Friday, June 22, 2012

Do Chelsea Really Need a New Striker?

Torres will lead the Chelsea strike force from next season....

Here’s something to ponder about: should we or shouldn’t we sign a new striker? All eyes from fans to rivals to haters will be on Chelsea. And thank god it’s for the right reasons; we’re the reigning European Champions, we signed two amazing talented wingers, with one being a hot property all Europe elites tried to get their hands on (who could forget all the rubbish talk other team's supporters said after Hazard sign for Chelsea?), and finally, Roman is showing he means business this time around by trying to sign other talented and gifted players to perfect the club.

We have signed Hazard and Marin, two very talented wingers, which Chelsea desperately need as last season saw us possess our most least attacking team we’ve ever seen under Roman. As everyone believes, with Di Matteo signed as permanent manager, we will be playing under the classic 4-2-3-1 formation. We have the defense and midfield pretty much covered with a signing in the right back position to perfect our defense. The attacking half of midfield is also covered as we have players who can fit in these positions; but as many believe (and if I might add, so do I) we need one more signing to fill the right wing position, and if I might add again, I strongly believe Hulk will be a perfect addition for us.


Back to the point, the one position that caught my eye is the striker. Yes we have three players who can play there, but with the loss of king Didier, only one of the three is on par to the Drog. Fernando Torres. The Chelsea hierarchy has stated that he's in the club's long term plans and will lead the attacking line up as well,which in my opinion is great news. Torres hasn't been at his very best since he joined us from Mersyside, but since RDM  took charge, Torres has shown us the flashes of his old form and also that he can destroy defenses at will even today. Fact is, Torres was Chelsea's top scorer in the Premier league under Roberto Di Matteo on par with Drogba, both scored 4 goals each. Another fact is that Torres topped the assist chart with 6 one above fellow team mate and Spain international, Mata.  But then again, is Fernando enough? We will be competing in more competitions than we did in previous seasons, adding the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Club. So that means we’ll need other quality strikers to either replace Torres for rotation and to add more depth in our squad. But before that let’s take a look at the other strikers we currently have.


Romelu Lukaku

Lukaku has great potential and is gifted but that lad requitres playing time...
When bought from Anderlecht in 2011, Lukaku was dubbed the new Drogba. He scored 33 goals in his 73 appearances in 3 years with Anderlecht. Physic wise, he does resemble a young Drogba, whose main attribute was his sheer power, pace, technical abilities and goal scoring instinct. So far Lukaku has shown he got the power and pace, but still lack technical abilities and his scoring instinct. I’d blame that on the fact that he is still very young and lacks experience, whilst Drogba came to Chelsea when he was 26. So what’s the best way to quickly polish this young talent? My answer would be to loan him either to Ligue 1 or Bundesliga or any English club for a season or two. Let’s be honest, I personally don’t see Di Matteo giving him the nod to play anytime soon. It’d be great if he's loaned.


Daniel Sturridge

Sturridge is a great talent with great dribbling ability and great pace. I doubt anyone would argue with that. But after Di Matteo started taking charge at the Bridge, Sturridge began to fade. He lost his starting position and was benched most of the times. Why is that? Because Di Matteo makes his players play as one, as a team. Whilst Sturridge has the tendency to shoot at will even with a teammate in a better position to shoot. One might argue that Sturridge is the answer to provide back up for Torres as our main striker, and yes I also think he’s got the ability and talent to do so. But the question remains, is Sturridge enough to back up Torres? In my opinion, yes he is. We could see that the only problem Sturridge had last season was his willingness to pass, besides that, I see a formidable striker in the making. Well there have been rumors that Danny could leave Chelsea but nothing concrete has been reported yet but still you never know.

So anyways, basically in my opinion, in the mean time we don’t need to sign a new striker as some have suggested.  We might as well focus on signing Hulk and a new right back. Hulk himself can also play as a striker so if we do sign him, it'll ease any injury or suspension problems we face later on. Torres and Sturridge are great strikers any club could have. With Lukaku seemingly getting a loan, the two will be our main strikers and with the three attacking midfielders behind them, we’d be a great attacking force.


