Chelsea: Three things to look for as Blues look to bounce back at Wolves
3. Which striker will Frank Lampard prefer?
Chelsea’s center forward issues have spanned the entirety of 2020, despite numerous formation changes, personnel swaps and transfer tweaks. Tammy Abraham entered the calendar year as the Blues No. 1 choice up top after coming out of the gates firing in his debut senior season. Following a series of injuries and a Premier League lockdown though, it was Giroud’s turn to lead the line. When both found themselves struggling, Lampard went out and secured the signature of Werner.
The No. 9 role has been a week-to-week affair ever since. The early season injury troubles to the wingers have seen Werner usually line up on the left wing, leaving the striker spot for Abraham and Giroud to scrap for. Abraham saw his form dip conveniently right before Giroud’s haul against Sevilla, but now both of the forwards are coming off awful performances, what now?
If nothing else, the poor form by each in recent contests goes to show that form is not the only thing that factors into a decision to start players. Giroud is in the form of his life, yet he still put in the worst performance of his Chelsea career at Everton as fans yearned for the out-of-form Abraham all match. It may sound like a cliche, but before determining who the starting center forward should be, maybe the manager should evaluate the opposition and decide on a formation first.
Werner is likely going to begin out wide again—unless Lampard plays with two strikers—regardless of Pulisic’s status. This means it’ll come down to Abraham vs. Giroud again and there’s not much between the two at the moment. Both lengthy No. 9s scored against Wolves last season, Abraham with a hat-trick at Molineux, and Giroud at the Bridge. Neither is particularly in good form at the moment and both played at the weekend. The difference for many is the fact Giroud is 34 and will likely not be fully fit on two days rest, but that’s for Lampard to ultimately decide. Chelsea simply has to finish more chances in the final third, regardless of who gets the nod. If this doesn’t happen, things could get ugly as the Blues are hit with adversity in the form of injuries.
Next. Chelsea: Petr Cech will make his competitive return in PL2 game. dark
What are some of the things you’ll be looking for? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!