To play the lone striker role to a consistently top level is incredibly difficult. It involves so much. Hold up play, touch, strength, movement, finishing, having aerial ability etc. It may be 20 years plus before we find another Drogba.
I have said before Bats is a forward that will never work as a lone striker. But as part of a front two? Who knows? It is something I hoped Frank might be more willing to try when we are chasing a result.

Bold statement but I actually believe we found another Drogba a few years after him in the man called Diego Costa.

He had this rare ability to not only be a good striker but to take entire games in his hands. I remember many times when the team had a meek day he would just go into full tank engine mode and steal a 1-0 or 2-1 from the opponents. He was a real leader up front, him and hazard always were the players capable of turning the whole game around when everything seemed to be going in the wrong direction.

Right now we'd already be happy to have a striker who does his duties, holds the ball and converts, and in the first half of the season we found that in Tammy. But what Diego did to the game was a whole different level.

Now I'm obviously not comparing his status to the legend Drogba (to reach such a status will ultimately require a certain character and charm as well) but if Diego's Chelsea tenure had taken place 5-10 years earlier, with the even more prolific players Didier played with, I can't rule out that he may have been equally successful.

5 hours ago, Luiz4Chelsea said:

Bold statement but I actually believe we found another Drogba a few years after him in the man called Diego Costa.

He had this rare ability to not only be a good striker but to take entire games in his hands. I remember many times when the team had a meek day he would just go into full tank engine mode and steal a 1-0 or 2-1 from the opponents. He was a real leader up front, him and hazard always were the players capable of turning the whole game around when everything seemed to be going in the wrong direction.

Right now we'd already be happy to have a striker who does his duties, holds the ball and converts, and in the first half of the season we found that in Tammy. But what Diego did to the game was a whole different level.

Now I'm obviously not comparing his status to the legend Drogba (to reach such a status will ultimately require a certain character and charm as well) but if Diego's Chelsea tenure had taken place 5-10 years earlier, with the even more prolific players Didier played with, I can't rule out that he may have been equally successful.

In literally every skill set you can identify Drogba was miles better than Costa IMO. As an all round player there isn't even a comparison to make.

5 hours ago, Luiz4Chelsea said:

Now I'm obviously not comparing his status to the legend Drogba (to reach such a status will ultimately require a certain character and charm as well) but if Diego's Chelsea tenure had taken place 5-10 years earlier, with the even more prolific players Didier played with, I can't rule out that he may have been equally successful.

The only thing with Costa that let him down for me was his personality, he always wanted to be somewhere else.

In literally every skill set you can identify Drogba was miles better than Costa IMO. As an all round player there isn't even a comparison to make.

Totally agree, but their output was basically the same. What Costa did hardly ever looked pretty or technically skillful, but he delivered consistently against any type of opponent and certainly didn't require ten world class performances behind him for it. In his years with us he would have been capable of bullying any defence in Europe.

So if I had to choose between the same output but once pretty and once dirty I'd obviously go for Drogba, but that's a very luxurious choice to make. Considering how silly the premise of "finding another Drogba" is anyway I find it hard to ask for more in a post Drogba striker than what Costa offered.

The only thing with Costa that let him down for me was his personality, he always wanted to be somewhere else.

This is right however, and it's a real shame. Ability is worthless if it fails because of personal deficiencies.

Knowing Costa and knowing Chelsea's habit of changing managers it seems like an eventual fallout with one of them would have been unavoidable in any post 2003 period. That's why ultimately Costa's status at the club can't even remotely be compared to Drogba's.

Drogba did it for longer, he did it without unsettling the changing room (quite the opposite) and he did it when it counted most in 2012. He's a true legend. Ultimately any consideration if Costa would have been capable of achieving the same remain purely theoretical. But when personal issues were not involved, his impact on the team week in week out was not smaller than Drogba's. I'll stand by that.

6 hours ago, Luiz4Chelsea said:

Totally agree, but their output was basically the same. What Costa did hardly ever looked pretty or technically skillful, but he delivered consistently against any type of opponent and certainly didn't require ten world class performances behind him for it. In his years with us he would have been capable of bullying any defence in Europe.

