This is a very good point. I remember when a 1 in 2 ratio was an exceptional return for any striker.
Why is Drogba's goalscoring record a bit underwhelming?
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Super player.
Compensated in buckets by his big game performances and his general all-round play.
Compensated in buckets by his big game performances and his general all-round play.
I think he was tad overrated. Wasn’t even Chelsea’s best striker in the premier league. Zola for me.
His first two seasons he wasn’t that great as people make him out to be. He was close to leaving in his second season after the Chelsea fans started having enough of his antics. I mean he came out publicly asking to leave but Jose wouldn’t let him.
In his third season he finally started scoring goals. So the excuse he was bringing others into play and doing the other bits doesn’t wash with me.
Rooney joined us as a teenage in 2004 and Drogba joined Chelsea in 2004. I compared their records from their 2004-2012 and Rooney outscored Drogba by 29 goals. That’s despite quite a bit of the time Rooney wasn’t even playing central striker. He was played behind the striker or on the wings yet people criticise Rooneys goalscoring record. Even Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink had a better strike rate than Drogba.
At the end of the day strikers job is to score goals. There’s two season he had 5 in 24 and in between those he scored 29 and 11. So you can’t use the excuse he is bringing others into play when he scored 24 and 29 in two seasons. It shows he was capable just wasn’t consistent enough.
Yeah Drogba bullied the Arsenal defence. Even though I hated the cnut, I think Costa was the superior player when he wasn’t trying to get sent off.
Nobody is saying he should score Ronaldo or Messi amount of goals. But to only go past 15 goals twice in eight years is poor. Even players like Defoe managed that with lesser teams.
I wouldn’t rank him in my top 10 strikers in premier league history.
His first two seasons he wasn’t that great as people make him out to be. He was close to leaving in his second season after the Chelsea fans started having enough of his antics. I mean he came out publicly asking to leave but Jose wouldn’t let him.
In his third season he finally started scoring goals. So the excuse he was bringing others into play and doing the other bits doesn’t wash with me.
Rooney joined us as a teenage in 2004 and Drogba joined Chelsea in 2004. I compared their records from their 2004-2012 and Rooney outscored Drogba by 29 goals. That’s despite quite a bit of the time Rooney wasn’t even playing central striker. He was played behind the striker or on the wings yet people criticise Rooneys goalscoring record. Even Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink had a better strike rate than Drogba.
At the end of the day strikers job is to score goals. There’s two season he had 5 in 24 and in between those he scored 29 and 11. So you can’t use the excuse he is bringing others into play when he scored 24 and 29 in two seasons. It shows he was capable just wasn’t consistent enough.
Yeah Drogba bullied the Arsenal defence. Even though I hated the cnut, I think Costa was the superior player when he wasn’t trying to get sent off.
Nobody is saying he should score Ronaldo or Messi amount of goals. But to only go past 15 goals twice in eight years is poor. Even players like Defoe managed that with lesser teams.
I wouldn’t rank him in my top 10 strikers in premier league history.
Sorry to be literal, but the reason he didn't score more goals than he did was because he wasn't good enough to score more goals than he did. I don't mean that as a sleight, Messi and Ronaldo don't score more than they actually do because they would if they could.
Turned out to be a really good player for me. Like others have said he often did the business in big games for them and was fantastic in other areas besides just scoring.
He did have a shaky start from what I recall, not just from the stick he was getting from diving a lot when he first came into the league. I remember tsome Chelsea fans were on his back for a while, and there was a game where he absolutely fluked one in off his shin against Arsenal I think. He went over to celebrate with a section of fans who were giving the most abuse. He took a while to get going in this country.
He wasn't the most proliifc but was hardly bad either. It's true that players have come along years and scored almost a goal a game and that has distorted things, but a quick look at the players who scored 100 Premier League goals or more does put him behind quite a lot of them in goals/game, particularly when you throw out the midfielders - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Premier_League_players_with_100_or_more_goals
Turned out to be a really good player for me. Like others have said he often did the business in big games for them and was fantastic in other areas besides just scoring.
