Chelsea trail 3-0 heading in the round of 16 tie against Bayern Munich. It is likely to be the last game of the season after the heavy defeat in London.
After a resounding win for the German champions in the first leg at Stamford Bridge, it seems an impossible task to turn around the tie and leap into the quarterfinal.
How does Lampard approach this? The likes of Christian Pulisic and Pedro are missing. The 11 goals and 10 assists in 34 games from “Captain America” will be missed for sure. He has been Chelsea’s best player since the resumption of football. It seems like Willian has played his last game for the club; this takes three wide players out of the game on August 8th against Hans-Dieter Flick’s side.
This could mean Lampard has no choice but to play a 3-4-3 against the Germans. Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi acting as inverted wingers with N’Golo Kante returning to the side. The Frenchman was missed in the FA Cup final, his legs will be noticeable in the middle of the park.
Speaking of wingers, Munich destroyed Chelsea in the first leg with their wide players. Serge Gnabry scored two on the night. The former Arsenal youngster was unplayable at the Bridge. Kingsley Coman gave Marcos Alonso nightmares on the other side; the wide area is a very dominant area.
There were chances for the West London club. Mateo Kovacic was good in midfield,Mount had chances after his severe pressing paid off. Maybe the inexperience on his biggest ever game got the better of him.
It was a close affair for the first 50 minutes. Two away goals in quick succession killed the game for Chelsea, Gnabry netted two in three minutes to make it a mountain to climb. This has been a similar case all season, leaking goals and switching off defensively meant Chelsea secured top four by the skin of their teeth.
Chelsea must keep the score respectable, missing key players and playing 54 games already this season will take its toll. Bayern’s season finished on July Fourth. They won the double after winning the Bundesliga and the DFB Cup. Since then, they have played a friendly against Marseille on July 31st. Compare this to Chelsea playing eight games within this period. The fatigue levels are likely to kick in, especially with Lampard’s high intensity pressing game.
One shining light that could come from this game, is in fact the three at the back formation. The back four was heavily exposed in the first leg, hence why Gnabry and Coman got so much joy. The 3-4-3 nullified Manchester United’s prolific attack in the FA Cup semifinal but conceded five against Liverpool. The Blues scored three in both games, this shows the attacking intent and the amount of chances that can be created.
A damper is the missing Pulisic. He has been pivotal to this formation, he scored and assisted one against Liverpool, despite being brought on in the second half.
In the grand scheme of things, Chelsea is expected to lose their tie. The main goal was achieved this season after finishing fourth in the Premier League and this is what matters. It will be a miracle if the tie is overturned, on par with what Liverpool did to Barcelona last season after overcoming a 3-0 aggregate score line.
All preparations are for next season. Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner are training with the club. Kai Havertz is heavily linked and there are rumors of defenders are abundant. The game on Saturday will be the penultimate game on what has been an up and down season for Lampard. The club are in good hands and the future is bright.