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Sam Allardyce analysed the success of Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke alongside Asmir Begovic.
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Former West Ham and Everton manager Sam Allardyce has heaped praise on the work of Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke and Everton forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin for their desires to bring back the traditional striker role.
It'll be no surprise to football fans to hear that Big Sam harbours nostalgia for a more old-fashioned form of football, featuring regularly on a podcast titled No Tippy Tappy Football. On a new episode, the 70-year-old sat down with Everton goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.
During the chat, Begovic was asked about the development of Dominic Solanke, who signed for Spurs on a huge £65 million deal this summer from AFC Bournemouth. The goalkeeper played with Solanke while with the Cherries and also knows the talisman from time at Chelsea.
Asmir Begovic: ‘Relegation was the best thing for Solanke’
Begovic said: "When he came to Bournemouth, the best thing that happened to him was Bournemouth getting relegated. He never had a run of games where he could play 30+ games in a season and develop as a player overall - his finishing, his runs, everything like that.
"In going to the Championship that year, I remember playing with him, it was the best thing that happened to him. That's when he really started to take the next step and get the trust in himself to be given the number nine shirt. That started his development and, three or four years of regular football, he moves to Tottenham."
Allardyce was in agreement with Begovic and went on to compare that experience to one had by one of his former players in Calvert-Lewin. The manager worked with the striker while at Goodison Park.
Chelsea were linked with a move for Calvert-Lewin this summer according to GIVEMESPORT, but were deterred by a £25 million asking price from the Merseyside outfit.
Big Sam explains POMO analogy
Big Sam said: "I talk the same about Dominic Calvert-Lewin when I was at Everton. There was absolutely nothing wrong with his play up to the box but his goal conversion was not happening. All of a sudden, when he gains more and more experience in the Premier League and working under Carlo Ancelotti, he became that goalscorer."
The duo went on to talk about the importance of crosses with Begovic admitting that the most danger a striker can pose him between the sticks is when they are waiting for a ball in the penalty box, the conversation inspired by Alexander Isak's goal against Chelsea earlier this month.
With a wry smile, Allardyce then asked the room if they understood the term 'POMO', which could be applied to both the strikers.
He said: "There's a POMO position in the box, you know that? Position of maximum opportunity. Go in there, find where the ball is and you'll start scoring goals.
"A lot about the POMO is not the first phase but the tap-in and being in the right spot, and also being on the move most of the time. There is a POMO position."