The return of N’Golo Kante and the (hopefully the same as before) future return of Ruben Loftus-Cheek gives Chelsea an increasingly adaptable midfield.
For much of this season, the injuries to midfielders have forced Frank Lampard’s hand. Ross Barkley and N’Golo Kante have spent time in the physio room and Ruben Loftus-Cheek has “a long road” ahead of him. Players like Reece James and Andreas Christensen were touted as fill ins, but the former has settled much more into a full back role and the latter has himself been injured. Christian Pulisic and Willian could play in midfield but are better suited wide. That has left just Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, and Mason Mount for the majority of the season with Billy Gilmour as a ready and willing stand in.
Given those limitations, the Blues have done quite well for themselves all things considered. The partnership Jorginho and Kovacic have developed has been fantastic and Mount plays a vital role in pressing out of midfield. Still, Lampard will be very happy to see other midfielders return as it gives him an increasingly adaptable midfield.
After some initial hiccups, Lampard settled on a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 hybrid formation. The switch between the two is primarily down how the press is set up and in turn how the team transitions from out of possession to in possession. Mount has been the primary focal point of this because no other midfielder can press as aggressively as he can. Willian could, but it would require pulling him off of the wing. Gilmour could also stand in but it is not the best use of his skill set. Barkley also would not quite fit in and his time at Chelsea is likely running out regardless.
Many seem to think Loftus-Cheek will step in and fill the role, but pressing is not necessarily his strong suit. He can and made great strides last season towards it, but he desires to play a box to box role going forward and that is more akin to the driving through midfield Kovacic provides.
Kovacic has found the new midfield setup extremely beneficial. He always came across as a player who could glue midfield together but not one that was too far to any one extreme. His dribbling has particularly stood out this season and only Loftus-Cheek can really drive out of a deep position in a similar way.
Then there is Jorginho and Kante who offer much different traits. Jorginho is great in any game where Chelsea may not be guaranteed control of the ball in midfield. That is why his absence against Crystal Palace was not that noticeable as the Blues had well over 60 percent of the ball without him. Kante, meanwhile, played a somewhat passive role against Palace not unlike what he used to do under Antonio Conte or Claudio Ranieri. Rather than get too involved in the play, he stayed behind to sniff out and cut out counters. Palace suited him because counters were about their only avenue of approach.
Combined, Lampard is getting more and more options in the middle to use against various opponents. A Kovacic-Jorginho-Kante midfield could be well suited for an opponent like Liverpool who will chase Chelsea down centrally and look to attack quickly. Mount, Jorginho, and Kante could work better against a more patient team like Manchester City who will look to control before they try to conquer. Mount, Kovacic, and Kante works against teams Chelsea will dominate naturally and who will look to counter. The options are there to play around with.
Add in recent rumors of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic if the ban is lifted and it is clear that Chelsea is looking at an even more varied set of midfielders. The main task will be to ensure that the midfield has a balanced set of skills that also create an advantage against the particular opponent.
There does not have to be one Chelsea midfield going forward and with the games ramping up in frequency there will likely be several. Lampard is blessed with a packed midfield and can rotate as is required. The Mount-Jorginho-Kovacic trio has worked, but the players returning from injury will only add a new factor to Lampard’s selections.