Chelsea will take pride in possessing one of the most fearsome strike forces in the Premier League. It wouldn’t wrong to say that Chelsea has got a great squad depth and a fierce competition for starting XI spots this season.
One such position that has come into spotlight in recent weeks is the center forward position. Chelsea have in their ranks, 3 outstanding strikers who have all made positive starts to their season. By virtue of this, Chelsea is the team with the most number of goals scored in the PL this season.
The players in question are: new summer signing- Timo Werner, Chelsea academy product- Tammy Abraham and French international- Oliver Giroud. These 3 strikers have combined contributed directly to 25 goals already this season {in all competitions}.
Chelsea’s new signing, Timo Werner was expected to start as first choice striker at the start of the season, but much to fans’ surprise, Tammy Abraham was preferred over Oliver Giroud in the pecking order as Werner was shifted to the left to accommodate the English center forward. Giroud showed outstanding form last season, netting 8 goals in just 12 starts and became a key reason that Chelsea secured UCL football this season.
However when Lampard dropped Oliver to third choice, the striker expressed his disappointment with the gaffer’s decision and there were many media speculations suggesting that the French striker may on the exit doors in January.
However a late winning goal against Rennes followed by 4 outstanding goals away at Sevilla seem to have put Giroud right into the competition for a starting spot.
Now the question stands, how should Frank Lampard plan game time for his strikers in order to give sufficient game time to Giroud as well as Werner and at the same time, not by reducing minutes for Tammy Abraham for his development.
Chelsea have a tight schedule and having 3 top quality strikers will ensure that neither of them is overplayed causing unnecessary injuries. Chelsea are still in the FA Cup and we believe Tammy Abraham should start games in that competition. Oliver Giroud is the champion league’s fourth highest goalscorer this season, despite playing for just 126 minutes. Giroud’s form in European competitions has been nothing short of great as he finished as UEL top scorer just two seasons ago. Starting Giroud up top will provide the much needed physicality and aerial presence.
Werner could be used the left as Giroud’s hold up will definitely compliment Werner’s pace on the wing. Werner could be used on top in the game versus Leeds on Saturday after getting a much needed rest midweek.
All in all, it’s a good headache to have for Frank Lampard as he will try to use his resources and squad depth to challenge for the Premier League, 4 years after Chelsea last won it and the UEFA Champions League, 9 years after they last won the competition.
