Chelsea News 24/7Writer: KAKUfrank 
Date:Thursday March 21 2013
Time: 12:53PM
UK time is: 07:27:37
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Ideal Striker / Forward for Chelsea
The purpose of this article is to examine what type of attacker(s) we need taking into consideration the talent we would have in the club after the transfer window closes.
Do you need a prototypical Center Forward or do we need an auxiliary forward who would be capable of playing the wide forward role and through the middle as a striker but not necessarily as a CF?
My assumption is majority of Chelsea fans and probably Chelsea management will not agree with the last point.
The first notion or idea to refute is having 3 centre forwards is required for a club like Chelsea. It does not last and secondly, it would not be an intelligent move for Chelsea to be paying 3 strikers for one position. My point will mostly likely be refuted by citing the Manchester examples such as United and Citeh.
It is however imperative to note that Manchester United will mostly win the title this year with a strike force of RVP, Rooney, Chichirato and Welbeck. Out of these 4 players, only 2 are real center forwards in RVP and Chichi. Sir Alex has deployed Welbeck in other roles besides the CF position. Rooney is capable of playing the CF position, but in the last 2 seasons, he`s been primarily deployed behind RVP or Chichirato.
The last time Man U won the league, they had 2 primary CFs in Berbatov and Chichirato with Rooney occupying the position behind the CF. They of course had 3 strikers last season in Chichirato, Welbeck and Berbatov, but Dimitar only played 513 minutes last season in the EPL. Started only 5 games and featured in 12. Doing the math, Berbatov played an average of 13 minutes per game last season. Where is Dimitar now? He is at Fulham.
Man City`s season last year will also be cited as an example to support the argument of having 3 CFs in a squad. Man City had a strike force of Tevez, Aguero, Balotelli, and Dzeko. It could be argued that Tevez and Aguero are not out and out strikers. They are versatile enough to be deployed in the CF position or be paired with another striker. Balotelli, Aguero and Dzeko were the preferred CFs.
However, Tevez missed 3/4s of last season playing Golf in Latin America. Only from April did he feature more for Man City. Mancini preferred a flexible front two of Tevez and Aguero while Balotelli and Dzeko were on the bench. When Tevez was on vacation however, Dzeko and Balotelli started 16 and 14 games in the PL respectively last season. If you break Man City`s season into 3 periods (i.e. the first 13 games; the second 13 games and the third 12 games for a total of 38 games) last year, the record of Dzeko, Balotelli, and Aguero are as follows:
1.) Aguero - Started 11, 12 and 8 games respectively for a total of 31 games started. He played 2,600 minutes out of the available 3,400 minutes (76% of Man City games).
2.) Dzeko - Started 10, 4 and 2 games respectively for a total of 16 games started. He played 1,497 minutes out of the available 3,400 minutes (43.77% of Man City games).
3.) Balotelli - Started 4, 4 and 5 games respectively for a total of 31 games started. He played 1,326 minutes out of the available 3,400 minutes (38.77% of Man City games).
Tevez was excluded since his record will present an anomaly. Even at that, He started the most games after Aguero in the final 12 games of the season (8 games). I didn`t take the numbers for this season, but generally Balotelli featured in less games this season than Aguero and Dzeko and as the case is similar with Berbatov, he has departed.
Man City is currently linked with Falcao and Cavani as well. If they indeed complete the transfer of one of the above players, I`ll be pretty surprised if Dzeko remains at Man City given the speculations over the last 2 transfer windows.
If we consider other examples in Europe, most clubs have only 2 prototypical CFs. In some cases, only 1 centre forward.
This begs the question or why many believe Chelsea should add a CF in addition to having Lukaku and Demba Ba as our CFs (if Torres departs this summer) next season. Of course it would work if such CF begins to the produce the goods required for us to compete in the PL and UCL. But I strongly believe we would find ourselves in a situation similar to City and Man U have found themselves which is one striker refusing to sit on the bench whilst pursuing an exit out of the club.
Some can point to when Chelsea won the double under Carlo as another example since we had Drogba, Sturridge and Anelka. Again, Sturridge hardly featured in any of the PL games and only started getting game time under AVB in the wide right position. Prior to that, he decided to join Bolton because he needed game time just like Balotelli and Berbatov.
Do we still need a CF really if we actually want to keep Lukaku and Demba Ba?
I think there is a reason the club has been looking to add the likes of Schurrle and Jovetic for the past 2 seasons. They`ve followed the model of having 2 Out and Out CFs in the squad - Torres and Ba, Torres and Sturridge, Torres and Drogba etc...If I was going to make a bet, I wouldn`t bet on the club making a 50mm acquisition of a Cavani or Falcao. I think they would apply that money towards a versatile forward at a max of 25mm.
Secondly, in spite of having a poor Torres and a Demba Ba who hasn`t replicated his form in Newcastle, Chelsea is still the second highest scoring team in the PL after Manchester United with 58 goals in 29 games (average of 2 goals per game) while conceding 29 goals (average of 1 goal per game). Man City with Aguero, Tevez, and Dzeko have managed to score only 51 goals.
I don`t think competing for the PL or the UCL is about the number of goals we score. Such analysis or statement will be incomplete without of course looking at the other side of the argument which is the amount of goals we concede.
