Frank Lampard has finally found himself in the driving seat at Stamford Bridge, as Chelsea fans seem super excited about this new season, many of whom will propagate the saying, “All’s well that ends well.” Because the start to the campaign has been nothing but forgetful. The West London side started their Premier League season against Manchester United away from home, where they were greeted with an astonishing score line of 4-0. They then travelled to Istanbul for the UEFA Super Cup on Thursday, where once again they were bettered by their opponents from Merseyside, and though they managed to take it deep in the penalties, the Cup demanded more.
The top 6 in the Premier League have always been special, and it’s a privilege to manage clubs of such stature. That’s not new information to Frank. He’s been at Chelsea for almost 13 years as a player and has played under almost 9 managers in that period. But this is him as a manager now and the speculation and criticism aren’t the same anymore. The question though is, how has Chelsea really faired up till now and should Frank be seeing the danger ahead sign, from this point forth. Not really. The system Lampard imposes has had its positives and though the players will take time to adapt, he deserves to not have this air of insecurity around him. The major concern though isn’t what Chelsea have lost, but how are they going to sustain in the long run after the resources they have been left with, courtesy the unwelcomed transfer ban from FIFA.
The Blues defense has a dent?
When the maddening transfer window closed in England this season, news of David Luiz’s exit shocked Chelsea fans, and though it is sort of a nightmare to have traded the Brazilian with their London rivals Arsenal, the void appears to be threatening itself. The go through man in the central defense for Lampard will therefore be Antonio Rudiger who is yet to be qualified as match fit. That’s enough talk about those out of the scene, the focus was on the new partnership of Christensen and Zouma who started in both the games. Result? To put it gently, not in Chelsea’s favor.
The pairing is new and therefore it’ll be wrong to rush in with conclusions, but they surely concern the team and their attacking morale, because they just aren’t as good as Rudiger-Luiz pair. It's not to dismiss the efforts they put along the course of these two games, but the absence of impact was visible.
Zouma, who had a good season at Everton on loan has been sloppy at times and his defensive approach did create problems for them. At Old Trafford, Zouma ended up conceding a penalty and then was yellow carded later for his clumsy defending. He had a first half there, which he’ll most definitely want to forget. But in Istanbul he looked better and showed glimpses of his solidity from his time at Everton. Usually aggressive with air duels Lampard would expect Zouma to get better with ball at his feet too, especially when under pressure.
On the other hand, Christensen, too, hasn’t impressed all that much, though his long stint at Chelsea has acquainted him to their system. He impressed with his marking, wary of forward runs and produced a few good clearances in the Super Cup when Mane was threatening in the box.
Lampard’s preference?
Once Rudiger is fit, we can see Zouma pair more with him and that’s due to the set piece advantage Zouma provides Chelsea with. He’s quick with his runs and solid with jumps and can come close to heading home a few goals, just like he displayed in the Super Cup. On other occasions Lampard would look to Tomori, whom he even gave a chance in Super Cup just before the second half ended. The youngster boasts of explosive pace and is an exciting prospect who’ll provide them depth at the back.
Straight out of Championship…
Every season there are some young guns that rise to the big occasions and establish themselves effectively. Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount have done exactly that. The number nine was at Aston Villa last season on loan and had a breakthrough season with 25 goals, while Lampard was in close terms with Mount at Derby County, where he stepped up in many tense situations. Having shown great promise and skills the two have stormed into the first team and are complimenting each other very well. Abraham at Old Trafford came agonizingly close to scoring when he beat De Gea only to hit the woodwork.
Mount is sharp, agile and his pace is a luxury he exploits brilliantly. Mount started in the central role against United but when he was brought on for Pulisic in Super Cup, he looked more threatening on that left side compared to Barkley who at Old Trafford had to take charge of that left-wing position. Mount did manage to score, but that clinical finish of his was correctly ruled out for an offside. Tammy on the other hand is a solid figure in the center forward role, quicker than Giroud on his feet, Tammy came tantalizingly close to scoring in Istanbul too, but fell short, though his presence in the box is quite alarming.
Lampard will have to take good care of this talent and nurture them because these are among the most exciting prospects Chelsea have had in the past years. Is he putting too much pressure on them? Well, when you have to feature in multiple Cup tournaments with the league it does become a daunting task, and he will have to take care that these two don’t succumb under pressure. Some would say it was harsh on Tammy to have been given that 5th penalty in Istanbul, but that’s how character is build, and who knows it better than Lampard.
Is too much variety messing Chelsea’s ideal midfield combination?
Chelsea’s transfer ban did restrict them from signing new and exciting talents, but Frank still has loads of midfielders to choose from. With introduction of Mason Mount and Chelsea signing Kovacic permanently, the options are plenty, but the ideal combinations scanty.
Against United, Lampard started with Kovacic and Jorginho in central midfield, while Barkley was shifted to a left-wing side as young Mason Mount debuted in that central role. Barkley continued to show his tendency to dribble to the center and contribute to the play, which clearly spoke of his desires. In the Super Cup though with Barkley left out, Mount playing to the left and Kante deemed fit, the dynamics changed. The beast that Kante is, his urge to retrieve the ball and aggressiveness clearly are an asset and his explosive presence is enough to unsettle teams.
Kovacic is more like a rulebook midfielder and though a couple of his runs in the Liverpool box in Super Cup were highlights of the match, he doesn’t offer anything greatly distinctive, whereas Jorginho glues this dynamic midfield of Chelsea, facilitating smooth transitions from defense to attack. With Lampard’s affection for Mount, he will have to be harsh on one or two of them on quite a few occasions. Having said that, if Frank chooses to play a 4-3-3 system then his ideal choices would be Jorginho, Barkley and Kante, with Mount mostly having an attacking role to fulfil and Kovacic to take the burden off them all.
We might be over thinking, but Chelsea opting for Lampard at this point in time is more than just a managerial change. The Blues had a good season with their previous boss, and though they won the Europa Cup something was still not feeling right. Maybe, this move is an attempt to keep the curiosity and fan support intact and to also cover up for the flopped transfer business that Chelsea were forced to go through.
The squad is still a great cocktail of youth and experience, energy and confidence and now back in Champions League, Chelsea do present a strong case for themselves, both in Cup and Premier League. The only thing to watch out for after their display in these two games would be the misfortune at play, after all Chelsea do have a great history of sacking managers. Lampard and the Blues are surely not a marriage we’d enjoy watching get ruined. All eyes at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, where Chelsea host Leicester in their first home game, as we wait out the permutations and combinations going through Lampard’s mind.
