Can Radamel Falcao ever be considered an upgrade on Danny Welbeck?

Falcao hasn’t quite hit top form at Manchester United this season.

It wasn’t so long ago that Radamel Falcao was terrorising La Liga and European defences and generally gaining a fearsome, and deserved, reputation. Alongside Diego Costa, barely a week went by without Falcao’s name on the score sheet. In fact, his record at both Porto and Atletico Madrid are amongst the best of recent times at both clubs. 41 goals in 51 appearances for the Portuguese and 52 in 68 for the Spaniards. Although the move to Monaco was a surprise, he still repaid the French club with a handsome 11 goals in 20 games.

Yes, Radamel Falcao can be considered one of the best strikers of modern times. So it is with a heavy heart that the football family has charted his progress whilst at Old Trafford. This isn’t the Radamel Falcao of even two years ago. A shadow of his former self, unlike ex-colleague Costa, now at Chelsea.

Connoisseurs of the English Premier League are dumbfounded by the sheer drop off in quality from the Colombian but those with short memories will have conveniently forgotten the knee injury sustained by the player which he is clearly unable to shake off the effects of. The sharpness and power that he was renowned for is no longer there and to watch him try to recapture the glory days that are still as fresh in his memory as everyone that watches him, is a sorry sight indeed.

Compare his current predicament to that of his predecessor Danny Welbeck. Ousted from Old Trafford against his wishes, the young England international’s star has continued to rise since his summer transfer to Arsenal. Whilst he offers a completely different skill set to Falcao and doesn’t have the scoring pedigree, he has pace to burn, offers a versatility that the Colombian cannot and is completely unselfish in possession of the football.

In stark contrast to his contemporary, Welbeck is enjoying his lot and, despite the initial reticence to join the London club his season, has gone from strength to strength.

Falcao struggling due to lack of opportunities?

If you had tried to compare the two against each other just 18 months or so ago, well, frankly, there was no comparison to be had. Falcao’s goals-to-games ratio was almost as good as Lionel Messi’s and Cristiano Ronaldo’s at that point and he was labelled, quite correctly, as the best centre forward in Europe.

Yet such is the cruel twist of footballing fate, that he has been denied the very tools that had seen him as such a potent threat. The way he destroyed Chelsea in the European Super Cup in 2012 seems an absolute lifetime ago now.

Of course, it’s worth delving just a little deeper into how he is being utilised by Louis van Gaal. In a side that also boasts the talents of Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie, Falcao has rarely been given a decent opportunity to play in his most natural role, in the middle and on the shoulder of the last defender.

If there’s one thing to love or hate about Van Gaal is that he will not bend his beliefs of how football should be played for anyone. Not for anyone. It’s his way or the highway.

So not only has Falcao had to accept a bit part role in any event, he has had to try and adapt his natural game to fit the way that the manager specifically wants to play. Which obviously isn’t a style that is conducive to getting the best out of the Colombian.

And as everyone knows, once a player has lost confidence, it’s very hard to regain it to any great successful degree.

Falcao vs Welbeck

However, Welbeck has eight goals and three assists in 32 appearances for the Gunners whilst Falcao has only four goals and four assists in his 25 games for the Red Devils, per WhoScored. Could the problem actually be with van Gaal? After all, it wouldn’t be the first time that he has fallen out with members of staff.

It might surprise many to note that Falcao is actually better in passing accuracy terms per Squawka than almost all of his teammates – including Van Persie and Rooney. From a forward’s perspective, 15 shots off target and 13 on target in 22 appearances is also a perfectly acceptable ratio for a striker in the top division.

What has let him down is a poor conversion rate, from chance creation to completion, and a perception that he isn’t perhaps working as hard as should be expected from a front man at Manchester United. Interesting how the same critiques aren’t leveled at Rooney or Van Persie, who are almost always played in their natural positions, and who, with respect, should be providing much more than they are at present too.

Welbeck has 23 shots on target and 20 off in his 24 appearances so is slightly better off than Falcao. It is the incessant running and opening up of the channels and space right across the pitch which gives the impression that Welbeck is actually doing more than what the figures suggest.

As an out and out striker, at this juncture, you’d probably have to acknowledge that Welbeck is the better player. But, if van Gaal and Manchester United take up their purchase option at the end of the season and decide to play Falcao as an out-and-out striker from the beginning of the next campaign, then there won’t even be an argument to be had.