If we actually examine the ratio of the amount of goals scored with the amount of goals conceded under our double winning campaign (under Ancelotti), under Jose Mourinho and the last time the Manchester sides won the PL, I believe the point will be made more clear. Please see as follows:
1.) Chelsea - Goals scored to goal conceded ratio in 2004/2005 season = 4.80
2.) Chelsea - Goals scored to goal conceded ratio in 2005/2006 season = 3.27
3.) Chelsea - Goals scored to goal conceded ratio in 2009/2010 season = 3.22
4.) Man U - Goals scored to goal conceded ratio in 2010/2011 season = 2.11
5.) Man City - Goals scored to goal conceded ratio in 2010/2011 season = 3.21
The worst of the above was Manchester United and it is no coincidence they were embarrassed in the UCL final that year and destroyed by A.Bilbao the following season without any improvements. Chelsea is currently worse than this with a ratio of 1.93 since we concede an average of 1.03 goals per game. Under our double winning season, we conceded 0.84 goals per game and under Mourinho, it was 0.39 and 0.58.
Finally, can we extract a minimum of 70 goals from an attacking group which consists of Lukaku, Demba Ba, Mata, Hazard, Oscar, Victor Moses, Marko Marin and the new attacker next season?
a.) Can we get 30 goals in the PL from Demba Ba and Lukaku next season?
b.) Can we get 30 goals in the PL from Hazard, Mata and Oscar?
c.) Can we get 10 goals from Moses, Marin and a new forward like say a Jovetic?
d.) Can we get 10 goals from our central midfielders?
d.) Can we get 10 goals from penalties?
e.) Can we get 10 goals from our defenders next season?
The above is around a 100 goals and I agree it is a bit too optimistic. Nevertheless, if you shave off 20 goals due to various reasons such as the Lampard situation (if his contract is not extended); what if Lukaku and Demba Ba do not perform and potential flops etc...I don`t think 80 goals will be hard task to ask from squad above. Based on our current form, we are on course to score 76 goals this season. If we score 80 goals next season and manage to concede 30 goals, this would put our goal scored to goal conceded ratio to 2.67. This is not bad considering the ratios of the past winners (including United in 2010/2011 season). If we increase that to 90 goals, we`d increase our chances of winning the title and competing in the UCL.
So I ask the members again, do we really need a Falcao or the equivalent?
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Your Comments
Lukaku has scored about 13 goals and Ba is around that range....these are average strikers in my opinion,we don't need three strikers,we need a world class striker alongside BA and lukaku should be sent on loan again and at the end of next season when lukaku has gained enough experience and has improved more,BA can be sold While lukaku and the world class striker remain because for now I can't see the difference between sturridge of Avb era and lukaku now (in terms of goal scoring),sturridge scored goals when on loan at bolton and when he came back to chelsea,he still fell short of CFC standard though he scored a few too....talking about a world class striker, a world class striker is needed but I am of the opinion that a striker that can play as a false 9 will score more goals at CFC than a striker that plays on the defenders shoulder,we create chances at CFC but how many are for the strikers?most times hazard/mata might even get more chances on goal than BA,we don't need to spend big on falcao because a rooney,jovetic,messi kind of striker(I am not saying they are targets) will perform better at chelsea....we just need brilliant and mobile strikers who can move out wide or drop deep and still score goals
Hazard11
You're right about three strikers being too much: one of Lukaku or Ba simply wouldn't play enough if Falcao was here. I think we will try to sign Falcao though, because even though, as you rightly point out, we'll get by without him, signing him kinda guarantees a title challenge and and increased degree of success. If we do sign him we should loan out Lukaku or sell Ba. What we do need is an auxilary forward who can be that third-choice striker but who can be played alongside the main one too. Son Heung-min, Mkhitaryan or, ehem, Neymar, are just this sort of player. I agree with you in every way Kakufrank, other than that I still think a guaranteed goal-scorer like Falcao means that 100 goal mark you thought was too optimistic becomes considerably less so. Maybe that's worth the outlay alone?
Wiggis
Nice article @KAKUfrank. Yes, we need another CF IMO, Lukaku/Ba are good but our midgets want to score all the time so they prefer to create chances for each other than CF. Why another CF, we need someone like Drogba (or you give me a name) who can hold the ball up i.e. CONTROL on his chest (long balls from Cech) and hold it till the MIDGETS reach him and can lay off to them, who can bully Vidic and other defenders should be scared of playing against him becasue of his PHYSICAL presence. We are no Braca (Divers) we will kick long more than we will pass short if you know what I mean. We will never be able to play like Barca unless we change most of our players.
B2K420
You already said BA not performing, dont you think having another striker is a better insurance considering his knees as well. In addition, with his age, i will argue he is not likely to give us 25-30 goals.
Then lukaku, agree he is showing potential but am not sure he is ready to step up to big things especially for a club like chelsea. At best continue to use him as sub and in 2 years he will be ready. Remember he does well at Bronx as sub 'cos the club is a small club with determination and he is out to prove we made a mistake loaning him. has started 9 matches, only scored once against a big club (Liverpool). I say big clubs just to show if he can take on big, experienced defenders 'cos if playing for Chelsea he will have to come in strong against the big EPL & CL teams. Lukaku has scored 13 goals in 33 matches, 1788 minutes of football from August till date.
