Looking across the front lines of the Premier League this season, plenty of the “great” strikers within the league haven’t really had much to smile about.
With Javier Hernandez’s goal scoring heroics and Fernando Torres finally finding the back of the net grabbing all the headlines, cast your eyes at the Barclays Premier League goal scorer list you’d be completely forgiven for seeming a tad confused.
Hernandez snatched a late winner against Everton at the weekend almost sealing the premier league crown for Manchester United, with only four games remaining. The young Mexican, or “little pea” as he likes to be known is indeed having a fine first season in English football, his goal on Saturday notching his tally to 19 for the season, that is if you want to include his goal in the community shield all those months ago.
He has developed a knack, or more likely, he was born with a fantastic ability to be in the right place at exactly the right time. If you were to look at the majority of his strikes you’d note the importance of them, and more so the timing of them.
Hernandez has stuck the ball in the back of the net when it matters the most for United, his most recent just a shining example of his goal scoring prowess. The manner, in which he has done so, is almost identical to those ever so important late goals that the great Christiano Ronaldo used to pop up with back in his United days.
Every time Hernandez has the ball, or is jumping up to win a high ball late on, you almost expect him to hit the back of the net every time.
And yet, despite all his success, he lies 8th in goal scorers list. Who is the leading goal scorer?
Dimitar Berbatov, the man who Hernandez, has reduced to a bench warmer as of late.
Berbatov stands on 21 goals for the season, as it stands; this is something of an incredible achievement for him considering that not once has he shown the consistency or attitude of a player capable of such a feat.
It seems an age since Berbatov last hit the back of the net, and even longer since his 4 goals against Blackburn, and that hat trick against Liverpool.
How is he still the leading goal scorer?
Easy, Because of the declining standard in many of the star players this season. Correction. Star strikers this season.
You look at players like Wayne Rooney, Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba, all players capable of scoring with their eyes closed. Combine the goals they have racked up for their respective clubs over the last few years and it is amazing to think that none of them have hit their dazzling heights this year.
In truth Didier Drogba has finally began to put in those trademark powerhouse performances lately, but he’s taken his time hasn’t he?
In a weekend that has seen said Fernando Torres hit the back of the net at last, and Javier Hernandez popping up and putting them away for fun, it has felt like a breath of fresh air.
The strikers of the Premier League are slowly beginning to smile again, and so are we.
Dale Benton