So if I had to choose between the same output but once pretty and once dirty I'd obviously go for Drogba, but that's a very luxurious choice to make. Considering how silly the premise of "finding another Drogba" is anyway I find it hard to ask for more in a post Drogba striker than what Costa offered.

How are you measuring the output? On goals scored? OK (over a very short duration for Costa). In every other metric; assists, defensive contribution, hold-up play, winning aerial duals, running with the ball, 1st touch, big game performances etc......... not even close.

How are you measuring the output? On goals scored? OK (over a very short duration for Costa). In every other metric; assists, defensive contribution, hold-up play, winning aerial duals, running with the ball, 1st touch, big game performances etc......... not even close.

When I'm saying output I mean goals obviously but also the general impact on the team (how many points did the player win us). As I said, Costa couldn't compare on any of these mentioned technical metrics but his "output" in this sense was quite comparable. He did it in big and "small" games equally (which is what you want from your striker imo) and he did it when the team was playing well or badly (let's not forget Drogba never had to play in a 15/16 type season). I also don't necessarily find 120 games a very short duration.

In the end it doesn't matter much because Drogba's achievements are untouchable. He's the technically superior player, delivered for way longer and showed far better character. I just find it silly to deny that for some time we had a real monster of a striker in Costa, just because things didn't end well. No point when the player insists to be a troublemaker, just a real shame.

On 23/02/2020 at 00:34, Luiz4Chelsea said:

I just find it silly to deny that for some time we had a real monster of a striker in Costa

I think you're spot on here. Costa had a fear factor, he took teams apart. He would spark a win out of nowhere, like the 1-0 West Brom home game in 16/17. The game was going nowhere, WBA were set up to defend and were doing a frustratingly good job of it, then suddenly Costa scores from a nothing ball down the wing. He certainly had a presence.

Not saying he was as good as Drogba at all, but he's been our best striker since. 

The match report from that WBA game is such a satisfying read: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38199046

I think you're spot on here. Costa had a fear factor, he took teams apart. He would spark a win out of nowhere, like the 1-0 West Brom home game in 16/17. The game was going nowhere, WBA were set up to defend and were doing a frustratingly good job of it, then suddenly Costa scores from a nothing ball down the wing. He certainly had a presence.
Not saying he was as good as Drogba at all, but he's been our best striker since. 
The match report from that WBA game is such a satisfying read: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38199046

Prime example this, another one obviously being our win at the Etihad that season.

Was a real shocker of a game up until that point and he single handedly turned it around in his typical tank engine fashion, away to our main title competitors

Apparently we are asking Leeds for 25mill for him. If we pull that off then we have done great.

Not sure we should sell anyone to Dirty Leeds. Need to ensure their swift return to the Championship. 

On 22/02/2020 at 23:05, just said:

In literally every skill set you can identify Drogba was miles better than Costa IMO. As an all round player there isn't even a comparison to make.

Well said. 

I think a lot of Chelsea fans were in love with the idea of Costa as opposed to the player we actually saw. The thing with Diego was that defenders quickly figured out he hated it when they fought back against his antics - cue the sulking, the whining at the referees and teammates etc.

Drogba always had more to his bow than just physical domination - the 4 assists and that Redondo turn to embarass Carragher at Anfield, followed by the chest down and volley at the Bridge - he didn't need to break you, he could just beat you by being better.

2 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

Well said. 

I think a lot of Chelsea fans were in love with the idea of Costa as opposed to the player we actually saw. The thing with Diego was that defenders quickly figured out he hated it when they fought back against his antics - cue the sulking, the whining at the referees and teammates etc.

Drogba always had more to his bow than just physical domination - the 4 assists and that Redondo turn to embarass Carragher at Anfield, followed by the chest down and volley at the Bridge - he didn't need to break you, he could just beat you by being better.

