After seven successful seasons in the Italian league, Shevchenko arrived at a cost of 30 million pounds and scored less than 15 goals and plus some assists and in his first season at England. He was called a flop. After plying his trade all over Europe including successful stints in England, Anelka came in at a cost of 15 million pounds and has scored 2 goals and some asssts assists in about half a season. Now is he a hit?

Sometimes I think Anelka has been given a free role by Grant. He is everywhere while he need not have to. He does so many things in different areas and at the culmination of the attack, we do not find Anelka in the right place. There have been many occasions where he would be fighting for the ball while about four to five Chelsea players and six to seven opponent players would be between him and the goal. It’s good that he’s willing to take more responsibilities but that’s plain unnecessary. His wandering around is less of a problem when good finishers like Drogba, Lampard or Joe Cole are around. I would rate Lampard a better finisher than Ballack in the sense that Lampard has these instincts of a goal scorer that he gets himself into fantastic positions. When we do not have these players around or when these players are out of luck, Anelka’s approach becomes a useless tactic. We saw that against Barnsley and recently against Wigan.

When we have Malouda and Kalou on thje wings and Anelka is not where he should be, Drogba and Lampard not being there on the pitch, Ballack not really getting forward, Essien caught between attacking and defensive duties, where will the goals come from? Again it’s not about the formation. Even when he played with Drogba in the league cup finals, he was very much the same. His presence in the right areas in front would make the defenders less comfortable and possibly can create gaps in the opposition back four if he moves smartly.

Drogba also drifts along but there is a difference between what he does and what Anelka does. Drogba despite all his wandering around and hard tackling and his role in the defensive set pieces, he mostly gets himself in the right areas when the decisive phase of the attack arrives. If there is one evident positive effect from Avram Grant, it is the way his poor performance has overshadowed that of the some players. If not for the manner of exits by Chelsea from the domestic prizes, Anelka’s poor show would have come under spotlight.

You can’t blame it on our formation. Even when he was at Bolton, he was very dangerous. Bolton was also playing 4-5-1 for most of the games. When he was at Bolton which has been fighting against the drop this season, you’d normally expect the opposition to push forward and attack them. This used to create space for Anelka on the break. His pace was so useful when he had acres of space ahead of him to run. Back here at Chelsea, a top club, the opponents are cautious and normally don’t push forward so much against us as they do against teams like Bolton. This meant less space for Anelka to operate.

But then there are so many factors in his favour. He has the experience of playing in various leagues across Europe. In English league itself he has played for Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Bolton and now Chelsea. That’s a great plus factor. He did not have to re-adjust or something. It was from another club in the premier league, he joined Chelsea. Okay, he has not been scoring much. Even Rooney does not seem to score so much these days. The threat and contribution Rooney makes is way above what Anelka offers. Does anyone else also feel that Anelka has become less lethal and is easily negotiatable threat for the defenders.

Surely he is struggling with his presence of mind and concentration. You can even see this tomorrow. There would be occasions where a sharp mind would score while he would lose the possession while he would still be considering mulitple options. May be Anelka is complacent for various reasons. One, it’s not just him who’s screwing up. Two, even if he screws up, he has no imminent competition for his place. Drogba adn Sheva would be out. Pizarro comes to matches in Armani suits. Kalou is not an out-and-out striker. And there are some young ones. So he knows he will be leading the pack soon, unless Chelsea signs a big name striker. That’s the precise reason why he is not too fussed about being on the bench. Three, he is Avram’s purchase and would be well protected.

Generally, I think I have this luck. I moan and whine about someone or something. Next day, next week, it is addressed. I complain about Lampard not scoring, he scores half a dozen in the next few weeks. I say we are not scoring from set pieces and we score from some corners and free kicks. I say Grant is not quick enough in his subs. Then he does one in the 55th minute and even one by half time goddammit! In this series, I expect Anelka to score freely in whatever remains in the season. Heck, even Owen’s back on the score sheet!