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The first goalless draw of the Frank Lampard era answered old questions and posed new ones. Chelsea turned the narrative upside down while battling Sevilla in the Champions League on Tuesday. Immobilized for long periods, they struggled, managed the game and kept the Spanish club at arm’s length. But when they had the ball, they calmed down: light-headed, lacking in pace, and still lacking the insight to penetrate high-level defenses despite spending a lot on their attack in the summer.
Lampard, who faces another test when Chelsea visit Manchester United on Saturday night, was quite happy with the stalemate. He had come into the game under pressure, recalling statistics showing that no Chelsea manager with more than one game in charge has conceded at a higher rate in the Premier League. Family weaknesses were evident when goals against the column rose to 63 in 43 games after last Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Southampton. An answer was needed to keep Lampard from looking like a modern-day Kevin Keegan.
He was entitled to point to extenuating circumstances and argue that Chelsea have been successful in limiting the opposition’s shooting opportunities. The staff make the difference. Shots need to be saved, and the replacement of Kepa Arrizabalaga by Édouard Mendy meant that Chelsea had a reliable goalkeeper against Sevilla, who had a hard time overwhelming a defense led by Thiago Silva, impressing on their return to full-back.
Unlike Southampton, Lampard had his first choice of lap five. Thiago Silva made it through the contest helping Kurt Zouma. Reece James was strong as a right back after replacing César Azpilicueta and Ben Chilwell was excellent, with a swift piece of cover to rescue Zouma, showing why Lampard felt the former Leicester left back was an improvement over Marcos Alonso. and Emerson Palmieri.
Later, however, it was routine. Mason Mount, Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic played behind Timo Werner and struggled to serve the German forward. Sevilla rarely looked uncomfortable.
Chaos gave way to control, prompting an interesting question about Lampard’s setup. The criticism is that Chelsea are a middle team: vulnerable in the back when attacking, bored when more cautious. They have yet to find the right combination, which was made clear when Liverpool visited Stamford Bridge last month and Lampard opted for a reactive approach, using a 4-3-3 system that had Werner on the left, Havertz as a false nine and Mount tasked with stopping Andy Robertson’s raids from the left side.
Those tactics met with limited success, with Liverpool comfortable on defense and triumphant after Andreas Christensen’s red card, and it will be fascinating to see Lampard’s plan for United. Last season Ole Gunnar Solskjær succeeded against Lampard on the fast break, beating Chelsea at home and away in the league and eliminating them from the Carabao Cup. Unidos is content to give up the initiative; They would welcome Chelsea by pushing up and giving Marcus Rashford opportunities to run behind Thiago Silva, 36.
Chelsea giving up territory? They will remember beating United on the fourth attempt last season, falling back three in their FA Cup semi-final and winning 3-1 with 48% possession. But the concern is that a more methodical approach, perhaps sacrificing an attacking player to bring Mateo Kovacic into midfield with N’Golo Kanté and Jorginho, could compromise Chelsea’s biggest assets and invite pressure from United, which has the attack weapons to deal damage. Rest.
The problem is Lampard’s search for balance. They want to play 4-2-3-1 but Chelsea looked fragmented against Sevilla. Kanté and Jorginho were outnumbered and in midfield at times, leaving them unable to link defense and offense, and there is an argument for moving Mount in from the left to provide more support on and off possession.
It was a match that showed why Lampard wanted to sign a defensive midfielder. The Jorginho-Kanté association is yet to be clicked. Jorginho is a charming passer who does not deliver enough on the ball and it is argued that he does not fit perfectly alongside Kanté, whose best season for Chelsea came alongside Nemanja Matic, who was adept at protecting defense and allowing passage. French to dominate with your energy.
In an ideal world, Chelsea would have signed Declan Rice from West Ham and asked him to sit down, leaving Lampard free to play with Mount and Havertz in the center. However, at the moment the option for a single pivot is Kanté and while he played that role when Chelsea beat Manchester City in June, there are questions about whether the 29-year-old can function there after struggling with injuries last season. .
It requires a commitment like bypassing an exciting winger, perhaps Callum Hudson-Odoi, and using Mount on the left to lead the high press. Fans want fantasy; managers favor stability and reliability. Lampard hasn’t had much this season either. A strange and truncated preseason has left him little time to prepare and integrate his signings, some of which have been held back by injury. For example, a knee problem has meant that playmaker Hakim Ziyech has only made two appearances as a substitute since signing from Ajax.
With talents like Ziyech adjusting to a new league, there has had to be experimentation from game to game. Lampard has more options than last season, but is still figuring out where to implement them. Havertz has played on the right, up front and lately as the No. 10. Werner has struggled on the left, targeting Tammy Abraham, and has offered more in the middle. Pulisic, returning from a serious hamstring injury, has played down the right to accommodate Mount.
Maybe that’s why Chelsea was heavy against Sevilla. Rather than trying to be negative, they simply lacked cohesion from back to front. Relationships are still developing; Equipment adjustments are still required. Inconsistencies persist.
Chelsea shone in attack against Southampton, who couldn’t beat Havertz and Werner. Against Sevilla, with a clean sheet as a priority, entertainment went down. Both ends will have to work for Chelsea to beat United.