He did have a shaky start from what I recall, not just from the stick he was getting from diving a lot when he first came into the league. I remember tsome Chelsea fans were on his back for a while, and there was a game where he absolutely fluked one in off his shin against Arsenal I think. He went over to celebrate with a section of fans who were giving the most abuse. He took a while to get going in this country.
He wasn't the most proliifc but was hardly bad either. It's true that players have come along years and scored almost a goal a game and that has distorted things, but a quick look at the players who scored 100 Premier League goals or more does put him behind quite a lot of them in goals/game, particularly when you throw out the midfielders - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Premier_League_players_with_100_or_more_goals
4 goals in 21 appearances against us + 6 assists (all comps), 2 in 13 league games + 4 assists. Won more than he lost.
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Might not bully them as much but his passing from deep is already better and his first touch and link up play can go up another level with maturity. More confident he gets the more of a bully he will become imo.
Good point.
Higuain, Dzeko, Cavani, di Natale scored more goals in a season than van Basten, Signori, Vieri, Ronaldo, Inzaghi, Batistuta, Crespo, Shevchenko, Trezeguet.
Drogba was world class. Whatever his stats were, he was the difference maker in a lot of big games. At his best, I'd take him over Kane today without a second thought (Kane is also world class).
Also, he was at his prime in years when 19 goals were enough to win the golden boot (and Anelka won it aged 65 or something).
He did win the GB twice though, 29 in one season out of 32 games. Not exactly bad.
He did win the GB twice though, 29 in one season out of 32 games. Not exactly bad.
Was a late bloomer aswell so would imagine his career stats aren't anywhere near likes of Suarez, Lewandowski etc.
Only really got going when he had that great season at Marseille in 2003. He was 25 at that point. He wasn't that great in his first two years at Chelsea either, plenty of their fans were criticizing him. All clicked from 2006.
Only really got going when he had that great season at Marseille in 2003. He was 25 at that point. He wasn't that great in his first two years at Chelsea either, plenty of their fans were criticizing him. All clicked from 2006.
Lukaku does not himself as a Drogba-type player. It is not his aim to play like that, anyway.
Very harsh on him. Drogba was integral to Chelsea's success during 2004-2012 in a way and a volume that both Zola and Rooney never were. Who do you think was holding up the ball and opening up spaces for Lampard's deep runs that quite often ended up with a goal for a counter-attacking side like Chelsea? His ability to prolong attacking plays and open up spaces for others was absolutely sublime and it's something that any transition-based team craves for. Especially a Mourinho side which is built around clever and calculated runs in the final third and not around overloads and overcommitting players forward.
You're right about one thing though, a forward's job is to score goals. And Drogba has scored 4 goals in 4 FA Cup finals, 4 goals in 3 League Cup finals and 1 goal in 2 CL finals. Total: 9 goals in 9 finals. He may not be a great goalscorer statistically but he definitely was a big goalscorer.
To each his own i guess but Drogba shouldn't be put in the same bracket as Defoe and Hasselbaink. Much better footballer, far more clever and much more important than any of those.
Maybe I was being a little harsh but I think his greatness was as much about being in a equally very good Chelsea team as anything else. CL final was Roy of the Rovers stuff.
Like others mentioned his role as a forward was to provide a focal point for transitions so that others like Lampard could score. Chelsea fans rate him for his work rate as much for his goal scoring ability. Kinda like Arsenal fans have a special space for Ray Parlour even though he wasn't the most technical player for us.
Lukaku has never been anything like Drogba, not sure why he would suddenly change?
Out of interest, how would people compare Peak Rooney, Peak Drogba and Peak RVP?
At their peaks, they were all of a similar standard IMO, though Rooney had the most longevity (despite often being criticised for this)
Peak Rankings:
1 - RVP
2- Rooney
3- Drogba
Although Rooney and Drogba were arguably better in CL, RVP played for arsenal
At their peaks, they were all of a similar standard IMO, though Rooney had the most longevity (despite often being criticised for this)
Peak Rankings:
1 - RVP
2- Rooney
3- Drogba
Although Rooney and Drogba were arguably better in CL, RVP played for arsenal
Because too much is made of goal numbers these days. That's why.
