Opinion | The Missing Piece In Mourinho's Puzzle
Opinion | Mourinho's Missing Puzzle Piece
Are Chelsea one signing away from winning the Premier League?
Chelsea have bought well this summer and have done brilliantly pre season, bar a defeat to Real Madrid, but one thing that has become glaringly obvious in light of the 3-1 defeat to Los Blancos is the lack of a Ronaldo - a star forward.
We all know the problems with Fernando Torres, and Demba Ba is simply not a top class striker - and Mourinho knows it. Don't get us wrong, he's a decent player but not world class and that leaves the boys from Stamford Bridge with a gap to fill...
The player Chelsea fans have seen the most of during pre season tours of both Asia and the USA is Romelu Lukaku who bares more than a passing resemblance to former hero Didier Drogba in terms of looks, ability and style of play. Lukaku has bags of potential and has shown us in pre season and also during his loan spell at West Brom last season where he beat his own target - to score 15 goals, by netting 17 times for the Baggies.
Now Mourinho is willing to give Lukaku his chance, and rightly so, but the young forward cannot lead the line alone when Chelsea challenge for four major trophies.
Chelsea have yet to find the right man to replace Didier Drogba.
Even during Mourinho s first spell at Chelsea when Drogba was on fire, there was Eidur Gudjohnsen to back him up, and after that Nicholas Anelka. In modern football, it is incredibly difficult for top sides to challenge on all fronts with only one world class forward - especially if they are not getting goals from elsewhere on the field. New recruit Andre Schurrle looks more than capable of scoring - and crackers at that if the game against AC Milan was anything to go by.
Ramires has shown he can burst from midfield and net vital goals too. Another key man for Mourinho will be Eden Hazard who the manager is determined to make one of the very best in the world, put together his goals with Mata's and Lampard's and you're looking well into double figures.
If Chelsea don't sign a new striker it will be now or never time for Torres.
So should Mourinho give Fernando another chance, play him every game and hope he comes good? Given since 2011 Fernando Torres has scored 15 goals for the Blues (the same amount of goals Drogba has netted against Arsenal) then that would be one hell of a gamble and in reality it is understandable that Chelsea would look elsewhere.
The Happy One seems to have set his heart on Rooney and has noted there is no time limit on signing the player and looks like returning with a third bid for the England International soon, but realistically United will never sell him before they play Chelsea on August 26th.
Outside of Rooney, there are few options left with the futures of Ramadel Falcao, Edinson Cavani and Robert Lewandowski all tied up for the foreseeable future - Luis Suarez could be an option but Mourinho doesn't seem keen to go there. Really, Chelsea are the only option for Rooney and he is the only option for them.
The club are missing a forward and Rooney is missing a manager he gels with and one who can make him back into the world class player he was two years ago - and just before the World Cup.
Should Chelsea fail to sign a forward, the title still looks a possibility next season but a new front man would be the missing piece in the puzzle - Cech gets better each year, the defence will benefit from Mourinho's defensive philosophy, the midfield has strengthened and class has been added in the form of Schurrle and De Bruyne - not to mention Juan Mata penning a new deal and Eden Hazard clearly being Mourinho s pick of the bunch.
The only thing that can take Chelsea from an excellent side to one of the top sides in Europe is a star forward - and Mourinho is fully aware of this. How unfortunate his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo is damaged beyond repair then.
Do Chelsea need a new striker or are they serious contenders with the squad they already have? Let us know your thoughts.
