The last month has been a bit grim for Chelsea fans who love watching the Blues score goals. Here are a few goal-related things to look for against Hull City on Saturday.
Chelsea’s best goal-scorer will probably miss Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Hull City, which means the Blues will be even more desperate for anyone to give them a comfortable lead and a ticket to the next round.
1. Goals… remember them?
Goals have been very scarce for Chelsea over the last 12 matches. Chelsea has been held scoreless four times in that span. By comparison, the first 12 matches saw Chelsea held scoreless once: the opening match against Manchester United. Chelsea’s goal differential in those first twelve was +10, which is respectable in comparison to the last dozen, which sees a measly +3.
In the first twelve matches, the Blues scored three goals or more four times – a feat managed only once since.
The goals are drying up, and with Tammy Abraham likely out for this match against Hull City, Michy Batshuayi will have to step up. It would be extremely entertaining to see Frank Lampard run Olivier Giroud out there, and more so if he scores and gets the win.
The loss to Newcastle United looked like it would spark movement in the transfer window, and blowing the lead twice to Arsenal midweek surely would have had players signing. But neither had that effect.
It will undoubtedly be a glaring issue for Lampard and Chelsea if they can’t score or struggle to do so against Hull City. Yes, Lampard needs time to make Chelsea as good as Liverpool and Manchester City, but how could anyone excuse struggling against Hull City.
The goals need to start coming from someone besides Tammy Abraham, and with his injury, it’s a true necessity.
2. Is an Olivier Giroud goal worth as much as a Michy Batshuayi goal?
Michy Batshuayi is likely to start and Olivier Giroud will be on the bench. While Giroud may prefer to be at home packing his bags and getting ready for a move to Inter Milan, the Blues may need him one last time, just in case, although you almost wonder if Frank Lampard would play Ross Barkley as a false-nine before he used Giroud.
Let’s just take a wild leap, though, and imagine that both Batshuayi and Giroud get minutes against Hull City. If one of them scores, it will be wonderful epistemic closure for both their fans and critics.
“He scored against Hull City. They’re 12th in Championship. Have you even seen their underlying stats?!” And for the others, “Boom! See, this proves he should have been playing all season. He’s always got a goal in him, even when he’s barely off the bench!?
And if they both score? Well, football fans wouldn’t be football fans if they didn’t fiercely hold contradictory opinions. Two things can be true, you know.
3. Goals from center backs… remember them?
Everyone knows I am a huge John Terry fan. That’s mostly because of his defending, his passion, his leadership, his love of all things Blue and his willingness to do anything for the club. But Terry also knew how to score goals, and the FA Cup was his most productive competition.
Ten of Terry’s 66 goals came in the FA Cup, along with five assists. He scored one goal every five FA Cup ties, compared to once every 11-12 games in the Premier League and Champions League.
Chelsea’s center backs have a long way to go before they are anywhere close to John Terry in any aspect of the game. They need to focus on their defending – that is their job, after all – but they could do a lot for their team by popping up with a goal, especially with Tammy Abraham out of the lineup.
Fikayo Tomori is the only center back to score this season, and Andreas Christensen is yet to score as a Chelsea player. The Blues can expect to have plenty of corner kicks against Hull City and should be able to keep their defenders up near Hull’s penalty area for long stretches of the game. If they can have the presence of mind, the physicality and some basic level of footballing ability, one of them should be able to head something into the net or sweep in a loose ball.
Not at the expense of a counter-attack with only Jorginho and Emerson back to defend, of course. But if the Blues can get a goal from such an unlikely player it’s a sign that things are moving in the right direction for the overall output.