I while use him more often as a good sub.
Supposing Torres goes, will you be confident this 2 (BA, Lukaku) will deliver the titles? NO, 'cos if one gets injured or suspended we are back to the torres scenario (1 striker).
While am not down with Falcao unless the price is right, am up for a young, strong striker with history of 15 goals up for the past 2-3 years, being able to operate from the wings is a plus. Having 3 strikers is ok with me, who knows the next coach may prefer playing with 2 up front
jim shimfe
@B2K420, Manchester United and Manchester City do not have someone like Drogba. As the records indicate, they've won the league with a Chichirato and Berbatov (none like Drogba); Robin Van Persie (not like Drogba) and none of these "bully" Vidic. They are other ways to get around Vidic and if you want to Bully Vidic, send Lukaku to run full speed at him. Lol!!!!!
KAKUfrank
A jovetic, and a Wing wizard will do a lot of good next season,a player like marco reus(winger) who would cost about 35m and jovetic (false 9) that will cost 25m OR a mobile striker that will cost about 35m ( like rooney) and a winger like rodriguez that will cost about 25m will make so much sense than spending 50-55 m on a falcao....just get a wing wizard and a decent mobile striker or a decent winger and a brilliant mobile striker(it might not neccesarily be the names I mentioned) then we are good to go....
Hazard11
@JimShife, if healthy Jovetic has demonstrated he can score a goal every 2 games and Lewandoski can score as well. However, you can't retain 3 of Lewandoski, Demba Ba and Lukaku. One would have to be sold. With a versatile forward, however, you can. Since we are discussing about Demba, I think he should be given more time since some of us gave Torres 1 - 2 years in a CFC shirt. Moving him when if his poor form continues will be wishful thinking since the other club might not think he is worth the pay check he is collecting in such a poor form.
KAKUfrank
We need a striker who can join the buildup and be at the recieving end of the goals ala suarez...neymar can do that too
djangbahevans
We don't need a bully,we need a striker that can play with our wingers,football has passed the era of "ball in d air" or balls from keeper to striker then to the net....we just need a brilliant and mobile striker,a winger a back up keeper and a cmf,then we are okay for next season
Hazard11
as much as we need a new striker i really dont want to see the club go and spend £40/£50 million on one.if we do go down that route i would really prefer cavani to falcao,just because i dont think falcao will suit our team as much as a cavani would.lewendowski will end up at man utd i think that is already a given. i wouldnt be surprised to see cfc bring lukaku back and buy andre schurrle. i still dont know if torres will be sold this summer! i got a feeling here will still be here next season.
Dave-David
we need a striker like suarez , jovetic , erik lamela , iago aspas , david villa , cassano , .. cavani is a striker who brings others into the game so does lewandowski , more than that we need a midfielder with defensive skill sets time to get marek hamsik.
haji ahmed
Lukaku still raw, pitch him against good defenders he gets a yellow then stops trying to score thats why i will use him as a good sub for now
jim shimfe
I think why some fans are clamoring for a 3rd striker is because none of our current strikers can be regarded as a reliable or dependable one... I however agree with this article that having 3 strikers does not guarantee a successful season and might be difficult to manage... My opinion is that if we want to get a striker it shouldn't be a traditional out and out one. we should get a striker like Luiz Suarez, Tevez or Jovetic... I really don't know why we are interested in Schurrle.... to me, he's not what we need, I will rather go for that Pierre Emerick dude than go for Schurrle....
Latunvic
I agree with hazard11,football has gone beyond the era of 'hoof the ball' strategy..with all the amazing talents we ve got we should be keepin the ball on the ground and no better way to make it work than to have brilliant,mobile strikers and not some physical powerhouse upfront(we might need them as plan B),personally i would prefer strikers in the mould of tevez,aguero,suarez,lavezzi,cassano e.t.c but if we must go physical,then wilfried bony is my undisputed choice
Ken4CFC
Great interesting and insightful article as always Kaku. I would have to argue that we do need a Falcao/Cavani type striker. Not for the BPL, but for the Champions League. Big games are won by players that carry the team on their shoulders - Lampard / Drogba type players. I personally don't think that Mata / Oscar / Hazard have matured enough in their roles with the club to do so - and therefore our inconsistency this year. Especially in big games, you need a Slatan, a Drogba to break the tie and make a difference in the game. I am not sure Ba can carry that baton, and I am not sure Lukaku is ready for that responsibility as yet. They both can kill off mid-table teams, but when you are up against Juventus, Bayern, Madrid, Barcelona - I'd argue that you need a big game player to break the tie. If we want to get anywhere next year in the Europa League or Champions League, I'd argue we need a bigger striker that instills fear in our opponents.
