It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited about a Chelsea attack. It’s a shame they didn’t finish with the elite number 9, but the rest of the attack looks scary now.
I’ve wanted to see that X-factor player at Stamford Bridge for a long time, someone like Eden Hazard. Now, I’m not saying that the strikers we have are at the same level as Hazard yet, but you get what I’m saying. And we certainly have several strikers with that X-factor.
We have a star-studded attack now, with so much quality competition, and the signing of Jadon Sancho and the removal of Raheem Sterling on deadline day this summer simply heightened that.
We have some really great options across the attacking midfield, which is really exciting and exciting for me, but it also poses a huge problem.
Every top-flight needs quality, options and depth, and I think Chelsea certainly have that right now in the attacking midfield position. But it also raises questions and presents Enzo Maresca with one of the biggest problems in football: the headache of selection he will face every matchday, provided his best players remain fit.
Who will be his best front four? What a question. Why is Christopher Nkunku in trouble? It really is a question. When I reluctantly scroll through X these days, I see some criticism of Nkunku. It’s a bit strange. It seems like he hasn’t shined yet, but he hasn’t been bad. He needs to adapt and play. But will he be a regular starter in this squad? I don’t know for sure. But I think he’s one of our best finishers.
Cole Palmer seems to be the key in the central attacking midfield position, with Noni Madueke on the right and Pedro Neto on the left. But what if you add Jadon Sancho to that? What if you add Joao Felix to that? What if you add Mihailo Mudric to that? He’s still here.
Fortunately, there are plenty of games to play this season. But I wonder how often players like Nkunku and Felix will start now. Will they have to settle for supporting roles on the bench? Will that be enough to satisfy them?
Asking who Chelsea’s best striker is right now is virtually impossible. I’ll try tomorrow.
I rate Sancho a lot and if he can play like we have seen so far, he will be a regular, just like Neto. Madueke has started the season well and cannot be dropped, so he will have to keep his level very high, just like Palmer. Nkunku, Felix, Mudric will have to be world class when they come on. And all of that is great, and we have to keep the level that high and as a result we have to benefit from it on the pitch. That will be the biggest positive aspect of all of this, and that is how the best clubs are run.
I’m very impressed with the offense we’ve built (true 9 aside) and very curious to see how it performs and how much of a rotation we’ll see in other games.
I won’t even mention Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez (oh, I just mentioned them). And as for Kani Chukwuemeka, you all know I rate him highly, but he shouldn’t be here, he needs to go out and play and improve. He’s not getting any playing time other than in the League Cup or early FA Cup.
