When Chelsea won the Premier league with Anelka and Drogba in 2010, many media outlet would have found it difficult to believe that the club which once relied on their center-forward for goals will lack such quality barely a decade later.
The Blues failed to replicate such quality over the years, as acquired players failed to live up to hype linked with their fees. The club which once boasted of center forwards with strong Aerial presence and great techniques are currently lagging. Neither Morata nor Giroud has the qualities displayed by Didier Drogba or Nicolas Anelka.
The London club as of the 2009/2010 season had the legendary Ivorian center-forward Didier Drogba and skillful Frenchman Nicolas Anelka with Solomon Kalou as backup. Drogba proved himself on countless of occasion with the UEFA champion’s league victory of 2012 season as his biggest performance for the club. The former Marseille striker also dominated the London derby fixture against Arsenal.
The Ivorian came to be a regular performer on the Wembley stadium with host of performance particular in the FA Cup. Anelka on the other hand prove to be vital in games as his combination of pace, skill and Brilliance was enough to validate his credential. The Frenchman in the absence of the Didier Drogba won the golden ball in 2009 despite Chelsea’s underwhelming performance.
It’s important to note that the Ivorian netted 29 league goals while his French partner netted 11 times in the same league season under Carlo Ancelloti. The club since then on have witness a decline in the score figures as arrivals have failed to impress. Fernando Torres was the first sign of decline as the Spaniard who joined the Blues from rival club Liverpool for then record fee of £50 million produced a below par performance throughout his time with club prior to his departure to AC Milan on loan terms.
Chelsea also acquired Samuel Etoo but the Cameroun failed to provide a permanent solution to the club’s woes in the striking department. Diego Costa’s arrival from Athletico Madrid seemed to have provided the solution to the club woes in front of goals but the bad blood between former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte and Costa lead to the return of the Spaniard back to Athletico Madrid.
Chelsea since the departure of the Costa seems to have gone back to the previous era again as neither Alvaro Morata nor Olivier Giroud have stepped to the big occasion. Alvaro Morata despite been favored by Antonio Conte failed to justify his quality while Olivier Giroud lack of consistency was posed another problem. The below par performance of the players last season forced Antonio Conte to deploy Eden Hazard as a false 9 in crucial games. The current season alone speaks of decline in the quality of players, Chelsea under Maurizio Sarri currently plays possession football but the center forwards are yet to take advantage of the tactics. The center-forwards have contributed only 2 goals to the clubs total of 10 goals in their opening four games of the premier league.
Though a huge gap separates the two duo, Morata and Giroud must borrow a leaf from Drogba and Anelka especially their skills. Morata and Giroud still have more game in the current season to disprove the media about their credentials particularly after the international break.