Chelsea: Frank Lampard must avoid the trap of what’s familiar and ‘safe’

Chelsea are in the most important part of the season with crucial games at hand. Frank Lampard’s job is to go back to implementing change, not moving forward towards monotonous tactics.

Chelsea are facing a rough patch of form in the festive period. But this was to be expected. Although there is plenty of fault to go around in the team, naturally Frank Lampard must carry some. However, from here on out it is all on Lampard to keep evolving as a manager by doing what brought the team early success: constant change.

Lampard must not let the worries of the lifted transfer ban get to him. He has to keep working as he has been doing. With a war chest ready to be used, Chelsea will surely go into the transfer market ready to spend big. Maybe not necessarily smart, or even efficiently – just big. With that comes the pressure from the board’s “logical” point of view: “We gave you reinforcements. No, not the ones you asked for, but nonetheless we expect results.” This could make any manager turn to his safety net, and for Lampard, that is the current starting XI, with no rotation and no change of formation.

If Chelsea want to succeed this season, Lampard must turn back and change things around. He has plenty of talent to choose from, which allows him to change formations and tactics for some games.

A good example would be to return to a back three with two wing backs since Chelsea have been struggling on all aspects of defence and wide play. With players like Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger and Fikayo Tomori, a back three could be as solid as anyone could ever want. And with Marcos Alonso and Reece James as wingbacks, the entire back line would be complete. Should any of them demonstrate poor performances, Lampard has options to reignite the team.

However, there is more, as this managerial tactic takes players out of their comfort zone in all areas of the pitch. Instead of making the same predictable passes and runs, they will be forced to perform differently and rely more on one another’s active capabilities to adapt.

More specifically, in the attack where Chelsea have been nothing short of over-reliant on Tammy Abraham and Christian Pulisic, Chelsea need new creative routes and tactics. New formations could be the solution.

Learning from Chelsea’s previous two managers and their single-minded mentalities is very important for Lampard if he wants to keep his job for years to come.

Antonio Conte was loved in one season and hated in the next, and did not change formations often, and when he did they were adjustments rather than overhauls. He only changed tactics in big games, and that, very often, turned into disappointment.

Looking only at his second season we could argue that Conte was leading Chelsea the wrong way. If the Blues were facing an opposition with a nominally better squad, his Chelsea would sit back and defend, sometimes not even making an effort to retrieve the ball, but rather waiting for it to come to come to them.

Falling back into this safety net, rather than experimenting is something Frank Lampard must learn if he wants to succeed.

After Conte, Maurizio Sarri was a comfort zone addict who neither changed formations nor tactics. This was one of the biggest reasons he lost his favor as Chelsea’s manager. With no imagination, no creativity and no real desire to win, Chelsea looked flat the entire season. There was nothing exciting about them despite winning the Europa League. The numbing short passes and lack of movement were Sarri’s bread and butter, which he constantly and happily eats, even if he did not get the right result.

While sticking to one’s guns is important, players get bored of playing the same way over and over. Lampard must therefore stick to his own guns and keep making changes. After all, changing circumstances demand changing ideas and solutions.

Giving everyone a chance will spark new competition. With important games ahead, this period is do or die for players.

Unfortunately, this is also the part of the season where players know they will be selected because they fit the manager’s style. Such is the case of Emerson, Jorginho and Willian.

Emerson keeps getting picked because he should be able to run up and down the line quickly to defend and attack. But there is nothing to support the contention – he doesn’t actually do those things. The Italian international keeps leaving his defensive duties in the dressing room while still not providing any assistance in the attack. Bringing Marcos Alonso to take his place could improve Emerson, or simply show that he does not have what it takes to adapt.

When it comes to Jorginho, he can command the midfield and maintain possession, but in some games that is not important. Jorginho is not a player who screams urgency in his passes. If Chelsea were to play a counter-attacking game, Jorginho is the worst possible selection of all the midfielders. Sitting him and bringing a different combination in specific games or during a losing situation could help Lampard bring something better out of him and discover a different type of fluidity in the midfield.

Last, there is Willian, who has been a machine for the Blues. But one who, like always, with no end product.

The Brazilian has a great work ethic and provides a lot of assistance in both the attack and the defense. However, when it comes to taking a shot, not so much. Willian knows that as long as he keeps running, he can let other players do the scoring. But with teams like Tottenham and Bayern Munich coming up, Lampard needs everyone to carry their own weight, and that includes scoring goals.

Surely, Willian knows that Callum Hudson-Odoi is ready to take his spot and, if Lampard gives the Englishman the right opportunity, he just might.

Change is important for every manager. However, it is more important to know when to implement it. For Lampard, that moment is now, considering the poor form the team is enduring and the importance of the games ahead.