Second round cup ties against Bristol Rovers, those are the games we live for as Chelsea fans. The thrill is intensified when a lack of match coverage leaves Periscope streams and radio commentaries as the only avenues to get our Chelsea fix – many of us were left longing for the return of teletext.
It takes a top player to look classy in 240p, but summer signing Michy Batshuayi pulled it off.
I want you to think back to the arrival of Didier Drogba, before the 37 goal haul under Ancelotti and the Munich heroics. The Drogba we signed was a collossal, mercurial, brute; but also a theatrical, raw, work-in-progress. Drogba’s first months at Chelsea were riddled with controversy, from hand-ball indecencies to diving and feigning injury. A Premier League champion in his first season in England, but with 16 goals in 41 appearances Didier was not the finished article.
The rest you know, after fine tuning by some of the world’s top managers he went on to become one of the greatest and most decorated players in our history and one of the best strikers ever to grace these lands.
Fast forward to 2016 and we have once again been striker shopping in Marseille. Disregarding the uncanny physical resemblance between the two, Batshuayi’s first appearances in Chelsea blue probably couldn’t have been more different.
It’s the first game of the season, West Ham’s James Collins has channeled his inner Alan Shearer and fired home to level the scores. Antonio Conte rolls the dice and it lands on number 23, on comes Batshuayi. The ball is played forward and up rises the young Belgian, he nods it down to Costa who finds the bottom corner – Chelsea win 2-1.
We move onto game two, Chelsea visit Vicarage Road hoping to make it two wins out of two. Etienne Capoue finds the top corner, Watford lead 1-0. 73 minutes in, step forward Michy Batshuayi once more. Eden Hazard strikes from the edge of the area, it’s too hot to handle for Heurelho Gomes, first to the scene is Batshuayi – he makes it 1-1. The momentum shifts in Chelsea’s favour, Fàbregas finds Costa who makes no mistake – another three points.
A goal and an assist in 25 minutes of game-time, not bad for his first few minutes in what many call the most competitive league in the world.
Tuesday night, in the EFL Cup second round, against Bristol Rovers – welcome to the big-time Michy Batshuayi. The Belgian is awarded his first start, and makes good of his chance – netting two goals in 12 minutes, either side of Victor Moses’ close-range strike. A hugely accomplished performance for a player the tender age of 22 years old.
Batshuayi is no gem we have unearthed, claiming that would be doing him a disservice. After a 23 goal season for Marseille and establishing himself as a regular pick in the Belgiuim squad – already he is one of Europe’s deadliest forwards.
This article thus far has just been one man’s ramblings, so allow me to cite the data of those far more intelligent than myself.
https://twitter.com/mixedknuts/status/580039888042520576
This is a 21 year old Michy Batshuayi, yet to establish himself as a starter at Marseille. He managed 0.6 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes, as well as 54% shooting accuracy and a 22.5% goal conversion rate (for comparison, our squad average the same season was 19.3%, though from a larger sample size); commendable statistics for any striker. Throw in 2.28 successful dribbles per game plus a just sub-80% pass completion rate and even in the 2014/15 season he was starting to look like an extremely well-rounded striker.
A season on and Batshuayi had nailed down a starting role at the Stade Velodrome. His game elevated to the next level, a Ligue 1 tally of 17 goals and 9 assists left him with a goal/assist contribution every 112 minutes, in one of Europe’s top 5 leagues, at 22 years old.
Despite his age, Batshuayi didn’t shy away from responsibility at Marseille – he thrived. As noted by Squawka, he was involved in 54.1% of Marseille’s 48 goals in Ligue 1 last season.
Before putting pen to paper and joining Chelsea, Michy Batshuayi had attracted interest from top clubs all over the world – and it’s no surprise.
At 22-years old he is beginning to eclipse some of the best strikers in Europe, and under the guidance of Antonio Conte he continue his growth.
Whether it’s alongside Diego Costa, or ultimately ahead of the Spaniard, all signs point towards a very successful Chelsea career for Batshuayi. Three games in it’s difficult to draw conclusions, but statistically speaking he appears a more complete player than Drogba or Diego Costa when they both joined the club in their mid-twenties.
To add to his stellar performances on the pitch, Batshuayi has also fast become a hit with the Chelsea faithful off of it. Several of his amusing interactions with fans on Twitter since his have gone viral since his arrival, including his introduction to some classic, English lunch-time snacks and expressing his desire to follow in Drogba’s footsteps by scoring against Arsenal.
what is twiglet lol
— Michy Batshuayi (@mbatshuayi) August 23, 2016
i hope so 👍👍
— Michy Batshuayi (@mbatshuayi) August 23, 2016
In a summer where there hasn’t been a lot to shout about for Chelsea fans, especially in terms of defensive reinforcements – we all ought to be excited about what’s to come from Michy Batshuayi in the future, on and off the pitch.