ddrogba
Good write up Kaku. Just to add to what you've said,its also important to point out that Manchester United and Manchester City line up in a 2 striker formation unlike Chelsea,and whenever they revert to a one striker formation tactically during games,they have strikers who can play either on the wings,or behind the striker in the hole. In the 80's a CF is a natural poachers with natural instincts to finish and great positional play,the motive was to get the ball to him and he'll finish brilliantly. Football has evolved dramatically and we saw this gradually from the Dutch National team and recently in Barcelona and the Spanish NT. No I'm not really talking about a false 9...Ill explain further; The 2 best strikers in the English Premier League happens to be RVP and Suarez,they are your modern day CF constantly on their toes,moving around and disrupting the line of defence,bringing others into play with their movement not solemnly with their hold up play. They both have the instincts and finishing of a striker,and the intelligence and technicality of a trenquista. The type of players present in your team and strategy implored basically determines the type of striker needed. You might disagree but Torres has developed his style of play to match the players present in the team,the only thing lacking in his game is his finishing and technicality...Imagine a Mazacar playing behind a very mobile CF,who moves constantly to drag CF's wide,with Mazacar doing the same,we'll have a frightening attack. I'm sure everyone knows I'm not a fan of transfers or pointing out players the club should buy,but my analysis above gives a good indication on the type of striker needed. 2 strikers with different qualities just to provide a plan B.
nelyvanile
I've been watching Lukaku of late,and i think we have a rare gem on our hands. He is pretty skillful for his size and can offer us 2 strategies in one mold. He has the mold to give us aerial presence if we decide to go with the route 1 approach,and he also has the skill and technicality to provide a pass and move approach and create space for others with incisive movement.
nelyvanile
We've got the strongest squad in EPL in my opinion. Next season we'll be twice stronger, so I think we don't need three strikers when we've got three already. We need the best manager that we can get for next season.
Prettyguy
Nah, I dont agree. We need another Goal Scoring Beast. Lukaku & Ba are never gonna be enough, it will mean making the same mistake of this season.
SameX
Schurlle is not as good as we think
SameX
Jovetic is prone to injuries & it seems City will get him If Madrid Land Cavani.
SameX
City don't want Falcao. I dont know why. Cavani is their first choice with Jovetic 2nd choice. Madrid will land Cavani & City will settle for Jovetic. They may sell Dzeko & add the young cheap CF.
SameX
This may be hard to accept but I think Falcao will be here next season, talks about the guy are increasing by the day. First of all, T9 refused a huge deal with Anzhi & said he wants to go back to Spain, then the board slapped a 20m Pounds price tag on Courtois, a guy we all thought will be staying with us. Athletico wants Courtois(20m), Torres wants to go back there & is still worth about 15m, thats already 35m Quids out of 48m for Falcao. And everyone knows Roman, he always wants the best, he will be thinking of how deadly this team will be with a CF like Falcao. Do the maths guys????
SameX
Hazard11, We created a hatful of chances for Ba on Sunday but somehow he managed to miss them all! Only Barcelona have scored more goals than Chelsea this season so scoring hasn't been a major problem despite our less than prolific strikers. There is a risk that Lukaku will turn into another Sturridge but he might turn into another Drogba. I think he has shown enough this season to be at least given a chance. It is not like he is some youth team prospect. We paid about £15m for him and he has already played in the CL (I think) and is a regular international for the new glamour national team. Spending £45m in Falcao, or anyone, is a huge risk. Diego Forlan was a sensation at A. Madrid but a disaster at Man Utd.
CobhamBlue
I totally agree with KakuFrank. With a strike force of Ba, Lukaku and Torres we will be good to go next season. Buying additional strikers would be an unnessesary luxury as our hands would be forced to appease one by selling another. I especially have faith in Lukaku's hunger and ability to step up to the plate and his versatility to play either direct or with trickery. Also as much as others would disagree with me Ba and especially Torres are proven strikers (though I won't lose any sleep if he gets sold then again I suspect he will be part of the proceedings next season) so we are covered. Great article with the usual statistical wealth.
traykidd
Not sure Chelsea need a out an out CF. I agree we would be better off with a Saurez, RVP, Tevez type player who can drag defenders out of position with their intelligent play and technique. Note the mentioned also provide for others aswell as score goals. Having players like this will allow moore spaces for mazacar to operate and they will be better combo next season.
MrDax
chelsea need lewondowski , fellani, and gaitan. THANKS
habbo
no to falcao and gomez
habbo
i like mourinho and guus
habbo
SameX is thinking along the same lines as me & may well be correct. But can I point out- IF WE DON'T QUALIFY FOR THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, we won't be signing any top players, in fact we'd do well to keep the ones we already have. So get behind the team everyone, including even the Wobbly Waiter, I hope he succeeds in his brief & after all, he's off at the end of it. One thing though, a supreme irony, we just might win the one competition we weren't in (Europa League) at the start of a season when we were challenging for at least 7 trophies.
