Consistent, reliable and dependable, Samuel Eto’o should be seen as a crucial and vital part of Chelsea’s squad. Eto’o’s performances, particularly in the second half of the season, deserve a great deal of credit and recognition. The often-understated Cameroonian has scored nine goals in 21 matches this season, many of them coming in Chelsea’s most vital matches. Last month, he opened the scoring in the 4-0 drubbing of Tottenham and in the 6-0 hammering of Arsenal.  He also opened the scoring against Galatasary at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League second round. Back at the end of December he scored the second goal in Chelsea’s 2-1 win against Liverpool, and we cannot forget his brilliant hat-trick which destroyed Manchester United in January! In contrast to his striking team-mates, Demba Ba has scored five goals in 18 matches, and Fernando Torres has managed a meagre four goals in 27 matches. Clearly, Eto’o has been Chelsea’s best and most trusty striker this season.

Eto’o is a highly experienced and clinical striker. He is a constant nuisance to defenders, making intelligent runs and dragging defenders out of position. He loves playing on the shoulder of defenders, so often finding space in behind defences, with his opponents struggling to mark him effectively. His pace, acceleration and willingness to run at the opposition makes defenders quake in their boots. Never shy to shoot, Eto’o almost always hits the target. His ice-cool composure and finishing make him deadly in front of goal. Samuel Eto’o is the type of player defenders loathe playing against.

The lure of plying his trade at Chelsea was an offer Eto’o couldn’t refuse, and he reportedly took a huge pay cut– down from £20 million to £8 million on a one year contract. The commitment he showed in signing this contract is something Chelsea fans shouldn’t forget.

The seasoned veteran would be an asset to any side. The Blues should be thankful that they have Samuel Eto’o in their ranks, a player always capable of producing quality when it matters. Maybe in the coming weeks we will see just how valuable Samuel Eto’o is.

Credit: Chelseatrueblue.com