I found Drogba to be inconsistent at times and I think for a player of his abillity he should've been more prolific and scored more goals. Having said that, he was 5x the player Costa ever was, Costa was on of the most frustrating players on the ball I've ever watched. He was a garbage footballer, but he did have a better eye for goal. But even then, I would wager 2010 Drogba was way more prolific than Costa ever has been in his career. 

The reason why so many Chelsea fans like Costa is because he's one of the only strikers post Drogba who actually had any success here. (Not counting the backup strikers like Ba, Remy, Giroud etc. who've definitely done the job). But I think Tammy has done really well also, and I think he's got a big role to play for Chelsea in the future. 

5 hours ago, Spiller86 said:

Not sure we should sell anyone to Dirty Leeds. Need to ensure their swift return to the Championship. 

Selling them Bats could well help that....

5 hours ago, Spiller86 said:

Not sure we should sell anyone to Dirty Leeds. Need to ensure their swift return to the Championship. 

I'd much rather Leeds in the premier league than a team like norwich. Football needs rivalries and I've missed the Leeds matches. 

A masterclass from Marina if she somehow manages to get anything above 15m for him

12 minutes ago, driller97 said:

A masterclass from Marina if she somehow manages to get anything above 15m for him

So just the £20M loss then on what we paid for him then ... 🙂

Not quite what I'd call a masterclass !

Edited August 18, 20205 yr by Sexyfootball

13 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

So just the £20M loss then on what we paid for him then ... 🙂

Not quite what I'd call a masterclass !

Its a masterclass because he's worth about £5

1 hour ago, Sexyfootball said:

So just the £20M loss then on what we paid for him then ... 🙂

Not quite what I'd call a masterclass !

Plus sizable loan fees.

We overpayed at the time, and it was a gamble that has never really paid off. 

Good finisher when he is confident and playing regularly, but his all round game is poor, and he hasnt even really been a reliable back up, since we ended bringing in Giroud, Higuain, Morata, and using Hazard there, rather than turning to Michy. 

If we can get £15m for him that would be great. 

17 hours ago, Spiller86 said:

Not sure we should sell anyone to Dirty Leeds. Need to ensure their swift return to the Championship. 

Can we loan them Kepa then

23 hours ago, driller97 said:

Its a masterclass because he's worth about £5

Come on driller97 let's be a bit more realistic, I say about £10

Batshuayi is such a weird case, the guy has everything you would want from a front man; pace, strength, decent technical ability, good finisher yet has always flattered to deceive. Reports have obviously suggested that he has this inability to follow or even understand the game plan hence why Managers have overlooked him.

Just goes to show how important the mental aspect of the game is, you can have all the physical attributes but without the mental strength to go with it you wont make it at the top.

38 minutes ago, Imran_CFC said:

Batshuayi is such a weird case, the guy has everything you would want from a front man; pace, strength, decent technical ability, good finisher yet has always flattered to deceive. Reports have obviously suggested that he has this inability to follow or even understand the game plan hence why Managers have overlooked him.

Just goes to show how important the mental aspect of the game is, you can have all the physical attributes but without the mental strength to go with it you wont make it at the top.

I think he has great attitude and isn't without ability, he just appears to be a bit scatterbrained. He's a bit:

The wonderful thing about Michys are Michys are wonderful things.

They're bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy but rarely score a goal.

The wonderful thing about Michys are Michys are mighty fine.

When you're in a hole, they'll shoot for goal but hit the post when standing on the line

Woo hoo don't be redikkerous

I read a claim that Leeds were interested for about £20m, hope it is true.

Would be good to see him at another club and with Bielsa as manager he might just become a player...............

On 18/08/2020 at 07:24, bisright1 said:

I'd much rather Leeds in the premier league than a team like norwich. Football needs rivalries and I've missed the Leeds matches. 

100%. Need these 'big' teams in prem that have big rivalries with other prem teams. Clubs like Norwich and West Brom who just continuously get promoted and demoted every year are just really boring nothing clubs.

Needs teams like Leeds, Millwall and Nottingham forest in the prem at the expense of the Brightons and West Broms