Chelsea vs. Everton: Breaking Down the Drogba vs. Lukaku Striker Battle

There was a time when Romelu Lukaku was being spoken of as Chelsea's long-term replacement for Didier Drogba.

The Belgian, aged just 18 at the time, arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2011 from Anderlecht in a deal totalling £18 million when add-ons were taken into account.

Even by Chelsea's standards, that was big money for a teenager who had achieved very little.

Yet it seemed a simple masterplan from Andre Villas-Boas, the manager who signed him: Lukaku would be mentored by Drogba and take over his mantle when the Ivorian retired.

Almost four years on, Drogba and Lukaku are expected to grace the same pitch this coming Wednesday, but in circumstances far removed from what many had expected.

Lukaku travels to Stamford Bridge as an Everton player, his season mirroring exactly that of his team.

It's been a disappointing one and the promise from last season has vanished like vapour. Lukaku remains in single figures for goals scored in the Premier League, and all the while the Toffees are struggling at the wrong end of the table.

In contrast, Drogba is enjoying a renaissance at Chelsea. At 37 years old, he isn't quite the player we knew when he first joined the club, yet he hasn't looked out of place in west London, either.

Indeed, there have been times when he has carried Chelsea in much the same way he did during his initial eight-year spell.

As we prepare for Chelsea's clash with Everton on Wednesday, Bleacher Report takes a closer look at the qualities of both strikers.

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Influence

When striker Diego Costa was injured for much of October, Drogba was an influential figure at Stamford Bridge once more.

He got a run of games and was the driving force who got Chelsea over the line in some key fixtures.

Shrewsbury Town, despite being three leagues below Chelsea, gave them a bit of a scare in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup, with Drogba proving their saviour.

Not only did he score Chelsea's first in the game, he also forced Jermaine Grandison into turning the ball into his own net—that goal proving decisive, winning the game 2-1 for Chelsea.

A few days earlier, Drogba's header almost gave Chelsea a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford only for Robin van Persie to grab a late equaliser for Manchester United.

Drogba's performance that day was reminiscent of the Ivorian in his pomp and outlined the wisdom of manager Jose Mourinho in bringing him back to west London.

Lukaku's season hasn't been as impressive.

Last year, he notched up 15 goals in 29 games as Everton came close to qualifying for the Champions League.

It's been a different story this term. Everton have struggled, sitting in 12th place in the table, and are way off the pace for European qualification.

They've needed players like Lukaku to influence the big moments in their campaign, but on the whole, they have been missing.

Everton invested £28 million in the Belgian—substantially more than what Chelsea paid when they first signed Drogba—and right now, he isn't living up to that price tag.

He needs to get back to consistently winning his team points.

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Style

Drogba continues to defy the notion that age affects ability.

He's coming to the end of his career, yet he still bosses defences as he always has. Drogba makes his presence known and works the back line.

That may not always result in him scoring goals like he did, but there's no doubt midfielder Eden Hazard and Chelsea's other attackers have benefited.

Not only that, Drogba is proving a useful defensive substitute, used at times this season to help Chelsea see out matches.

He's as good in the air as he's ever been, and when the pressure has been on, he's helped Chelsea dig themselves out of a few holes.

Lukaku is struggling to impose himself like Drogba does. He's inconsistent in that area and it's almost as though defenders have worked him out.

He's not causing the same problems we saw last year, with more and more defenders getting the better of him.

With that said, Lukaku's still only 21. In playing years, he remains raw and has much more to learn as he attempts to master the Premier League.

There's no doubting the quality is there, but he needs to earn the right to play his game against defenders who aren't going to give him the opportunities he has benefited from in the past.

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Character

Drogba may not wear the armband at Chelsea, but he remains a leader of this team.

He's had a big influence on Costa settling into English football and the general opinion throughout the Chelsea squad is that he remains one of the club's statesmen.

Drogba is a player who has transcended football, with his actions away from the pitch earning him just as much respect as what he's achieved on it. He's a humanitarian and uses his celebrity status to benefit others.

In his latter years, Drogba has broken the shackles of his reputation for simulation. In his early Chelsea career, he was on the ground more than he was scoring, but we see him on his feet far more these days.

He's cleaned up his act.

In that regard, Lukaku is a player far superior to his former teammate.

Call it naivety, but he is an honest competitor. He picks up few bookings and tries to play football.

That's the mature side of Lukaku—a player who wants to go on and achieve greatness in the game, applying himself in the correct manner.

Right now, his form is letting him down, but as a character, Lukaku can't be questioned. He works hard for his teammates, and when at his clinical best, there are few better strikers of his age.

It's just that right now, his form has evaded him.

Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

This Season's Stats

	Drogba	Lukaku
Appearances	29	31
Goals	6	10
Assists	2	3

Verdict

The story of Drogba and Lukaku is about beginnings and endings: The latter has his entire career ahead of him, while Drogba is potentially in the last few months of his.

Over the course of this season, Drogba's achievements have upstaged Lukaku, though. The veteran is showing us why he is still regarded as the master.

Returning to Stamford Bridge, where he felt unloved, Lukaku is being given the ideal opportunity to upstage Drogba on Wednesday and show why he thinks Mourinho was wrong to offload him.

Can the apprentice overcome his master?

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.