Chelsea are stuck in fifth after gaining just one point from their last two games. Will they fall short of the top four?
Roberto di Matteo’s managerial career is already falling into the same traps which befell Carlo Ancelotti and Andre Villas-Boas.
He cannot decide who his number one striker should be, Fernando Torres or Didier Drogba.
Drogba remains infuriatingly inconsistent. One moment he is providing flashbacks to his glory days, as seen in the win over Napoli, but more often than not these are rare, and mostly he is poor.
The weekend’s match against Tottenham was a case in point, given the nod, he never once looked like scoring, and at time it could be forgotten he was on the pitch. As a result, Chelsea’s entire attack withered.
Torres meanwhile remains an eternal enigma, and it may be more detrimental for Chelsea to persist. Two goals against a Championship side are not a vindication of his return, against Manchester City last week he was selected and like Drogba he failed to threaten.
Even if Drogba and Torres turn it around over the season’s final few games, it shouldn’t be enough.
Yes it will be humiliating for Abramovich to sell his £50 million striker on the cheap, but if it means success on the pitch, surely that is more valuable?
Even if Chelsea sell one, and sign another striker, the other will remain to confuse the pecking order. The club are better off starting again and completely reinvigorating themselves.
This is no snap evaluation made after a couple of games, for the last 18 months both players have failed to convince, looking a shadow of their former selves.
With competition domestically and abroad more intense than ever, the club risk getting left further behind if they do not act. Sure, they remain in the Champions League, and in a one-off game have a chance against anybody, but do any supporters genuinely believe the club are anywhere near the same level as Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Bayern Munich?
If both strikers remain, any new manager after Di Matteo – assuming he does not land the job – will likely suffer the same problems.
Chelsea have an opportunity this summer to purge themselves of their problems, and they should start with the front line. The club has the money to invest in a Falcao, a Cavani, and supplement it with a highly rated prospect such as Holland’s Luuk de Jong. Don’t forget they also have Romelu Lukaku who surely deserves a proper chance.
Keeping Drogba and Torres will mean the club will likely stand still, so the club need to be bold and axe them both.
Do you agree or should one at least be kept?
image: © Ben Sutherland
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