The game of football at the professional level requires not only players with quick feet but with a sharp mind as well. As the level of the game goes higher, technical skills are overtaken by the ability of a player to be mentally quick. The professional game is played at the highest level and every professional is more or less gifted with abundance in terms of technicality and ball skills. The great players stand out from the regular ones on one basis, their use of the brain.
The game is decided in a split second and players are judged on the few moments they get on the ball. The game is even more difficult for the strikers and goalkeepers who unlike the midfielders see lesser of the ball but the magnitude of their little time is significantly more than the playmakers and tacklers in the midfield.
For a striker, the game is more in the mind than anything. A good striker is never short on confidence. Their mental strength has to be on point every single time they step on the pitch, whether it be once in a month or for ninety minutes every time their team plays a match.
It is therefore difficult for strikers called upon from the bench to make an impact as chances are harder to come by and the stakes are always high. The stories of back up strikers are the ones which go wrong most often and their careers are never judged by correct parameters.
A prime example of such a case is Nakhi Wells.The Bermudian forward moved to Burnley from Huddersfield Town last summer. The striker came with a good reputation after scoring 49 goals for Huddersfield in 153 matches and expected to continue his run at Burnley However, the Clarets already had Sam Vokes, Ashley Barnes, Jonathan Walters and star signing Chris Wood in their roster. This meant that Wells was largely a backup option and never got enough time on the pitch. He has played only 6 matches this season.
The record gets even worse for him as he has played all of those matches as substitutes and his total minutes clocked stands at a meagre 43 minutes. Needless to say, he has failed to score a goal or set up one for his team.
It is now being reported Aston Villa, who are fourth in the Championship table and fighting for a playoff spot are interested in the Burnley hitman. Their scoring problems, however, remain strong with the club just scoring 42 goals in 28 matches and Wells could be the answer to a promotion next season.
