Chelsea welcomes a relegated Norwich on the back of Bournemouth handing over a life line. What should the Blues be looking for?
Chelsea was smacked aside by Sheffield United, but they can be thankful that Bournemouth handed them a lifeline by defeating Leicester. Even still, Chelsea has to get the job done in the remaining fixtures and first up is the relegated Norwich. What should the Blues be looking for in the match?
1. Will Frank Lampard shore up the backline with five defenders?
Frank Lampard has been trying out various center back combinations throughout the season with little success. Just when he thinks two central defenders seem to be playing well and complementing each other, they put in the kind of shambolic performance that makes one long for David Luiz. Well, no, nothing will ever make anyone long for David Luiz, but that is the drift.
Andreas Christensen appears to be regressing before even reaching his peak, while Antonio Rudiger should start thinking about becoming a football agent full time if he carries on playing like this. Kurt Zouma offered some hope against Crystal Palace, then followed it up with a poor showing in the next game.
Lampard switched to five at the back in the latter stages of the Sheffield United game and might think that is the best course of action in order to cement a place in next season’s Champions League. It might be time to borrow from Antonio Conte’s playbook and bring Cesar Azpilicueta into the center of defense, with Marcos Alonso reprising his role as a marauding wing back.