Glen Johnson thinks that Chelsea are a much greater threat when Olivier Giroud is leading their line, speaking on Premier League productions.
There have been very few criticisms thrown at Thomas Tuchel since he took over from Frank Lampard in the Blues managerial hot seat almost two months ago.
He’s converted Chelsea into a defensively tight, hard-to-break-down, well-oiled unit, who show no signs of being defeated.
However, the one big question that still lingers over Tuchel’s short tenure is his side’s lack of goals.
They have managed three 0-0 draws and not yet been able to score more than twice against an opponent.
Tuchel has encouraged plenty of rotation in his attack, but Johnson believed that he should stick to starting Giroud as their key forward.
“As a Chelsea guy, you want to see them a lot more solid and perform in the way they are”, said the former Chelsea Premier League champion.
“I think the goals will come. Unfortunately, they’ve spent an awful lot of money and I still think they are a better team when Giroud plays. They are still in a transition period.
“They’ve had some fantastic performances in there and some fantastic results. If they can get the main man up top right, they will be a real force next season.”
Since switching from Arsenal for £18m (BBC Sport) in 2018, Giroud has never truly been viewed as the ‘main man’ at Chelsea.
The likes of Alvaro Morata, Tammy Abraham and now Timo Werner have usually been picked ahead of the 34-year-old.
However, he rarely disappoints whenever selected and still remains the Blue’s second top scorer this season with 11.
France’s World Cup winner can also deliver moments of individual magic unlike any other in Tuchel’s team.
This type of ingenuity may be crucial in Chelsea’s Champions League match with Atletico Madrid tomorrow night, a fixture Giroud already has fond memories off.
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I know Chelsea are desperate for Erling Haaland to arrive on their doorstep, and so are the fans, but we need to focus on the here and now.
Which means falling upon a first-choice striker and for me, that should be Giroud all day long.
His touch, finishing, and hold-up play is beyond that of Abraham or Werner, so he certainly gets my vote.
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