Edin Dzeko returns to England on Wednesday night a ‘better’ player than the one who departed Manchester City in 2015.
The Bosnian will lead the Roma attack against Chelsea in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge as he faces English opposition for the first time since his move to Italy, initially on loan, returning a better player both statistically and in his own mind.
Dzeko found the net 50 times in 130 Premier League appearances for City, but has already scored 44 in just 75 Serie A outings, which is good for a goal every 127 minutes compared to one every 141 during his time in England.
Edin Dzeko will lead the Roma attack when they take on Chelsea on Wednesday evening
He left Manchester City in 2015 and since then has scored 56 goals for the Rome club
The Bosnian striker has improved in most statistical categories since leaving Manchester City
He is having more shots, shooting more accurately and converting more of his efforts now when compared to his spell in England, meaning Chelsea should be concerned facing a striker who already has eight goals in nine matches so far this season.
He is assisting more, too. He provided just 11 assists during his days at the Etihad but has 16 already as a Roma player, setting up a team mate for a goal every 351 minutes compared to once every 644 minutes while in blue.
Dzeko is creating more chances in general, averaging three minutes less per opportunity made.
| Team | Manchester City | Roma |
| Games Played | 130 | 75 |
| Substitute On | 56 | 14 |
| Minutes Played | 7081 | 5615 |
| Goals | 50 | 44 |
| Mins/Goal | 141.6 | 127.6 |
| Shots, Total (inc. Blocks) | 365 | 300 |
| Mins/Shot | 19.4 | 18.7 |
| Shooting Accuracy % | 48.4 | 51.2 |
| Shot Conversion Rate (inc. Blocks) % | 13.7 | 14.7 |
| Assists | 11 | 16 |
| Mins/Assist | 643.7 | 350.9 |
| Chances Created (inc. assists) | 104 | 79 |
| Mins/Chance Created | 68.1 | 71.1 |
Dzeko is scoring more, assisting more and shooting more than his time in Manchester
Statistics aside, Dzeko is convinced he has improved since his time as a Manchester City player, with his form recognised with a nomination for the prestigious Ballon d’Or.
The Bosnian, however, has insisted he is not going to win the trophy which has been dominated by Cristiano Ronadlo and Lionel Messi for the last nine years.
When asked if he was a better player now than in his City days, he replied: ‘I don’t know, I think I am actually. Older, better, like they used to say.
Dzeko, pictured with Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco at the pre-match press conference
‘I feel good, I’m healthy and that’s the first and most important thing. For the two-and-a-half years in Italy I can be happy with what I did. All of these goals I’ve scored are also because of my team-mates. They’re very good.
‘I never want to stop and I want to try to be even better.
‘I cannot [win the Ballon d’Or],’ he added. ‘I’m just proud to be there. That is also thanks to my team-mates.’
Dzeko trained with his team-mates in Italy on Tuesday before flying to England for the game
Dzeko has also warned his team-mates they will be facing a wounded animal following Chelsea’s defeat by Crystal Palace at the weekend.
‘Chelsea is a great team with some amazing players. Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be a much different game and will be much more difficult for us than it was for Crystal Palace, even though they won the game.
‘Tomorrow we’ll play maybe also against an angry, but top team. Their coach [Antonio Conte] will put pressure on them.
‘[But] we didn’t come here to play and lose, we came here to give our best and have a positive result.’
Dzeko believes Chelsea will be hurting following their defeat by Crystal Palace on Saturday