Should we put our faith in the youth?

[The Skipper 20,609]

No, that is not just an opinion. That is the most objective statement here

Hence why I said, "IMO".

[English Freak 456]

The problem is that you can't integrate three strikers into a one-striker system. ManU and City play with 2 or even three strikers at a time. 4 strikers for 2 spots is very different than 3 strikers for 1 spot. Let's say we play 60 games next year and we buy a Cavani or a Falcao or some other proven striker. They would rightly expect to start 40-45 matches. That gives 15-20 starts for Lukaku and Ba combined, mostly in domestic cups which is simply not enough to develop Lukaku or to keep either him or Ba happy. Ba can play on the wing, but we have Hazard, Mata, Oscar, De Bruyne, and Moses for attacking midfielder so any time he sees there would take away from their game-time.

Exactly.

City have strikers that can play multiple positions (eg. Aguero, Tevez)

United have strikers that can play multiple positions (eg. Rooney, Welbeck, RvP)

At Chelsea, we don't have that...Fernando is just past it...and Ba is only effective through the middle.

We need that Anelka type of player..someone that can play CF/SS as well as slot him on the wings when required...

[Blue Armour 4,436]

You didn't understand what I was saying (or I might have badly explained it).

What I was saying :

Manchester United 2012-13 : Van Persie (19), Rooney (11)

Manchester City 2011-12 : Aguero (23), Dzeko (14), Balotelli (13)

Manchester United 2010-11 : Berbatov (21), Own Goal (I don't remember the figure), Rooney (11), Hernandez (13)

Chelsea 2009-10 : Drogba (29), Anelka (11)

Manchester United 2008-09 : Rooney (12), Ronaldo (18), Tevez (5)

Manchester United 2007-08 : Ronaldo (31), Tevez (14), Rooney (13)

...

I was not talking about Chelsea when we had Mourinho. I was just looking at the five previous seasons (plus this one) to work out what was the current tendency in football. And from the stats, and my opinion, I can say that the striking force of the club which have recently won the Premier League has taken an important role in those victories — and this both regarding the goals scored and the work done (and I stress that I don't base my judgment solely on the goal record).

The same goes for the Liga. Though I don't really know for the Bundesliga and the Calcio.

And that is exactly the same for the Champions League. When Milan won in 2007, Kakà (who was played as a striker/Second striker), was instrumental in their victory (especially against United). And Super Pipo scored the two goals in the final. In 2008, the striking force Ronaldo/Tevez/Rooney was instrumental. In 2009, Eto'o was instrumental (in the CL and the league as well — he scored about 1/3 of Barcelona first goals). In 2010, Milito was instrumental (scored the two goals in the final). 2011, Messi was instrumental. 2012, Drogba was instrumental.

I am just saying that, to my understanding, the majority of the successful teams of the recent years had a powerful striking force. To my mind, a great striking force is required to be succesfull.

That's why I believe we shouldn't understimate the importance of the striking force. That's why I believe that it's presumptuous and unwise to give the key of our attack to "only" a kid — yes, ready or not, he is still a "kid" — and a stop-gap — yes, Ba is a stop-gap, but don't jump on me, I will explain latter why in my mind he is so, please.

Look, did you see what happens to Barça when Messi — for X ou Y reason — is not playing good ? The catalans struggle to score, they lack penetration, and they also have hard times to creat any goal-scoring chance. How many times this season Manchester United were saved by RvP ? How comes last year Arsenal managed to get the third spot ? The dutchman carried them there. How comes that ever sonce the summer 2010, we are in shambles ? Our striking force is average ! They aren't there to get in goals when it matters. They aren't there to cause havocs in defences, etc...

My point here, is that without a very good (not good, but very good) striking force, you will find it hard to lift some important trophies at the end of the season.

Absolutely agree...a good strikeforce is absolutely vital for any trophy-winning team.

Its not like the days of Mourinho when we had a watertight defense and we could sit back for most of the game. These days teams play more open football and in-form strikers are top priority.

[Santiago. 1,500]

Hence why I said, "IMO".

Hence me saying that your opinion is actually factual?

I'm agreeing with you if couldn't comprehend what I was saying

[Peace. 4,352]

It's very easy to say we should spend £50 million on a striker like Cavani because he's proven but he's still a risk. We did that before when we signed someone called Fernando Torres and Lukaku has done everything asked of him.

The price has never been the problem with our two Flops. The problem is that it was two stupid transferts. For them two, it was written all over the place that it would fail. That's all.

Andriy Chevtchenko was already 30 years-old when he came here. He was already on the bad side of his career peak. Furthemore, he seemed more concerned with his golf career than with football ("As the first team prepared for their final pre-season friendly against Danish side Brondby, Shevchenko declared himself unfit with a back problem. [...] but Mourinho was bemused to discover that Shevchenko's bad back had not prevented him from enjoying a round of golf at Sunningdale that day.'). And finally Mourinho didn't want him.

Roman Abramovich merely brought in at his club a friend of his. Considering all these facts, even before the deal being done there was a high probability that this story would be a failure.

