Striker shortage plagues Big Six

BACK IN THE MISTS, newspapers would not print league tables until three games into the season; nowadays we write off teams after four.
As Chow En Lai said of the French revolution, it is too early to tell, but with the Premier League's "Bastille" already breached, the international break affords an early opportunity to ask: what on earth is going on?
At a time when the latest TV deal was expected to see the Big Six bolster their impregnable fortress and the rest survive on cake, the table has Crystal Palace, Leicester and Swansea in the top four, Chelsea and Spurs near the bottom and Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United stuttering.
As we saw in these pages yesterday, the looming windfall is causing a shift in the balance of power. Against all expectations, erstwhile irrefusable offers are being refused. Everton, take a bow.
But Manchester City apart, you cannot help feeling that tricks have been missed, agents – especially Jorge Mendes - call the tune and complacency has crept in.
Yes, deals are more complicated now – especially for Ed Woodward – but one of the biggest problems for the big clubs is the global shortage of top-draw strikers.
All but City and Chelsea have been looking for the elusive target man for whom 20 goals a season is a guaranteed minimum – and all have drawn a blank.
Liverpool, whose need in this department was greatest, had to pay over the odds for a second-tier signing in Christian Benteke and although he has broken his duck, the Reds are still searching for a way to blend him into Brendan Rodgers' passing game.
His solitary strike amounts to half of Liverpool's goal tally so far.
Settling for second best may be a sensible option with Arsenal, United, Liverpool and Spurs mustering just 11 goals between them and an unusual paucity of goal poachers about.
City's Sergio Aguero is out on his own as a specialist in the trade and the fact that neither of the world's leading scorers – Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – are out and out strikers says it all.
Certainly, United may soon be wishing for a Benteke having told Javier Hernandez he can follow Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao through the exit door.
Unless some mystery striker materialises in the dying hours of the transfer window, you wonder where the goals are going to come from at Old Trafford.
Although Wayne Rooney bagged a hattrick against a statuesque Bruges defence last week, expecting him to shoulder the sole burden is surely too much to ask.
Louis van Gaal has bought well so far with Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin all looking value additions but, at the time of writing, the spine of the team still looks shaky with the goalkeeping situation still not resolved.
Arsene Wenger has always said he will only bring players in who are better than existing ones and this surely explains his hesitancy to shell out on Karim Benzema.
The Real Madrid man may be only a marginal improvement on Olivier Giroud and would cost close to £40 million (RM260m) if he's available. But will Real let him go? Doubtful as they, too, have a striker shortage.
So it looks as if the Gunners will still have to walk the ball into the net but at least they have players capable of doing that and right now they look the best bet to give City a run for their money.
Their fans' frustration is understandable as they know there is money in the kitty, but Wenger will never spend for the sake of it.
I still think he may have made one of the signings of the summer though as Petr Cech will surely make a key difference in defence.
Chelsea are the biggest surprise. And their problems are not down to strikers.
A couple of players – Branislav Ivanovic and John Terry – appear to have aged five years over the summer and this coupled with being late out of the blocks – the Blues returned to training a week after everyone else – has caught Jose Mourinho out.
Stealing Pedro from under United's nose was a classic Mourinho move but you feel he needs another such coup before the window slams shut.
Cesc Fabregas also looks to have aged and needs support while Eden Hazard has yet to hit his straps.
Mourinho may have to break the habit of a lifetime and give youth its head – the Brazilian Kennedy certainly looks a lively acquisition and could add dynamism to the midfield – or that third season curse may come to haunt him.
Saturday's defeat to West Ham was taken badly by Liverpool fans – there was an Arsenal-style fire drill well before the end – but they have to be patient.
Rodgers has bought better this time but it will take the new recruits time to gel and you would bet that with two classy Brazilians in the creative department, goals will eventually come. Firminho needs a few games to adjust to the pace but already Joe Gomez and Nat Clyne have impressed at fullback. It's the centre of defence that is the most worrying.
We said the same about City last season but they have had faith in Vincent Kompany returning to form and Eliaquim Mangala finding his – and so far been rewarded.
If they can keep the magical David Silva and Aguero injury free, it is hard to see anyone stopping them landing a third title in five years.
And this time, with the recent additions of Nicolas Otamendi and Kevin de Bruyne, you feel they have the squad to reach the business end in Europe, too.
Yes, it's early but it looks to be City's season. Fortunately for us fans, the chasing pack promises plenty of entertainment too.