Frank
Lampard has faced a number of obstacles since taking over at Chelsea - their
transfer ban chief among them - but there was a new one to overcome against
Crystal Palace on Saturday. For the first time, he had to start a Premier
League game without Jorginho manning his midfield.
The Italian has put a difficult debut campaign firmly behind him this
season, becoming a key figure under the new head coach - who has described
him as a "leader" within the dressing room - and playing 954 minutes of a
possible 990 before his suspension for the meeting with Palace.
Fortunately for Lampard, his absence coincided with N'Golo Kante's return
from a groin injury. Kante replaced Jorginho alongside Mateo Kovacic on
Saturday and duly helped Chelsea keep their first clean sheet in four games
as they claimed a sixth consecutive Premier League win.
Lampard continued with the 4-2-3-1 formation that has served him so well in
recent weeks, with Mason Mount continuing to impress at No 10 and Kante and
Kovacic working in tandem behind him. How, though, will the midfield shape
up when Jorginho is available too?
It presents a dilemma for Lampard - even more so given how seamlessly Kante
slotted back into the side. On his first appearance since the 4-1 win over
Southampton over a month ago, there was little evidence of rustiness.
Quite the opposite, in fact. Kante was his usual industrious self right from
the start, popping up in Palace's left-back position to press Patrick van
Aanholt at one moment then seemingly teleporting himself to the opposite
corner of the pitch, helping Chelsea win the ball back before making himself
available to collect a Kurt Zouma pass at the base of midfield.
It was classic Kante. And while there were some rare signs of fatigue in the
closing stages, the Premier League tracking data showed he covered more
ground than any of his team-mates (11km), his perpetual motion underlined by
the fact he clocked the highest average speed too.
Kante's best position was the subject of considerable debate last season,
with Maurizio Sarri strongly criticised for preferring Jorginho at the base
of midfield. But Lampard has persisted with the same approach.
On Friday, he said it was inaccurate to categorise Kante as a defensive
midfielder. On Saturday, he gave him the freedom to roam up, down and across
the pitch, taking it in turns with Kovacic to occupy the holding role. There
was evidence of his improving technical qualities too.
In Jorginho's absence, it was Kante who could be seen switching the play as
Chelsea piled on the pressure in the first half. At one point, he used the
outside of his boot to scoop a fine pass from right to left to find
Christian Pulisic. By the end of the game, he had completed seven long
passes out of seven - more than in his previous five appearances combined.
Is there anything he can't do? Kante might have had a goal had his
first-half effort not been blocked, and there was almost an assist in
stoppage time, when his clever, diagonal pass into the Palace box found
Michy Batshuayi, who turned and sent a deflected effort narrowly wide.
Lampard may decide to pair Kante with Jorginho after the international
break, but if he is to stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation he used again at
Stamford Bridge on Saturday, that would mean dropping Kovacic.
Few Chelsea fans would have complained at that prospect at the start of the
season, but the Croat looks liberated having struggled to exert himself
under Sarri. His driving runs have added a different dimension to the
midfield - no Chelsea player is averaging more dribbles this season - and
his passing and positioning have been similarly impressive.
The alternative, then, is to revert to the 4-3-3 formation he used earlier
in the season and a midfield which looks a lot like the one Sarri used last
season, with Kante and Kovacic shuttling up and down the pitch either side
of Jorginho, whose renaissance this season has made him undroppable.
The issue there, however, is that it would mean leaving out one of the
players currently operating further forward in support of Tammy Abraham.
So who makes way?
There seems little prospect of him leaving out the in-form Willian, whose
return to the starting line-up in September has coincided with the
turnaround in their form. Pulisic, meanwhile, currently looks every bit like
the Eden Hazard replacement many hoped he would be, scoring his fifth goal
in his last three Premier League games on Saturday.
Could Mason Mount, then, be the man to miss out? He may not have stood out
as much as Willian or Pulisic in recent games, but his importance to Lampard
is evident in the fact that he has started every Premier League game so far,
playing more minutes than any other outfield player and providing creativity
as well as goal threat in his current guise as a No 10.
This is a good dilemma for Lampard to have, of course. His players are
flying and Chelsea are feeling the benefits. But it is a dilemma
nonetheless. He was able to adapt without his midfield anchor on Saturday
against Palace. The next challenge will be to successfully recalibrate his
midfield again.
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