Chelsea: Frank Lampard’s tactics and rotations show the influences at work

For a manager labelled naive in the ways of the Premier League, Frank Lampard has quietly taken the best qualities of his predecessors to make Chelsea one of the most tactically balanced sides in the world.

The biggest concern of Frank Lampard’s appointment in the summer was his inexperience and naivete. The “Spy Gate” episode at Derby County last season showed how much Lampard had to learn about the reality of a football manager’s world. This season, though, Lampard is compensating for his lack of managerial experience with the abundance of experience he had as a Chelsea player.

Lampard rose to prominence and learned the art of football under the tutelage of Chelsea’s most successful manager, Jose Mourinho. Mourinho is a master at preparing a game plan to nullify the opposition’s style of football, spending endless hours studying his opponent’s tactics. Those game plans were not just theoretical. They were perfectly executed and successful so often that almost every game could be deemed a Mourinho masterclass.

Like Mourinho, Lampard studies his opponents and relies on that analysis instead of blindly trusting his style of play, something Maurizio Sarri was accused of doing last season.

There was something Sarri had, though, which Mourinho didn’t: a style of football. While Mourinho had his counter-attacking football for the big games, his team didn’t have an identity against teams where they had more of the ball. He relied on the individual brilliance of the likes of Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas in lieu of a comprehensive style of play, as Sarri mastered.

“Sarriball” tends to split opinion but there is no denying that when implemented properly can be delightful to watch. Lampard implements his style of open football in a 4-2-3-1 against the likes of Brighton. Chelsea has more of the ball in these kinds of matches, and Lampard has equipped them with the creativity to win them scoring 15 goals in the last 4 matches.

However, overall Chelsea is not a defensively solid side, partly due to the kind of football they play. This is not a team that can sit back and soak up pressure, which is why they have to constantly be on the move. The overall plan to blow away the opposition with extremely high intensity and then control the game for the duration.

Lampard’s high octane football is absolutely entertaining for its viewers, but extremely taxing for his players.

Without the energy to execute the press, Chelsea becomes a very average team which can be subdued and then beaten fairly easily. Fatigue will eventually catch up with the most-used players, too, making them more susceptible to injuries and harming the team in relatively near future.

Lampard is still working on matching tactical flexibility with a flexible use of his players. He used three formations over the course of seven games before the break: 3-4-3, 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1.

For matches against Liverpool this season, Lampard switched to a balanced 4-3-3 from a rather offensive 4-2-3-1 to cut the supply to Liverpool’s front three. He took away the positional freedom his players usually enjoy, and kept them in particular positions to stop Liverpool’s fast build up. He lost those games, but Chelsea showed many superior aspects on both occasions, strongly suggesting the strategy will work for him in the long term, all the way up through winning trophies.

Shuffling formations usually results in different players getting chances, but eight players started six of these seven most recent matches: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cesar Azpilicueta, Fikayo Tomori, Marco Alonso, Jorginho, Mason Mount, Willian and Tammy Abraham.

By constantly selecting the same players, Lampard is playing the risk of burning them out. This was already on display with the player that exemplifies Lampard’s style of pressing, Mason Mount. Mount started September well, but cut a tired figure against Lille and Southampton, falling below the high standards fans have come to expect of him.

There is also the concern of hampering team morale. By not using the talented players at his disposal, Lampard is risking the overall dressing room morale. Mount, a natural central midfielder, was played as a winger for most games ahead of natural wingers like Pedro and Christian Pulisic . He wasn’t effective on the wings, which would have made the latter pair feel hard done by Lampard’s preference for Mount.

Injuries also have continuously hampered Chelsea this season. Lampard has drawn inspiration from Antonio Conte, by tailoring a system for his fit XI.

With Antonio Rudiger, Reece James and Emerson out of action, Lampard switched to a 3-4-3 against Wolves and Valencia to provide Chelsea with some defensive solidity. While Chelsea still looked susceptible, the players put in far more convincing defensive performances, while unleashing Marcos Alonso in his favourite wing back position and slotting Azpilicueta into a familiar back three.

The Spanish duo put in good performances in those matches and continued to do so even in a back four, something they were heavily criticized for not doing previously. The confidence they gained from the tactical switch helped them get their season back on track, so much so that Alonso is arguably on par with Willian as Chelsea’s most consistent player over the past month.

After back-to-back defeats to Valencia and Liverpool, Lampard might have left the need to use his strongest XI, get the results and defuse the pressure he and his team were facing. If this was a one-time strategy, it can be considered a success. However, should Lampard get caught up on short term dividends, he will face serious long term repercussions.

Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri were heavily criticized for lack of rotation and had mixed review for their tactical organizations. Frank Lampard is so far drawing many of the right lessons from them in addition to the 11 managers he played under at Chelsea, and the Blues’ end-product reflects all these influences and Lampard’s unique additions.