Who are the most impressive Strike Force duo in Europe

by Ngugi Kimani
(Nairobi, Kenya)

With the world cup qualifiers taking place last weekend, the major European football leagues took a break. After a smooth start for some teams and a rough one for others, managers more often are left reflecting on what went wrong or how they can improve on things. The need to create more scoring chances has seen managers increase their striking options moreover in some cases even rotating it. Gone are the days when teams used to play with one lone striker for a whole season. It’s with this view that we take a look at the most impressive striking duo the English premiership, La liga and Serie A has notably produced, in the first quarter of the 2009-2010 season.

English premiership. Chelsea’s dynamic duo of Nicholas Anelka and Didier Drogba has become a nightmare for defenders, from set pieces to counter attacks. They complement each other in terms of setting up and doing the finish. To make matters more interesting they are fast and not to mention physically strong on high and low balls. In their game against Liverpool the two cemented their newly found working formula under Ancelloti. However, the worrying thing is that the two will not play with each other in January next year owing to the fact that Drogba will be heading to the African Nations Cup. With Drogba gone, Chelsea will have to look for someone else to temporarily fill those shoes and cross fingers he doesn’t return with an injury. Some people were pushing for the Nation cup to be played after the European league is over but the plans have not yet materialized.

Spanish La liga. David Villa and David Silva who play for Valencia are just entertaining to watch. They seem know where the other will be as they juggle and pass the ball to each other. This makes it quite difficult for defenders to acutely contain them. Seeing them play it constantly reminds me of Man U former striking pair of Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke. Silva unlike Villa who is more on the scoring sheet, is quite creative with the ball, his play making role has made it possible for Villa to find the back of the net and make sure his name tops the scorers list in the la liga. Villa without doubt is the backbone of the team and Valencia are lucky not to have lost him in the last transfer window. It will be mouth-watering to see how the two Davids will try to break the Catalan giant next weekend, when Valencia meets a Barcelona side that has not yet dropped a point.

Italy’s Serie A. Eto’o has had a rather slow transition into his new team unlike his switching counterpart Ibrahimovic. Perhaps what has caught an eye is the way his teaming up with Milito upfront. Although the goals are not coming that much its quite clear the two can form a partnership that can see them help Inter Milan lift the scuddetto for a 5th time in a row. The major threat lurking behind is Juventus and surprisingly Sampdoria.

If you have seen the three different pairs in action this season, whom do you think deserves Gold, Silver and Bronze respectively?