00:00Tariq George has suddenly become Chelsea's first choice option up front in the Champions League.
00:08Raising eyebrows given his limited experience within that role.
00:12The 19-year-old started against Jose Mourinho's Benfica on Tuesday night,
00:17playing the first hour in a match.
00:19Chelsea won 1-0 thanks to an own goal by Richard Rios.
00:23George's statistics were modest, just one shot and 15 touches
00:27with his first involvement in the opposition penalty area coming in the 45th minute.
00:33Normally such a performance would not merit a start in the next European fixture,
00:37especially as George prefers operating on the wings.
00:42And yet, head coach Enzo Maresco confirmed George is one of the main contenders
00:45to lead the line against Ajax later this month.
00:49The situation highlights Chelsea's striking dilemma,
00:52despite the club having spent over £1 billion on signings in the past three years.
00:58Bad luck and injuries have forced the issue.
01:00Summer signing João Pedro, who scored five goals in his first six games,
01:04has failed to find the net in his last five matches.
01:08He was only fit enough to be on the bench against Benfica,
01:11and his second half appearance ended with a red card ruling him out for the Ajax match.
01:16To cover the shortage, Mark Gouet was recalled from a season-long loan at Sunderland,
01:24but is yet to play.
01:26Other departures, including Christophe Nkunku and Armando Brogia in August,
01:31along with David Dato for Fahna's loan with Fassum Corrigan,
01:35have further thinned options.
01:38Maresco could turn to Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer or Academy striker Shin Mukela,
01:42but Pedro is kneaded wide and Palmer is injured.
01:47Mukela, though prolific, is at youth level and is raw.
01:51The contrast with Jose Mourinho, as Chelsea is stark during his tenures,
01:55the club consistently had multiple major strikers to rotate,
01:59and Chelsea must rely on a teenager who cops nothing to fill the gap.
02:03Without excluding the shortage,
02:05is Chelsea's most pressing concern,
02:07and the club will need João Pedro,
02:09and allow Fully Fit to restore depth where it's most needed.
02:13All right.
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