Michael Owen admitted to the Premier League Show, which was broadcast on Optus Sports, that he hasn’t been convinced by a Chelsea striker since Didier Drogba.
After Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Sheffield United last night, the topic of discussion turned to Thomas Tuchel’s attacking options.
None of the Blues traditional forwards have scored yet under their new manager, which concerned the panel.
“I’ve never felt comfortable with the main Chelsea centre forward since Drogba probably,” Owen confessed.
“And I only say that when I’m talking ‘are Chelsea going to win the league, are they real contenders.’ Of course, they are brilliant players. (Olivier) Giroud’s won the World Cup for heavens sake and he’s a brilliant player.”
The former Liverpool man continued in his assessment, saying: “To win the Premier League, you need to one of the best strikers in the world. I don’t think Giroud or (Tammy) Abraham are in the top ten of the world.
“They keep trying to buy bigger and better strikers. I don’t feel they’ve ever got it right since Drogba.”
It’s true that not many have reached the heights at Stamford Bridge like the Ivorian marksman.
Having signed from Marseille in 2004 for a modest £23.8m (Guardian), Drogba went on to score 164 goals for Chelsea and was twice awarded the Premier League Golden Boot award.
He also won four league titles, seven domestic cups and most infamously the Champions League in 2012.
Chelsea have tried to replicate his achievements via a manner of alternatives.
Fernando Torres, Alvaro Morata, Michy Batshuayi and Gonzalo Higuain have been a handful of the many high profile, expensive experiments that have failed to reproduce Drogba’s success down the years.
Diego Costa was probably the closest Chelsea imitation. The Spaniard netted 58 times in 120 games for the Blues and was influential in two league triumphs.
Tuchel’s latest roster includes Giroud, Abraham and Timo Werner, none of whom who have scored in the top flight since the end of December.
All three of his victories as Chelsea boss have been secured by defenders or midfielders. This pattern needs to change if they’re to seriously contend for silverware in the future.
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I think Drogba would hands down walk into any dream Chelsea XI. I do however think Owen’s comments were a little harsh.
Costa was terrific during his tenure, and there have been moments from Giroud and Abraham that suggest they can lead the Blues line.
But I can see where he’s coming from in terms of a lacking that consistent no.9.
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