Samuel Eto'o Proves He's Deserving Of Being Chelsea's Starting Striker

“It’s up to me to prove he was wrong,” were the words of Romelu Lukaku following Everton’s defeat to Manchester City before the international break. Chelsea fans were somewhat bemused as to why the powerful Belgian was loaned out for the season following an impressive Premier League campaign with West Bromwich Albion, during which he netted a notable 17 times for the Baggies.

With Fernando Torres and Demba Ba both underperforming on the Chelsea frontline, the decision to sign Samuel Eto’o at the expense of Lukaku’s temporary departure was seen by some as a peculiar one. Granted, the Cameroonian brings the star quality to Stamford Bridge, not to mention the importance of Eto’o under Jose Mourinho during Inter’s treble winning 2009/10 season, but with the Belgium international evidently excelling in the Premier League, supporters believed he should be the primary striker for the Blues this season.

Their opinion was reinforced following Lukaku’s debut for Everton. The striker has scored 4 league goals in as many games since heading in the winner during the Toffees’ 3-2 win over West Ham United last month. In the same period, only one out-and-out Chelsea has scored in the league, with Samuel Eto’o opening his account this weekend.

While the Cameroon international could easily have netted twice against Cardiff, with the summer arrival hesitant in front of goal in Eden Hazard‘s first, the fact of the matter is the trio of forwards at the club haven’t lived up to their reputations over the last 4 games. Lukaku, while he didn’t score in Everton’s 2-1 win over over Hull City at the weekend, is still the in-form frontman of the quartet, evidenced in that his average WhoScored.com rating of 7.65 is the highest over the 4 league encounters.

Comparatively, Eto’o (7.16) unsurprisingly comes closest to matching the Belgian’s score in the same period, with his goal on Saturday boosting his rating significantly. Ba (7.12) performed well in the 3-1 win over Norwich City before the international break, while Torres (6.28) is the lowest ranked striker of the 4.

In regards to shot accuracy, an important facet for any striker, Lukaku (63.6%) again comes out on top, with all 3 of Chelsea’s available frontman hitting the target with 50% of their attempts on goal – not necessarily a bad return, but still paling in comparison to the on-loan striker. While Eto’o has missed more clear cut goalscoring opportunities (2) than any Chelsea player since his arrival, his average rating and goal at the weekend suggest that he’s the best option for Mourinho at present.

The 32-year-old’s average rating (8.7) in the win over Cardiff was bettered only by teammate Hazard (9.9), with the former Anzhi Makhachkala striker hitting the target with both of his attempts on goal in the victory. Factor in his 2 successful dribbles – only Hazard (4) completed more of every player in the game – and it adds further weight to the suggestion that he’s deserving of being Chelsea’s starting striker.

With an assist to his name, not only was Eto’o capable of finding the back of the net in the victory, but also aiding his teammates before his 69th minute withdrawal. Running the channels and bringing others into play is exactly what he was brought into do, especially with the likes of Hazard, Juan Mata and Willian – the supporting attacking trio against Cardiff – behind him. Ultimately, the triumvirate profited from this facet of his game.

Regardless of his display, however, there are supporters that will continuously question why Lukaku was allowed to depart at Eto’o’s expense, especially with Torres and Ba failing to live up to expectations for the west London side. Yet, until Lukaku returns to Stamford Bridge upon the culmination of his loan deal with Everton, Mourinho must persist with the best of a questionably bad bunch following Saturday’s performance, with that clearly being Eto’o.