I wish more teams would play two strikers, says Sunderland legend Phillips

The Wearsiders are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, and could be relegated if results go against them this weekend.

David Moyes’s side have struggled for goals this season, breaching their opposition’s defences only 26 times, with leading scorer Jermain Defoe bagging 14 of these.

Phillips said this could be down to Sunderland boss David Moyes favouring a one-striker policy, a tactic that is becoming the norm in the top flight.

In his playing days, Phillips, now a coach at Derby County, forged a fearsome frontline with strike partner Niall Quinn, and believes partnerships are a dying art form in the English game.

Clive Brunskill /Allsport

“When we were playing well and I was doing what I was doing, playing as a lone striker was unheard of,” said Phillips.

“I got asked to play it a few times and I was like: ‘You’re joking, aren’t you?!’ I couldn’t envisage playing up top on my own against two big dirty centre-halves.

“When you look through the Premier League now there’s not an awful lot of partnerships and it’s a shame. I always think that if you have two strikers on the pitch you have double the chance of scoring.

“I’d love to see it come back. Managers are almost scared to put a second striker up there because sometimes you can get overrun in midfield, but if you get the right kind of midfield players you can certainly afford to do that.”