And don't get me started with the ladyboy. Had he not been playing for Loserpool (the medias' darling) and had he not had this "kid" face, we wouldn't even have considered to buy him, in the first place. Seriously, that poor excuse of a footballer was overrated. What the hell passed through Ancelotti's mind... That dude was a two-seasons-wonder. It was well knew that he had problems with his knees and that the skinny one ran him down to the ground. He was average for the last 12 months (and poor for the last 6 months) before we bought him. He had a shoking WC. It was more a panic buy than anything else, if you ask me.

This two deals were ill advised.

No, I tell you my friend. Stamford Bridge isn't built on an old indian graveyard. There's no curse saying that any players bought for more than £XX will become the laughing stock of the League.

Chevtchenko cost us £30m. Hazard cost us £32m. I know that with money inflation, £30m back then is more than £32m now. But still, Hazard is a big-money signing. Does he look lie a failure at this point ? Not at all. Essien was bought for £24,4m. At that time, it was our record. The ukrainian was bought one year later for "only" £6 millions more. Did Essien flopped ? He was a success.

The problem is not how much money is spent. It's for what it's spent. Our two flops were two luxury and fantasy buys. They were two pieces of meat, which were past their sell-by date, on which the seller put golden tag so the moldy couldn't be seen.

[The Skipper 20,609]

Hence me saying that your opinion is actually factual?

I'm agreeing with you if couldn't comprehend what I was saying

Hehe, misread your post

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

Exactly.

City have strikers that can play multiple positions (eg. Aguero, Tevez)

United have strikers that can play multiple positions (eg. Rooney, Welbeck, RvP)

At Chelsea, we don't have that...Fernando is just past it...and Ba is only effective through the middle.

We need that Anelka type of player..someone that can play CF/SS as well as slot him on the wings when required...

The problem with even that is that we're already stacked at attacking midfielder. Mata, Hazard, Oscar, Moses, and De Bruyne are all best suited there and will all demand consistent playing time so even getting someone flexible (like Jovetic) wouldn't mean much, because we are so attack-heavy already.

[JDY 1,290]

The problem with even that is that we're already stacked at attacking midfielder. Mata, Hazard, Oscar, Moses, and De Bruyne are all best suited there and will all demand consistent playing time so even getting someone flexible (like Jovetic) wouldn't mean much, because we are so attack-heavy already.

If anything it would be ideal if one of our attacking midfielder's was adept as a forward, not the other way around. I don't know how good Moses is upfront.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

If anything it would be ideal if one of our attacking midfielder's was adept as a forward, not the other way around. I don't know how good Moses is upfront.

I don't think very good. He'd be fine as an emergency striker, but I don't think any of us would be happy with him as our #9 for an extended period. It goes back to an overall strange transfer policy from us in many ways creating some real imbalance (we have made a bunch of good signings in the past year, but the overall vision still confuses me).

[JDY 1,290]

I don't think very good. He'd be fine as an emergency striker, but I don't think any of us would be happy with him as our #9 for an extended period. It goes back to an overall strange transfer policy from us in many ways creating some real imbalance (we have made a bunch of good signings in the past year, but the overall vision still confuses me).

Agreed. It seems the club is really fixated on building for the future, to the extent where we've just stockpiled a lot of promising young players (regardless of position) without any clear plan of how to use/develop them. We've started to do a good job with loans though.

[Mundaka 243]

That's why I believe we shouldn't understimate the importance of the striking force. That's why I believe that it's presumptuous and unwise to give the key of our attack to "only" a kid — yes, ready or not, he is still a "kid" — and a stop-gap — yes, Ba is a stop-gap, but don't jump on me, I will explain latter why in my mind he is so, please.

Thats not quite fair, hes more grown up, mentally, than the likes of bolatelli/hazard/oscar/ torres ... for example + his work attitude is already better than most of our players.

Also in his latest interview (see his personal topic) he explained all this and was getting fed up being called a kid an therefor getting less chances than other players, you also should know that he already made his debut at Anderlecht at the age of 16 yo and played more than 100 games on a high level... and for me once your passed 18 your not an kid anymore anyways, although some may still be a kid mentally when they are 25 ...

I doubt a "kid" could become the first foreign teenager in a league like this to score that much... (I am right aye? Only owen and fowler scored more?)

Years Team Apps† (Gls)†

2008–2011 Anderlecht 73 (33)

2011– Chelsea 8 (0)

2012– → West Bromwich Albion (loan) 26 (13)

National team‡

2008 Belgium U15 4 (1)

2011 Belgium U18 1 (0)

2009 Belgium U21 5 (1)

2010– Belgium 19 (3

Y

[Stingray 9,441]

How many Premier League goals has Cavani scored?

Ba is a stop gap who has scored 15 league goals this season. Lukaku has scored 12. The truth is you don't know how good this kid could be, but right now he's surpassing everyone's expectations and we have other areas we need to fill. But you may have a point that Roman won't be willing to change his ways. Yay.

There was this other successful team by the way - Chelsea 2005. Drogba scored 16 goals that season but he was a facilitator - he brought other players into the game because we had goals from the likes of Lamps and Duff. We could have that next season with Mata, Hazard and Oscar getting goals elsewhere whilst Lukaku creates space and chances for them.

It's very easy to say we should spend £50 million on a striker like Cavani because he's proven but he's still a risk. We did that before when we signed someone called Fernando Torres and Lukaku has done everything asked of him.

People willing to write him off using jaundiced logic when they won't apply it to their own suggestions really does piss me off.

Word up on this. Boooya!