November 23, 2024

Who will score more goals from now until the end of the season?

The BBC #TheBBC

Fulham: Dan Crawford, Hammy End, external

It has to be Aleksandar Mitrovic. Plenty of pundits – including the BBC’s own Chris Sutton and Robbie Savage – suggested the Serbia striker wasn’t suited for this level. But he has started the season with six goals in as many appearances (to make it 46 goals in his past 46 club matches) and is in the form of his life.

The Fulham number nine humiliated Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk on the opening weekend – triggering Liverpool’s leisurely start to the campaign – broke Brentford hearts with a trademark header, embarrassed Arsenal and produced a world-class finish at Tottenham. He’s much more than a big lump up top, too.

Much of the credit should go to Marco Silva and Fulham’s full-backs and wingers for supplying him so superbly – and top-flight centre-backs must be having sleepless nights fretting about Mitrovic at this point. Only injury or suspension could stop his scoring streak and the Whites are managing him much more effectively than ever before.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was a regular poacher for Borussia Dortmund but his career strike-rate cannot compare with Mitrovic’s, and he will need to adapt to a new system in the blue section of SW6.

Chelsea: Ross Mooring, Chelsea Fancast, external

Succeeding as a striker at Chelsea has been quite hard for players handed the number nine jersey since the Roman Abramovich era began almost 20 years ago.

Fernando Torres, Alvaro Morata and, most recently, Romelu Lukaku are just three who have failed to live up to huge transfer fees.

So it would be ‘typical Chelsea’ for 33-year-old Aubameyang, signed by the now-sacked manager who insisted on bringing him to Stamford Bridge, to be the first to properly bang in the goals since Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

His former Premier League club is a portent to his potential success at Stamford Bridge. Other ex-Arsenal players, like Ashley Cole, Cesc Fabregas, Nicolas Anelka and Olivier Giroud, all helped bring hatfuls of trophies to the club.

Of course, Mitrovic is an accomplished striker and is nestled in nicely as first choice at Fulham, but the one thing he does not possess that Aubameyang does is pace – and that’s a quality that could finally unlock opposing defences for the Blues.

A sharp finisher in the mould of Didier Drogba could be just what Chelsea need, and if he can establish himself under the next boss, goals may well flow.

For the rest of this weekend’s debate topics, read the full piece here

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