What do you guys think? Please do comment, we love to hear from you guys....

Till then, Keep the Blue Flag Flying High!

#HWCFC(CFC360)

16 comments:

  1. buy Hulk & Falcao .Sturidge might follow AVB to white heartlane .

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  2. You are reading my mind. Sturridge is young and surely isnt on par with Drogba and Torres. But now that the Drog is leaving,Sturridge should be granted his wish to play as a striker for Chelsea. The boy has skills that can leave defences scratching their heads. Why should he leave when he has such talent. I personally believe a club needs only 3 strikers..Hulk who can be the back up by coming out of the midfield incase of a suspension or injury. I honestly hope Sturridge will stay,we sign Hulk and a right back. Definitely don't see the need for more signings. Zane-devoted South African Chelsea supporter.

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  3. I forgot about Lukaku. He should be loaned to a Premier League or Bundesliga club where he'll get the physicality game. Ligue1 is just not good enough for him (my opinion). I can see him playing for us in two or three seasons after alot of game time. Zane.

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  4. This #hwcfc read my mind.Yes we don't need any strikers... Hulk will solve all problems and maybe Ben Arfa could be brought in like you guys mentioned earlier. Ktbffh

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  5. Great point but what if he sturridge leaves? But if he doesn't you it spot on

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  6. Fuck yes...!! Torres needs back up for sure. Someonle like sturridge or Cavani or Falcao

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  7. Torres can and wil lead for sure.if cfc get ben arfa and hulk then sturidge's role fades alot.again i would say 2 better than 1, y nt 4-1-3-2? Then torres wd sturidge or any other c0ming one can hold up each other at chances.being alone as striking option makes it look difficult for me.thanks cfc360.

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  8. get Luka Modric..!!

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  9. We are playing in 7 competitions next season. 4-1-3-2 is suicide,meaning both strikers will get burnt maybe half way through the season. Big clubs who compete in more than 2 competitions don't play with 2 strikers upfront. U will only see it with the smaller clubs.

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    Replies
    1. They never said it's 4-1-3-2, but 4-2-3-1

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  10. Nice point dude, thanks 4 reply bt i was thnking that beside torres n sturridge we can use hulk and hazard and lukaku(only n less prefered cmpititons). As we have subs for both wings.marin,malouda and may b ben arfa. Also wat if we get an0ther striker is it possible then? W8ing.thanks

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  11. great article, yes we Hulk and no more stricker again. we also have young strickers there, the like of Feruz, Bamford, we need to give them chance.

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  12. yes we should buy hulk.

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  13. I don't have inside info but it seems as if the club wants to build the team around Torres. We all know he is a super player and as seen in the euros,the game between Spain and Ireland,he got the needed service and he made the crucial runs. Playing him upfront with another striker isn't a good idea. At liverpool the team was built around him and he was regarded as one of the most feared strikers in the world with that system. The positive thing to do is grant Sturridge his wish and play him as sub for Torres. Hulk slots in on the right wing and either Marin or Ramires can be subs for him. Marin is a versatile player who can play on the left wing also (sub for mata or hazard). With that i see more depth in the Chelsea squad. Hulk can obviously play as a striker if Torres or Sturridge are injured/suspended. The holding mid positions are filled already with quality in Lampard,Mikel,Essien,Meireles and maybe Schweinsteiger who can also be played in one of the front 3 positions since he is a playmaker. Nuf said. I think we'll be awesome next season. Zane-devoted South African Chelsea fan.

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  14. I do think we need an extra striker because next season we'll be playing 70-75 matches, and it's too much to hope that Torres and Sturridge will both stay fit throughout the the campaign. In a season as long as ours will be, everyone will get game time. While Hazard and Hulk can both play ST if required, we need someone as back-up. Doesn't need to be the quality of Falcao/Cavani/Higuain/Llorente but someone like Demba Ba or Salomon Rondon would be useful. The likes of Bamford, Feruz, Piazon, Phillip are just not ready yet.

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