analooish
I think your confused about an out and out St. Teve/welbeck can play other positions but that doesnt make them a CF. They are both very capable lone st. Lukaku will probably go out on loan next season. Having a cf would just cause problems. Torres is basically a cf and we don't need a player to help o ut mazacar. We need a proper lone St.Lewandowski/falcao/higuain
Humza_96
I don't know what Chelsea you guys have been watching: 1) Mata/Hazard has to drop deep to get the ball and start/build the attack on most occasions cause our pivot players can't pass like Alonso 2) If you put a cross in the box midgets/Torres/recently Ba normally don't win any headers. 3) Teams like Swansea when press us high, Cech kicks it long, then your midgets/Torres/recently Ba don't win any headers or hold the ball/control on the chest. 4) Personnel: Our defenders/midfield are not comfortable to play from the back. Cech sometimes try to play from the back but nobody wants the ball (Terry/Iva especially) then opposition closes them down and Cech HAS TO KICK IT LONG ON MOST OCCASIONS.-----------------------IMO If you ask Mata honestly does he prefers to play with Torres/Ba/Lukaku/Drogba he will say Drogba. Mata knows since Drogba left he/midfield has to work harder to get the ball close to the opposition's 18 yard box as Drogba would have controlled the ball on his CHEST or won a FREE KICK as defenders 9 out of 10 times had to FOUL him to get to the ball. I have watched most of Chelsea games and know they STILL KICK IT LONG and Torres mostly losses headers and we don't win 2nd balls. @Kaku: Like you said we have scored loads of goals but what I am trying to say is If we have a player who can hold the ball on his chest then we WOULD HAVE SCORED MORE THAN (DIVERS) BARCA, why, midgets (Hazard/Mata/Oscar) would be more fresh as they would not have to drop deep and build up play, just get the ball 30 yards in the opposition's half and start the attack.
B2K420
If we buy Falcao, than we just might sell Lukaku. Lukaku might not be the first option in the first season, but will want to be in the second or he will ask to leave, wihich I would realy hate. I would preffer we go into next season with Lukaku and Ba, perhaps buy Jovetic or Pierre, hope not Schurrle.
icebluelg
Good article Kaku and I agree - we do not need a lavish vanity purchase of a guy in his late 20s that has probably already peaked, and will cost us an arm and a leg in wage and transfer fee which can be better distributed to other areas of the squad, particularly as FFP gets tougher on clubs in europe. Why are those doubting Lukaku still? Surely what he is ding at West Brom is covincing enough that he must be back with the CFC first team next season? He offers more than Ba or Torres currently. He will hold up play better and has the airial threat whilst still being good enough to dribble and run with the ball. He really is like a drogba of old, but will till develop and get better. I just hope this 2 and half year Torres experiment gets cut loose and we can work with Lukaku + Ba and perhaps an aux striker/wing forward like you have mentioned Kaku. Currently we have really just Hazard, Moses, Marin (who has barely played) so another wide option that can play centrally is probaly a wise move. I exclude Mata as I think he is somewhat wasted playing wide, and wont track back properly to defend. Hes best centrally where he has more coverage and an create more.
BlueKiwi
Just get Lewandowski. Hes fairly young and would only cost 20-25m. forget about these half decent st like aubemeyang/bony/schurrle.. We can make like 15-20m off Torres plus the 175k a week would be cut to like 100k.
Humza_96
We only need 3 players imo. A world class St- Lewandowski-25m. a backup gk- boruc-free. and maybe a decent Rw-navas/sanchez-25m. That way we would be fully covered. There's no need for a cdm. mikel/rammy/romeu/luiz/essien/1or2 youth player i.e. mceahcran/ake. Are more than capable of providing us strength and depth . even if essien goes. Overall we would be spending 50m. But would be getting 25m from the essien/Torres sales. so only 25m expenditure.
Humza_96
Humza_96, McEachran's a Championship player. If Chelsea have any plans to challenge for the title or CL he won't be playing for Chelsea next season.
CobhamBlue
Anyone watching Brazil vs Italy?......
Latunvic
bennitez is better than scholari , hulk is still playing while oscar is out
habbo
Quality article, my opinion of the falcao deal remains the same, I think we should steer clear the dude and use the approximately 50m to buy marco reus dortmund will deal in the region of 30m, we can also get a player like argentine facundo farreyra with the remainder, between this two, we have technically gifted players who are pacey and would get the job done, lukaku,BA,reus as winger and SS/CF, facundo farreyra, we can sell off torres.
Desmondadonis
hulk ??? lucky 4 chelsea no buy him
habbo
CobhamBlue, Josh is Championship players based on what? He's only 20. Where were the team of 2005 when they were 20?
foreign_viewer
Writing off a young person's potential just like that is pathetic.
foreign_viewer
Meanwhile, @Mq's favourite, Hulk, is tripping over his own feet vs Italy.
foreign_viewer
wait McEachran is a good player but not world class like everyone here say he will be more like a squad player to us !
I hate CR7
scholari is pathetic
habbo
foreign_viewer, based on ability. I'm not saying he will or won't be good enough for Chelsea in 2 or 3 years. But he is not ready to play regularly for Chelsea at the moment.
CobhamBlue
brazil playing zero without oscar
habbo
mate ... McEachran is a squad player/championship player ..... what are you smoking .
@B2K420 can you stop referring to mata hazard oscar has midgets... whats that about.
If we keep torres then we dont really need another striker but if one of lukaku.Torres.Ba leave on loan or permanantly for various reasons then we do need another striker
tj_blues
Great game.....Top class football and goals.... Brilliant goal by Oscar and a sick goal from Balotelli.... Ray Wilkins is saying Oscar is not a top class No.10 for Brazil and that Brazil need a superstar NO.10 with the quality of the likes of Ronaldinho, Zico, Pele... Funny!
