Chelsea: Solutions to start Ross Barkley and Mason Mount

Ross Barkley and Mason Mount have both impressed this preseason. How can Frank Lampard start both for Chelsea to reward their great form?

Frank Lampard has primarily played around with two formations this preseason: a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-diamond-2. Both put a lot of players on the initial press and both have room for a 10 in the hole behind a striker.

On paper, both Ross Barkley and Mason Mount would fit into that 10 role. They are both creative midfielders willing to press aggressively and both have an eye for goal under the right circumstances. Both have also been the standout players this preseason and deserve to start against Manchester United, bar any sort of disaster against Salzburg or Gladbach.

Lampard can quite easily get both into the formations he has been using and he has already hinted that he is thinking about it. It would require some tweaks elsewhere and it would push someone else out of the starting XI.

In the 4-2-3-1, one of the two would start in the 10 role and the other would start in a wider role. Of course, Lampard’s band of three is already pretty narrow so there would be little difference. Barkley experienced his career season playing wide in a 4-2-3-1, but Mount seems to excel floating in from those wider areas.

The main adjustment to make would need to be in the pivot behind the Englishmen. Though both are aggressive in the press, they are not exactly defensive midfielders. Putting N’Golo Kante or even Mateo Kovacic on their side could help to provide coverage when the press fails. So would a more defensive fullback like Cesar Azpilicueta.

Playing both Mount and Barkley would come at the expense of a winger though. Pedro, Willian, Kenedy, and Christian Pulisic would all be fighting over one spot. Lampard may not want to risk upsetting the previous two, will not want to keep Kenedy around to not use him, and will not want to bench the club’s big signing of the year.

Another option, already seen this preseason, to get both on the field is a 4-diamond-2. When used previously, Barkley took the spot at the tip of the diamond and Mount took one of the sides. This allowed both a great deal of freedom on and off the ball.

The key to making a diamond work is organization. If Mount comes out to press, several other players need to prepare for the eventuality of the press not working. So far, Lampard has used Jorginho at the base of the diamond but it would not be surprising to see Kante there either. Otherwise, a defensive fullback such as Azpilicueta would also be helpful.

Lampard has only used two true strikes at the top of the diamond but that is also where playing both Barkley and Mount cuts into the wingers. All of the wingers could potentially pair with a striker up top which may give the formation more of a Christmas tree look (4-3-2-1) at times.

Lampard absolutely should be looking for a way to play both Mount and Barkley at the same time. But he needs to balance that with the players that will be dropped as a result. His job is to get the best players on the field at the same time in a way that works but he will still have to juggle the egos and desires of the players on the bench.