Chelsea’s attacking options reviewed ahead of the end of January

With qualification to the 5th round of the Emirates FA Cup up for grabs, Aston Villa visited Chelsea for the second time this season.

Just like the first meeting which took place in the Premier league, Pochettino’s men were the better side for most of the game and but for the heroics of Emi Martinez, the Stamford bridge outfit could have run out victorious over the Birmingham side.

After another frustrating showing for the Blues in front of goal, we take a closer look at the attacking options presently at Pochettino’s disposal and how best to utilize them at the moment.

An attack that consists of Sterling (£45 million), Madueke (£35 million), Mudryk (£62 million), Palmer (£45 million), Nkunku (£52million) and a couple others (Jackson and Broja), it is beyond baffling to say the least, as to why Chelsea still struggle to finish chances.

One ‘valid’ excuse many fans presently afford the team is the availability of key man, Christopher Nkunku.

The Frenchman signed from Leipzig in the German Bundesliga has only made one start (Crystal Palace) in the premier league since joining Chelsea and his persistent niggling injuries has seen him barely accumulate competitive minutes.

Nkunku’s movements and combination play with the other attackers brings out the best of not just himself but other attackers selected alongside him.

‘Ball retention’ in attacking positions is one effective way of ‘wearing’ teams down and Nkunku’s ability to keep the ball in tight spaces is sorely missed by the team.

Moving on to Raheem Sterling. The England international has been inconsistent with his decision making in crucial moments (Wolves away & Villa at home in league) and those moments, rather few have hampered his otherworldly season he’s presently having.

Raheem’s ability to beat his man on both sides, close control and quick turn of pace has seen him devastatingly strike fear in the heart of opposing defenders (Walker, Zincheko, and Cash a few examples).

But, Sterling’s major problem remains his decision making and inconsistencies.

And, there is little hope of Sterling improving any further as he’s now 29-years of age.

Cole Palmer.. that’s the name being sung by many fans, all because of his monstrous performances so far this season.

Signed from Manchester City in his quest for more game time, Cole Jermaine Palmer has fast become Chelsea’s main man in attack with his goals and assists driving the team forward.

Already boasting 20-goals contributions in all competitions this season, Cole Palmer is now a certain member of Pochettino’s attack, irrespective of how the Argentine looks to configure the attack.

Palmer’s understanding of space, tempo and his ‘associative’ play is a huge asset of his and his brilliant shooting techniques sets him apart from his ‘young’ peers amongst the Club’s attacking pool.

However, he still needs to work on being more consistent with his chances and last night showed why perhaps Chelsea should explore someone like a Karim Benzema.

Lastly, Mykhailo Mudryk. The Ukrainian ‘freestyler’ constantly divides opinions amongst the fan-base with his poor footballing IQ and sense of positioning on the pitch but his “raw” talent is in no doubt.

Mudryk’s unique skills of raw pace combined with ruthless ball-striking presently has no other match in the squad and that makes the 62 million pounds signing from Shakhtar Donetsk an interesting profile.

Questions over Mudryk’s willingness to learn the beautiful game are far from answered at the moment but the 22-year old has a huge future ahead of himself if he decides to be more serious with his footballing education rather than spend excess time doing gym work.

A mix of the four aforementioned players seem the best to combine at the moment as their skill sets compliments each other nicely.

Nkunku at CF, Palmer CAM, Mudryk LW and Sterling RW seems to be Chelsea’s best attack, considering each other’s skills-sets and team dynamics.

This attack-line though, does depend on gamestate and what opponent is faced on the other end.