Chelsea: The 3-5-2 could solve a lot of Frank Lampard’s problems

Frank Lampard needs to do some tactical rethinks during the break. A 3-5-2 could solve a lot of issues for Chelsea in the short and long term.

In Antonio Conte’s early Chelsea days, he bucked the trend many perceived him to follow by using a 4-3-3. It had two issues. The first was that the midfield was greatly disconnected from the striker. The second was that the defense was almost always getting outnumbered on crosses and through balls.

His switch to the 3-4-3 solved both of those issues. With the formation, he was able to create a connection to Diego Costa by having Eden Hazard or Pedro drop in. At the back, the spare body was able to overcome the defensive gaps seen previously.

The connection to the striker is not an issue for Frank Lampard’s issue. Instead, the connection between the midfield and the defense is lacking. But getting outnumbered on crosses is a shared concern both then and now. A tactical switch to a 3-5-2 could solve the issues Chelsea keeps running into defensively.

First of all, this would not be a remake of a Conte 3-5-2. Conte’s formations often fall into a back five and look to absorb and counter. Given Lampard’s love of intense, high pressing, that would be against his own philosophy. Instead, a pendulum 3-5-2 would be a better implementation.

The pendulum was made popular by Julian Nagelsmann at Hoffenheim. Instead of dropping into a 5-3-2 shape, the wingback closest to the ball will press aggressively with the help of the nearest midfielder and the two strikers. To close the gaps, the three centerbacks slide over and the far side wingback drops deep, giving the formation a 4-4-2 or even 4-3-3 sort of shape. This basically allows for a 3-5-2 to remain a highline and aggressive pressing without leaving too many holes.

But perhaps the biggest benefit of such a switch would be the spare body at the back. Crosses have been an Achilles Heel for Chelsea since last season with Cesar Azpilicueta being the most hard hit. He can delay an opponent plenty, but if the cross comes in it appears very hard for any of the Blues’ centerback pairs to cope. Conte solved the issue by adding that spare body and it could solve the same issue now for Lampard.

It would also likely extend the shelf life of Azpilicueta who simply is not a modern fullback. Lampard has made some adjustments to suit Azpilicueta, but without a full squad including N’Golo Kante, the changes have been ineffective.

Offensively, there would be little tweaks needed. It is already common for the attack to take a somewhat 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 shape with one of the fullbacks staying deeper. Starting with a base shape of a 3-5-2 would only shuffle some bodies around.

Such a switch would also likely benefit Jorginho as well. He is better defensively than sometimes given credit for but he is far from a rock in the middle. Putting an extra body behind him and putting him into a position to sweep rather than tackle would do wonders for the midfielder.

The only real question would be who the wingback on the right would be. If it is Reece James, who is likely the best suited, that would likely mean one of the wingers would be sitting out. Christian Pulisic has reps in the role from his time at Dortmund, but it may not be the best use for him. Mason Mount could drop into the midfield three to leave a spot for Pulisic up top with the striker, but that would likely come at the expense of Mateo Kovacic who has done little to warrant being dropped.

But if the end result is a more structurally sound shape, does it matter is someone is undeservedly on the bench? The answer is no and any of Lampard’s formations are likely to require rotation as the cups come in simply due to how taxing the style is on players (as already seen this early in the season).

Regardless of whether or not Lampard considers the 3-5-2, something does need to be changed on the defensive end before play resumes. It is easy to point to Kante or others being missing or the conditioning not being up to task yet, but those are issues that will not be solved in the short term. Rather than wait on long term solutions to problems now, Lampard may need to consider some changes to get the best out of the squad in its current state.