Three big questions: Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham and competition
By Travis Tyler
Tammy Abraham exploded on to the scene before fading post injury in the second half of Chelsea’s season. What questions should be asked before next year?
For the first half of the season, Tammy Abraham truly looked like the heir apparent to Didier Drogba’s crown. Taking the bold step to wear the “cursed” No. 9, Abraham put in goal after goal. Then injury hampered him in the second half of the season and Olivier Giroud pulled ahead on form and impact. With Timo Werner incoming, what questions should be asked ahead of next season?
1. Burning bright, but burning too fast?
Most of Tammy Abraham’s contributions came in the first half of the season. He played in virtually every match for Chelsea which eventually saw him begin to fade I matches. Given his all action play style, getting up and down to assist in every phase, that was unsurprising. Eventually he became injured before the break and Olivier Giroud found himself starting.
Frank Lampard expertly adapted his tactics to accommodate Giroud and the Frenchman excelled not only individually, but in improving the teammates around him as he always seems to do. When Abraham was fit again, he was unable to have the same impact on the team and failed to unseat Giroud for the closing of the season.
Abraham burned brightly, but the hottest and brightest flames tend to burn themselves out fastest. Even before the injury, Abraham was fading out. After returning, he just did not have enough gas left to finish the season the way he started.
It is not an unfamiliar story for Chelsea. Diego Costa did the same thing in basically every season with Chelsea. Alvaro Morata did it as well, going from hero to hated almost overnight. Costa was able to recover and repeat the next season, but Morata was not.
It is far too early to say Abraham’s early season was a blip, but it cannot be ignored how he trailed off in the back end either. How he returns for the new season will be an important factor in his path going forward.