Chelsea: Four things to look for as Blues survive Liverpool trophy lift
By Varun Dani
4. Will Lampard go all out?
As previously discussed, many would perceive Wednesday’s game to be prioritized for Champions League qualification, as opposed leaving it for the last game of the season against Wolves. While that is a fine way of looking at Chelsea’s situation, there can also be a more pragmatic approach to it. The Jose Mourinho way.
Skip the permutations and combinations of securing draws, hoping for United to lose and what not. It’s quite simple; Lampard needs three points to finish in the top four. Lampard needs one win from the last two games.
It’s not rocket science to analyze the opponents and conclude that beating Liverpool just three days after the United game represents a significantly tougher challenge than securing a victory against Wolves. So, the argument can be made that rather than pinning his hopes on the game against the Reds, Lampard should prioritize the match against Wolves to get the crucial three points.
That would lead to Lampard heavily rotating his team and keeping the likes of Oliver Giroud, Christian Pulisic, Willian, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic on the bench on Wednesday. If his team still somehow comes away with a win, all is settled. But in case the Blues lose or draw, Lampard will have his key players rested and ready for Wolves.
There is also a middle ground the Englishman can settle for. Antonio Conte once left Eden Hazard and Diego Costa on the bench in a FA Cup semifinal against Spurs, expertly bringing them on late to win the match. Rather than resting every player, Lampard can perhaps take a page out of the Italian master’s book and keep his most impactful players on the bench. By setting his team up to defend and bringing on his best players late, Lampard could snatch away the win right at the death.
If it does not pan out quite that way, the players he kept on the bench for the majority of the game would be fresh and ready to push for the victory on Sunday.
No one will blame Lampard should he choose to go all out against Liverpool on Wednesday, but as his legendary predecessors have shown, pragmatism has its own merits.
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