Chelsea’s striker competition is heating up, more than it should at this stage, with Olivier Giroud pulling ahead of Tammy Abraham.
As the restart grinds to its inexorable conclusion, one thing is clear; Tammy Abraham has yet to regain his starting center forward position for Chelsea. It is quite uncertain if he will, seeing as Timo Werner is joining the squad in the near future.
Olivier Giroud has taken the lead at the position by his outstanding play. Again, Giroud scored the winner against Watford as the Blues battle to regain a top four position after their dismal performance against West Ham.
Giroud has taken full advantage of the starting role Frank Lampard has afforded him and rewarded the gaffer handsomely. Two winning goals in five games is a clear statement that Giroud, his 33-year-old age notwithstanding, is still a force to be reckoned with. This is the case not only at Chelsea, but also for France in world football.
Giroud has been a stand-out for Chelsea in the restart after signing a one-year extension a few months prior. The club should seriously consider extending Olivier for another year beyond. It makes perfect sense because whenever he plays, he delivers.
Abraham has not been in form since the restart. While earlier in the campaign, he continued to play and delivered at center forward despite being injured—an admirable trait, indeed—he has yet to return to the form that had him scoring in bunches earlier in the season. So, one has to speculate that perhaps Tammy has not yet recovered from the ankle injury that hampered him earlier in the season.
Whatever the reason, the gaffer has clearly favored Giroud as his first-choice center forward since the restart. It is unlikely that any Chelsea fan can complain about results. The Blues have had a terrific run, the West Ham debacle notwithstanding. Hopefully Abraham can regain the form that made him a hero at Aston Villa and a budding star at Chelsea earlier this season, but until then, Giroud will keep the seat warm.
Lampard will continue to select the center forward he believes will help provide the crucial results to get the club to the Championship League in 2020/21. If Abraham cannot deliver, he will continue to be a squad player and his long-term future at the club will be in question.