The only big game player who was better than him was iniesta IMO
He was also a true true leader and warrior which was worth so much to that Chelsea team
This is the player lukaku should be aspiring to be he had similar limitations with skills/touch but my god did he make the best use of what he did have with his physicality and ability to bring others into play
Super player
He was also a true true leader and warrior which was worth so much to that Chelsea team
This is the player lukaku should be aspiring to be he had similar limitations with skills/touch but my god did he make the best use of what he did have with his physicality and ability to bring others into play
Super player
Rooney wasn’t integral to our success? Why is that? He played a key part. People need to stop confusing the Wayne from last few years to the young Wayne. Rooney was a key part of our success. He got more goals and assists than Drogba during that period.
This thread is cleverly trying to paint Lukaku in a positive light.
I’d take Drogba’s scoring ratio because of all the other qualities he brings to the table.
Lukaku basically scores goals, so when that doesn’t happen...
I’d take Drogba’s scoring ratio because of all the other qualities he brings to the table.
Lukaku basically scores goals, so when that doesn’t happen...
That is exactly who I thought of too. Both were absolutely crucial to the way their teams played, especially the hold up play for lightning fast goal scoring wingers. Both teams had goals coming from multiple sources in the team. Both got goals in big games too, although Drogba was a far better player.
He bullied a lot more than Arsenal, although it was more memorable against Arsenal because it was hilariously predictable.
He bullied Rio and Evans regularly too and it was only Vidic in the United defence who was capable of combatting his power.
I couldn't stand Drogba in his Chelsea days. He was very physical and dished it out but his theatrics were terrible. But you had to respect him as a top class player. His ability to step up when his team needed him was huge for Chelsea.
Maybe it isn't but it should be. If he used his pace and strength as effectively as Drogba he'd be a far more effective player.
My post was about how massively you've underrated Drogba. Of course, Rooney was integral to our success. He was a great footballer and without doubt a legend of the club. And he got more goals than Drogba, true.
Yet, Rooney was never the focal point of United's attack (bar two seasons), our attacking philosophy as a team was never built around his abilities. He was the perfect auxiliary forward (scoring 10+ goals for several years) and during his prime the way he worked the spaces between the lines and his tendency to collect one second ball after the other brought much to the table regarding United's campaigns. But the attacking plan was rarely about him and that's why his relationship with Ferguson wasn't always the best (the coldest of handshakes after Fergie's last match). You see, when Rooney was undoubtedly the biggest name in our attack, SAF signed RvP to lead the attack.
Drogba, on the other hand, was one of the very first names in Chelsea's starting xi and the spearhead of their attack in the period when they were competing with us for all major honours. Without him, Chelsea were a different team, a weaker one. This wasn't always the case with Rooney. And the fact remains that in the two seasons when Rooney was trusted to lead the attack (2010 & 2012) United won only one League Cup.
Again, i'm not saying this to downplay Rooney's achievements by any means. I'm using it to suggest that numerical stats only tell you a part of the truth and not the whole truth. Drogba was an exceptional forward and one that never went awol in big games.
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He was a difference maker in other ways. Presence, that slightly mad centre forward's temperament, could score great goals, force of will, etc. It's telling that almost no one called his stats "underwhelming" when he was playing, shows the one-eyed reading of players people have today.
This is what would happen to Kane if he was ever fool enough to sign for us under Mourinho. Kane isn't a fool & would know this. Drogba was a great forward, but as others mentioned did other things as well as scoring. Also the Chelsea sides he played in had goals from all areas, particularly Lampard, which is something we lack on occasion. We will never have someone competing at the pinnacle of top European goalscorer, whoever they are under Mourinho's tactics.
Drogba in his first 2 seasons at Chelsea was a marmite player, similar to Lukaku.
Some sections of the Chelsea crowd even booed him:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/4852552.stm
Awesome striker though when he settled, one of my favorite ever strikers in the Premier League, lethal and a player rivals fans always loved to hate with his antics, typical pantomime villain, must have been brill to see him play in person, which i unfortunately never.
