Strikers? Who needs 'em?
After all, Spain won Euro 2012 without one, and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City seemed to rub along just fine before Erling Haaland arrived. Now Sunderland have shown that they have got the hang of this false nine thing, too.
They needed to, because when Ellis Simms limped off at the Madejski Stadium with 37 minutes on the clock, their fans must have feared the worst. With top scorer Ross Stewart already sidelined for at least six weeks, the loss of the Black Cats' only other senior striker to injury was exactly the circumstance that supporters - and boss Tony Mowbray - had dreaded.
