What Is a Target Man in Football?
Walk into any pub in England on a Saturday afternoon and you’ll still hear the phrase “get it up to the big man.” That’s the target man: the striker who lives for the long diagonal, the 50-50 header, the flick-on that turns a hopeful hoof into a real chance. He’s not the quicksilver poacher darting in behind; he’s the physical reference point who lets the rest of the team play off him. Height helps—think Peter Crouch at 6’7”—but the role is really about three things: strength to hold off defenders, a first touch that kills the ball under pressure, and the vision to lay it off to a runner before the opposition can regroup.
Modern football often treats the target man as a relic, a throwback to the days when centre-backs wore perm haircuts and the ball was in the air more than on the ground. Yet every season you’ll see at least one Premier League side—usually one fighting relegation or grinding out a 0-0—park a 6’4” bruiser up front and suddenly the game plan makes sense. Against deep blocks, when wingers are doubled up and midfielders are marked out of the game, that single aerial outlet can be the difference between sterile possession and a goal from nothing.
The Historical Roots of the Target Man
The term “target man” was born in the English lower leagues of the 1970s. Back then, pitches were mud baths, referees let defenders kick anything that moved, and the most reliable way to advance the ball was to launch it over the midfield press. The archetype was simple: a tall, strong centre-forward who could win the first header, hold the ball up, and then either lay it off to a runner or win a second ball in the box. Names like Brian Clough (when he was still a player), Bob Latchford, and later Kevin Hector became synonymous with the role. They weren’t just tall; they were intelligent, reading the flight of the ball before it left the defender’s boot and positioning themselves to dominate the space.
By the 1990s, the Premier League had polished the long-ball game into something more sophisticated. Teams like Wimbledon’s “Crazy Gang” and later Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers used target men—John Fashanu, Dean Holdsworth, Kevin Davies—not as lone rangers but as the focal point of a system that mixed direct play with quick transitions. The vocabulary stuck even as the game globalised; today you’ll hear pundits in Spain or Germany refer to a “target man” without a second thought, even if their domestic football has never relied on the long ball.
Key Attributes of an Effective Target Man
Not every tall striker is a target man. The role demands a specific skill set that goes beyond mere height:
Physical presence: A minimum of 6’2” helps, but it’s strength that matters most. Olivier Giroud (6’4”) and Erling Haaland (6’4”) both play the role at times, yet their body composition is different—Giroud relies on upper-body strength to shield the ball, while Haaland uses explosive power to out-jump defenders. The best target men can hold off two defenders at once, giving teammates time to arrive.
First touch and control: A target man who can’t trap a 50-yard pass is useless. Think of Andy Carroll’s ability to bring down a ball that’s been pinged from the halfway line and still have it stick to his foot. That touch buys the team two or three seconds—enough to turn a hopeful punt into a structured attack.
Link-up play: The best target men are not just static posts; they’re playmakers. Zlatan Ibrahimović, for all his flair, mastered the art of the one-touch lay-off. A simple flick to a dropping midfielder or a cushioned header to a runner can unlock a defence that’s been sitting deep for 80 minutes.
Aerial ability: Winning headers is the most visible part of the job, but it’s not just about height. Timing, positioning, and the ability to direct the ball where you want it—whether that’s back to a midfielder or down into the path of a winger—separate the good from the great. Troy Deeney, for example, won 62% of his aerial duels in the Championship one season, a number that would make most Premier League defenders blush.
Tactical Setups That Maximise a Target Man
Simply sticking a tall striker up front and telling the team to “get it up to him” won’t work. The system around the target man needs to be built to exploit his strengths:
Direct counter-attacking: Teams like Burnley under Sean Dyche used Ashley Barnes as a target man in a 4-4-2 that looked to bypass midfield entirely. The full-backs stayed deep, the wingers tucked in to win second balls, and the midfielders sat narrow to protect the defence. When the ball was won, it was played quickly to Barnes, who either held it up or flicked it on to a runner. The key was the speed of the transition—Barnes didn’t need to dribble; he just needed to win the first header and lay it off.
Wing play and crosses: A target man thrives when the team can deliver quality crosses. Liverpool’s 2019-20 title-winning side used Roberto Firmino as a false nine, but when they needed a more direct option, Divock Origi (6’1”) was the target. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson provided the width, whipping in crosses that Origi could attack. The system worked because the wingers were instructed to stay wide, stretching the defence and giving Origi space to attack the near post.
Press-resistant build-up: Some teams use a target man to relieve pressure in their own half. When Manchester City faced a high press, Ederson would often go long to Erling Haaland, who could either hold the ball up or flick it on to a dropping midfielder. This wasn’t “long ball” in the traditional sense; it was a calculated way to bypass the first two lines of pressure and reset the attack. The key was Haaland’s ability to win the first header and then play a quick one-two with a midfielder, turning defence into attack in a single move.
