A centre-forward who works hard but doesn’t score is still a costly luxury for any club
There was a moment in Maurizio Sarri’s post‑match press conference on Saturday when, having eulogised Eden Hazard and spoken of the way he has challenged him to score 40 goals this season, the Chelsea manager was asked about the danger of being dependent on one player. Pedro and Willian, he replied, could score 10.
Which is fair. Pedro has three league goals this season and Willian one. There is no reason at all why one, or both, couldn’t get up to double figures in all competitions (which was, Sarri had stressed, what he was talking about; he was not anticipating Hazard scoring 40 in the league). But what he didn’t say seemed just as revealing. How many, you wonder, does he think Olivier Giroud and Álvaro Morata will muster this season?
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