their team was playing at home and this is huge too – just look at Argentina and the role their wonderful fans have had as their team recovered from a shock loss to Saudi Arabia in their first game to get better and better as the tournament has progressed.”

Klinsmann applauded Morocco for how they fought against France. “They had to make some tactical changes in the first half, switching to a back four and moving Achraf Hakimi into the right side of the midfield and that gave them a spark as they created some chances before half-time, including that beautiful bicycle kick. Wow! If that had gone in – well, I think the stadium would have come down! They deserve a huge compliment but their tournament isn’t over yet – they still have the third-place play-off against Croatia and who would have thought that at the start? … …With the next World Cup having 48 teams, including more from Africa, there will be even more chance to make an impact.”