Our strikers situation and looking forward into the future

[Las7 951]

Our Strikers have a total of 8 goals in the EPL for the Year 2013

It's definitely not the only problem we have in the team but it's the most glaring problem we have had over the last 3 years. If we had a World Class striker it would have made a World of difference and I think we would have won the title a few times, currently we have a bunch of strikers who would not be first choice in any top club in the continent.

Also supposedly Torres is a player who links up well with our midfield and plays a lot of our most important matches is the worst passer in the team. There is a myth that he holds up the ball and links up play with our creative midfielders better than the rest of our strikers(including the lad we send on loan). Yet this myth is disapproved by how bad his passing is, only half of dozen outfield players(with over 5 starts in the EPL) have worse passing percentage in the EPL this season:

Libor Kozák 55%

Cameron Jerome 56%

Christian Benteke 57%

Modibo Maiga 58%

Steven Fletcher 59%

Shane Long 62%

Peter Crouch 63%

Théophile-Catherine 64%

Torres 64%

Demba Ba 71%

Eto'o 76%

So it's not only finishing that appears to a problem for our strikers, they also have difficulty keeping the ball and combining with their teammates in the final third. It's no coincidence that we usually pressure teams much better with Eto'o in the team. Because he doesn't needlessly lose the ball thus we keep possession in dangerous areas instead of allowing opportunities for opposition to counter attack.

None of our strikers are able to constantly score; but also they are by far our worst players in the final third. None of them are match winners and we continue relying for midfielders and defenders to bail us out - it puts extra pressure on our players to get goals and they end up taking the wrong decision. A cable striker can make a huge difference - it's a confidence booster for the whole team when you have a striker banging goals in and all you need to do when he is in form is get the ball into his feet. I remember that season Drogba was unplayable virtually he would take the ball on the halfway line and opposition defenders would shit their pants.

Jose agrees:

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has launched another attack on his underperforming front line after he had previously criticised them for a lack of goals this season.

The Portuguese manager, 50, criticised Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Samuel Eto’o for having found the net just 13 times between the three of them - Torres with six, Ba with three goals and Eto’o on four - but also put the blame at their feet for handing their opponents the opportunity to score as well.

Speaking on Chelsea TV, the former Real Madrid coach said: “With the final shot we have missed incredible chances but also in attacking situations we are losing balls, we cannot handle the last movement.

“On top of that, by losing these kind of balls, we give the chance to the opponent to make counter attacks when we are unbalanced. The third goal at Stoke [in a 3-2 defeat], our striker [Eto’o] lost the ball. The goal for Crystal Palace [in a 2-1 win] our striker [Torres] lost the ball and the first goal at Sunderland our striker [ba] lost the ball.

“In all three cases we were punished on the counter attack. Our striker dropped back into the midfield and lost the ball.”

The latest comments come after the Stamford Bridge boss bemoaned his strikers lack of goals earlier this month when he said: “The number of goals in the Premier League is not the number I want and they want.

“This is something very, very obvious, between them they have four goals.

“Strikers do help the team in other ways, no doubt, but the number of goals they are scoring is not enough to make me happy and to make them happy.

“We have to try to improve. We have to kill opponents and we have to score goals but we are also conceding goals defensively.”

[HD3D 1,038]

Change of tactics first and then we might decide to buy new striker.

As Carlo said, our attacking midfielders dont cross/pass to strikers but they play between themselves.

I agree, our strikers are terible, but still, our AMs just dont pass to our striker enough.

A change is needed. Quick.

Oh now that's a very smart argument right there.

If the strikers were to get more chances, they certainly would be scoring more. Considering Torres scores 1 goal out of 100 chances he has, mathematically he would be scoring multiple goals if he was to be given thousands of chances per game, thus becoming the best striker in Europe. So clearly, THE MANAGER is to blame for not providing him that. Right?

/irony

How many managers did this club have in the past 3 years? Did all of them have the wrong tactics? How many of those managers had issues with their strikers not scoring BEFORE they came to Chelsea? So how is the manager to blame?

A team isn't built around one player. It's the player that needs to fit the team. So don't tell me the team needs to pass more balls to the striker so he can score, NO, it's THE TEAM, in its entirety, that needs to be trying to score and the striker needs to do his fucking job, which is to take the many OR few opportunities that he's given.

Clearly, our strikers don't do that.

[lionsden 4,689]

On a lighter note, if you could pick one striker/CF throughout modern history (since you started watching footie) to lead our line right now in their prime. who would it be and why.

For me Thierry Henry would be the one, he's the definition of the complete forward. The combination of his blistering pace, exquisite first touch, intelligence, link up and hold up play and more importantly world class finishing would make us one of the most dominant team in the world even with our below par central midfield and defence.

[Mouri_Matic 560]

On a lighter note, if you could pick one striker/CF throughout modern history (since you started watching footie) to lead our line right now in their prime. who would it be and why.

