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Chelsea Blues’ Clues: How can Frank Lampard fix defense?

By Varun Dani

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 22: (L-R) Antonio Rudiger, Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori of Chelsea celebrate during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 22, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 22: (L-R) Antonio Rudiger, Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori of Chelsea celebrate during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 22, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 19: Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea controls the ball as Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United looks on during the FA Cup Semi Final match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on July 19, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Andy Rain/Pool via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 19: Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea controls the ball as Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United looks on during the FA Cup Semi Final match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on July 19, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Andy Rain/Pool via Getty Images) /

The dynamic double pivot

Lampard is bound to return to his high pressing system this season with a much improved front line. While the system does maximize the team’s offensive qualities, there is a huge strain put on the defense during counter presses and quicker counter attacks by the oppositions.

Chelsea suffered from these direct counter-attacks last season as Lampard had to slowly shift to a deeper formation to mitigate this risk. A part of the reason for this was also that his midfield personnel was scarcely able to shield the defense from avoidable situations.

N’Golo Kante, the best defensive midfielder in the world, suffered from plenty of injuries and his deputy in Jorginho was found out time and again. Mateo Kovacic single-handedly kept Chelsea afloat most season but was overrun on some crucial occasions that greatly hurt the team.

light. Related Story. Chelsea: Did Frank Lampard play in a 4-2-3-1 to prepare for Kai Havertz?

With Kante fit and firing again, Lampard resurrected a game plan last seen under his former mentor, Jose Mourinho, in the first preseason friendly against Brighton.

The double pivot was gloriously deployed by Mourinho during his second coming at Chelsea, with the Nemanja Matic-Cesc Fabregas partnership dominating Premier League in 2014/15. The success was short-lived, however, as the lack of balance and dynamism led to the duos’ downfall the following season.

In the Brighton game, however, there were shades of a much more stable partnership for Lampard. Kante and Kovacic are highly energetic yet deceptively technical midfielders who can contribute consistently to both sides of the field. The two controlled the flow of the game, protecting the defense with great aplomb. No fuss, no bother.

Provided the two can stay healthy, Lampard has the perfect strategy to offset his high-press system’s vulnerability. He would need more players who can deputize for them though, which the potential retention of Ethan Ampadu and the potential arrival of Declan Rice hint at.

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