But yeah hopefully Lukaku develops similar, Lukaku is a lot younger than when Drogba moved to Chelsea too, Drogba was 26.
Some sections of the Chelsea crowd even booed him:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/4852552.stm
Awesome striker though when he settled, one of my favorite ever strikers in the Premier League, lethal and a player rivals fans always loved to hate with his antics, typical pantomime villain, must have been brill to see him play in person, which i unfortunately never.
But yeah hopefully Lukaku develops similar, Lukaku is a lot younger than when Drogba moved to Chelsea too, Drogba was 26.
I disagree. Kane can flourish under any tactic. He's literally got it all.
One of the main reason I always regard Drogba as one of the best strikers to grace Pl football is because of his performances in big games. It seems he has some insane record at wembley. Always seem to score. Proper big game player and not a flat track bully.
For strikers? Oh the horror.
I used to hate him for being such a big player for Chelsea, but with time I've realised he is a top man and now I have huge respect for all he achieved. Legend for both Chelsea and the PL, no doubt about that.
Drogba didn't need to be a 25 league goals a season striker for his team to be successful. He brought more than goals to the table.
I remember his finishing being very erratic in his first couple of seasons and that the likes of Guðjohnsen and Crespo were preferred at times.
Was a game raising cnut though, always up for it in the big games.
Complete game raising cnut. Always seemed like he saved his goals for late stage cup games and top 4 games and letting the rest score against the shit teams.
Always seemed to save Chelsea from certain failure. You could just count on him to score when all the chips were down and you thought that's as far Chelsea went.
Also had a special ability to turn from a bulldozer to a feather as soon as he stepped into opposition penalty box. Number of times he went down at minimal contact from our defenders in the box was pathetic, when outside of it he just stood there with the ball and watched our players bounce off him each time they tackled him.
Always seemed to save Chelsea from certain failure. You could just count on him to score when all the chips were down and you thought that's as far Chelsea went.
Also had a special ability to turn from a bulldozer to a feather as soon as he stepped into opposition penalty box. Number of times he went down at minimal contact from our defenders in the box was pathetic, when outside of it he just stood there with the ball and watched our players bounce off him each time they tackled him.
He was quite inconsistent. His record doesn't surprise me, unplayable on his day (finals especially) but had his fair share of stinkers too.
Because he never was a truly instinctive goalscoring. He developed it rather "late" in his career in comparison to other great strikers who used to have impressive record at their early 20s
Zlatan was like that, Andy Gray used to criticize him all the time when he did commentary for Sky, saying there's something missing from his game to make him a truly great striker and how he took too many chances to score, took Zlatan up to late 20's to become truly one of the world's elite.
Yeah but Zlatan often played in systems that allowed other strikers or attackers to share goals with him I think. Once teams started to focus their attacks through him (Inter,Milan and PSG specially), his numbers became great. Drogba is weird in the sense that everything developed late with him, his goalscoring, his passing, his touch on the ball. If you had the chance to watch him at Guingamp and at Chelsea, you'd really notice how refined he'd become.
I saw this on Youtube again not long ago, definitely one of the most bizarre decisions you'll ever see, literally no idea what the ref thought he saw. Up there with Clattenburg not sending Dier off against Chelsea, but at least you can understand Clattenburg was just being a cnut.The man stopped a civil war in his home country for feck sake. Hero.
Drogba was the perfect forward for a team which had a lot of other goal scorers - they didn't need someone to finish moves, they needed a forward they could all work off of. Anelka, Eider, Lampard, Robben, etc - they all shined in large part because Drogba worked relentlessly to create space and opportunities for them to finish.
In a team that lacked goals, Drogba wouldn't have helped as much. That Chelsea team was a perfect fit for him and vice versa. And yes, he's a PL legend. Magnificent player and by all accounts a terrific human as well.
In a team that lacked goals, Drogba wouldn't have helped as much. That Chelsea team was a perfect fit for him and vice versa. And yes, he's a PL legend. Magnificent player and by all accounts a terrific human as well.