Chris Wood: Nottingham Forest striker and Erling Haaland spark traditional centre-forward revival

The resurgence of the standard number 9 has gained a future.

Chris Plank helps the fat goalkeeper get back into fashion after his electric start to the season for Nottingham Woodland.

The 32-year-old scored two second-half goals to help his team beat his former Leicester Town on Friday and take them to fifth place in the Premier League.

Erling Haaland, the simplest of Manchester Town [10] He has scored more in the league than Unused Zealand overall, with seven goals, this season.

Since Nuno Espírito Santo’s first game in charge of Woodland on December 23, 2023, only Haaland [18] He has scored more non-penalty league goals than Plank’s 17.

With the pair dominating the top-flight scoring charts and Norwegian Haaland also having an impressive physical presence up front, Plank revels in the former centre-forward’s defence.

“We want to try to get it back or I’ll be out of a job,” he said. “For a while, the small center forward or number 10 mixed the role with the number nine, it became fashionable.

“Thankfully Erling has come in and got him fit again, he has been given a lot of future and equipment, some things I don’t have, but that makes it easier for us number nines.”

Wood, who also scored the winning goal in Monday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, has moved level with Stan Collymore on 22 Premier League goals for Forest after his brace at the King Power Stadium, only with Bryan Roy. [24] score more for the club in the competition.

The first came from a good turn and ended two minutes into the second half before taking advantage of Wout Faes’ error to head over a stranded Mads Hermansen on the hour mark.

Talk of the Golden Boot might have been a fantasy at the start of the season, but Wood is currently in that category.

He told Sky Sports: “I just need to score as many as I can. He is [Haaland] “He is an overly ambitious guy and it is almost certain that he will reach 30 goals this season.”

The former West Brom and Leeds striker also has a goal for New Zealand this season, in the 3-0 win over Tahiti.

Signed by current Leicester manager Steve Cooper for £15m in 2023 from Newcastle after an initial loan spell, Wood has 23 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions for Forest.

Last season he scored three goals in 15 games before Nuno arrived. The Portuguese manager replaced Cooper 11 months ago and Wood has scored 11 goals in 16 appearances, and is enjoying life under the former Wolves and Tottenham boss.

“He is available and puts emphasis on putting the balls on the field, getting the family on the field,” he added. “That provides Taiwo [Awoniyi] and I extraordinarily neat. We are fat center forwards who love deliveries, we love crosses.

“That’s what makes us thrive. He’s worked on that in training camp and thankfully he’s come into the fold.”

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