Chelsea and the art of avoiding the number Nine
Chelsea are having an odd old time. Currently tenth in the Premier League, facing a deficit in their Champions League knockout tie and out of every other major competition. Yet, this is a team that went to two major finals last year, albeit they lost both, but since then they’ve spent over £600m, changed manager’s and cut their losses on guys like Romelu Lukaku.
The club’s on-field problems could be blamed on many things, the trigger happy nature of owner Todd Boehly, the slow progress of manager Graham Potter, a lack of consistent starting XI’s, but really the problem is quite simple. Scoring goals. It’s like the plague to Chelsea.
The first port of call is personnel. Chelsea have just two, fit out-and-out strikers in their squad, 33-year-old Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and 20-year-old David Datro Fofana. Aubameyang has scored just three goals since joining the club, and only managed 13 goals last season, in his short-lived spell at Barcelona. The club had a chance to rectify this problem in January, instead they made all sorts of ill-advised decisions.
Fofana comes in as a player for the future, as he hasn’t played in any of Europe’s top five leagues and has only played 45 senior league games. The rest of Chelsea’s cash on forward players, was spent on the supporting cast and wingers, so, so many wingers.
Noni Madueke and Mykhaylo Mudryk joined he wide ranks, whilst the club placed it’s bets on second-striker Joao Felix, in an eye-wateringly expensive loan deal. Felix has scored just 25 goals in his last three seasons, not exactly get you into the top four numbers.
Chelsea’s transfer policy would make you believe that the teams problem is creating chances, but that’s certainly not the problem. Chelsea have scored just 10 goals in their last 15 Premier League games, despite a total xG of 7.9.
Manchester City are arguably one of the only teams to be able to play without a number nine and succeed in-front of goal, and they did so by training their players to understand a certain way of playing. Chelsea don’t have that time, or that level of players.
The players brought in within January are no doubt good players, but are not needed, nor do they improve the team a great deal. To avoid the need of a goal scorer and still spend over £300m, seems bizarre. This turnover can also be a hindrance, as Potter is left with an overflowing squad that he has to almost navigate to win. All it has appeared to do, is make the teams life harder.
Chelsea’s season will now rely on those up top to step up and find a way, the chances have been there, the blame can always land up the hierarchy, but those on the pitch have to do it, if just for themselves.
The club has always had an issue in finding goal scorers since Didier Drogba walked away from the game, but until they can find someone to fill what is such a gaping hole, its going to be a long road for Chelsea and Potter.
