London, England – July 04: Olivier Giroud of Chelsea reacts to missing an opportunity during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Watford FC at Stamford Bridge on July 04, 2020 in London, England. Soccer stadiums in Europe remain empty due to the coronavirus pandemic, as the government’s social distance laws prohibit fans inside venues, causing all matches to be played behind closed doors. (Photo by Glyn Kirk / Pool via Getty Images)
The Chelsea strikers’ competition is heating up, more than it should at this stage, with Olivier Giroud ahead of Tammy Abraham.
As the reboot progresses to its inexorable conclusion, one thing is clear; Tammy Abraham has yet to regain his starting center forward position for Chelsea. It is quite uncertain whether he will, as Timo Werner will join the team in the near future.
Olivier Giroud has taken the lead in position for his outstanding play. Once again Giroud scored the winner against Watford as the Blues struggled to regain a top-four position after their dismal performance against West Ham.
Giroud has made the most of the initial role Frank Lampard has given him and has rewarded the gaffer handsomely. Two winning goals in five games is a clear statement that Giroud, despite his 33-year-old age, remains a force to be reckoned with. This is the case not only in Chelsea, but also in France in world football.
Giroud has stood out for Chelsea on the restart after signing a one-year extension a few months earlier. The club should seriously consider extending Olivier for another year. It makes a lot of sense because every time he plays, he complies.
Abraham has not been in shape since the restart. While earlier in the campaign, he continued to play and delivered to the front center despite being injured, an admirable trait, in fact, he has yet to return to the form that made him score in clusters earlier in the season. So one has to speculate that perhaps Tammy has yet to recover from the ankle injury that hampered him earlier in the season.
Whatever the reason, the player has clearly favored Giroud as his first-choice center forward since the restart. Any Chelsea fan is unlikely to complain about the results. The Blues have had an excellent career, despite the West Ham debacle. Hopefully Abraham can regain the form that made him a hero at Aston Villa and a budding star at Chelsea earlier this season, but until then, Giroud will keep the seat warm.
Lampard will continue to select the center striker who he believes will help provide the crucial results to lead the club to the Champions League in 2020/21. If Abraham cannot comply, he will continue to be a squad player and his long-term future at the club will be in doubt.