Modern Examples and How They Adapt
The target man hasn’t disappeared; he’s just evolved. Here’s how three modern strikers have adapted the role to fit contemporary football:
Olivier Giroud (AC Milan/Italy): Giroud is the quintessential modern target man. He’s not the fastest, but his movement off the ball is deceptive. At Euro 2020, he constantly dropped deep to link play, dragging defenders out of position and creating space for runners like Federico Chiesa. His hold-up play was so good that Italy’s midfielders could play one-touch passes into him, knowing he’d lay it off immediately. The result? A tournament where he scored four goals despite playing as the lone striker in a possession-heavy system.
Erling Haaland (Manchester City): Haaland is a hybrid—a target man with the speed of a poacher. City use him as a focal point for direct play when they need to break down a low block, but he’s also capable of running in behind. His aerial ability is elite (he won 58% of his aerial duels in the Premier League in 2022-23), but his real strength is his movement. He doesn’t just stand still waiting for a long ball; he makes diagonal runs to create space for himself, then uses his power to hold off defenders and bring teammates into play.
Alexander Sørloth (Villarreal/Real Sociedad): Sørloth is a throwback in the best sense. At 6’4”, he’s a classic target man, but he’s also mobile enough to press defenders when the team loses the ball. Under Unai Emery at Villarreal, he was used as the focal point of a counter-attacking system. The team would sit deep, win the ball, and then play directly to Sørloth, who would either hold it up or flick it on to a runner. His physicality allowed Villarreal to play a more direct style without sacrificing possession entirely—they averaged 52% possession in La Liga in 2021-22, but their directness made them dangerous on the break.
When to Use (and Avoid) a Target Man
The target man isn’t a universal solution. Here’s when he works—and when he doesn’t:
Use him when:
Facing a deep block: Teams that park the bus often leave space in behind their midfield. A target man can exploit that space by holding the ball up and bringing runners into play. Against a 4-5-1 or 5-4-1, his ability to win headers and lay off passes can break down even the most organised defences.
Playing on a poor pitch: On a muddy or bumpy surface, intricate passing becomes difficult. A target man allows the team to play more directly, using his physicality to compensate for the lack of technical quality in the conditions.
Late in the game when chasing a goal: Throwing on a target man in the last 20 minutes forces the opposition to defend deeper, creating space for cut-backs and second balls. It’s a tactic that’s worked for decades—think of Manchester United bringing on Romelu Lukaku to hold up play and win set-pieces.
Avoid him when:
Playing against a high line: If the opposition plays a high defensive line, a target man can become isolated. His lack of pace means he’ll struggle to get in behind, and his hold-up play becomes redundant if the team can’t get the ball to him quickly enough.
Your team lacks width: A target man needs service. If your full-backs and wingers aren’t providing crosses or long diagonals, he’ll become a passenger. Teams like Barcelona under Guardiola never used a target man because their system was built on short passing and width—there was no need for a physical focal point.
You’re already dominating possession: If your team is controlling the game with 60%+ possession, a target man can disrupt the rhythm. His strengths lie in direct play, not in intricate build-up. In these situations, a false nine or a mobile striker is usually a better fit.
Training and Developing a Target Man
If you’re managing a lower-league side or working with youth players, developing a target man requires a specific training focus. Here’s what to prioritise:
Physical development: Strength training is non-negotiable. Squats, deadlifts, and plyometric exercises (like box jumps) build the explosive power needed to win headers and hold off defenders. At Ajax’s youth academy, players like Klaas-Jan Huntelaar were put through a regimen that included wrestling drills to improve their ability to shield the ball.
Technical drills: First-touch exercises are critical. One common drill is the “two-touch game,” where the striker must control a long pass and lay it off to a teammate in two touches or fewer. Another is the “pressure drill,” where the striker receives the ball with a defender closing him down, forcing him to use his body to protect the ball and find a teammate.
Tactical understanding: A good target man needs to read the game. Training should focus on positioning—knowing when to drop deep to receive the ball and when to stay high to stretch the defence. At Southampton, Rickie Lambert was drilled on his movement off the ball, learning to make diagonal runs that dragged defenders out of position and created space for midfield runners.
Set-piece training: Target men are often the focal point of set-pieces. Training should include attacking corners and free-kicks, with the striker practising near-post runs, flick-ons, and holding up play to create second chances. Troy Deeney’s ability to win headers from set-pieces was a key part of Watford’s promotion push in 2014-15—he scored 10 goals from set-pieces that season.
Finally, don’t neglect mental development. The target man role can be frustrating—constantly battling defenders, dealing with physical contact, and often going long periods without touching the ball. Players like Giroud and Deeney have thrived because they’re mentally resilient, able to stay focused even when the game isn’t flowing through them.