Latunvic
tj_blues, McEachran chose to go to Middlesborough because he didn't think he'd get a start with a Premier League team and he ain't pulling up any trees at Middlesborough. What does that tell you?
CobhamBlue
That's why they sacked Wilkins. He is a worthless pundit.
foreign_viewer
Wilkins praises his favourites all the time, even if they don't possess half the skills Oscar has. Were it up to him, the whole team of 2010 would play until 2020. Luckily, Roman doesn't tolerate nonsense and sacked him.
foreign_viewer
foreign_viewer, Yep, Roman sacked Wilkins and probably cost Chelsea the title, but of course it was the right decision.
CobhamBlue
Reus wouldn't leave dortmund for us right now maybe in a few yrs but not at this moment in time. also mceahcran is good enough for us. before cleverly was starting games for manu he was a lot *****ter than mceahcran. The only way you know if their not gd enough is when you give them a chance. and how is a player of mceahcran position suppose to show his class at middlesborough? Whenever he has played for us hes seemed more than capable to be a good squad player.
Humza_96
U are right @fv,anytimes when wilkins spits crap like this,i see more reasons why he was sacked..he is a worthless pundit
Ken4CFC
@humza_96 ... thank you very much on the mceachran talk you talk sense.
@CobhamBlue yh he isn't setting the championship on fire but from what I have seen and heard and trust me I have been following his progress at middlesbrough. He aint done bad .
And what does him choosing middlesbrough have to do with anything . He went there for game time. thats the only way a player can improve no matter what division you're in. He was at swansea last season with brendan rodgers and he never got a sniff
tj_blues
Our very first priority should be a deep lying passing/creative midfielder that can quarterback the midfield and set a faster tempo..We have talked about this forever...as far as Lukaku, he has more drive, ambition, heart and passion in his little pinkie than anyone else on the team...Lukaku is the opposite of Torres regarding confidence...I agree with the author, lets recall Lukaku and get a more versatile forward. If it comes down to either Lukaku or Ba...I would sell Ba...Lukaku has way too much potential and we shouldn't let him get too far away from Chelsea...I like Luke Shaw for LB and use Blackmon as backup...
lamarochs
Before anything I must say thumbs up kakufrank, this is a really brilliant article *well done*. Now to the issue at hand, after reading through all or several comments I happened to storm on my own conclusion which is; I want 3 strikers in chelsea next season, the striker I will like to spearhead our attack will be Falcao, if we can't get him then Lewandowski. The other striker we should get is Andre Shurrle(the concept of this is getting someone that can do the finishing business and can also play from wide just like anelka and kalou previously) our third striker will be Demba Ba/Lukaku but I prefer Demba Ba. Torres out and lukaku loaned. This is my opinion on this article I rest my case.
BluesInMe
jackson Martinez is the striker we need.. the man who replaced Falcao..... if not Lewandowski or the Pierre kid
denverblue
KAKU.How about Peter Crouch as a third-choice.He can play all the games of less importance.When we are in a situation of chasing the game,he can come on as an impact sub.We will have three strikers then.
cfc250
Peter Crouch? Come one man. Similar to the Defoe suggesstion. They both stink.
KAKUfrank
@CobhamBlue When Ancelotti was Chelsea boss he stated that in his professional opinion(3 scudettos and 2 CL trophys in case you have forgotten) that Josh was ready for first team action. If Roman didn't sack him for finishing 2nd, Josh and Kakuta would certainly be first team players by now but thanks to the short termism of the owner and fans like you, lots of potential world class youngsters are wasted and the cheers for casino economics carry on, buy 28yr old Falcao for 48mill! Chelsea would absolutely die without Falcao! I hope sanity will finally prevail at SW6 from next season.
