Chelsea: Frank Lampard’s 4-2-2-2 flirtations show promise, not perfection

Frank Lampard threw a curveball when he lined Chelsea up in a 4-2-2-2 against Brighton. The shape showed promise while being far from perfect.

Frank Lampard was flirting with the idea of a 4-4-2 as far back as January. While it seemed unlikely, it was surely also a tool in his toolbox when needed. Regardless, few expected a variant of the shape in the form of a 4-2-2-2 to be used on the opening day of the Premier League season.

Whether or not it was injury enforced or if it actually what Lampard is looking to run with remains to be seen and there are arguments for both sides. There is even a disagreement on if it was 4-2-2-2 or 4-2-3-1, but the difference is largely semantic. What was clear was that the shape showed promise, but not perfection which is understandable given the circumstances.

The actions of the front four were the main driving force of the shape. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, either no longer willing to trust his legs post injury (understandable) or simply not physically able post injury (also understandable) was used as a quasi target man up top. This was not dissimilar to a role he (probably inadvertently) played last season with Willian dropping under him in midfield.

This did allow Timo Werner to have a strike partner without really having a strike partner. Loftus-Cheek fulfilled this role in the preseason match against Brighton by coming out of midfield as Werner roamed wide or deep, but the same effect was found by simply keeping Loftus-Cheek up high. Instead, Mason Mount was able to make third man runs into the space that Werner vacated as he roamed.

Perhaps a similar strategy was the plan for Kai Havertz on the right, but Werner and Chelsea found almost all of their attacking space down the left thanks to a combination of Marcos Alonso and Tariq Lamptey. Lamptey is clearly talented, but he is also aggressive and that skillset was used to force Alonso back. At the same time, however, that left space in behind him that Werner lurked in. As Werner got on to a through ball in that area behind Lamptey, Mount was able to make the runs into Werner’s vacated space. This meant virtually all of Chelsea’s attacks came down the left, leaving the right quiet for most of the day.

The front four were also involved in the press, at least to the point of slowing Brighton down enough for the team to get into a defensive shape. It cannot be ignored that both Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma had fantastic matches and it cannot be said that either was truly left out to dry. The formation did its job of slowing Brighton down while also giving Werner (and to a lesser extent, Mount) space to run in behind when possession was regained.

The main drawback of a 4-4-2 variant is a great deal of pressure is heaped on to the midfield pair to do everything. N’Golo Kante did his job well and Jorginho did fine, but the lack of overall control of the game was an issue. Of course, it is almost always going to be when the midfield pair faces a trio and the wide rotations are direct and aggressive instead of possession oriented.

The shape was held back more by personnel than its actual functions. With Mount and Havertz playing as “wingers”, the width had to be provided by the fullbacks. On the left, Alonso was pinned in so there was little true width there. Reece James had a better time on the right the few times the ball came his way, though it cannot be ignored that his goal came from central as Havertz pulled his man out of the way. Ben Chilwell on the left may have been able to give the formation a better balance overall as Werner could have stayed more central as he looked for runs in behind.

The midfield pair picked itself but it is hard to deny that it was missing someone like Mateo Kovacic. Though Jorginho did put in more forward passes than normal, he was also well marked out and his usual self otherwise. Kovacic would have been able to drive out of midfield on a dribble and cause more danger for Brighton despite their man advantage there.

Finally, the front four could have been reorganized to suit the goals better. Having Havertz central instead of Loftus-Cheek would have allowed him to drop deep to help possession like Werner was forced to do all too often. Werner then could have hovered in the back line waiting to make a run. Mount did well filling in spaces given up, but Christian Pulisic would have been more of a driving force towards goal. And though Havertz could have done little more with how the game developed, Hakim Ziyech on the right would surely have found more opportunities to play the ball into dangerous areas rather than looking to get on the end of a pass.

And overall, it is important to keep in mind that this match was practically preseason for Chelsea. Most teams train for about two weeks before their first preseason match. The Blues did not have that luxury this season and then saw half their squad taken away to international matches because UEFA gonna UEFA. This was a Premier League match, but physically, Chelsea is still in preseason.

Altogether, 4-2-2-2 showed promise but it requires a few tweaks for perfection. Whether or not Frank Lampard opts to try it against Liverpool is an open question, but the shape could be used effectively this season if it is the plan.