The Strike Partnership Possibilities

Rafa at the moment still needs to be convinced which players will form our 1st choice striking partnership. I believe Rafa is likely to opt for Peter Crouch & Morientes. He doesn’t seem to be as keen on Cisse as he was when his scout from Valencia told him they would win the league for the next three years if Cisse signed.
I feel the best pairing would be Cisse & Crouch. Crouch is able to hold up the ball enabling the midfield to join up. At 6ft 7ins he gives us aerial options that most teams would be unable to handle. Cisse also has a unique attribute. His acceleration and pace is unstoppable. It’s just a question of playing the right balls through for him to exploit. Crouch will hopefully be able to flick the balls on for Cisse to be first to run onto.
Morientes is in a catch 22 situation. At present he has not yet adapted to the pace and brutality of the English game. I don’t feel on present form he warrants a place in the team. However the only way he will get used to the Premiership is by playing regularly. Morientes offers good heading ability provided the service is there. He is also able to drop deep and be a creative influence. I don’t think Morientes & Crouch will work together as they are similar types of players. The only way Morientes and Cisse can operate up front together is if Morientes drops deeper and feeds Cisse. Although we need Morientes to be in the box to convert crosses into goals. Morientes can hold up the ball but does not shield the ball as well as Peter Crouch does.
The other options are Sinama Pongolle who was effective for a spell last season. He has the pace & trickery to succeed although his potential goalscoring ability at the highest level has yet to be confirmed. It appears that Neil Mellor will be sold once he regains his fitness. Luis Garcia & Harry Kewell can both play as support men. These types of positions are best employed with a pacy front man as Kaka & Shevchenko showed in the Champions League last season. Therefore Cisse would be the best option with Garcia or Kewell.
The common denominator for my preferred choices is Cisse. It will be interesting to see who Rafa selects on Saturday as we will need our strongest team present to for a difficult game against Tottenham

Please post your comments on our striking options.