Do Chelsea Really Need a New Striker?

Torres will lead the Chelsea strike force from next season....

Here’s something to ponder about: should we or shouldn’t we sign a new striker? All eyes from fans to rivals to haters will be on Chelsea. And thank god it’s for the right reasons; we’re the reigning European Champions, we signed two amazing talented wingers, with one being a hot property all Europe elites tried to get their hands on (who could forget all the rubbish talk other team's supporters said after Hazard sign for Chelsea?), and finally, Roman is showing he means business this time around by trying to sign other talented and gifted players to perfect the club.

We have signed Hazard and Marin, two very talented wingers, which Chelsea desperately need as last season saw us possess our most least attacking team we’ve ever seen under Roman. As everyone believes, with Di Matteo signed as permanent manager, we will be playing under the classic 4-2-3-1 formation. We have the defense and midfield pretty much covered with a signing in the right back position to perfect our defense. The attacking half of midfield is also covered as we have players who can fit in these positions; but as many believe (and if I might add, so do I) we need one more signing to fill the right wing position, and if I might add again, I strongly believe Hulk will be a perfect addition for us.

Back to the point, the one position that caught my eye is the striker. Yes we have three players who can play there, but with the loss of king Didier, only one of the three is on par to the Drog. Fernando Torres. The Chelsea hierarchy has stated that he's in the club's long term plans and will lead the attacking line up as well,which in my opinion is great news. Torres hasn't been at his very best since he joined us from Mersyside, but since RDM  took charge, Torres has shown us the flashes of his old form and also that he can destroy defenses at will even today. Fact is, Torres was Chelsea's top scorer in the Premier league under Roberto Di Matteo on par with Drogba, both scored 4 goals each. Another fact is that Torres topped the assist chart with 6 one above fellow team mate and Spain international, Mata.  But then again, is Fernando enough? We will be competing in more competitions than we did in previous seasons, adding the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Club. So that means we’ll need other quality strikers to either replace Torres for rotation and to add more depth in our squad. But before that let’s take a look at the other strikers we currently have.

Romelu Lukaku

Lukaku has great potential and is gifted but that lad requitres playing time...

When bought from Anderlecht in 2011, Lukaku was dubbed the new Drogba. He scored 33 goals in his 73 appearances in 3 years with Anderlecht. Physic wise, he does resemble a young Drogba, whose main attribute was his sheer power, pace, technical abilities and goal scoring instinct. So far Lukaku has shown he got the power and pace, but still lack technical abilities and his scoring instinct. I’d blame that on the fact that he is still very young and lacks experience, whilst Drogba came to Chelsea when he was 26. So what’s the best way to quickly polish this young talent? My answer would be to loan him either to Ligue 1 or Bundesliga or any English club for a season or two. Let’s be honest, I personally don’t see Di Matteo giving him the nod to play anytime soon. It’d be great if he's loaned.

Daniel Sturridge

Sturridge is a great talent with great dribbling ability and great pace. I doubt anyone would argue with that. But after Di Matteo started taking charge at the Bridge, Sturridge began to fade. He lost his starting position and was benched most of the times. Why is that? Because Di Matteo makes his players play as one, as a team. Whilst Sturridge has the tendency to shoot at will even with a teammate in a better position to shoot. One might argue that Sturridge is the answer to provide back up for Torres as our main striker, and yes I also think he’s got the ability and talent to do so. But the question remains, is Sturridge enough to back up Torres? In my opinion, yes he is. We could see that the only problem Sturridge had last season was his willingness to pass, besides that, I see a formidable striker in the making. Well there have been rumors that Danny could leave Chelsea but nothing concrete has been reported yet but still you never know.

So anyways, basically in my opinion, in the mean time we don’t need to sign a new striker as some have suggested.  We might as well focus on signing Hulk and a new right back. Hulk himself can also play as a striker so if we do sign him, it'll ease any injury or suspension problems we face later on. Torres and Sturridge are great strikers any club could have. With Lukaku seemingly getting a loan, the two will be our main strikers and with the three attacking midfielders behind them, we’d be a great attacking force.

What do you guys think? Please do comment, we love to hear from you guys....

Till then, Keep the Blue Flag Flying High!

#HWCFC(CFC360)

Chelsea Looking In For Sturridge-Walcott Swap due to RVP?

CFC and Arsenal set for a potential exchange move?

Reports this evening from Crunchsports and Mirror suggset that our number 23 Daniel Sturridge could be on his way to Emirates if Van Persie quits. Van Persie isn't looking to sign a long term deal with Arsenal and could be sold if his £30million price tag is met. On the other hand Theo Walcott is not prepared to sign a new long term deal as he feels that Arsenal wouldn't be the team if their tailsmanic striker leaves the club by the end of this transfer season.

Following are the reports-


The man above in red is a big piece in this transfer jigsaw....

- Juventus and Manchester City are on alert as Arsenal are prepared to sell striker Robin van Persie this summer - providing their £30million valuation is met, according to the Sunday Mirror.

- Chelsea and Liverpool are on alert as Arsenal are prepared to let Theo Walcott leave the club this summer after contract talks reached a stalemate, according to the Sunday Mirror.

