How Chelsea could line up with Werner and Ziyech next season

3. 4-4-2

This is a formation which has not been used by Lampard at all this season. This formation is generally thought of as an old school formation or one which is used by a so-called ‘limited team’. However, this is a formation can be used as a surprise to throw the opposition off. The back five will remain the same as the aforementioned and there are two ways this formation can be configured.

The first way is to play a midfield four in a diamond, almost like how Carlo Ancelotti set up the team during his double-winning season with the Blues. The deepest-lying midfielder in this formation would be Kante. The two advanced midfielders in front of him are Kovacic and Loftus-Cheek. Both these players have great dribbling ability, but they do it in different ways. Kovacic has a lower centre of gravity, which allows him to wiggle out of challenges with ease. Contrasting this with Loftus-Cheek’s technique, the Englishman relies on his physique and uses his body to protect the ball more effectively.

This will provide two interesting alternative ways of progressing the ball into the final third. They can switch positions to give the opposition some food for thought and not be too predictable. The midfield duo would also be able to dribble with ease because it has Kante to mop-up behind it, should it lose possession.

The man occupying the No. 10 role would be Ziyech as he has the freedom to wander out wide whenever given the chance. This freedom to either play wide or centrally gives him the opportunity to exploit different angles to create chances or even take shots from distance. He would be the focal point in the attack with the onus on him to create the chances. The two men up front would be Abraham and Werner. This would be an interesting take on the big man-little man combination. Werner could use his explosive pace to exploit the budding hold-up ability of Abraham. Abraham’s aerial skills will be vital, as well, in this case.

The second way is the midfield being a traditional four with Ziyech playing as a free second striker. The midfield would be from right-to-left: Pulisic, Kante, Kovacic and Hudson-Odoi. This makes up for the lack of width in the previous variant.

The wingers could bomb up and down and possibly counter the teams with attacking fullbacks by making them wary to push forward. This would nullify the attacking prowess and also add a different edge while on the front foot. Ziyech could dictate the pace of the match easily, without worrying about being marked because Kante and Kovacic would hound and harry the midfielder marking him. Werner would be the main striker and could utilize his pace and movement in the box to capitalize on chances created out wide and centrally.