traykidd
I feel we need to buy a striker more imposing (mentally) and with experience in League winning or Champs League challenging footie, I can think of the likes of Suarez (most talented forward in the EPL right now, has won titles in the Dutch League) maybe Lewandowski given he's won the German League twice (and "knows" the pressures therein) Falcao (for £40Mil max though) either Benzema or Higuain (I think they can improve with regular playing time and Mourinho's hardly instilled confidence in them, especially Benzema). If we need some level "assurance" we best get a striker who's played beyond the last 16 of the Champs League and has been involved in a League winning scrap because the experience entailed is immense. I don't feel buying the likes of Jovetic or Schurrle will make an improvement to our team while also helping Lukaku develop, it's almost buying an older version of the same kind of player. For all their talents, they don't have enough experience to lead a Champs League/Title winning-ambitious team so given that inexperience, what can they teach Lukaku?? We might as well keep Ba and use him with Lukaku, buying an inexperienced striker (in the Champs League or respective League) is simply prolonging our success (unless we willing to sacrifice another year or 2 of not winning anything significant)
@Mq
@traykid, u make a lot of sensse, pity josh and. Kakuta
jayb
How many games did RVP win ManUre?? Even Mancini says the moment he missed out on RVP he knew they'd struggle to retain their title. Every successful team needs that talisman who can win the games that are difficult, who can score the important goals and make the difference. Barca has Messi, Madrid have Ronaldo, Athletico has Falcao, ManUre have RVP, Bayern had Gomez last season (I hear they have another Gomez now) Man$hitty had Aguero last season (if they released negative-mentality players like Tevez, Dzeko & Balotelli and got RVP I'm sure they'd be better than what they are now) Dortmund had Lewandowski last season (okay he had help from Gotze, Kagawa but he was still a "threat") Juve's the only exception because they've won without a quality #9 although on the European front (Champs League) I'm watching to see how effective they'll be "when it matters" without a fear factor....Point is, every top 2 (or 3) team in the top European Leagues have/had a "fear factor" forward who had/has a knack of scoring especially when it matters, and looking at Chelsea you ask yourself who that is?? Yes Hazard and Mata are becoming more and more brilliant, likewise Oscar but we've seen matches that highlight the need of an orthodox goal scorer (for instance how many chances did we create vs ManUre when we could've killed them off) if you look at the number of chances created/goals scored ratio (especially under Rafa) we almost scoring 1 goal for 5 to 6 chances created, and that's not good enough for a team that wants to win the EPL or Champs League
@Mq
just noticed that everyone has been slagging off mceachran- no, he isnt an "english footballer" he has vision, a superb passing range, continental technique, brilliant close control, dribbling and the much sought after ability tocontrol the game and play in a possession team
am i the only one sick of people having a go at him- "championship player" give the guy some credit for dropping down a league so that he can play reguarly, does noone else remember the 18 year old who came on against marseille in the champions league and put in a slick, mature and classy performance? everyone said the english xavi! this is the problem with sacking managers as the stability lost wrecks young players- barca pick 3 young players and try to integrate them(seems in hindsight to be what ancelotti was doing)
chelsea_pass
Hahaha! Wilkins is still mad @Roman. The same guy that said Welbeck & Cleverly will be England stars is saying Oscar is not a good enough #10. Lol! Even SirAlex will not say that. I thought Wilkins was reasonable
SameX
Wilkins departure was not the reason Carlo could not win the league. Carlo still went on a 12games unbeaten run in 2011 with 11 wins and one draw against Stoke, which saw us finish 2nd. All we needed to do was win @OT but Luiz defended like **** in the first 2 mins & Chichi scored, Vidic scored a fluke goal & that was enough to end our title bid. Even with a less effective Malouda, Kalou, Lamps, DD, Essien & Anelka compared to his first season we still finished 2nd. Our bad moments and injuries to key players was key to our slump that season. All Wilkins did was to talk and talk and talk, little surprise he was sacked & is now a pundit. He cant stop talking.
SameX
Oscar is gonna be one of the greatest #10 in football history. He is a complete player. He can score, he can pass, he can mark, he is brilliant and very hard to shake off the ball. He is comfortable with coming deep to spray the ball. This is still his first season in Europe but he has scored 9 important goals with about 9 assists. Lets not forget that he is very skillful and is very dangerous when he decides to dribble past players, he penetrates easilly in the opposition box like a Messi no matter how many players are there, even with this ability he does not dribble all the time, he prefers to pass, this is a virtue that will take him to the very top. He is not the flashy and show-show type. Wilkins is very wrong. Neymar, Damiao and Hulk have all confessed that they love playing with Oscar. Neymar said he makes things easy for him.
SameX
Menezes brought him up and made him the #10. Scolari saw his talents and kept him there, Kaka and Ronaldinho have to be content with the bench or play alongside Oscar. Rafa started out with Moses but he now sees how talented Oscar is and has fallen in love with the lad. Oscar have thus played many games for us of recent. I dont see him going to the bench anytime soon.
SameX
A United friend of Mine said he fears Oscar than Mata & Hazard. He said Oscar is like a ghost, he just pops up suddenly and makes the difference. He said we need to allow Oscar play more through the middle as Rio & Evans will not be able to handle him or shake him off the ball cos they dont do well against players that run at them. I told him he was wrong that Mata is the one to be feared but deep down in my heart I knew He was right.
SameX
Btw, this article is a Quality one, good work @Kakufrank and Lol @Peter Crouch.
SameX
@Mq's point is valid and there is no disputing what you've said, but getting a striker like Falcao or thereabouts would definitely mean one of Demba Ba or Lukaku exiting. We might actually find ourselves in a situation whereby Lukaku spends another 1 year on loan at West Brom so that the squad has the new striker + Demba Ba. I am also sure before we make such a purchase, we'll be sure about selling Torres for some amount. Even at that, there is still some reservation around how such new striker will fit in the team.
