Chelsea: How Ruben Loftus-Cheek fits in after a year out

Ruben Loftus-Cheek will finally have the chance to return after over a year out. How does the midfielder fit into Chelsea now?

It is perhaps fair to say that Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s career did not kick off until two seasons ago with a loan to Crystal Palace. Before that, he had merely been hyped by the likes of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. But with the World Cup approaching, the Englishman tried to get his career going.

He succeeded, even with a long term injury in the middle of it. At Palace, Loftus-Cheek played on the side of a 4-diamond-2 and his success earned him a place at the World Cup. Maurizio Sarri kept him around the next season and eventually started using him as his more attacking midfielder.

Then Loftus-Cheek was played in a match that he really did not have to play in. Since then, he has had set backs and Covid has further delayed his return to over a year later. A new manager took charge in the meantime and now the question can be raised as to how he fits in now.

First of all, fans should not expect the Loftus-Cheek they last saw to be the one they see next. A year off of playing is a long time, even when every player around him is basically in preseason form now thanks to the delay. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that he is even the same type of player as before. An injury like that can change a player. Not necessarily for the worse, but different.

Positionally, many would assume Loftus-Cheek would return as the most attacking midfielder in a midfield three. While that makes the most sense on paper, it also has a few hiccups that could imply something different.

First of all is the youth revolution. Was Loftus-Cheek better last season than Mason Mount or Billy Gilmour have been this season? Sure. But that is not the Loftus-Cheek that is guaranteed to be back. Not to mention that Frank Lampard would not want to stunt the growth of either player and he would find a new solution for them all.

Then add on Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic’s resurgence. Last season, it was much easier for Sarri to drop Kovacic out for Loftus-Cheek. This season, Kovacic has arguably been Chelsea’s best midfielder if not a world class one at that. Jorginho has also improved, making his position much stronger than even last year (though he will return serving the rest of his ban).

Then there are the new incoming signings looming over the club. Loftus-Cheek may have potential, but his time off will dull that in comparison to players that have not gone anywhere the last year. All of that is where the new solutions come in.

Lampard has not been shy about changing things around to fit in his best players. Part of that is his tactics naturally blur the line between central midfielders and wingers. Mount has played well in both roles and if Lampard is looking for a way to include Loftus-Cheek, that may be the way.

The last time Loftus-Cheek played as a “winger” was briefly under Sarri early last season. It was almost exclusively as a late substitute. Prior to that, Conte tried the Englishman in a similar role and even tried to convert him into a striker. So Loftus-Cheek does not “just” have to be a midfielder.

Beyond allowing for more space for Mount and Gilmour, it also covers up gaps left by Willian and Pedro. Neither player is guaranteed to even finish this current season with Chelsea and that will leave the Blues somewhat short staffed in attack. Loftus-Cheek (or Mount depending on who Lampard feels most comfortable moving up) could fill into Lampard’s winger role that is not really a winger role.

Loftus-Cheek’s return will have a lot of questions but will be welcomed by fans nonetheless. It merely comes down to how Lampard will fit him into his squad when play resumes. For now, playing on the wing seems likely but wherever the Englishman plays, it will just be nice to have him back.