Tammy Abraham is one of those players that naturally divides opinion within the fans of the club he is at and it is very understandable to see why. Some weeks he seems untouchable up top and finishes the chances that come his way. However, at other times he seems completely lost up front and nothing he tries to do works and often results in some horror performances. Today, we will explain why Tammy Abraham, despite those shocking performances every now and then, deserves more respect from Chelsea fans.
Tammy Abraham: Looking Back at Last season
First of all, his performances last season considering the fact Chelsea had a transfer ban and he was left to lead the line in his first full season in the Chelsea first team, were impressive. Below are a table of his stats from the season:
| Competition | Appearances | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Minutes per goal | Minutes per goal contribution |
| Premier League | 34 | 2,222 | 15 | 4 | 148.13 | 116.95 |
| Champions League | 8 | 568 | 3 | 1 | 189.33 | 141 |
| FA Cup | 3 | 112 | 0 | 0 | NA | NA |
| EFL Cup | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | NA | NA |
| UEFA Super Cup | 1 | 46 | 0 | 1 | NA | 46 |
| Overall | 47 | 2,960 | 18 | 6 | 164.44 | 123.3 |
Overall, it isn’t the best record you’ve seen for a striker and that is mainly as a result of his drop in form in the second half of the season. However, the effect he had already had in the first half of the season was crucial in deciding where Chelsea ultimately finished in the Premier League and whether they progressed or not in the Champions League.
In total, the goals Tammy Abraham scored won Chelsea 14 points in the Premier League and without them Chelsea would’ve finished down in 11th. In terms of the Champions League his goals won Chelsea four points, including important goals against Lille in both games, and were the difference between finishing second in the group and finishing third and hence dropping into the Europa League.
He had limited opportunities in the domestic cup competitions mainly due to the resurgence of Olivier Giroud from February onwards and was therefore unable to leave his mark on them.
Ultimately the 2019/20 season was slightly underwhelming for Abraham but considering the previously mentioned circumstances and the fact Chelsea wouldn’t be in the competitions/made the signings they did without his efforts, it was a good first season.
Tammy Abraham this season
The 2020/21 season so far has been a far more turbulent season for Abraham than 2019/20. First of all, the new signing of Werner shook up the pecking order of strikers. In January Frank Lampard was sacked and Thomas Tuchel came in which has left Abraham even further down the pecking order. Despite this, Abraham has still put up some decent numbers:
| Competition | Appearances | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Minutes per goal | Minutes per goal contribution |
| Premier League | 20 | 1016 | 6 | 2 | 169.33 | 127 |
| Champions League | 5 | 231 | 1 | 2 | 231 | 77 |
| FA Cup | 3 | 183 | 4 | 0 | 45.75 | 45.75 |
| EFL Cup | 2 | 86 | 1 | 2 | 86 | 28.67 |
| Overall | 30 | 1516 | 12 | 6 | 126.3 | 84.22 |
Up until the Newcastle game last week, Abraham had the most goal contributions out of everyone at the club. Considering how he has only played 1516 minutes compared to Werner, who overtook him with a goal and an assist against Newcastle and has played 2550 minutes, is a very impressive feat and one that shouldn’t go unnoticed.
In addition to this it is important to note that he has improved on certain areas of his game that were very poor in his first season at the club. Even though in recent weeks it has been poor but his ability to hold up the ball has improved and to link up with his fellow attackers. This was a trait that Lampard liked of him as it meant Abraham could drop deep to bring the wingers into play and leave space in behind for them to exploit.
Whilst this season so far hasn’t been as good as his 2019/20 season, it has still been a good one considering his limited opportunities due to the arrival of Werner at the club and how he became someone that could be relied upon to perform when required.
How Tammy Abraham looks on the eye shouldn’t put people off of him
One of the major issues a lot of people have with Abraham is how he looks when playing the game. Because of his build and height, he can look quite ungainly when he is running and a bit unsure of himself when he is dribbling at opponents and this puts people off of him.
However, this shouldn’t be an issue because as long as he is producing results and putting in good performances, how he looks when he is playing shouldn’t be a factor. In addition, strikers are never the most elegant looking when playing the game.
Anyone that is a cricket fan will know how unpleasant Steve Smith is on the eye when he is batting because of his ungainly trigger movements, that hasn’t stopped him from becoming one of the best batsmen in world cricket ever.
So, in summary, how Abraham looks when he is playing shouldn’t be a problem for people and they should be more concerned about what he is doing whilst out on the pitch.
Age and experience
It is very important to remember that Abraham is still only 23, which for a striker is still very young and his experience at the top level is limited mostly to his time at Chelsea. Moreover, very few players are the finished product at 23 and will still be developing their game. This is why Chelsea fans should have more patience with Abraham than they would with a striker who is in their prime years. Also, making the jump from seasons in the Championship to one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League is never the easiest and it’s fair to say Abraham has adapted reasonably well to a club with the amount of pressure that Chelsea put on their strikers.
Whilst Abraham has built up a lot of minutes in the lower levels of English football, he is still relatively inexperienced and won’t be the finished article for another couple of years but there are definitely positive signs.
Summary
Overall, Abraham has had a very impressive first year and a half at Chelsea and he helped the club achieve their desired goals in a tough period for the club. Furthermore, he has helped them kick on this season alongside the new signings and without him you could argue that Chelsea wouldn’t be where they are currently. That being said there are definitely still weaknesses to his game and some that will need working on if he wants to become a top Premier League striker.
Ultimately the work he has done for the club deserves to be respected more by people and he will definitely still have a huge part to play in the remaining games this season.
Written by Harrison (@indepthFandC)
Edited by Rob Pratley (@RJPJournalism) and Tom Coley (@tomcoley49)
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