da aposte e ganhe：
da dobrowin： Salomon Kalou has never managed to become a first team regular at Stamford Bridge, but is this due to him being not good enough, or is he an underrated player? Chelsea’s managers have obviously seen more of Salomon Kalou than I have, but I actually think the latter judgement is the correct one. The Ivorian took a couple of seasons to get going, but in his most recent years as a Chelsea player I think he has improved immensely.
Like many players brought to the Premier League from Holland, Salomon Kalou had a fantastic record at Feyenoord, in a three year spell there he made 67 league appearances, and scored an impressive 36 goals. Kalou was snapped up by Chelsea 2006, under then boss Jose Mourinho, who recognised the youngsters potential. Kalou struggled to make an impact in his first few seasons, spending most of his time on the bench, when he did play, it would usually be when he came on as a substitute.
However in the last couple of seasons, Salomon Kalou has really matured as a player, he should have done, it certainly surprised me when I learnt that he was 25 years old. Kalou has still failed to cement a regular first team slot, but whenever he comes on as a sub he nearly always seems to score. When he starts he doesn’t look goal shy either. When you look at Kalou’s record for Chelsea, it is not bad, in 117 league appearances he has netted 31 goals, not too shabby when you think most of these appearances have been made as a subsitute, and that he has often been deployed on the wing. Kalou has already scored 4 goals this season, putting him right up there amongst the top scorers in the league so far.
Many think of Kalou as a small player, but he actually stands at just over 6ft and he is does pose an aerial threat when he plays. Kalou is capable of some excellent finishing, and he often finds himself in the right place at the right time, an instinct that is crucial for any striker.
Salomon Kalou does of course play in one of the best sides in Europe, and the team create hatfuls of chances for their forward players to score, one just has to look at the incredible start the Blues have made to the season, whether he would get as many goals at a less effective side is open to debate. Kalou can still suffer from inconsistency, sometimes he is anonymous in games and he can misfire in front of goal. What I genuinely see in Salomon Kalou however, is improvement, which is so crucial for young players who can so often find themselves stagnating.
Didier Drogba is the best striker in the Premier League, so Kalou is not going to be in the side at his countryman’s expense. But whilst Nicolas Anelka is a good forward, he is not top class and if Kalou performs well there is definitely an opportunity for him to get a lot more starts. In the last couple of games Carlo Ancelotti has selected Kalou to start, and he has not disappointed, it will be interesting to see whether the Chelsea boss decides to stick with him, if he does, it could just be a pivotal year for Salomon Kalou.
If you liked this article please follow me on Twitter. Subscribe to my RSS feed.