But with Damien Duff, Veron, Lampard, Parker, Geremi, Johnson, Terry, Bridge, etc all off the mark this season, how goals have many have our forwards contributed?
Well, Crespo has scored a goal, on average, every 81 minutes of Premiership football he has played. A good strike rate is considered anything above a goal every 2 games!! (180 mins) Shame his lack of appearences has restricted him to just 7 Premiership goals.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is our top scorer with 9 Premiership goals. His deadly partnership with Eidur Gudjohnson from a couple of years ago has been given little chance to get going, but has impressed on several occasions when they've been re-united. (Wolves and Leicester away)
Adrian Mutu, well heres a wierd one! A dynamic start in front of goal, scoring for fun and running rings round Spurs, Blackburn and the like. Then the performances got better and the goals dried up! He got one at Leicester, a couple against Watford and one today against Arsenal, but still his strike rate is less than impressive.
So partnerships. Well, we all know what Jimmy and Eidur can do together. Jimmy and Crespo hasn't been an often used forward line, but Jimmy and Mutu has been relatively successful. Mutu and Guddy hasn't though. Yes, they did create a few chances between them against a weak and tired Charlton side, but in every other game together, they've both dropped deep, leaving us without a targert man. They are both to alike.
The two most gifted of the four are, in my opinion at least, Crespo and Mutu. However, somewhat surprisingly, they have proved the most in-effective partnership. Either way, they seem to be the two Claudio wants to use, especially for the big games. (Liverpool at home, Arsenal away, Man U at home, Champions League, etc)
Will Jimmy, our top scorer, stay in the team? Will Crespo force his way back when fully fit? Will Mutu find the goals again?
Oh, and just to end on a positive note. Chelsea's joint top scorer this season in the Premiership?
Mikael Forssell !!!