Chelsea have been poor in attack this season, and Mauricio Pochettino faces some big transfer decisions when he takes over at Stamford Bridge, including the future of Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku scores for Inter against Napoli (Image: Ivan Romano/Getty Images)
Chelsea have suffered a dismal season in front of goal. The Blues have scored just 36 goals in their 36 Premier League games so far this season, and face difficult clashes against Manchester United and Newcastle United to round off the campaign.
It’s fair to say nothing has really gone to plan so far this season, with two changes of manager and over £600million spent in the transfer windows which failed to bring about the desired results. It looks as if Mauricio Pochettino will be the man to take over at Stamford Bridge, as football.london understands a deal has been agreed with the Argentine coach, with the former Spurs boss set to take over at the end of the season.
Perhaps the top priority for Pochettino based on the current season’s performances will be to increase the attacking output. While it seems the club will have money to spend, they have already committed an awful lot of money to transfers over the past year, and failure to qualify for European football will be a big hit to the bank balance.
Amid links to the likes of Victor Osimhen and Harry Kane, one option for the club could be to look at players already on the books at Stamford Bridge, and Romelu Lukaku’s future is still up in the air following a season spent on loan back at Inter. While things haven’t worked out so far for the 30-year-old in his second at the club, a revival under Pochettino could be an intriguing option.
Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta insists that “Lukaku loves Inter, he wants to stay with us. He feels very good here. Negotiations with Chelsea? He’s on loan until June 30, then we still don’t know Chelsea plans. We’re waiting for that.”
Chelsea will likely wait for Pochettino’s say on the squad before making any decisions, and the striker could not be doing much more at the moment to be placing himself in the manager’s thoughts. A run of six goals and three assists in his last five Serie A games as well as an assist in their Champions League semi-final victory over rivals Milan has seen Lukaku end the season in good form – but could he be the answer to Chelsea’s problems? football.london took a look at his latest attacking efforts.
Empoli 0-3 Inter, Serie A, April 23rd
Lukaku scored twice against Empoli to help earn a victory for his side, before grabbing an assist for the third – a top attacking performance from the Belgian.
For his first goal, Lukaku pins the centre-back inside the box, giving himself enough room to receive the pass comfortably before laying the ball off first-time to Marcelo Brozovic. The midfielder immediately bounces it back to Lukaku, who allows it to run onto his right foot before striking an instinctive effort low into the far corner from just inside the area. It wasn’t the prettiest strike, but it is exactly the type of presence and killer instinct in attack that Chelsea have been sorely lacking this season.
For his second, with the game stretched he receives the ball on the left side of attack around 40 yards from goal, isolating the right-sided centre-back. With space to run at his marker, Lukaku gets his head down before advancing towards the penalty area, throwing a stepover to create space and shifting onto his left foot before unleashing a powerful drive into far corner.
He also set up the third goal for his side, picking the ball up in his own half before getting forward and playing a pass to Lautaro Martinez. The ball just evaded a despairing lunge from a defender, before the Argentine striker fired home.
Inter 3-1 Lazio, Serie A, April 30th
While he didn’t score in the win against Lazio, Lukaku did play a vital role for his side. At 1-0 down with 77 minutes on the board, he showed good strength to hold off a challenge from the centre-back around 25 yards from goal before turning and setting Martinez away into the space the on-loan Chelsea star had vacated. A nice ball for his strike partner, who took a touch to get it out of his feet before firing home an equaliser.
Lukaku was then at it again five minutes later, receiving the ball on the right-side of the penalty area before shaping to shoot and then lofting a delightful ball to the back post for Robin Gosens to acrobatically volley home. The type of invention that has been lacking from the likes of Kai Havertz, who only has one assist to his name this season in the Premier League.
Roma 0-2 Inter, Serie A, May 6th
A match that may well help seal a top-four place for Inter come the end of the season, and Lukaku’s goal helped seal the outcome. It wasn’t the most difficult of goals for the Belgian star, with Martinez capitalising on a mistake in defence from their opponents to intercept a pass and then set his strike partner clean through on goal.
Nevertheless, there was no hesitation from Lukaku. Despite having plenty of time and a clear route at goal, he took his shot early. His first-time finish from the edge of the area gave Rui Patricio no chance, swept into the bottom corner. A clear sign of a striker currently brimming with confidence.
Inter 4-2 Sassuolo, Serie A, May 13th
Coming just a few days after their 2-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against rivals Milan (and with the second leg just a few days later), it would have been easy for Inter to take their foot off the pedal.
But Lukaku and Co. ensured there was no chance of that. The scoring was opened shortly before half-time with Lukaku receiving what looked an innocuous pass into his feet just under 40 yards from goal. However, he used his strength to push the centre-back a further 10 yards or so back before the ball had even reached him. Using a run from Joaquin Correa as a decoy, he then spun away onto his left foot and unleashed an incredible strike into the top corner, underscoring exactly why he can be such a dangerous striker given the right opportunities.
Then late on with their opponents chasing an equaliser, Lukaku put the game to bed with Brozovic setting him away down the left side of the area. He took a touch before sweeping it past the keeper into the far corner.
Inter 1-0 Milan, Champions League, May 16th
While Inter had already given themselves a 2-0 cushion from the first-leg clash against their bitter rivals, there was still the prospect of it being a nervy affair with the city neighbours battling for a place in the Champions League final.
And with a little over 15 minutes remaining, Lukaku made a decisive impact on the second match, holding the ball in the area before playing a clever ball to his strike partner Martinez, who had found himself in space before lashing the ball low past Mike Maignan at his near post. It was a goal greeted with raucous noise from the supporters as they sealed a place in Europe’s showpiece event.
Napoli 3-1 Inter, Serie A, May 21st
While it wasn’t the result they wanted by the end of the game, Lukaku managed to get Inter back on level terms in the 81st minute of the clash against the Serie A champions despite the visitors being down to 10 men. The striker stayed switched on after Napoli looked to have closed down an attack before Federico Dimarco stole the ball back and whipped in a low cross. Lukaku reacted quickest and stuck out a long leg to beat Juan Jesus to the ball just inside the six-yard-box and poke home. It was the type of chance that Chelsea have missed far too often this season, with the striker displaying a poacher’s instinct to slot home what could have been a decisive goal.
Source: football.london
