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Should Jose Trust Chelsea’s Current Strike Force or Buy Costa/Cavani In Summer?

Torres vs. Eto’o statistical comparison:

Torres
Torres

We have the opportunity to analyse Chelsea’s two most selected choices of forwards, Fernando Torres and Samuel Eto’o. It is evident from the stats and the recent games that Eto’o has twice the number of goals(8) than Torres(4) in the Premier League, clearly being more clinical in his shooting as both the forwards have similar number of shots attempted. Samuel Eto’o took his time to settle into his form after joining the Blues in the summer and having a lacklustre first half of the season at Stamford Bridge.

Both strikers create similar number of chances while Torres has notched up 4 assists, 2 more than his Cameroonian counterpart. Torres attempts more passes, but his pass accuracy (63%) is much lower than Eto’o’s (75%) meaning the Spaniard loses out possession more often as compared to Eto’o. There is evident difference in the style of both the strikers as Torres has a lot of aerial duels to his name(59) which is way more than Eto’o’s(6) which means Torres has clearly been the favourite whenever Chelsea plan a physical game involving long aerial passes and beating the opponent’s high defensive line. The Spaniard has shown a recent burst of pace as he has more successful take-ons than Eto’o. Torres utilizing his pace fully has also led him towards a frustrating injury-prone season, in such a way that he suffered injuries whenever he was in decent form. Torres clearly has more aggression than Eto’o with him suffering more fouls, also committing more fouls and having collected a red card in the campaign.

Eto’o’s game involves creating enough space in the penalty box, just enough so as to take a shot on goal. The Cameroonian with all his experience does this really well with his agility in the box, a typical goal poacher and a clinical finisher when he is in his element. Fernando Torres on the other hand is a typical Away-Games striker who has that channel running ability and aggression to ruffle the opposition. His physicality in winning the ball and holding it up for rampaging attackers showcases the directness in his attitude, allowing Jose Mourinho to choose him instead of Demba Ba. His shooting lets him down. More often than not, because Torres generally under-utilizes that immediate drop of shoulder, he is often closed down in and around the penalty box in matches where he can’t find space. While all the Blues strikers have been equally prolific in European games, it’s Eto’o the goal poacher who has been the type of striker Chelsea might have needed all along, but the Cameroonian has all his goals in all competitions at home, another fact that speaks volumes about the selection of Torres in away matches who sets up the Oscars and the Hazards by stretching the opposition defence vertically.

The Verdict:

Chelsea need a goal poacher with enough channel running ability and confidence in shooting. A creative shooter would be ideal for most situations. A younger striker would also be able to run a lot more than Eto’o. Buying a striker who doesn’t have fox-like movements in the box can be a gamble. But with money in his hands, Jose Mourinho is bound to spend big and is expected to cash in on his misfit strikers.

Also, another major factor is getting in Diego Costa or Edinson Cavani to Chelsea may work out. They may not be amazing dribblers or foxes in the box but they have the strength and size to dominate a defender and get their shots away. Something which Lukaku and Demba Ba do, of course without having the clinicality of Costa or Cavani.