Can
you drop a striker after he's scored four goals in the Champions League?
That's the question Frank Lampard will be mulling over ahead of Chelsea's
clash with Leeds on Saturday.
Olivier Giroud - who has been starved of Premier League action this season -
was in sensational form in Sevilla as he struck all four goals in Chelsea's
4-0 win against the Spanish side.
Was that performance enough for him to jump ahead of Tammy Abraham and grab
a starting spot this weekend? Or does Timo Werner offer Lampard his best
option through the middle?
We look at Chelsea's central striking options...
Tammy Abraham
Abraham was Chelsea's top scorer last season with 15 Premier League goals
and, now 23 years old, the England international is aiming to nail down his
place as the Blues' first-choice centre forward.
However, with that role comes the pressure of delivering week-in, week-out
and Abraham was criticised after Sunday's goalless draw with Tottenham for
not converting the chances which came his way during a tight encounter at
Stamford Bridge.
"He has to improve in those [big-chance] moments," said former Chelsea
striker Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink. "He did ever so well last year when he came
in, for the first half of the season he was a breath of fresh air and scored
lots of goals. In the second half, he had it difficult, which is normal
because he is a young boy.
"This season, you need to step up and I think at times, he can do better.
With his stature and his ability, he should do better and score more goals,
especially more important goals.
"Sometimes I wonder 'does he watch clips of himself after the game?' His
movement can be a little bit better, his holding up can be a little bit
better. He needs to keep improving."
Fellow Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane agreed. "The plus is that he was getting
chances, but the key is if you want to be a big player at a big club, you've
got to score the important goals. Chelsea had the better chances [against
Tottenham] and in such a tight game, they were decent chances he missed."
Abraham has three goals and one assist to his name from nine Premier League
appearances so far this season but is facing competition...
Olivier Giroud
France striker Olivier Giroud is now 34 years old - but he continues to have
an impact whenever he appears for Chelsea.
He was a key figure after football's restart in the summer, scoring seven
goals in 11 domestic games as Chelsea secured a top-four finish in the
league and reached the FA Cup final, and his four-goal haul in Sevilla was a
stunning reminder of his finishing ability.
There has been speculation about his future, with reports suggesting
Juventus and Inter Milan are weighing up a move for him in the January
transfer window, and game time is an issue with Giroud eager to feature for
France at next summer's Euros. He has played just 47 minutes in the Premier
League so far this season but, after his heroics in Seville, he is surely
pushing for a starting role now.
Olivier Giroud signals skywards after opening the scoring for Chelsea
against Sevilla0:46
"It's pretty clear he's been underused," Sky Sports' Adam Bate told the
Pitch to Post Preview Podcast.
"There's always the sense with Giroud that it feels a little begrudging,
that it's almost inconvenient that he might be better than Tammy Abraham
because he's 34 and it would be lovely if Chelsea didn't need him at all and
that Abraham could do it all, Werner could do it all, and they could just
use Giroud sparingly.
"He wants to play in the Euros, he might fancy the World Cup just 18 months
on from that, so he needs more minutes and if that's going to happen it's a
balancing act for Lampard for how much time he gives him. He'll want to keep
him sweet but not stifle Abraham's progress.
"If Chelsea were playing the Champions League final tomorrow I'd be tempted
to have Giroud ahead of Abraham but obviously Lampard is having to take into
account other factors."
Timo Werner
Such is Lampard's abundance of attacking talent at Chelsea this season, he
has a third genuine option at centre forward in Timo Werner.
The Germany international has played through the middle seven times for
Chelsea this season, scoring five times and recording three assists in those
games.
Those stats are superior to his performances from the left - six goals and
one assist from 10 appearances - but that wider role is likely to be his
position going forward. It was where he excelled at his former club RB
Leipzig and it also allows him to put his pace to best use.
Chelsea's switch to 4-3-3 allows him to drift in from the left flank when
required but he is better suited to that wider berth than holding up the
ball or playing with his back to goal. Expect him to feature there when
Abraham and Giroud are fit and firing.
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