For me Thierry Henry would be the one, he's the definition of the complete forward. The combination of his blistering pace, exquisite first touch, intelligence, link up and hold up play and more importantly world class finishing would make us one of the most dominant team in the world even with our below par central midfield and defence.

Fat Ronaldo, Messi or CR7.

[lionsden 4,689]

Fat Ronaldo, Messi or CR7.

That's disrespectful to a true legend of the game seriously. can you just call him Ronaldo lima or the Brazilian ronaldo or something that isn't in bad taste. sorry for having a go at you but it does my head in when people do that.

[Mouri_Matic 560]

That's disrespectful to a true legend of the game seriously. can you just call him Ronaldo lima or the Brazilian ronaldo or something that isn't in bad taste. sorry for having a go at you but it does my head in when people do that.

Yeah sorry you found that offensive for him, to be fair even if we say Ronaldo 90% would know who it is but yeah he was 1 hell of a striker, until his private life and injury hindered him

[kellzfresh 7,226]

On a lighter note, if you could pick one striker/CF throughout modern history (since you started watching footie) to lead our line right now in their prime. who would it be and why.

For me Thierry Henry would be the one, he's the definition of the complete forward. The combination of his blistering pace, exquisite first touch, intelligence, link up and hold up play and more importantly world class finishing would make us one of the most dominant team in the world even with our below par central midfield and defence.

1- Ronaldo delima

2- Henry

3- Van nisterooy

Legends at their peak and great finishers.

[Tomo 21,686]

Am i the only one a bit bemused with the "Torres always put's a shift in" line.

Yes he does sometimes granted, but he has his lazy days and when he does he makes Dimitar Berbatov look like a Shane Long type workhorse.

[nofacej 132]

On a lighter note, if you could pick one striker/CF throughout modern history (since you started watching footie) to lead our line right now in their prime. who would it be and why.

For me Thierry Henry would be the one, he's the definition of the complete forward. The combination of his blistering pace, exquisite first touch, intelligence, link up and hold up play and more importantly world class finishing would make us one of the most dominant team in the world even with our below par central midfield and defence.

Any player in their prime? Didier Drogba because he's a club legend and provides value in every part of the pitch whether it be defensively, wing play, holding up the ball, or scoring goals.

Any current player? CR7. He's absolutely deadly on the counter, brilliant in the air, and proven in multiple leagues including the one we're in. I don't think Messi would be nearly as effective in our current squad.

[Blue Armour 4,184]

Jose agrees:

“On top of that, by losing these kind of balls, we give the chance to the opponent to make counter attacks when we are unbalanced. The third goal at Stoke [in a 3-2 defeat], our striker [Eto’o] lost the ball. The goal for Crystal Palace [in a 2-1 win] our striker [Torres] lost the ball and the first goal at Sunderland our striker [ba] lost the ball.

“In all three cases we were punished on the counter attack. Our striker dropped back into the midfield and lost the ball.”

And why do our strikers keep dropping back into midfield? Because our midfield doesn't provide the kind of final ball that out and out strikers need on a regular basis. Hence they drop back to make themselves available. Bar Eto'o none of the forwards are suited to this kind of play.

I'm sure Lukaku will be more clinical in front of goal than our current lot, but even he will struggle linking up play with our midfield.

[Mouri_Matic 560]

Mean while Suarez scored his 19th goal of the season...depression, desperation, sad, disappointment, nothing else to say.

[Laylabelle 9,326]

Jealously...annoyance.....we need that!!!We used to have that now all gone and not really replaced and a bit screwed really.

[The Skipper 20,593]

Am i the only one a bit bemused with the "Torres always put's a shift in" line.

Yes he does sometimes granted, but he has his lazy days and when he does he makes Dimitar Berbatov look like a Shane Long type workhorse.

I was at the Bridge against Tottenham last season and particularly kept my eye on Fernando. Honestly, his first half performance was absolutely dreadful work-rate wise. I wanted Rafa to take him off at HT. He's had plenty of other games like that too.

[Despiadado.Maleante 1,046]

http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/teams/chelsea/9086921/chelsea-playing-%27with-ten-men%27

[HD3D 1,038]

Rumor has it PSG is very interested in Mata.

I know a lot of people here are sensible about the idea of letting Mata go. But the truth is, it has become clear that no matter how good he is, he's simply not a part of the manager's vision for how the team should look like. With the World Cup coming this summer, he will surely want out plus he will lose market value if he stays on our bench for too long.

With Chelsea in desperate need for a world-class striker, if PSG is willing to deal Mata for Cavani, I personally think we should listen.

[Mouri_Matic 560]

When can Jose and Roman spare us the pain, close this thread by signing a top class striker?

[lionsden 4,689]

A young hasselbaink would be so clutch right now

[Blue Warrior 109]

A new year and a new striker can hopefully bring renewed hope. Pay the 32mill Costa release clause and we will likely be celebrating in May. Forget Suarez.