KAKUfrank
Although am rooting for a Lukaku return,the realist in me feels he is better left on another loan spell at WBA,maybe till January or May. We must understand the pressure he'll have to deal with,and he is just 19 for goodness sake. He may very well deliver the goods if brought,but that remains improble given the obvious lack of game time that will befall him here. We felt his WB impact more this season because we didnt have a prolific goalscoring cf. Although,if we get a good manager that's very much willing to give a go at him,am all for it,so long as we have another two capable goal machines...he can then compete with them. I dont subscribe to a 2 striker squad and am fully sure it is replete with all manner of risks,which we shouldnt dabble to take...not anymore. If we can get a Dzeko or Gomez...or a cut price Falcao..(to reduce the effect of the unexpected),then we can go with a Ba,Lukaku and the new striker strikeforce. Am not saying you dont have a point in calling for a non-conventional CF,to some it is a wise suggestion,and that extent is that the more we bring in this sort of players,players like Marco Reus,Schurlle,and ,somehow, Jovetic.....the more likely we wont be seeing the best of our upcoming attacking mids,such as KDB,Piazon and even Oscar. This is because,you cannot bring a 25mil pounds jovetic or Reus to sit im on the bench. And if you play him regularly,it must be at the expense of another darling. Unless we will adopt a single dm formation. Anyways,we need...(not want) atleast 3 strikers in the team...a good manager can joggle between them, keeping each of them happy.
Ohans
It is actually not possible to juggle 3 strikers in a team. I am yet to see an example of one where 3 strikers played for more than 1.5 seasons together or even 1 season??????
KAKUfrank
@SameX,thats a good analysis of the young man,Oscar there. But i dont know if its only me or there is another person who notices how much disjointed and lack of ball retention our play goes whenever we are playing without Mata in the pitch. It underscores how much importance he commands in the team,he is like our rhythm orchestrator and i think it can only take the presence of a Modric type player sitting deeper before we can cope considerably well without Mata. Oscar is dangerous,no doubt,but not as indispensible as Mata atm. @Kaku,btw,kudos for this wonderfully written,class act article!!
Ohans
@Kaku, you seriously dont expect Lukaku to come and be a starter right away at Chelsea,do you? Moreso at this tender age...if he can get 8 starts and upto 20 league overall appearance with other strikers it okay,but not being one of two main strikers. It was this sort of reasoning of yours that landed us in the mess we found ourself this season. Dont think in just one direction man.
Ohans
I also don't think it would be wise having 3 strikers for the 1 striker formation (4231) we currently employ, it'd mean we wasting money paying some1 to play less than 30% of our football (injury-barring) look at Man$hitty and Madrid where they have more strikers than the position requires, their forwards and unhappy and generally perform less. Not for Ronaldo you'd wonder how far back Madrid would be....we need to be honest with ourselves, Lukaku isn't ready to start more than 40% of our EPL games (with all due respect, when teams play Chelsea they are generally more "hyped" than playing West Brom) we'd struggle with Lukaku leading the team. Perhaps another loan spell (as some have mooted) whilst keeping Ba, Lukaku can always be Ba's replacement end next season but it is imperative we get our own "talisman"
@Mq
Reus is not a CF
SameX
Suarez is the missing piece, he wouldn't cost more than £30 m
David Gillam
With west ham securing the olympic stadium today i really really hope that the spoiled kids in the CPO will come to their senses and give the shares to RA so that he can move the club for bigger and better ground. Spuds got their approval for their ground for around 60K West ham is moving to 54k. Now Chelsea is not even in the top 3 club in london. CPO is the biggest obstacle for the financial security of CFC forever. All these crazy theories about the intentions of BUCK and RA must stop. We must move to a 65k+ stadium atleast make sure we are on top for the next 50 years atleast. Fans who are talking about we dont fill the 65K stadium are deluded. Even if we start building the new stadium 2morow it will take another 3 to 5 years before we move in. CFC has more than enough pull to fill the stadium with 65k around 2020. Anyway with no news about our stadium plans i really hope BUCK and RA is working hard in the background to make it possible in the next 7 years. If the club is not able to find a great location with in 3 miles then the CPO must give in to the clubs wishes for moving for somemore miles like 5 to 10. I know fully well that moving 10miles in london will takes you to new territory. But as a club we need to take that gamble in my opinion. Build a new great 65 to 75K stadium and create even better history for our future fans and generations.
BlueAndWhiteArmy
@David,its Jovetic instead of Suarez for me,we missed him back then when we could have captured him on the cheap at Ajax. No more deals with the scousers pleeeaase!
Ohans
I agree with @David... Just get Suarez and we are settled upfront... Jovetic is also good but I will go with Suarez because he has adapted so well with EPL and has proven his quality.. Just sell Torres and bring in Suarez... Suarez will make it possible to play 4-4-2 with Suarez playing behind Ba....
Latunvic
We need battle tested striker next season. It is Falcao/lewandowski, Demba Ba and Andre Schurrle (who can deputise as CF and also play wide) for me. So far Falcao/Lewandowski hit the ground running, it will be like our strike force of 2010 with Drogba, Anelka and Kalou.
BluesInMe
Off topic- NextGen Semi-Final #1 - CHELSEA FC vs. ARSENAL FC or CSKA MOSCOW
nelyvanile
@Ohans, what mess did we find ourselves in? Chelsea's problem this season is not a problem of quantity. It is a problem of quality in front of the post. My point is if we buy another CF, there is no way you can keep a 3rd striker in the squad. He would have zero or next to nothing game time and he will depart. Like I have shown with the City and Man U examples. I have also requested a mention of a team that plays a single Striker formation that has had 3 CFs for more than 1 season. It is not possible.
KAKUfrank
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