- And according to The Sun on Sunday, Walcott is refusing to pledge his future to Arsenal until Van Persie commits himself.

- Arsenal and Liverpool are on alert as Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge believes he will be forced to quit the club this summer to revive his England career, according to the Sunday Mirror.

Now this situation makes the reader a bit bewildered. So it all depends on the Dutch man if he quits then Chelsea and Arsenal might look to negotiate for their two players in Danny and Walcott.(Liverpool are somewhere in the mix as well)



Will Danny stay or will he leave the reigning European Champions?

If you want to read how heavily Danny Sturridge is being linked to Arsenal I would request you to read this .

Well this situation remains unresolved for now. But the chances of Van Persie quitting the Gunners aren't very grim as well. Arsenal have already secured Lucas Podolski and are close to signing Olivier Giroud,then they could think of cashing on RVP and if they are able to induce Sturridge  he could yet be on his way to the Emirates stadium.

This is quite a prospect but the Blues have also been linked to Theo Walcott heavily in the past (read here) are continued to be linked even in the present day scenario. Both are extremely talented players and have bright futures.So let's hope for the best I would say. Danny is an asset to us but it seems he has other plans for his future maybe. Anyways let's keep our fingers crossed and watch the action unfold.

Till then KTBFFH as always....

TweetFollow @CFC360Official

Blues vs Gunners for Ben Arfa

Its a two way fight for the French man...

Chelsea have been joined by local neighbours Arsenal for the race to sign Newcastle's number 10 Hatem Ben Arfa.The Frenchman who admitted in an interview that he could leave the Magpies if a bigger club approaches him.The France international was a revelation for Newcastle last season as they just missed out on Champions League football and it is no surprise to see him linked with a move away from St James' Park.Chelsea have long been linked with the player but now reports claim that Gunners boss Mr. Wenger is also keen as he looks to bolster his ranks for the new season.
Speaking to L'Equipe at the start of the European Championships, the 25-year-old refused to completely rule out a summer transfer should the right club show interest in him.


"If I don't have a really very, very serious proposition, I will stay," he said.

"If a big club comes but doesn't propose me something very exciting, which means the coach really wants me, I will stay.

"If I don't feel trust from the coach at 100 per cent, I will not leave.

"I have three years remaining on my contract. But I know it can go quickly."

While it is far from certain Newcastle would be willing to sell Ben Arfa, if the Magpies were to be tempted into a transfer, the Mirror feels Arsenal is a more likely destination than Chelsea. The Blues have already secured Lille’s Eden Hazard and Germany international Marko Marin, who each play in a complementary position to Ben Arfa’s favoured role, and we already have  Mata and Frank Lampard in the squad.

Well Ben Arfa could be tempted for a move to the European Champions given the lure of Champions League Football and a much bigger stage.But as reports suggest Arsenal are keeping tabs on him as well.

What do you think readers? Do we need Ben Arfa? Would he be a good addition to the Blues attack? Please feel free to comment. We love to hear from you guys...

Till then KTBFFH as always....

TweetFollow @CFC360Official

The Challenge Ahead (Part 2) : Transition From a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 Formation

This is a continuation of one of my articles titles titled "The Challenge Ahead: Chelsea's Transition Into An Attacking Side". Here I will take a look at the formation that we began to use regularly under Roberto Di Matteo when he took over the job on an interim basis.

Mourinho (right) started the 4-3-3 system

Since the days of Jose Mourinho, Chelsea have lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. Basically,the formation encouraged attacking wing-play and a packed midfield which provided solidity in defence. Indeed, one could understand why Jose began to use this formation. Joe Cole, Arjen Robben & Damien Duff were all wingers who loved to make searing runs down the wing and then deliver crosses for the oncoming Didier Drogba. Players like Essien & Makelele were used as midfield anchors, whilst Ballack quietly controlled the midfield, allowing Super Frank to make his traditional late runs into the box. The nature of this formation also meant that our wingers found it easy to get into goal-scoring positions.

Juan Mata flourished in the 4-2-3-1 system

However, no system is perfect. And the flaws of the 4-3-3 were there for all to see when results started going downhill last season. A packed midfield 3 offered no creativity whatsoever. Our wingers were under-performing,  and Juan Mata often found himself stuck on the left wing where he could not influence & dictate the play as much as he liked. The system needed to be changed, & that's exactly what Roberto Di Matteo did when he was appointed as caretaker manager.
He started using the 4-2-3-1 formation. The formation has 2 defensive midfielders, attacking wingers and one attacking midfielder playing in the hole. Juan Mata no longer played on the left wing but in the attacking midfield role where he could influence the game. 2 defensive midfielders meant there was some solidity in defence, which had been shaky the whole season. The change worked.

It seems likely that Chelsea are going to stick with this formation. The players that we have already bought and the players we are still chasing would be perfectly suited to this system. Also, the 4-2-3-1 formation worked wonders for Liverpool when they had Gerrard playing in the hole & Fernando Torres leading the attack. With the Spaniard appearing to find some form towards the end of last season, it would suit Chelsea to play to his strengths as he will be the main striker next season. And I see no reason for Roberto Di Matteo to revert back to the 4-3-3. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Keep The Blue Flag Flying High till then fellow BLUES....

TweetFollow @CFC360Official