too hit and miss if you ask me did the same thing last year but ended up only scoring 1 goal in the last 14 matches of the season has patches where hes great but always fades in the middle of the season .
Oh K. If we're going to get rid of Torres i'd at least like it to be for someone who is actually better than him i.e someone like one of these ( realistic targets ) Neymar, Falcao, Villa, Higuain. Llorente + Cavani are OK options but i still think they would struggle the same as Torres has ( with no link from midfield to attack ). Once our team starts clicking midfield wise and Robbie finally stops playing Mikel/Lamps then Torres will excel and the only realistic strikers we could get that would do any better are the 4 named above. And even then Neymar,Villa and Higuain are slightly unrealistic. The midfield to attack link has been there for one game this season - Newcastle, and no surprise Torres played amazing in that game
It's clear Torres isn't right for Chelsea (however much we'd want him to be), and I really think unless he does actually hit 25 it will be his last season. The team should be built to win, not to make one player score. However, I'll say this, as long as we win I do not give a crap about Torres' situation, though I wouldn't be surprised to see Sturridge getting more...and more...and more starts as the season progresses tbh. Sturridge has a bright future imo. Remember Torres is also 29 this year I think. Anyway, Ba is a solid player, but consistency wise I'm not sure he'd cut it. Also, isn't his knee meant to be an injury away from ending his career?
Fully agree Varier Torres clearly isn't going to make it here and I hope we play Sturridge a lot more in the lone striker role this season. As for Ba, I know about his knee but it hasn't affected him at Newcastle and if he's unhappy I can't see us having to pay over the odds! A good different option to have.
Of course, he's got quality Ba. Would like to see more of Lukaku before spending money on a striker though. ( I know he's young and his pre season was poor but he is playing like a monster atm for WBA ).
Who would make it as a striker with us atm while our midfield is like this though? The two seasons before this we had no creativity and now we have loads of creativity but a crap midfield with no link to the attack. Drogbas big game goals papered his poor goal return the past 2 years. He only had about 8-10 more goals than Torres and he had an extra 5 month. We have been a strikers nightmare for the past 2 years, now we have the players we just need the right balance in midfield and need the midfield link to the front 4 to click then we'll be fine. Torres has proved time and time again if he gets the space/chances he'll bang them in. Still went and won the golden boot for spain as well. We could have Van Persie in our team right now with Mikel/Lampard in midfield and even he wouldn't get past 20. Yes he can create more goals out of nothing than Torres now but you still need some decent passes / build up play. The harsh reality is, Torres has been pretty crap on the goal front for the past two seasons as has Drogba because of Us and us alone
There are two problems - 1.). When Lampard is playing in the DM position with Mikel in a 4-2-3-1, he doesn't do his job which should be to pick up the ball from the CB or Mikel and carry it forward, he just sits up top. Mikel isn't the problem he does what he's meant to do. That's why Ramires should play there instead of Lamps to carry the ball up at pace to the attackers, because we don't have an Alonso type player to pass it up. (Lamps could be but he clearly doesn't want to). 2.). When the ball does get up top, if the striker is flanked (in our case) by Marin Mata Hazard and doesn't score, it's his fault. If the striker is flanked by a LB and a DM then what do you expect?
If I've got it right Dem Baba's are little sheep, and although they're very cute I dont want them playing for Chelsea!
1000% correct in your summary. Until we get a decent midfielder who can link the play we will go nowhere. Torres is a vastly better player than Sturridge, but with the lousy type of service he gets, he is wasting his time and effort. Hence the frustration when he's subbed. Instead of criticising our strikers, criticise our buying policy for not sorting such a glaring and basic problem. It is so frustrating to see such amazing talent up front, a la Mata, Hazard, Ramires, all running around like a bunch of headless chooks. Sure they can break down and beat crappy teams, but struggle against organisation and solid defenders. Crazy.
Exactly mate, would love us to get Fellaini or just play one of Mikel-Oscar, Mikel-Ramires, Mikel-Romeu. Was no surprise that the one game Mikel and Lampard didn't play together ( Newcastle ) was our best game and we totally dominated the midfield and made them look average and Torres was top notch
How come Sturridge was top scorer last season then? You're forgetting the absolute sitters Torres missed too.
Because Sturridge was playing on the wing and wasn't constantly recieving no service, Sturridge was meant to provide service yet all the **** done was shoot
