Jody Morris’ academy teams offer an insight into which type of player Chelsea is still missing in their line up for next season.
Frank Lampard is very much his own manager. He has drawn ideas from some of the games very best, including Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti. He has a clear idea as to what he wants to do, but he also is not afraid to adapt that around the personnel at hand.
That being said, it is no surprise that he pegged Jody Morris to be his assistant. Besides being good friends dating back decades, the two share similar ideas. Morris’ academy teams were part of Lampard’s coaching courses and it is clear that he trusts and respects his number two’s suggestions.
That is why Morris’ academy teams could offer insight into the one type of player Lampard is currently missing in his roster: a halfback.
Antonio Conte may have brought the three at the back revolution to England, but Morris had already dabbled with it in the academy beforehand. The 3-4-3 is basically a formation of hybrid positions. That makes it excellent for develop as players are getting good at skillsets from at least two positions at a time.
It comes as no surprise that many of the centerbacks Chelsea has produced in recent seasons are also quite capable of playing as holding midfielders as well. Andreas Christensen, Trevoh Chalobah, and Ethan Ampadu are all players that spent time in the academy, both before and after Morris, and learned how to play as both a centerback and as a holding midfielder.
This line becomes blurred when that player can seamlessly transition between the two. At times, this position is called a halfback, a throwback to long ago. The ability to transition between two positions allows for a transition between two different formations depending upon the opponent.
The 3-4-3 Lampard used last season was less something expected of him and more something expected of Morris. It is likely that the shape came as a collaboration between the two more than anything. But it was missing that transitional player to help it revert to a 4-3-3 if needed.
Ampadu could be one solution, should he stay, but the pursuit of Declan Rice is telling. Initially, the rumor said it was to play at centerback but that makes less sense now that Thiago Silva has signed. Yet, the rumor has not gone away. That is because Rice, like Ampadu, could fulfill this halfback role and help the formation shift from 3-4-3 and 4-3-3 and back again.
The club will surely continue to pursue Rice for the position while keeping Ampadu available just in case that does not work out. The window will be open for a while yet so either option is viable. N’Golo Kante will be the main starter regardless, though he cannot necessarily go into the back line (that anyone has seen anyways).
Then the Blues will be able to take a step closer to what the ultimate overall plan is. That is, of course, if Morris’ past is an indication of Lampard’s desires for the present.