Armando Broja can still become a top striker – Talk Chelsea

Armando Broja is a participant I’ve at all times appreciated and have rated, even when he was within the academy.

Don’t get me improper, I’ve at all times seen parts of his sport that should enhance, and people parts are nonetheless there. It’s at all times been about growth and kicking on, and in the intervening time he’s not doing that.

We do have to consider his huge damage, however there additionally appears to be a much bigger downside now hindering him, and that’s mindset and confidence.

Some gamers are confidence gamers, and it seems like Broja is considered one of them. He appears to be beating himself up and getting offended on the pitch when issues aren’t going effectively or he will get a choice given towards him. And Mauricio Pochettino has even pointed this out on the weekend.

After Broja scored towards Preston on Saturday, Pochettino stated:

“It’s actually vital for him however I should be trustworthy, I feel he wants to make use of this type of sport to attain a purpose and really feel the web and to enhance. Enhance not solely in his health or his capability for work ethic, however in his physique language additionally. He must step up and go ahead, smile and be slightly bit extra optimistic.”

And that is what I really like about Poch, his man-management. He’s spot on right here, and this wanted to be stated.

Broja has responded to it positively as effectively, and he agrees with the supervisor.

To these phrases from Poch, Broja responded:

“I’ve had many conversations with the supervisor.

“I felt I used to be going via fairly a troublesome interval getting back from my damage. Being out of the crew for thus lengthy and never being concerned, you possibly can say I felt down with every part that was occurring.”

“As soon as I got here again, I used to be feeling rather more like myself. I nonetheless really feel like there may be rather more to come back from me. And, because the gaffer says, I can get my physique language extra optimistic.

“I’m a bit harsh on myself at occasions. That’s as a result of I anticipate quite a bit from myself and I do know what I’m able to. The supervisor is simply making an attempt to take that weight off my shoulders and loosen myself up that little bit.

“I’m making an attempt to take that recommendation on board as a result of he has been serving to me day by day. I simply have to smile extra and be a bit extra optimistic.”

Once more, that is all spot on and optimistic that they’ve each received these emotions off their chests and on the market.

It’s clear Broja has been struggling a bit mentally since getting back from his damage, and he’s additionally clearly feeling the pressures of taking part in up high for Chelsea.

Broja continued: “While you go on a run the place you aren’t scoring a lot, you may get a bit down. It’s not the best feeling, however getting a purpose in a sport like this [Preston] makes up for it.

“In fact, it was a giant one for myself and for the sport as effectively. It was nice work from Misha (Mykhailo Mudryk) to play to Malo (Gusto) and an excellent supply from Malo. I simply tried to get my head on it and it wasn’t a nasty header.

“It’s our job – we receives a commission to attain targets. It’s what everybody sees as a striker, somebody who scores targets. It’s troublesome as a result of everybody expects you to attain each sport however there have been nice gamers who haven’t finished that.

“The end result comes first however personally I really like to attain targets. I’m a striker; it’s one thing that I really like doing.”

And once more, he’s proper, he’s a striker, and a striker should rating targets. The strain is at all times going to be a lot greater at Chelsea as effectively – time doesn’t look ahead to Chelsea.

Within the modern-day as effectively, you see gamers on their telephones on a regular basis, earlier than and after video games within the dressing rooms, and simply on a regular basis. They’re going to see criticism and abuse, naturally. Some gamers it can impact, others not a lot.

Broja clearly sees the criticisms of late, you’ll be able to inform that with a few of his posts on Instagram asking for persistence and so forth. However that is all a part of being a modern-day footballer and it’ll by no means disappear, it’s all a part of it now and there may be solely ever going to be a technique to answer critics, along with your toes on the pitch – show all of them improper.

I’ll finish this by going again to my opening factors – I price Broja, however I simply don’t suppose he’s creating but to the place he must be and he’s but to enhance on the weather that he lacks. Can he get there? In fact he can, he’s nonetheless solely 22-years-old (just lately).

He wants to enhance his holdup play at first as a result of he’s 6ft 3in tall and a bodily man, but he lacks a contact and the ball doesn’t typically stick with him because it ought to do. He additionally must get his head up and drop the ball off slightly earlier at occasions.

I feel if he can good that aspect of his sport then he is usually a high striker, and the irony after all is he’s precisely the form of body that we’d like and the form of bodily presence that Pochettino loves. He may very well be an ideal Pochettino striker if he imposes his presence extra and will get higher within the air in addition to again to purpose.

We all know he can rating targets, and that bit for me is confidence greater than the rest. But when he can get higher with a few of his resolution making and again to purpose play, then I nonetheless suppose he is usually a good striker.

Will that be at Chelsea? Properly, that each one relies on the following couple of weeks for my part. However I’m holding the religion in Broja as a result of he’s a participant I’ve watched quite a bit via the ranks at Cobham and I do see potential. However the query mark is whether or not he can develop and switch that potential into consistency and a extra well-rounded striker who performs with confidence.