Much has been said about Falcao’s dip in form since he suffered a horrendous knee injury playing for Monaco in 2014.
After a disappointing loan spell at Manchester United last season, many believe that the Colombian striker will never reach the same incredible performance levels he achieved while playing for Porto.
Here we discuss some of the reasons Falcao could still end up writing his name into Chelsea folklore in the coming seasons, despite his recent struggles.
Mourinho believes in him
We all need an arm around us sometimes and Mourinho is the master of drawing the best out of unfavoured but intrinsically talented individuals.
The siege mentality which Mourinho relies upon to motivate his team perfectly matches Falcao’s current mindset. Widely derided and dismissed, the Colombian will be champing at the bit come the start of the season, fired by the prospect of proving his critics wrong.
Terry and Cahill insisted on signing him
Falcao showed glimpses of his brilliance in big games last season, most notably against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge where, at one point, he effortlessly streaked away from Gary Cahill and rattled the ball off the post.
Mourinho rewatched the game numerous times to analyse Falcao’s performance and later discussed the striker with Terry and Cahill. Together they came to the conclusion that he would be a worthwhile signing. The seal of approval from the strongest centre back pairing in English football speaks volumes about the Colombian’s quality.
He’s playing in an established system for the best team in the country
Chelsea are the reigning champions with an established playing approach and identity. They are a winning team set up to provide their strikers with regular goalscoring opportunities.
Man United are a team in transition and the direct tactical approach employed by Louis van Gaal last season didn’t suit the Colombian. Falcao’s playing style suits Chelsea’s short passing attacking ethos. He is at his best when receiving passes into feet, which players like Fabregas, Hazard and Oscar deliver consistently.
Falcao will be far more likely to find his best form when slotting into a side further along the path of their evolution.
He is a natural finisher and still has his pace
Chelsea have had some bad luck with signing high profile strikers. In the cases of Shevchenko and Torres, they arrived at Chelsea off the back of numerous horrendous injuries after showing a notable dip in form over 2-3 years.
Falcao had one bad injury and hasn’t suffered a recurrence or other secondary injuries as a result of it. There has been no sign of a loss of pace, which was obvious with the aforementioned strikers.
Coupled with the fact that he still has that explosive edge which takes him away from stranded defenders, Falcao is also more of a natural finisher.
Torres’ technique and pace, and Shevchenko’s bullish but cultured playing style were blunted by their physical decline. The ability to be in the right place at the right time is a skill that never leaves a player and Falcao built his reputation on movement, positioning and clinical finishing.
What do you think of Falcao? Can he regain his form and fire Chelsea to glory? Leave your comment below to let us know!
